Civil War

Title: From Wilson Shannon to Unknown
Description: This letter was written ca. December 25, 1855 by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon to an unknown recipient. Shannon states that on December 9, 1855, he was at a party in Lawrence, Kansas when Charles Robinson informed him that “a large irregular force” was threatening to attack the town. Robinson asked Shannon to give him and James Lane written authority to defend Lawrence by force. Shannon signed Robinson’s paper, but later discovered that the threatened attack was a ruse devised by “tricksters who by fraudulent representations were seeking to obtain an advantage over me.”

Title: The First Battle of Bull Run, Va., Sunday Afternoon, July 21, 1861
Description: Illustration of the aftermath of the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On December 15, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister. Stowell declares that "the day of restoration has already dawned & soon the sun of peace (not copperhead peace) will shine again on this once happy land of ours as in times of old (only slavery will be abolished & suffering beyond description will be ended)."
Date: December 15, 1864

Title: William C. Human
Description: Captain William C. Human was in Company C of the Missouri State Militia, 8th Regiment Cavalry.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Bazil C. Sanders
Description: This sepia carte de visite depicts Bazil C. Sanders, who served as 1st Lieut. of Company O, Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced by Howard & Hall of Corinth, Mississippi ca. 1863.
Object Type: Image

Title: Invoices for Quartermasters Stores for 1863
Description: This military document is a collection of Quartermasters Stores Invoices for the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" that shows the transfer of various items such as wagon grease, paper, and mules in between Captain David D. Stockton, Captain William C. Human, and Lieutenant James J. Akard.
Date: 1863

Title: Pass for W.L. Culver
Description: This document from the Office of the Provost Marshal in St. Joseph, Missouri grants permission to W.L. Culver to leave the city limits. It is signed December 13, 1861 by S. Hatch, Provost Marshal. The reverse side of the document shows a printed oath, signed by Culver, that declares loyalty to both the federal government and the provisional government of Missouri. It describes Culver as a 26 year old man with “red whiskers”.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: December 13, 1861

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to Daniel Woodson
Description: This dispatch, dated July 1, 1856, was sent by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke at Headquarters, Ft. Riley, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson in Lecompton, Kansas. Cooke states that he received Woodson’s request for military aid dated June 29, 1856, and that he ordered Maj. H.H. Sibley to march in the direction of Topeka, Kansas, via the Santa Fe Road. Cooke encloses a copy of his instructions to Sibley.
Date: July 1, 1856

Title: Application of Horace Kingsbury
Description: This is Horace Kingsbury’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Albert Cavanaugh. The application, dated November 8, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Kingsbury lawfully purchased his slave, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, and the signatures of two witnesses and a notary public in Cooper County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the seventh page indicates that the application was rejected. Also included is Albert Cavanaugh’s enlistment form, signed and dated January 11, 1864.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: January 11, 1864 and November 8, 1866

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On August 1, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that "the times seem to be peaceable in this section there is no fighting except a little brush with bushwhackers now & then." He says that Gen. Blunt "had a fight with the Rebels in the Cherokee Nation & defeated them." Stowell predicts that the war will end within three months because "the North is just beginning to open their eyes & see the true state of affairs."
Date: August 1, 1863

Title: Proclamation to Discharge Kansas Volunteer Militia
Description: The lower half of this page includes a complete proclamation by Territorial Kansas Governor John W. Geary on September 11, 1856. Geary declares that the Kansas volunteer militia, originally organized to maintain order, is "no longer required, and hereby order that they be immediately discharged." This page is taken from the 1888 publication of Collections of the Kansas Historical Society, v. IV.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 11, 1856

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Emma Adair
Description: This letter was written on December 14, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her daughter Emma Adair. Florella encourages Emma to study and write to increase her knowledge, and also advises her on proper behavior: “I feel very anxious to have you very particular & circumspect in your conversation with Rockwell or any young man you may be in company, and things like familiarity or immodesty in company of the boys is always noticed & will lead to remarks or suspicions…Young ladies & married ones too cannot be to particular, in what they do or say.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 14, 1860

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: On December 11, 1863, Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis, writes to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington, Missouri. Alexander instructs Comingo to remit a voucher to "for all postage or express charges paid out for recruiting service." Alexander will then return the money to Comingo.
Date: December 11, 1863

Title: From J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody
Description: This letter, dated July 21, 1858, is from J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody, Private Secretary of Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Snyder writes that he received his commission as District Inspector of the 6th Division, Missouri Militia, but is concerned that he has not yet received any orders from the Governor or Adjutant General. He states that when he receives word from the militia companies serving on the state line, he will meet them and perform his duties as Inspector.
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 21, 1858

Title: From Louis A. Myers to Luther M. Myers
Description: This letter, dated July 18, 1858, was written by Louis A. Myers in Philippi, Virginia to Luther M. Myers in Johnson County, Kansas. Louis expresses his agreement with Luther on the topic of the Missouri Compromise. Louis says he will write again when he returns to Weston, Missouri.
Date: July 18, 1858

Title: Daniel Woodson
Description: A Portrait of Daniel Woodson, 1824-1894, who briefly served as acting governor of Kansas Territory at five separate times from 1855 to 1857.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1855-1857

Title: Missouri State Militia Regulations
Description: Major W. Dean Colman outlines general regulations for those enlisted in the Missouri State Militia. Colman comments that these regulations are "the formation of military success and which go to make a true soldier, who may be justly proud of his profession, of his Companions, and of himself;"
Date: December 25, 1861

Title: Plat of Lone Jack and Independence, Jackson County, Missouri
Description: A plat of the Jackson County, Missouri towns of Lone Jack and Independence. This page is included in an 1877 plat book of Jackson County, Missouri.
Date: 1877

Title: Punishment for Two Privates of the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment
Description: In this military document, Major Edward B. Eno orders that William H. Wyatt and Isaac Wilson, Privates of the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" be punished for insubordination and intoxication, respectively. Eno orders both privates to forfiet one month's pay for these offenses.
Date: June 26, 1863

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

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