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Title: From Daniel Woodson to Philip St. George Cooke
Description: This dispatch, dated August 28, 1856, was sent by Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson in Lecompton, Kansas, to Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke, commanding U.S. troops near Lecompton. Woodson states that the Douglas County, Kansas Sheriff and the U.S. Marshal have informed him they are currently prevented from executing legal writs. Woodson orders Cooke to furnish them with approximately 75 U.S. troops to assist them in executing the writs.
Date: August 28, 1856

Title: From Frederick Starr to Unknown
Description: This ca. April 1855 letter was written by Frederick Starr to an unknown recipient, possibly his father. Starr says that he plans to leave Weston, Missouri within 3 or 4 weeks, because “We are in the midst of terrible times again…The ballot box is violated[,] the press overthrown, the church denounced[,] surely pro slavery powers are making great advances.” Starr states that the printing press owned by Park and Patterson in Parkville, Missouri was thrown into the river, and the men were ordered to leave the state.

Title: From John W. Reid to John W. Geary
Description: John W. Reid writes a letter from Independence, Missouri to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on September 20, 1856. Reid states that he obeyed Geary’s order to disband his troops and terminate an expedition to plunder Lawrence. He admits that “some bad men who were with us did commit some outrages . . . which I hope you will believe was beyond my control or power to prevent.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 20, 1856

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to John W. Geary
Description: Lieut. Col. Philip St. George Cooke writes a dispatch from camp in Nebraska to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on October 8, 1856. He reports on military operations near the Nebraska-Kansas border, and informs Geary that he is sending troops to Lecompton and Topeka.
Date: October 8, 1856

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to Daniel Woodson
Description: This dispatch, dated July 1, 1856, was sent by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke at Headquarters, Ft. Riley, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson in Lecompton, Kansas. Cooke states that he received Woodson’s request for military aid dated June 29, 1856, and that he ordered Maj. H.H. Sibley to march in the direction of Topeka, Kansas, via the Santa Fe Road. Cooke encloses a copy of his instructions to Sibley.
Date: July 1, 1856

Title: Proclamation to Discharge Kansas Volunteer Militia
Description: The lower half of this page includes a complete proclamation by Territorial Kansas Governor John W. Geary on September 11, 1856. Geary declares that the Kansas volunteer militia, originally organized to maintain order, is "no longer required, and hereby order that they be immediately discharged." This page is taken from the 1888 publication of Collections of the Kansas Historical Society, v. IV.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 11, 1856

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Emma Adair
Description: This letter was written on December 14, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her daughter Emma Adair. Florella encourages Emma to study and write to increase her knowledge, and also advises her on proper behavior: “I feel very anxious to have you very particular & circumspect in your conversation with Rockwell or any young man you may be in company, and things like familiarity or immodesty in company of the boys is always noticed & will lead to remarks or suspicions…Young ladies & married ones too cannot be to particular, in what they do or say.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 14, 1860

Title: From J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody
Description: This letter, dated July 21, 1858, is from J.F. Snyder to A. Peabody, Private Secretary of Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Snyder writes that he received his commission as District Inspector of the 6th Division, Missouri Militia, but is concerned that he has not yet received any orders from the Governor or Adjutant General. He states that when he receives word from the militia companies serving on the state line, he will meet them and perform his duties as Inspector.
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 21, 1858

Title: From Louis A. Myers to Luther M. Myers
Description: This letter, dated July 18, 1858, was written by Louis A. Myers in Philippi, Virginia to Luther M. Myers in Johnson County, Kansas. Louis expresses his agreement with Luther on the topic of the Missouri Compromise. Louis says he will write again when he returns to Weston, Missouri.
Date: July 18, 1858

Title: Affidavit of W.F. Dyer
Description: This affidavit was sworn by W.F. Dyer on September 13, 1856 before R.R. Nelson, Justice of the Peace of Douglas County, Kansas. Dyer states that on September 8 and 9, 1856, a band of at least one hundred men robbed him of six head of mules and horses, and merchandise worth more than $4,000. Dyer indicates that the same men were assembled at Ozawkie, KS on September 13, 1856 for the purpose of raiding and burning the town.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: September 13, 1856

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to John W. Geary
Description: Lieut. Col. Philip St. George Cooke writes a dispatch to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on September 23, 1856, informing him that Col. Johnston has received orders to march to the “Northern frontier.” Cooke asks Geary to relay any new information he might have.
Date: September 23, 1856

Title: Major Clark's Raid
Description: This unsigned document, ca. 1856, states that Maj. Clark and 300 men burnt down houses, robbed stores, took prisoners, and sent people down the Missouri River. The document declares that Clark “has always been a fire brand” and has left the country “in a state of turmoil.”
Object Type: Government Document

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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

Title: From G.A. Parsons to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated June 4 and 5, 1858, is from Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Parsons reports that he will ask a former Kansas resident named Hamilton to submit a statement about the crimes of James Montgomery and his followers. Parsons relays a rumor that 100-200 Kansas citizens who have sought refuge in Missouri plan to return to Kansas and seek revenge on Montgomery. He also reports a recent attack on Butler County, Missouri, and informs Stewart that Col. Blakey is organizing a volunteer company of Missouri citizens.
Date: June 4, 1858-June 5, 1858

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

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