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From Mary Savage to Jane Simpson
Title
From Mary Savage to Jane Simpson
Description
This is an excerpt from a November 29, 1863 letter that Mary Savage wrote to Jane Simpson about Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence. She describes watching two bushwhackers murder her neighbor: “I can never efface from my memory the look and cry of anguish that he gave as he fell, the blood running in streams from his wounds.” Mary says the bushwhackers also threatened to kill her husband, but she saved his life by convincing them that he was sick and was not a member of the Kansas Militia. She writes that nearly every house in town burned down, but some “heroic” women put out a few of the fires. After the raid, she says, downtown Lawrence was reduced to “a heap of ashes.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
November 29, 1863
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Title
From Edward Fitch to Dear Parents
Description
This letter, dated September 21, 1856, is from Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas to his parents in Massachusetts. He tells them that he and his army regiment marched to Franklin the previous week in an attempt to defend the town from Border Ruffians. The Ruffians rode into town, burned several buildings, robbed Fitch of everything he owned, and then “dispersed in different directions . . . stealing and murdering as they went.” Fitch mentions his suspicion that Governor Geary is a traitor who has negotiated with the Border Ruffians.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 21, 1856-September 28, 1856
From R.G. Elliott to Dear Sister
Title
From R.G. Elliott to Dear Sister
Description
This letter, dated August 24, 1863, is from R.G. Elliott in Lawrence, Kansas to his sister. He informs her that he was taken prisoner during Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, but managed to escape. He states that troops from Kansas City are in pursuit of Quantrill's Raiders, but he does not believe they will catch them. Following the Raid, he writes, "We have been engaged ever since in burying the dead."
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 24, 1863
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Title
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description
On September 24, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell says he has been at home on furlough and that the family is "tolerably well." He reports that there is great excitement in Kansas about William Quantrill: "he burned Lawrence a week ago last Friday & killed about two hundred (200) citizens[.] The people blame Gens. Schofield & Ewing for letting them into Kansas."
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 24, 1863
From Elizabeth S.C. Earl to Dear Mother
Title
From Elizabeth S.C. Earl to Dear Mother
Description
This letter, dated September 22, 1863, is from Elizabeth S.C. Earl in Lawrence, Kansas to her mother. She assures her mother that she is safe and has survived Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence. She adds that "you cannot imagine the distress, and suffering, of our women and children," and states that the Raid left 180 women widows and 200 children orphans. Earl tells her mother that she has taken charge of the City Hotel after the owner was killed and his family went back East.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 22, 1863
From S. Norton to John W. Geary
Title
From S. Norton to John W. Geary
Description
This letter, dated September 9, 1856, was sent to Kansas Gov. John W. Geary by S. Norton and seven other citizens of Leavenworth, Kansas. Writing from St. Louis, Norton states that on September 2, 1856, he and the others were ordered to leave Leavenworth by Capt. Emory and his “armed posse.” They seek protection from Geary so they may safely return to their homes.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 9, 1856
From Charles W. Graeff to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From Charles W. Graeff to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter, dated July 29, 1858, is from Charles W. Graeff to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Graeff reports that he has just arrived in Polk County, Missouri and will soon travel to Jefferson City, Missouri. He tells Stewart that several hundred men are hiding in a place called “Osage rocks” in Kansas Territory. These men, he states, have invaded Missouri, robbed citizens, driven families away from their homes, murdered a man, and injured several others.
Object Type
Letter
Date
July 29, 1858
From Charles T. Gilman to Albert G. Boone
Title
From Charles T. Gilman to Albert G. Boone
Description
In this letter, dated September 16 and 17, 1856, Charles T. Gilman informs Col. Albert G. Boone that 20 abolitionists recently launched an attack on the proslavery citizens living near Council Grove, Kansas. Gilman states that the attackers stole horses and mules, wounded a woman, and threatened to burn down houses and force the proslavery men out of Kansas. They also claimed that they would return in four days with 400 men; Gilman tells Boone that the people of Council Grove have been awaiting their arrival and have plenty of arms and ammunition to defend themselves.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 16, 1856-September 17, 1856
From H.D. Palmer to Isaac Feback
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
From James W. Denver to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From James W. Denver to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on August 18, 1858 by Kansas Gov. James W. Denver in Lecompton, Kansas, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Denver writes that he disagrees with Stewart's decision to "station an armed force along the borders” in response to "the unsettled state of affairs" in southeastern Kansas. Denver asserts that after he sent U.S. and volunteer troops to the “troubled districts,” peace has been fully restored, and that “the only marauders now in this Territory are organized bands of horse thieves, such as are too common in all new countries.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 18, 1858
From Wilson Shannon to Franklin Pierce
Title
From Wilson Shannon to Franklin Pierce
Description
This letter, dated June 27, 1856, was written by Kansas Gov. Wilson Shannon in St. Louis to President Franklin Pierce. Shannon informs Pierce that after recent “troubles” in Kansas Territory, the area is no longer threatened by any “illegal military bodies” as far as he knows. Shannon believes that the presence of federal troops helped to restore peace, and states that these troops should be maintained in Kansas to help suppress future conflicts. Shannon is particularly concerned about the threat of civil unrest if the Free State legislature meets, as planned, on July 4, 1856.
