Civil War

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

Title: Application of James P. Hamilton
Description: This is James P. Hamilton’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave. The application, dated November 8, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Hamilton lawfully purchased his slave, and the signatures of a witness and a notary public in St. Joseph, Missouri. A note in pencil on the second page indicates that the application was rejected.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 8, 1866

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to Esteemed Friend
Description: This letter, dated September 20, 1862, is from Leigh R. Webber to an "Esteemed Friend." He writes from camp in Tennessee, where he has just returned after a "jayhawking trip," during which the soldiers in his regiment foraged for food and robbed a family of Secessionists, but "did not so much as get a glimpse of a rebel soldier." Webber identifies himself as an abolitionist and voices his support for James Henry Lane's proposal to arm and enroll African-American troops.
Date: September 20, 1862

Title: General Orders, No. 11
Description: This is a copy of the infamous Order No. 11, issued by Union General Thomas E. Ewing at the District of the Border Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on August 25, 1863. The order commands residents of Jackson, Cass, Bates, and northern Vernon counties to leave their homes and move away from the area within fifteen days. Ewing issued the directive four days after Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, in an attempt to suppress guerrilla violence.
Date: August 25, 1863

Title: From J.T. Peery to Dear Mother and Father
Description: This letter, dated November 22, 1856, is from J.T. Peery to his parents. Peery, a preacher, mentions his new assignment to a church in Independence, Missouri. He describes the volatile conditions of the area: "The land is overrun with men who have thrown off all moral restraint & appear to act as if they do not fear God . . . in this part of the country some are becoming awake to a sence of the dangers."
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 22, 1856

Title: From D.R. Anthony to Dear Sister
Description: D.R. Anthony writes a letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to his sister on September 10 and 11, 1858. He reports the results of a recent municipal election, which put into office three Democrats, two Whigs, and fourteen Republicans. He expresses dismay about local Irish-Americans voting Democrat and their desire to establish a “Free white state for white men.” Anthony decries the rampant racism of the times, as well as “the ignorance and prejudice of the Irish.” He tells his sister that his antislavery stance has earned him “the reputation of being one of the most radical men in Kansas.”
Date: September 10, 1858-September 11, 1858

Title: Morgan Walker
Description: Photograph of Jackson County, Missouri, farmer Morgan Walker.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Jesse and Frank James
Description: Black and white photograph of the brothers Jesse and Frank James, taken in Carolinda, Illinois, in 1872.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1872

Title: Court Martial Proceedings of Captain Lyman D. Rouell
Description: This military document includes proceedings of the general court martial of Lyman D. Rouell, Captain of the 2nd Colorado Volunteers, Company F. In this court martial held at the Headquarters District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri, Captain Rouell pleads "not guilty" to: charges of drunkenness while on duty at Fort Lyon in the Colorado Territory and at Council Grove, Kansas; and for driving contraband stock into Kansas from Hickman Mills, Missouri. The official charges included "Conduct unbecoming an Officer and Gentlemen" and "Neglect of duty to the prejudices of good order and military discipline." The verdict is not extant. This document shows how some military units took advantage of General Ewing's General Order No. 11 by accumulating and selling property from abandoned counties.
Date: November 1863 - December 1863

Title: From E.V. Sumner to Daniel Woodson
Description: This dispatch, dated July 2, 1856, was sent by Col. E.V. Sumner at Headquarters, 1st Cavalry in camp at Topeka, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson. Sumner states that he will be glad to meet the following day with Woodson, Judge Cato, Col. Isaacs, and U.S. Marshal Donalson. He asks Woodson to bring the Governor’s and President’s proclamations, along with his instructions under them, and the Governor’s letter about the Topeka legislature.
Date: July 2, 1856

Title: Circular No. 22
Description: This document, entitled Circular No. 22, is dated April 21, 1865 and is signed by Col. E.B. Alexander in St. Louis. The Circular instructs Provost Marshals to "thoroughly complete" their enrollment and muster records by the end of April; to discharge all Deputy Provost Marshals, special officers, and clerks; and to turn over all clothing, camp, and garrison equipage to the nearest post quartermaster.
Date: April 21, 1865

Title: From S.S. Abney to William Van Lear
Description: S.S. Abney writes from Morgan County, Missouri to William Van Lear on December 5, 1860. He tells Van Lear that troops are pursuing James Montgomery, who has taken possession of Fort Scott after robbing and murdering Kansas residents. Abney expresses hope for the future of Kansas, but predicts that "we are on the verge of perilous times."
Date: December 5, 1860

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

Title: Gaius Jenkins
Description: Ambrotype of Gaius Jenkins, active member of the Free-State cause and Lawrence resident who was killed by James Lane over a land dispute.
Object Type: Image

Title: Run on the Seamen's Savings' Bank During the Panic
Description: Wood engraving of the Panic of 1857 appearing in the October 31, 1857, issue of Harper's Weekly.
Object Type: Image
Date: October 31, 1857

Title: Plat of Osceola, Roscoe, Gerster, and Tiffin, St. Clair County, MO
Description: A plat of the St. Clair County towns of Osceola, Roscoe, Gerster, and Tiffin. This page is included in an 1903 plat book of St. Clair County, Missouri.
Date: 1903

Title: Jesse James
Description: Black and white portrait of Bushwhacker, outlaw, and bank robber Jesse James, circa 1864.
Object Type: Image

Title: John Ritchie
Description: Carte de visite portrait of John Ritchie, an abolitionist who worked on the Underground Railroad and served as a delegate to the Leavenworth Constitutional Convention.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Certificates of Kansas Soldiers
Description: These papers list the names of soldiers who served in the Wakarusa War for the Kansas Rifles No. 1, 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade of Kansas Volunteers. The papers were signed in Lawrence on December 12, 1855 by Capt. William I.R. Blackman, Col. Lyman Allen, Gen. James Henry Lane, and Maj. Gen. Charles Robinson.
Date: December 12, 1855

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

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