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Title: The Kansas War & Other Matters
Description: This poem was written in 1863 by S.S. Wiciszg, a soldier serving near Hardeeville, South Carolina. Wiciszg describes himself as "a soldier just from Lawrence" and decries the violence and guerrilla warfare in Kansas during the border wars. The poem condemns the Border Ruffians and the Doniphan Tigers. It also criticizes the political climate, and mentions the Free Soilers, Wilson Shannon, Horace Greely, and Arthur Tappan.
Object Type: Document
Date: 1863

Title: Peyton Long
Description: Charcoal portrait of Peyton Long in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Peyton Long enlisted May 1861 in Captain Tom McCarty's company of John T. Hughes regiment, of the Confederacy, but in January 1862, he joined Silas Gordon and in the summer of 1863, Quantrill. It's reported that Long killed more men during the Lawrence, Kansas, massacre on August 21, 1863, than any other raider. Long was killed in Meade County, Kentucky, during a skirmish around April 30, 1864. The "Liberty Tribune" (June 21, 1901) said he was killed in 1865.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: From Wilson Shannon to Franklin Pierce
Description: This letter, dated June 27, 1856, was written by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in St. Louis to President Franklin Pierce. Shannon informs Pierce that after recent “troubles” in Kansas Territory, the area is no longer threatened by any “illegal military bodies” as far as he knows. Shannon believes that the presence of federal troops helped to restore peace, and states that these troops should be maintained in Kansas to help suppress future conflicts. Shannon is particularly concerned about the threat of civil unrest if the Free State legislature meets, as planned, on July 4, 1856.
Object Type: Letter
Date: June 27, 1856

Title: From James Griffing to Augusta
Description: This letter, dated June 8, 1855, was sent to Augusta by James Griffing at Walnut Cabin. James discusses frontier life and news of friends in the area, and says that he plans to dispose of his current claim and secure one near Topeka, Kansas. He reassures Augusta that Kansas remains safe despite a violent episode of election fraud perpetrated by “a gang of drunken, worthless villains.”
Date: June 8, 1855

Title: John Jarrette
Description: Charcoal portrait of John Jarrette dressed in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Jarrette served as a captain under Quantrill and was married to the Younger brothers' sister Josephine. He also was a member of the James-Younger Gang.
Object Type: Image

Title: Frank James or Henry Clements
Description: Charcoal portrait drawing of one of the guerrillas, likely to be Frank James. Frank James, the older brother of Jesse, first joined the Missouri State Guard, but later became a member of Quantrill's guerrillas. Frank took part in many Civil War battles and skirmishes, including the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863, and the Centralia massacre. He surrendered at Samuel's Depot, Kentucky, at the end of the war. He was a member of the James-Younger gang and participated in numerous robberies, and although tried for some of these, was acquitted. He died of a stroke February 15, 1915. He is buried in the Hill family private cemetery near Kansas City.
Object Type: Image

Title: William Quantrill
Description: This illustration of Missouri Bushwhacker William Clarke Quantrill is included in the 1914 publication of "Three years with Quantrell; a true story".
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From D.R. Anthony to Dear Sister
Description: D.R. Anthony writes a letter from Leavenworth, Kansas to his sister on September 10 and 11, 1858. He reports the results of a recent municipal election, which put into office three Democrats, two Whigs, and fourteen Republicans. He expresses dismay about local Irish-Americans voting Democrat and their desire to establish a “Free white state for white men.” Anthony decries the rampant racism of the times, as well as “the ignorance and prejudice of the Irish.” He tells his sister that his antislavery stance has earned him “the reputation of being one of the most radical men in Kansas.”
Date: September 10, 1858-September 11, 1858

Title: Jesse James
Description: Black and white portrait of Bushwhacker, outlaw, and bank robber Jesse James, circa 1864.
Object Type: Image

