Civil War

Title: John C. Caldwell vs. Richard H. Porter
Description: These documents, created between 1855 and 1857, relate to the Jackson County, Missouri court case John C. Caldwell vs. Richard H. Porter. On January 1, 1855, Caldwell purchased a slave named Eliza for $800 from slave dealer Clifton R. Barnes with plans to sell her for a profit in Louisiana. Caldwell later discovered that Eliza was “unsound both in body and mind” and accused Barnes of “fraud and wilfull misrepresentation.” Caldwell took Eliza back to Missouri but Barnes refused to rescind the sales contract.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: 1855-1857

Title: From William S. Field to George R. Smith
Description: William S. Field writes a letter from Lexington, Missouri to Gen. George R. Smith in Georgetown, Missouri on June 10, 1856. Field informs Smith that M.W. Smallwood recently received a nomination to the Georgetown Convention. He encourages Smith in his candidacy for Congress: "you have many friends here & should you receive the nomination you will get a heavey majority here notwithstanding the howl of freesoilism against you."
Date: June 10, 1856

Title: Examination of S.W. Long
Description: This is S.W. Long's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Long, a 36-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War by "discountenancing attacks of Rebellion." The oath, labeled No. 90 in a bound volume, was signed by Long on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This March 1864 military roll lists the names of "colored recruits" enlisted in the 27th sub-district of the 6th congressional district of Missouri in Chariton County. The roll provides the soldiers' physical characteristics, occupation, birthplace, and the names of their owners.
Date: March 1864

Title: The Underground Railroad
Description: Charles T. Webber's depiction of abolitionists helping runaway slaves on their journey to freedom.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of John Baxter
Description: This is John Baxter's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Baxter, a 64-year-old Tennessee native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 49 years and manifested his loyalty during the war by "staying home and attending to my business and sometimes feeding Federal troops." The oath is No. 223 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Rebel Negro Pickets as Seen Through a Field-Glass
Description: Harper's Weekly illustration depicting African American soldiers in the Confederate States Army, January 10, 1863.
Object Type: Image
Date: January 10, 1863

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to G.A. Parsons
Description: This letter, dated April 5, 1859, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons. Stewart reports that the western border of Missouri in Cass and Bates Counties “is threatened anew by a marauding band” from Kansas. He orders Parsons to travel to the border and take charge of preventing invasions. He authorizes Parsons to organize military companies for the protection of Missouri citizens, and instructs him to seek the cooperation of Kansas authorities. Attached is a copy of the first draft of the letter.
Date: April 5, 1859

Title: From A.M. Bedford to Mrs. Mary E. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated April 11, 1864, is from Lieut. Alex M. Bedford to his wife, Mary E. Bedford, in Savannah, Missouri. Bedford, stationed at the Officers Camp in Point Lookout, Maryland, writes about recent travel and assures his wife that he is in good health. He asks her about her home life, their farm, and their neighbors, and he warns her to “be careful how you talk to anyone.”
Date: April 11, 1864

Title: From Joseph H. Trego to Alice Trego
Description: This letter, dated June 1 and 6, 1862, is from Lieut. Joseph H. Trego to his wife Alice. On June 1, he tells Alice that he recently left Fort Scott, Kansas and travelled to Camp Greenwood, where his regiment, the 5th Kansas Cavalry, had been ordered to protect provision trains. He also tells her that Capt. Clarke, an officer in his regiment, was shot and killed while intoxicated and on duty. Trego continues the letter on June 6 and informs Alice that he has moved to a camp in Rolla, Missouri.
Date: June 1, 1862 and June 6, 1862

Title: Examination of John Lee Howard
Description: This is John Lee Howard's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Howard, who was born in Kentucky, describes himself as a 63-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri. He states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War and "I abide by the laws and constitution of my country." The oath, No. 27 in a bound volume, was signed by Howard in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to Daniel Woodson
Description: This letter, dated September 2, 1856, was written by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke at Headquarters, in camp near Lecompton, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson. Cooke contends that Woodson’s recent order to put down an insurrection at Topeka, Kansas is “simply a call upon me to make war upon the town of Topeka,” in defiance of both the law and his instructions from commanding officers. Cooke adds that Woodson’s order to "intercept aggressive invaders" from the north is “clearly inconsistent with my last instructions,” and therefore he cannot comply with it.
Date: September 2, 1856

Title: From Daniel J. Routt to Mrs. Chinece Routt
Description: This letter, dated August 12, 1862, was written by Union soldier Daniel J. Routt in Lexington, Missouri, to his wife Chinece in Huntsville, Missouri. Daniel describes the recent Battle of Independence and says that Union forces expect an attack on their Lexington camp at any time. He tells Chinece that he has mailed her ten dollars, a lock of hair, and his picture, “to remember me as long as you live.” Daniel was killed four days later in the Battle of Lone Jack.
Date: August 12, 1862

Title: William Quantrill
Description: This illustration of Missouri Bushwhacker William Clarke Quantrill is included in the 1914 publication of "Three years with Quantrell; a true story".
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Examination of David S. Miller
Description: This is David S. Miller's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Miller, a native of Virginia, states that he has lived in Missouri since 1850, and was likely enrolled by the military authorities as "disloyal" in 1862. He says he went to Texas for six months during the war "to dispose of some property." Miller was required to give bond by the military authorities, but it was "shortly afterwards remitted, as I went into the Service voluntarily and remained till the end of the war." The oath is No. 198 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Shawnee Indian Mission, Wyandotte County, Kansas
Description: Photograph of the Shawnee Indian Mission, where the Bogus Legislature met on May 30, 1855.
Object Type: Image
Date: July 6, 1940

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Mother
Description: Edward Fitch writes a letter to his mother in August or September of 1854, just before leaving his home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts to move to Kansas. He says that he met a man who, upon finding out that Fitch was emigrating to Kansas, told him that he “ought to have a straight Jacket On.” He also discusses his finances and purchasing supplies for his trip.

Title: From Howard Combs to A. Miller
Description: This dispatch, dated July 1, 1865, is from Howard Combs in Bethany, Missouri to A. Miller, Commander in Charge of the 7th district of Missouri. Combs references a prior letter from Miller and reports that a $20,000 bounty was ordered by the court of Harrison County. He adds that Jackson Cohill "has not been here for months," while John H. Phillips "was here Saturday last--but now left."
Date: July 1, 1865

Title: Examination of James H. Ford
Description: This document attests that James H. Ford, a 50-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, did not remain loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. Ford, who was born in Kentucky, admits that he was "in the Rebel service" and he refuses to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Ford signed the document in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Jasper M. Reno
Description: This carte de visite depicts Jasper M. Reno, who served in the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865 by T.W. Bankes.
Object Type: Image

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

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