Civil War

Title: From James H. Lane et al to "All Whom It May Concern"
Description: On September 5, 1863, James H. Lane and five others write an open letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to "all whom it may concern." Lane and the others express sympathy with Col. S.W. Eldridge, who is travelling east to seek aid in rebuilding the Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, which was destroyed during Quantrill's Raid. The signers assure potential contributors to Eldridge's project that he is "a man in every respect worthy of their full confidence."
Date: September 5, 1863

Title: From the 25th Missouri Volunteers to R.T. Van Horn
Description: This December 12, 1863 letter is from eight members of the 25th Missouri Volunteers to Col. R.T. Van Horn in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Volunteers, writing from camp in Columbus, Kentucky, state that their regiment has been ordered to consolidate with Bissell's Engineer Corps, and they ask Van Horn to remain with them as their Commander.
Date: December 12, 1863

Title: From John Brown to Orson Day
Description: This letter, dated December 14, 1855, is from John Brown to Orson Day of White Hall, New York. Writing from his homestead in Osawatomie, Kansas, Brown tells Day that he has just returned from the "Kansas War" and that he believes Kansas Territory is now "entirely in the power of the Free State men." He announces that on the following day, Kansas residents will vote on whether to adopt the Free State Constitution. Brown also informs Day that he has secured a piece of land for him in Kansas.
Date: December 14, 1855

Title: From J.B. Henderson to R.T. Van Horn
Description: This letter, dated March 3, 1864, is from J.B. Henderson in Washington City to Col. R.T. Van Horn. Henderson expresses regret that Van Horn has been mustered out of service, and says he filed an application authorizing Van Horn to raise a brigade. Henderson also reports that "Mr. Lincoln will favor immediate emancipation," and predicts that Lincoln will win the nomination at the Union Convention.
Date: March 3, 1864

Title: Deed of Emancipation of James O. Swinney's Slaves
Description: In this document, James O. Swinney announces that he will emancipate his slaves on January 1, 1864, "in view of the present condition of the institution of slavery." He adds that if he dies before that date, his brother-in-law, William Morrison, will be appointed as his trustee. This document was signed by Swinney and two witnesses, W.H. Savage and James C. Savage, in Howard County, Missouri, on September 4, 1863.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: September 4, 1863

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On June 13, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller discusses church activities and says that there are probably a few bushwhackers in the area. "Patrols are out every night," he writes, "but the object of them seems more to prevent smuggling ammunition & supplies out of town to the guerrillas than to guard against any attack." Fuller adds that he is to give an address at William Jewell College.
Date: June 13, 1864

Title: From J.B. Henderson to R.T. Van Horn
Description: This letter, dated April 7, 1864, is from J.B. Henderson in Washington City to Col. R.T. Van Horn in Jefferson City, Missouri. Henderson writes that he might try to get Van Horn appointed to office. He expresses his frustration with politics in Washington, stating that "It requires a degree of subservience that I hate," and that whenever President Lincoln makes decisions, "some secretary interferes and he caves."
Object Type: Letter
Date: April 7, 1864

Title: Swinney Family Portrait
Description: This black-and-white portrait, ca. 1860, was made from an original daguerreotype of the Swinney family of Glasgow, Missouri. James O. Swinney served as a captain and aide-de-camp in the Enrolled Missouri Militia from 1862-1863.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Joseph A. Lewis to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This letter, dated March 13, 1864, is from Joseph A. Lewis in Glasgow, Missouri to Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller in Louisiana, Missouri. Lewis asks Fuller to clarify some of the details of Order 61, which requires ministers to take an oath of loyalty to the United States. He expresses support for the order, declaring, "I can not, and will not, sit under the preaching of a disloyal man."
Date: March 13, 1864

Title: From Thomas C. Fletcher to "Col."
Description: On March 19, 1866, Missouri Gov. Thomas C. Fletcher writes from the Executive Department in Jefferson City, Missouri to "Col." Fletcher reports that Jim Anderson and his men are in Franklin, Howard County, Missouri, and writes, "If they can be captured or killed it would be the best thing for the state I know of." Fletcher believes a platoon would be sufficient for this task, and urges the "Col." to "take hold of the matter."
Object Type: Government Document
Date: March 19, 1866

Title: Certificate of Exemption of James O. Swinney
Description: This document exempts James O. Swinney from serving in the Missouri Militia during 1864, as per General Order No. 19. The exemption was issued by the Office of Commissary of Exemptions in Howard County, Missouri on April 30, 1864. It was signed by Capt. George H. Carson, Commissary of Exemptions for Howard County.
Date: April 30, 1864

Title: Platte River near Platte City, Platte County, Missouri
Description: Present day photograph of the Platte River near Platte City in Platte County, Missouri.
Object Type: Image
Date: October 4, 2006

Title: Invoices of Quartermaster's Stores in 1863
Description: This military document is a collection of Quartermaster Property Invoices for the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" that shows the transfer of various items such as horse collars and harnesses in between Lieutenant Stockley Etter, Captain James J. Akard, and Lieutenant T. E. Gray.
Date: 1863

Title: John C. Fremont
Description: Lithograph by Charles G. Crehan of Jules-Émile Saintin's original painting of John C. Fremont, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left
Object Type: Image

Title: From James Boyer to A. Comingo
Description: On December 23, 1863, James Boyer, Deputy Provost Marshal for Chariton County, Missouri writes from Brunswick, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington, Missouri. Boyer informs Comingo that his check on the Treasury at St. Louis has been drawn at Washington, DC in favor of enrolling officer Joseph Standley. Boyer states that he also received two checks drawn at Washington as "payment in full" for services rendered by James Sportsman as enrolling officer for Subdistrict No. 30.
Date: December 23, 1863

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: From Wilson Shannon to E.V. Sumner
Description: This dispatch, dated June 4, 1856, was sent by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in Lecompton, Kansas, to Col. E.V. Sumner at Headquarters, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Shannon informs Sumner that there are about 300 Free State men in Prairie City, Kansas, “fortified and prepared to fight.” Shannon adds that Capt. Pate and twenty or thirty prisoners are confined there.
Date: June 4, 1856

Title: Report on Loss of Clothing and Equipage
Description: This report, dated March 30, 1865, is signed by Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, and members of his Enrollment Board. The report attempts to explain "the destruction and loss of Clothing, Camp and Garrison Equipage…that occurred during the rebel raid into this state" in October 1864. Comingo concludes that the loss was "inevitable" under the circumstances. The report includes a copy of a letter sent by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis to Comingo on October 5, 1864.
Date: March 30, 1865

Title: From Wilson Shannon to E.V. Sumner
Description: This dispatch, dated June 4, 1856, was sent by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in Lecompton, Kansas, to Col. E.V. Sumner at Headquarters, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. With the goal of “preserving the peace and good order of this Territory,” Shannon gives Sumner a detailed set of instructions to station U.S. troops at various points in Franklin and Douglas Counties in Kansas. Shannon warns that in carrying out the plan, the troops must treat all persons equally regardless of party affiliation.
Date: June 4, 1856

Title: Plan of the Public Surveys in Kansas and Nebraska
Description: This black-and-white map, signed by J. Calhoun, Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska, was issued by the Surveyor General’s office in Wyandott, Kansas Territory on October 20, 1856. The map is entitled "Plan of the Public Surveys in Kansas and Nebraska." It was printed by Ackerman Lithographers in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: October 20, 1856

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

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