Title: George (Bud) Wigginton
Description: Charcoal portrait of George (Bud) Wigginton dressed in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. George, along with his cousin John McCorkle, joined Quantrill in August of 1862. He fought at Independence, August 11, 1862. He went to Kentucky with Quantrill and fought at Worthville. "John McCorkle and his cousin George Wigginton attached themselves to a regular Confederate command and surrendered to ensure that they received honorable terms" (Pettersen, Paul R. "Quantrill of Missouri." Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 2003, pp. 409-410 [MVSC 973,742 Q12ZP].) After the war, Wigginton lived in Lee's Summit. He received the Southern Cross of Honor from Independence Chapter, U.D.C. in 1913. He died at Boulder, Colorado, on August 21, 1918, and was buried in Lee's Summit cemetery.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Mother
Description: Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on June 15, 1856. He voices disappointment with James Buchanan and predicts that if John C. Fremont is not elected president, Kansas will be admitted to the Union as a slave state. Yet he expresses optimism that “the death knell of slavery has been tolled.” He reports that Colonel Sumner has been gathering troops in Palmyra, Kansas, and he predicts that violence will ensue. He adds that in Lawrence, a number of Free State men have been robbed, and that “Men are being found dead more or less every little while.”
Date: June 15, 1856

Title: Robert Younger, Henrietta Younger, Cole Younger and James Younger
Description: Group photograph of siblings Robert Younger, Henrietta Younger, Cole Younger and James Younger. Cole, James (Jim), and Robert (Bob) were members of the notorious James-Younger Gang with fellow Bushwhackers Jesse and Frank James among others.
Object Type: Image

Title: From Julia Mariata to Unknown
Description: In this October 5, 1856 letter, Julia Mariata describes the arrest and capture of her brother-in-law, H. Miles Moore. On October 2, Mariata says, she and Moore left Lawrence, Kansas and stopped at the American Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, where Moore was arrested and taken away by a group of men. A Mr. King told Mariata that Moore was arrested because he had served as Adjutant General under Gen. Lane, and that “he was considered guilty of High Treason!”
Date: October 5, 1856

Title: William T. Anderson Memorial Portrait
Description: Tintype photograph of William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson, taken shortly after his death on October 27, 1864 in Richmond, Missouri.
Object Type: Image
Date: October 27, 1864

Title: Charles Fletcher (Fletch) Taylor
Description: Charcoal portrait of Charles Fletcher Taylor (Fletch) dressed in suit coat, shirt, tie, and hat. Fletch Taylor was one of the first members of Quantrill's raiders. He took part in the Lawrence, Kansas, massacre on August 21, 1863, and lost his arm from a gunshot wound in 1864. After the war he became a wealthy and respected citizen as vice president and general superintendent of the Joplin Mining and Smelting Co. Date of death is uncertain but may have been sometime between August 1916 and August 1917.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: From Josiah Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Description: This letter, dated January 25, 1856, is from Josiah Miller in Lawrence, Kansas to his parents living in a Southern state. Miller tells his parents about a recent election for Kansas state officers that ended in a skirmish between Free State men and proslavery men, including some from Missouri. He predicts that "this slavery question" will result in civil war, and urges his parents to move to a free state.
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 25, 1856

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description: Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas writes a letter to his parents in Massachusetts on September 30, 1855. He tells them that the pro-slavery faction will vote the next day to elect a Congressional delegate; however, the Free State Party intends to boycott the election. The Free State Party will instead vote on "Tuesday the 9th" and elect another candidate, at which point "Congress must decide which is entitled to a seat." According to rumors, Fitch says, proslavery Missourians plan to attack Lawrence and “kill all the Yankees.”
Date: September 30, 1855

Title: From William M. McPherson to George R. Smith
Description: On October 20, 1856, William M. McPherson writes from London to Gen. George R. Smith in Georgetown, Missouri. McPherson reports that his railroad securities business in London has been negatively affected by "the Kansas question and the exaggerated stories…about Missourians in Kansas going there to vote and control the elections[,] stopping emigrants…and driving out settlers." He adds that he hopes to buy 4,000 tons of iron for the railroad near Jefferson City before leaving London.
Date: October 20, 1856

Title: Thomas Coleman (Cole) Younger
Description: Charcoal portrait of Cole Younger dressed in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Cole Younger was active in several Civil War battles and a member of Quantrill's guerrillas when they raided Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863, and was part of the Baxter Springs massacre, October 6, 1863. After the war, he joined with Frank and Jesse James in several robberies. After the Northfield, Minnesota, bank robbery on September 7, 1876, he was arrested and sent to prison at Stillwater, Minnesota. He was granted a full pardon in 1903. He died March 21, 1916, at Lee's Summit, Missouri, and is buried in the Lee's Summit Cemetery.
Object Type: Image

Title: Baxter Mitchell
Description: Charcoal portrait of Baxter Mitchell dressed in suit coat, vest,shirt, and cravat. Little is known about Baxter Mitchell, who may also be Baker Mitchell, except that he took part in Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863.
Object Type: Image

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

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