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From Frederick Starr to Unknown
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.
James (Jim) Robert Cummins
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
William Clarke Quantrill
Title
William Clarke Quantrill
Description
Charcoal portrait of William Clarke Quantrill in suit coat and tie. Captain William Clarke Quantrill was the most noted of all guerrilla leaders. His commission was as Captain of Cavalry Scouts for the Confederates. He led the raid or massacre on Lawrence, Kansas, on August 21, 1863. After the Battle of Westport in October 1864, Quantrill went to Kentucky where he was mortally wounded by Federal soldiers. He was taken to a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, where he died June 6, 1865, at the age of 27.
Object Type
Image
From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Title
From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Description
In a July 23, 1856 letter to the editor of the Hopkinton (MA) Patriot, Edward Fitch writes that “two or three” men were killed for attending a meeting of the Free State Legislature in Topeka. He says that U.S. Troops have been disarming members of the Free State party and that Border Ruffians have driven out and captured a number of Free State men. He ends the letter by stating that the people of Kansas will not allow themselves to be taxed by the Bogus Legislature.
Date
July 23, 1856
William Napoleon (Babe) Hudspeth
Title
William Napoleon (Babe) Hudspeth
Description
Charcoal portrait drawing of William "Babe" Hudspeth in suit, vest, and tie. Hudspeth was one of four brothers from eastern Jackson County that rode with Quantrill and Bill Anderson. He participated in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, (August 21, 1863) and the Centralia, Missouri, massacre (September 1864). After the Civil War he lived on his farm in Jackson County and bred horses. He died in 1907. (from "Babe Hudspeth: Missouri Guerrilla" by John Sickles in "Military Images," Jan/Feb 2007, Vol. 28, #4, pp. 30-33.")
Object Type
Image
John Ross
Title
John Ross
Description
Charcoal portrait of John Ross in suit coat, shirt, and string tie. Ross was one of Quantrill's guerrillas and took part in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863. He was with Quantrill when Quantrill was mortally wounded in Kentucky. Ross, along with 14 others of Quantrill's band, surrendered to the U.S. Army at Samuel's Depot, Kentucky, July 25, 1865.
Object Type
Image
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
On September 8, 1855, Edward Fitch writes a letter from Lawrence, Kansas to his parents in Massachusetts, reporting that Governor Andrew Reeder was nominated for Congress at the recent convention in Big Springs, Kansas. He also informs his parents of his efforts to protect a free black man against a group of pro-slavery men who wanted to capture and enslave him. If they hadn’t eventually backed down, Fitch says, “we should have pitched in to them with our rifles.”
Date
September 8, 1855
Charles Sanders
Title
Charles Sanders
Description
Charcoal portrait of Charles Sanders (Saunders) in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Sanders served with Quantrill and was part of the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863. While recuperating at the home of Mrs. Richard Kinney in Jackson County from wounds, Sanders was shot and killed in March 1865 by Captain J. W. Sheets' company of soldiers.
Object Type
Image
Richard (Dick) Yeager
Title
Richard (Dick) Yeager
Description
Charcoal portrait of Richard (Dick) Yeager dressed in suit coat, shirt, and tie. Dick Yeager was a son of James B. Yeager, a judge who served in the state legislature for two years and as presiding judge of the Jackson County Court in 1840. James owned a freight business running the Santa Fe Trail, and before the war, Dick was in charge of one of his father's wagon trains. When his father's farm was raided, Dick joined Quantrill's guerrillas. He was part of Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863, and is also known for a daring raid in the vicinity of Council Grove, Kansas, on May 4, 1863. There are several versions of his death, which occurred around July or August 1864.
Object Type
Image
Andrew (Andy) McGuire
Title
Andrew (Andy) McGuire
Description
Charcoal portrait of Andrew McGuire in coat over a tab-closing shirt. McGuire was part of Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863, and Centralia, Missouri, September 27, 1864. He surrendered at Samuel's Depot, Kentucky, July 25, 1865. In May 1867, 14 men held up the bank in Richmond, Missouri. A warrant was issued for McGuire's arrest in connection with the robbery. He was arrested in St. Louis and taken to the Richmond city jail. On March 20, 1868, a mob of 15 stormed the jail and lynched McGuire along with James M. Devers.
Object Type
Image
Sacking of Lawrence
Title
Sacking of Lawrence
Description
This print, originally published in O. N. Merrill's 1856 publication of "True history of the Kansas wars, and their origin, progress and incidents", depicts the Sack of Lawrence in 1856 by Douglas County sheriff Samuel J. Jones.
Object Type
Image
Date
1856
From George D. Bayard to Father
Title
From George D. Bayard to Father
Description
This is a copy of an October 1, 1856 letter from George D. Bayard in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to his father. Bayard tells his father that Kansas is overrun with invaders from Missouri who want to make it a slave state, and with northern emigrants who want to make it a free state. He criticizes Gov. John W. Geary for not taking a strong stand against slavery. He also mentions that troops from Lecompton are pursuing James Henry Lane and his men.
Date
October 1, 1856
From Calvin Iserman to Brother William
Title
From Calvin Iserman to Brother William
Description
This letter, ca. April 1861, was sent by Calvin Iserman in Independence, Missouri, to his brother William. Calvin writes that Independence “is the strongest secession town” in Missouri. He writes that men from Independence “seized the State Arsenal” at Liberty, and Lincoln has ordered federal troops to retake it. Calvin declares that all Union supporters “who can get away” are leaving the area. The letter includes a brief note addressed to “sister Gusta,” presumably written by Calvin's wife.
From Lewis A. Waterman to Dear Mother
Title
From Lewis A. Waterman to Dear Mother
Description
This letter, dated July 22, 1864, is from Lewis A. Waterman at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to his mother in Providence, Rhode Island. Waterman reports that William Quantrill invaded Kansas with about 500 Bushwhackers. In retaliation, Col. Jennison crossed into Missouri with 700 troops and killed about 150 men. Waterman also tells his mother about daily life at Fort Leavenworth.
Date
July 22, 1864

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