Civil War

Title: From S.S. Sawyer to John P. Bowman
Description: This telegram, dated March 9, 1861, was sent by S.S. Sawyer in Jefferson City, Missouri, to John P. Bowman (presumably the sheriff of Lexington, Missouri). Sawyer relates details of a committee report, presumably that of the Missouri State Convention’s Committee on Federal Relations, which was meeting in St. Louis to consider secession. Sawyer states that the committee is "against secession, against coercion, [and] for Crittenden amendment." He notes that "the majority [are] for national, the minority for border slave state convention."
Object Type: Telegram
Date: March 9, 1861

Title: From Calvin Iserman to Brother William
Description: In this letter of September 5, 1858, Calvin Iserman writes from Independence, Missouri to his brother William. Calvin declares that Independence is hostile to free-staters: “Most of the head men of this town, and the wealthiest, are slave holders who…hate a free-state man worse than they do the Devil.” Calvin adds that his father plans to move to Kansas Territory in the fall or spring to live “among some free state men.” The letter includes a separate note to “sister Gus,” possibly written by Calvin’s wife.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 5, 1858

Title: Fort Scott Army Post, Officers Quarters
Description: The Fort Scott officers quarters were constructed between 1842 to 1848. Army officers and their families who were posted at Fort Scott lived in the quarters.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1890-1900

Title: John Wadsworth (Mixed Blood) n.d.
Description: Portrait of John Wadsworth, a member of the Peoria Tribe, no date.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Governor Charles Robinson
Description: Photograph of Governor Charles Robinson. Robinson, an ardent Free-Stater associated with the New England Emigrant Aid Company, was named Kansas territorial governor by the illegitimate Topeka legislature on January 15, 1856. He was never officially recognized as territorial governor.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: General Orders, No. 4
Description: Maj. W. Dean Colman of the Missouri State Militia issued General Order No. 4 on January 10, 1862. The order states that his battalion received a donation of clothing from a group of women in Springfield, Mass. Colman states that his soldiers have an obligation to "conquer this wicked rebellion" and make every effort to gain the approval of their families and the general public. The order was signed by S.B. Shaw, Post Adjutant, at the headquarters of the Missouri State Militia in Jefferson City.
Date: January 10, 1862

Title: Examination of James F. Hughes
Description: This is James F. Hughes's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hughes describes himself as a 29-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Boone County, Missouri. He states that during the Civil War he "stayed home nearly all the time." The oath, labeled No. 128 in a bound volume, was signed by Hughes in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Certificate of Exemption for William Glenn
Description: This certificate of exemption, dated April 2, 1864, excuses William Glenn from serving in the Missouri Militia due to dyspepsia and “Constitutional disability”. It is signed by Dr. J.R. Sands and R.M. Holland, Commissioner of Exemptions, in the town of Laclede in Linn County, Missouri.
Date: April 2, 1864

Title: From A. Comingo to E.B. Alexander
Description: This dispatch, dated November 19, 1863, is from Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri, to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri. Comingo asks for Alexander's help in procuring military escorts for an Enrolling Officer. The officer will be recruiting volunteers in Lafayette County, which is threatened by "a few guerrillas prowling around."
Date: November 19, 1863

Title: From Joseph W. McClurg to David D. Stockton
Description: In this military correspondence, Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Lt. Col. Joseph W. McClurg informs Captain David D. Stockton that his company has consumed too many rations for late February 1862.
Date: March 19, 1862

Title: Examination of Mercer Bushsen
Description: This is Mercer Bushsen's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Bushsen, a 71-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has resided in Missouri for 31 years and manifested his loyalty during the war "by obeying the laws and staying at home and attending to my own business." The oath is No. 157 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Hon. Samuel Clarke Pomeroy of Kansas
Description: Black and white print of Samuel Clarke Pomery, Republican Senator from Kansas, who served from 1861-1873.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of Joseph H. Jenkins
Description: This unsigned 1866 Oath of Loyalty bears the name of Joseph H. Jenkins. The document is No. 134 in a bound volume of loyalty oaths given by citizens of Liberty Township in Clay County, Missouri between 1866 and 1868.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: John W. Whitfield
Description: Photograph of John W. Whitfield, the first Congressional delegate from Kansas Territory. The first election in Kansas Territory, held november 29, 1854, was won by Democrat John W. Whitfield, a proslavery settler and veteran of the Mexican-American War. Free-Staters complained about fraudulent voting by Misourians who crossed the border to cast their ballots and intimidate antislavery voters, especially in proslavery towns such as Leavenworth.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Examination of William B. Arnold
Description: This is William B. Arnold's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Arnold describes himself as a 38-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, who was born in Kentucky. He states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War "by taking up arms." The oath, labeled No. 116 in a bound volume, was signed by Arnold in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: General Orders, No. 10
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 10 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on February 4, 1863. The order details the proceedings of a recent General Court Martial in Lexington, Missouri, where officers and soldiers were tried for war crimes, including disobedience of orders, neglect of duty, desertion, and mutiny. It is signed by Assistant Adjutant General H.Z. Curtis.
Date: February 4, 1863

Title: From Samuel Lyle Adair to Charles Adair and Ada Adair
Description: This letter was written on October 19, 1860 by Samuel Lyle Adair in Osawatomie, Kansas, to his son Charles and daughter Ada. Samuel warns that as Charles starts school in Ohio, “you will doubtless find many things to try your feelings in consequence of not having had better opportunities in times past.” Samuel reports on activities in Osawatomie, including two meetings to address the town’s shortage of bread for the winter, which he did not attend. "Money is growing scarcer all the time, and nothing but money will bring bread," he writes.
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 19, 1860

Title: From Charles Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written on October 3-5, 1860 by Charles Adair in Akron and Hudson, Ohio to his father Samuel Lyle Adair. Charles describes going to the fair and meeting various relatives. He reports that Uncle Edward has just returned from Cleveland, where he attended a Republican meeting. Charles remarks that he feels “very lonely to day for the want of something to do. I find visiting hard work.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 3, 1860-October 5, 1860

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On November 14, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister. Stowell reports that on November 12, Gen. Blunt arrived from Fort Scott with 250 wagons, and more wagons arrived from Springfield, Missouri. "It is thought by some that Gen Blunt will go South with his command in a few days," Stowell writes.
Date: November 14, 1863

Title: John Brown
Description: Sepia-tone reproduction print of abolitionist John Brown.
Object Type: Image

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

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