Civil War

Title: Pass for Paralee Hudspeth
Description: This pass, issued by Headquarters, Central District Missouri and signed by E.B. Brown, permits Paralee Hudspeth “to enter the Border Counties of the State of Missouri, for the purpose of securing property abandoned while obeying General Order No. 11.” The pass, dated November 18, 1863, was issued from Jefferson City, Missouri by special order of Brigadier General Thomas L. Ewing, Jr.
Date: November 18, 1863

Title: From James H. Birch to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: On September 7, 1862, James H. Birch writes from Kingston, Missouri to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble. Birch, a Congressional candidate in the 1862 Missouri election, states that he has been ill-treated by various "military organizations" while campaigning in the state. Birch quotes the text of a letter from Capt. Wakefield Standly, forbidding him "to address or interfere with" the citizens of Carroll County, Missouri. Birch asks Gamble to issue an order preventing the military from interfering with the election.
Date: September 7, 1862

Title: Examination of B.W. Vineyard
Description: This is B.W. Vineyard's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Vineyard, a 42-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he is taking the oath under protest, because it contradicts the "fundamental principals of the Constitution of the United States" and denies citizens their rights to free thought and speech. Vineyard was born in Kentucky and served as president of the Liberty Ladies College. The oath, No. 2. in a bound volume, was signed by Vineyard in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Powell Clayton to John Halderman
Description: Powell Clayton writes a letter from Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Gen. John Halderman on October 21, 1864. He says that he is not convinced by Gen. Magruder’s threats to attack Pine Bluff; he believes that Magruder is attempting to detract attention from Gen. Price’s movements in Missouri. Clayton expresses hope that slavery will be abolished and that Lincoln will win the upcoming presidential election. He declares, “it is the duty of all Patriots, independent of past party predilections, to vote for Lincoln and Johnson.”
Date: October 21, 1864

Title: John Conover and James M. Graham
Description: This is a copy of a tintype photograph taken near Stevenson, Alabama in August 1863. It depicts John Conover and James M. Graham, both captains in the Eighth Kansas Volunteer Infantry in the Twentieth Army Corps, First Division, Third Brigade. Conover was captain of Company E and Graham was captain of Company C.
Object Type: Image
Date: August 1863

Title: Examination of James C. Murray
Description: This is James C. Murray's Oath of Loyalty to the United States, labeled No. 26 in a bound volume. Murray, a 27-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, did not sign the oath.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Wilson Shannon to Unknown
Description: This letter was written ca. December 25, 1855 by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon to an unknown recipient. Shannon states that on December 9, 1855, he was at a party in Lawrence, Kansas when Charles Robinson informed him that “a large irregular force” was threatening to attack the town. Robinson asked Shannon to give him and James Lane written authority to defend Lawrence by force. Shannon signed Robinson’s paper, but later discovered that the threatened attack was a ruse devised by “tricksters who by fraudulent representations were seeking to obtain an advantage over me.”

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On December 15, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister. Stowell declares that "the day of restoration has already dawned & soon the sun of peace (not copperhead peace) will shine again on this once happy land of ours as in times of old (only slavery will be abolished & suffering beyond description will be ended)."
Date: December 15, 1864

Title: Examination of Ira Peters
Description: This is Ira Peters's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Peters, a 66-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 40 years, persuaded the enemies of the government "who had taken up arms to lay them down," and has "always been on the Federal side." In 1862, the military authorities enrolled him as "loyal." The oath is No. 176 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Bazil C. Sanders
Description: This sepia carte de visite depicts Bazil C. Sanders, who served as 1st Lieut. of Company O, Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced by Howard & Hall of Corinth, Mississippi ca. 1863.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of William Dougherty
Description: This is William Dougherty's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Dougherty, a 47-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for eight years. He says that he went to Kentucky on business for one month during the war, and upon hearing of the Federal defeat at Bull Run in 1862, "I expressed myself that it was disastrous to the Govt." The oath is No. 215 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Pass for W.L. Culver
Description: This document from the Office of the Provost Marshal in St. Joseph, Missouri grants permission to W.L. Culver to leave the city limits. It is signed December 13, 1861 by S. Hatch, Provost Marshal. The reverse side of the document shows a printed oath, signed by Culver, that declares loyalty to both the federal government and the provisional government of Missouri. It describes Culver as a 26 year old man with “red whiskers”.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: December 13, 1861

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to Daniel Woodson
Description: This dispatch, dated July 1, 1856, was sent by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke at Headquarters, Ft. Riley, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson in Lecompton, Kansas. Cooke states that he received Woodson’s request for military aid dated June 29, 1856, and that he ordered Maj. H.H. Sibley to march in the direction of Topeka, Kansas, via the Santa Fe Road. Cooke encloses a copy of his instructions to Sibley.
Date: July 1, 1856

Title: Application of Horace Kingsbury
Description: This is Horace Kingsbury’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Albert Cavanaugh. The application, dated November 8, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Kingsbury lawfully purchased his slave, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, and the signatures of two witnesses and a notary public in Cooper County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the seventh page indicates that the application was rejected. Also included is Albert Cavanaugh’s enlistment form, signed and dated January 11, 1864.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: January 11, 1864 and November 8, 1866

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On August 1, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that "the times seem to be peaceable in this section there is no fighting except a little brush with bushwhackers now & then." He says that Gen. Blunt "had a fight with the Rebels in the Cherokee Nation & defeated them." Stowell predicts that the war will end within three months because "the North is just beginning to open their eyes & see the true state of affairs."
Date: August 1, 1863

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Emma Adair
Description: This letter was written on December 14, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her daughter Emma Adair. Florella encourages Emma to study and write to increase her knowledge, and also advises her on proper behavior: “I feel very anxious to have you very particular & circumspect in your conversation with Rockwell or any young man you may be in company, and things like familiarity or immodesty in company of the boys is always noticed & will lead to remarks or suspicions…Young ladies & married ones too cannot be to particular, in what they do or say.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 14, 1860

Title: Examination of James Vermillion
Description: This is James Vermillion's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Vermillion, a 77-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in Scotland and that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 108 in a bound volume, was signed by Vermillion in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: On December 11, 1863, Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis, writes to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington, Missouri. Alexander instructs Comingo to remit a voucher to "for all postage or express charges paid out for recruiting service." Alexander will then return the money to Comingo.
Date: December 11, 1863

Title: From J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody
Description: This letter, dated July 21, 1858, is from J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody, Private Secretary of Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Snyder writes that he received his commission as District Inspector of the 6th Division, Missouri Militia, but is concerned that he has not yet received any orders from the Governor or Adjutant General. He states that when he receives word from the militia companies serving on the state line, he will meet them and perform his duties as Inspector.
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 21, 1858

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

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