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From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Title
From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Description
On July 25, 1864, Mary E. Bedford writes from her home in Andrew County, Missouri, to her husband Lt. Alex M. Bedford, Prisoner of War, 35th Division, Fort Delaware, Delaware. Mary explains that there has been much excitement in the area because of the bushwhackers: “The people anticipate great deal of trouble here, worse times than we have ever had but I hope not.” Mary also shares news of various acquaintances in the area, stating that most of the men have joined the Federal Army.
Date
July 25, 1864
From John Brown, Jr. to My Dear Friend
Title
From John Brown, Jr. to My Dear Friend
Description
This letter, dated July 18, 1862, is from John Brown, Jr., a former member of the 7th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, to his friend Parker Pillsbury. Last winter, Brown writes, he and his regiment helped to free more than 2,000 slaves. Now, he says, the commander of the regiment, Lieut. Col. Daniel R. Anthony, is under arrest. Brown includes a copy of a letter he received from another friend, Arthur T. Reeve, concerning Brig. Gen. Mitchell's arrest of Anthony. Brown writes: “His arrest for such a cause is in the estimation of every true man a greater honor than to have won a battle.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 26, 1862-July 18, 1862
From Alex M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Title
From Alex M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Description
On June 6, 1863, Alex M. Bedford writes from Johnson’s Island, near Sandusky City, to his wife Mary E. Bedford. Alex reports that he and Mary’s brother are in good health, and that they have been moved from Indianapolis to Johnson’s Island. Alex asks Mary to send him several items of clothing, and states that he recently sent her $60.00 to be given to Sister Mary of St. Joseph, Missouri. He explains that he is only permitted to write a one-page letter to her.
Date
June 6, 1863
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Title
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description
James Montgomery writes a letter from Mound City, Kansas to George L. Stearns on May 8, 1861. He reports that, “We are in a perilous position here, and have not ammunition enough to make a respectable fight.” He says that he has organized a regiment to help defend Kansas against pro-slavery Missourians, whose troops are camped along the border of Linn and Bourbon counties. He mentions that an Osage Indian chief attacked some of these troops, then “tied them with ropes to the Horns of his Saddles and dragged them out of the country.” Montgomery asks for Stearns’s assistance in acquiring arms and declares that, “If we have to fight, we will carry the war out of Kansas.”
Date
May 8, 1861
From Samuel Worthington to Dear Father
Title
From Samuel Worthington to Dear Father
Description
This letter, dated October 27, 1864, was written by Samuel Worthington at Headquarters, District of South Kansas, Paola, Kansas, to his father. Worthington states that he recently returned from the front, where he took part in five cavalry charges in one day during the Battle of Mine Creek. He describes participating in a charge with the 7th Kansas Cavalry in which they took 5 pieces of artillery and captured 300 prisoners including Confederate Gen. Marmaduke. “The Rebs are whipped completely,” Worthington declares.
Date
October 27, 1864
John T. Hughes
Title
John T. Hughes
Description
Photograph of Colonel John Taylor Hughes of the First Infantry Regiment, Fourth Division, Missouri State Guards. A veteran of the Mexican War, Hughes joined the Missouri State Guard following the Camp Jackson Affair and participated in several battles including the Battle of Carthage, the Battle of Wilson's Creek, the Siege of Lexington, and the First Battle of Independence where he was killed while leading a charge.
Object Type
Image
Date
n.d.
From James Montgomery to G.L. Stearns
Title
From James Montgomery to G.L. Stearns
Description
These two letters were sent to G.L. Stearns by James Montgomery. Writing from Mound City, Kansas on May 8, 1861, Montgomery states that he has organized a regiment and accepted a position on the Governor’s War Council. He reports that the Missourians are “trying to stir up the Indians on our border,” and asks Stearns for two small breech-loading guns. Writing from Lawrence, Kansas on June 21, 1861, Montgomery says that southern Kansas is threatened by invasion from Missouri and Arkansas, while Union men in Missouri are either driven out of the state or drafted into the Confederate army. Montgomery states that he has used Stearns' letter of credit at various times, and thanks him for his generosity.
Date
May 8, 1861 and June 21, 1861
From Mary E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Title
From Mary E. Bedford to A.M. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated January 11, 1864, is from Mary E. Bedford to her husband, Lieut. Alex M. Bedford. She expresses concern about his ailing health, and promises to send him money and provisions. She shares news of relatives, and reports that “it is peaceable hear now but the lord only knows how long it will remain so.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 11, 1864
Laura Hidden Pearson
Title
Laura Hidden Pearson
Description
This tintype, ca. 1860, depicts Laura Hidden Pearson, an Ohio native who married William D. Pearson in Cass County, Missouri. William was the oldest child of Robert D. Pearson, an early Cass County pioneer. William served in Confederate Captain Shanks’ company for nine months until he was taken prisoner near Lexington, Missouri; he was eventually released on parole. Laura and William married after the war.
