Civil War

Title: Plat of Lone Jack and Independence, Jackson County, Missouri
Description: A plat of the Jackson County, Missouri towns of Lone Jack and Independence. This page is included in an 1877 plat book of Jackson County, Missouri.
Date: 1877

Title: Punishment for Two Privates of the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment
Description: In this military document, Major Edward B. Eno orders that William H. Wyatt and Isaac Wilson, Privates of the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" be punished for insubordination and intoxication, respectively. Eno orders both privates to forfiet one month's pay for these offenses.
Date: June 26, 1863

Title: From S.A. Routsong to Wife Ellen
Description: S.A. Routsong writes a letter to his wife, Ellen, on November 13 and 14, 1862. He describes recent travel to Iowa and assures her of his safety. He states that he has heard that William Clarke Quantrill is travelling South through Johnson and Bates counties “with the Militia hard after him of course”. He also mentions a rumor that “the New + Old Militia were fighting each other” in Jefferson City.
Date: November 13, 1862 - November 15, 1862

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Wood writes from the Provost Marshal General's Office at the War Department in Washington, D.C. on December 22, 1863. He instructs Comingo to resubmit paperwork pertaining to his Deputies and Enrolling Officers.
Date: December 22, 1863

Title: From Unknown to Dear Brother
Description: This letter, dated September 30, 1861, is from an unknown writer in Pleasant Nook, Missouri to his or her brother. Since newspaper reports are “entirely one sided,” if not “entirely false,” the letter writer endeavors to provide an account of recent Missouri politics and warfare. The writer refers to Hamilton Gamble’s appointment as governor and his subsequent call for “42 thousand volunteers;” local recruitment efforts have been unsuccessful. The writer also describes battles at Carthage and Springfield, noting that a local boy claims to have ripped General Sigel’s epaulette from his uniform during the Springfield conflict.
Date: September 30, 1861

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. 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: Robert T. Van Horn
Description: Seated portrait of Robert Thompson Van Horn. Van Horn, a prominent lawyer and owner of The Kansas City Enterprise newspaper, served as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri during the Civil War.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: George S. Park
Description: Sepia portrait of Colonel George S. Park, veteran of the Texas War of Independence, land speculator, and entreprenuer. Founder of Parkville, Missouri, and the Industrial Luminary newspaper.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1868

Title: Hon. James Lane
Description: Portrait photograph of James Henry Lane, circa 1860-1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: Fort Riley
Description: The First Territorial Capitol of Kansas, Fort Riley Military Reserve, Riley, Riley County, KS. The photo was taken by David von Riesen for the Historic American Buildings Survey in July 1965.
Object Type: Image
Date: July 1965

Title: President Franklin Pierce, Seated, with Left Hand Inside Vest
Description: Portrait of President Franklin Pierce circa 1855-1865.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1855-1865

Title: From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description: Eugenia Bronaugh writes a letter, dated January 12, 1864, to John A. Bushnell in St. Louis. She tells him that a few friends recently visited her in Hickory Grove, Missouri, and sang patriotic songs. She describes them as “devoted and faithful friends to the Government” and wishes that everyone “were so true!” She updates him about other mutual acquaintances, and expresses a wish for peace and safety.
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 12, 1864

Title: From Richard M. Hulse to Parents
Description: This letter, dated May 7, 1864, was written by Richard M. Hulse in Dallas, Missouri to his parents. Writing from the Headquarters of Company H, 2nd Calvary MSM, Richard explains that he and his men have taken and fortified the Dallas courthouse against Confederate rebels. He describes with emotion the recent death and funeral of one of his men: “as I stood by and thought of the desolation this war was making I brushed away the falling tear and left wondering whose turn next.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 7, 1864

Title: William D. Matthews
Description: A sepia colored carte-de-visite of First Lieutenant William Dominick Matthews. Matthews was a member of the Independent Battery, U.S. Colored Light Artillery, who served at Fort Leavenworth and helped protect eastern Kansas during Price's invasion in 1864. In addition, Matthews helped recruit many members of the First Colored Kansas Volunteer Infantry. Prior to the Civil War, Matthews operated a boarding house in Leavenworth, Kansas that was used as part of the underground railroad. Assisted by Daniel R. Anthony, the brother of Susan B. Anthony, Matthews helped many Missouri slaves escape to Kansas and other "free" states.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1861-1865

Title: Application of William C. Hall
Description: This is William C. Hall’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Stephen Smith. The application, dated November 13, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, and a statement that Hall lawfully purchased his slave. The application is signed by four witnesses and a notary public in Lafayette County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the second page indicates that the application was rejected. Attached is the November 18, 1843 bill declaring the sale of Stephen Smith to William C. Hall.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 18, 1843-November 13, 1866

Title: Report of Slaves Enlisted, Richmond, Missouri
Description: This military roll, dated March 30, 1864, shows the total number of slaves enlisted from the 5th Missouri Sub-District at Richmond, Missouri during January 1864. The roll lists each recruit's name, owner, date of enlistment, and the enrolling officer. The document is signed by J.W. Black, Recruiting Agent.
Date: March 30, 1864

Title: James (Jim) Robert Cummins
Description: Charcoal portrait of James (Jim) Cummins (sometimes spelled Cummings) in suit coat and checked (?) shirt. Jim Cummins was a neighbor to the James family near Kearney, Missouri. He, along with Jesse James, Doc Rupe, Silas King, and Tom Smith joined the regular service of the Confederacy under Colonel Calhoun Thornton. Later he and Jesse joined the guerrillas. Jim was not at Lawrence, but was at the Centralia massacre, September 27, 1864. After the war, some believe he was at some point a member of the James-Younger gang. Cummins sometimes used the alias Jim Johnson. He periodically stayed at the Confederate Home near Higginsville, Missouri, until his death on July 9, 1929. He is buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: Edward Thomas
Description: This carte de visite depicts Edward Thomas, who served in the Fifth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The photograph was produced ca. 1861-1865.
Object Type: Image

Title: From A.J. Sexton to Catherine
Description: This letter was written on March 18 and 19, 1862, by A.J. Sexton in camp at Fort Scott, Kansas, to his wife Catherine. He describes the area around Fort Scott as “good farming country,” though thinly settled. A.J. asserts that his company is the largest and best drilled in camp, noting that his regiment “is favored with good health” in comparison to the Kansas regiments, who “have buried from one to four a day.” Part of the letter is written on the back of a printed roster for the 12th Wisconsin Volunteers, which lists A.J. as a private in Co. E.
Date: March 18, 1862-March 19, 1862

Title: Inventory and Inspection Report of Public Property
Description: This document is an "Inventory and inspection report of public property (including Captured or "Contraband" Property), belonging to the United States, and held by Co. "A" 8th MSM Cavalry, and for which Captain James J Akard is accountable." This report was completed by Akard and submitted for inspection to Lieutenant D. E. Murphy, Assistant Inspector for the District of Southwest Missouri at Springfield. This specific inventory includes eighteen wedge tents received new from Lt. Stockley Etter on July 4, 1863.
Date: March 29, 1864

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

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