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Title: From P. McClanahan to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 28, 1863, is from P. McClanahan in Independence, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. McClanahan informs Comingo that he mailed the military enrollment forms from two officers, Rodewald and Warren. He says that the two officers have not been as productive as they would have been "in ordinary times" and adds, "you are aware of the difficulties under which we labor in this county."
Date: November 28, 1863

Title: From E.F. Slaughter to Eliza Colgan
Description: On October 7, 1864, E.F. Slaughter writes from Hickmans Mill, Missouri to Mrs. Eliza Colgan. Slaughter says that prices for goods are rising and "farmers can't keep up with the merchant." He reports that the railroad is complete "from Independence to Kansas City and next spring will be run through to St. Louis…If we only had peace we might enjoy the sight of such improvements." He also mentions that "there was a great revival of religion in the army."
Date: October 7, 1864

Title: Disloyalists Banished from Western Missouri
Description: This newspaper clipping, ca. August 1863, lists the names of "disloyalists" who were banished from Western Missouri in accordance with Gen. Ewing's General Order No. 11. The people listed were residents of Kansas City, Missouri; Independence, Missouri; Osage County, Kansas; and Olathe, Kansas. The order prohibits these "disloyal" citizens from residing in their homes or in Platte, Clay, Ray, or Carroll counties.
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: From Maurice E. Pitcher to Mr. Colgan
Description: On November 6, 1864, Maurice E. Pitcher writes from Independence, Missouri to Mr. Colgan. Pitcher states that he saw Colgan's son Willie on October 21 when he came into Missouri with Gen. Price's army: "he is looking quite well…he had no appearance of being 'one of Price's starved to death, rag-muffins.'" He says that Price's men "had a series of battles from little blue (in this county) until within a few miles of Fort Scott, and you may well imagine they had a series of successes."
Date: November 6, 1864

Title: Letters Relating to Enlistment in Missouri
Description: This is a bound volume of letters written by Col. E.B. Alexander, Chief Mustering Officer of the 10th United States Infantry. The letters, dated August 23 - October 10, 1864, relate to enrollments, quotas, and enlistments of troops in Missouri.
Date: August 23, 1864 - October 10, 1864

Title: From Thomas Ewing to A.O. Runyan and Family
Description: This extract of Special Order No. 64 is addressed to A. O. Runyan and his family in Independence, Missouri. The order, issued from Headquarters, District of the Border in Kansas City, Missouri on August 29, 1863, instructs Runyan's family "to remove from this District within ten days," and forbids them from going to reside in Platte, Clay, Ray, or Carroll counties in Missouri. The order is issued by Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing and signed by Maj. Preston B. Plumb, Chief of Staff.
Date: August 29, 1863

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: Diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Dr. J.H.P. Baker, an army doctor working under the command of Gen. Joseph O. Shelby. The entries included here are from October 10-27, 1864. Baker discusses conscription, bushwhackers, travelling across Missouri, and marching to Price’s headquarters. He mentions the Battle of Boonville, the Second Battle of Lexington, the Battle of the Big Blue, the Second Battle of Independence, the Battle of Westport, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.
Object Type: Diary
Date: October 10, 1864-October 27, 1864

Title: General Orders, No. 11
Description: This is a copy of the infamous Order No. 11, issued by Union General Thomas E. Ewing at the District of the Border Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on August 25, 1863. The order commands residents of Jackson, Cass, Bates, and northern Vernon counties to leave their homes and move away from the area within fifteen days. Ewing issued the directive four days after Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, in an attempt to suppress guerrilla violence.
Date: August 25, 1863

Title: Resolutions Presented to the Missouri State Convention
Description: This document presents resolutions drafted ca. March 7, 1861 by Abram Comingo for the Missouri State Convention held in Jefferson City, Missouri. Comingo declares, “we are warmly attached to the Federal Union, and…we will not cease our efforts for its preservation,” but warns that Missouri “will resist and oppose any attempt that may point to the coercion of the seceded States.” Comingo proposes a meeting of representatives from the border states for the purpose of “presenting a plan of adjustment” to the states that have not seceded.
Object Type: Government Document

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 Lizzie Deavenport to Mrs. Colgan
Description: On February 22, 1865, Lizzie Deavenport writes from Hick Mill, Missouri, to Mrs. Colgan. Lizzie says that W.H. was slightly wounded during a fight in Independence, Missouri. She shares news of various friends and family members, and tells Mrs. Colgan, "your home place does not look like it did when you was there. there is not but one hole window in your house…your house has been [mighty] abused."
Date: February 22, 1865

Title: From Mary Jane Peery to My Dear Sister
Description: This letter, dated October 11, 1865, is from Mary Jane Peery to her sister. Peery writes that her husband, the preacher J.T. Peery, has refused to take an Oath of Loyalty to the United States Government. She mentions that Confederate sympathizers have encountered difficulty in Missouri following the Civil War, but declares that "a great many of our preachers . . . say they do not intend to take the oath. The Northerners still hold our church and parsonage in Independence and say they will not give it up."
Date: October 11, 1865

Title: From Jacob Hall to My Dear Daughter
Description: This letter, dated February 7, 1864, was written by Jacob Hall in Independence, Missouri, to his daughter. Jacob writes that the counties of “Jackson, Cass, Bates and the Southern portion of Vernon have been reattached to the District of Missouri and placed under the command of Gen. Brown – and Gen. Ewing has left for Kansas with nearly all his command.” He adds that “Col. Fort is in command of…the above named counties.”
Object Type: Letter
Date: February 7, 1864

Title: From William to Ellen W. McCoy
Description: On June 7, 1863, William writes from Independence, Missouri to his wife Ellen W. McCoy. William writes that "the Bushwhackers still continue their annoyance," and explains that two "German Union citizens" were taken from their homes the previous week in retaliation for a recent hanging in Kansas City, and have not been heard from since. William notes, "if this kind of retaliation is to be carried on there is no knowing where it will stop or whose life would be safe."
Object Type: Letter
Date: June 7, 1863

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

Title: From Susan A. Staples to Mary W. Mason
Description: On February 1, ca. 1863, Susan A. Staples writes from Independence, Missouri to Mary W. Mason. After reporting on the health of her family, Susan states that Col. Penick's command is stationed at Independence. "He deals very strict with Southerners," Susan writes, and "he has a great many female prisoners and says that he is going to [banish] every lady that has husbands in the Southern Army or with the bushwhackers." She adds that her family has been "dreadfully Jayhawked."

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On October 24, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller describes the recent Battle of Westport in which the Confederates were "repulsed" and reportedly suffered 32 casualties. He admits, "I do not feel overmuch pleased with our defenders. It seems to me that with the force we had yesterday, we ought to have driven the Rebels like chaff--instead of acting as we seem to have done for half the day on the defensive simply."
Date: October 24, 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

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

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