Civil War

Title: Gen. John W. Geary
Description: Glass plate negative of General John W. Geary circa 1860-1870. John W. Geary, former mayor of San Francisco, took office as Kansas territorial governor on September 9, 1856. Geary was appointed by President Franklin Pierce to replace Wilson Shannon and attempt to bring peace to "Bleeding Kansas." Geary attempted to remain neutral in the debate over slavery, but he increasingly sided with Free-Staters and drew the ire of proslavery residents and their Missouri neighbors. After receiving numerous death threats, Geary tendered his resignation to President James Buchanan, but Buchanan fired him on March 12. On March 20, 1857, Geary left office and served as a brigadier general with mixed success under General Ulysses S. Grant.
Object Type: Image

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 27, 1863, is from Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. In response to a letter from Comingo, Alexander states that he is unable to relieve Comingo's Board of the duties imposed upon it by Circular No. 101.
Date: November 27, 1863

Title: "An Abolition Trick Exposed!" Eh?
Description: This broadside was published by H. Miles Moore, a writer for the Weston Reporter in Platte County, Missouri, on August 12, 1854. Moore responds to B.F. Stringfellow’s accusations that he is a Freesoiler and “the secret tool of abolitionists.” He angrily denies the charges and claims to despise abolitionists. He includes a letter, signed by 17 other Platte County citizens, that accuses Stringfellow of publicly stating that “all who labor for their daily bread . . . are slaves” and “all females who labor for their daily bread are whores.”
Object Type: Broadside
Date: August 12, 1854

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

Title: Monument to the Eighth Kansas Volunteer Infantry
Description: This photograph depicts a monument to the Eighth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Col. John A. Martin and Generals August Willich, T.J. Wood, and Gordon Granger. A bronze plaque commemorates the regiment's November 23, 1863 battle at Missionary Ridge, which is now a part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The photograph was taken by Schmedling of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Object Type: Image

Title: Correspondence of the Kansas Territory Executive Department
Description: These documents, dated between 1855 and 1856, relate to the organization and administration of the Kansas Territorial Militia, Northern Division. The documents include commissions issued by acting Kansas Governor Daniel Woodson, officer appointments, and company requests to be mustered out of service.
Date: 1855-1856

Title: Missouri State Militia Special Order to Receive New Privates
Description: By order of Colonel Joseph J. Gravely, 1st Lt. H. L. Lattrell instructs Capt. James J. Akard to recieve new privates who have not yet reported after being transferred from Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Companies "E" and "F" to Company "A".
Date: January 4, 1864

Title: From John S. Jones to George R. Smith
Description: On June 30, 1854, John S. Jones writes from the National Hotel in Washington, DC to Gen. George R. Smith. Jones wishes Smith well in the legislative elections, but admits that he hopes "a good Democrat will beat you by a small majority." He declares that Old Bullion "has thrown him self in the arms of Free Soilers and Abolitionists," and adds that he hopes Price is not elected.
Object Type: Letter
Date: June 30, 1854

Title: The Surrender of General Lee
Description: Illustration of General Lee surrendering to General Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

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

Title: From Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell
Description: This dispatch, dated August 6, 1862, is from Kansas Gov. Thomas Carney to James L. McDowell. Carney orders McDowell to return a pistol and rifle that were stolen from Col. Barnes by Jayhawkers. A note from C. Clarkson at the bottom of the page states that the rifle was in fact stolen but the pistol was not.
Date: August 6, 1862

Title: Battle of Chickamauga
Description: Kurz & Allison lithograph of the Battle of Chickamauga, circa 1890.
Object Type: Image

Title: William Clarke Quantrill
Description: Charcoal portrait of William Clarke Quantrill in suit coat and tie. Captain William Clarke Quantrill was the most noted of all guerrilla leaders. His commission was as Captain of Cavalry Scouts for the Confederates. He led the raid or massacre on Lawrence, Kansas, on August 21, 1863. After the Battle of Westport in October 1864, Quantrill went to Kentucky where he was mortally wounded by Federal soldiers. He was taken to a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, where he died June 6, 1865, at the age of 27.
Object Type: Image

Title: From George W. Deitzler to Commanding Officer
Description: This U.S. Military Telegraph message was sent to the “Commanding Officer” by Maj. Gen. George W. Deitzler in Independence, Missouri on October 20, 1864. Deitzler states that after a lengthy battle on October 19, Gen. Blunt has been driven from Lexington, Missouri by a Confederate force commanded by Gen. Price. Deitzler says that the Union side lost 20 men killed and wounded, and that Gen. Price’s current position is unknown. Deitzler adds that telegraphic communication between Kansas City and St. Louis is uninterrupted, and that “the danger to Kansas is not considered imminent.”
Date: October 20, 1864

Title: From William Kaucher to William Fowler
Description: This letter, dated August 4, 1864, is from William Kaucher, Sheriff of Holt County, Missouri, to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal of the 7th district of Missouri. Kaucher asks Fowler to confirm that Holt County should enlist 158 additional volunteer soldiers. He asks Fowler to ensure that Holt County is given credit for the number of men in Company C, 9th Missouri State Militia, under the command of Capt. S. Patterson.
Date: August 4, 1864

Title: Missouri State Militia Marching Orders
Description: This General Order to the Missouri State Militia outlines the etiquette of enlisted men while in ranks. S. B. Shaw comments that while marching, "no one shall fire a gun, or cry 'halt' or 'march' without orders."
Date: January 12, 1862

Title: From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Description: In a July 23, 1856 letter to the editor of the Hopkinton (MA) Patriot, Edward Fitch writes that “two or three” men were killed for attending a meeting of the Free State Legislature in Topeka. He says that U.S. Troops have been disarming members of the Free State party and that Border Ruffians have driven out and captured a number of Free State men. He ends the letter by stating that the people of Kansas will not allow themselves to be taxed by the Bogus Legislature.
Date: July 23, 1856

Title: The Battle of the Crater
Description: John Adams Elder painting of the Battle of the Crater, part of the Siege of Petersburg, which took place on July 30, 1864.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written between February 28 and March 8, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair in Grafton, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes that she plans to go to Oberlin, Ohio the next day and then travel to Xenia, Ohio the following week. She says that Marian’s ill health is slowly improving; Marian “feels that she has been sorely afflicted but trusts that it has been for her spiritual good & advancement in the Christian life.” Florella also refers to Lincoln's recent inauguration.
Date: February 28, 1861-March 8, 1861

Title: From Samuel Medary's Private Secretary to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated May 18, 1859, is from the private secretary of Kansas Gov. Samuel Medary to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. The secretary requests a copy of a letter that Medary wrote to Stewart on January 9 or 10, 1859.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: May 18, 1859

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

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