Civil War

Title: Harrison Trow
Description: Charcoal portrait of Harrison Trow in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Harrison Trow served under Quantrill and was at the Lawrence massacre, August 21, 1863, and Centralia, September 27, 1864, as well as the Battle of Independence, August 11, 1862. After the war, Trow lived in Blue Springs, Missouri, until 1901 when he moved to Texas where he died February 24, 1925. He identified the body of Jesse James after James was shot.
Object Type: Image

Title: Soldiers Enlisted in Ray County, Missouri
Description: This military roll lists the names of soldiers enlisted in the 5th, 6th, and 8th sub-districts of the 6th congressional district of Missouri. They were recruited in January 1864 in Ray County. The list is dated March 30, 1864 and is signed by G.N. Black, Recruiting Agent.
Date: March 30, 1864

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

Title: From George W. Bearnes to J.F. Benjamin
Description: This letter, dated August 19, 1863, is from Capt. George W. Bearnes, Deputy Provost Marshal of Macon County, Missouri, to Col. J.F. Benjamin, Provost Marshal of the 8th district of Missouri. Bearnes tells Benjamin that he is in possession of two military rolls, which list the names of soldiers from Macon County. He adds that he is unsure whether or not he and Lieut. Williamson are enlisted.
Date: August 19, 1863

Title: .44 Caliber Lead Ball
Description: Black and white photograph of a .44 caliber lead ball found by archaeologist Doug Shaver during excavations in 2013 at Wornall House in Kansas City, Missouri. Wornall House, located on the site of the Battle of Westport, became one of six local buildings and houses that served as a hospital for troops wounded during the battle, which was fought from October 21-23, 1864.
Object Type: Image
Date: 2014

Title: From Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown
Description: This letter, dated April 22, 1862, is from Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown. Chandler reports that his regiment recently marched from Wyandotte, Kansas to Paola, Kansas and merged with the "3d Regt." He adds that the staff officers, including colonels and surgeons, have been mustered out of his regiment, and that he may lose his position as hospital steward.
Object Type: Image
Date: April 22, 1862

Title: From William Murphy to John W. Geary
Description: This letter, dated September 23, 1856, is from William Murphy, mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas, to Gov. John W. Geary. Murphy responds to Geary’s recent inquiry about a group of citizens who claim they were forced to leave Leavenworth. He confirms that Capt. Emory told “all persons who were not in favour of the laws, and unwilling to fight in defence of the City, that they had better leave.” He assures Geary that these people may safely return to Leavenworth “if they will act as law abiding citizens.”
Date: September 23, 1856

Title: Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke
Description: Portrait of Confederate general John S. Marmaduke posing in uniform. Marmaduke commanded Confederate forces in several notable Civil War battles, including the Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Prairie Grove, Price's Raid, and the Battle of Mine Creek among others. After the Civil War, Marmaduke served as Governor of Missouri from 1884 to 1887, where he successfully campaigned for railroad reform.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Elizabeth S.C. Earl to Dear Mother
Description: This letter, dated September 22, 1863, is from Elizabeth S.C. Earl in Lawrence, Kansas to her mother. She assures her mother that she is safe and has survived Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence. She adds that "you cannot imagine the distress, and suffering, of our women and children," and states that the Raid left 180 women widows and 200 children orphans. Earl tells her mother that she has taken charge of the City Hotel after the owner was killed and his family went back East.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 22, 1863

Title: Instructions to Gen. P.F. Smith
Description: This document comprises a series of instructions given by the Secretary of War to Gen. P.F. Smith, Commander of the Department of the West, between February 15, 1856 and September 5, 1856. Smith is instructed to “make every exertion in your power with the force under your orders to preserve the peace and prevent bloodshed.” The Secretary of War empowers Smith to act if armed resistance is made by citizens of any political persuasion. Smith is instructed not to interfere with the activities of the Kansas Militia.
Date: February 15, 1856-September 5, 1856

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

Title: Report of Colored Recruits Enlisted, Warrensburg, Missouri
Description: This military roll, dated March 16, 1864, shows the "colored recruits" enlisted at Warrensburg, Missouri between November 1863 and March 1864. The roll lists each recruit's name, county, and owner. The document is signed by Lieut. J.H. Smith, Assistant Provost Marshal and Recruiting Officer, and addressed to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri.
Date: March 16, 1864

Title: Survivors of the Sixth Regiment, Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: These are portraits of 79 men who served in the Sixth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry under Col. William R. Judson during the Civil War. Pictured are the survivors of Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, K, and L. The regiment was organized September 9, 1861 and reorganized March 27, 1862. The survivors were mustered out of service July 18, 1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On November 26, 1864, John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John states that his recent trip to and from St. Louis was slowed by “those pesky rebels” who tore up the railroad, and Federals who burned the bridges. John says that since both armies were acting in accordance with the law of “self preservation,” which is "the first law of war," he will not complain.
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 26, 1864

Title: From A.F. Cox to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated October 6, 1863, is from A.F. Cox, Deputy Provost Marshal of Platte County, Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Cox reports that Platte County's Enrolling Officers -- Charles Guenther, Jacob W. Carson, Manoah Miles, and W.S. Forman -- have completed their work. A note at the bottom signed by Comingo states that Guenther never submitted enlistment rolls to his office.
Date: October 6, 1863

Title: Charles Robinson, First Kansas Governor
Description: Portrait of Charles Robinson, early leader of the New England Emigrant Aid Society and the first Governor of the State of Kansas.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1861

Title: David Rice Atchison
Description: Photograph of a David Rice Atchison painting by George Caleb Bingham, located in Atchison's home in Clinton County, MO.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description: On September 14 and 15, 1860, Florella Brown Adair writes from Grafton Station, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella describes the contents of a barrel of clothing and other items she is sending to them. She says that her health has improved, and that her relatives and friends are “trying to make me look more like civilized folk than we did in Kansas.” Florella adds that she recently spent hours in conversation with a friend “about Kansas matters.”
Date: September 14, 1860-September 15, 1860

Title: Letters Sent (Provost Marshal, Northern District of Kansas)
Description: This notebook contains copies of correspondence sent by the Provost Marshal's Office, Northern District of Kansas in Leavenworth, Kansas, between January and August 1865. The correspondence addresses topics such as enrollment, desertions, and reports of muster. Participants in the correspondence include Provost Marshal General James B. Fry and Capt. J. McCahon, Provost Marshal for the Northern District of Kansas.
Date: January 1865-August 1865

Title: Examination of John G. Wood
Description: This is John G. Wood's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Wood, a 25-year-old Missouri native, states that he served in the militia during the war. When asked "which side of the contest" he claimed to be on, Wood responds, "I was on the side of the Constitution[.] I did not believe either party was exactly right." The oath is No. 243 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

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

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