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 27, 1856
From Daniel Woodson to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore
Title
From Daniel Woodson to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore
Description
This letter, dated September 3, 1856, was written by Acting Kansas Gov. Daniel Woodson at Lecompton, Kansas to William Hutchinson and H. Miles Moore on behalf of the Kansas State Central Committee. Woodson refers to Gen. James Lane’s recent raid on Franklin, Kansas and several other areas of the Territory. He reminds Hutchinson and Moore about the proclamation issued August 25, 1856, declaring Kansas to be in a state of insurrection, and also cites the recent general order issued to Gen. Richardson and Gen. Coffey forbidding the burning of houses under any circumstances.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 3, 1856
From John Stillman Brown to John L. Rupur
Title
From John Stillman Brown to John L. Rupur
Description
On September 1, 1863, John Stillman Brown writes a letter to John L. Rupur about Quantrill's August 21 Raid on Lawrence. He lists the names of friends who were killed in the raid, and describes watching the bushwhackers from a hill west of Lawrence "as they went to their work of death, burning and plunder." He also mentions seeing "the brave" Gen. James Henry Lane.
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 1, 1863
From Daniel L. Chandler to James H. Buxton
Title
From Daniel L. Chandler to James H. Buxton
Description
In a letter dated May 5, 1862, Daniel L. Chandler writes to James H. Buxton. Chandler is encamped on the prairie near Fort Scott, but expects to be ordered to Fort Scott in a few days. He informs James that his mother and brothers have been driven from Arkansas by the "secesh" and are now in Missouri, and that James's brother Thomas is in a "Missouri Union Regt." stationed at Mount Vernon, Missouri. Chandler also discusses James's discharge from the military.
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 5, 1862
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Title
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description
On October 26, 1864, John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John refers to a fight “at Clinton yesterday,” and adds that several local men have joined the Confederates; John himself has been “sworn and paroled.” John predicts that “bands of men” will soon be “robbing and plundering” on the order of Bushwhackers and other groups. He advises Eugenia to hide her valuables and “any letters you do not want read” in case her house is searched. John writes of hearing rumors about the whereabouts of General Price’s army.
Object Type
Letter
Date
October 26, 1864
From F.L. Pilla to Dear Brother
Title
From F.L. Pilla to Dear Brother
Description
F.L. Pilla writes a letter to his brother on September 21, 1863. Pilla writes about Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, explaining that Lawrence is seven miles from his home in Eudora, Kansas. On the day of the Raid, he heard a rumor that Quantrill planned to target Eudora, and readied himself for a possible attack. The following day, he visited Lawrence and found "the best part of the City burned down" and "dead bodies laying around in all directions."
Object Type
Letter
Date
September 21, 1863
From William H. Doah to Hon. James Edgar
Title
From William H. Doah to Hon. James Edgar
Description
This letter was written on December 23, 1859 by William H. Doah in Butler, Bates County, Missouri, to Hon. James Edgar. Doah says that he spent $12.20 of his own money on ammunition for his Missouri Militia company “at the time of our threatened troubles on the line.” He seeks Edgar’s help in securing reimbursement from Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Doah states that he has written to Stewart twice but has not received a reply.
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 23, 1859
From Amos and Mary Graham to C.C. Graham
Title
From Amos and Mary Graham to C.C. Graham
Description
This letter, dated July 10, 1864, was sent to C.C. Graham at Ft. Larned, Kansas, by his parents, Amos and Mary Graham in Maryville, Missouri. Because of a “poor prospect for crops” and the high cost of living, the Grahams write that “Things seem to be getting worse, here, than it ever was.” They state that “The Rebels of this county have been indicted for Treason” and describe how “Bushwhackers, Rebels, raids [and] fights” are consuming nearby counties, with “men killed in all directions.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
July 10, 1864
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Unknown to Abraham Lincoln
Description
This letter, dated May 19, 1862, is presumably from Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble in St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble asks for Lincoln's help in restoring peace to Missouri's border counties by ordering that no troops raised in Kansas may enter Missouri unless by request. Gamble adds that in the interest of impartiality, "I am perfectly willing that Missouri troops shall be prohibited from entering Kansas without like request."
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 19, 1862
From John W. Clem to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From John W. Clem to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter was written on August 18, 1859 by John W. Clem in Butler, Missouri, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Clem, the Sheriff of Bates County, Missouri, reports that James Montgomery and his Jayhawkers have laid siege to Paris, Kansas; they soon intend to cross over into Missouri to free William Wright (alias Pickles), a prisoner being held there for murder and robbery. Clem states that if the Jayhawkers enter Bates County, “I will then call out the entire militia force for defense.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
August 18, 1859

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