Civil War

Title: From Noah Grant to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated November 26, 1860, is from Noah Grant of Canton, Missouri to Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Grant, captain of the Canton Guards, states that he has heard about attacks launched on western Missouri by bands of Kansas abolitionists, and he volunteers the services of his troops: “we are ever Ready to hunt our Enemies.”
Date: November 26, 1860

Title: From Frederick Starr to Dear Father
Description: On January 15, 1855, Frederick Starr writes from Weston, Missouri to his father. Starr describes attending a meeting of the Platte County, Missouri Self Defensive Association, where he spoke about how a northern man could not be expected to change his opinion of slavery just because he moved to the south. Starr also told the Association’s members that slavery in Missouri, and especially in Platte County, was not representative of the institution as a whole, because “it is here of a milder type than any where else in the nation.”
Date: January 15, 1855

Title: Slave State Population Statistics
Description: This 1852 document lists population statistics for the slave states, including the number of whites, free blacks, slaves, farms, and proportion of slaves to farms. The document shows that Missouri’s population was comprised of 592,077 whites, 2,544 free blacks, and 87,422 slaves. The document also contains statistics on the number of free and slave families in Missouri, indicating that 26,096 families owned slaves.
Object Type: Document
Date: 1852

Title: Examination of Addison P. Evans
Description: This is Addison P. Evans' 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Evans, a native of Kentucky, states that he has lived in Missouri for eight years. He states that he has given bond to the military authorities, and was enrolled as "disloyal but against my will" in 1862. The oath is No. 205 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From E.B. Alexander to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated October 3, 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. Alexander gives Comingo instructions for completing payment forms for his deputies and special agents.
Date: October 3, 1863

Title: Application of John T. Doxey
Description: This is John T. Doxey’s application for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slave, Samuel. The application, dated December 7, 1866, includes an oath of allegiance to the United States, a statement that Doxey lawfully inherited his slave, and the signatures of two witnesses and a notary public in Chariton County, Missouri. Attached is a note from November 8, 1864 declaring that Doxey has proven his loyalty to the Union and deserves federal protection. The note is signed by Captain Henry Bucksath of the 35th Regiment of Missouri Militia, Company G.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 8, 1864-December 7, 1866

Title: From George Applegate to James Applegate
Description: This letter, dated March 3, 1865, is from George Applegate in Lisbon, California to his brother James Applegate in Missouri. He discusses life in California, then curses abolitionists: “All the harm I wish them is that they may indure [sic] all the evils their suicidal course is bringing on our once happy land...” He expresses shock and anger that a black attorney was admitted to the United States Supreme Court.
Date: March 3, 1865

Title: Examination of William Groom
Description: This is William Groom's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Groom, a 51-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 38 years and manifested his loyalty during the war by "staying at home and attending to my own business." The oath is No. 167 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Col. William D. Wood's Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Certificate of Mustering In
Description: In this military document, Col. William D. Wood musters Captain David D. Stockton's Company of Mounted as Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A".
Date: December 18, 1861

Title: From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description: On October 7, 1864, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Missouri to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter says that prices for goods are rising and "farmers can't keep up with the merchant." He reports that the railroad is complete "from Independence to Kansas City and next spring will be run through to St. Louis…If we only had peace we might enjoy the sight of such improvements." He also mentions that "there was a great revival of religion in the army."
Date: October 7, 1864

Title: Resolutions Presented to the Missouri State Convention
Description: This document includes several resolutions presented to the Missouri State Convention held in Jefferson City, Missouri during February and March 1861. Mr. Linton suggests that “there exists no adequate cause why Missouri should secede from the Union,” while Mr. Hendrick declares that the secession of other states “is unauthorized in law and without adequate cause in fact.” Mr. Orr resolves “that we have the best government in the world and intend to keep it.” The signature of Secretary Samuel A. Lowe attests that the document is a true copy.
Object Type: Government Document

Title: Sale of Slave
Description: This document declares the sale of four slaves—Ritter, Bird, Fanny, and John—to Stephen Bedford for $182.50. It was signed and dated by Marion M. Biggerstaff of Clinton County, Missouri on July 5, 1857.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: July 5, 1857

Title: Examination of Henry Hill
Description: This is Henry Hill's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hill, a 62-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Philadelphia and remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 36 in a bound volume, was signed by Hill in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Llewellyn Fritzlin
Description: This is Llewellyn Fritzlin's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Fritzlin, a 23-year-old Missouri native, states that he left the state during the war, but "I did not leave to keep out of the service[.] I had exemption papers." He also says he was not required to give bond during the war. The oath is No. 250 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of William B. Pence
Description: This is William B. Pence's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Pence, 30, states that he resides in Clay County, Missouri. He says he was enrolled by the military authorities as "Disloyal against my will" in 1862, and required to give bond. The oath is No. 210 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of George Hughes
Description: This is George Hughes's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hughes describes himself as a 40-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War, but expresses concern that requiring voters to make an oath of loyalty is "contrary to the Constitution of the U.S." The oath, labeled No. 48 in a bound volume, was signed by Hughes, a professor at William Jewell College, in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: In this January 20, 1856 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes that Missourians launched an attack near Leavenworth on Election Day and tried to confiscate the ballot boxes. Fitch predicts an imminent war, and laments: “How long O Lord must we suffer thus. I hope you will raise an army in the East and March through Missouri and Proclaim liberty to the slave.” Included is a copy of a September 15, 1855 broadside published by John Speer that challenges the Bogus Legislature.
Date: January 20, 1856

Title: Examination of William J. Bishop
Description: This is William J. Bishop's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Bishop, who was born in New York, describes himself as a 52-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri. He states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the Union during the Civil War "by doing military duty for the govt." The oath, labeled No. 44 in a bound volume, was signed by Bishop on September 29, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 29, 1866

Title: Invoices of Quartermaster's Stores
Description: This military document is a collection of Quartermaster Property Invoices for the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" that shows the transfer of various items such as mule collars and wagons in between Lieutenant T. E. Gray, Captain James J. Akard, and Captain R. B. Owen.
Date: 1863 - 1865

Title: From R.R. Boone to Dear Father
Description: R.R. Boone writes a letter from Buchanan County, Missouri to his father on September 12, 1858. Boone reacts to news of guerrilla warfare in Kansas, proclaiming "I am a great mind some times to gather my Rifle and gow & skalp some of these infernal theaving abolitionist." He criticizes both political parties and voices anger that the government has not put a stop to the violence in Kansas.
Date: September 12, 1858

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

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