Civil War

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From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Lizzie
Title
From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Lizzie
Description
A.J. Huntoon writes a letter from Williamsport in Shawnee County, Kansas to his wife Lizzie, announcing that the country is “in a state of great political excitement” following the seizure of Fort Sumter. The letter, dated April 19, 21, and 22, 1861, states that Confederate supporters tried to raise a Palmetto flag in St. Joseph, Missouri, but Union supporters stopped them. Huntoon informs his wife that militia companies are organizing in Kansas, and he asks her if she objects to him becoming an assistant surgeon for the army. He also relays the news that Gen. Lane has been placed in command of 1,000 men in Washington.
Date
April 19, 1861-April 22, 1861
Diary of Lewis Timothy Litchfield
Title
Diary of Lewis Timothy Litchfield
Description
This is an excerpt from the diary of Lewis Thomas Litchfield, written between 1854 and 1855. Litchfield writes about leaving Boston and travelling to Kansas with a party from the Emigrant Aid Society. He describes the pioneer camp established near the junction of the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers, voting to name the settlement "Lawrence," and construction of the first building. Litchfield also mentions a burgeoning conflict between the Kansas settlers and the Missourians.
Object Type
Diary
Date
1854-1855
Soldier, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
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. The carte de visite was produced by S.M. Eby & Son in Kansas City, Missouri. Carte de visites were small photographs that were often used as calling cards and became very popular during the Civil War.
Object Type
Image
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Title
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description
This letter, dated November 24, 1863, is from C.F. Smith, Enrolling Officer of the 6th district of Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Smith states that he will complete enrollment within the next few days. He apologizes for the delay and explains that he was injured in an accident while riding his horse.
Date
November 24, 1863
Petition to the Constitutional Convention of Kansas
Title
Petition to the Constitutional Convention of Kansas
Description
This is a petition sent to the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention of Kansas in support of equal political rights for Kansas women. The petition, dated 1859, protests against “any Constitutional distinctions based upon sex,” and is signed by Charles Robinson and 14 others. A second copy of the petition from Auburn, Shawnee County, Kansas is signed by 69 men and women.
Object Type
Petition
Date
1859
From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Description
On November 26, 1860, Col. M. Jeff Thompson writes a dispatch from the Headquarters of the 4th Military District in St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. R.M Stewart. Thompson reports that Major F.W. Smith is preparing his battalion to be ready for orders. Thompson urges Stewart to authorize Smith’s Quarter Master to procure sufficient arms and ammunitions.
Date
November 26, 1860
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Title
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description
On December 10, 1863, C.F. Smith, Enrolling Officer for the 9th subdistrict of Missouri, writes to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Smith reiterates that "the enrolling business" in his district was completed on November 28, and that he already sent Comingo a list of 150 names. Smith says that if Comingo has not received his earlier communication, he will provide a second copy.
Date
December 10, 1863
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 was written by Florella Brown Adair on January 13 and 14, 1861 at Martha’s, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella is glad to hear they received the barrels she sent, but was dismayed that they had to pay additional money for their delivery upon receipt, and that they had been broken open, seemingly on purpose. Florella writes of a man from Douglas County, Kansas who is in a nearby Ohio town collecting money to send home. She says he might collect so much from people they will not have as much to give to Osawatomie, Kansas; she also fears that Lykins County, Kansas will not receive its fair share of relief funds.
Date
January 13, 1861-January 14, 1861
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
General Orders, No. 11
Title
General Orders, No. 11
Description
This is a copy of the infamous Order No. 11, issued by Union General Thomas E. Ewing at the District of the Border Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on August 25, 1863. The order commands residents of Jackson, Cass, Bates, and northern Vernon counties to leave their homes and move away from the area within fifteen days. Ewing issued the directive four days after Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, in an attempt to suppress guerrilla violence.
Date
August 25, 1863
From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Title
From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Description
In this October 5, 1856 letter, Julia Mariata describes the arrest and capture of her brother-in-law, H. Miles Moore. On October 2, Mariata says, she and Moore left Lawrence, Kansas and stopped at the American Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, where Moore was arrested and taken away by a group of men. A Mr. King told Mariata that Moore was arrested because he had served as Adjutant General under Gen. Lane, and that “he was considered guilty of High Treason!”
