Heroes or desperadoes? For more than a century Wild West enthusiasts have been divided in their estimations of the exploits of Frank and Jesse James. To some, the James brothers were latter-day Robin Hoods who shared the proceeds of their bank and train robberies with the disadvantaged of their home state of Missouri. To others, the Jameses and their gang were among the most notorious outlaws of the American nineteenth century, cutting a bloody swath of crime from Iowa to Texas and from Kansas to West Virginia between 1866 and Jesse's death in 1882. In Frank and Jesse James, historian Ted P. Yeatman separates the men from the myths. Delving into archives of the states where they carried out their most audacious hold-ups, he reconstructs the historical record of their infamy, from their days serving as Confederate bushwhackers in Missouri to Frank's travels with the notorious Quantrill's Raiders. After likely assisting, if not participating, in America's first daylight armed bank robbery in peacetime in Liberty, Missouri in February of 1866, the James Brothers' reputation was set. For the next decade-and-a-half, Frank and Jesse James and their confederates were among the most daring and most feared outlaw bands in the nation. Yeatman discloses information that has hitherto eluded most historical accounts of the James Gang. Among these are letters concerning a full-scale war the Pinkertons waged against the James Brothers in the 1870s, including a firebombing of the James homestead that so outraged citizens it turned the tide of sympathy in the James' favor and helped to stoke popular belief in their benevolence. Yeatman also reveals information pertaining to the exhumation and forensic study of Jesse's remains that sheds light on the outlaw's habits, life, and death. Illustrated with rare period photos and documents, Frank and Jesse James is a trove of treasures for any reader fascinated by the legends and lore that make the Wild West wild. - Jacket flap.