Skirmishes between the abolitionist Kansas Jayhawkers and slaveholders in Arkansas and Missouri began years before the firing upon Fort Sumter, making the Ozarks a volatile and dangerous region during the Civil War. Although many citizens of Missouri wished to remain neutral, they reluctantly found themselves caught in the crossfire of raids between the two groups. Relocated Indian tribes of present-day Oklahoma also fell prey to the vicious fighting. As the war crept westward, more groups were drawn into the conflict, making the Ozarks one of the bloodiest regions in the battle between the Blue and Gray.