Civil War

Title: From Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown
Description: This letter, dated April 22, 1862, is from Daniel L. Chandler to John Stillman Brown. Chandler reports that his regiment recently marched from Wyandotte, Kansas to Paola, Kansas and merged with the "3d Regt." He adds that the staff officers, including colonels and surgeons, have been mustered out of his regiment, and that he may lose his position as hospital steward.
Object Type: Image
Date: April 22, 1862

Title: From William Murphy to John W. Geary
Description: This letter, dated September 23, 1856, is from William Murphy, mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas, to Gov. John W. Geary. Murphy responds to Geary’s recent inquiry about a group of citizens who claim they were forced to leave Leavenworth. He confirms that Capt. Emory told “all persons who were not in favour of the laws, and unwilling to fight in defence of the City, that they had better leave.” He assures Geary that these people may safely return to Leavenworth “if they will act as law abiding citizens.”
Date: September 23, 1856

Title: From Elizabeth S.C. Earl to Dear Mother
Description: This letter, dated September 22, 1863, is from Elizabeth S.C. Earl in Lawrence, Kansas to her mother. She assures her mother that she is safe and has survived Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence. She adds that "you cannot imagine the distress, and suffering, of our women and children," and states that the Raid left 180 women widows and 200 children orphans. Earl tells her mother that she has taken charge of the City Hotel after the owner was killed and his family went back East.
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 22, 1863

Title: Instructions to Gen. P.F. Smith
Description: This document comprises a series of instructions given by the Secretary of War to Gen. P.F. Smith, Commander of the Department of the West, between February 15, 1856 and September 5, 1856. Smith is instructed to “make every exertion in your power with the force under your orders to preserve the peace and prevent bloodshed.” The Secretary of War empowers Smith to act if armed resistance is made by citizens of any political persuasion. Smith is instructed not to interfere with the activities of the Kansas Militia.
Date: February 15, 1856-September 5, 1856

Title: Report of Colored Recruits Enlisted, Warrensburg, Missouri
Description: This military roll, dated March 16, 1864, shows the "colored recruits" enlisted at Warrensburg, Missouri between November 1863 and March 1864. The roll lists each recruit's name, county, and owner. The document is signed by Lieut. J.H. Smith, Assistant Provost Marshal and Recruiting Officer, and addressed to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri.
Date: March 16, 1864

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On November 26, 1864, John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John states that his recent trip to and from St. Louis was slowed by “those pesky rebels” who tore up the railroad, and Federals who burned the bridges. John says that since both armies were acting in accordance with the law of “self preservation,” which is "the first law of war," he will not complain.
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 26, 1864

Title: From A.F. Cox to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated October 6, 1863, is from A.F. Cox, Deputy Provost Marshal of Platte County, Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Cox reports that Platte County's Enrolling Officers -- Charles Guenther, Jacob W. Carson, Manoah Miles, and W.S. Forman -- have completed their work. A note at the bottom signed by Comingo states that Guenther never submitted enlistment rolls to his office.
Date: October 6, 1863

Title: From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description: On September 14 and 15, 1860, Florella Brown Adair writes from Grafton Station, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella describes the contents of a barrel of clothing and other items she is sending to them. She says that her health has improved, and that her relatives and friends are “trying to make me look more like civilized folk than we did in Kansas.” Florella adds that she recently spent hours in conversation with a friend “about Kansas matters.”
Date: September 14, 1860-September 15, 1860

Title: Letters Sent (Provost Marshal, Northern District of Kansas)
Description: This notebook contains copies of correspondence sent by the Provost Marshal's Office, Northern District of Kansas in Leavenworth, Kansas, between January and August 1865. The correspondence addresses topics such as enrollment, desertions, and reports of muster. Participants in the correspondence include Provost Marshal General James B. Fry and Capt. J. McCahon, Provost Marshal for the Northern District of Kansas.
Date: January 1865-August 1865

