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Title: From G.A. Parsons and A.G. Blakey to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This dispatch, dated June 16, 1858, is from G.A. Parsons, Adjutant General of the Missouri Militia, and A.G. Blakey, Division Inspector, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. They inform Stewart that they have obeyed his orders to organize volunteer companies in Cass, Vernon, and Bates Counties. They add that they have heard rumors of “violence and plunder” throughout western Missouri and do not believe the companies they have raised will provide sufficient protection.
Date: June 16, 1858

Title: Warrant for the Arrest of Gen. John Reid
Description: This warrant for the arrest of Gen. John Reid was issued on September 19, 1856 by S.G. Cato, Assistant Justice of the Supreme Court of Kansas Territory. The warrant accuses Reid and others of sacking and burning the town of Osawatomie, Kansas, kidnapping two people, and stealing property worth several thousand dollars on August 30, 1856.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: September 19, 1856

Title: Petition from Residents of Vernon County, Missouri
Description: This petition was sent to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart on August 25, 1859 by 45 citizens of Vernon County, Missouri. The petitioners request that a company of Missouri Volunteers be stationed on the state line in Vernon County “until Kansas has a Constitution…or you are convinced…that her people…will obey some law.” As evidence of their need for protection, they refer to the threat posed by James Montgomery and his men, who are demanding the immediate release of William Wright, a prisoner held in Vernon County.
Object Type: Petition
Date: August 25, 1859

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: In this August 10, 1856 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch reports a rumor that Border Ruffians plan to attack Lawrence, Kansas. He says he has been gathering firearms in preparation, but worries that “this may be the last letter” he ever writes. He also tells them about the Battle of Franklin and relates a rumor that Colonel Lane was there.
Date: August 10, 1856

Title: From D.A.W. Morehouse to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on June 7, 1858 by D.A.W. Morehouse in Papinsville, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Morehouse refers to “the troubles on the border of the state touching Kansas,” and requests that a company of Rangers be stationed on the state line to protect local citizens. Morehouse asks Stewart for permission to organize such a company himself because he is "familiar with those characters Resident in the Territory."
Date: June 7, 1858

Title: From Samuel Medary to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This telegram, dated January 3, 1859, is from Kansas Gov. Samuel Medary to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Medary informs Stewart that he has ordered U.S. Troops to protect eastern Kansas and that he plans to organize a large force of Kansas citizens. He urges Stewart to keep troops on the Missouri side of the state line to protect his citizens if James Montgomery invades Missouri. He adds that Montgomery and John Brown have three forts and an armed force of 100-200 men.
Object Type: Telegram
Date: January 3, 1858

Title: From D.W. Frost to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on January 9, 1859 by Brig. Gen. D.M. Frost, Missouri Militia, at Headquarters, 1st Military District in St. Louis, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Frost refers to Stewart’s recommendation that a military force be organized to protect “our State frontiers against the depredations of Kansas Outlaws & Ruffians,” and states that he is “prepared at any moment to Execute your orders.”
Date: January 9, 1859

Title: From the Kansas State Central Committee to Philip St. George Cooke
Description: This September 3, 1856 letter is from the Kansas State Central Committee to Lieut. Col. Philip St. George Cooke. The committee members state that Free State supporters have been forced to take up arms to defend themselves against “the inhuman atrocities of organized bands of assassins” from Missouri. They claim that the civil authorities have not helped, and they ask Cooke for protection. The letter is signed by H. Miles Moore, secretary of the committee, as well as W.R. Frost, Morris Hunt, and J. Lawson.
Date: September 3, 1856

Title: From Charles Sumner to My Dear Hale
Description: Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner writes a letter from Washington to "My dear Hale" on March 1, 1856. Sumner criticizes Stephen A. Douglas, Lewis Cass, and the Know Nothing Party, and worries that "this Congress will do nothing for the benefit of Kansas." He expresses concern that Kansas will not be admitted to the Union due to its small population and the lack of support for its constitution.
Date: March 1, 1856

Title: Documents Relating to Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court, 3rd District vs. James Montgomery
Description: These documents, dated between December 24, 1858 and February 17, 1859, relate to the case of Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court, 3rd District versus James Montgomery for robbery and murder. In the documents, James Montgomery, John Brown, and other men are accused of murdering John Little and robbing his store on December 16, 1858, while attempting to free their comrade Benjamin Price at Fort Scott, Kansas. The documents include a writ for the arrest of John Brown and a statement by William P. Fain, U.S. Marshal for Kansas Territory.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: December 24, 1858-February 17, 1859

