Rory MacClane: Saga of an Outlaw

By Alan R Owens

Rory Maclane was a young man who fought for the Union in the Civil War. Due to his accuracy with his Patterson rifle he became a sniper. He was able to hit man sized objects at a distance of a mile. He once had a shot at General Robert E. Lee but passed it up for fear of hitting Lee’s renowned horse, Traveler. He fights a Rebel colonel, Je

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Nov 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643678139

Book preview

Chapter 1

Rory Maclane wasn’t born mean or bred to be an outlaw. His birth on April 5, 1845 was greeted with great joy in the Maclane household. James and Elisha Maclane had long since given up their dreams of a large family and were overjoyed to have Rory come into their lives. At the very least Rory gave them someone to whom to pass the Circle J ranch in Abilene, Kansas, when the time came. The Circle J was not a large ranch but it provided the family with a good living and employed two cowboys.

As a baby Rory was unusually demanding. He wanted things his way and would put up a fuss until his wishes were met. Rory and Elisha became accustomed to giving in to their son on these occasions as they were just grateful to have him. They excused their actions with the intention of reigning Rory in when the time came. Unfortunately such a time never really came. Once he was of school age, Rory excelled both in the classroom and at recess games. That he was always fighting was something that they to put up with but that he always emerged as the winner mitigated their concern somewhat. Then came the day that he was beaten up by an upper class boy. To give up fighting never entered Rory’s mind – instead all of his thoughts turned to improving his skills. He realized that, first of all, he needed to become stronger. The older boy had simply thrown him to the ground and then straddled him while administering the beating. He got what help he could from his father and then turned to Lem Atkin’s gym. He explained to Atkins that he wanted to learn to fight and that realized that he required more strength.

Well, you’re welcome to come in here and lift weights whenever you want, said Atkins. I won’t even charge you and we’ll also see what we can do about your boxing and wrestling skills. Under the tutelage of Atkins and, experiencing a growth spurt, Rory soon became a formidable force. He easily avenged his loss to the older boy and assumed the role of the toughest boy in the school.

Rory’s mother, who was from Boston, was simply never able to cope with western life and, in 1857, sued for divorce. She then returned to Boston where she married a lawyer. James and Rory were shaken but carried on. James had become the town marshal of Abilene, mostly due to his skill with a gun. Rory had been hounding him for years for his own guns and on his 13th birthday James presented him with a brand new Whitworth rife and an 1851 Navy cap and ball pistol. He gave the boy as much instruction as he could – stressing caution, and then told him that all he needed now was a great deal of practice. Rory took his father at his word and was constantly asking for money to purchase more ammunition. James realized that there were a lot of worse things that Rory could be doing and was happy to oblige. They obtained a belt and holster for his pistol. The holster could be tied to the leg for purposes of a fast draw. James was known for his own quickness with a gun and soon had Rory file off his front sight so that it wouldn’t catch in the holster. They also purchased reloading equipment and supplies.

Point your gun just as if your pointing your finger and you’ll hit your target, advised James. A sight doesn’t do you any good when you’re shooting from the hip anyway. Within a matter of months Rory was fast-drawing and hitting cans and bottles with regularity. He was already accomplished with the rifle and could hit anything that he could see.

At the age of 16 he was finished with school and began working with the cowboys on the ranch. Then the Civil War broke out. Kansas had just achieved statehood as a free state and Rory believed strongly in that stance. He abhorred slavery and also felt that the Union had to remain intact. Technically one had to be eighteen to enlist but Rory was large for his age and began badgering his father for permission to join one of the departing regiments. At last James gave in, knowing that his headstrong son would simply run away if he was denied. Rory left with the First Kansas Regiment in June of 1861, armed with his Whitworth rifle and navy pistol. James had tears in his eyes as he said good bye to his son but Rory was upbeat about the whole affair. We’ll show those rebels who’s boss and I’ll be back, he predicted.

Rory arrived in Virginia just in time to participate in the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861. Although the battle turned into a defeat for the Union, Rory distinguished himself as a long range marksman who could kill opposing soldiers at incredible distances. His fellow soldiers began calling him the sniper which was the first time he had heard the term used. He only knew that he could hit what he shot at. From that time on he was never used on the main battlefield but was positioned off to one side or the other so that he could pick off the enemy one by one. Major General George B. McClellan once happened on him while he was keeping a rebel cannon out of action by shooting anyone who tried to fire it and remarked, give me a hundred men like this and this war will be over in no time.

Rory was given a pair of the most advanced binoculars of the time and with these he could pick out the highest ranking officers of the Confederates within rifle range. He could then hit targets up to nearly a mile away with his Whitworth and earned the sobriquet, the General killer.

On one occasion he silently entered a Virginia house and found a man in Confederate officer’s garb eating dinner alone at the kitchen table. The man had long blond hair that a woman would have been proud of. His hat was on the table and the insignia on it indicated that he was a colonel. Well, what do we have here? he spoke aloud. The man started to reach for the pistol at his hip and then realized that he had no chance.

So kill me, he said. I’m sick of this damn war anyway.

You look like too good a fighting man to kill, said Rory. What do you say I put down my gun and we’ll see who’s the better man. Both winner and loser then go their separate ways.

