Civil War

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From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
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
From Edward Fitch to Dear Friends at Home
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Friends at Home
Description
Edward Fitch writes a July 26, 1855 letter from aboard a steamboat on Lake Erie. He tells friends in his hometown of Hopkinton, Massachusetts that he is en route from Boston to Osawatomie, Kansas. He describes the other members of his travelling party, a group of nineteen emigrants he is taking to Kansas for the New England Emigrant Aid Company.
Object Type
Letter
Date
July 26, 1855
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
In a June 29, 1856 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas predicts the onset of war and states that he is happy about it, “for the North needs something to wake them up once.” He also expresses happiness about the recent presidential nomination of John C. Fremont. He anticipates that there will be trouble at the July 4 convention of the Topeka Legislature, stating, “I hope for the best, but fear for the consequences.” He recommends that his parents read the book "Six Months in Kansas" by Hannah Anderson Ropes.
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 29, 1856
From J. Locke Hardeman to George R. Smith
Title
From J. Locke Hardeman to George R. Smith
Description
On June 10, 1855, J. Locke Hardeman writes from Saline County, Missouri to George R. Smith in Georgetown, Missouri. Hardeman asserts that he differs "very widely" from Smith in his opinion on the Kansas question. "If Kansas be settled by Abolitionists," Hardeman asks, "can Missouri remain a slave state? If Missouri goes by the board what will become of Kentucky[,] Maryland, Virginia?...I know that Abolition & Union can not stand together."
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 10, 1855
From R.T. Branaugh to A.M. Bedford
Title
From R.T. Branaugh to A.M. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated September 3, 1863, is from R.T. Branaugh to A.M. Bedford, Esq. Branaugh reports that Bedford’s horse was “taken by the Feds.” He adds that a mutual acquaintance got it back, only to have it taken by the Feds once again. He also discusses the prices of corn, hemp, and hogs.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 3, 1863
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description
This letter was written January 28 and 30, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair in Lafayette, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella describes her trip from Grafton, Ohio to Lafayette. She writes that everyone is talking about “Kansas & the political condition of the union…Many think war will be declared before many weeks. Democrats lay all the blame on Republicans & Kansas for all the trouble, but not many are ready to fight for the south.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 28, 1861-January 30, 1861
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description
This letter, dated November 21, 1860, was written by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma in Osawatomie, Kansas. Florella responds to their recent letters, which were “so complaining and discouraging, that I feel more like staying away, than hurrying home…it seems to me that the Territory is cursed of the Lord and that it is fighting against him to try to live there and do anything but barely to exist…I cannot help feeling a perfect disgust for Kansas life, and most of Kansas people.” Florella adds that she read about the “Montgomery and Fort Scott troubles” in the newspapers.
Object Type
Letter
Date
November 21, 1860
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Title
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description
On February 11, 1864 John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John writes that he has been suffering from a cold he caught on a recent trip to Sedalia, Missouri. He plans to visit Eugenia during the upcoming weekend. John states, "I have not succeeded yet in getting a house for my contrabands,” presumably referring to recently freed slaves.
Object Type
Letter
Date
February 11, 1864
From G.H. Forkney to Col. Peery
Title
From G.H. Forkney to Col. Peery
Description
This letter, dated June 13, 1856, is from G.H. Forkney in Basin Knob, Missouri to Col. Peery. Forkney discusses business dealings, then goes on to describe the "deplorable state of affairs" in Kansas Territory: "murders are common & occasionally the women & children fall victim to the fury of the northern fanatics." He reports that President Franklin Pierce has put Kansas under martial law, and that Missourians are preparing for "a war of extermination."
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 13, 1856
From Samuel R. Ayres to Lyman Langdon
Title
From Samuel R. Ayres to Lyman Langdon
Description
This letter from Samuel R. Ayres to Lyman Langdon is dated January 1, 1863, the day that President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In his letter, Ayres expresses support for the proclamation, but mentions the possibility of it being revoked and questions whether or not slaves will indeed be set free. Ayres also reports that his two sons are in Gen. Grant’s division of the 7th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and have had to fight nearly every day.
