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From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
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
From Walthall Robinson to Sister Em
Title
From Walthall Robinson to Sister Em
Description
This letter, dated October 25, 1863, was written by Walthall Robinson in Miami, Missouri, to his sister Em. Walthall provides a detailed account of Shelby’s Raid and the Battle of Marshall, declaring, "Affairs have not changed any for the better…I greatly fear a complete state of anarchy and terrorism.” He describes a violent encounter between some aquaintances and two “Jim Lane men,” and concludes that the November elections will determine “whether there will be any safety whatever” in Missouri.
Date
October 25, 1863
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Title
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Description
This letter, dated September 1, 1862, was written by John C. Gage in Kansas City, Missouri to friends in Pelham, New Hampshire. John states that Confederate forces camped nearby have retreated to Arkansas, leaving the area vulnerable to guerrilla attacks. The biggest threat comes from Jim Lane’s brigade under Jennison, which is “raising and arming negroes in Kansas to plunder good citizens in Missouri.” Of Jennison, John declares, “He ought to be killed and I would esteem it the best act of my life to do it.”
Date
September 1, 1862
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
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
From Abelard Guthrie to James Henry Lane
Title
From Abelard Guthrie to James Henry Lane
Description
This letter, dated November 21, 1864, is from Abelard Guthrie in Quindaro, Kansas to James Henry Lane. Guthrie reports on the proceedings of a Supreme Court case to determine if Kansas has the right to tax land assigned to the Shawnee Indians. Guthrie argues that if the court exempts these areas from taxation, it will deprive "the counties of Douglass, Johnson, and Wyandot of about sixty thousand dollars of taxes which they sorely need."
Date
November 21, 1864
From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Title
From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Description
Edward Fitch, along with his wife Sarah, writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on December 8, 1861. They describe their family’s Thanksgiving celebration in Lawrence, Kansas, where they served a baked turkey and twenty-five pies. Edward goes on to criticize James Henry Lane and accuses him of stealing money. He also expresses disappointment about the removal of John Fremont from military command: “He has been grossly abused by men in high places because they thought he was getting to be more popular than they themselves were.”
Date
December 8, 1861
From James H. Lane to E.M. Stanton
Title
From James H. Lane to E.M. Stanton
Description
On September 3, 1863, James H. Lane writes from Leavenworth, Kansas to Secretary of War E.M. Stanton. Lane states that as Col. S.W. Eldridge has suffered greatly from the loss of The Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, during Quantrill's Raid on the town, he should be granted a leave of absence to travel east, presumably to appeal for aid in rebuilding the hotel.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 3, 1863
From James H. Lane et al to "All Whom It May Concern"
Title
From James H. Lane et al to "All Whom It May Concern"
Description
On September 5, 1863, James H. Lane and five others write an open letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to "all whom it may concern." Lane and the others express sympathy with Col. S.W. Eldridge, who is travelling east to seek aid in rebuilding the Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, which was destroyed during Quantrill's Raid. The signers assure potential contributors to Eldridge's project that he is "a man in every respect worthy of their full confidence."
Date
September 5, 1863