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Title: From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description: On December 10, 1863, C.F. Smith, Enrolling Officer for the 9th subdistrict of Missouri, writes to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Smith reiterates that "the enrolling business" in his district was completed on November 28, and that he already sent Comingo a list of 150 names. Smith says that if Comingo has not received his earlier communication, he will provide a second copy.
Date: December 10, 1863

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: From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Description: On May 2, 1863, Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble writes from St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble informs Lincoln about "the perpetration of murders and arsons and other outrages committed by persons connected with the Army…and whose crimes you have the power to restrain." He asks Lincoln to put a stop to the "butcheries" occurring in Missouri's western counties, and suggests that Lincoln replace Gen. Curtis as commander of the district in favor of someone who is "too brave to be cruel."
Object Type: Government Document
Date: May 2, 1863

Title: From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description: This letter, dated December 10, 1864, was written by James Montgomery in Mound City, Kansas, to Maj. George L. Stearns. Montgomery writes that he resigned his military position due to poor health, but then took command of 15 companies – including two companies of black militia – after the commencement of Price’s Raid. He briefly describes the Battle of Westport, and explains that Price's Raid disrupted planting season. Montgomery asks Stearns about the bounty paid to soldiers in his state, and says that he will bring a few recruits with him when he visits over the winter.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 10, 1864

Title: Diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker, an army doctor working under the command of Gen. Joseph O. Shelby. The entries included here are from October 10-27, 1864. Baker discusses conscription, bushwhackers, travelling across Missouri, and marching to Price’s headquarters. He mentions the Battle of Boonville, the Second Battle of Lexington, the Battle of the Big Blue, the Second Battle of Independence, the Battle of Westport, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.
Object Type: Diary
Date: October 10, 1864-October 27, 1864

Title: From Cyrus Leland, Jr. to Dear Mother
Description: Cyrus Leland, Jr. writes a letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to his mother in Troy, Kansas on September 2, 1863. He disputes a rumor that Maj. Preston Plumb had displayed cowardice during Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence: “It is all wrong about him. . . I was with him and saw all.” He also mentions that some people are trying to have Gen. Ewing removed from his position.
Date: September 2, 1863

Title: John C. Caldwell vs. Richard H. Porter
Description: These documents, created between 1855 and 1857, relate to the Jackson County, Missouri court case John C. Caldwell vs. Richard H. Porter. On January 1, 1855, Caldwell purchased a slave named Eliza for $800 from slave dealer Clifton R. Barnes with plans to sell her for a profit in Louisiana. Caldwell later discovered that Eliza was “unsound both in body and mind” and accused Barnes of “fraud and wilfull misrepresentation.” Caldwell took Eliza back to Missouri but Barnes refused to rescind the sales contract.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: 1855-1857

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: General Orders, No. 11
Description: This is a copy of the infamous Order No. 11, issued by Union General Thomas E. Ewing at the District of the Border Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on August 25, 1863. The order commands residents of Jackson, Cass, Bates, and northern Vernon counties to leave their homes and move away from the area within fifteen days. Ewing issued the directive four days after Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, in an attempt to suppress guerrilla violence.
Date: August 25, 1863

Title: From J.T. Peery to Dear Mother and Father
Description: This letter, dated November 22, 1856, is from J.T. Peery to his parents. Peery, a preacher, mentions his new assignment to a church in Independence, Missouri. He describes the volatile conditions of the area: "The land is overrun with men who have thrown off all moral restraint & appear to act as if they do not fear God . . . in this part of the country some are becoming awake to a sence of the dangers."
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 22, 1856

Title: From Henry Bugler to A. Comingo
Description: On December 1, 1863, Henry Bugler writes from Independence, Missouri to A. Comingo in Lexington, Missouri. Bugler states that although he received Comingo's letter dated September 18, 1863, he did not receive the warrants that should have been enclosed, and he suggests they may have been destroyed. Bugler says he can still get the money if the warrants can be reproduced, and asks Comingo to prepare an affidavit attesting to their loss.
Date: December 1, 1863

