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Title: H.D. Fisher
Description: This ca. 1867 black-and-white photograph depicts Rev. H.D. Fisher in military uniform. Fisher, known as “Parson Fisher,” was a Methodist minister who settled in Lawrence, Kansas, and served as chaplain of the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.
Object Type: Image

Title: Statement of Hiram D. Preston
Description: This statement, dated September 11, 1856, was given by Hiram D. Preston regarding the robbery of a team of horses and a load of provisions near Leavenworth, Kansas in August 1856. Preston states that he was accosted by three men on the road from Lawrence, who took him to Capt. Emory’s camp nearby. After being held hostage for several days, Preston lost the team, which belonged to H.L. Jones, and provisions worth $120.52.
Object Type: Document
Date: September 11, 1856

Title: From James H. Buxton to Daniel L. Chandler
Description: In a letter dated April 27, 1862, James H. Buxton writes from Lawrence, Kansas to Daniel L. Chandler. Buxton reports that the soldiers have left Lawrence and gone to Fort Riley, Kansas, although about two or three hundred remain in the hospital. He says he hopes "the war will not last long now for our men is gaining the victry very fast."
Object Type: Letter
Date: April 27, 1862

Title: From John W. Reid to John W. Geary
Description: John W. Reid writes a letter from Independence, Missouri to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary on September 20, 1856. Reid states that he obeyed Geary’s order to disband his troops and terminate an expedition to plunder Lawrence. He admits that “some bad men who were with us did commit some outrages . . . which I hope you will believe was beyond my control or power to prevent.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 20, 1856

Title: From Wilson Shannon to Unknown
Description: This letter was written ca. December 25, 1855 by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon to an unknown recipient. Shannon states that on December 9, 1855, he was at a party in Lawrence, Kansas when Charles Robinson informed him that “a large irregular force” was threatening to attack the town. Robinson asked Shannon to give him and James Lane written authority to defend Lawrence by force. Shannon signed Robinson’s paper, but later discovered that the threatened attack was a ruse devised by “tricksters who by fraudulent representations were seeking to obtain an advantage over me.”

Title: Territory of Kansas vs. Charles Robinson
Description: These are legal documents filed in the 1857 case of the Territory of Kansas vs. Charles Robinson for the charge of usurpation of office. They include the official indictment, witness subpoenas, a motion to quash the charges, and a summary of grand jury testimony. Also included is a warrant for the arrest of Charles Robinson; addressed to the Sheriff of Douglas County, Kansas, it reads: “You are hereby commanded to arrest Charles Robinson, and have his body before the Judge of the First District Court . . . to answer an indictment found against him for unlawfully assuming and taking upon himself the Office of Governor of the Territory of Kansas.”
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: 1857

Title: From John B. Wood to George L. Stearns
Description: On November 19, 1861, John B. Wood writes a letter from Lawrence, Kansas to his friend George L. Stearns in Boston, informing him that thousands of slaves have escaped Missouri and settled in Kansas. He says that in the past ten days, 131 escaped slaves have moved into Lawrence. Most of them have found employment on farms, Wood writes, but when the harvest season is over, they may be out of work. Wood worries that there will be “much suffering” and death, and he asks Stearns to “lay this matter before the friends of humanity of the East and ask them to send us funds” to assist the liberated slaves.
Date: November 19, 1861

Title: From "Neighbors and Friends" to Col. S.W. Eldridge
Description: This letter, dated September 1, 1863, was sent to Col. S.W. Eldridge by "your neighbors and friends" from the "Ruins of Lawrence," Kansas. The writers encourage Eldridge to rebuild the Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas after its destruction during Quantrill's raid. They promise to aid Eldridge "to the utmost of our ability," and urge him to appeal to "friends of freedom throughout the land" for monetary contributions.
Date: September 1, 1863

Title: Three Dollar Bill
Description: This is a bank note printed in Lawrence, Kansas ca. 1860-1865. It reads: "The Bank of William H.R. Lykins Will pay to Bearer on demand Three Dollars in Current Funds." William H.R. Lykins was the son of Johnston Lykins, the 1854-1855 mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.
Object Type: Currency

