Civil War

Title: Examination of R.P. Wood
Description: This is R.P. Wood's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Wood describes himself as a 52-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that he supported the United States Government during the Civil War and that he "volunteered here several times in defence of the town." The oath, labeled No. 87 in a bound volume, was signed by Wood on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: Examination of George W. Warren
Description: This is George W. Warren's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Warren, a 55-year-old Kentucky native who lived in Missouri for 21 years, states that he was too old to enlist in the Union army. The oath is No. 175 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of A.J. Turpin
Description: This is A.J. Turpin's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Turpin, a 61-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 12 years. He was arrested twice during the war: once in August 1862 for feeding Quantrill's men; and in June 1863 by Lt. Col. Hayes. Turpin declares, "I was always always a strong Union man until the Red legs stole my Property." The oath is No. 191 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Diary of John Ament
Description: This diary, kept by John Ament or possibly one of his children between August 7, 1863 and August 24, 1863, records the family's flight out of Cass County, Missouri after being ordered to leave their home. Ament and several neighboring families travelled by wagon “in the dust and dirt,” through the towns of Boonville, Sturgeon, Mexico, and others. The diary, kept in a penmanship notebook originally used to document Ament’s work as Treasurer for his church, includes a transcription of the poem “The Soldier’s Misfortune.”
Object Type: Diary
Date: August 7, 1863 - August 24, 1863

Title: Quantrill's Raid
Description: An illustration entitled, "The War in Kansas-Fearful Massacre at Lawrence by Quantrell's Guerillas", originally published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
Object Type: Image
Date: September 12, 1863

Title: From T.W. Trego to Dear Sister Alice
Description: This letter, dated June 10, 1862, is from T.W. Trego in Chicago to his sister-in-law Alice. He asks Alice about her husband Joseph, a lieutenant in the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment. He mentions that Col. Jennison told him that Joseph might have been transferred to the 6th Regiment; he asks Alice whether this is true. T.W. adds that he hopes “the biggest part of the fuss will soon be over so that Joseph can be released from his duties in the field, and devote himself to you.”
Date: June 10, 1862

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter from St. Louis to Eugenia Bronaugh of Hickory Grove, Missouri on August 3, 1864. He tells her that one of his former slaves was arrested and brutally attacked in Sedalia, Missouri, and he expresses hope that the Conservative Party will put an end to the violence and lawlessness. He tells Eugenia that he wishes he could write to her freely, without “the fear of fiendish eyes,” but he suspects that all of the letters he sends her are intercepted and read.
Date: August 3, 1864

Title: Examination of Archibald C. Courtney
Description: This is Archibald C. Courtney's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Courtney, who was born in Kentucky, describes himself as a 52-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, and states that he "volunteered into the services" during the Civil War. He declares loyalty to the United States Government "with all my heart." The oath, labeled No. 25 in a bound volume, was signed by Courtney in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From R.T. Branaugh to A.M. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated September 3, 1863, is from R.T. Branaugh to A.M. Bedford, Esq. Branaugh reports that Bedford’s horse was “taken by the Feds.” He adds that a mutual acquaintance got it back, only to have it taken by the Feds once again. He also discusses the prices of corn, hemp, and hogs.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 3, 1863

Title: Examination of Ranson Herndon
Description: This is Ranson Herndon's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Herndon was born in Kentucky and describes himself as a 31-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri. He states that during the Civil War he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government by "picking up my arms and going into the field." The oath, No. 19 in a bound volume, was signed by Herndon in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Indenture of Robertson Moore and David L. Cavanagh
Description: This April 1864 document declares the upcoming sale of the late John C. Cavanagh’s real estate and his three slaves, Abe, Lucy, and Eliza. Robertson Moore, Sheriff of Chariton County, announces that he will auction off Cavanagh’s property outside of the courthouse in Keytesville, Missouri.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: April 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter on January 10, 1863 to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. He complains that he has not received any newspapers in a week. The only information, he says, that he could possibly share with her would be considered contraband: “but contraband . . . what a word for free America to use under our Constitution, our once free and happy Government, the land of Washington.”
Date: January 10, 1863

Title: Parole for Lisbon Applegate
Description: This document certifies the parole of Private Lisbon Applegate of Company C, Reserve Corps Regiment, Texas Infantry C.S.A, by order of Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby. Applegate, a resident of Chariton County, Missouri, was paroled in Marshall, Texas on June 30, 1865.
Date: June 30, 1865

Title: Edward Payson Fitch, Jr.
Description: This black and white photograph, taken circa 1890, depicts Edward Payson Fitch, Jr., son of Edward and Sarah Fitch. He was born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1863. As a baby, he survived Quantrill’s raid on Lawrence, but his family’s house was burned down and his father was killed in the attack.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Description: On July 17, 1863, Mary E. Bedford writes from Savannah, Missouri to her husband Alex M. Bedford. Mary says that she believes Alex will be exchanged soon, and expresses hope that the war will soon come to an end. She states that she could not retrieve the horse Alex left in Clay County, Missouri, because it was taken as contraband. Mary provides an update about various friends in the area, including several who have left and some who joined the military. She adds that the price of goods is very high and that she may go to Kentucky to stay with relatives.
Date: July 17, 1863

Title: Examination of Alexander Innes
Description: This is Alexander Innes's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Innes, a 38-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in Scotland and that he fought for the Union at the Siege of Vicksburg. The oath, labeled No. 97 in a bound volume, was signed by Innes in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Hawley D. Hindman
Description: This is Hawley D. Hindman's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hindman, a 27-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, originally from Ohio, states that during the Civil War, he demonstrated his loyalty to the Government "by entering the service of the U.S." The oath, No. 9 in a bound volume, was signed by Hindman in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Julia Sumner Fitch
Description: This black and white photograph, taken circa 1890, portrays Julia Sumner Fitch. Julia was born to Edward and Sarah Fitch in Lawrence, Kansas in 1858. At the age of five, she survived Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, but her family’s house was burned down and her father was killed in the attack.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of David Bourke
Description: This is David Bourke's Oath of Loyalty to the United States, signed October 13, 1866. Bourke, a 47-year-old native of Ireland, states that he has resided in Missouri for 10 years and was enrolled by the military authorities as "disloyal" in 1862. The oath is No. 162 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 13, 1866

Title: Examination of Jeremiah Rice
Description: This is Jeremiah Rice's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Rice, a 34-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky and that he served in the militia during the Civil War. He says that "it was a pretty bad thing" when Gen. Sterling Price captured Gen. Mulligan and his army at Lexington, Missouri. The oath, labeled No. 104 in a bound volume, was signed by Rice on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

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

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