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Title: From A.M. Bedford to Mrs. Mary E. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated April 11, 1864, is from Lieut. Alex M. Bedford to his wife, Mary E. Bedford, in Savannah, Missouri. Bedford, stationed at the Officers Camp in Point Lookout, Maryland, writes about recent travel and assures his wife that he is in good health. He asks her about her home life, their farm, and their neighbors, and he warns her to “be careful how you talk to anyone.”
Date: April 11, 1864

Title: Examination of John Lee Howard
Description: This is John Lee Howard's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Howard, who was born in Kentucky, describes himself as a 63-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri. He states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War and "I abide by the laws and constitution of my country." The oath, No. 27 in a bound volume, was signed by Howard in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Daniel J. Routt to Mrs. Chinece Routt
Description: This letter, dated August 12, 1862, was written by Union soldier Daniel J. Routt in Lexington, Missouri, to his wife Chinece in Huntsville, Missouri. Daniel describes the recent Battle of Independence and says that Union forces expect an attack on their Lexington camp at any time. He tells Chinece that he has mailed her ten dollars, a lock of hair, and his picture, “to remember me as long as you live.” Daniel was killed four days later in the Battle of Lone Jack.
Date: August 12, 1862

Title: Examination of David S. Miller
Description: This is David S. Miller's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Miller, a native of Virginia, states that he has lived in Missouri since 1850, and was likely enrolled by the military authorities as "disloyal" in 1862. He says he went to Texas for six months during the war "to dispose of some property." Miller was required to give bond by the military authorities, but it was "shortly afterwards remitted, as I went into the Service voluntarily and remained till the end of the war." The oath is No. 198 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of James H. Ford
Description: This document attests that James H. Ford, a 50-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, did not remain loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. Ford, who was born in Kentucky, admits that he was "in the Rebel service" and he refuses to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Ford signed the document in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Application of James P. Hamilton
Description: This is James P. Hamilton’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave. The application, dated November 8, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Hamilton lawfully purchased his slave, and the signatures of a witness and a notary public in St. Joseph, Missouri. A note in pencil on the second page indicates that the application was rejected.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 8, 1866

Title: Examination of Richard T. Jones
Description: This is Richard T. Jones's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Jones describes himself as a 48-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War and that he "had no sympathy with the Rebellion." The oath, labeled No. 92 in a bound volume, was signed by Jones on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

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: Examination of Ellison Higbee
Description: This is Ellison Higbee's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Higbee, a 44-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 14 years and served in the militia during the war. The oath is No. 178 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Morgan Walker
Description: Photograph of Jackson County, Missouri, farmer Morgan Walker.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: Examination of Samuel Robinson
Description: This is Samuel Robinson's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Robinson, a 57-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, originally from Kentucky, states that during the Civil War, he obeyed all laws, supported the Federal Government, and considered its enemies to be "those that opposed it." The oath, No. 3 in a bound volume, was signed by Robinson in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Court Martial Proceedings of Captain Lyman D. Rouell
Description: This military document includes proceedings of the general court martial of Lyman D. Rouell, Captain of the 2nd Colorado Volunteers, Company F. In this court martial held at the Headquarters District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri, Captain Rouell pleads "not guilty" to: charges of drunkenness while on duty at Fort Lyon in the Colorado Territory and at Council Grove, Kansas; and for driving contraband stock into Kansas from Hickman Mills, Missouri. The official charges included "Conduct unbecoming an Officer and Gentlemen" and "Neglect of duty to the prejudices of good order and military discipline." The verdict is not extant. This document shows how some military units took advantage of General Ewing's General Order No. 11 by accumulating and selling property from abandoned counties.
Date: November 1863 - December 1863

Title: Examination of Moses Dickson
Description: This is Moses Dickson's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Dickson, a native of Kentucky, states that he has lived in Missouri for 14 years and served in the military during the war. The oath is No. 194 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Alfred L. Braly
Description: This is Alfred L. Braly's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Braly, a 40-year-old Missouri native, states that he went into the militia during the war, "but got exempt and went home." The oath is No. 231 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Edmon Kidd
Description: This is Edmon Kidd's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Kidd, a 24-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 18 years and took up arms "for the Gov't" during the war. The oath is No. 235 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Andrew Robertson
Description: This is Andrew Robertson's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Robertson, a 70-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in North Carolina and that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War by "obeying all the laws and furnishing whatever was required of me." The oath, labeled No. 66 in a bound volume, was signed by Robertson on September 29, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 29, 1866

Title: From Benjamin Reeves to J.F. Benjamin
Description: This letter, dated August 31, 1863, is from Benjamin Reeves to Col. J.F. Benjamin, Provost Marshal of the 8th district of Missouri. Reeves, the Enrolling Officer of Howard County, Missouri, reports that he has had difficulty finding citizens willing to enlist in the military. He also reports that there has been much "excitement" in the area, as Bushwhackers have been "committing outrages every day and night."
Date: August 31, 1863

Title: From R.G. Elliott to Dear Sister
Description: This letter, dated August 3, 1863, is from R.G. Elliott in Lawrence, Kansas to his sister. He responds to her complaints about Copperheads: "If you could only send them out here we would make them keep quiet." He writes about a political meeting in Leavenworth that ended in threats of violence. He adds that there has been an increase in guerrilla activity near the Kansas-Missouri border, and that the people of Kansas are preparing to defend themselves against attack.
Date: August 3, 1863

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 M.E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated June 12, 1864, is from Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri to her husband, Lieut. Alex M. Bedford. Mary shares news of a mutual acquaintance, and of their home and farm. She reports that a Mr. Leneer was executed in Savannah after serving two years in prison for burning the railroad. She tells her husband that she has sent him clothing, and complains that he has been away from home for nearly three years.
Object Type: Letter
Date: June 12, 1864

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

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