Civil War

Title: Examination of James Fraher
Description: This is James Fraher's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Fraher, a 47-year-old native of Ireland, states that he has lived in Missouri for 16 years and "served in the militia here in town." He also says that he was "put under bond against my wish." The oath is No. 184 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Description: This letter, dated July 19, 1861, is from W.L. Wood in Liberty Landing, Missouri to Col. W.P. Howard in St. Louis. Wood informs Howard that he went to Lexington, Missouri with state troops and planned to travel farther south, but "did not precisely understand" Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson's intentions. He expresses ambivalence about Jackson, but supports his stance against Lincoln, and declares that he wants "to see Lincoln's troops whipped."
Date: July 19, 1861

Title: Pleasant Hill, Missouri
Description: This bird's eye view of Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri was created by A. Ruger in 1869.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1869

Title: From George Collamore to George L. Stearns
Description: This letter, dated July 21, 1862, is from George Collamore in Lawrence, Kansas to George L. Stearns. Collamore reports “almost unanimous” support in Kansas for the proposal to enlist African Americans in the military. He predicts that at least two African-American regiments could be raised in Kansas, but he warns Stearns that “various irresponsible persons are maneuvering here for commissions in such regiments.”
Date: July 21, 1862

Title: From A.F. Cox to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated November 7, 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 states that he is sending Comingo vouchers for military expenditures, as well as reports from two Enrolling Officers, Mr. Miles and Mr. Carson.
Date: November 7, 1863

Title: From A.F. Cox to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 30, 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 recommends W.J. Woods, Esq., a Militia captain, for the position of recruiting officer in Platte County.
Date: November 30, 1863

Title: From S.G. Allen to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated May 30, 1858, was written by S.G. Allen in Harrisonville, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Allen states that three military companies have been organized in Bates and Cass Counties in Missouri “to act only in self defence” against guerrillas from Kansas. Allen asks Stewart to provide additional protection for the citizens, explaining that “new depredations have been committed new threats have been made and vigorous preparations are going on just over the line—what is to be the end God only knows.”
Date: May 30, 1858

Title: From Lizzie P. Huntoon to A.J. Huntoon
Description: This letter was written by Lizzie P. Huntoon to A.J. Huntoon on September 22, 1861. Writing from Langdon, “at Roswell’s,” Lizzie says Huntoon should not resign his military position, which he offered to do if she wished it. Lizzie is eager to come home, but is wary of travelling through Missouri, where they are “burning bridges &c.” She has been reading reports of the Battle of Lexington and an expected attack on St. Joseph, MO. Lizzie adds that a friend’s husband joined the Confederate army, leaving her ”very destitute.”
Date: September 22, 1861

Title: Examination of R.C. Ewing
Description: This is R.C. Ewing's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Ewing, a 33-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War by "obeying the laws of the country." The oath, labeled No. 123 in a bound volume, was signed by Ewing in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Nathaniel Lyon
Description: Illustration of Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon before his final charge at the battle of Wilson's Creek. Originally published in Harper's Weekly on August 31, 1861, this illustration's caption states: "General Lyon at the Battle of Springfield." Although Harper's Weekly describes this as the Battle of Springfield, this conflict has come to be known as the Battle of Wilson's Creek. The next skirmish in the area, Zagonyi's Charge, occured near Springfield, Missouri on October 25, 1861.
Object Type: Image
Date: August 31, 1861

Title: List of Arms and Other Property Taken by Capt. T.J. Wood
Description: This is a report of arms and other property taken from Chicago emigrants by U.S. Army Capt. T.J. Wood on September 14, 1856. On that day, Wood also confiscated horses, wagons, and equipment from a group of Iowa emigrants. The report is addressed to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary.
Date: September 14, 1856

Title: From William Rachel to Josiah Miller
Description: This letter, dated March 2, 1858, is from William Rachel in New Orleans to Josiah Miller in Kansas. He expresses disappointment that many members of the Kansas Free State Party chose not to vote in the recent election on the Lecompton Constitution. He criticizes the constitution, referring to it as "the Lecompton Swindle," but predicts that Stephen Douglas and "the northern Democrats" will encounter trouble for opposing it.
Date: March 2, 1858

Title: Battle of the Wilderness--Desperate Fight on the Orange C.H. Plank Road, Near Todd's Tavern, May 6th, 1864
Description: Kurz & Allison lithograph of the Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5-7, 1864.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to his parents in Massachusetts on September 30, 1855. He tells them that the pro-slavery faction will vote the next day to elect a Congressional delegate; however, the Free State Party intends to boycott the election. The Free State Party will instead vote on "Tuesday the 9th" and elect another candidate, at which point "Congress must decide which is entitled to a seat." According to rumors, Fitch says, proslavery Missourians plan to attack Lawrence and “kill all the Yankees.”
Date: September 30, 1855

Title: Invoice of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores for 1st Quarter 1863
Description: This military document is a collection of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores Invoices for the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" that shows transfers of weapons and ammunition in between Captain C. C. Owens, Captain David D. Stockton, Lieutenant James J. Akard, Lieutenant Stockley Etter, Lieutenant T. E. Gray, et al.
Date: 1863

Title: Battlegrounds of Price's Raid
Description: Maps of the battlefields at "Mine Creek, Oct. 22d 64," "Westport, Oct. 23d 64" "Charlot, Oct. 25th 64," and "Newtonia, Nov. 4th 64," showing the positions of troops, roads, drainage, a few houses, and relief by hachures. Charlot refers to "Charlot's Farm" near Richards, MO. This event is better known as the Battle of the Marmaton River. The Battle of Mine Creek took place south of Pleasanton, KS.
Date: 1865

Title: Examination of James Love
Description: This is James Love's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Love, a 45-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that during the Civil War, he "considered my enemies as the enemies of the Govt.," and that he "felt very badly" when he heard of the defeat of the Federal army at Bull Run in 1861. The oath, labeled No. 50 in a bound volume, was signed by Love in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Alex M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Description: On November 4, 1862, Alex M. Bedford writes to his wife, Mary E. Bedford. Alex says that he was wounded and taken as a prisoner of war by the Federals near Corinth, Mississippi. He is now staying at the home of a wealthy man in Franklin County, Alabama, where “we are furnished with every thing we want…the kindness I have received from the family I will never forget.” Alex instructs Mary to direct her letters to Iuka Hospital via Corinth, and declares, “If I get killed I cannot die in a better cause.”
Date: November 4, 1862

Title: Examination of D.D. Gant
Description: This is D.D. Gant's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Gant, a 32-year-old North Carolina native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 29 years, and served in the militia during the war. When asked which side he supported during the war, Gant replies, "I claimed to be a government man and a southern man at the same time." The oath is No. 257 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Fort Union
Description: A drawing made at the close of the war depicting the Quartermaster's Department, Fort Union, and the Coates House Hotel foundation. These structures were located on the southeast corner of 10th and Broadway in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
Object Type: Image

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

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