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Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On June 27, 1863, John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri, expressing fear for her safety. He shares a rumor of “men going to your house” and targeting the Bronaugh family. He makes reference to “a systematic effort to get you out of the country.” Bushnell also mentions the Kansas raids, but he expresses frustration about receiving inconsistent information and complains that neither newspapers nor rumors are reliable.
Date: June 27, 1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh on September 13, 1863, a few weeks after Order No. 11 was issued. He advises her to stay in Henry County as long as she can do so safely, but says that it is likely she will be forced to leave. He tells her that several military captains are in St. Louis, and that they have been inquiring about every man in town from Henry County.
Date: September 13, 1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh on July 16, 1863. He tells her that Missouri has recently instituted a draft and that he plans to apply for exemption. If he does not succeed, he says he will sell his belongings and attempt to “pay out” of service. He expresses his hope for a peaceful future with Eugenia and discusses his faith: “If God is with us, we are safe.”
Date: July 16, 1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On July 8, 1864 John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John states that two Citizen Guard companies are forming at Calhoun; he is skeptical of the plan, but discusses it only in vague terms: “A better plan I think could have been adopted, but as I am said to talk too much, I will not say anything…I have written more than I intended.”
Date: July 8, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Calhoun, Missouri on October 5, 1863. He mentions having a conversation with a stranger in St. Louis and says it is important to be careful when meeting new people because they may be spies. Spies and detectives are necessary in war, he argues, but they sometimes make errors at the expense of the people they are supposed to protect. He tells Eugenia about a Dr. Zimmerman who was arrested, tried, and shot after fighting Bushwhackers who invaded his home. Still, Bushnell has hope for justice: “like Death it is sure to come.”
Date: October 5, 1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh on May 11, 14, and 25, 1864. He ponders the idea that the Civil War is a punishment from God. He relates rumors that a raid is coming from the South, that there are Bushwhackers in Bates and Henry Counties, and that John Marmaduke and Sterling Price are leading 90,000 troops into Missouri. He questions the validity of these rumors, but warns Eugenia to be careful in case there are Bushwhackers nearby.
Date: May 11, 1864-May 25, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On October 26, 1864, John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John refers to a fight “at Clinton yesterday,” and adds that several local men have joined the Confederates; John himself has been “sworn and paroled.” John predicts that “bands of men” will soon be “robbing and plundering” on the order of Bushwhackers and other groups. He advises Eugenia to hide her valuables and “any letters you do not want read” in case her house is searched. John writes of hearing rumors about the whereabouts of General Price’s army.
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 26, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On March 5, 1865, John A. Bushnell writes from Sedalia, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John criticizes "those who have no sacred obligations to society," and declares that the United States is a “fallen nation” whose fate lies in “uncontrollable ignominy and disgrace.”
Date: March 5, 1865

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: This letter, dated September 24, 1864, was written by John A. Bushnell in Calhoun, Missouri, to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John assures Eugenia that he is well and writes of his plans to travel to Clinton, Missouri. He adds that “the scare of raiders has about passed away.” John implies that he cannot write down all he wishes to say to Eugenia, in case his letter falls “into rude hands.”
Date: September 24, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On July 29, 1863, John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Calhoun, Missouri, informing her that he has arrived in St. Louis. He had planned to apply for exemption from military service during his trip to St. Louis, but has discovered that he must apply to the Board of Enrollment in his home district. He says he hopes to familiarize himself with news of the war, which has been difficult to do in Calhoun: “as now is a critical period of the times I can perhaps inform myself better here than at home.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 29, 1863

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