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Title: Diary of Lewis Timothy Litchfield
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Lewis Thomas Litchfield, written between 1854 and 1855. Litchfield writes about leaving Boston and travelling to Kansas with a party from the Emigrant Aid Society. He describes the pioneer camp established near the junction of the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers, voting to name the settlement "Lawrence," and construction of the first building. Litchfield also mentions a burgeoning conflict between the Kansas settlers and the Missourians.
Object Type: Diary
Date: 1854-1855

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

Title: Examination of John R. Hall
Description: This is John R. Hall's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Hall, a 61-year-old resident of Liberty, Missouri, states that he was born in Kentucky and that he thought General Sterlin Price "ought to have been arrested by Fremont" after the capture of General Mulligan at the First Battle of Lexington. The oath, labeled No. 106 in a bound volume, was signed by Hall on October 6, 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: October 6, 1866

Title: From Edward Fitch to Dear Father
Description: In a May 26, 1856 letter to his father in Massachusetts, Edward Fitch describes the Sack of Lawrence that had occurred six days earlier on May 21, 1856. He mentions that Governor Shannon has called for protection “for fear we should rise up and exterminate him and the Pro-Slavery party.” He expresses his own fear that the Free State Party will be defeated and that Kansas will become a slave state. He also fears for his personal safety, saying he "shall not dare to stay at my cabin without a rifle or gun at my bedside." He adds that he hopes John C. Fremont will win the upcoming presidential election.
Date: May 26, 1856

Title: From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Description: Edward Fitch, along with his wife Sarah, writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on December 8, 1861. They describe their family’s Thanksgiving celebration in Lawrence, Kansas, where they served a baked turkey and twenty-five pies. Edward goes on to criticize James Henry Lane and accuses him of stealing money. He also expresses disappointment about the removal of John Fremont from military command: “He has been grossly abused by men in high places because they thought he was getting to be more popular than they themselves were.”
Date: December 8, 1861

Title: From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Description: In a July 23, 1856 letter to the editor of the Hopkinton (MA) Patriot, Edward Fitch writes that “two or three” men were killed for attending a meeting of the Free State Legislature in Topeka. He says that U.S. Troops have been disarming members of the Free State party and that Border Ruffians have driven out and captured a number of Free State men. He ends the letter by stating that the people of Kansas will not allow themselves to be taxed by the Bogus Legislature.
Date: July 23, 1856

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