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Title: From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description: James Montgomery writes a letter from Mound City, Kansas to George L. Stearns on May 8, 1861. He reports that, “We are in a perilous position here, and have not ammunition enough to make a respectable fight.” He says that he has organized a regiment to help defend Kansas against pro-slavery Missourians, whose troops are camped along the border of Linn and Bourbon counties. He mentions that an Osage Indian chief attacked some of these troops, then “tied them with ropes to the Horns of his Saddles and dragged them out of the country.” Montgomery asks for Stearns’s assistance in acquiring arms and declares that, “If we have to fight, we will carry the war out of Kansas.”
Date: May 8, 1861

Title: Battle of Carthage, Missouri
Description: This drawing, based on a sketch made during the battle on July 5, 1861, shows Union troops under Franz Sigel's command firing upon the Confederate position in Carthage, Missouri.
Object Type: Image
Date: August 3, 1861

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated October 9, 1863, is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Wood states that Comingo's accounts cannot be settled until he sends the "Oaths" of his employees to the Provost Marshal General's Bureau in Washington, D.C.
Date: October 9, 1863

Title: James S. Cunningham
Description: This tintype photograph, taken circa 1861-1865, shows James S. Cunningham in the uniform of the 8th Regiment of the Missouri Infantry. Cunningham served as a private in Company D and was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Object Type: Image

Title: From James B. Fry to E.B. Alexander
Description: On November 7, 1863, James B. Fry, Provost Marshal General in Washington, DC, writes to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis. Fry informs Alexander that the enrollment quota for Missouri under Lincoln's call for three hundred thousand volunteers is 13,516 men. Fry also provides the exact number of men required from each Missouri district.
Date: November 7, 1863

Title: From A.F. Cox to A. Comingo
Description: On December 14, 1863, A.F. Cox writes from Weston, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Cox discusses the progress of enrollment in Platte County, noting that many names are missing from the published enrollment lists. He asks Comingo to give William Wells a special appointment as an enrollment officer for the county.
Date: December 14, 1863

Title: Quarterly Return of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores, 1863
Description: This military document is a return of ordnance and ordnance stores for Company "A" 8th Cavalry Regiment Missouri State Militia under command of Captain James J. Akard for the fourth quarter of 1863.
Date: January 13, 1864

Title: Missouri State Militia General Orders Outlining Delegation of Responsibilities
Description: This General Order to the Missouri State Militia describes in detail the delegation of responsibilities amongst commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Some of these responsibilities include making sure privates "wash their feet at least once a week; that they wash their hands and faces daily; that they brush or comb their heads, and keep their hair and whiskers neatly trimmed; ..."
Date: January 8, 1862

Title: From Manoah Miles to A. Comingo
Description: On March 13, 1864, Manoah Miles, Enrolling Officer for the 37th and 38th subdistricts, 6th District Missouri, writes from Ridgely, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal, 6th District Missouri. Miles sends a list of soldiers recruited in Preston, Missouri between August and October 1863; the list includes nine recruits under the age of 20. Miles adds that he will begin enrolling slaves in his districts, but says he may not have time to complete the work in six days.
Date: March 13, 1864

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated November 10, 1863, is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Writing from the Provost Marshal General's Bureau in Washington, D.C., Wood states that Comingo's account for postage expenses from the previous month cannot be paid until he submits duplicate sub-vouchers signed by the Postmaster.
Date: November 10, 1863

Title: From Ben Loan to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: On September 28, 1862, Brig. Gen. Ben Loan writes from Headquarters, Central Division of Missouri, in Jefferson City, Missouri to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble. Loan reports that he sent Capt. Hout's company to Sedalia, Missouri and ordered Col. Spedden to take command at Warrensburg, Missouri. He tells Gamble that "the condition of our citizens on the western border is most deplorable," and that the Missouri militia has suffered "persecution and outrage at the hands of the guerrillas."
Date: September 28, 1862

Title: From James Griffing to My Dear Wife
Description: This letter, dated October 23, 1864, was written by James Griffing in camp at Kansas City, Missouri, to his wife. James provides an account of “a tremendous battle about five miles south of this” (presumably the Battle of Westport), which he heard about via dispatches from the battlefield. James includes an assessment of the Union casualties from regimental surgeon Dr. Hidden: “he thought but few cases would prove fatal.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 23, 1864

Title: Certificate of Lost Clothing at Bolivar, Missouri
Description: In this military document, Captain James J. Akard certifies that thirty-three pairs of socks were destroyed in a tent fire on December 27, 1864 in Bolivar, Missouri.
Date: January 30, 1865

Title: Letters Sent (Provost Marshal's Office, 7th District Missouri)
Description: This notebook contains copies of letters sent from the Provost Marshal's Office, 7th District of Missouri, in St. Joseph, Missouri, between July 15, 1863 and June 30, 1864. The correspondence, written by Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal of the 7th District, addresses such topics as military enrollment and recruitment of free blacks, army deserters, and management of the draft. Correspondents include Missouri Provost Marshal General E.B. Alexander and U.S. Provost Marshal General James B. Fry.
Date: July 15, 1863-June 30, 1864

Title: From W.A. King to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 9, 1863, is from W.A. King in Liberty, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. King states that he obeyed a military commander's orders to publish a notice urging all citizens to enlist. He reports to Comingo the expenses he paid for printing and requests reimbursement.
Date: November 9, 1863

Title: Proceedings of the Board of Enrollment (6th District Missouri)
Description: This notebook documents the proceedings of the Board of Enrollment for the 6th District of Missouri between July 1863 and April 1865. The journal contains information on meetings held by the Board to appoint Deputy Provost Marshals and Enrolling Officers; enrollment records for individual counties; and requests for exemptions. Entries are signed by John B. Ryland, "Recorder," and Thomas O'Neil, "Recorder of Board."
Date: July 1863-April 1865

Title: Quarterly Ordnance Office Survey Reports
Description: This military document is a collection of three quarterly ordnance office survey reports from 1864 filled out by Captain James J. Akard of Company "A", 8th Cavalry Regiment, Missouri State Militia. These circulars ask questions to the commanding officer of a company or regiment concerning the equipment issued to Union cavalry units.
Date: 1864

Title: Correspondence With Recruiting Officers and Special Orders (Provost Marshal General's Bureau)
Description: This notebook contains copies of correspondence between the Missouri Provost Marshal General's Bureau and recruiting officers in the field from February to November 1863. Topics addressed in the correspondence include appointments to various military positions; issues with payment to soldiers; and information about new recruits. Participants in the correspondence include Col. B.L.E. Bonneville, Col. E.B. Alexander, and Provost Marshal General James B. Fry.
Date: February 1863-November 1863

Title: Missouri Militia Request for Recommendations for Enrolling and Exemption Officers
Description: Missouri Militia Colonel Hosea G. Mullings requests that James J. Akard recommends "suitable persons as Enrolling and Exemption Officers for Polk and Cedar Counties" in southwestern Missouri.
Date: May 18, 1865

Title: From William Fowler to John Flint
Description: On January 31, 1865, Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal, 7th District Missouri, writes from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Deputy Provost Marshal John Flint. Fowler states that he has been directed by the War Department to gather information about the family of Thomas Megglemore of Harrison County, Missouri. He explains that Megglemore's father applied for his son's release from Co. D, 23rd Mo. Vols., so he can "contribute to the support of" of the family. Fowler instructs Flint to procure at least two affidavits regarding the family's "true condition."
Date: January 31, 1865

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

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