Civil War

Title: An Abolition Trick Exposed!
Description: This broadside was written by B.F. Stringfellow in Platte County, Missouri on August 7, 1854. Stringfellow denies H. Miles Moore’s accusation that he declared that all men who labor for a living are slaves. He accuses Moore of being an abolitionist, a Freesoiler, and a “white slave.” The broadside includes statements by people who witnessed an argument between Stringfellow and Moore, and a statement signed by 22 citizens who denied that Stringfellow ever called laborers slaves.
Object Type: Broadside
Date: August 2, 1854-August 7, 1854

Title: From Frederick Starr to Dear Father, Mother, and Boys Great and Small
Description: On October 18, 1854, Frederick Starr writes from Weston, Missouri to “Father, Mother, and boys great and small.” Starr reports that the newly-formed Self Defensive Association of Platte County, Missouri has begun to "rid the country of all pests,” including “Emigrant Aid Societies, Abolitionists and free soilers.” Starr calls the Association a “mob society,” and says they have already arrested two men, ordered all free blacks to leave the area, and established a night patrol to secure slaves and “catch the Abolitionists.” Starr adds that he refused to sign the Association’s resolutions when invited to do so.
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 18, 1854

Title: Edward Fitch
Description: This black and white portrait depicts Edward Payson Fitch. He was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts in 1857 and was one of the early settlers in Kansas Territory. On August 21, 1863, he was killed in Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence. An intruder shot him in the heart, then burned down his house with his body still inside. His wife and three children escaped.
Object Type: Image

Title: Application of E.M. Wooldridge
Description: This is E.M. Wooldridge’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Fleming Stradford. The application, dated January 29, 1867, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Wooldridge lawfully inherited his slave, and the signatures of four witnesses and a notary public in Pettis County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the seventh page indicates that the application was rejected. Also included is Fleming Stradford’s enlistment form, signed and dated February 22, 1864.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: February 22, 1864-January 29, 1867

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: In a July 20, 1864 letter from Calhoun, Missouri, John A. Bushnell tells Eugenia Bronaugh of Hickory Grove, Missouri, that he plans to travel to Sedalia and St. Louis. He says that he will return within two weeks unless he does not feel safe. He expresses a longing to return to his normal life and his business, for “this life of uncertainty, suspense and danger does not suit me.” He adds that he hopes for peace, but does not feel optimistic.
Date: July 20, 1864

Title: Campaign Banner, Belfast, Maine, 1860
Description: Lincoln and Hamlin cotton campaign banner from the Presidential Campagin of 1860.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1860

Title: Examination of Henry Bunker
Description: This is Henry Bunker's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Bunker, who was born in Ohio, describes himself as a 47-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he served in the militia during the Civil War and "obeyed all the laws" of the United States. The oath, labeled No. 42 in a bound volume, was signed by Bunker in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Application of William Chancellor
Description: This is William Chancellor’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Henry. The documents, dated November 9 and 10, 1866, include an oath of allegiance to the United States, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, and a statement that Chancellor lawfully obtained his slave. The application is signed by two witnesses in Howard County, Missouri and by a notary public in Cooper County, Missouri.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 9, 1866-November 10, 1866

Title: Examination of James Flemming
Description: This is James Flemming's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Flemming describes himself as a 75-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Virginia. He states that he "tried to be" loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War and that he spoke out against its enemies. The oath, labeled No. 93 in a bound volume, was signed by Flemmings on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: Examination of William Frick
Description: This is William Frick's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Frick, a 56-year-old native of Germany, states that he has resided in Missouri for 25 years. The oath is No. 154 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of John Robinson
Description: This is John Robinson's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Robinson, a 31-year-old Virginia native, states that he has resided in Missouri for eight years and served in the militia during the war. Upon hearing of the Federal defeat at Bull Run in 1861, Robinson says he "was sorry the Gov't was broken up so." The oath is No. 222 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Abraham Lincoln, Two Weeks Before the Final Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Lincoln's Unsuccessful Bid for the Senate
Description: Photographic print of Abraham Lincoln copied from an ambrotype made by Calvin Jackson, circa 1900-1911. Original ambrotype was taken two weeks before the final Lincoln-Douglas debate in Lincoln's unsuccessful bid for the Senate on October 1, 1858.
Object Type: Image

Title: From James H. Moss to W.P. Hall
Description: On September 27, 1863, Col. James H. Moss writes from Platte City, Missouri to W.P. Hall. Moss states that he is organizing companies of Platte County citizens to defend against threatened raids from Kansas. He says that the day before, a group of "desperate outlaws from Kansas" came to Missouri and were soon joined by Col. Joseph A. Price and "all the radical element in Platte." In a statement written on the back of the letter, Hall notes that he referred the letter to Gov. Gamble, recommending that Col. Price be removed from his office.
Date: September 27, 1863

Title: Plats of Olathe, Gardner, Shawnee, Lenexa, et al., Johnson County, Kansas
Description: This page from an 1874 plat book of Johnson County, Kansas includes maps of Olathe, Gardner, Shawnee, Glenwood, Campbellton, Edgerton, Lenexa, Stanley, De Soto, and Olathe Junction.
Date: 1874

Title: G. B. Shubert
Description: G. B. Shubert was Quartermaster in Lebanon, Missouri for the Missouri State Militia, 8th Regiment Cavalry. Handwritten on the front is, "Yours truly, G. B. Shubert."
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: General Orders, No. 17
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 17 from the Headquarters of the Department of the Missouri in St. Louis on March 5, 1863. The order authorizes medical officers to employ "contraband, and other men or women of African descent" as cooks, nurses, laundresses, or servants in military hospitals. The order was signed by Assistant Adjutant General H.Z. Curtis.
Date: March 5, 1863

Title: Examination of Bartley Estes
Description: This is Bartley Estes's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Estes, a 71-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, originally from Kentucky, states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War and "did all I was called upon by them to do." The oath, No. 7 in a bound volume, was signed by Estes in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: John Thrailkill
Description: Charcoal portrait of John Thrailkill in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Discrepancies exist concerning John Thrailkill and his participation in the Civil War. He is often confused with James Thrailkill. According to National Archives records, John Thrailkill first joined the Missouri State Guard and later enlisted in the 1st Missouri Cavalry as a private on December 25, 1861. His Civil War career is varied but he did command a number of guerrillas during the battle of Centralia, Missouri, September 27, 1864. At the end of the war, Thrailkill accompanied General Shelby to Mexico, where it appears Thrailkill remained until his death in 1898.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of Simeon Collins
Description: This is Simeon Collins's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Collins, a 56-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 36 years and served in the militia during the war. The oath is No. 209 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Lewis Stafford to Kate Newland
Description: Lewis Stafford writes a letter from Camp Washington near Clinton, Missouri to Kate Newland on July 6, 1861. Stafford, a member of the 1st Kansas Infantry, Company E, tells Newland that Union troops recently took possession of a printing press that had printed a secession journal. He says that Clinton used to be a “hot bed of secession” but “secession in this place is now pretty generally squelched out.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 6, 1861

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

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