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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

Title: From Willard P. Hall to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: On August 31, 1863, Willard Hall writes from Headquarters, State of Missouri in St. Louis to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble. Hall refers to "an order from Gen. Ewing"--presumably Order No. 11--and predicts that Jackson and Cass Counties in Missouri "will be laid waste" after its implementation. Hall adds that he will continue to protect the Missouri counties of Clay and Platte.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: August 31, 1863

Title: The Western Dispatch.
Description: This is the August 17, 1856 evening issue of the Western Dispatch, printed in Independence, Missouri. The newspaper announces that war is "being waged by the Abolitionists," and reports that James Henry Lane, John Brown, and their forces have robbed several Kansas residents and driven them into Missouri. The paper also mentions that Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon requested aid from the U.S. military, but was refused. A last minute extra, printed at the bottom of the paper, states that Lane and his men have captured Lecompton.
Object Type: Newspaper Article
Date: August 17, 1856

Title: From John M. Schofield to Thomas Carney
Description: This letter, written on the letterhead of Headquarters, Department of the Missouri and dated August 29, 1863, was sent by John M. Schofield in St. Louis to Kansas Governor Thomas Carney in Topeka, Kansas. Writing in the aftermath of Quantrill’s raid on Lawrence, Kansas, Major General Schofield states his hope that President Lincoln will appoint a Court of Inquiry to investigate the raid. Schofield refers to a meeting proposed for September 8, 1863 in Paola, Kansas, in which participants plan to enter Missouri “to recover their stolen property.” Schofield emphasizes the need to preempt this potentially violent meeting.
Date: August 29, 1863

Title: From Cyrus Leland, Jr. to Dear Mother
Description: Cyrus Leland, Jr. writes a letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to his mother in Troy, Kansas on September 2, 1863. He disputes a rumor that Maj. Preston Plumb had displayed cowardice during Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence: “It is all wrong about him. . . I was with him and saw all.” He also mentions that some people are trying to have Gen. Ewing removed from his position.
Date: September 2, 1863

Title: War in Kansas!
Description: This 1856 broadside announces the commencement of civil war in Kansas. It urges the citizens of Lafayette County, Missouri to gather with their guns and horses in Lexington on August 20, and "put an end to Abolitionism in Kansas." The broadside, signed by twelve men, reports that John Brown, James Henry Lane, and their forces have launched several guerrilla attacks upon Kansas residents, and are now "advancing upon us--the next breath from Kansas may bring to our ears the death shrieks of our Fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, neighbors and friends."
Object Type: Broadside
Date: August 1856

Title: From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Description: This letter, dated July 19, 1861, is from W.L. Wood in Liberty Landing, Missouri to Col. W.P. Howard in St. Louis. Wood informs Howard that he went to Lexington, Missouri with state troops and planned to travel farther south, but "did not precisely understand" Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson's intentions. He expresses ambivalence about Jackson, but supports his stance against Lincoln, and declares that he wants "to see Lincoln's troops whipped."
Date: July 19, 1861

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

Title: Kansas Colored Volunteers Correspondence
Description: This bound letterbook contains copies of letters exchanged between the Adjutant General’s Office in Fort Scott, Kansas and various correspondents including the War Department in Washington. The letters relate to the recruitment and commission of troops and officers for the Kansas Colored Volunteers. Participants in the correspondence include Major General James G. Blunt, Major General J.M. Schofield, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and Kansas Governor Thomas Carney.
Date: 1863-1864

Title: Wyllys C. Ransom vs. George C. Bingham
Description: These documents, created between 1866 and 1867, relate to the Jackson County, Missouri court case Wyllys C. Ransom vs. George C. Bingham. Ransom accuses Bingham of slander, asserting that Bingham publicly and repeatedly said he was a “murderer, robber, thief and a house burner” during the Civil War. Portions of testimony are from Ransom’s fellow officers in the Kansas Volunteers. Ransom seeks $30,000 in damages.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: 1866-1867

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: Sectional Map of Kansas Territory
Description: This color map, dated April 1857, is entitled "Sectional Map of Kansas Territory." It was drafted by C.P. Wiggin and signed by L.A. MacLean, Chief Clerk of the Surveyor General’s office in Lecompton, Kansas Territory. MacLean certifies that the map was compiled from U.S. survey field notes. The map was published by MacLean and Lawrence and printed by William Schuchman and Bro. in Philadelphia.
Object Type: Map
Date: April 1857

Title: From Daniel R. Anthony to Father
Description: This letter, dated November 24, 1861, was written by Daniel R. Anthony at Camp Union, Kansas City, Missouri, to his father. Anthony describes commanding eight companies on a recent military expedition to Pleasant Hill in Cass County, Missouri; he is now on his way to take up headquarters at Independence, Missouri. Anthony discusses his involvement in a “desperate” battle at the Little Blue River near Independence, in which the Union side won. He also says that a soldier under his command found guilty of stealing will be shot that morning.
Date: November 24, 1861

Title: From A.J. Huntoon to Lizzie P. Huntoon
Description: In this letter, dated July 17 and July 20, 1861, A.J. Huntoon writes to his wife Lizzie P. Huntoon. On July 17, A.J. writes from Camp Lincoln, headquarters of the 3rd Regiment, Kansas Volunteers, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. A.J. describes his trip from Topeka to Fort Leavenworth, stating that four companies are in camp there, while another five have gone to Kansas City. On July 20, A.J. reports he is in camp at Kansas City, where there are rumors of an imminent secessionist attack; he believes there is no great danger.
Date: July 17, 1861-July 20, 1861

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: From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Wife
Description: A.J. Huntoon writes a letter from Williamsport in Shawnee County, Kansas to his wife Lizzie, reporting that Rebels have fired at U.S. troops in Independence, Missouri. He adds that hundreds of Kansas troops have left Lawrence and Fort Leavenworth to assist U.S. troops in Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri. The letter, dated June 16 and 19, 1861, also mentions recent shootings in Leavenworth and Atchison, Kansas. Huntoon writes, “We may look for these as common occurrences in Kansas, for a while at least. All carry arms now . . . Men are paying out their last cent for them.”
Date: June 16, 1861-June 19, 1861

Title: From Samuel R. Ayres to Lyman Langdon
Description: In this letter, dated November 15, 1861, Samuel R. Ayres tells Lyman Langdon that he recently travelled to Kansas City, Missouri on an expedition to escort a provision train, but the train was captured by Secessionists. Ayres tells Langdon that there are a lot of Secessionists in Clay County, Missouri, and he suspects that they will try to take possession of Kansas City. He also mentions a rumor that Gen. Lane is in danger, as his regiment is vastly outnumbered by the enemy, but he plans to unite his forces with those of Col. Jennison.
Date: November 15, 1861

Title: From Fred to Dear Cousins
Description: This February 28, 1862 letter is from a soldier named Fred to his cousins. He reports that he just marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas with Company A, to Kansas City, Missouri, where they are guarding Fort Union against the Jayhawkers. He tells his cousins that the 2nd Battalion of his regiment "had a brush with the rebels at Independence," and adds that he may be marching to St. Louis soon.
Date: February 28, 1862

Title: From W.E. Prince to James Henry Lane
Description: This dispatch, dated September 23, 1861, is from Capt. W.E. Prince at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to Gen. James Henry Lane. Prince reports that the Union forces surrendered to the Missouri State Guard at the First Battle of Lexington on September 20. He also states that Gen. Sturgis expects Lane and his troops to report to Kansas City.
Date: September 23, 1861

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

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

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