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Title: 1860 Missouri Census Table
Description: This ca. 1860 printed document presents the results of the 1860 Missouri census, showing the population of whites, “free colored” and slaves in each county. The table lists the total state population as 1,182,012, with 1,063,599 whites, 3,572 Free Colored, and 114,931 slaves. Lafayette County has the largest slave population with 6,374 slaves. The table also reveals a small American Indian population in Gasconade and Jackson Counties.
Object Type: Government Document

Title: List of Morgan County Radicals in This District
Description: This document, ca. 1861-1865, provides a list of “radicals in this District.” Each of the 22 “radicals” is identified by name, town, and county; most are from Andrew County, Missouri. A note on the reverse states “There are some others but don’t know their address.”

Title: Report of Colored Recruits Enlisted, Warrensburg, Missouri
Description: This military roll, dated March 16, 1864, shows the "colored recruits" enlisted at Warrensburg, Missouri between November 1863 and March 1864. The roll lists each recruit's name, county, and owner. The document is signed by Lieut. J.H. Smith, Assistant Provost Marshal and Recruiting Officer, and addressed to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal for the 6th District of Missouri.
Date: March 16, 1864

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 Charles R. Street to Alex M. Bedford
Description: On July 24, 1865, Charles R. Street writes from Huntington, New York to Alex M. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. Street says he was glad to hear that Bedford returned from military prison to his family. He writes about the difficult loss of his wife and “the loss of my country” to abolitionists: “I have no hopes of the old Government, we must submit to a new order of things.” Street also admits that “there is a terrible bitterness of feeling” in Huntington, New York on the subject of politics.
Object Type: Letter
Date: July 24, 1865

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: Examination of Calvin Moore
Description: This is Calvin Moore's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Moore describes himself as a 21-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Andrew County, Missouri. He states that he demonstrated his loyalty to the United States Government during the Civil War by joining the military. The oath, labeled No. 59 in a bound volume, was signed by Moore in 1866.
Object Type: Government Document
Date: 1866

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: 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: Letters Sent (Provost Marshal's Office, 7th District Missouri)
Description: This notebook contains copies of letters sent from the Provost Marshal's Office, 7th District of Missouri, in St. Joseph, Missouri, between July 2, 1864 and April 21, 1865. The correspondence, written by Capt. William Fowler, Provost Marshal of the 7th District, addresses such topics as military enrollment, including names of recruits; army desertion; compensation; draft dodgers; and an instance of character defamation in the St. Louis "Morning Herald." Correspondents include Missouri Provost Marshal General E.B. Alexander and U.S. Provost Marshal General James B. Fry.
Date: July 2, 1864-April 21, 1865

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: 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: List of Colored Recruits Enlisted, 6th District Missouri
Description: This military roll, ca. 1863-1864, lists the names of "colored recruits" enlisted in the 6th congressional district of Missouri. The soldiers were recruited from Ray, Andrew, Clinton, Lafayette, Pettis, and Saline Counties. The document includes the names of the soldiers' owners and the months of their enlistment.

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

Title: Kansas and Nebraska 1856
Description: This color map, entitled “Kansas and Nebraska 1856,” was printed by J.G. Wells in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1856

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