Civil War

Title: From H.M. Rice to William Fowler
Description: On January 21, 1865, H.M. Rice, Deputy Provost Marshal, 7th District Missouri, writes from Albany, Missouri to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal, 7th District Missouri. Rice states that he is forwarding the corrected enrollment lists for Gentry County, Missouri. He adds that "Negro Culp" has been seen in the area, possibly on his way to St. Joseph, Missouri "to give himself up." "I will get him if there is any chance," Rice concludes.
Date: January 21, 1865

Title: The Fall of General Lyon
Description: Nathaniel Lyon falling from horse after being shot in the Civil War, Wilson's Creek, Mo., Aug. 10, 1861. Engraving by H.B. Hall. Drawing by F.O.C. Darley.
Object Type: Image

Title: From James Griffing to Cuttie
Description: This October 30, 1864 letter was written by James Griffing in Lincoln, to Cuttie. James describes General Price’s capture of the arsenal at Topeka, declaring “The Topeka boys fought like tigers.” He gives an account of acquaintances killed in the Battle of Westport, adding that he believes “Missouri will be safer now.” He cautions Cuttie not to buy much at current prices, since “everything is bound to change after the election.”
Date: October 30, 1864

Title: Examination of Richardson Terrell
Description: This is Richardson Terrell's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Terrell, a 28-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky and demonstrated his loyalty to the Union "by Entering the service of the Govt." during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 32 in a bound volume, was signed by Terrell in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox
Description: The Room in the McLean House, at Appomattox C.H., in which Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant. Most written accounts of Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, noted the difference between Lee’s stiff dignity and Grant’s more relaxed demeanor. This lithograph of the event, showing the two men as they waited for the peace terms to be copied, captures that difference better than most. After the surrender, Wilmer McLean, the owner of the house, lost much of his furniture to soldiers desiring mementos of the historic event. Later, in what proved to be a futile effort to recoup his losses and raise funds for his needy family, he commissioned this print.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1867

Title: Price's Raid
Description: Samuel J. Reader painting of Price's Raid when Reader was a Union prisoner of war amongst the Rebel Army from October 22-25, 1864, escaping shortly after the Battle of Mine Creek. Reader made this painting the following year at his home in Indianola (just north of downtown Topeka), Kansas. Reader labels the painting, "'Close Up' 'Double Quick!' Members of the 2nd Regiment Kansas State Militia, prisoners of war. 'Price Raid', October, AD. 1864. An eye-witness. On the way to 'Camp Ford' prison pen, near Tyler, Texas".
Object Type: Image
Date: February 13, 1865

Title: Memorial to John Brown at Quindaro Townsite, Kansas City, Kansas
Description: Lifesize marble statue of John Brown, which was dedicated on June, 1911, at Western University campus in Quindaro Townsite, Kansas City, Kansas.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1911

Title: Samuel Ryan Curtis
Description: Black and white portrait of General Samuel Ryan Curtis standing, as published in a photographic album by E & H.T. Anthony. One of the first Republicans elected to Congress representing Iowa's 1st congressional district, Curtis resigned his seat in 1861 to join the Union Army. Curtis commanded Union forces to several victories during the Civil War, including at the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Battle of Westport.
Object Type: Image

Title: From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Description: This letter, dated December 8, 1862, was written by John C. Gage in Kansas City, Missouri to friends in Pelham, New Hampshire. Declaring that the “guerrillas” have gone, John describes how his community has been altered by the war: “It is the common course of things for anybody to get killed. Even their own families hardly seem to mourn for them.” He adds that those injured in battle are often seen “about the streets with their crutches.”
Date: December 8, 1862

Title: Examination of John S. Thomason
Description: This is John S. Thomason's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Thomason, a 38-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 95 in a bound volume, was signed by Thomason on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: General Orders, No. 39
Description: Brig. Gen. James Totten and Maj. Lucien J. Barnes of the Missouri State Militia issued General Order No. 39 on September 1, 1862 in Springfield, Missouri. The order warns the militia's officers to stop "preventing their men from entering the volunteer service . . . by so doing they render themselves liable to arrest under the Presidents order for 'discouraging enlistments.'"
Date: September 1, 1862

Title: Meriwether Jeff Thompson
Description: Carte de visite of Meriwether Jeff Thompson, Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard, posing in uniform with cavalry saber. Thompson participated in several notable Civil War battles, including the Battle of Fredericktown, Battle of Westport, and Battle of Mine Creek.
Object Type: Image

Title: Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811-1896
Description: Portrait of abolitionist and author, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," galvanized anti-slavery sentiment in the North, while provoking widespread anger in the South.
Object Type: Image

Title: Examination of W.W. Dougherty
Description: This is W.W. Dougherty's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Dougherty, who was born in Indiana, describes himself as a 47-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri. He claims that he had "no particular sympathy" with either side during the Civil War. Upon hearing that Gen. Sterling Price had captured Gen. Mulligan and his army at Lexington, Missouri, Dougherty "felt that there was a big mess on hand." The oath, labeled No. 49 in a bound volume, was signed by Dougherty in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell
Description: This letter, dated February 9, 1864, was written by Kansas Governor Thomas Carney in Topeka, Kansas to Major General James L. McDowell. Carney orders McDowell to organize and assume command of the Topeka militia for the purpose of protecting the city and its vicinity from guerrilla attacks. Carney states that he will promptly grant any necessary assistance in securing the public safety.
Object Type: Letter
Date: February 9, 1864

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: On December 10, 1863, 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 he received a telegram from Provost Marshal General James B. Fry dated December 9, 1863: "Awards for bringing recruits may be paid to the recruiting agent, or to any other person as you and the authorities deem best."
Date: December 10, 1863

Title: William Napoleon (Babe) Hudspeth
Description: Charcoal portrait drawing of William "Babe" Hudspeth in suit, vest, and tie. Hudspeth was one of four brothers from eastern Jackson County that rode with Quantrill and Bill Anderson. He participated in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, (August 21, 1863) and the Centralia, Missouri, massacre (September 1864). After the Civil War he lived on his farm in Jackson County and bred horses. He died in 1907. (from "Babe Hudspeth: Missouri Guerrilla" by John Sickles in "Military Images," Jan/Feb 2007, Vol. 28, #4, pp. 30-33.")
Object Type: Image

Title: From J.W. Black to A. Comingo
Description: On December 14, 1863, J.W. Black, Deputy Provost Marshal for Ray County, Missouri, writes from Richmond, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington, Missouri. Black thanks Comingo for securing his new appointment as Recruiting Agent. He says he assumes Comingo is "annoyed very much with persons from our side of the river applying to you to be stricken from the enrollment list," and reports that he has already prevented many men from doing so.
Date: December 14, 1863

Title: John Ross
Description: Charcoal portrait of John Ross in suit coat, shirt, and string tie. Ross was one of Quantrill's guerrillas and took part in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863. He was with Quantrill when Quantrill was mortally wounded in Kentucky. Ross, along with 14 others of Quantrill's band, surrendered to the U.S. Army at Samuel's Depot, Kentucky, July 25, 1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: Battle of Boonville Political Cartoon
Description: This black-and-white cartoon, ca. June 1861, mockingly depicts Confederate General Sterling Price “taken with a Violent Diarrhea” at the beginning of the Battle of Boonville. Price is depicted in military uniform with his pants down, saying “I didn’t think the Smell of Gun-powder would have such an effect on my Bowels.” A note below the cartoon refers readers to the daily papers from June 20, 1861.
Object Type: Image

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

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