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Title: From Joseph H. Trego to Alice Trego
Description: This letter, dated July 21, 1863, is from Joseph H. Trego, a lieutenant in the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, to his wife Alice. He writes from Atkinson, Illinois, updating Alice on his recent and future travels, and reporting on the health and well-being of several acquaintances. He expresses optimism for the future of Kansas, predicting that it will prosper if it “should prove capable of producing enough to support a large population.”
Date: July 21, 1863

Title: Application of Elizabeth Turner
Description: This is Elizabeth Turner’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of her slave, Nelson. The application, dated November 17, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States and a statement that Turner, of Howard County, Missouri, lawfully obtained her slave. The application is signed by two witnesses and a notary public in Cooper County, Missouri.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 17, 1866

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description: On January 15, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister. Stowell reports that his company has just returned from escorting Gen. McNeil to Fayetteville, Arkansas; he expects they will soon be sent back to their regiment. He tells his sister the names of his company's officers, including Capt. John Johnston. Stowell also states that he belongs to the Veteran Corps.
Date: January 15, 1864

Title: From Jane C. Tandy to My Dear Grand Mother
Description: This letter, dated October 22 and October 31, 1866, is from Jane C. Tandy to her grandmother. Tandy describes the tension between "conservatives" and "radicals" in Missouri following the Civil War. She reports that conservatives are taking the Oath of Loyalty to the United States Government required for Missouri voters, while the radicals are refusing.
Date: October 22, 1866 and October 31, 1866

Title: From Elizabeth Peery to George F. Peery
Description: On January 1, 1856, Elizabeth Peery writes a letter from Edinburgh, Missouri to George F. Peery. Elizabeth describes local festivities for the Christmas holiday, including a large party held by slaves. She reports that friends and family in the area are well, and recounts some of their recent activities. Elizabeth writes that she has a new baby boy, as yet unnamed; she asks George to suggest a name.
Date: January 1, 1856

Title: From John Ordway to Dear Friend
Description: This letter, dated January 19, 1856, was written by John Ordway in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to a friend, presumably in Missouri. John inquires about the progress of the railroads in Missouri, explaining that the newspapers choose to focus on “the Kansas troubles” instead of Missouri’s “internal improvements.” Of political sentiment in Massachusetts, John writes: “The extreme men here are few but an antislavery feeling is universal and the Kansas difficulties have rather tended to give it deeper root.”
Date: January 19, 1856

Title: From A.J. Sexton to Catherine
Description: This letter was written on April 29, 1862, by A.J. Sexton in camp at Fort Riley, Kansas, to his wife Catherine. A.J. writes of his plans to send Catherine $20.00 after he is paid on May 1st. He reports that the health of his regiment is good, and he believes they will be sent next to Mexico. A.J. refers to the Battle of Shiloh, and writes with regret about the death of Wisconsin Gov. Harvey shortly after the battle.
Date: April 29, 1862

Title: Diary of A.H. Lewis
Description: This diary, written between December 15, 1861 and March 19, 1862, records the experience of A.H. Lewis of Saline County, Missouri as a Confederate soldier and prisoner of war. Lewis’s company of Missouri State Guards was captured by Col. Davis in the Battle of Blackwater River on December 19, 1861. After being held for several weeks at the St. Louis military prison, the Confederate prisoners were moved to the penitentiary at Alton, Illinois. Although Lewis initially criticized prisoners who took an Oath of Loyalty to the Federal government to gain freedom, Lewis took the Oath himself on March 14, 1862 and was released.
Object Type: Diary
Date: December 15, 1861 - March 19, 1862

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri, reacting to news that her family has fallen victim to “outrages” perpetrated by “evil minded persons.” In the letter, dated July 12, 1864, he informs Eugenia that a Mr. Taylor and a Mr. Robinson have taken possession of two of his houses. He also makes reference to an attack on a black woman’s home, but he omits details because he does not want his words to be “wrongly construed.”
Date: July 12, 1864

