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Title: From Unknown to Dear Brother
Description: This unsigned letter, dated September 30, 1861, describes a recent Missouri state convention, which resulted in a majority vote against secession. The writer expresses ambivalence about the motivations for this vote: "As the Union at that time was hanging on a pivot, and all were anxious that it should be preserved--few having the boldness to assert that they were for secession--of course we elected good Union men . . . but there is no telling what men will do when they have the power."
Date: September 30, 1861

Title: Diary of C.T. Kimmel
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of C.T. Kimmel, an assistant surgeon in the 2nd Missouri State Militia Cavalry. The entries, dated May 10 – June 2, 1865, describe Kimmel mustering out of service and returning home to Chariton County, Missouri. He mentions nearby guerrilla warfare, and writes about mourning the death of President Lincoln. Attached is an invitation to a New Year’s Union Ball on December 31, 1865 in Brunswick, Missouri.
Object Type: Diary
Date: May 10, 1865-December 30, 1865

Title: From James B. Fry to E.B. Alexander
Description: On November 7, 1863, James B. Fry, Provost Marshal General in Washington, DC, writes to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis. Fry informs Alexander that the enrollment quota for Missouri under Lincoln's call for three hundred thousand volunteers is 13,516 men. Fry also provides the exact number of men required from each Missouri district.
Date: November 7, 1863

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

Title: From James B. Fry to E.B. Alexander
Description: This letter, dated November 7, 1863, is from James B. Fry, Provost Marshal General, to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri. Writing from the War Department in Washington, D.C., Fry tells Alexander the number of volunteers that must be recruited from each Missouri district. To comply with President Lincoln's October 17 proclamation ordering the United States to recruit 300,000 volunteers, the state of Missouri must recruit 13,516 volunteers.
Date: November 7, 1863

Title: General Orders, No. 39
Description: Brig. Gen. James Totten and Maj. Lucien J. Barnes of the Missouri State Militia issued General Order No. 39 on September 1, 1862 in Springfield, Missouri. The order warns the militia's officers to stop "preventing their men from entering the volunteer service . . . by so doing they render themselves liable to arrest under the Presidents order for 'discouraging enlistments.'"
Date: September 1, 1862

Title: From William Augustus Hall to Oswald Swinney
Description: This letter, ca. 1861-1864, is from William Augustus Hall in Washington to Oswald Swinney in Missouri. Hall says he is attempting to remove the Federal troops from Northern Missouri, where "they are a constant source of arrogance in stealing our negros." He argues that the Enrolled Missouri Militia can adequately protect the region without assistance. He expresses concern about "damage done by rebels" and the possibility of future violence, and he asks Swinney to report on the conditions in Northern Missouri.

Title: From J.B. Henderson to R.T. Van Horn
Description: This letter, dated March 3, 1864, is from J.B. Henderson in Washington City to Col. R.T. Van Horn. Henderson expresses regret that Van Horn has been mustered out of service, and says he filed an application authorizing Van Horn to raise a brigade. Henderson also reports that "Mr. Lincoln will favor immediate emancipation," and predicts that Lincoln will win the nomination at the Union Convention.
Date: March 3, 1864

Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865