I suppose there are lots of different ideas about jayhawkers but for people who lived in Searcy County AR they were the lawless and deserters from both sides although they appear to have been primarily from the northern army. Searcy County was like so many areas with supporters of both the north and south. I know of at least three Searcy County cases where one brother fought for the north and another for the south. Because of its location there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of men (mostly northern) who passed through the area. This actually started some time prior to the end of the war. Many men either just decided to go home because they felt the end was near or their enlistment period was over. No one was safe from these jayhawkers, they killed old men, women and children simply because they wanted the food or animals the surviors had managed to save. Or for no reason at all, just because they had the guns and the power. All this is well documented in Searcy County history books. One important thing to remember was there were almost no men left to defend the homes. My great-great grandfather, Lemuel Holsted was home on leave in Feb 1865 from the Confederate Army when he was killed by Federal troops. Because there were no men at all to help the women, including his wife, tore apart an old wooden wagon bed to make a casket and the women burried him. My great-great grandmother Jennie Renfroe Harness was a young widow with two small sons. She use to "pin" their night clothes to hers so they could not get up at night and go outside with waking her. it was totally unsafe for anyone, even children to be out alone at night and it was not much better in the daytime. As in all armies there are some who learn to kill and rob and enjoy it. That is what these jayhawkers mostly were. Hope this is of some interest. Judy