Title: From Abishai Stowell to Margaret Torrence
Description: On October 14, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister Margaret. Stowell, a member of Co. A, 2nd Kansas Volunteers, tells Margaret that her recent letter "was the third letter that I have got for over 8 months and I have written at least forty since that time." He adds that he hastens to answer her letter, "for soldiers don't know at what hour they may be called on to leave camp or how long they will have to stay away."
Date: October 14, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On June 15, 1863, John Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh. John references an incendiary “peace meeting” in New York (possibly the June 3 “Peace Convention”), likening it to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. He fears that war may soon permeate “every state in the Union.” John mentions a friend who has seen “every battle fought by General Price since the Lexington fight,” and is now awaiting exchange as a military prisoner.
Date: June 15, 1863

Title: From A.J. Huntoon to My Beloved Wife and Boy
Description: This letter, dated September 15, 1861, is from A.J. Huntoon to his wife Lizzie and son Prentice. He writes from Mapleton, Bourbon County, Kansas, where he is assisting at a military hospital for General Lane’s Brigade. He reports that his regiment, the 5th Kansas Cavalry volunteers, recently arrived at Mapleton from Fort Lincoln along with Wier’s, Montgomery’s, and Jennison’s regiments. He expresses a desire to return to the battlefield, saying that “it is impossible to lay idle . . . when treason shows its dragon head in every settlement.”
Date: September 15, 1861

Title: From George Lewis to Mrs. Fitch
Description: George Lewis of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to Mrs. Fitch (Edward Fitch’s mother) in Massachusetts on January 14, 1857. He thanks her for donating clothing to his family and to other poor emigrants in Kansas. He tells her that a band of proslavery men robbed him and burned down his house, leaving him living in a tent with his wife and six children. Despite his struggles, Lewis, a Welsh immigrant, expresses hope about the future of Kansas: “It must be made a Free State. It shall be a Free State.”
Date: January 14, 1857

Title: From Sue Brawner to All at Home
Description: This letter of July 24, 1859 is from Sue Brawner in Linneus, Missouri to “all at home.” She describes a recent trip from Lexington, Missouri to Linneus via the city of Brunswick. Along the way she and her traveling companions visited relatives. Sue writes of staying with Tom, a relative in Linneus who owns several slaves: “They have a black girl as large as I am.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 24, 1859

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter from his home in Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh. In the letter, dated August 17, 1864, Bushnell expresses his contempt for disloyal citizens, declaring them evil. He tells Eugenia of his plans to visit her, but emphasizes his need for caution due to the danger of bushwhackers and radicals. He speaks of his hope for peace in Missouri and predicts an impending “crisis” in the northern states.
Date: August 17, 1864

Title: From A.M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated August 2, 1863, is from Lieut. A.M. Bedford to his wife Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. Bedford, imprisoned at Johnson’s Island, Ohio, tells his wife that he is looking forward to her visit, and that he plans to have a degarian artist to visit and make a portrait of them. He asks her if she received his last letter, and tells her he had enclosed 2 rings for “the little girls.”
Date: August 2, 1863

Title: Application of Martha A. Barker
Description: This is Martha A. Barker’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of her slave, Henry Lewis. The application, dated December 1, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Barker lawfully purchased her slave, and the signatures of four witnesses and a notary public in Carroll County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the first page indicates that the application was rejected.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: December 1, 1866

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: In a May 9, 1863 letter from Calhoun, Missouri, John A. Bushnell tells Eugenia Bronaugh that he has cancelled a trip to visit her in Hickory Grove, Missouri, out of fear for his safety. He also fears discussing information that he has read in newspapers, for “I may be charged with stating it wrong.” He warns Eugenia to be careful and to not talk about “what the Rebels are going to do.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 9, 1863

Title: From Alex M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Description: On August 2, 1864, Alex M. Bedford writes from Fort Delaware, Delaware, to his wife Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. Alex says that although he is eager to return home on parole, he will not do so now because of troubles with the bushwhackers: “I am done on bushwhackers…it is a dishonorable warfare.” Alex asks Mary to tell Samuel Lewis that Capt. Charles D.S. Jones sends his respects, and adds that “Bohart joins me in love to you & father.”
Date: August 2, 1864

Title: From Joseph H. Trego to Alice Trego
Description: This letter, dated September 30, 1862, is from Joseph H. Trego, a lieutenant in the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, to his wife Alice. Trego, writing from Helena, Arkansas, says that he was sick the previous week, and that several of the soldiers in his regiment are severely ill: “There are three lying in the hospital now awaiting coffins. We will all be thankful if we ever get out of this place.” He adds that he was pleased to learn of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Date: September 30, 1862

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

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