Object Type
Image
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Title
From James Montgomery to George L. Stearns
Description
In this July 5, 1861 letter from Mound City, James Montgomery informs George L. Stearns that he has entered Missouri, along with 180 men, to aid the Union soldiers. Montgomery describes battles at Ball’s Mill and Bates County, reporting that his men have killed several Rebels and have had no casualties. He also mentions plans to raise a regiment.
Date
July 5, 1861
From Alex M. Bedford to Joseph L. Bennett
Title
From Alex M. Bedford to Joseph L. Bennett
Description
On April 13, 1865, Alex M. Bedford writes from Fort Delaware, Delaware, Division 34, to Joseph L. Bennett in Savannah, Missouri. Bedford writes about the surrender of Gen. Lee and his army: “they have gone up & our confederacy has played out & I will return home by taking the oath or any other way.” Complaining of poor health, Bedford seeks Bennett’s help in expediting his release, and suggests that he ask Major Bruce of St. Joseph, Missouri, to write to the War Department on his behalf.
Date
April 13, 1865
From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Title
From Mary E. Bedford to Alex M. Bedford
Description
On July 17, 1863, Mary E. Bedford writes from Savannah, Missouri to her husband Alex M. Bedford. Mary says that she believes Alex will be exchanged soon, and expresses hope that the war will soon come to an end. She states that she could not retrieve the horse Alex left in Clay County, Missouri, because it was taken as contraband. Mary provides an update about various friends in the area, including several who have left and some who joined the military. She adds that the price of goods is very high and that she may go to Kentucky to stay with relatives.
Date
July 17, 1863
Hon. John Bullock Clark of MO (General in Confederate Army)
Title
Hon. John Bullock Clark of MO (General in Confederate Army)
Description
Black and white portrait of Missouri Confederate General General John Bullock Clark, Jr.
Object Type
Image
From E.B. Alexander to William Fowler
Title
From E.B. Alexander to William Fowler
Description
On September 3, 1863, Col. E.B. Alexander, Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General in St. Louis, writes to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal for the 7th District of Missouri, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Alexander instructs Fowler not to enroll anyone who is "in the Rebel service." He adds that if any such men have been enrolled, their names must be stricken from the enrollment lists.
Date
September 3, 1863
Letters and Telegrams Sent (Provost Marshal's Office, 6th District Missouri)
Title
Letters and Telegrams Sent (Provost Marshal's Office, 6th District Missouri)
Description
This notebook contains copies of letters and telegrams sent from the Provost Marshal's Office, 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington Missouri, between May 21, 1864 and November 3, 1864. The letters, written by A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th District of Missouri, address topics such as guerrilla activity in Chariton County, Missouri and reopening the Provost Marshal's office in Lexington following "the rebel invasion." Correspondents include Missouri Provost Marshal General E.B. Alexander, U.S. Provost Marshal General James B. Fry, and Maj. Gen. W.S. Rosecrans.
Date
May 21, 1864-November 3, 1864
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Title
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description
This May 26, 1864 letter is from John A. Bushnell of Clinton, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh. He tells Eugenia that he avoids going out much of the time because he is afraid of being attacked by bushwhackers. He also tells her that, according to newspaper reports, Joseph Orville Shelby recently crossed the Arkansas River with 2,000 troops. He voices frustration with news sources, which he describes as “stirring” but “confused and contradictory.”
Date
May 26, 1864
From A.M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Title
From A.M. Bedford to Mary E. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated October 12, 1864, is from Lieut. Alex M. Bedford to his wife Mary E. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. He writes from Morris Island off the coast of Charleston, S.C., where he is imprisoned. He informs his wife that he has written to Gen. Craig and requested parole. He tells Mary, “I am very tired of prison life + want to get out if there is any honorable way.”
Date
October 12, 1864
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 John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Title
From John C. Gage to Dear Friends
Description
This letter, dated September 1, 1862, was written by John C. Gage in Kansas City, Missouri to friends in Pelham, New Hampshire. John states that Confederate forces camped nearby have retreated to Arkansas, leaving the area vulnerable to guerrilla attacks. The biggest threat comes from Jim Lane’s brigade under Jennison, which is “raising and arming negroes in Kansas to plunder good citizens in Missouri.” Of Jennison, John declares, “He ought to be killed and I would esteem it the best act of my life to do it.”
Date
September 1, 1862

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