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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: From Samuel Worthington to My Dear Father
Description: Samuel Worthington writes a letter from Fort Riley, Kansas to his father on October 12, 1864. He has just received news that Gen. Price is advancing his forces, and he expresses fear that Kansas does not have enough troops to defeat him. He also mentions the possibility of a new treaty with the Indians. In a postscript, Worthington reports that Rebels have just arrived in Kansas City, and tells his father “goodbye—If I dont return remember I fought for the right.”
Date: October 12, 1864

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: Nebraska and Kansas
Description: This color map, entitled “Nebraska and Kansas,” shows those two territories, the territory acquired from Mexico in 1854, and a small map of the continental United States. The map was published in 1854 by J.H. Colton and Co. in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1854

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 Lizzie Deavenport to Mrs. Colgan
Description: On February 22, 1865, Lizzie Deavenport writes from Hick Mill, Missouri, to Mrs. Colgan. Lizzie says that W.H. was slightly wounded during a fight in Independence, Missouri. She shares news of various friends and family members, and tells Mrs. Colgan, "your home place does not look like it did when you was there. there is not but one hole window in your house…your house has been [mighty] abused."
Date: February 22, 1865

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

Title: From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Description: This letter, dated October 11, 1865, is from Mary Jane Peery to her sister. Peery writes that her husband, the preacher J.T. Peery, has refused to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States Government. She mentions that Confederate sympathizers have encountered difficulty in Missouri following the Civil War, but declares that "a great many of our preachers . . . say they do not intend to take the oath. The Northerners still hold our church and parsonage in Independence and say they will not give it up."
Date: October 11, 1865

Title: From Daniel L. Chandler to James H. Buxton
Description: In a letter dated May 5, 1862, Daniel L. Chandler writes to James H. Buxton. Chandler is encamped on the prairie near Fort Scott, but expects to be ordered to Fort Scott in a few days. He informs James that his mother and brothers have been driven from Arkansas by the "secesh" and are now in Missouri, and that James's brother Thomas is in a "Missouri Union Regt." stationed at Mount Vernon, Missouri. Chandler also discusses James's discharge from the military.
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 5, 1862

Title: From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description: On December 11, 1864, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Jackson County, Missouri, to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter, a member of the local home guards, states that he was captured by "Prices men Shelby's division. We were taken to their camp and next morning paroled. We all started home…directly after we started the battle commenced." He says that both the Confederate and Union wounded were taken to Kansas City, "which shows that our armies are merciful as well as brave." He adds that guerrillas are becoming more active in the area since the soldiers have left.
Date: December 11, 1864

Title: From Mary Hall to Venitia Hall
Description: Mary Hall—the original recipient of this envelope—used it in 1863 to write a message to her sister Venitia Colcord Page, who was incarcerated at the Union Jail for Women in Kansas City. “Don’t say one word before anyone,” Mary warns, “The guards say they like you…They say very hard things of the others.” Mary gave the message to Venitia, who was married to Major Page, during a prison visit; Venitia escaped or was released before the prison collapsed in August 1863.
Date: 1863

Title: From F.L. Pilla to Dear Brother
Description: F.L. Pilla writes a letter to his brother on September 21, 1863. Pilla writes about Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, explaining that Lawrence is seven miles from his home in Eudora, Kansas. On the day of the Raid, he heard a rumor that Quantrill planned to target Eudora, and readied himself for a possible attack. The following day, he visited Lawrence and found "the best part of the City burned down" and "dead bodies laying around in all directions."
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 21, 1863

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

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