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Title: From S.H. Woodson to George R. Smith
Description: On July 1, 1856, S.H. Woodson writes from Independence, Missouri to Gen. George R. Smith. Woodson denies the charge that he called Smith "as great an Abolitionist as there was in Massachusetts or in New York," declaring "There is not one word of truth in it."
Date: July 1, 1856

Title: Special Orders
Description: This order, issued by Brig. Gen. Thomas E. Ewing, commands John Poyntz, a resident of Cass County, Missouri, to leave the state until the end of the war. The document is written on official letterhead from the Headquarters of the District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri. It is signed by Charles S. Hills, Captain and Acting Assistant Provost Marshal for the District of the Border, and dated September 19, 1863.
Date: September 19, 1863

Title: From John Tasmilen to John Ament
Description: This 1864 letter was written by John Tasmilen in Centralia, Missouri to John Ament. Declaring that “slavery is dead” and the war nearly over, John predicts that preachers will try to take credit for ending slavery, “but they lie, they sanctioned it as long as they could.” John encourages Ament to return to Cass County, Missouri: “I think you would find a great political change since you left…so that I think you might feel safe.”
Date: 1864

Title: From J. French Simpson to Whom It May Concern
Description: In this letter, dated September 5, 1865, J. French Simpson of Carrollton, Illinois, testifies to John Ament’s loyalty: “Mr. Ament is a gentleman and Christian, and since he has lived in this county, I have never heard a disloyal sentiment uttered by him.” Simpson notes that Ament is “formerly of this place and more recently of Missouri.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: September 5, 1865

Title: From Willard P. Hall to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: On August 31, 1863, Willard Hall writes from Headquarters, State of Missouri in St. Louis to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble. Hall refers to "an order from Gen. Ewing"--presumably Order No. 11--and predicts that Jackson and Cass Counties in Missouri "will be laid waste" after its implementation. Hall adds that he will continue to protect the Missouri counties of Clay and Platte.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: August 31, 1863

Title: From The Few That Are Left to John W. Geary
Description: This letter to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary is dated September 18, 1856 and signed by “The few that are left.” The letter asks Geary to send troops to protect the citizens of Cass County, Missouri; Sugar Mound, Kansas; and Fort Scott, Kansas. “This section of the country has just been ravaged by the war parties from Missouri,” the letter says. “The people here are unarmed and defenseless.”
Date: September 18, 1856

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 H.D. Palmer to Isaac Feback
Description: This letter, dated December 20, 1862, was written by H.D. Palmer in Independence, Missouri, to Isaac Feback. Palmer thanks Feback for his kindness, lamenting that he has few friends left who can rise above “political prejudice” as Feback has done. Palmer says he has done everything “to keep down jayhawking & protect my Union friends,” but has been betrayed by those friends and the militia who took his livestock without proper payment. Palmer notes that the oath of allegiance is meaningless unless it offers government protection for those who take it.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 20, 1862

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

Title: From Dewitt C. Hunter to J.F. Snyder
Description: This letter, dated January 21, 1861, is from Dewitt C. Hunter in Nevada, Missouri to Col. J.F. Snyder. Hunter describes himself as a "secessionist in favor of separate state action and immediate secession." He believes that Missouri is in danger of invasion from Kansas, and he urges Snyder to organize a regiment, procure arms, and prepare to defend the border.
Object Type: Letter
Date: January 21, 1861

Title: From D.R. Anthony to Dear Father
Description: On December 22, 1861, D.R. Anthony writes a letter to his father, describing recent “skirmishes” with rebels. He says that he and his comrades killed Hurst, a Missouri Confederate colonel, and several of his soldiers. They also gave horses, mules, oxen, wagons, and carriages to 129 slaves and helped them escape to Kansas. Anthony informs his father that he took possession of a Secessionist flag in Harrisonville, Missouri, and adds that he hopes to take Col. Jennison’s position if Jennison is promoted to General.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 22, 1861

