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Special Orders
Title
Special Orders
Description
This order, issued by Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Ewing, commands John Poyntz, a resident of Cass County, Missouri, to leave the state until the end of the war. The document is written on official letterhead from the Headquarters of the District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri. It is signed by Charles S. Hills, Captain and Acting Assistant Provost Marshal for the District of the Border, and dated September 19, 1863.
Date
September 19, 1863
Special Orders, No. 70 and No. 4
Title
Special Orders, No. 70 and No. 4
Description
These orders were issued by Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Ewing in 1863. Special Order No. 70, dated September 5, 1863 and signed by Maj. Preston B. Plumb, commands Dr. Joseph Chew and his family, residents of Kansas City, Missouri, to leave the area “during the rebellion.” Special Order No. 4, dated October 20, 1863 and signed by Lt. Col. R.T. Van Horn, revokes the banishment of Chew and his family, and authorizes them to reside in Clay, Platte, Ray, or Carroll Counties, Missouri.
Date
September 5, 1863 and October 20, 1863
From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Title
From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description
On October 7, 1864, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Missouri to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter says that prices for goods are rising and "farmers can't keep up with the merchant." He reports that the railroad is complete "from Independence to Kansas City and next spring will be run through to St. Louis…If we only had peace we might enjoy the sight of such improvements." He also mentions that "there was a great revival of religion in the army."
Date
October 7, 1864
Disloyalists Banished from Western Missouri
Title
Disloyalists Banished from Western Missouri
Description
This newspaper clipping, ca. August 1863, lists the names of "disloyalists" who were banished from Western Missouri in accordance with Gen. Ewing's General Order No. 11. The people listed were residents of Kansas City, Missouri; Independence, Missouri; Osage County, Kansas; and Olathe, Kansas. The order prohibits these "disloyal" citizens from residing in their homes or in Platte, Clay, Ray, or Carroll counties.
Object Type
Newspaper Article
From Thomas E. Ewing to Thomas Carney
Title
From Thomas E. Ewing to Thomas Carney
Description
This telegram, dated August 27, 1863 was sent by Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Ewing in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kansas Gov. Thomas Carney. Ewing writes: “I ask you to use your influence & authority to prevent any expedition of citizens or militia organizing in Leavenworth for a Raid into Missouri.”
Object Type
Telegram
Date
August 27, 1863
Battle of Westport
Title
Battle of Westport
Description
Newell Convers Wyeth mural of the Battle of Westport, fought on October 23, 1864, which is displayed at the Missouri State Capitol.
Object Type
Image
From James Griffing to My Dear Wife
Title
From James Griffing to My Dear Wife
Description
This letter, dated October 23, 1864, was written by James Griffing in camp at Kansas City, Missouri, to his wife. James provides an account of “a tremendous battle about five miles south of this” (presumably the Battle of Westport), which he heard about via dispatches from the battlefield. James includes an assessment of the Union casualties from regimental surgeon Dr. Hidden: “he thought but few cases would prove fatal.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
October 23, 1864
From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Wife and Boy
Title
From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Wife and Boy
Description
This letter, dated October 6, 7, 10, and 11, 1861, is from A.J. Huntoon to his wife Lizzie and son Prentice. Huntoon, a member of the 5th Kansas Cavalry volunteer regiment, tells his family that he was ordered to take charge of a military hospital in Mapleton, Bourbon County, Kansas. He estimates that there are 50,000-55,000 Union soldiers in Missouri, including the companies of Generals Sturgis, Siegel, and Fremont, and that there are about 70,000 Confederate troops in Missouri under the commandment of Generals McCulloch and Rains. Huntoon predicts that “We will have a big battle in this vicinity ere so long.”
Date
October 6, 1861-October 11, 1861
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Title
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Description
This letter, dated September 1, 1862, was written by John C. Gage in Kansas City, Missouri to friends in Pelham, New Hampshire. John states that Confederate forces camped nearby have retreated to Arkansas, leaving the area vulnerable to guerrilla attacks. The biggest threat comes from Jim Lane’s brigade under Jennison, which is “raising and arming negroes in Kansas to plunder good citizens in Missouri.” Of Jennison, John declares, “He ought to be killed and I would esteem it the best act of my life to do it.”
