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Title: From Willard P. Hall to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: On August 12, 1862, Willard P. Hall writes from St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble in St. Louis. Hall assures Gamble that Gen. Loan is not guilty of insubordination and remains loyal to the provisional state government. He suggests that Loan's enemies are trying to discredit him with false rumors. Hall adds that no applications have been made for the "privileges" accorded by Order No. 23.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: August 12, 1862

Title: From F.W. Smith to Robert M. Stewart
Description: This dispatch was sent on November 29, 1860 to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart by Maj. F.W. Smith, at Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 4th Military District, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Smith sends Stewart a report from the Division Inspector regarding the election of officers for the German Rifle Company, Company C, 1st Battalion. Smith says that if Stewart believes the elections were properly conducted, Lt. Schmitz and Lt. Baumer should receive their commissions.
Date: November 29, 1860

Title: Special Orders, No. 81
Description: This Special Order No. 81 was issued December 16, 1862 by Major General Curtis at the headquarters of the Department of the Missouri in St. Louis, Missouri. The order states that Col. O. Guitar, 9th Cavalry M.S.M. “will proceed without delay to St. Joseph, MO and temporarily relieve Brig. Genl. W.P. Hall…in command of the District of Northwestern Missouri.” C.H. Dyer adds that transportation has been arranged from St. Louis to St. Joseph, Missouri.
Date: December 16, 1862

Title: From R.R. Boone to Dear Father
Description: R.R. Boone writes a letter from Buchanan County, Missouri to his father on September 12, 1858. Boone reacts to news of guerrilla warfare in Kansas, proclaiming "I am a great mind some times to gather my Rifle and gow & skalp some of these infernal theaving abolitionist." He criticizes both political parties and voices anger that the government has not put a stop to the violence in Kansas.
Date: September 12, 1858

Title: From John A. Halderman to B.M. Prentiss
Description: This dispatch, dated October 13, 1861, is from Maj. John A. Halderman at Camp Prentiss near Chillicothe, Missouri to Gen. Benjamin Prentiss. Halderman informs Prentiss that he recently visited Kansas to discuss with military authorities the defense of their state and of St. Joseph, Missouri. In the event of an insurrection or invasion, Halderman states, “you may safely rely upon two thousand troops being raised on a short notice from the ranks of the state militia.” He also mentions that Gov. Charles Robinson expressed his gratitude for Prentiss’s concern about Kansas.
Date: October 13, 1861

Title: From J.L. Bennett to Alex M. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated April 24, 1865, was written by J.L. Bennett in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Lt. Alex M. Bedford, a prisoner of war. Bennett states that he recently met with Gen. Craig and Maj. Bruce in St. Joseph, and that Maj. Bruce telegraphed Washington to request Bedford’s release. He advises Bedford to write to Gen. Hickcock in Washington and say that he is “tired of the war & willing to take the oath and return home.” Bennett instructs Bedford to let him know when he is released, and that he will make arrangements for him to meet his family in St. Joseph.
Date: April 24, 1865

Title: From Unknown to Hamilton R. Gamble
Description: This letter, dated August 2, 1862, is from an unknown writer in DeKalb, Missouri to Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble. The writer asks Gamble to replace Gen. B.F. Loan, claiming that Loan is disobeying Gamble's orders and plotting to appoint a military governor in Missouri. In a statement written on the reverse side, Gamble notes that he referred the letter to Lieut. Gov. Hall, and expresses doubt that Gen. Loan is guilty of "the insubordinate language imputed to him" by the anonymous writer.
Date: August 2, 1862

Title: From George H. Hall to Dear Lydia
Description: This letter is from George H. Hall to his sister Lydia. Hall writes from St. Joseph, Missouri on November 17, 1859, and refers to John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. He calls Brown a coward, and argues that "his only acts in Kansas Territory . . . were the assassination of unarmed families and his great skill in running off negroes."
Object Type: Letter
Date: November 17, 1859

Title: From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Description: On November 27, 1860, Col. M. Jeff Thompson writes a dispatch from the Headquarters of the 4th Military District in St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. R.M Stewart. Thompson suggests that Stewart send troops to guard the Missouri River to prevent the escape of guerrilla attackers and prevent further invasions. Thompson also states that Major F.W. Smith has 200 troops ready for orders.
Date: November 27, 1860

