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Court Martial Proceedings Against Capt. John E. Stewart
Title
Court Martial Proceedings Against Capt. John E. Stewart
Description
This document details the court martial proceedings at Kansas City, Missouri against Capt. John E. Stewart, Co. C, 9th Kansas Volunteers on November 18, 1863. Stewart is accused of “conduct unbecoming an officer and a Gentleman” by misrepresenting himself as a Missouri citizen to Kansas City election officials on November 5, 1863. Stewart pleaded not guilty and was acquitted. On the last page of the document, General Ewing writes a response in which he asks the court to reconsider the verdict.
Date
November 18, 1863
From Sarah Fitch to My Dear Father and Mother
Title
From Sarah Fitch to My Dear Father and Mother
Description
In an emotional letter dated September 2, 1863, Sarah Fitch informs her husband Edward’s parents that he was killed during Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence. She estimates that 250-300 of Quantrill's men arrived in Lawrence on horseback and fired at everyone in sight, leaving bodies “scattered all over town.” She writes that they approached her home, “screaming and yelling like so many demons from the infernal pit,” then shot Edward in the heart and burned down their house. She suspects they targeted her family because her children had been playing "soldier" and had left a Union flag hanging on their woodshed.
Date
September 2, 1863
From A.W. Mitchell to J.T. Sweringen
Title
From A.W. Mitchell to J.T. Sweringen
Description
This letter, dated May 29, 1861, is from A.W. Mitchell in Huntsville, Missouri to J.T. Sweringen in St. Louis. Mitchell notes that there has been some controversy over the U.S. providing arms to the Kansas Militia, and expresses concern that it will be detrimental to Missouri. He tells Sweringen that planting season has begun, and thus people are too busy "to attend much to politics," but adds that "no matter what our sentiments are we are all forced at this time to be Union men."
Date
May 29, 1861
Examination of Mulford Rose
Title
Examination of Mulford Rose
Description
This is Mulford Rose's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Rose, a 35-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Pennsylvania and that he served in the militia in Kansas during the Civil War. The oath, labeled No. 33 in a bound volume, was signed by Rose in 1866.
Object Type
Government Document
Date
1866
Union Men and Their Sufferings in North-Western Missouri
Title
Union Men and Their Sufferings in North-Western Missouri
Description
This 1864 pamphlet, entitled “Union Men and Their Sufferings in North-Western Missouri,” was written by Major J.M. Bassett, former Provost Marshal-General of the Northwest District of Missouri. Bassett provides a “glance at the history of the Rebellion in Northwest Missouri,” admitting “it may be that my hatred for rebels is too intense, my sympathy for loyal men too strong, to make every sentence I write acceptable to all.” The pamphlet, which features several black-and-white illustrations, was published by the Press of Wynkcop, Hallenbeck, and Thomas in New York, with proceeds from its sale given to The Ladies’ Aid Society of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Date
1864
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Description
On May 2, 1863, Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble writes from St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble informs Lincoln about "the perpetration of murders and arsons and other outrages committed by persons connected with the Army…and whose crimes you have the power to restrain." He asks Lincoln to put a stop to the "butcheries" occurring in Missouri's western counties, and suggests that Lincoln replace Gen. Curtis as commander of the district in favor of someone who is "too brave to be cruel."
Object Type
Government Document
Date
May 2, 1863
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Description
On September 8, 1862, Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble writes from St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble states that Gen. Lane and Col. Jennison are raising a military force and plan to invade Missouri. Gamble declares that if the invasion is carried out, "I will resist it with all the force I can command and…shall find myself obliged to give the people of Kansas a taste of the evils of war in their own territory." Gamble asks Lincoln to forbid U.S. troops from entering Missouri without permission.
Object Type
Government Document
Date
September 8, 1862
From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Title
From George Miller to Dear Father and Mother
Description
This letter, dated January 14, 1861, is from George Miller in Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri, to his parents. Miller writes that Lt. Col. Daniel R. Anthony and his Kansas troops invaded Pleasant Hill, stealing 55 slaves and $10,000 worth of property. He complains that the Missouri Secessionists are "fast beginning to give up the contest" and laments that "the country is being ruined."
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 14, 1861
From R.G. Elliott to Dear Sister
Title
From R.G. Elliott to Dear Sister
Description
This letter, dated August 3, 1863, is from R.G. Elliott in Lawrence, Kansas to his sister. He responds to her complaints about Copperheads: "If you could only send them out here we would make them keep quiet." He writes about a political meeting in Leavenworth that ended in threats of violence. He adds that there has been an increase in guerrilla activity near the Kansas-Missouri border, and that the people of Kansas are preparing to defend themselves against attack.
Date
August 3, 1863
From F.L. Pilla to Dear Brother
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
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Description
This letter, dated May 19, 1862, is presumably from Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble in St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble asks for Lincoln's help in restoring peace to Missouri's border counties by ordering that no troops raised in Kansas may enter Missouri unless by request. Gamble adds that in the interest of impartiality, "I am perfectly willing that Missouri troops shall be prohibited from entering Kansas without like request."
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 19, 1862
From James H. Lane to E.M. Stanton
Title
From James H. Lane to E.M. Stanton
Description
On September 3, 1863, James H. Lane writes from Leavenworth, Kansas to Secretary of War E.M. Stanton. Lane states that as Col. S.W. Eldridge has suffered greatly from the loss of The Free State Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas, during Quantrill's Raid on the town, he should be granted a leave of absence to travel east, presumably to appeal for aid in rebuilding the hotel.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 3, 1863
Diary of Jonathan B. Fuller
Title
Diary of Jonathan B. Fuller
Description
This is an excerpt from the diary of Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller. Fuller, a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri, writes about visiting military hospitals, leading prayer meetings for soldiers, and hearing the sounds of muskets in nearby skirmishes. His diary entries, dated June 4, 1864 - June 25, 1865, also describe the Battle of Westport, and mention the movements of Gen. Price and Col. Jennison, and the assassination of President Lincoln.
Object Type
Diary
Date
June 4, 1864-June 25, 1865
Wyllys C. Ransom vs. George C. Bingham
Title
Wyllys C. Ransom vs. George C. Bingham
Description
These documents, created between 1866 and 1867, relate to the Jackson County, Missouri court case Wyllys C. Ransom vs. George C. Bingham. Ransom accuses Bingham of slander, asserting that Bingham publicly and repeatedly said he was a “murderer, robber, thief and a house burner” during the Civil War. Portions of testimony are from Ransom’s fellow officers in the Kansas Volunteers. Ransom seeks $30,000 in damages.
Object Type
Legal Document
Date
1866-1867
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
In an April 28, 1861 letter to his parents in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas declares, “did you think that you would ever live to see it—a Civil War, the most horrible of all wars.” He informs them that he has joined an artillery company. He adds that the military “is organising in large numbers” in Lawrence, but he expresses his fear that if Missouri secedes from the Union, Kansas will not have enough arms or ammunition for defense. He also expresses concern that the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes will fight for the South.
Date
April 28, 1861