Civil War

Title: From Abishai Stowell to Margaret Torrence
Description: On October 14, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister Margaret. Stowell, a member of Co. A, 2nd Kansas Volunteers, tells Margaret that her recent letter "was the third letter that I have got for over 8 months and I have written at least forty since that time." He adds that he hastens to answer her letter, "for soldiers don't know at what hour they may be called on to leave camp or how long they will have to stay away."
Date: October 14, 1864

Title: Examination of M.L. Farminger
Description: This is M.L. Farminger's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Farminger, a 29-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he served in the United States army from 1861 to 1865. The oath, labeled No. 64 in a bound volume, was signed by Farminger in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Clifton Searcy
Description: This is Clifton Searcy's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Searcy describes himself as a 41-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that during the Civil War, he sympathized "especially with those who suffered." He admits that he does not know if he truly remained loyal to the United States Government during the war. The oath, labeled No. 74 in a bound volume, was signed by Searcy in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Frederick Starr to Dear Father
Description: This letter was written on March 31, 1855, by Frederick Starr in Weston, Missouri, to his father. Starr describes the election fraud that took place at the Kansas legislative elections on March 30, calling it “a high handed outrage.” He says that hundreds of armed, pro-slavery Missourians came into Kansas to disrupt the election, and that more than 800 illegal votes were cast in Leavenworth, Kansas. Starr asks his father to publish the information in his letter in the Albany Evening Journal, without mentioning his name.
Date: March 31, 1855

Title: From James Beatty to William Fowler
Description: On August 29, 1864, James Beatty, Deputy Provost Marshal for the 20th Missouri subdistrict, writes from Milan, Missouri to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal for the 7th District of Missouri, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Beatty reports that Wesley Griffith of Taylor, Missouri claims that the township is "entitled to many more credits for soldiers furnished" than appear in the draft documents. Beatty also states that he sent a soldier back to his regiment because his sick furlough had expired.
Date: August 29, 1864

Title: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This March 1864 military roll lists the names of "colored troops" enlisted in the 6th district, 28th sub-district in Chariton County, Missouri. The roll provides the soldiers' physical characteristics, occupations, birthplaces, and the names of their owners.
Date: March 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On June 15, 1863, John Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh. John references an incendiary “peace meeting” in New York (possibly the June 3 “Peace Convention”), likening it to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. He fears that war may soon permeate “every state in the Union.” John mentions a friend who has seen “every battle fought by General Price since the Lexington fight,” and is now awaiting exchange as a military prisoner.
Date: June 15, 1863

Title: Proceedings of the Lafayette County Board
Description: This is a series of proceedings of the County Board of Lafayette County, Missouri, dated August 14 – October 2, 1862, and signed by R.C. Vaughan, Secretary. In each of the proceedings, the Board compiles a list of disloyal citizens residing in the neighborhoods where soldiers or loyal citizens were murdered. The Board members agree to charge all of the disloyal citizens 7-10% of the value of their estates.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: August 14, 1862-October 2, 1862

Title: From A.J. Huntoon to My Beloved Wife and Boy
Description: This letter, dated September 15, 1861, is from A.J. Huntoon to his wife Lizzie and son Prentice. He writes from Mapleton, Bourbon County, Kansas, where he is assisting at a military hospital for General Lane’s Brigade. He reports that his regiment, the 5th Kansas Cavalry volunteers, recently arrived at Mapleton from Fort Lincoln along with Wier’s, Montgomery’s, and Jennison’s regiments. He expresses a desire to return to the battlefield, saying that “it is impossible to lay idle . . . when treason shows its dragon head in every settlement.”
Date: September 15, 1861

Title: Examination of James Carson
Description: This is James Carson's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Carson describes himself as a 70-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that during the Civil War he "stayed at home." The oath, labeled No. 124 in a bound volume, was signed by Carson in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From James M. Boyer to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated October 1, 1863, is from James M. Boyer, Deputy Provost Marshal of Chariton County, Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Boyer writes to Comingo regarding the apprehension of several military deserters. Attached to the document is a note from Brig. Gen. O. Guitar, the commanding officer of two of the deserters, along with correspondence between Col. E.B. Alexander and Asst. Adj. Gen. J.A. Campbell.
Date: October 1, 1863-October 12, 1863

