Kaiser Burnout facts for kids
The Kaiser Burnout was a large fire started during the American Civil War in Southeast Texas. A Confederate captain named James Kaiser set the fire. He wanted to force out people who were hiding from the war. This event happened in a dense forest area called the Big Thicket.
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Hiding in the Big Thicket
During the Civil War, some Texans did not want to fight for the Confederacy. These people were called Jayhawkers. They were similar to Jayhawkers in Kansas. However, the Big Thicket Jayhawkers did not usually fight like guerrilla fighters.
The Big Thicket was a great place to hide. Even Sam Houston had thought about hiding his army there. This was if he had lost the Battle of San Jacinto. After April 1862, many men were forced to join the Confederate Army. Those who did not want to fight hid in the Big Thicket. They became known as Jayhawkers.
Why They Hid
Many Big Thicket Jayhawkers had supported Sam Houston. They believed the Civil War was a "rich man's war and a poor man's fight." This meant they thought wealthy people benefited from the war. But poor people had to do all the fighting.
One person, Randolph Fillingim, said the Jayhawkers were smart. They knew what would happen if slavery continued. He believed that rich business owners would buy enslaved people for labor. This would leave poor white people without jobs. Some known Big Thicket Jayhawkers included Warren Collins, Stace Collins, Newt Collins, Lige Cain, and Jim Williford.
Life in the Thicket
Life for the Jayhawkers in the Big Thicket was tough. They often lacked things like coffee and tobacco. But they had plenty of wild game and fish. They ate wild fruit from the land. They also used old corn sacks from timber camps to make clothes.
Many Jayhawkers made a camp near Honey Island. This area had many beehives. The Jayhawkers would cut down trees to collect honey. Near where Honey Island is today, there were two big pear trees. The Jayhawkers built a table between them. They would leave honey and game on this table. Their families would pick up these goods. They then took them to Beaumont to sell. With the money, they bought things they needed. This included tobacco, coffee, and ammunition. Locals who supported the Jayhawkers also brought supplies. Often, they traded for the honey the Jayhawkers collected.
A Clever Escape
In the spring of 1865, a Confederate captain named Charlie Bullock caught some of these hidden men. He locked them in a wooden shack near Woodville. But the Jayhawkers found a way to escape.
According to stories, guards were placed around the shack. To help the men, a local supporter brought whiskey. Soon, fiddle music started playing. One of the Jayhawkers, Mr. Warren Collins, had a small pocket knife hidden in his boot. The Jayhawkers used their cleverness. They carefully pried up a floor plank in the shack.
As the fiddle music continued, Warren Collins began to dance a "jig." He entertained the distracted guards. While Warren danced, the other Jayhawkers escaped one by one. They crawled out through the lifted floor plank. In the excitement, Mr. Collins also crawled out. He then simply walked away to freedom.
The Big Thicket Fire
Soon after the escape, Confederate Captain James Kaiser took action. He set fire to the canebrake area near Honey Island. His goal was to force the remaining Jayhawkers out of hiding.
The fire did not hurt any of the Jayhawkers. It only burned the surrounding thicket. According to Lance Rosier, if any Jayhawkers had been burned, people would have known. The fire burned for two days. The intense heat permanently destroyed the canebrake. Over 3,000 acres (12 km2) of the Big Thicket forest also burned.
