Civil War

Title: From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Description: On July 25, 1864, Mary E. Bedford writes from her home in Andrew County, Missouri, to her husband Lt. Alex M. Bedford, Prisoner of War, 35th Division, Fort Delaware, Delaware. Mary explains that there has been much excitement in the area because of the bushwhackers: “The people anticipate great deal of trouble here, worse times than we have ever had but I hope not.” Mary also shares news of various acquaintances in the area, stating that most of the men have joined the Federal Army.
Date: July 25, 1864

Title: From S. Norton to John W. Geary
Description: This letter, dated September 9, 1856, was sent to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary by S. Norton and seven other citizens of Leavenworth, Kansas. Writing from St. Louis, Norton states that on September 2, 1856, he and the others were ordered to leave Leavenworth by Capt. Emory and his “armed posse.” They seek protection from Geary so they may safely return to their homes.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 9, 1856

Title: Main Street, Glasgow, Howard County, Missouri
Description: Photocopy of a postcard from 1864 showing a view of Main Street, Glasgow, Howard County, Missouri.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1864

Title: Examination of Ephraim D. Murray
Description: This is Ephraim D. Murray's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Murray describes himself as a 62-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri who was born in Tennessee. He states that he opposed the enemies of the United States Government during the Civil War "by not giving them aid or comfort." The oath, labeled No. 98 in a bound volume, was signed by Murray on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: Examination of John Menefee
Description: This is John Menefee's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Menefee, a 70-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky and that he demonstrated his loyalty to the Union during the Civil War by feeding U.S. troops and furnishing them with supplies. The oath, labeled No. 51 in a bound volume, was signed by Menefee in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Application of William D. McHatton and William S. Drummond
Description: This is an application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of Malinda D. Grave’s slave, Henry Johnson. William D. McHatton and William S. Drummond, executors to Grave’s estate, filed the application on December 19, 1866. It includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Grave lawfully obtained her slave, and the signatures of four witnesses and a notary public in Lafayette County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the third page indicates that the application was rejected.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: December 19, 1866

Title: From William H. Doah to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on August 16, 1859 by Capt. William H. Doah, Company B, Missouri Militia, in Butler, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Doah states that after Kansan William Wright (alias Pickles) was imprisoned for murder and robbery in Vernon County, Missouri, the citizens of that county “were threatened with violence by the outlaws of Kansas.” Doah says that James Montgomery later sent a letter demanding Pickles’ immediate release. Doah writes that he plans to “repel invasion and meet out justice” to the Kansas guerrillas; if Stewart does not approve of this plan, Doah says he will resign as Captain of Company B.
Date: August 16, 1859

Title: From James M. Boyer to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated October 10, 1863, is from James M. Boyer, Deputy Provost Marshal of Chariton County, Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Boyer states that he has intercepted "Rebel correspondence" and encloses two letters indicating that a local resident named Mr. Johnson has been in contact with Rebels. Boyer also reports that James Long of Yellow Creek Township evaded military enrollment.
Date: October 10, 1863

Title: Examination of Karl Faller
Description: This is Karl Faller's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Faller, a 56-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he served in the Missouri State Militia during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 31 in a bound volume, was signed by Faller in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Constitution Hall, Lecompton, Kansas
Description: Photograph of Constitution Hall, site of the Lecompton Constitutional Convention on January 12, 1857. Constitution Hall was built in 1856 and restored in 1991.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1933

Title: Examination of Timothy Noonan
Description: This is Timothy Noonan's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Noonan, a 30-year-old native of Ireland, states that he has lived in Missouri for 11 years, and was enrolled by the military authorities as "loyal" in 1862. The oath is No. 232 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Unknown to John Stillman Brown
Description: This faded letter, dated January 23, 1862, is from an unknown writer to John Stillman Brown. The writer reports that his company recently "jayhawked (or got in some way) a large quantity of tinware, but most of it is of such a kind as to be of no use to us." The writer adds that his health is very good, and "so is that of all the men generally." The letter is written on stationery featuring an image of an eagle with the caption "Liberty and Union."
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 23, 1862

Title: Andrew H. Reeder
Description: Portrait of Andrew H. Reeder, first governor of the Kansas Territory.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: John Brown Brought Out for Execution
Description: Pencil drawing by Albert Berghaus of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper depicting Abolitionist John Brown being brought out of jail in Charles Town, Virgina, to be executed for his failed raid on Harpers Ferry.
Object Type: Image

Title: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This military roll lists the names of "colored men" who were enlisted in the 6th congressional district of Missouri, in Caldwell County, and then transferred to St. Louis. The document, dated March 10, 1860, is addressed to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal, and is signed by John C. Dillard, Enrolling Officer.
Date: March 10, 1860

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: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description: This undated letter was written by Florella Brown Adair to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella describes her recent trip to Ashtabula, Ohio to visit friends and relatives. She writes of visiting the “great oil county where all seemed to be alive pumping oil from the bowels of the earth…Their are now five hundred wells sunk & most in opperation, they are worked by steam engines & yeald from five to therty barrels of oil in its crude state.”

Title: From John Brown, Jr. to My Dear Friend
Description: This letter, dated July 18, 1862, is from John Brown, Jr., a former member of the 7th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, to his friend Parker Pillsbury. Last winter, Brown writes, he and his regiment helped to free more than 2,000 slaves. Now, he says, the commander of the regiment, Lieut. Col. Daniel R. Anthony, is under arrest. Brown includes a copy of a letter he received from another friend, Arthur T. Reeve, concerning Brig. Gen. Mitchell's arrest of Anthony. Brown writes: “His arrest for such a cause is in the estimation of every true man a greater honor than to have won a battle.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: June 26, 1862-July 18, 1862

Title: Examination of James Gates
Description: This is James Gates's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Gates, a 21-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky and that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War by staying at home. The oath, labeled No. 75 in a bound volume, was signed by Gates in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Memorial to the President of the United States
Description: This 1854 broadside, entitled “Memorial to the President of the United States,” was drafted “on behalf of the settlers upon lands in Kansas Territory, ceded to the United States in July last, by the Delaware Indians.” The memorandum protests against a new treaty between the U.S. government and the Delaware Indians, because it will result in white settlers being driven from Kansas Territory and “will benefit none but speculators.” The document’s authors beg the President to reconsider the treaty.
Object Type: Broadside
Date: 1854

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

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