Jesse James was an American outlaw and leader of the James-Younger Gang who robbed banks, trains, and stagecoaches in the Midwest after the Civil War. He grew up in western Missouri and was accused of atrocities against Union soldiers during the war. After several members of his gang were killed or captured during an attempted bank robbery in Minnesota, Jesse James was shot and killed at his home in 1882, becoming a legendary figure of the Wild West after his death, despite popular rumors portraying him as a Robin Hood figure.