Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an
American outlaw,
guerrilla,
gang leader,
bank robber,
train robber, and
murderer from the state of
Missouri and the most famous member of the
James-Younger Gang. Jesse and his brother
Frank James were Confederate
guerrillas or
Bushwhackers during the
Civil War. They were accused of participating in atrocities committed against
Union soldiers, including the
Centralia Massacre. After the war, as members of various
gangs of outlaws, they robbed banks,
stagecoaches, and trains.