Title: Examination of John G. Wood
Description: This is John G. Wood's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Wood, a 25-year-old Missouri native, states that he served in the militia during the war. When asked "which side of the contest" he claimed to be on, Wood responds, "I was on the side of the Constitution[.] I did not believe either party was exactly right." The oath is No. 243 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of George M. Pryor
Description: This is George M. Pryor's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Pryor, a 63-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has resided in Missouri for 30 years and was enrolled by the military authorities as "loyal" in 1862. The oath is No. 152 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of Leonard Brassfield
Description: This is Leonard Brassfield's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Brassfield, an 80-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, originally from Kentucky, states that he remained loyal to the United States Government during the Civil War. He declares that, "I have always been a Union man," and "I have always been true to the Government in evry way." The oath, No. 13 in a bound volume, was signed by Brassfield in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: Examination of John Tay
Description: This is John Tay's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Tay, who was born in Ireland and describes himself as a 35-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri, states that during the Civil War "I took up my musket and went in to the field." The oath, No. 18 in a bound volume, was signed by Tay in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From John A. Halderman to B.M. Prentiss
Description: This dispatch, dated October 13, 1861, is from Maj. John A. Halderman at Camp Prentiss near Chillicothe, Missouri to Gen. Benjamin Prentiss. Halderman informs Prentiss that he recently visited Kansas to discuss with military authorities the defense of their state and of St. Joseph, Missouri. In the event of an insurrection or invasion, Halderman states, “you may safely rely upon two thousand troops being raised on a short notice from the ranks of the state militia.” He also mentions that Gov. Charles Robinson expressed his gratitude for Prentiss’s concern about Kansas.
Date: October 13, 1861

Title: From D.A.W. Morehouse to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on December 24, 1858 by D.A.W. Morehouse in Papinsville, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. Morehouse declares that “The troubles again are rife in Kansas. They do not stop there, but again have penetrated with an armed force into Mo.” Morehouse asks Stewart to “order that a Company of Rangers be placed upon the Line,” since “Montgomery & Brown…play back and forward into the state in the night time.” Morehouse also asks Stewart to assign him a duty to perform in responding to the guerrillas.
Date: December 24, 1858

Title: Oath of Allegiance of John T. Armantrout
Description: In his Oath of Allegiance, signed and dated June 22, 1865, former Confederate soldier John T. Armantrout declares loyalty to the United States government and denounces the Confederacy. Attached is a document that permits Armantrout to return home, by order of Major General Canby, following the surrender in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 8, 1865. Also attached is Armantrout’s Certificate of Enrollment in the Missouri Militia, signed in Saline County in 1866. Armantrout served as a private in Company C, 10th Regiment of Missouri Volunteers.
Date: 1865 - 1866

Title: Examination of John W. Collins
Description: This is John W. Collins's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Collins, a 43-year-old Kentucky native, states that he has lived in Missouri for 38 years and served in the militia during the war. The oath is No. 240 in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Amos Lawrence to Francis Granger
Description: This letter, dated September 9, 1856, is from Amos A. Lawrence in Boston to Francis Granger. Lawrence criticizes President Pierce and his administration for assuming that Kansas settlers are mounting an insurrection against the government. Lawrence insists that Kansans are loyal to the U.S. government, despite resisting the laws of Missouri. He adds that Kansans have "been on the defensive wholly" and have not retaliated against the Missourians who "robbed, burned & murdered" Kansas residents.
Date: September 9, 1856

Title: Letters Sent (Provost Marshal General's Bureau)
Description: This notebook contains copies of correspondence between Kansas Provost Marshal Alexander R. Banks in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Provost Marshal General James B. Fry in Washington, DC. The correspondence, written between June and December 1863, covers topics such as guerrilla warfare in Kansas and the raising of military forces to address it; appointments to various government positions; and how to handle property brought into Kansas by escaped slaves.
Date: June 1863-December 1863

Title: From Abishai Stowell to "Distant But Not Forgotten Sister"
Description: On January 8, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from Elm Springs, Arkansas, to his sister. Stowell reports that he has been in "4 fights:" Maysville, Indian Territory on October 22; Boonsboro, Arkansas on November 28; Prairie Grove, Arkansas on December 7; and Dripping Springs, Arkansas on December 28, which he describes in some detail. Stowell tells his sister not to worry about him, explaining, "I am on the right side as our recent victories will show for. I have never been hit although I have been in the thickest of the fight & have had my clothes cut by bullets."
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 8, 1863

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

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