Civil War

Title: Missouri State Militia Order for J. J. Akard to Attend a Court Martial
Description: By order of Brigadier General John B. Sanborn, Captain William T. Kittredge instructs Captain James J. Akard to attend a general court martial at Springfield, Missouri on January 30, 1895 and a military commission in Springfield the following day.
Date: January 24, 1865

Title: Franz Sigel
Description: Print showing Major General Franz Sigel, full-length portrait, facing right, riding on horseback with troops marching in formation.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1862

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to Miss Brown
Description: On August 30 and 31, 1862, Leigh R. Webber writes from Gibson County, Tennessee to Miss Brown. Webber says there are rumors that his regiment may go back to Kansas, but he hopes not. He writes that some of his fellow soldiers say "they had rather go to hell than to Lawrence and that it is the meanest place they were ever in, full of damned Abolitionists." Webber also offers his opinion that "guerrillas infest the country just in proportion, as the great rebel armies...are successful."
Date: August 30, 1862 - August 31, 1862

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter on September 25 and 27, 1862 to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. He tells her that he has been forced to surrender his house to the military for use as a hospital. He complains that he “could not regard it as friendly . . . yet I have done and am doing the best I can to bear with it.” He also discusses his faith in God, and expresses hope for peace and for positive changes in the Democratic Party.
Date: September 25, 1862-September 27, 1862

Title: From Daniel R. Anthony to Sister
Description: This letter, dated February 3, 1862, was written by Daniel R. Anthony in Mound City, Kansas, to his sister. Anthony’s command will march the following day to Humboldt, Kansas; he also plans to visit the Cherokee Nation where “there are 6,000 or 7,000 friendly Indians…ready and willing to fight all rebeldom.” He says that when his troops are on the march, they free and arm every slave they meet, hoping to incite a slave insurrection. Anthony notes that many men believe Frederick Douglass should come to Kansas and raise a regiment of blacks.
Date: February 3, 1862

Title: Soldier, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: This sepia carte de visite, ca. 1861-1865, depicts an unidentified soldier who served in the Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. It was produced by photographer J.P. Babbitt of Fort Scott, Kansas. Carte de visites were small photographs that were often used as calling cards and became very popular during the Civil War.
Object Type: Image

Title: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This December 1863 military roll lists the names of "colored recruits" enlisted in the 30th sub-district of the 6th congressional district of Missouri in Chariton County. The roll provides the soldiers' physical characteristics, occupations, birthplaces, and the names of their owners.
Date: December 1863

Title: William S. Graham
Description: This portrait of Lieutenant William S. Graham, Company H, 2nd U.S. Volunteers is affixed to a postcard with the words, "Ever Thine" written above Graham's signature. The postcard was sent to Osceola, St. Clair Co., Missouri with a 3 cent stamp attached.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1860 - 1865

Title: Order for Funding from Lexington, Missouri
Description: This is an order for funding issued by the headquarters of the Sixth Military District E.M.M., Lexington, Missouri. The order, issued by Brigadier General Vaughn and dated October 29, 1862, declares that “the disloyal citizens of the City and Township of Lexington are assessed $15,000 for the subsistence of the troops, the families of such as are in indigent circumstances, and refugees.” Recipients of the order are directed to pay their “proportion of the said assessment” at headquarters within ten days.
Date: October 29, 1862

Title: Invoices for Quartermaster Property for 1864
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 wagon saddles, horses, and mules in between Captain James J. Akard, Captain R. B. Owen, and Lieutenant G. B. Shubert.
Date: 1864

Title: From Charles Doubleday to James Montgomery
Description: This dispatch, dated April 1, 1862, was sent by Adj. Brig. Gen. Charles Doubleday at Fort Scott, Kansas, to Col. James Montgomery. Doubleday writes that he will investigate the “guerrilla parties” in Bates County as soon as he receives more specific instructions from department headquarters. He says he is reluctant to send his cavalry very far at present since he expects to receive marching orders for them.
Date: April 1, 1862

Title: From H.C. Wood to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated December 10, 1863, is from U.S. Army Capt. H.C. Wood to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Wood writes from the Provost Marshal General's Office at the War Department in Washington, D.C., clarifying a policy related to the employment of Enrolling Officers on Sundays.
Date: December 10, 1863

Title: Invoices for Quartermasters Stores for 1863
Description: This military document is a collection of Quartermasters Stores Invoices for the Missouri State Militia 8th Cavalry Regiment Company "A" that shows the transfer of various items such as wagon grease, paper, and mules in between Lieutenant Thomas A. Wakefield, Captain William C. Human, Lieutenant James J. Akard, Lieutenant J. B. Dexter.
Date: 1863

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

Title: From E.C. to Dear Father and Mother
Description: This letter, dated March 21, 1862, is from E.C. to his father and mother. E.C. says he is well and is anxious for news of the fight at Sugar Creek: "it is current report that a fight…lasted 4 days with a loss of 8 or ten thousand on the side of the confederate and twenty two thousand killed wounded and prisinors." He adds that skirmishes continue to take place every two or three days.
Date: March 21, 1862

Title: Soldier, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Description: This sepia carte de visite, ca. 1861-1865, depicts an unidentified soldier who served in the Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The carte de visite was produced by Bliss & Wentworth in Topeka, Kansas. Carte de visites were small photographs that were often used as calling cards and became very popular during the Civil War.
Object Type: Image

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

Title: From Leigh R. Webber to Miss Brown
Description: This faded letter, dated February 1, 1862, is from Leigh R. Webber to Miss Brown. Webber reports that he and his regiment are "comfortably situated," but he doesn't know how long they will remain so. He tells Miss Brown "the day after we got here one of our men who was drunk rode his [horse] into…Missouri…But fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately in case of the man) both were rescued." The letter is written on stationery printed with the phrase "Honor to the Brave."
Date: February 1, 1862

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

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: In this July 15, 1864 letter, John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri informs Eugenia Bronaugh of Hickory Grove, Missouri that he is in great danger. He says that his safety and his personal property are at risk and he laments that “the pretence of civil law is a humbug.” He conveys his desire for the war to end and for enemies to become friends, to love one another, and to love God.
Date: July 15, 1864

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

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