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Title: Union Men and Their Sufferings in North-Western Missouri
Description: This 1864 pamphlet, entitled “Union Men and Their Sufferings in North-Western Missouri,” was written by Major J.M. Bassett, former Provost Marshal-General of the Northwest District of Missouri. Bassett provides a “glance at the history of the Rebellion in Northwest Missouri,” admitting “it may be that my hatred for rebels is too intense, my sympathy for loyal men too strong, to make every sentence I write acceptable to all.” The pamphlet, which features several black-and-white illustrations, was published by the Press of Wynkcop, Hallenbeck, and Thomas in New York, with proceeds from its sale given to The Ladies’ Aid Society of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Date: 1864

Title: Letters Relating to Enlistment in Missouri
Description: This is a bound volume of letters written by Col. E.B. Alexander, Chief Mustering Officer of the 10th United States Infantry. The letters, dated August 23 - October 10, 1864, relate to enrollments, quotas, and enlistments of troops in Missouri.
Date: August 23, 1864 - October 10, 1864

Title: Emancipation of Eliza Jane
Description: These documents include the bill of sale and the letter of emancipation for a slave, Eliza Jane. The bill of sale, signed and dated December 5, 1844 by Alexander Duncan, confers Eliza Jane and two other slaves to Jeremiah and Nancy Smith of Nodaway County, Missouri for the sum of $550. The letter of emancipation is signed and dated August 31, 1863 by Jeremiah and Nancy Smith. It states that the Smiths “forever set FREE a certain Woman of color, named Eliza Jane, aged twenty-five years.”
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: December 5, 1844 and August 31, 1863

Title: General Orders, No. 34
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 34 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on May 4, 1863. The order details the proceedings of a recent Military Commission in St. Joseph, Missouri, where several citizens were tried for war crimes, including disloyal conduct, violation of the conduct of war, bearing arms against the Government, violation of the Oath of Allegiance, and disturbing the peace of Union men. The order was signed by Assistant Adjutant General A.V. Colburn.
Date: May 4, 1863

Title: From Amos and Mary Graham to C.C. Graham
Description: This letter, dated July 10, 1864, was sent to C.C. Graham at Ft. Larned, Kansas, by his parents, Amos and Mary Graham in Maryville, Missouri. Because of a “poor prospect for crops” and the high cost of living, the Grahams write that “Things seem to be getting worse, here, than it ever was.” They state that “The Rebels of this county have been indicted for Treason” and describe how “Bushwhackers, Rebels, raids [and] fights” are consuming nearby counties, with “men killed in all directions.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 10, 1864

Title: From S.A. Routsong to Wife Ellen
Description: S.A. Routsong writes a letter to his wife, Ellen, on November 13 and 14, 1862. He describes recent travel to Iowa and assures her of his safety. He states that he has heard that William Clarke Quantrill is travelling South through Johnson and Bates counties “with the Militia hard after him of course”. He also mentions a rumor that “the New + Old Militia were fighting each other” in Jefferson City.
Date: November 13, 1862 - November 15, 1862

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