Civil War

Title: From D.M. Frost to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This dispatch, dated December 5, 1860, is from Brig. Gen. D.M. Frost to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. He reports that he marched to the Kansas-Missouri border and learned that James Montgomery and his forces were stationed at Mound City, Kansas; Frost thus concentrated his troops nearby, on the Marais des Cygnes River. Frost also states his intention to organize a force of 500 men and assures Stewart that they will “be able to restore confidence and establish a permanent peace on our border.”
Date: December 5, 1860

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: From Amos and Mary Graham to C.C. Graham
Description: This letter, dated July 10, 1864, was sent to C.C. Graham at Ft. Larned, Kansas, by his parents, Amos and Mary Graham in Maryville, Missouri. Because of a “poor prospect for crops” and the high cost of living, the Grahams write that “Things seem to be getting worse, here, than it ever was.” They state that “The Rebels of this county have been indicted for Treason” and describe how “Bushwhackers, Rebels, raids [and] fights” are consuming nearby counties, with “men killed in all directions.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 10, 1864

Title: From H.M. Rice to A.C. Miller
Description: On June 9, 1865, H.M. Rice writes from Albany, Missouri to A.C. Miller, Commissioner in Charge, 7th District Missouri. Rice reports that when he attempted to arrest several men guilty of desertion, they fled the area and have not been seen since. He concludes, "I think there is no doubt but what they have gone back to their Regiment."
Date: June 9, 1865

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated November 18, 1863, is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Wood forwards a message from the Provost Marshal General, stating that when a Deputy or "Special Agent" is sent in pursuit of military deserters, his transportation expenses will be paid whether or not he is successful in apprehending the deserters, as long as he submits the proper paperwork.
Date: November 18, 1863

Title: From Unknown to H.J. Strickler
Description: This letter, dated November 27, 1855, was presumably sent by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon at Headquarters, Shawnee Mission, Kansas, to Gen. H.J. Strickler. Shannon has been informed by Sheriff Samuel J. Jones of Douglas County, Kansas, that a prisoner was forcibly taken from him “by a band of armed men.” Jones has requested 3,000 men to assist him in enforcing the law, and Shannon instructs Strickler to raise as many men as he can and report to Sherriff Jones immediately.
Date: November 27, 1855

Title: List of Stores Expended, 1863
Description: This military document is a list of items expended by the Head Quarters District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri while conducting court martials during the last seven months of 1863.
Date: December 31, 1863

Title: Missouri State Militia General Order No. 3
Description: By order of Major John Cosgrove, an unknown author provides instructions on how long horses are to be allowed to graze. This General Order also instructs commanding officers to provide sufficient guard to prevent horses from escaping.
Date: April 28, 1864

Title: Application of John Ramsey
Description: This is John Ramsey’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Thomas Jasper. The application, dated January 2, 1867, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: January 2, 1867

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Wood writes from the Provost Marshal General's Office at the War Department in Washington, D.C. on November 21, 1863. He points out that the recent accounts for Comingo's Enrolling Officers include payment for Sundays, and asks Comingo to clarify whether the officers were actually employed on Sundays.
Date: November 21, 1863

Title: Statement of Hiram D. Preston
Description: This statement, dated September 11, 1856, was given by Hiram D. Preston regarding the robbery of a team of horses and a load of provisions near Leavenworth, Kansas in August 1856. Preston states that he was accosted by three men on the road from Lawrence, who took him to Capt. Emory’s camp nearby. After being held hostage for several days, Preston lost the team, which belonged to H.L. Jones, and provisions worth $120.52.
Object Type: Document
Date: September 11, 1856

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated October 8, 1863, is from Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Alexander informs Comingo that "the Enrollment in Jackson County must not be suspended."
Date: October 8, 1863

Title: Hon. Salmon P. Chase
Description: Black and white portrait of politician and jurist, Salmon P. Chase, who served as Senator from Ohio; Governor of Ohio; U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Lincoln; and sixth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On September 20, 1862, Abishai Stowell writes from Camp Drywood near Fort Scott, Kansas, to his sister. Stowell says that his regiment just returned from Fort Union, New Mexico. He was able to visit home on the return trip, and reports that most of the family is well. Stowell also gives his sister a list of the officers of his regiment, including General James G. Blunt, Col. William F. Cloud, and Lt. Col. Owen A. Bassett.
Date: September 20, 1862

Title: From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Description: This letter, dated May 19, 1862, is presumably from Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble in St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble asks for Lincoln's help in restoring peace to Missouri's border counties by ordering that no troops raised in Kansas may enter Missouri unless by request. Gamble adds that in the interest of impartiality, "I am perfectly willing that Missouri troops shall be prohibited from entering Kansas without like request."
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 19, 1862

Title: Sale of Slave
Description: This document declares the $800 sale of a male slave named Pleasant from Nathan C. Skinner of Stewart County, Tennessee to Jesse L. Ingram of St. Joseph, Missouri on February 22, 1855. Skinner promises that the slave is "sound, healthy, sensible, and a slave for life."
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: February 22, 1855

Title: Soldier, Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: This tintype, ca. 1861-1865, depicts an unidentified member of the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.
Object Type: Image

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

Title: From Edward Fitch to Those...Who So Generously Responded to the Appeal for Help
Description: Edward Fitch writes a letter from Lawrence, Kansas to the people in his hometown of Hopkinton, Massachusetts on December 17, 1856. He thanks them for responding to his recent request for help by donating clothing to poor Kansas emigrants. He describes the people who have received their donations and the suffering they have endured. Many of them, Fitch says, have been robbed, attacked, or had their houses burned down by Border Ruffians.
Date: December 17, 1856

Title: Odon Guitar
Description: This sepia photograph, ca. 1860s, depicts Union Col. Odon Guitar of the 9th Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, in military uniform.
Object Type: Image

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

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