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Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On July 18, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller reports rumors of recent battles "across the river," and says that Platte City, Missouri may have been "burned to the ground by our own soldiers." He mentions his anxiety over mounting political tensions in his church, fearing that the congregation may split after the August 4 "Fast day" service.
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 18, 1864

Title: From D.L. Shouse to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This October 1863 letter is from D.L. Shouse in Kansas City, Missouri, to Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller in Louisiana, Missouri. Shouse writes that his church must postpone the invitation it extended to Fuller to become their minister. He tells Fuller, "we have lost quite a large number of our members by military orders as well as by voluntary removal," and says that the congregation lacks the resources to support a minister until "quiet is restored" in Jackson County.
Date: October 1863

Title: Special Orders, No. 232
Description: This military document, "Special Orders, No. 232", commands Lieut. Col. R.T. Van Horn of the 25th Missouri Volunteer Infantry to report for duty to Brig. Gen. Ewing in Kansas City, Missouri. The document is signed by Maj. Gen. J.M. Schofield, Assistant Adjutant General, at the Head Quarters of the Department of the Missouri in St. Louis on August 26, 1863.
Date: August 26, 1863

Title: Campaign Circular for R.T. Van Horn
Description: This campaign circular, printed in Kansas City on August 30, 1864, presents several reasons why Col. R.T. Van Horn should be elected to represent the Sixth Congressional District of Missouri. It references his military career, including his role in the Battle of Lexington, and declares that Van Horn was "the very first man in Western Missouri who sprung to arms in 1861." The document is signed by A.G. Newgent and G. Thomas.
Object Type: Circular
Date: August 30, 1864

Title: From E.S. Dulin to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This letter, dated March 12, 1863, is from E.S. Dulin, a pastor in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Jonathan B. Fuller, a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri. Dulin describes his community as "worn down" and tells Fuller that "our young men & all others that can are leaving to get rid of being 'Conscripted.'"
Date: March 12, 1863

Title: From J.A. Hay to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This letter is from J.A. Hay, the uncle of President Lincoln's private secretary, to Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller, a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri. Hay writes from St. Joseph, Missouri on January 30, 1863 and asks Fuller to visit a church in that town. He tells Fuller that the pastor supports the Union and mentions that he was "much gratified to hear brother Doulin make an earnest prayer for our Government."
Date: January 30, 1863

Title: From John Brown to Orson Day
Description: This letter, dated February 21, 1856, is from John Brown at his homestead in Osawatomie, Kansas to Orson Day in White Hall, New York. Brown states that he and his family will be ready for Day's arrival in early April. He gives Day instructions and advice on travelling through Kansas City and Westport, Missouri, and assures him that "The Contractors on the route from here to Westport are good Free State men; & Friends."
Object Type: Letter
Date: February 21, 1856

Title: Document Regarding Collapse of Women's Prison
Description: This document certifies that a building known as "No. 13 Metropolitan Block" housed a women's prison in July and August 1863, by order of Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Ewing, Jr. The building, located in McGee's Addition to Kansas City, Missouri, collapsed on August 13, 1863. This document was signed by Ewing at the Headquarters of the District of the Border in Kansas City on September 11, 1863.
Date: September 11, 1863

Title: A Defence of Republicanism
Description: This address, titled "A Defense of Republicanism," was delivered by John Johnson, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, to the Kansas City Republican Club on September 15, 1860. In the address, Johnson attempts to dispel false beliefs about Republican principles, including the accusations that the party "will destroy your property in negroes should it come into power," and that "the Republican party is a negro stealing party." Johnson also expresses Republican support of the Lincoln-Hamlin ticket.
Object Type: Speech

Title: Petition to H.R. Gamble
Description: This July 11, 1862 petition is addressed to H.R. Gamble, Governor of Missouri. The petitioners, citizens of Jackson County, Missouri, request that Lieut. Col. R.T. Van Horn of the 25th Missouri Volunteer Infantry be assigned "to the Command of the Troops." They cite Van Horn's familiarity with the area, and argue that the Federal troops' ignorance of the area is "the principal reason why the Guerilla bands infesting this District have not been broken up."
Object Type: Petition
Date: July 11, 1862

Title: From John Brown, Jr. to Orson Day
Description: This letter, dated January 23, 1856, is from John Brown, Jr. at his homestead in Osawatomie, Kansas to Orson Day in White Hall, New York. Brown provides instructions on how to safely travel to Kansas by railroad or boat. He advises Day to purchase a cooking stove in St. Louis, and tells him that if he takes a boat from there, he will land in Kansas City, "a small town on the Western border of Mo." before travelling to Osawatomie, Kansas.
Date: January 23, 1856

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On June 13, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller discusses church activities and says that there are probably a few bushwhackers in the area. "Patrols are out every night," he writes, "but the object of them seems more to prevent smuggling ammunition & supplies out of town to the guerrillas than to guard against any attack." Fuller adds that he is to give an address at William Jewell College.
Date: June 13, 1864

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On October 24, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller describes the recent Battle of Westport in which the Confederates were "repulsed" and reportedly suffered 32 casualties. He admits, "I do not feel overmuch pleased with our defenders. It seems to me that with the force we had yesterday, we ought to have driven the Rebels like chaff--instead of acting as we seem to have done for half the day on the defensive simply."
Date: October 24, 1864

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