Title: War in Kansas!
Description: This 1856 broadside announces the commencement of civil war in Kansas. It urges the citizens of Lafayette County, Missouri to gather with their guns and horses in Lexington on August 20, and "put an end to Abolitionism in Kansas." The broadside, signed by twelve men, reports that John Brown, James Henry Lane, and their forces have launched several guerrilla attacks upon Kansas residents, and are now "advancing upon us--the next breath from Kansas may bring to our ears the death shrieks of our Fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, neighbors and friends."
Object Type: Broadside
Date: August 1856

Title: Resolutions Presented to the Missouri State Convention
Description: This document presents resolutions drafted ca. March 7, 1861 by Abram Comingo for the Missouri State Convention held in Jefferson City, Missouri. Comingo declares, “we are warmly attached to the Federal Union, and…we will not cease our efforts for its preservation,” but warns that Missouri “will resist and oppose any attempt that may point to the coercion of the seceded States.” Comingo proposes a meeting of representatives from the border states for the purpose of “presenting a plan of adjustment” to the states that have not seceded.
Object Type: Government Document

Title: From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Description: On December 22, 1861, D.R. Anthony writes a letter to his father, describing recent “skirmishes” with rebels. He says that he and his comrades killed Hurst, a Missouri Confederate colonel, and several of his soldiers. They also gave horses, mules, oxen, wagons, and carriages to 129 slaves and helped them escape to Kansas. Anthony informs his father that he took possession of a Secessionist flag in Harrisonville, Missouri, and adds that he hopes to take Col. Jennison’s position if Jennison is promoted to General.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 22, 1861

Title: From Calvin Iserman to Brother William
Description: In this letter of September 5, 1858, Calvin Iserman writes from Independence, Missouri to his brother William. Calvin declares that Independence is hostile to free-staters: “Most of the head men of this town, and the wealthiest, are slave holders who…hate a free-state man worse than they do the Devil.” Calvin adds that his father plans to move to Kansas Territory in the fall or spring to live “among some free state men.” The letter includes a separate note to “sister Gus,” possibly written by Calvin’s wife.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 5, 1858

Title: General Orders, No. 10
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 10 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on February 4, 1863. The order details the proceedings of a recent General Court Martial in Lexington, Missouri, where officers and soldiers were tried for war crimes, including disobedience of orders, neglect of duty, desertion, and mutiny. It is signed by Assistant Adjutant General H.Z. Curtis.
Date: February 4, 1863

Title: From Robert M. Stewart to Samuel Medary
Description: This letter, dated December 31, 1858, is from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart to Kansas Gov. Samuel Medary. Stewart reports a recent invasion by James Montgomery and his “band of marauders” and says that he has received a request to send an officer to the border to capture armed men and prevent Montgomery from escaping. Stewart also informs Medary that the Missouri General Assembly is in session and will discuss preventing further invasions and bringing the guilty to justice.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: December 31, 1858

Title: From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description: On December 24, 1863, C.F. Smith writes from Kansas City, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Smith reports that he has about 50 names to add to the published enrollment list, explaining that "before the list was published it was exceedingly difficult to get any information but now every man reports his neighbor if his name is not on the list." Smith adds that some men were accidentally enrolled twice.
Date: December 24, 1863

Title: From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Description: This letter, dated July 19, 1861, is from W.L. Wood in Liberty Landing, Missouri to Col. W.P. Howard in St. Louis. Wood informs Howard that he went to Lexington, Missouri with state troops and planned to travel farther south, but "did not precisely understand" Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson's intentions. He expresses ambivalence about Jackson, but supports his stance against Lincoln, and declares that he wants "to see Lincoln's troops whipped."
Date: July 19, 1861

Title: Examination of Marion Tarflett
Description: This is Marion Tarflett's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Tarflett describes himself as a 21-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Jackson County, Missouri. He states that he served in the United States military for three years during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 72 in a bound volume, was signed by Tarflett in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

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

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