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Title: Battle of Westport
Description: Newell Convers Wyeth mural of the Battle of Westport, fought on October 23, 1864, which is displayed at the Missouri State Capitol.
Object Type: Image

Title: From James Griffing to My Dear Wife
Description: This letter, dated October 23, 1864, was written by James Griffing in camp at Kansas City, Missouri, to his wife. James provides an account of “a tremendous battle about five miles south of this” (presumably the Battle of Westport), which he heard about via dispatches from the battlefield. James includes an assessment of the Union casualties from regimental surgeon Dr. Hidden: “he thought but few cases would prove fatal.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 23, 1864

Title: Diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker, an army doctor working under the command of Gen. Joseph O. Shelby. The entries included here are from October 10-27, 1864. Baker discusses conscription, bushwhackers, travelling across Missouri, and marching to Price’s headquarters. He mentions the Battle of Boonville, the Second Battle of Lexington, the Battle of the Big Blue, the Second Battle of Independence, the Battle of Westport, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.
Object Type: Diary
Date: October 10, 1864-October 27, 1864

Title: Samuel Ryan Curtis
Description: Black and white portrait of General Samuel Ryan Curtis standing, as published in a photographic album by E & H.T. Anthony. One of the first Republicans elected to Congress representing Iowa's 1st congressional district, Curtis resigned his seat in 1861 to join the Union Army. Curtis commanded Union forces to several victories during the Civil War, including at the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Battle of Westport.
Object Type: Image

Title: From W.A. Bevis to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This letter, dated October 15, 1864, is from Capt. W.A. Bevis in Westport, Missouri to Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller. Bevis states his belief that the "threatened Troubles to this Part of the County" are over, and gives Fuller permission to resume his church services. The Battle of Westport occurred eight days later.
Date: October 15, 1864

Title: Diary of Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller. Fuller, a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri, writes about visiting military hospitals, leading prayer meetings for soldiers, and hearing the sounds of muskets in nearby skirmishes. His diary entries, dated June 4, 1864 - June 25, 1865, also describe the Battle of Westport, and mention the movements of Gen. Price and Col. Jennison, and the assassination of President Lincoln.
Object Type: Diary
Date: June 4, 1864-June 25, 1865

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On October 24, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller describes the recent Battle of Westport in which the Confederates were "repulsed" and reportedly suffered 32 casualties. He admits, "I do not feel overmuch pleased with our defenders. It seems to me that with the force we had yesterday, we ought to have driven the Rebels like chaff--instead of acting as we seem to have done for half the day on the defensive simply."
Date: October 24, 1864

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