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Title: From Elias Stover to William Sayer Blakely
Description: Elias Stover writes a letter from Camp Blair, Kansas on March 25, 1862 to his friend William Sayer Blakely. Three days prior, Stover says, he marched into Missouri along with Maj. Pomeroy and 70 other men from the 2nd Kansas Cavalry Regiment. They ambushed a house where William Quantrill and his men were staying; they killed eight people, took six prisoner, stole horses and arms, and burned down the house, but Quantrill escaped.
Date: March 25, 1862

Title: From John M. Schofield to Thomas Carney
Description: This letter, written on the letterhead of Headquarters, Department of the Missouri and dated August 29, 1863, was sent by John M. Schofield in St. Louis to Kansas Governor Thomas Carney in Topeka, Kansas. Writing in the aftermath of Quantrill’s raid on Lawrence, Kansas, Major General Schofield states his hope that President Lincoln will appoint a Court of Inquiry to investigate the raid. Schofield refers to a meeting proposed for September 8, 1863 in Paola, Kansas, in which participants plan to enter Missouri “to recover their stolen property.” Schofield emphasizes the need to preempt this potentially violent meeting.
Date: August 29, 1863

Title: The Ruins of Lawrence, Kansas
Description: An illustration of the ruins of Lawrence, Kansas after Quantrill's Raid on August 21, 1863, originally published in Harper's Weekly.
Object Type: Image
Date: September 19, 1863

Title: Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas
Description: Stereograph by Alexander Gardner depicting Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Founded by members of the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society (later renamed the New England Emigrant Aid Company) in 1854, Lawrence was a center of Free-State activism during the Border War.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1867

Title: From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Description: On September 8, 1862, Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble writes from St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble states that Gen. Lane and Col. Jennison are raising a military force and plan to invade Missouri. Gamble declares that if the invasion is carried out, "I will resist it with all the force I can command and…shall find myself obliged to give the people of Kansas a taste of the evils of war in their own territory." Gamble asks Lincoln to forbid U.S. troops from entering Missouri without permission.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 8, 1862

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: In this November 21, 1856 letter to his parents, Edward Fitch describes attending a fundraising dinner in Lawrence, Kansas for the Free State Prisoners in Lecompton. He reports that Governor Geary was not there and that, according to rumors, Judge Lecompton had ordered Geary arrested. He mentions that Governor Robinson and Lieutenant Governor Roberts were both in attendance and gave optimistic speeches about the future of Kansas as a free state.
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 21, 1856

Title: Writ Relating to United States vs. James Lane, Wilson Shannon, and David S. McIntosh
Description: This writ, dated March 19, 1860, relates to the case Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court, 2nd District versus James H. Lane, Wilson Shannon, and David S. McIntosh for forfeited recognizance. The writ is signed by L. McArthur, Clerk of the Second U.S. District Court in Kansas Territory.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: March 19, 1860

Title: From David M. Fox to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated November 27, 1860, is from David M. Fox in Fredericktown, Missouri to Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Fox complains about violent guerrilla attacks launched by James Montgomery and John Brown. He claims that the people in his town have neither arms nor militia for defense, and he asks Stewart to send somebody to organize a militia. Fox also complains that the election of President Lincoln has “thrown a gloom over our people.”
Date: November 27, 1860

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to D.M. Frost
Description: This dispatch, dated December 10, 1860, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Brig. Gen. D.M. Frost at Camp Daniel Boone. Stewart orders Frost to station 200 men on the Kansas-Missouri border to protect Missouri citizens from the “wanton and murderous attacks of the outlaws and bandits.” The order is signed by Stewart and Lt. Col. John T. Tracy.
Date: December 10, 1860

Title: From Daniel Woodson to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore
Description: This letter, dated September 3, 1856, was written by Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson at Lecompton, Kansas to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore on behalf of the Kansas State Central Committee. Woodson refers to Gen. James Lane’s recent raid on Franklin, Kansas and several other areas of the Territory. He reminds Hutchinson and Moore about the proclamation issued August 25, 1856, declaring Kansas to be in a state of insurrection, and also cites the recent general order issued to Gen. Richardson and Gen. Coffey forbidding the burning of houses under any circumstances.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 3, 1856

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to G.A. Parsons
Description: This dispatch, dated May 31, 1858, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons. Stewart relays information that “a marauding party of armed men” from Kansas has invaded Bates and Cass Counties in Missouri and are threatening to commit arson and murder. Stewart orders Parsons to investigate the matter and decide what steps should be taken to protect Missouri citizens. He authorizes Parsons to organize a volunteer force if necessary.
Date: May 31, 1858