Date
October 5, 1856
From Samuel Worthington to My Dear Father
Title
From Samuel Worthington to My Dear Father
Description
Samuel Worthington writes a letter from Fort Riley, Kansas to his father on October 12, 1864. He has just received news that Gen. Price is advancing his forces, and he expresses fear that Kansas does not have enough troops to defeat him. He also mentions the possibility of a new treaty with the Indians. In a postscript, Worthington reports that Rebels have just arrived in Kansas City, and tells his father “goodbye—If I dont return remember I fought for the right.”
Date
October 12, 1864
Nebraska and Kansas
Title
Nebraska and Kansas
Description
This color map, entitled “Nebraska and Kansas,” shows those two territories, the territory acquired from Mexico in 1854, and a small map of the continental United States. The map was published in 1854 by J.H. Colton and Co. in New York.
Object Type
Map
Date
1854
From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Title
From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Description
On December 22, 1861, D.R. Anthony writes a letter to his father, describing recent “skirmishes” with rebels. He says that he and his comrades killed Hurst, a Missouri Confederate colonel, and several of his soldiers. They also gave horses, mules, oxen, wagons, and carriages to 129 slaves and helped them escape to Kansas. Anthony informs his father that he took possession of a Secessionist flag in Harrisonville, Missouri, and adds that he hopes to take Col. Jennison’s position if Jennison is promoted to General.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 22, 1861
General Orders, No. 10
Title
General Orders, No. 10
Description
Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 10 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on February 4, 1863. The order details the proceedings of a recent General Court Martial in Lexington, Missouri, where officers and soldiers were tried for war crimes, including disobedience of orders, neglect of duty, desertion, and mutiny. It is signed by Assistant Adjutant General H.Z. Curtis.
Date
February 4, 1863
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Title
From C.F. Smith to A. Comingo
Description
On December 24, 1863, C.F. Smith writes from Kansas City, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri. Smith reports that he has about 50 names to add to the published enrollment list, explaining that "before the list was published it was exceedingly difficult to get any information but now every man reports his neighbor if his name is not on the list." Smith adds that some men were accidentally enrolled twice.
Date
December 24, 1863
From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Title
From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Description
This letter, dated July 19, 1861, is from W.L. Wood in Liberty Landing, Missouri to Col. W.P. Howard in St. Louis. Wood informs Howard that he went to Lexington, Missouri with state troops and planned to travel farther south, but "did not precisely understand" Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson's intentions. He expresses ambivalence about Jackson, but supports his stance against Lincoln, and declares that he wants "to see Lincoln's troops whipped."
Date
July 19, 1861
From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Title
From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Description
This letter, dated October 11, 1865, is from Mary Jane Peery to her sister. Peery writes that her husband, the preacher J.T. Peery, has refused to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States Government. She mentions that Confederate sympathizers have encountered difficulty in Missouri following the Civil War, but declares that "a great many of our preachers . . . say they do not intend to take the oath. The Northerners still hold our church and parsonage in Independence and say they will not give it up."
Date
October 11, 1865
From Mary Hall to Venitia Hall
Title
From Mary Hall to Venitia Hall
Description
Mary Hall—the original recipient of this envelope—used it in 1863 to write a message to her sister Venitia Colcord Page, who was incarcerated at the Union Jail for Women in Kansas City. “Don’t say one word before anyone,” Mary warns, “The guards say they like you…They say very hard things of the others.” Mary gave the message to Venitia, who was married to Major Page, during a prison visit; Venitia escaped or was released before the prison collapsed in August 1863.
Date
1863
From Thomas P. Akers to Hamilton Gamble
Title
From Thomas P. Akers to Hamilton Gamble
Description
On September 12, 1862, Thomas P. Akers writes from Kansas City, Missouri to Missouri Governor Hamilton Gamble in St. Louis. Akers, a former Missouri Congressmen who opposed secession, states that when he returned to Lexington, Missouri after a year's absence, his wife and children were forcibly removed from their home and his father-in-law was arrested and imprisoned under false charges. Fearing arrest, Akers seeks Gamble's permission to peacefully resolve his affairs in Lexington before leaving the state.
Date
September 12, 1862

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