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Title: From J.M. Kingsbury to J.J. Webb
Description: This September 22, 1856 letter is from J.M. Kingsbury in Kansas City, Missouri to J.J. Webb in Santa Fe. Kingsbury writes that Kansas Territory is still plagued by "difficulties" and that Congress has passed the Army Bill. He expresses hope that the new governor of Kansas, John W. Geary, will "succeed in quieting things there and be able to carry out the law."
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 22, 1856

Title: From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Description: On November 27, 1860, Col. M. Jeff Thompson writes a dispatch from the Headquarters of the 4th Military District in St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. R.M Stewart. Thompson suggests that Stewart send troops to guard the Missouri River to prevent the escape of guerrilla attackers and prevent further invasions. Thompson also states that Major F.W. Smith has 200 troops ready for orders.
Date: November 27, 1860

Title: Battle of Westport
Description: Newell Convers Wyeth mural of the Battle of Westport, fought on October 23, 1864, which is displayed at the Missouri State Capitol.
Object Type: Image

Title: Martial Law or Order No. 11
Description: Depiction of Order No. 11, which was issued by Union General Thomas E. Ewing at the District of the Border Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on August 25, 1863. The order commanded 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.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1868

Title: From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Wife and Boy
Description: This letter, dated October 6, 7, 10, and 11, 1861, is from A.J. Huntoon to his wife Lizzie and son Prentice. Huntoon, a member of the 5th Kansas Cavalry volunteer regiment, tells his family that he was ordered to take charge of a military hospital in Mapleton, Bourbon County, Kansas. He estimates that there are 50,000-55,000 Union soldiers in Missouri, including the companies of Generals Sturgis, Siegel, and Fremont, and that there are about 70,000 Confederate troops in Missouri under the commandment of Generals McCulloch and Rains. Huntoon predicts that “We will have a big battle in this vicinity ere so long.”
Date: October 6, 1861-October 11, 1861

Title: From James Griffing to Unknown
Description: This letter, dated January 10, 1854 but presumably written January 10, 1855, was sent by James Griffing in Wyandotte County, Kansas to an unknown recipient. James discusses pioneer life in Kansas Territory, claiming that it is not at all dangerous: “Our society is mostly all from the East, and you feel just as much composed as when in New England.” Although James believes Missourians are more dangerous than the American Indians, he insists “there is no more reason for a person who attends to his own business to be afraid here” than anywhere else.
Date: January 10, 1855

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter on August 25, 1856 to his parents, who live in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Edward argues that Hopkinton, his hometown, should pay him for his contributions to the Free State cause in Kansas. He adds that a lot of his neighbors also need financial help and don’t have enough food or clothing. He writes that he recently attended the funeral of Captain Shombre, who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Fort Titus, and mentions that Major David S. Hoyt was killed the same week in an attack at Washington Creek.
Object Type: Letter
Date: August 25, 1856

Title: Diary of Lewis Timothy Litchfield
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Lewis Thomas Litchfield, written between 1854 and 1855. Litchfield writes about leaving Boston and travelling to Kansas with a party from the Emigrant Aid Society. He describes the pioneer camp established near the junction of the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers, voting to name the settlement "Lawrence," and construction of the first building. Litchfield also mentions a burgeoning conflict between the Kansas settlers and the Missourians.
Object Type: Diary
Date: 1854-1855

Title: Soldier, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: This sepia carte de visite, ca. 1861-1865, depicts an unidentified soldier who served in the Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The carte de visite was produced by S.M. Eby & Son in Kansas City, Missouri. Carte de visites were small photographs that were often used as calling cards and became very popular during the Civil War.
Object Type: Image

Title: From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 24, 1863, is from C.F. Smith, Enrolling Officer of the 6th district of Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Smith states that he will complete enrollment within the next few days. He apologizes for the delay and explains that he was injured in an accident while riding his horse.
Date: November 24, 1863

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

Title: From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Description: On November 26, 1860, Col. M. Jeff Thompson writes a dispatch from the Headquarters of the 4th Military District in St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. R.M Stewart. Thompson reports that Major F.W. Smith is preparing his battalion to be ready for orders. Thompson urges Stewart to authorize Smith’s Quarter Master to procure sufficient arms and ammunitions.
Date: November 26, 1860

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 Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description: This letter was written by Florella Brown Adair on January 13 and 14, 1861 at Martha’s, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella is glad to hear they received the barrels she sent, but was dismayed that they had to pay additional money for their delivery upon receipt, and that they had been broken open, seemingly on purpose. Florella writes of a man from Douglas County, Kansas who is in a nearby Ohio town collecting money to send home. She says he might collect so much from people they will not have as much to give to Osawatomie, Kansas; she also fears that Lykins County, Kansas will not receive its fair share of relief funds.
Date: January 13, 1861-January 14, 1861

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: From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Description: This letter, dated January 14, 1861, is from George Miller in Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri, to his parents. Miller writes that Lt. Col. Daniel R. Anthony and his Kansas troops invaded Pleasant Hill, stealing 55 slaves and $10,000 worth of property. He complains that the Missouri Secessionists are "fast beginning to give up the contest" and laments that "the country is being ruined."
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 14, 1861

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 Julia Mariata to Unknown
Description: In this October 5, 1856 letter, Julia Mariata describes the arrest and capture of her brother-in-law, H. Miles Moore. On October 2, Mariata says, she and Moore left Lawrence, Kansas and stopped at the American Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, where Moore was arrested and taken away by a group of men. A Mr. King told Mariata that Moore was arrested because he had served as Adjutant General under Gen. Lane, and that “he was considered guilty of High Treason!”
Date: October 5, 1856

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: 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

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

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