Title: From G.A. Parsons to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This dispatch, dated June 3, 1858 is from G.A. Parsons, Adjutant General of the Missouri Militia, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Parsons reports from Cass County, Missouri on the border conflict; he states that a number of Missouri farmers have abandoned their farms and moved into the interior of the state to seek safety. He adds that James Montgomery and a group of Kansas citizens met with a committee of Missouri citizens and demanded their surrender.
Date: June 3, 1858

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: This letter, dated September 21, 1856, is from Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas to his parents in Massachusetts. He tells them that he and his army regiment marched to Franklin the previous week in an attempt to defend the town from Border Ruffians. The Ruffians rode into town, burned several buildings, robbed Fitch of everything he owned, and then “dispersed in different directions . . . stealing and murdering as they went.” Fitch mentions his suspicion that Governor Geary is a traitor who has negotiated with the Border Ruffians.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 21, 1856-September 28, 1856

Title: Indictment Against Andrew Reeder et al.
Description: This indictment was issued against Andrew H. Reeder, Charles Robinson, James H. Lane, George W. Brown, George W. Dietzler, George W. Smith, Samuel N. Wood, and Gaius Jenkins for the crime of treason. The indictment, issued October 4, 1856 by the 3rd U.S. District Court of Kansas Territory, accuses Reeder and the others of “unlawfully and traitorously” assembling for the purpose of “overthrowing and subverting by force and violence” the government of Kansas Territory, among other crimes.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: October 4, 1856

Title: Petition from Vernon County Citizens
Description: This petition, dated November 21, 1860, is addressed to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart and signed by 34 citizens of Little Osage, Vernon County, Missouri. The signers assert that they are “imminently in danger of another invasion” from Kansas guerrillas. They claim that they have been victim to numerous attacks over the past three years, and that during one attack, John Brown stole “ten or eleven thousand dollars” of property. The petitioners ask Stewart to station the Missouri Mounted Militia, Company A, in Little Osage for their protection.
Object Type: Petition
Date: November 21, 1860

Title: Quantrill's Flag
Description: Small cotton and wool flag dropped during Quantrill's raid on Olathe on September 7, 1862. The flag resembles the Confederate First National Flag, nicknamed the "Stars and Bars," however, the canton displays either a fist or palmetto tree and "Quant" for Quantrill.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Frederick Starr to Unknown
Description: This is an excerpt from a letter written on December 1, 1854 by Frederick Starr to an unknown recipient. Starr describes a recent “outrage on the ballot box” during elections in Kansas, when “Some 1200 or 1400 Missourians armed with bowie-knives & revolvers took the polls.” Starr says that many free-soilers were unable to reach the polls at all, and declares that “Big times are coming.” He adds that circumstances in Weston, Missouri “look dark.”
Date: December 1, 1854

Title: Affidavit of William C. Childers
Description: This is the affidavit of William C. Childers, dated May 28, 1856. Childers states that John Brown Jr. came to Prairie City, Kansas the previous week with two slaves owned by a Mr. Jones; he believes Brown is guilty of stealing the slaves from their owner. The affidavit is signed by Charles P. Bullock, clerk pro tem of the 2nd U.S. District Court, Kansas Territory.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: May 28, 1856

Title: Sworn Statement of George W. Harris
Description: This affidavit was sworn by George W. Harris before Edmund Bartlett, J.B.C.C., in Bates County, Missouri on July 12, 1858. Harris states that on July 8, he and William Pape were threatened and robbed by several men accusing them of being part of James Montgomery’s company. The outlaws took Harris and Pape to Papinville, Missouri and subsequently shot both men, injuring Harris in the arm before he escaped. Harris believes that the outlaws killed Pape although he admits he did not actually witness the murder.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: July 12, 1858

Title: Affidavit of Harvey G. Hicklin
Description: This affidavit, given by Harvey G. Hicklin of Vernon County, Missouri, swears that on December 20, 1858, “an armed band of robbers, from Kansas Territory invaded his premises, made him prisoner, and carried off five negroes," horses, oxen, and a wagon "belonging to the Estate of Js. Lawrence.” The affidavit, which presumably refers to John Brown's raid on Vernon County, is signed by John A. Sartorius, Justice of the Peace.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: February 5, 1859

Title: From John W. Geary to F.J. Marshall
Description: This dispatch, dated September 16, 1856, was sent by Kansas Gov. John W. Geary in Lecompton, Kansas, to Gen. F.J. Marshall, 1st Division, Northern Kansas Militia. Geary received Marshall’s dispatch about the threatened invasion of Gen. Lane’s troops and his proposal to station regiments of the Kansas Militia along the northern Kansas line. Geary replies that if such an invasion occurs, he will first employ U.S. troops to combat it, and then call upon Kansas Militia troops if necessary.
Date: September 16, 1856

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

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