Well, I’ve certainly got nothing to lose, said the colonel. But I have to warn you that nobody’s beaten me with their fists since I was about 8 years old.

Same here, said Rory as he holstered his pistol and then unlatched the gun belt, laying it aside. Let’s see what you’ve got. Both men circled, unsure as to where to start. Rory threw out a couple of left jabs but they were easily blocked. The colonel attempted a fast blow to the body followed by one to the head with the same result. Then they closed on each other and both scored with numerous blows. This went on for some 15 minutes with neither gaining a clear advantage.

Finally Rory spoke, We’re not getting anywhere so let’s call it a draw. Is there anything else to eat here? The colonel laughed and held out his hand. I’m Jesse Lamposte, he said, and let’s be friends."

Rory Maclane, said Rory, and that sounds like a good idea. I need some food.

The owners of this place must have decided to leave when they heard there was going to be a battle. This chicken was all ready to cook, said Jesse.

While eating they told each other about themselves and found that they had a lot in common. We’ll have to look each other up after this damn war, said Jesse. Maybe we could go in business together."

I’ve got some ideas of ridding rich folks of some of their money, said Rory.

That’s just the line I had in mind, responded Jesse.

Well, don’t wear a hat for the rest of the war so I can see that long blonde hair. I make a practice of sniping officers and I wouldn’t want to kill my future partner, said Rory.

So you’re that sniping lieutenant, said Jesse. There’s a bounty on your head so be careful.

I’ve never been careful in my life and I’m not about to start now, said Rory. Are you a slave owner?

Yes, said Jessie. But our slaves are just like part of the family. They wouldn’t leave whether they had their freedom or not.

It’s too bad it’s not that way all over the South. Then this war wouldn’t be needed, replied Rory.

I don’t think it’s needed anyway, said Jessie. I still want to be an American.

The two embraced and then left to go about their business. Rory, for the first time, found less zeal in what he what he was doing. However, he was soon back in the same pattern of sniping off Confederate officers. He had participated in various battles – all in Virginia and was running up quite a score. In late May of 1862 he was a participant in the Seven Days Battle in Henrico County, Virginia. He killed 3 colonels during that engagement but none of them were blonde. To his toll he also added two majors. General McClellan had become a fan of Rory and ordered him a pair of the most powerful binoculars in the world. He was also big even though he was only 17 years old. Most people assumed he was twenty-one or twenty-two. His comrades regarded him with a bit of awe although Rory was very approachable. He was admonished on one occasion for making his dislike for the war evident around the other soldiers but this would not change throughout the remainder of the war. He had come to view it as Americans killing Americans but still did his duty to the best of his ability. He was on a personal crusade to end the war as soon as possible and he saw this only happening when the Confederates surrendered.

In late August of 1862 Rory took part in the Second Battle of Bull Run which was much larger than the first one. Although the Confederates triumphed Rory ran up a score. He got a quick look at General Robert E. Lee on his horse, Traveller, through his binoculars but the shot was just too long – about a mile and a quarter. He had previously hit targets at up to a mile. He was tempted to try the shot but was afraid of hitting the horse.

Time passed and one battle after another. A major encounter occurred at Gettysburg in July of 1863. Again Rory took out many Union officers and earned even more praise from his superiors. Lincoln’s Gettysburg address was like poetry to his ears. He had never heard a more beautiful nor meaningful speech. In August his regiment was near Arlington where General Robert E. Lee’s mansion was located. Rory took it upon himself to visit the mansion although it was heavily guarded. He, nevertheless, using Indian tactics, was able to reach the kitchen where he placed a note on the table urging the General to give up the war.

Chapter 2

The war was gradually hardening Rory. He never wanted to go through something like that again and vowed to have a cheerful life once it was over – no matter what it caused others. He felt that he had more than fulfilled his duty and was sick of killing. He found himself failing to take shots that he could have made and was more than willing to just sit out the remainder of the war. In March of 1864 Rory was invited to dine with General Grant – the newly appointed leader of all Union forces. Rory was surprised to discover that Grant felt much the same way he did.

I just want to get this thing over with, said Grant. I’m using brute force and sacrificing a lot of men but I don’t know what else to do. Rory sympathized with Grant’s viewpoint and they got gloriously drunk together. Hang on Rory, were Grant’s parting words. It’s almost over.

Rory kept in touch with his father as much as possible although the mail system was very unreliable. He learned that Abilene was not the town it used to be. The coming of the Kansas Pacific railroad had changed that and now the city was the endpoint of the Chisholm trail. This meant that thousands of cattle were coming in and with them hundreds of cowboys who wanted to get drunk and party. James had been forced to hire two deputies and had been in numerous gunfights himself. Rory worried about his father but knew that he could handle a gun with the best of them.

As for himself Rory had had no need for his pistol. He had accepted the standard flap holster but, once he had established himself, he insisted on reverting to his old holster with the tie-downs. He didn’t know if this would ever be necessary but he wanted to take no chances. His precaution paid off during a battle near Richmond, the Confederate capital, early in 1865. Four Confederates managed to sneak up on him and surround him while he was searching for targets.

Drop that rifle! he