Title: Proclamation in Support of Rebuilding the Free State Hotel
Description: This proclamation or editorial, ca. August 1863, laments the destruction of the Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, during Quantrill's Raid on the town: "Pro-Slavery violence has once more poured its wrath upon us." The proclamation recommends the "speedy construction" of a new hotel, and its signers declare their intention to contribute $10,000 toward the project.
Object Type: Circular

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: From James H. Lane to E.M. Stanton
Description: On September 3, 1863, James H. Lane writes from Leavenworth, Kansas to Secretary of War E.M. Stanton. Lane states that as Col. S.W. Eldridge has suffered greatly from the loss of The Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, during Quantrill's Raid on the town, he should be granted a leave of absence to travel east, presumably to appeal for aid in rebuilding the hotel.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 3, 1863

Title: From James H. Lane et al to "All Whom It May Concern"
Description: On September 5, 1863, James H. Lane and five others write an open letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to "all whom it may concern." Lane and the others express sympathy with Col. S.W. Eldridge, who is travelling east to seek aid in rebuilding the Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, which was destroyed during Quantrill's Raid. The signers assure potential contributors to Eldridge's project that he is "a man in every respect worthy of their full confidence."
Date: September 5, 1863

Title: From S.C. Pomeroy to Col. S.W. Eldridge
Description: On October 8, 1863, S.C. Pomeroy writes from Parker House, Boston to Col. S.W. Eldridge. Pomeroy states that he submitted a proposal to "the Committee" to appropriate $5,000 in funds for rebuilding the destroyed Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas. Pomeroy also proposes that once the hotel is rebuilt, the Mayor of Lawrence should assign a portion of the donated money to assist families affected by the raid. Pomeroy notes, "This last provision sweetens the thing--and I have little doubt that it will pass."
Date: October 8, 1863

Title: From Wilson Shannon to E.V. Sumner
Description: This dispatch, dated June 4, 1856, was sent by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in Lecompton, Kansas, to Col. E.V. Sumner at Headquarters, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. With the goal of “preserving the peace and good order of this Territory,” Shannon gives Sumner a detailed set of instructions to station U.S. troops at various points in Franklin and Douglas Counties in Kansas. Shannon warns that in carrying out the plan, the troops must treat all persons equally regardless of party affiliation.
Date: June 4, 1856

Title: Muster Rolls of Kansas Volunteer Regiments
Description: These muster rolls from 1861 and 1862 list the names, ranks, and enrollment dates of soldiers in companies from the 4th and 10th Kansas Volunteer Regiments. They also list the names of soldiers who deserted their regiments or were discharged, transferred, or deceased. The companies were commanded by Capt. James M. Harvey, Capt. James H. Harris, Col. William Weir, and Col. William Cloud.
Date: 1861-1862

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: In an April 28, 1861 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas declares, “did you think that you would ever live to see it—a Civil War, the most horrible of all wars.” He informs them that he has joined an artillery company. He adds that the military “is organising in large numbers” in Lawrence, but he expresses his fear that if Missouri secedes from the Union, Kansas will not have enough arms or ammunition for defense. He also expresses concern that the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes will fight for the South.
Date: April 28, 1861

Title: From Wilson Shannon to E.V. Sumner
Description: This dispatch, dated May 21, 1856, was sent by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in Lecompton, Kansas, to Col. E.V. Sumner at Headquarters, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Due to recent civil unrest in Lawrence, Kansas, Shannon instructs Sumner to station companies of U.S. troops at or near Lawrence, Lecompton, and Topeka, Kansas. Shannon explains that federal troops are the only ones he feels safe using in response to “these civil commotions.” He notes that the U.S. Marshal has made several arrests for the crime of high treason.
Date: May 21, 1856

Title: From Persifor Smith to M.C. Dickey
Description: This letter, dated July 23, 1856, is from Persifor Smith, a U.S. Army Major at Fort Leavenworth, to M.C. Dickey and “others, conductors of emigrating companies.” Smith responds to a letter in which Dickey and the others request military protection from armed bodies guarding the Kansas border. Smith denies their request: “I have no evidence that any parties are in arms to oppose you . . . I cannot act on your vague suspicions.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 23, 1856

Title: Nebraska and Kanzas
Description: This color map, ca. 1854-1861, is entitled “Nebraska and Kanzas.” It was printed by J.H. Colton and Co. in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1854-1861

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

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