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Title: Report of Deputy U.S. Marshal William H. Tebbs
Description: This report, dated September 27, 1856, is addressed to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary and is signed by Deputy U.S. Marshal William H. Tebbs. Tebbs informs Geary that he went to Ozawkie, Kansas and arrested eight men who had outstanding warrants issued by Judge Samuel Lecompte. Tebbs states that he heard a rumor that the day after the Battle of Hickory Point, Gen. Lane read Geary’s proclamation ordering all troops to disperse. According to the rumor, Lane then dispersed his troops and left the area.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: September 27, 1856

Title: Battle of Hickory Point
Description: Painting by Samuel J. Reader depicting the Battle of Hickory Point. On September 13, 1856, James H. Lane led a force of jayhawkers against Hickory Point, a proslavery settlement in Jefferson County, Kansas that had supported an attack against Grasshopper Falls. Lane soon understood that he lacked artillery to attack the log buildings, and he retreated. During the retreat, Missourians pursued Lane's forces and attacked, but the jayhawkers returned fire. After receiving word that Territorial Governor John Geary had ordered a ceasefire, Lane withdrew, but reinforcements from Lawrence under command of Colonel James A. Harvey arrived on September 14, toting the captured cannon "Old Sacramento," and fired on the town. One proslavery man was killed, four others wounded, and several Free-Staters were wounded before a ceasefire was called and the Missourians withdrew from the area. 100 Free-Staters were arrested by U.S. troops, but they were later acquitted for acting in self-defense.
Object Type: Image

Title: Letter From Judge Lecompte
Description: This September 13, 1856 newspaper article is an open letter from Judge Samuel Lecompte to James A. Stewart, a Maryland Congressman. In the letter, Lecompte defends himself against several charges; he denies that he packed the jury in a murder trial, that he was in possession of illegal whisky, that he misrepresented the crime of treason to a grand jury, and that he participated in a meeting of the Law and Order Party. He states that he is aware of threats to remove him from his post as Chief Justice of Kansas Territory, but he insists that he has been a fair and impartial judge.
Object Type: Newspaper Article
Date: September 13, 1856

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