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to G.A. Parsons
Description: This letter, dated April 5, 1859, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons. Stewart reports that the western border of Missouri in Cass and Bates Counties “is threatened anew by a marauding band” from Kansas. He orders Parsons to travel to the border and take charge of preventing invasions. He authorizes Parsons to organize military companies for the protection of Missouri citizens, and instructs him to seek the cooperation of Kansas authorities. Attached is a copy of the first draft of the letter.
Date: April 5, 1859

Title: From Philip St. George Cooke to Daniel Woodson
Description: This letter, dated September 2, 1856, was written by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke at Headquarters, in camp near Lecompton, Kansas, to Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson. Cooke contends that Woodson’s recent order to put down an insurrection at Topeka, Kansas is “simply a call upon me to make war upon the town of Topeka,” in defiance of both the law and his instructions from commanding officers. Cooke adds that Woodson’s order to "intercept aggressive invaders" from the north is “clearly inconsistent with my last instructions,” and therefore he cannot comply with it.
Date: September 2, 1856

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to Esteemed Friend
Description: This letter, dated September 20, 1862, is from Leigh R. Webber to an "Esteemed Friend." He writes from camp in Tennessee, where he has just returned after a "jayhawking trip," during which the soldiers in his regiment foraged for food and robbed a family of Secessionists, but "did not so much as get a glimpse of a rebel soldier." Webber identifies himself as an abolitionist and voices his support for James Henry Lane's proposal to arm and enroll African-American troops.
Date: September 20, 1862

Title: From S.S. Abney to William Van Lear
Description: S.S. Abney writes from Morgan County, Missouri to William Van Lear on December 5, 1860. He tells Van Lear that troops are pursuing James Montgomery, who has taken possession of Fort Scott after robbing and murdering Kansas residents. Abney expresses hope for the future of Kansas, but predicts that "we are on the verge of perilous times."
Date: December 5, 1860

Title: From E.S. Lowman to Charles Robinson
Description: This letter was written by E.S. Lowman in Paola, Kansas, to Kansas Gov. Charles Robinson on August 13, 1861. Lowman writes that the citizens of Olathe, Kansas were recently in a state of “confusion and alarm,” fearing invasion by guerrillas. After the local sheriff arrested several suspected guerrillas from a “secret organization,” the situation settled down. Lowman believes that Aubrey, Kansas is at risk of attack by “’Jayhawkers’ from both sides of the line,” and states that he delivered additional arms to troops stationed there. He also describes recent efforts by law enforcement to recover property stolen by Jayhawkers.
Date: August 13, 1861

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Mother
Description: Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on June 15, 1856. He voices disappointment with James Buchanan and predicts that if John C. Fremont is not elected president, Kansas will be admitted to the Union as a slave state. Yet he expresses optimism that “the death knell of slavery has been tolled.” He reports that Colonel Sumner has been gathering troops in Palmyra, Kansas, and he predicts that violence will ensue. He adds that in Lawrence, a number of Free State men have been robbed, and that “Men are being found dead more or less every little while.”
Date: June 15, 1856

Title: From D.M. Frost to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This dispatch, dated November 27, 1860, is from Brig. Gen. D.M. Frost to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Frost states that he has just arrived in Smithton, Pettis County, Missouri, and is preparing for an expedition. He also tells Stewart that James Montgomery and his band of guerrillas invaded Missouri, captured a citizen, and hanged him in Kansas. He adds that some people have left the area out of fear for their lives.
Date: November 27, 1860

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On June 27, 1863, John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri, expressing fear for her safety. He shares a rumor of “men going to your house” and targeting the Bronaugh family. He makes reference to “a systematic effort to get you out of the country.” Bushnell also mentions the Kansas raids, but he expresses frustration about receiving inconsistent information and complains that neither newspapers nor rumors are reliable.
Date: June 27, 1863

Title: From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Description: In this October 5, 1856 letter, Julia Mariata describes the arrest and capture of her brother-in-law, H. Miles Moore. On October 2, Mariata says, she and Moore left Lawrence, Kansas and stopped at the American Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, where Moore was arrested and taken away by a group of men. A Mr. King told Mariata that Moore was arrested because he had served as Adjutant General under Gen. Lane, and that “he was considered guilty of High Treason!”
Date: October 5, 1856

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

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