Civil War

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to Mrs. Brown
Description: This letter, dated January 11, 1862, is from Leigh R. Webber in Lexington, Missouri to Mrs. Brown. Webber reports that his regiment has been marching in rough weather since January, and the long march "has used up our men pretty badly," leaving many men ill. He adds that life in his undisciplined regiment, with its drunkenness, rioting, and stealing, "is a perfect hell to me." The letter is written on stationery featuring an eagle and the caption "Union Forever."
Date: January 11, 1862

Title: Examination of Addison P. Evans
Description: This is Addison P. Evans' 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Evans, a native of Kentucky, states that he has lived in Missouri for eight years. He states that he has given bond to the military authorities, and was enrolled as "disloyal but against my will" in 1862. The oath is No. 205 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated October 3, 1863, is from Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Alexander gives Comingo instructions for completing payment forms for his deputies and special agents.
Date: October 3, 1863

Title: Examination of William Groom
Description: This is William Groom's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Groom, a 51-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 38 years and manifested his loyalty during the war by "staying at home and attending to my own business." The oath is No. 167 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Report of Deputy U.S. Marshal William H. Tebbs
Description: This report, dated September 29, 1856, is addressed to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary and is signed by Deputy U.S. Marshal William H. Tebbs. Tebbs tells Geary that the U.S. Marshal sent him to Topeka to make several arrests. In his first attempt to make an arrest, Tebbs says, the suspect escaped and could not be found; the townspeople then told him that if he tried to arrest anyone else, he would be resisted. Tebbs also informs Geary that Col. Lane was spotted near the Nebraska state line.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 29, 1856

Title: Tender of Service of Martin White
Description: In this document, created October 5, 1856, a volunteer company of mounted riflemen in Lykins County, Kansas, tenders its service to the Governor of Kansas Territory. The document includes a list of the company’s officers, including Captain Martin White.
Date: October 5, 1856

Title: From John Montgomery and C.H. Withington to John W. Geary
Description: John Montgomery and C.H. Withington write a letter to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on September 16, 1856. They inform Geary that a group of armed abolitionists belonging to Gen. Lane’s army invaded their settlement in Allen County, robbed stores, destroyed property, and declared that anyone who refused to join them “may expect to meet a bitter fate.” Montgomery and Withington claim that their community has no means of self-defense and they ask Geary for protection.
Date: September 16, 1856

Title: Col. William D. Wood's Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Certificate of Mustering In
Description: In this military document, Col. William D. Wood musters Captain David D. Stockton's Company of Mounted as Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A".
Date: December 18, 1861

Title: From Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown
Description: This letter is from Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown. Chandler writes from West Point and Kansas City, Missouri, and Mapleton, Kansas on September 25 and 28, and October 1 and 6, 1861. Chandler, a steward at a military hospital, describes caring for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Dry Creek and the Sacking of Osceola. Chandler shares his fears about the future: "The condition of the State of Missouri is indeed most gloomy, and if the war continues a year longer the territory will be turned into a desert."
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 25, 1861-October 6, 1861

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

Title: Resolutions Presented to the Missouri State Convention
Description: This document includes several resolutions presented to the Missouri State Convention held in Jefferson City, Missouri during February and March 1861. Mr. Linton suggests that “there exists no adequate cause why Missouri should secede from the Union,” while Mr. Hendrick declares that the secession of other states “is unauthorized in law and without adequate cause in fact.” Mr. Orr resolves “that we have the best government in the world and intend to keep it.” The signature of Secretary Samuel A. Lowe attests that the document is a true copy.
Object Type: Government Document

Title: Examination of Henry Hill
Description: This is Henry Hill's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hill, a 62-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Philadelphia and remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 36 in a bound volume, was signed by Hill in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Llewellyn Fritzlin
Description: This is Llewellyn Fritzlin's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Fritzlin, a 23-year-old Missouri native, states that he left the state during the war, but "I did not leave to keep out of the service[.] I had exemption papers." He also says he was not required to give bond during the war. The oath is No. 250 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of William B. Pence
Description: This is William B. Pence's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Pence, 30, states that he resides in Clay County, Missouri. He says he was enrolled by the military authorities as "Disloyal against my will" in 1862, and required to give bond. The oath is No. 210 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of George Hughes
Description: This is George Hughes's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hughes describes himself as a 40-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War, but expresses concern that requiring voters to make an oath of loyalty is "contrary to the Constitution of the U.S." The oath, labeled No. 48 in a bound volume, was signed by Hughes, a professor at William Jewell College, in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: In this January 20, 1856 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes that Missourians launched an attack near Leavenworth on Election Day and tried to confiscate the ballot boxes. Fitch predicts an imminent war, and laments: “How long O Lord must we suffer thus. I hope you will raise an army in the East and March through Missouri and Proclaim liberty to the slave.” Included is a copy of a September 15, 1855 broadside published by John Speer that challenges the Bogus Legislature.
Date: January 20, 1856

Title: Peter Hill
Description: This carte de visite depicts Peter Hill, who served in the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865 by Hasie & Benton of Helena, Arkansas.
Object Type: Image

Title: Platte County Court House, Platte City, Missouri
Description: A drawing of the Platte County Court House in Platte City, Missouri, included in an 1877 plat book of Platte County, Missouri.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1877

Title: Examination of William J. Bishop
Description: This is William J. Bishop's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Bishop, who was born in New York, describes himself as a 52-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the Union during the Civil War "by doing military duty for the govt." The oath, labeled No. 44 in a bound volume, was signed by Bishop on September 29, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 29, 1866

Title: John W. Geary and Staff in Atlanta
Description: Photograph of John W. Geary with a group of Union Army officers, circa 1864.
Object Type: Image

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

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