Title: From R.A. Boggess to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This letter was written on May 22, 1858 by R.A. Boggess in Harrisonville, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart in Jefferson City, Missouri. In this letter of introduction for S.G. Allen, Boggess informs Stewart that Allen will present him with a paper concerning “matters of very great importance…to the section of country in which we live.” Boggess refers Stewart to Allen for additional information, since “he is thoroughly acquainted with the minutia.”
Date: May 22, 1858

Title: From Daniel R. Anthony to Dear Sister
Description: Daniel R. Anthony writes a letter from Camp “Johnson” in Morristown, Missouri to his sister on December 26, 1861. He tells her that he is in command of the camp and 1500 troops while Col. Jennison is away in Mound City, Missouri. Anthony says that he and three other commanders have occupied a Secessionist soldier’s house and established it as their headquarters. He reports that he expects to stay there for about two months, and then move south.
Object Type: Letter
Date: December 26, 1861

Title: Nancy Walker Lyon Harris
Description: This ca. 1860 black-and-white photograph depicts Nancy Walker Lyon Harris, who was born in 1803. Nancy’s father, William Lyon, served as clerk of the court when Cass County, Missouri (originally Van Buren County) was first established. Nancy’s husband, Fleming Harris, helped found Harrisonville, Missouri, in Cass County, and served as its first town commissioner. Nancy died in Cass County in 1864.
Object Type: Image

Title: From George W. Deitzler to Commanding Officer
Description: This U.S. Military Telegraph message was sent to the “Commanding Officer” by Maj. Gen. George W. Deitzler in Independence, Missouri on October 20, 1864. Deitzler states that after a lengthy battle on October 19, Gen. Blunt has been driven from Lexington, Missouri by a Confederate force commanded by Gen. Price. Deitzler says that the Union side lost 20 men killed and wounded, and that Gen. Price’s current position is unknown. Deitzler adds that telegraphic communication between Kansas City and St. Louis is uninterrupted, and that “the danger to Kansas is not considered imminent.”
Date: October 20, 1864

Title: From Luke Williams to Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This letter, dated December 6, 1864, is from Luke Williams in Pleasant Hill, Missouri to Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller. Williams invites Fuller to visit the Union Baptist Church of Cass County, Missouri, and assist the pastor in preaching. "We are in a very cold state as a Church," Williams writes, "torn asunder as it were in consequence of the war."
Date: December 6, 1864

Title: Campaign Circular for R.T. Van Horn
Description: This campaign circular, printed in Kansas City on August 30, 1864, presents several reasons why Col. R.T. Van Horn should be elected to represent the Sixth Congressional District of Missouri. It references his military career, including his role in the Battle of Lexington, and declares that Van Horn was "the very first man in Western Missouri who sprung to arms in 1861." The document is signed by A.G. Newgent and G. Thomas.
Object Type: Circular
Date: August 30, 1864

Title: From S. Shelly to Mrs. Staples
Description: This letter, dated February 20, 1865, is from S. Shelly in Independence, Missouri to Mrs. Staples. Shelly writes that the Missouri Militia will be recruiting soldiers in the area, and "I don't suppose any one will be exempted unless they are blind in boath eys or boath arms taken off." Shelly tells Mrs. Staples that there have been cases of smallpox in the area, but mostly among "negroes and soldiers." Shelly also mentions that mail service was stopped in Denver City "on account of Indian hostilities" but will resume again under military escort.
Date: February 20, 1865

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

Title: From Daniel R. Anthony to Father
Description: This letter, dated November 24, 1861, was written by Daniel R. Anthony at Camp Union, Kansas City, Missouri, to his father. Anthony describes commanding eight companies on a recent military expedition to Pleasant Hill in Cass County, Missouri; he is now on his way to take up headquarters at Independence, Missouri. Anthony discusses his involvement in a “desperate” battle at the Little Blue River near Independence, in which the Union side won. He also says that a soldier under his command found guilty of stealing will be shot that morning.
Date: November 24, 1861

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

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