Title: From "C." to "Col."
Description: This letter, dated September 21, 1861, is from "C." in St. Joseph, Missouri to "Col." C. reports that the Federal troops surrendered at the Battle of Lexington on September 20. He writes that "our country has been rob[b]ed by both parties . . . nearly evry body that is worth any thing has been rob[b]ed more or less, no matter what their politics are." He adds that people are "bitter" about the Platte Purchase, and predicts that fighting will ensue.
Date: September 21, 1861

Title: From Alex M. Bedford to Joseph L. Bennett
Description: On April 13, 1865, Alex M. Bedford writes from Fort Delaware, Delaware, Division 34, to Joseph L. Bennett in Savannah, Missouri. Bedford writes about the surrender of Gen. Lee and his army: “they have gone up & our confederacy has played out & I will return home by taking the oath or any other way.” Complaining of poor health, Bedford seeks Bennett’s help in expediting his release, and suggests that he ask Major Bruce of St. Joseph, Missouri, to write to the War Department on his behalf.
Date: April 13, 1865

Title: View of St. Joseph, Mo. from Prospect Hill
Description: Right side of panorama view of St. Joseph, Missouri, taken from Prospect Hill by Louis Charles McClure, circa 1890-1910.
Object Type: Image

Title: From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Description: This letter was written on May 2 and 7, 1861 by George Collamore in Leavenworth, Kansas to G.L. Stearns in Boston. Collamore writes that Kansas is under threat of attack from Missouri and the Cherokee and Osage Indians, and that Kansas’s defenses are weak. He reports that Gov. Robinson offered him the position of Quartermaster General of the Kansas Militia, which he temporarily accepted. Collamore asks Stearns to send “thick colored blankets” and other items to Kansas, urging Stearns to keep his activities secret and to be cautious about what he writes in future letters.
Object Type: Letter
Date: May 2, 1861 and May 7, 1861

Title: From M. Jeff Thompson to Robert M. Stewart
Description: On November 26, 1860, Col. M. Jeff Thompson writes a dispatch from the Headquarters of the 4th Military District in St. Joseph, Missouri to Missouri Gov. R.M Stewart. Thompson reports that Major F.W. Smith is preparing his battalion to be ready for orders. Thompson urges Stewart to authorize Smith’s Quarter Master to procure sufficient arms and ammunitions.
Date: November 26, 1860

Title: From O.H.P. Craig to A.M. Bedford
Description: This letter, dated April 25, 1861, is from O.H.P. Craig in St. Joseph, Missouri to Alex M. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. Craig announces, “We have nothing here, but War! War!” He reports that local business has stagnated and that everyone is eager for news about the war. He also mentions that he recently returned from a trip to St. Louis and that residents there are full of “excitement and alarm.”
Date: April 25, 1861

Title: Map of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
Description: Map of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, which was chartered in 1847 and completed in 1859. Map depicts northern Missouri and parts of Kansas and Illinois, showing rivers, settlements, railroads, and the land grant awarded to the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad.
Object Type: Map, Image

Title: General Orders, No. 34
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 34 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on May 4, 1863. The order details the proceedings of a recent Military Commission in St. Joseph, Missouri, where several citizens were tried for war crimes, including disloyal conduct, violation of the conduct of war, bearing arms against the Government, violation of the Oath of Allegiance, and disturbing the peace of Union men. The order was signed by Assistant Adjutant General A.V. Colburn.
Date: May 4, 1863

Title: Sale of Slave
Description: This document declares the $800 sale of a male slave named Pleasant from Nathan C. Skinner of Stewart County, Tennessee to Jesse L. Ingram of St. Joseph, Missouri on February 22, 1855. Skinner promises that the slave is "sound, healthy, sensible, and a slave for life."
Object Type: Legal Document
Date: February 22, 1855

Title: Pass for W.L. Culver
Description: This document from the Office of the Provost Marshal in St. Joseph, Missouri grants permission to W.L. Culver to leave the city limits. It is signed December 13, 1861 by S. Hatch, Provost Marshal. The reverse side of the document shows a printed oath, signed by Culver, that declares loyalty to both the federal government and the provisional government of Missouri. It describes Culver as a 26 year old man with “red whiskers”.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: December 13, 1861

Title: General Orders, No. 38
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 38 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on May 22, 1863. The order details the proceedings of recent Military Commissions in St. Joseph, St. Louis, and Springfield, Missouri, where citizens were tried for war crimes, including consorting with guerrillas and bushwhackers, killing United States soldiers from the Seventh Cavalry Regiment Missouri Volunteers, and encouraging rebellion against the government. The order was signed by Assistant Adjutant General A.V. Colburn.
Date: May 22, 1863

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

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