The American Civil War brought out the best and the worst in the country’s citizens. Jesse James, a member of a slave-owning family in Missouri, saw his way of life destroyed by the war. By the time of his early teens, he had joined his local gang of outlaws, fueled by a hatred of the loss of Southern traditions he knew and loved. Following the end of the war, Jesse and his brother Frank continued their crusade by robbing banks and raiding trains. With the help of a newspaper reporter, a legend was created of Jesse James as a hero and defender of the South. That legend gave Jesse James 20 years to rob and kill at will, as it was usually disguised in the press as heroism. No lawman was ever able to bring Jesse James down; ultimately, he died at the hands of one of his own men. This book tells the story of his life from beginning to end.