Civil War

Title: Memorandum of Losses to Federal Troops, 1861-1863
Description: This table, written between 1861 and 1863, summarizes property losses sustained by Daniel A. DeWitt of Jackson County, Missouri during the war. Raided six times, DeWitt kept a careful record of each item lost to Union forces, listing its description and value and the name of the commanding officer responsible for the raid. Clothing, horses, livestock, farm equipment, and crops were among the items taken; the final raid, including the loss of “house and contents,” occurred on August 25, 1863 when DeWitt’s farm was burned out.
Object Type: Document
Date: 1861-1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri, reacting to news that her family has fallen victim to “outrages” perpetrated by “evil minded persons.” In the letter, dated July 12, 1864, he informs Eugenia that a Mr. Taylor and a Mr. Robinson have taken possession of two of his houses. He also makes reference to an attack on a black woman’s home, but he omits details because he does not want his words to be “wrongly construed.”
Date: July 12, 1864

Title: From Charles W. Zuck to A. Comingo
Description: On March 21, 1864, Charles W. Zuck writes from Carrollton, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri in Lexington, Missouri. Zuck reports that 58 "colored recruits" were enlisted in Carroll County, Missouri during January and February 1864. He adds that he does not yet know the number of white recruits enlisted.
Date: March 21, 1864

Title: From D.W. Frost to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on January 9, 1859 by Brig. Gen. D.M. Frost, Missouri Militia, at Headquarters, 1st Military District in St. Louis, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Frost refers to Stewart’s recommendation that a military force be organized to protect “our State frontiers against the depredations of Kansas Outlaws & Ruffians,” and states that he is “prepared at any moment to Execute your orders.”
Date: January 9, 1859

Title: From S.H. Woodson to George R. Smith
Description: On July 1, 1856, S.H. Woodson writes from Independence, Missouri to Gen. George R. Smith. Woodson denies the charge that he called Smith "as great an Abolitionist as there was in Massachusetts or in New York," declaring "There is not one word of truth in it."
Date: July 1, 1856

Title: From the Kansas State Central Committee to Philip St. George Cooke
Description: This September 3, 1856 letter is from the Kansas State Central Committee to Lieut. Col. Philip St. George Cooke. The committee members state that Free State supporters have been forced to take up arms to defend themselves against “the inhuman atrocities of organized bands of assassins” from Missouri. They claim that the civil authorities have not helped, and they ask Cooke for protection. The letter is signed by H. Miles Moore, secretary of the committee, as well as W.R. Frost, Morris Hunt, and J. Lawson.
Date: September 3, 1856

Title: Examination of Victor Boyer
Description: This is Victor Boyer's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Boyer, a 29-year-old Missouri native, states that he resides in Clay County, Missouri and was enrolled by the military authorities as "disloyal" in 1862. The oath is contained in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of D.C. Allen
Description: This unsigned 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States bears the name of D.C. Allen. The oath is No. 192 in a bound volume of loyalty oaths given by citizens of Liberty, Missouri between 1866 and 1868.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From John M. Schofield to Thomas Carney
Description: This letter, dated September 3, 1863, is from Major General John M. Schofield to Kansas Governor Thomas Carney. Schofield thanks Carney for offering the assistance of the Kansas Militia in protecting Lawrence and other border towns from Missouri rebels. Many of Schofield’s troops, he says, have left to fight with the regiments of Generals Grant, Steele, and Blunt. Schofield expresses a desire to avenge Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, and he hopes that the extra troops will be able to “destroy the guerrilla bands which have so long savaged the border.”
Date: September 3, 1863

Title: Examination of Samuel Ruffner
Description: This is Samuel Ruffner's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Ruffner, a 72-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 16 years and "was always in favor of the Constitution of the United States." The oath is No. 225 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Applications of John Herndon
Description: These are John Herndon’s applications for compensation from the United States government for the military service of his slaves, Harrison Small and Reubin Herndon. The applications, dated November 19, 1866, include oaths of allegiance to the United States, a power of attorney transfer to Isaac C. Dodge, statements that John Herndon (of Howard County, Missouri) lawfully acquired his slaves, and the signatures of two witnesses and a notary public in Cooper County, Missouri. A note in pencil on the tenth page indicates that the application was rejected. Also included is Harrison Small’s enlistment form, signed and dated November 29, 1863.
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: November 29, 1863 and November 19, 1866

Title: Examination of Jasper Thomas
Description: This is Jasper Thomas's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Thomas, a 21-year-old native of Mercer County, Missouri, states that he served in the Federal army during the war. He also says that he "felt sad" upon hearing of the Federal defeat at Bull Run in 1861. The oath is No. 194 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Missouri Militia Request for Recommendations for Enrolling Officers
Description: Missouri Militia Colonel Hosea G. Mullings requests that James J. Akard recommends "competent energetic and reliable men, for Enrolling Officers" in southwestern Missouri.
Date: September 3, 1866

Title: Examination of Jonathan G. Payne
Description: This is Jonathan G. Payne's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Payne, a 55-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has resided in Missouri for 6 years, and manifested his loyalty during the war by staying at home and attending to his own business. As an invalid, he was "unable to bear arms." The oath is No. 190 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Abishai Stowell to Margaret Torrence
Description: On October 14, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister Margaret. Stowell, a member of Co. A, 2nd Kansas Volunteers, tells Margaret that her recent letter "was the third letter that I have got for over 8 months and I have written at least forty since that time." He adds that he hastens to answer her letter, "for soldiers don't know at what hour they may be called on to leave camp or how long they will have to stay away."
Date: October 14, 1864

Title: Examination of M.L. Farminger
Description: This is M.L. Farminger's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Farminger, a 29-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he served in the United States army from 1861 to 1865. The oath, labeled No. 64 in a bound volume, was signed by Farminger in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Clifton Searcy
Description: This is Clifton Searcy's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Searcy describes himself as a 41-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that during the Civil War, he sympathized "especially with those who suffered." He admits that he does not know if he truly remained loyal to the United States Government during the war. The oath, labeled No. 74 in a bound volume, was signed by Searcy in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From James Beatty to William Fowler
Description: On August 29, 1864, James Beatty, Deputy Provost Marshal for the 20th Missouri subdistrict, writes from Milan, Missouri to Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal for the 7th District of Missouri, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Beatty reports that Wesley Griffith of Taylor, Missouri claims that the township is "entitled to many more credits for soldiers furnished" than appear in the draft documents. Beatty also states that he sent a soldier back to his regiment because his sick furlough had expired.
Date: August 29, 1864

Title: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This March 1864 military roll lists the names of "colored troops" enlisted in the 6th district, 28th sub-district in Chariton County, Missouri. The roll provides the soldiers' physical characteristics, occupations, birthplaces, and the names of their owners.
Date: March 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On June 15, 1863, John Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh. John references an incendiary “peace meeting” in New York (possibly the June 3 “Peace Convention”), likening it to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. He fears that war may soon permeate “every state in the Union.” John mentions a friend who has seen “every battle fought by General Price since the Lexington fight,” and is now awaiting exchange as a military prisoner.
Date: June 15, 1863

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

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