Civil War

Title: From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description: Eugenia Bronaugh writes a letter, dated January 12, 1864, to John A. Bushnell in St. Louis. She tells him that a few friends recently visited her in Hickory Grove, Missouri, and sang patriotic songs. She describes them as “devoted and faithful friends to the Government” and wishes that everyone “were so true!” She updates him about other mutual acquaintances, and expresses a wish for peace and safety.
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 12, 1864

Title: From Charles Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written on January 16, 1861 by Charles Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to his father Samuel Lyle Adair. Charles reports on his school activities, and says that his uncle and aunt are now at the oil springs running a boarding house. He says he received a letter from his mother, Florella Brown Adair, who expects to go to Lafayette the following week.
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 16, 1861

Title: From Richard M. Hulse to Parents
Description: This letter, dated May 7, 1864, was written by Richard M. Hulse in Dallas, Missouri to his parents. Writing from the Headquarters of Company H, 2nd Calvary MSM, Richard explains that he and his men have taken and fortified the Dallas courthouse against Confederate rebels. He describes with emotion the recent death and funeral of one of his men: “as I stood by and thought of the desolation this war was making I brushed away the falling tear and left wondering whose turn next.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 7, 1864

Title: William D. Matthews
Description: A sepia colored carte-de-visite of First Lieutenant William Dominick Matthews. Matthews was a member of the Independent Battery, U.S. Colored Light Artillery, who served at Fort Leavenworth and helped protect eastern Kansas during Price's invasion in 1864. In addition, Matthews helped recruit many members of the First Colored Kansas Volunteer Infantry. Prior to the Civil War, Matthews operated a boarding house in Leavenworth, Kansas that was used as part of the underground railroad. Assisted by Daniel R. Anthony, the brother of Susan B. Anthony, Matthews helped many Missouri slaves escape to Kansas and other "free" states.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1861-1865

Title: Application of William C. Hall
Description: This is William C. Hall’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Stephen Smith. The application, dated November 13, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, and a statement that Hall lawfully purchased his slave. The application is signed by four witnesses and a notary public in Lafayette County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the second page indicates that the application was rejected. Attached is the November 18, 1843 bill declaring the sale of Stephen Smith to William C. Hall.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 18, 1843-November 13, 1866

Title: Maps of Shawnee Indian Reservation
Description: These 21 plat maps were made ca. 1857 by Isaac Cooper Stuck. The maps are marked with geographical features and locations of people’s land claims within the Shawnee Indian Reservation in eastern Kansas.
Object Type: Map

Title: From James Mooney to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on January 8, 1859 by Capt. James Mooney in West Point, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Mooney reiterates what he communicated in an earlier letter: a company of 100 men has been organized in Bates County, Missouri to provide protection against “depredations” by guerrillas. Mooney provides a list of the company’s officers and requests that Stewart provide them with arms.
Date: January 8, 1859

Title: Examination of H.B. Talbott
Description: This is H.B. Talbott's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Talbott, a 23-year-old Missouri native, states that he was enrolled by the military authorities as "loyal" in 1862. The oath is No. 246 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Contract for Hire
Description: In this document, dated December 30, 1859, T.F. Prewitt promises to pay Lisbon Applegate $50, plus interest, for “the hire of a negro girl named Ellen.” Prewitt promises to take care of her, pay the requisite taxes, and to return her on December 25, 1860.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: December 30, 1859

Title: Report of Slaves Enlisted, Richmond, Missouri
Description: This military roll, dated March 30, 1864, shows the total number of slaves enlisted from the 5th Missouri Sub-District at Richmond, Missouri during January 1864. The roll lists each recruit's name, owner, date of enlistment, and the enrolling officer. The document is signed by J.W. Black, Recruiting Agent.
Date: March 30, 1864

Title: James (Jim) Robert Cummins
Description: Charcoal portrait of James (Jim) Cummins (sometimes spelled Cummings) in suit coat and checked (?) shirt. Jim Cummins was a neighbor to the James family near Kearney, Missouri. He, along with Jesse James, Doc Rupe, Silas King, and Tom Smith joined the regular service of the Confederacy under Colonel Calhoun Thornton. Later he and Jesse joined the guerrillas. Jim was not at Lawrence, but was at the Centralia massacre, September 27, 1864. After the war, some believe he was at some point a member of the James-Younger gang. Cummins sometimes used the alias Jim Johnson. He periodically stayed at the Confederate Home near Higginsville, Missouri, until his death on July 9, 1929. He is buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: Edward Thomas
Description: This carte de visite depicts Edward Thomas, who served in the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: Nicholas Haerle
Description: Two black-and-white photographs depict Nicholas Haerle, a German immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1856. In May 1861, Haerle attended a pro-Union meeting at the Lexington, Missouri courthouse. The meeting was stormed by Confederate supporters and Haerle was shot and wounded in the resulting struggle. He later fled to St. Louis. The September 11, 1862 document on State of Missouri letterhead certifies Haerle’s American citizenship.
Object Type: Image

Title: From A.J. Sexton to Catherine
Description: This letter was written on March 18 and 19, 1862, by A.J. Sexton in camp at Fort Scott, Kansas, to his wife Catherine. He describes the area around Fort Scott as “good farming country,” though thinly settled. A.J. asserts that his company is the largest and best drilled in camp, noting that his regiment “is favored with good health” in comparison to the Kansas regiments, who “have buried from one to four a day.” Part of the letter is written on the back of a printed roster for the 12th Wisconsin Volunteers, which lists A.J. as a private in Co. E.
Date: March 18, 1862-March 19, 1862

Title: Examination of Wilson C. Creek
Description: This is Wilson C. Creek's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Creek, a 37-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri states that he was born in Indiana and that he served in the militia for three years during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 119 in a bound volume, was signed by Creek in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Gen. James G. Blunt
Description: Black and white full-length portrait of Major General James Gillpatrick Blunt posing in uniform. Blunt commanded Union forces in several notable Civil War battles, including the Battle of Prairie Grove, the Battle of Fort Blair, and the Battle of Westport.
Object Type: Image

Title: Inventory and Inspection Report of Public Property
Description: This document is an "Inventory and inspection report of public property (including Captured or "Contraband" Property), belonging to the United States, and held by Co. "A" 8th MSM Cavalry, and for which Captain James J Akard is accountable." This report was completed by Akard and submitted for inspection to Lieutenant D. E. Murphy, Assistant Inspector for the District of Southwest Missouri at Springfield. This specific inventory includes eighteen wedge tents received new from Lt. Stockley Etter on July 4, 1863.
Date: March 29, 1864

Title: From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description: On December 29, 1863, Eugenia Bronaugh of Hickory Grove, Missouri writes a letter to John A. Bushnell in St. Louis. She tells him that she had planned to travel to Deepwater, Missouri, but was unable to go because of the "Kansas Raid." She writes, in reference to Bushnell’s recently freed slaves: “I had hoped that your blacks were giving you no trouble . . . I often wish that ours were as far away.”
Date: December 29, 1863

Title: Signing the Ordinance of Secession of Louisiana, January 26, 1861
Description: Painting by Enoch Wood Perry, Jr. depicting the signing of the Ordinance of Secession of Louisiana on January 26, 1861, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1861

Title: From Charles Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written on February 20, 1861 by Charles Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to his father Samuel Lyle Adair. Charles says that he plans to stop attending school the following week before joining his mother, Florella Brown Adair, in Grafton, Ohio to travel south. He states that his school’s schedule was briefly disrupted by Lincoln’s recent visit to Hudson.
Date: February 20, 1861

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

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