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From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
This letter, dated September 21, 1856, is from Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas to his parents in Massachusetts. He tells them that he and his army regiment marched to Franklin the previous week in an attempt to defend the town from Border Ruffians. The Ruffians rode into town, burned several buildings, robbed Fitch of everything he owned, and then “dispersed in different directions . . . stealing and murdering as they went.” Fitch mentions his suspicion that Governor Geary is a traitor who has negotiated with the Border Ruffians.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 21, 1856-September 28, 1856
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Title
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description
On September 24, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell says he has been at home on furlough and that the family is "tolerably well." He reports that there is great excitement in Kansas about William Quantrill: "he burned Lawrence a week ago last Friday & killed about two hundred (200) citizens[.] The people blame Gens. Schofield & Ewing for letting them into Kansas."
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 24, 1863
From S. Norton to John W. Geary
Title
From S. Norton to John W. Geary
Description
This letter, dated September 9, 1856, was sent to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary by S. Norton and seven other citizens of Leavenworth, Kansas. Writing from St. Louis, Norton states that on September 2, 1856, he and the others were ordered to leave Leavenworth by Capt. Emory and his “armed posse.” They seek protection from Geary so they may safely return to their homes.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 9, 1856
From Charles W. Graeff to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From Charles W. Graeff to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter, dated July 29, 1858, is from Charles W. Graeff to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Graeff reports that he has just arrived in Polk County, Missouri and will soon travel to Jefferson City, Missouri. He tells Stewart that several hundred men are hiding in a place called “Osage rocks” in Kansas Territory. These men, he states, have invaded Missouri, robbed citizens, driven families away from their homes, murdered a man, and injured several others.
Object Type
Letter
Date
July 29, 1858
From Charles T. Gilman to Albert G. Boone
Title
From Charles T. Gilman to Albert G. Boone
Description
In this letter, dated September 16 and 17, 1856, Charles T. Gilman informs Col. Albert G. Boone that 20 abolitionists recently launched an attack on the proslavery citizens living near Council Grove, Kansas. Gilman states that the attackers stole horses and mules, wounded a woman, and threatened to burn down houses and force the proslavery men out of Kansas. They also claimed that they would return in four days with 400 men; Gilman tells Boone that the people of Council Grove have been awaiting their arrival and have plenty of arms and ammunition to defend themselves.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 16, 1856-September 17, 1856
From H.D. Palmer to Isaac Feback
Title
From H.D. Palmer to Isaac Feback
Description
This letter, dated December 20, 1862, was written by H.D. Palmer in Independence, Missouri, to Isaac Feback. Palmer thanks Feback for his kindness, lamenting that he has few friends left who can rise above “political prejudice” as Feback has done. Palmer says he has done everything “to keep down jayhawking & protect my Union friends,” but has been betrayed by those friends and the militia who took his livestock without proper payment. Palmer notes that the oath of allegiance is meaningless unless it offers government protection for those who take it.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 20, 1862
From James W. Denver to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From James W. Denver to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on August 18, 1858 by Kansas Gov. James W. Denver in Lecompton, Kansas, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Denver writes that he disagrees with Stewart's decision to "station an armed force along the borders” in response to "the unsettled state of affairs" in southeastern Kansas. Denver asserts that after he sent U.S. and volunteer troops to the “troubled districts,” peace has been fully restored, and that “the only marauders now in this Territory are organized bands of horse thieves, such as are too common in all new countries.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 18, 1858
From Wilson Shannon to Franklin Pierce
Title
From Wilson Shannon to Franklin Pierce
Description
This letter, dated June 27, 1856, was written by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in St. Louis to President Franklin Pierce. Shannon informs Pierce that after recent “troubles” in Kansas Territory, the area is no longer threatened by any “illegal military bodies” as far as he knows. Shannon believes that the presence of federal troops helped to restore peace, and states that these troops should be maintained in Kansas to help suppress future conflicts. Shannon is particularly concerned about the threat of civil unrest if the Free State legislature meets, as planned, on July 4, 1856.
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 27, 1856
From Daniel Woodson to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore
Title
From Daniel Woodson to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore
Description
This letter, dated September 3, 1856, was written by Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson at Lecompton, Kansas to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore on behalf of the Kansas State Central Committee. Woodson refers to Gen. James Lane’s recent raid on Franklin, Kansas and several other areas of the Territory. He reminds Hutchinson and Moore about the proclamation issued August 25, 1856, declaring Kansas to be in a state of insurrection, and also cites the recent general order issued to Gen. Richardson and Gen. Coffey forbidding the burning of houses under any circumstances.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 3, 1856
From Daniel L. Chandler to James H. Buxton
Title
From Daniel L. Chandler to James H. Buxton
Description
In a letter dated May 5, 1862, Daniel L. Chandler writes to James H. Buxton. Chandler is encamped on the prairie near Fort Scott, but expects to be ordered to Fort Scott in a few days. He informs James that his mother and brothers have been driven from Arkansas by the "secesh" and are now in Missouri, and that James's brother Thomas is in a "Missouri Union Regt." stationed at Mount Vernon, Missouri. Chandler also discusses James's discharge from the military.
