The Man with the Plan Bennett Young set the standard for bank robberies.

Lt. Bennett Young drew the blueprint for Old West bank robberies—far from the West.  In October 1864, he and 20 Confederate soldiers snuck into St. Albans, Vermont (in civilian clothes). They cased the targets, observed the citizenry, and drew up escape routes.  On October 19, at a pre-arranged time, the Rebels robbed all three banks in town. Some men held horses outside; others kept the populace at bay.  The Confederates then raced a posse to the Canadian border, just a few miles away. The take: $208,000. Mastermind Young was just 21 at the time.