Search results

Title: From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description: James Montgomery writes a letter from Mound City, Kansas to George L. Stearns on May 8, 1861. He reports that, “We are in a perilous position here, and have not ammunition enough to make a respectable fight.” He says that he has organized a regiment to help defend Kansas against pro-slavery Missourians, whose troops are camped along the border of Linn and Bourbon counties. He mentions that an Osage Indian chief attacked some of these troops, then “tied them with ropes to the Horns of his Saddles and dragged them out of the country.” Montgomery asks for Stearns’s assistance in acquiring arms and declares that, “If we have to fight, we will carry the war out of Kansas.”
Date: May 8, 1861

Title: Medical Record of Examination of Recruits
Description: This is a bound volume of records noting the medical examinations of men recruited to the Union Army in Kansas. The records, dating from November 5, 1864 to April 20, 1865, include the recruits' names, ages, country or state of birth, occupation, height, complexion, eye and hair color, chest measurements, race, and town or county of residence.
Date: November 5, 1864-April 20, 1865

Title: From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Description: This letter was written on May 2 and 7, 1861 by George Collamore in Leavenworth, Kansas to G.L. Stearns in Boston. Collamore writes that Kansas is under threat of attack from Missouri and the Cherokee and Osage Indians, and that Kansas’s defenses are weak. He reports that Gov. Robinson offered him the position of Quartermaster General of the Kansas Militia, which he temporarily accepted. Collamore asks Stearns to send “thick colored blankets” and other items to Kansas, urging Stearns to keep his activities secret and to be cautious about what he writes in future letters.
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 2, 1861 and May 7, 1861

Title: Muster Rolls of Kansas Volunteer Regiments
Description: These muster rolls from 1861 and 1862 list the names, ranks, and enrollment dates of soldiers in companies from the 4th and 10th Kansas Volunteer Regiments. They also list the names of soldiers who deserted their regiments or were discharged, transferred, or deceased. The companies were commanded by Capt. James M. Harvey, Capt. James H. Harris, Col. William Weir, and Col. William Cloud.
Date: 1861-1862

Title: New Sectional Map of Kansas
Description: This color map, drafted in 1859 by Robert L. Ream, was published by Stevenson and Morris of St. Louis, and printed by A. Janicke and Co. of St. Louis. The map is entitled “New Sectional Map of Kansas,” and was compiled from the field notes in the Surveyor General’s office.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1859

Title: Sectional Map of the Territory of Kansas
Description: This color map, entitled “Sectional Map of the Territory of Kansas,” was compiled from the field notes in the Surveyor General’s office. It was published in 1857 by John Halsall in St. Louis.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1857

Title: Kansas and Nebraska 1856
Description: This color map, entitled “Kansas and Nebraska 1856,” was printed by J.G. Wells in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1856

Title: Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Description: This black-and-white map, signed by Ward B. Burnett, Surveyor General, was issued by the Surveyor General’s office in Nebraska City, Nebraska Territory on October 1, 1860. The map shows the progress of the public surveys in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and was produced to accompany the Surveyor General’s 1860 annual report.
Object Type: Map
Date: October 1, 1860

Title: Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Description: This black-and-white map, signed by Ward B. Burnett, Surveyor General, was issued by the Surveyor General’s office in Nebraska City, Nebraska Territory on October 1, 1859. The map shows the progress of the public surveys in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and was produced to accompany the Surveyor General’s 1859 annual report.
Object Type: Map
Date: October 1, 1859

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to "Senorita Morena"
Description: This letter, dated April 30, 1862, is from Leigh R. Webber in "Camp of the Kansas First" to "Senorita Morena" (Miss Brown). Webber says his regiment is comfortably situated, and declares, "Fort Riley is not to be slurred at. It beats Fort Leavenworth all hollow, and Fort Scott is nowhere beside it." He reports that "We had a general inspection on Monday, and were mustered this forenoon," and adds that the soldiers will soon receive new equipment and arms.
Object Type: Letter
Date: April 30, 1862

Title: Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Description: This black-and-white map, signed by J. Calhoun, Surveyor General, was issued by the Surveyor General’s office in Lecompton, Kansas Territory in October 1857. The map shows the progress of the public surveys in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and was produced to accompany the Surveyor General’s 1857 annual report.
Date: October 1857

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