Date
September 1, 1862
From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Title
From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Description
This letter, dated January 14, 1861, is from George Miller in Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri, to his parents. Miller writes that Lt. Col. Daniel R. Anthony and his Kansas troops invaded Pleasant Hill, stealing 55 slaves and $10,000 worth of property. He complains that the Missouri Secessionists are "fast beginning to give up the contest" and laments that "the country is being ruined."
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 14, 1861
From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Title
From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Description
On December 22, 1861, D.R. Anthony writes a letter to his father, describing recent “skirmishes” with rebels. He says that he and his comrades killed Hurst, a Missouri Confederate colonel, and several of his soldiers. They also gave horses, mules, oxen, wagons, and carriages to 129 slaves and helped them escape to Kansas. Anthony informs his father that he took possession of a Secessionist flag in Harrisonville, Missouri, and adds that he hopes to take Col. Jennison’s position if Jennison is promoted to General.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 22, 1861
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Title
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description
On December 24, 1863, C.F. Smith writes from Kansas City, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Smith reports that he has about 50 names to add to the published enrollment list, explaining that "before the list was published it was exceedingly difficult to get any information but now every man reports his neighbor if his name is not on the list." Smith adds that some men were accidentally enrolled twice.
Date
December 24, 1863
From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Title
From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Description
This letter, dated October 11, 1865, is from Mary Jane Peery to her sister. Peery writes that her husband, the preacher J.T. Peery, has refused to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States Government. She mentions that Confederate sympathizers have encountered difficulty in Missouri following the Civil War, but declares that "a great many of our preachers . . . say they do not intend to take the oath. The Northerners still hold our church and parsonage in Independence and say they will not give it up."
Date
October 11, 1865
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 E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Title
From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description
On December 11, 1864, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Jackson County, Missouri, to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter, a member of the local home guards, states that he was captured by "Prices men Shelby's division. We were taken to their camp and next morning paroled. We all started home…directly after we started the battle commenced." He says that both the Confederate and Union wounded were taken to Kansas City, "which shows that our armies are merciful as well as brave." He adds that guerrillas are becoming more active in the area since the soldiers have left.
Date
December 11, 1864
From Mary Hall to Venitia Hall
Title
From Mary Hall to Venitia Hall
Description
Mary Hall—the original recipient of this envelope—used it in 1863 to write a message to her sister Venitia Colcord Page, who was incarcerated at the Union Jail for Women in Kansas City. “Don’t say one word before anyone,” Mary warns, “The guards say they like you…They say very hard things of the others.” Mary gave the message to Venitia, who was married to Major Page, during a prison visit; Venitia escaped or was released before the prison collapsed in August 1863.
Date
1863
From Thomas P. Akers to Hamilton Gamble
Title
From Thomas P. Akers to Hamilton Gamble
Description
On September 12, 1862, Thomas P. Akers writes from Kansas City, Missouri to Missouri Governor Hamilton Gamble in St. Louis. Akers, a former Missouri Congressmen who opposed secession, states that when he returned to Lexington, Missouri after a year's absence, his wife and children were forcibly removed from their home and his father-in-law was arrested and imprisoned under false charges. Fearing arrest, Akers seeks Gamble's permission to peacefully resolve his affairs in Lexington before leaving the state.
Date
September 12, 1862
From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Title
From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description
On February 25, 1863, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Missouri to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter writes about his crops and livestock and mentions that Jackson County, Missouri "gets thinner settled all the time." He describes being taken prisoner by the Confederates, and declares, "Our country is in an awful condition."
Object Type
Letter
Date
February 25, 1863
From James Griffing to Cuttie
Title
From James Griffing to Cuttie
Description
This October 30, 1864 letter was written by James Griffing in Lincoln, to Cuttie. James describes General Price’s capture of the arsenal at Topeka, declaring “The Topeka boys fought like tigers.” He gives an account of acquaintances killed in the Battle of Westport, adding that he believes “Missouri will be safer now.” He cautions Cuttie not to buy much at current prices, since “everything is bound to change after the election.”
Date
October 30, 1864
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Title
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Description
This letter, dated December 8, 1862, was written by John C. Gage in Kansas City, Missouri to friends in Pelham, New Hampshire. Declaring that the “guerrillas” have gone, John describes how his community has been altered by the war: “It is the common course of things for anybody to get killed. Even their own families hardly seem to mourn for them.” He adds that those injured in battle are often seen “about the streets with their crutches.”
Date
December 8, 1862

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