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 1, 1863
From Mary E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Title
From Mary E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated May 1, 1864, is from Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri to her husband, Lieut. Alex M. Bedford, at the Officers Prison in Point Lookout, Maryland. Mary updates him on the health of family members and on her tenant’s upkeep of her farm. She reports that two acquaintances who joined the army the previous spring have both recently died. Missouri, she states, “is peaceable . . . and I hope it will remain so.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 1, 1864
From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Title
From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Description
This letter was written on May 2 and 7, 1861 by George Collamore in Leavenworth, Kansas to G.L. Stearns in Boston. Collamore writes that Kansas is under threat of attack from Missouri and the Cherokee and Osage Indians, and that Kansas’s defenses are weak. He reports that Gov. Robinson offered him the position of Quartermaster General of the Kansas Militia, which he temporarily accepted. Collamore asks Stearns to send “thick colored blankets” and other items to Kansas, urging Stearns to keep his activities secret and to be cautious about what he writes in future letters.
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 2, 1861 and May 7, 1861
From Samuel H. Robertson to Sterling Price
Title
From Samuel H. Robertson to Sterling Price
Description
This letter was written ca. October 7, 1854 by Samuel H. Robertson in Bates County, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Sterling Price. Robertson states that Osage Indians have been crossing the state line into Missouri to steal horses and crops, and asks Price for protection against this “Indian outrage and oppression.” He suggests that Price call some military companies into service for this purpose, and says that the Osage should be prevented from crossing the state line without written permission from their agent.
Object Type
Letter
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Title
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description
This letter, dated December 10, 1864, was written by James Montgomery in Mound City, Kansas, to Maj. George L. Stearns. Montgomery writes that he resigned his military position due to poor health, but then took command of 15 companies – including two companies of black militia – after the commencement of Price’s Raid. He briefly describes the Battle of Westport, and explains that Price's Raid disrupted planting season. Montgomery asks Stearns about the bounty paid to soldiers in his state, and says that he will bring a few recruits with him when he visits over the winter.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 10, 1864
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
In this November 21, 1856 letter to his parents, Edward Fitch describes attending a fundraising dinner in Lawrence, Kansas for the Free State Prisoners in Lecompton. He reports that Governor Geary was not there and that, according to rumors, Judge Lecompton had ordered Geary arrested. He mentions that Governor Robinson and Lieutenant Governor Roberts were both in attendance and gave optimistic speeches about the future of Kansas as a free state.
Object Type
Letter
Date
November 21, 1856
From W.N. Drinkard to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From W.N. Drinkard to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on September 12, 1859 by W.N. Drinkard, Acting Secretary of War, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Drinkard states that he received Stewart’s request “that the quota of arms to become due to the State of Missouri next year may be issued in advance.” Drinkard replies that “Such an issue of the whole quota is without a precedent and cannot be entertained, but…this Department will direct an advance of one half to be made upon your requisition.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 12, 1859
From Brinkly Hornsby to George R. Smith
Title
From Brinkly Hornsby to George R. Smith
Description
This letter, dated August 18, 1856, is from Brinkly Hornsby in Big Creek, Missouri to Gen. George R. Smith. Hornsby predicts that the current political conflicts in Kansas and Missouri will soon lead to "a great deal of serious difficulty and bloodshed." He urges Smith to unite with the other conservative men of Missouri to "start a movement . . . and put a stop to the threatened catastrophe."
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 18, 1856
From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
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
From J.T. Peery to Dear Mother and Father
Title
From J.T. Peery to Dear Mother and Father
Description
This letter, dated November 22, 1856, is from J.T. Peery to his parents. Peery, a preacher, mentions his new assignment to a church in Independence, Missouri. He describes the volatile conditions of the area: "The land is overrun with men who have thrown off all moral restraint & appear to act as if they do not fear God . . . in this part of the country some are becoming awake to a sence of the dangers."
Object Type
Letter
Date
November 22, 1856
From M.E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Title
From M.E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated June 12, 1864, is from Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri to her husband, Lieut. Alex M. Bedford. Mary shares news of a mutual acquaintance, and of their home and farm. She reports that a Mr. Leneer was executed in Savannah after serving two years in prison for burning the railroad. She tells her husband that she has sent him clothing, and complains that he has been away from home for nearly three years.
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 12, 1864

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