Civil War

Title: Examination of Matthew M. Franklin
Description: This 1866 loyalty examination document bears the name Matthew M. Franklin. According to the unnamed official conducting the loyalty examination, Franklin "refuses to take the oath" or answer questions regarding his loyalty. The document is contained in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to G.A. Parsons
Description: This dispatch, dated June 10, 1858, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons. Stewart restates previous orders for Parsons to limit his military actions to the defense of Missouri citizens and to refrain from crossing the Kansas border. He emphasizes that Missouri citizens should avoid participating in any aggression against Kansas citizens, and urges Parsons to “do all in your power to promote peace.”
Date: June 10, 1858

Title: From Charles Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written on December 19, 1860 by Charles Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to his father Samuel Lyle Adair. Charles writes that he finished school for the year and he has been feeling very homesick. He reports that his mother, Florella Brown Adair, plans to go to Grafton, Ohio the following week. Charles says that Uncle Jeremiah has gone to New York and that he often becomes depressed because of the prospect of financial ruin.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 19, 1860

Title: Mileage Reimbursement Forms, Abstract of Articles Expended, Return of Quartermaster's Stores
Description: These military documents pertaining to the 6th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry include two mileage reimbursement forms from Major Wyllys Cadwell Ransom; an abstract of articles expended in public service filled out by 1st Lieutenant R.J. Lewis; and a return of quartermaster's stores completed by Lewis.
Date: 1863-1865

Title: From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description: This letter, dated July 6, 1865, was written by Eugenia Bronaugh while visiting relatives in Coal Bank, Cooper County, Missouri to John A. Bushnell. Eugenia describes meeting a young man familiar with her relatives in Henry County, Missouri, and refers to a soldier named Mr. Douglas, who “is still here and will remain until he can look about for something to do. Poor Brave, returning soldiers!”
Date: July 6, 1865

Title: From Samuel Lyle Adair to Florella Brown Adair
Description: This letter was written March 26 and 29, and April 1, 1861 by Samuel Lyle Adair in Osawatomie, Kansas, to his wife Florella Brown Adair. Samuel writes that he was forced to borrow money to continue work on the church’s construction, and will likely need to borrow more; he explains that this is difficult in Osawatomie because money is scarce. He states that many people in Kansas are destitute, although aid continues to arrive in the county, including a shipment of seed wheat from the New England Relief Committee.
Date: March 26, 1861-April 1, 1861

Title: List of Deceased Soldiers
Description: This document is a list of deceased officers of the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment.
Date: n.d.

Title: Battle of Wilson's Creek
Description: This sketch, originally published in Harper's Weekly on August 31, 1861, depicts the Union retreat at the end of the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861, after Nathaniel Lyon's death and after Sigel's horses had been killed. The caption states: "General Siegel forcing his prisoners [Confederate and Native American] to draw off his cannon 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: Examination of Elihue Dillingham
Description: This is Elihue Dillingham's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Dillingham, a 36-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky, has lived in Missouri for 12 years, and remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, No. 23 in a bound volume, was signed by Dillingham in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Charles L. Wall
Description: This sepia carte de visite depicts Charles L. Wall, 1st Lieut. of Company H, Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of Marion Tarflett
Description: This is Marion Tarflett's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Tarflett describes himself as a 21-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Jackson County, Missouri. He states that he served in the United States military for three years during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 72 in a bound volume, was signed by Tarflett in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: John Brown, 1800-1859, Memorial Frame
Description: Memorial portrait of Abolitionist John Brown. Frame includes the words, "The Just man shall be in eternal remembrance -- Gave his life for the liberation of the slave."
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of William F. Ford
Description: This is William F. Ford's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Ford, a 50-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 14 years, and was not required to give bond during the war. The oath is No. 247 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Sarah A. Fitch to My Dear Mother
Description: Sarah A. Fitch writes a letter to her mother on April 24, 1861 from Lawrence, Kansas. She discusses her son's health and reports that her husband Edward has postponed his trip to St. Louis after hearing news of the war’s commencement, and says, “I feel as tho I could fight when I read of the outrageous conduct of the South.” She mentions the possibility of Missouri seceding and predicts that Missourians will face trouble if they do not “let Kansas alone.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: April 24, 1861

Title: Battle of Pea Ridge
Description: Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the Battle of Pea Ridge, circa 1862.
Object Type: Image

Title: Olin E. Morse
Description: This carte de visite depicts Capt. Olin E. Morse, who served in Company D, Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Wife
Description: This letter, dated September 4, 1861, is from A.J. Huntoon to his wife Lizzie. He reports that his regiment, a part of Lane’s Brigade, has recently moved to Camp Lincoln in Bourbon County, Kansas. He describes several recent battles between his regiment and a large contingent of Secessionists. He tells Lizzie that he has been put in charge of a military hospital, and he discusses caring for wounded soldiers. He states that his regiment is anticipating and preparing for an imminent attack.
Date: September 4, 1861

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Calhoun, Missouri on October 5, 1863. He mentions having a conversation with a stranger in St. Louis and says it is important to be careful when meeting new people because they may be spies. Spies and detectives are necessary in war, he argues, but they sometimes make errors at the expense of the people they are supposed to protect. He tells Eugenia about a Dr. Zimmerman who was arrested, tried, and shot after fighting Bushwhackers who invaded his home. Still, Bushnell has hope for justice: “like Death it is sure to come.”
Date: October 5, 1863

Title: Examination of John A. Denny
Description: This is John A. Denny's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Denny, a 58-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in North Carolina and that he served in the Home Guards during the Civil War. He says that he "was struck with astonishment and surprise" when he heard that Gen. Price captured Gen. Mulligan's army at Lexington, Missouri. The oath, labeled No. 71 in a bound volume, was signed by Denny in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Sacking of Lawrence
Description: Depiction of the ruins of Free State Hotel following the Sacking of Lawrence on May 21, 1856. Douglas County's own sheriff, Samuel J. Jones, led a posse of 800 proslavery settlers in the sacking of the town of Lawrence, Kansas. The Free-State Hotel and two newspaper print shops were destroyed, and one of the attackers was killed by falling masonry.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1856

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

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