Civil War

Title: Examination of Henry Chaney
Description: This is Henry Chaney's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Chaney, a 43-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 40 in a bound volume, was signed by Chaney in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From E.R. Brawner to Sue Brawner
Description: This letter, dated November 10, 1861, is from E.R. Brawner in Linneus, Missouri, to her sister Sue Brawner. E.R. Brawner writes that her friend Greg is recruiting for a cavalry company. Greg is also making plans with another man known as “Jack the Jayhawker” to “go down to Lexington and clear it out.” E.R. Brawner notes that she tried to dissuade Jack from this plan, but he is a “dare devil” and would not listen.
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 10, 1861

Title: From George W. Deitzler to Commanding Officer
Description: This U.S. Military Telegraph message was sent to the “Commanding Officer” by Maj. Gen. George W. Deitzler in Independence, Missouri on October 20, 1864. Deitzler states that after a lengthy battle on October 19, Gen. Blunt has been driven from Lexington, Missouri by a Confederate force commanded by Gen. Price. Deitzler says that the Union side lost 20 men killed and wounded, and that Gen. Price’s current position is unknown. Deitzler adds that telegraphic communication between Kansas City and St. Louis is uninterrupted, and that “the danger to Kansas is not considered imminent.”
Date: October 20, 1864

Title: From William Kaucher to William Fowler
Description: This letter, dated August 4, 1864, is from William Kaucher, Sheriff of Holt County, Missouri, to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal of the 7th district of Missouri. Kaucher asks Fowler to confirm that Holt County should enlist 158 additional volunteer soldiers. He asks Fowler to ensure that Holt County is given credit for the number of men in Company C, 9th Missouri State Militia, under the command of Capt. S. Patterson.
Date: August 4, 1864

Title: Examination of W. Mayhugh
Description: This is W. Mayhugh's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Mayhugh, a 49-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri since 1849, and was enrolled by the military authorities as "loyal" in 1862. The oath is No. 233 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Description: In a July 23, 1856 letter to the editor of the Hopkinton (MA) Patriot, Edward Fitch writes that “two or three” men were killed for attending a meeting of the Free State Legislature in Topeka. He says that U.S. Troops have been disarming members of the Free State party and that Border Ruffians have driven out and captured a number of Free State men. He ends the letter by stating that the people of Kansas will not allow themselves to be taxed by the Bogus Legislature.
Date: July 23, 1856

Title: The Battle of the Crater
Description: John Adams Elder painting of the Battle of the Crater, part of the Siege of Petersburg, which took place on July 30, 1864.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Examination of Jackson L. Petty
Description: This is Jackson L. Petty's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Petty, a 28-year-old Virginia native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 13 years. When asked which side he support during the war, Petty replies, "I did all my fighting on the Federal. I believe I don't wish to answer farther on that." The oath is No. 259 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Benjamin Gillis
Description: This is Benjamin Gillis's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Gillis, who was born in Germany, describes himself as a 32-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he "entered the service" and fought for the Union during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 39 in a bound volume, was signed by Gillis in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written between February 28 and March 8, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair in Grafton, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes that she plans to go to Oberlin, Ohio the next day and then travel to Xenia, Ohio the following week. She says that Marian’s ill health is slowly improving; Marian “feels that she has been sorely afflicted but trusts that it has been for her spiritual good & advancement in the Christian life.” Florella also refers to Lincoln's recent inauguration.
Date: February 28, 1861-March 8, 1861

Title: From Samuel Medary's Private Secretary to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated May 18, 1859, is from the private secretary of Kansas Gov. Samuel Medary to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. The secretary requests a copy of a letter that Medary wrote to Stewart on January 9 or 10, 1859.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: May 18, 1859

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written ca. November 1862 by Florella Brown Adair to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes about the activities of friends in the area, including paying taxes; she does not know how much their taxes will be, but suggests that Samuel send at least $10.00 to pay them. Florella adds that she is very anxious to hear from their son Charles and asks Samuel to notify her if he gets word from Charles.

Title: Examination of Joseph Louis
Description: This is Joseph Louis's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Louis, an 86-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, originally from Virginia, states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, No. 14 in a bound volume, was signed by Louis in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: "Corner Stone" Speech
Description: This is the text of a speech that Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, delivered on March 21, 1861 in Savannah, Georgia. In his discourse, commonly known as the “Cornerstone Speech,” Stephens defends the pro-slavery stance of the Confederate constitution. The cornerstone of the Confederacy, he declares, “rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery—subordination to the superior race—is his natural and normal condition.”
Object Type: Speech
Date: March 21, 1861

Title: Soldier, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: This sepia carte de visite, ca. 1861-1865, depicts an unidentified soldier who served in the Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. Carte de visites were small photographs that were often used as calling cards and became very popular during the Civil War.
Object Type: Image

Title: Petition from N.J. Chaney & Others
Description: This petition was sent to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart on January 7, 1859 by N.J. Chaney and 12 other citizens of West Point, Bates County, Missouri. The petitioners request that Dr. Thomas J.B. Rockwell be appointed as surgeon for the Missouri Militia companies serving in Bates County “and in adjoining counties of the border.” Among the petition’s signatories are U.S. Deputy Marshal Andrew J. Russell and Bates County Sherriff John W. Cline.
Object Type: Petition
Date: January 7, 1859

Title: From T.W. Trego to Dear Sister Alice
Description: This letter, dated September 24, 1862, is from T.W. Trego of Chicago to his sister-in-law Alice in Kansas. He decries the “anxieties of the War” and praises Alice and other women in Kansas for their bravery: “we think very, very often of your exposed situation and believe you must be perfect heroines.” He also commends President Lincoln for announcing that he will issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Date: September 24, 1862

Title: Report of the Secretary of War
Description: This is Executive Document No. 50, 2nd Session, 33rd Congress, presented to the Senate on February 14, 1855 by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. The report contains copies of correspondence “respecting a claim advanced by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the military reservation at Fort Leavenworth; together with the result of his investigation of the alleged interference of certain army officers…with the rights of the Delaware Indians.”
Object Type: Government Document
Date: February 14, 1855

Title: Territory of Kansas vs. Charles Robinson
Description: These are legal documents filed in the 1857 case of the Territory of Kansas vs. Charles Robinson for the charge of usurpation of office. They include the official indictment, witness subpoenas, a motion to quash the charges, and a summary of grand jury testimony. Also included is a warrant for the arrest of Charles Robinson; addressed to the Sheriff of Douglas County, Kansas, it reads: “You are hereby commanded to arrest Charles Robinson, and have his body before the Judge of the First District Court . . . to answer an indictment found against him for unlawfully assuming and taking upon himself the Office of Governor of the Territory of Kansas.”
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: 1857

Title: Humphrey Smith
Description: This carte de visite depicts Humphrey Smith, who served in the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865.
Object Type: Image

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

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