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Title: From M.C. Goodlett to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated January 5, 1859, was written by M.C. Goodlett in the Senate Chamber, Jefferson City, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Goodlett states that he received a letter from a newly-formed military company in Johnson County, Missouri, tendering its services to the Governor. Goodlett says that he personally knows all the officers and soldiers of the Johnson Guards and hopes that Stewart will call on them “to assist in driving back the Plundering Murdering Horde” of Kansas outlaws.
Date: January 5, 1859

Title: From Henry Grimshaw to J.F. Benjamin
Description: This letter, dated September 26, 1863, is from Henry Grimshaw, Captain and Deputy Provost Marshal of Schuyler County, Missouri, to Col. J.F. Benjamin, Provost Marshal of the 8th district of Missouri. Grimshaw reports that a group of soldiers from the Enrolled Missouri Militia attacked several citizens at their homes in Schuyler County. Grimshaw adds that his life was threatened after reporting the incident, and he appeals to Benjamin for assistance.
Date: September 26, 1863

Title: From Mrs. Silliman to My Dear Relatives
Description: This letter, dated August 24, 1862, is from Mrs. Silliman of Warrensburg, Missouri to her “dear relatives.” She complains that since the war began, Warrensburg has transformed from a small, quiet town into “a thoroughfare for soldiers, jayhawkers, bush whackers . . . assassins & marauders.” She says that her son Oscar’s business has been stagnant, and that they might move to Arkansas until the war is over.
Date: August 24, 1862

Title: John McCorkle
Description: Charcoal portrait of John McCorkle in suit coat, shirt, tie, and hat. McCorkle, born December 12, 1838, in Andrew County, Missouri, moved to a farm near Westport around 1846. In April 1861 he enlisted in Company A of the Missouri State Guards, but in August 1862 he became part of Quantrill's guerrillas. In 1865, McCorkle surrendered at Newcastle, Kentucky, along with George Wigginton and a Confederate Captain Stone. They were paroled. Some years later, O. S. Barton helped McCorkle write his memoirs, "Three Years with Quantrell [sic]," published in 1914. McCorkle lived in Howard County, Missouri, until he died in 1918.
Object Type: Image

Title: To John Hambright, Esq.
Description: This letter, dated November 9, 1864, was written to John Hambright, Esq. in St. Louis, Missouri. The writer encourages John to take his family to a safer place, warning, “our troubles are not over by a long ways.” The letter-writer has not received any news from acquaintances since “the late raids,” and concludes: “May the powers above protect and defend us all from all our enemies.”
Date: November 9, 1864

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 Jacob Hall to Mary Hall
Description: This letter, dated October 25, 1862, was written by Jacob Hall in Washington, DC to his daughter Mary Hall, who was staying with her aunt and uncle. Jacob writes of political bickering between “Secretary Smith” and “Assistant Secretary Usher,” as well as news from his and Mary’s home town: “Quantrill and his band” took almost all their horses, and the next week “Confederates” confiscated much of their food stores, crops, and two mules, refusing to compensate Jacob’s wife.
Date: October 25, 1862

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: This letter, dated September 24, 1864, was written by John A. Bushnell in Calhoun, Missouri, to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John assures Eugenia that he is well and writes of his plans to travel to Clinton, Missouri. He adds that “the scare of raiders has about passed away.” John implies that he cannot write down all he wishes to say to Eugenia, in case his letter falls “into rude hands.”
Date: September 24, 1864

Title: From Wilson Shannon to Unknown
Description: This letter was written ca. December 25, 1855 by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon to an unknown recipient. Shannon states that on December 9, 1855, he was at a party in Lawrence, Kansas when Charles Robinson informed him that “a large irregular force” was threatening to attack the town. Robinson asked Shannon to give him and James Lane written authority to defend Lawrence by force. Shannon signed Robinson’s paper, but later discovered that the threatened attack was a ruse devised by “tricksters who by fraudulent representations were seeking to obtain an advantage over me.”

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On August 1, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that "the times seem to be peaceable in this section there is no fighting except a little brush with bushwhackers now & then." He says that Gen. Blunt "had a fight with the Rebels in the Cherokee Nation & defeated them." Stowell predicts that the war will end within three months because "the North is just beginning to open their eyes & see the true state of affairs."
Date: August 1, 1863

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 Unknown to Dear Brother
Description: This letter, dated September 30, 1861, is from an unknown writer in Pleasant Nook, Missouri to his or her brother. Since newspaper reports are “entirely one sided,” if not “entirely false,” the letter writer endeavors to provide an account of recent Missouri politics and warfare. The writer refers to Hamilton Gamble’s appointment as governor and his subsequent call for “42 thousand volunteers;” local recruitment efforts have been unsuccessful. The writer also describes battles at Carthage and Springfield, noting that a local boy claims to have ripped General Sigel’s epaulette from his uniform during the Springfield conflict.
Date: September 30, 1861

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 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: 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: 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

Title: From Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell
Description: This dispatch, dated August 6, 1862, is from Kansas Gov. Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell. Carney orders McDowell to return a pistol and rifle that were stolen from Col. Barnes by Jayhawkers. A note from C. Clarkson at the bottom of the page states that the rifle was in fact stolen but the pistol was not.
Date: August 6, 1862

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

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

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On October 14, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that he was recently home on furlough, and says the family wants to move away from their home. He thinks this is unnecessary: "Our folks live in a place where there is no danger from the Indians & but little from the Guirilas." Stowell believes that many girls are so "afraid that the men will all be killed off before this war ends...they marry men that they would not think of speaking to 4 years ago."
Date: October 14, 1863

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

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