From James Henry Lane to R.M. Ainsworth

Details
Title

From James Henry Lane to R.M. Ainsworth

Creator

James Henry Lane

Description

This is a copy of a letter written by Gen. James Henry Lane, labeled the first letter of the Wakarusa War. In the letter, dated December 1, 1855 and addressed to R.M. Ainsworth, Lane writes that a Free State man, Charles Dow, was “cowardly + brutally murdered by a gang of Proslavery men” in Lawrence, Kansas. Violence and threats followed, Lane says, and according to rumors, “this city is to be demolished without delay.”

Date

December 1, 1855

Local Subject

Bleeding Kansas, Bloodletting Missouri
Guerrillas
Border Ruffians
Wakarusa War

People

James Henry Lane
Wilson Shannon
Samuel J Jones

Geographic Subject

Lawrence, Kansas
Douglas County, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Shawnee County, Kansas

Object Type

Letter

Owning Organization

Kansas Historical Society

Location

Misc.: R.M. Ainsworth, Map Drawer M-212S

Rights

For more information on using this image, contact Kansas Memory at: State Archives, Topeka, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka KS 66615-1099, Phone: (785) 272-8681, E-mail: reference@kshs.org Publication, commercial use, or reproduction of this image or the accompanying data requires prior written permission from the Kansas Historical Society. Use of this image also requires that credit be given to the Kansas Historical Society.