Title: From Charles Sumner to My Dear Hale
Description: Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner writes a letter from Washington to "My dear Hale" on March 1, 1856. Sumner criticizes Stephen A. Douglas, Lewis Cass, and the Know Nothing Party, and worries that "this Congress will do nothing for the benefit of Kansas." He expresses concern that Kansas will not be admitted to the Union due to its small population and the lack of support for its constitution.
Date: March 1, 1856

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: On August 9, 1864, Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis, writes to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri in Lexington, Missouri. Alexander states that one black soldier was enlisted from Comingo's district during July 1864, in Clinton County.
Date: August 9, 1864

Title: From Chauncey McKeever to E.B. Alexander
Description: This is a copy of a November 12, 1863 dispatch from Chauncey McKeever, Assistant Adjutant General to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri. McKeever writes from the Provost Marshal General's Office at the War Department in Washington, D.C., providing instructions on payment to Recruiting Agents for each volunteer they enlist.
Date: November 12, 1863

Title: From George Lewis to Mrs. Fitch
Description: George Lewis of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to Mrs. Fitch (Edward Fitch’s mother) in Massachusetts on January 14, 1857. He thanks her for donating clothing to his family and to other poor emigrants in Kansas. He tells her that a band of proslavery men robbed him and burned down his house, leaving him living in a tent with his wife and six children. Despite his struggles, Lewis, a Welsh immigrant, expresses hope about the future of Kansas: “It must be made a Free State. It shall be a Free State.”
Date: January 14, 1857

Title: From Edward Bates to James L. McDowell
Description: This letter, dated July 23, 1861, was written by U.S. Attorney General Edward Bates to James L. McDowell, U.S. Marshal in Kansas. Bates replies to McDowell’s request for advice about enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law, declaring that no government official can choose to enforce the laws he likes and ignore those he dislikes. Bates adds that the recent “insurrectionary disorder” in Missouri does not alter its legal status as a member of the Union.
Date: July 23, 1861

Title: Resolutions of the Kansas Territorial Legislative Assembly
Description: These documents comprise 14 separate resolutions of the Kansas Territorial Legislative Assembly, dated between 1858 and 1861. The resolutions address a variety of topics, including support for admitting Kansas into the Union as a state; revision of county and township laws; protection of American Indian land rights; and maintaining peace with Missouri by denouncing any attempt by Kansans to interfere with slavery.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1858-1861

Title: From S.F. Chalfin to E.B. Alexander
Description: This letter, dated November 16, 1863, is from S.F. Chalfin, Assistant Adjutant General, to Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri. Writing from the War Department in Washington, D.C., Chalfin informs Alexander that when a Deputy or "Special Agent" is sent in pursuit of military deserters, his transportation expenses will be paid, whether or not he is successful in apprehending the deserters.
Date: November 16, 1863

Title: Correspondence With Recruiting Officers and Special Orders (Provost Marshal General's Bureau)
Description: This notebook contains copies of correspondence between the Missouri Provost Marshal General's Bureau and recruiting officers in the field from December 1863 to July 1864. Topics addressed in the correspondence include appointments to various military positions; inventories of supplies and equipage; and information about new recruits. Participants in the correspondence include Col. E.B. Alexander, Lieut. James E. Clark; and Capt. C.W. Noell.
Date: December 1863-July 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri on February 21, 22, and 23, 1864. He describes how local business in Calhoun, Missouri has suffered during wartime, stating that “some of our best citizens” have been forced to stop working or to leave town. He complains that his daily life used to be enjoyable, but now he cannot escape from “the eyes of the curious or idle.” He tells Eugenia that he wants to visit her, but is afraid of potential violence.
Date: February 21, 1864-February 23, 1864

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

Error message

In collections

Pages

Pages

Object Type

Local Subject

People

Geographic Subject

Owning Organization