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Title: From Benjamin Reeves to J.F. Benjamin
Description: This letter, dated August 31, 1863, is from Benjamin Reeves to Col. J.F. Benjamin, Provost Marshal of the 8th district of Missouri. Reeves, the Enrolling Officer of Howard County, Missouri, reports that he has had difficulty finding citizens willing to enlist in the military. He also reports that there has been much "excitement" in the area, as Bushwhackers have been "committing outrages every day and night."
Date: August 31, 1863

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: 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: 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: Examination of Joel H. Martin
Description: This is Joel H. Martin's 1866 Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Martin, a native of Kentucky, states that he has lived in Missouri for 34 years. He says he served in the State Guard during the war and "was arrested on suspicion of being a bushwhacker and was under arrest six weeks." He was later acquitted of the charge. The oath is contained in a bound volume.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

Title: From Allen T. Ward to My Dear Sister
Description: Allen T. Ward writes a letter from Paola, Kansas to his sister, S.T. Roberts, on October 21, 1861. He describes the warfare in Missouri: “as the Secession army sweeps over it, the union party has to fly for their lives; then in turn comes the union forces under Jim Lane and Montgomery, and all the Secessionists have to leave in a hurry or be shot down as so many wolves.” He states that the war has destroyed much of western Missouri, rendering it “almost entirely depopulated.” He tells her that Jayhawkers have been robbing people in both Kansas and Missouri, and that business and farming in Kansas have mostly ceased.
Date: October 21, 1861

Title: From James M. Boyer to A. Comingo
Description: This dispatch, dated November 25, 1863, is from James M. Boyer, Deputy Provost Marshal of Chariton County, Missouri, to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Boyer tells Comingo he suspects that several Chariton County residents are military deserters, but without a proper police force he cannot apprehend them. He expresses further concerns about Bushwhackers and "rebel deserters" who have not taken the Oath of Allegiance.
Date: November 25, 1863

Title: From George W. Deane to the Commander of Lawrence Forces
Description: This dispatch, dated August 26, 1861, is from George W. Deane at Camp Briggs in New Lancaster, Miami County, Kansas to the “Commander of Lawrence forces.” Deane asks the officer to join forces “for the purpose of Clearing the Border of Rebel forces.” He states that his goal is to concentrate as many forces in New Lancaster as he possibly can. He tells the officer to meet him in New Lancaster.
Date: August 26, 1861

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh in Calhoun, Missouri on October 5, 1863. He mentions having a conversation with a stranger in St. Louis and says it is important to be careful when meeting new people because they may be spies. Spies and detectives are necessary in war, he argues, but they sometimes make errors at the expense of the people they are supposed to protect. He tells Eugenia about a Dr. Zimmerman who was arrested, tried, and shot after fighting Bushwhackers who invaded his home. Still, Bushnell has hope for justice: “like Death it is sure to come.”
Date: October 5, 1863

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: John A. Bushnell of Calhoun, Missouri writes a letter to Eugenia Bronaugh on May 11, 14, and 25, 1864. He ponders the idea that the Civil War is a punishment from God. He relates rumors that a raid is coming from the South, that there are Bushwhackers in Bates and Henry Counties, and that John Marmaduke and Sterling Price are leading 90,000 troops into Missouri. He questions the validity of these rumors, but warns Eugenia to be careful in case there are Bushwhackers nearby.
Date: May 11, 1864-May 25, 1864

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

Title: Edward Fitch
Description: This black and white portrait depicts Edward Payson Fitch. He was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts in 1857 and was one of the early settlers in Kansas Territory. On August 21, 1863, he was killed in Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence. An intruder shot him in the heart, then burned down his house with his body still inside. His wife and three children escaped.
Object Type: Image

Title: John Thrailkill
Description: Charcoal portrait of John Thrailkill in suit coat, vest, shirt, and tie. Discrepancies exist concerning John Thrailkill and his participation in the Civil War. He is often confused with James Thrailkill. According to National Archives records, John Thrailkill first joined the Missouri State Guard and later enlisted in the 1st Missouri Cavalry as a private on December 25, 1861. His Civil War career is varied but he did command a number of guerrillas during the battle of Centralia, Missouri, September 27, 1864. At the end of the war, Thrailkill accompanied General Shelby to Mexico, where it appears Thrailkill remained until his death in 1898.
Object Type: Image

Title: From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description: On October 26, 1864, John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John refers to a fight “at Clinton yesterday,” and adds that several local men have joined the Confederates; John himself has been “sworn and paroled.” John predicts that “bands of men” will soon be “robbing and plundering” on the order of Bushwhackers and other groups. He advises Eugenia to hide her valuables and “any letters you do not want read” in case her house is searched. John writes of hearing rumors about the whereabouts of General Price’s army.
Object Type: Letter
Date: October 26, 1864

Title: From F.L. Pilla to Dear Brother
Description: F.L. Pilla writes a letter to his brother on September 21, 1863. Pilla writes about Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, explaining that Lawrence is seven miles from his home in Eudora, Kansas. On the day of the Raid, he heard a rumor that Quantrill planned to target Eudora, and readied himself for a possible attack. The following day, he visited Lawrence and found "the best part of the City burned down" and "dead bodies laying around in all directions."
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 21, 1863

Title: From Amos and Mary Graham to C.C. Graham
Description: This letter, dated July 10, 1864, was sent to C.C. Graham at Ft. Larned, Kansas, by his parents, Amos and Mary Graham in Maryville, Missouri. Because of a “poor prospect for crops” and the high cost of living, the Grahams write that “Things seem to be getting worse, here, than it ever was.” They state that “The Rebels of this county have been indicted for Treason” and describe how “Bushwhackers, Rebels, raids [and] fights” are consuming nearby counties, with “men killed in all directions.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 10, 1864

Title: Benjamin (Ben) Broomfield
Description: Charcoal portrait of Ben Broomfield with pullover shirt typical of the guerrillas, hat, and rifle. Ben Broomfield was with Quantrill and Bill Anderson, who "called him his own Indian." Broomfield was part Comanche. He took part in the Lawrence, Kansas, massacre on August 21, 1863. Facts don't correlate about his death. Broomfield was killed either in 1863 or 1864.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: From Mrs. Silliman to My Dear Relatives
Description: This letter, dated August 24, 1862, is from Mrs. Silliman of Warrensburg, Missouri to her “dear relatives.” She complains that since the war began, Warrensburg has transformed from a small, quiet town into “a thoroughfare for soldiers, jayhawkers, bush whackers . . . assassins & marauders.” She says that her son Oscar’s business has been stagnant, and that they might move to Arkansas until the war is over.
Date: August 24, 1862

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

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