Civil War

Title: From Charles Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description: This letter was written on February 20, 1861 by Charles Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to his father Samuel Lyle Adair. Charles says that he plans to stop attending school the following week before joining his mother, Florella Brown Adair, in Grafton, Ohio to travel south. He states that his school’s schedule was briefly disrupted by Lincoln’s recent visit to Hudson.
Date: February 20, 1861

Title: John Otis Wattles
Description: A photograph of John Otis Wattles, abolitionist and founder of the Free-State town of Moneka, in Linn County, Kansas.
Object Type: Image

Title: Benjamin McCulloch, C.S.A.
Description: Black and white portrait of Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch.
Object Type: Image

Title: Lexington Courthouse
Description: Partial frontal view of courthouse in Lexington showing cannon ball embedded in column.
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From Samuel B. Lawrence to A. Comingo
Description: On December 3, 1863, Assistant Adjutant General Samuel B. Lawrence writes from the Provost Marshal General's Office in Washington, DC, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri, in Lexington, Missouri. Lawrence informs Comingo that the nominations he submitted for recruiting agents have been approved, adding that Comingo should notify him if any of the men are currently in the U.S. service.
Date: December 3, 1863

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

Title: From G.A. Parsons to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter, dated June 4 and 5, 1858, is from Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Parsons reports that he will ask a former Kansas resident named Hamilton to submit a statement about the crimes of James Montgomery and his followers. Parsons relays a rumor that 100-200 Kansas citizens who have sought refuge in Missouri plan to return to Kansas and seek revenge on Montgomery. He also reports a recent attack on Butler County, Missouri, and informs Stewart that Col. Blakey is organizing a volunteer company of Missouri citizens.
Date: June 4, 1858-June 5, 1858

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: Examination of John A. Estes
Description: This 1866 loyalty examination document bears the name John A. Estes. Estes, a 48-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has resided in Missouri for 35 years. He declares that he is a "sympathizer with the Rebellion" and does not wish to take the Oath of Loyalty. The document is contained in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

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: From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Description: Edward Fitch, along with his wife Sarah, writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on December 8, 1861. They describe their family’s Thanksgiving celebration in Lawrence, Kansas, where they served a baked turkey and twenty-five pies. Edward goes on to criticize James Henry Lane and accuses him of stealing money. He also expresses disappointment about the removal of John Fremont from military command: “He has been grossly abused by men in high places because they thought he was getting to be more popular than they themselves were.”
Date: December 8, 1861

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: Examination of Michiel Castalo
Description: This is Michiel Castalo's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Castalo, a 44-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, originally from Ireland, states that during the Civil War, he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government by nursing the sick and wounded. The oath, No. 15 in a bound volume, was signed by Castalo in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

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

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