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 5, 1862
From William H. Doah to Hon. James Edgar
Title
From William H. Doah to Hon. James Edgar
Description
This letter was written on December 23, 1859 by William H. Doah in Butler, Bates County, Missouri, to Hon. James Edgar. Doah says that he spent $12.20 of his own money on ammunition for his Missouri Militia company “at the time of our threatened troubles on the line.” He seeks Edgar’s help in securing reimbursement from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Doah states that he has written to Stewart twice but has not received a reply.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 23, 1859
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Description
This letter, dated May 19, 1862, is presumably from Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble in St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble asks for Lincoln's help in restoring peace to Missouri's border counties by ordering that no troops raised in Kansas may enter Missouri unless by request. Gamble adds that in the interest of impartiality, "I am perfectly willing that Missouri troops shall be prohibited from entering Kansas without like request."
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 19, 1862
From John W. Clem to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From John W. Clem to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on August 18, 1859 by John W. Clem in Butler, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Clem, the Sheriff of Bates County, Missouri, reports that James Montgomery and his Jayhawkers have laid siege to Paris, Kansas; they soon intend to cross over into Missouri to free William Wright (alias Pickles), a prisoner being held there for murder and robbery. Clem states that if the Jayhawkers enter Bates County, “I will then call out the entire militia force for defense.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 18, 1859
From John W. Reid to John W. Geary
Title
From John W. Reid to John W. Geary
Description
John W. Reid writes a letter from Independence, Missouri to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on September 20, 1856. Reid states that he obeyed Geary’s order to disband his troops and terminate an expedition to plunder Lawrence. He admits that “some bad men who were with us did commit some outrages . . . which I hope you will believe was beyond my control or power to prevent.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 20, 1856
From James Henry Lane to R.M. Ainsworth
Title
From James Henry Lane to R.M. Ainsworth
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.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 1, 1855
From D.A.W. Morehouse to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From D.A.W. Morehouse to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on June 28, 1858 by D.A.W. Morehouse in Papinsville, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Morehouse tells Stewart about the organization of a company of mounted dragoons in Papinsville, and lists the company’s officers. Morehouse requests that Stewart issue the appropriate commissions and supply them with arms: “It is actually necessary that we should be armed and equipped to sustain civil order. Our lives and property and our families cannot otherwise be protected.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 28, 1858
From Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell
Title
From Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell
Description
This letter, dated February 9, 1864, was written by Kansas Governor Thomas Carney in Topeka, Kansas to Major General James L. McDowell. Carney orders McDowell to organize and assume command of the Topeka militia for the purpose of protecting the city and its vicinity from guerrilla attacks. Carney states that he will promptly grant any necessary assistance in securing the public safety.
Object Type
Letter
Date
February 9, 1864
From James S. Hackney to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From James S. Hackney to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on June 11, 1858 by James S. Hackney at “Noland House” in Independence, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Hackney reports that Col. Blakely and Gen. Parsons are in the process of organizing several military companies in Cass and Vernon Counties in Missouri. According to Hackney, Col. Blakely has “seen over 100 men who have been driven from the Territory by Montgomery’s band. He says ‘I’ll tell you times are hot down here—the people are boiling over with rage.’”
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 11, 1858
From Jesse Newell to John W. Geary
Title
From Jesse Newell to John W. Geary
Description
In this September 20, 1856 letter to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary, Jesse Newell complains that he was driven from his house by a band of guerrillas. He claims that they destroyed his property and threatened to hang him, his son Robert, and his brother-in-law. He adds that his neighbors are not safe either, and that his neighborhood is “pested” with guerrillas.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 20, 1856
From John Wright to John W. Geary
Title
From John Wright to John W. Geary
Description
In this September 20, 1856 letter to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary, John Wright complains that a mob of 15 to 20 armed men raided his house. According to Wright, the mob was led by Capt. Miller of Leavenworth County, Kansas. They broke into his home with revolvers, threatened to kill him, and captured Joseph Wright and John Kissinger. Wright asks Geary to rescue Joseph and John from the mob and “Save their Lives.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 20, 1856

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