Clark Wright was a well-known Unionist in southwest Missouri. A native of Highland County, Ohio, he married Sarah Hixson on February 25, 1847 in Lewisburg. They settled in Polk County, Missouri in 1858. Wright saw combat in Missouri and Arkansas before being transferred to Mississippi with the 6th Missouri Cavalry in 1863. His letters describe the experiences of a prominent cavalry officer in the first half of the war.

The Tallman and Brown families lived in Miller County, Missouri, and kept correspondence with family members during the war. The principal correspondents were John, Martha, and Matthew Tallman who wrote to their brother, Jeremiah, while he served in the 1st Missouri Light Artillery, and John D. Brown, of the same regiment, who wrote to his sister, Hannah M. Brown. This collection of letters is the result of the marriage of Jeremiah W. Tallman and Hannah M. Brown. The collection spans from 1860-1865 and covers a variety of topics from family relations, conditions in the military camps, wartime communication, the economy, and life after the war.

Elizabeth Thompson ran general store with her husband James in Clay, Missouri. James was a cattle header and farmer. At the beginning of the Civil War the Thompsons sold goods to confederate soldiers; however, in August 1862 the Provost Marshall forced them to take an Oath of Allegiance to the United States. After declaring their allegiance to the U.S. the Thompsons then sold supplies exclusively to the Union troops. While business owners and farmers may have felt personally aligned with a certain party, they had to support the controlling army in their area or face dire consequences. The Thompson family papers highlight the struggles the War placed on small business owners in Southwest Missouri.

William H. Kesler joined the 3rd Missouri Cavalry in the late fall of 1861. Kesler saw action at Halltown and Mount Zion Church in northern Missouri. Most of his time in the Army, though, was spent near Rolla and Pilot Knob, Missouri. Kesler corresponded with his sisters back in Illinois noting camp life, combat, and the effect President Lincoln’s assassination had on him and the other soldiers.

Corporal Frederick August Kullman, a soldier in the 13th Missouri Cavalry, kept a journal, recording the conclusion of the American Civil War. Kullman documented his perspective as a German-American soldier in the Union Army. His diary describes social interactions, camp life, and leisure activates of a Union soldier. Kullman also gave his thoughts on Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and other national events. Kullman ended his diary in late April 1865 with news of Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender. Twenty-seven years later, Kullman began recording his daily activities again in the fall of 1892.

Franklin S. Denny was born 7 October 1825 in Bond County, Illinois. Before the Civil War, he was a blacksmith in Platteville, Wisconsin, and married Mary Ann Pennington, who died in 1859. Denny enlisted in Company C, 1st Missouri Cavalry on August 1, 1861. He was elected third sergeant, and in February 1862 he was promoted to first sergeant. In his diary, Denny recorded the actions of the 1st Missouri Cavalry as they travelled across Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas from 1862 through 1864. He noted engagements with bushwhackers and rebel soldiers, personal thoughts on Kansas Jayhawkers, the impact of the War on civilians, and the routine of military life. Denny was discharged from the service on September 17, 1864. In 1868, Denny mar¬ried Susan Dule¬bon at Freeport, Illinois. By 1874, Franklin and Susan Denny lived in Springfield, Missouri, where Franklin operated a carriage shop. They died in 1902 and 1917, re-spectively.

Charles C. Rainwater and his wife Sarah Hannah Fowler lived in Cole Camp, Missouri in 1860. Rainwater joined the Confederate 5th Missouri Infantry and fought under John S. Marmaduke during his 1863 Missouri Expedition. He was wounded at the Battle of Hartville on January 11, 1863, and appointed ordinance officer on Marmaduke’s Staff. Rainwater was severely injured during his service and received permanent disability from the Confederate Army for the wounds he received during combat. After the War, Rainwater and his wife had a prosperous life in St. Louis until his death in 1902.

Henry E. Skaggs lived in Cooke, Texas with his wife Narcissa and their three children in 1860. Skaggs was a “Union Man” and feared that he would be hung for his political beliefs if he remained in Texas, so he and five other men fled to Missouri and joined the 1st Missouri Regiment Cavalry. Henry E. Skaggs joined the United States Military in September of 1862 at the age of thirty-three. Skaggs chronicled his perspective of the Civil War from the latter half of 1862 to mid 1864 as he traveled throughout Missouri and Arkansas.

Douglas R. Bushnell was born 17 June 1824 at Norwich, Connecticut. He was educated as a civil engineer, and moved to New Hampshire as a young man to begin a career in railroad engineering in that state and in Vermont. Bushnell moved to Illinois in 1855 with his wife and family. In May 1861, Bushnell enlisted in Company B of the 13th Illinois Infantry. Bushnell participated in campaigns in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee.

Archy Thomas’ undated memoir reflects on the Battle of Carthage, Missouri on July 5, 1861. While Thomas’ recollection is embellished, it is consistent with the official reports and secondary accounts of the Battle. It is unknown if Thomas was a soldier in the Missouri State Guard or a civilian living near Carthage. His account imply his association with the Missouri State Guard, but he offers little detail about his personal involvement or enlistment with a specific company. Furthermore, he only refers to the Missouri State Guard in the third person, thus disassociating himself from the soldiers. Additional information about the author and his potential connection to the MSG warrants further investigation.

The Hunter-Hagler collection provides rare documentation on how women endured the War in the Ozarks. The letters are written by Elizabeth Hunter and her daughters, Priscilla A. Hunter and Charlotte Elizabeth (Hunter) Hagler. The Hunters write Margaret Hunter Newberry, who married and left the family farm. The letters describe how the Hunter family survived harsh winters, sold goods at the market, and provide graphic details of murder, theft and destruction caused by bushwhackers in Jasper and Lawrence Counties. Perpetual violence caused the Hunter family to leave their beloved homestead, and flee to Illinois in late 1864. Elizabeth wrote her daughter affectionately and often, and through these letters Elizabeth relates the brutal conditions in which the family endured.

The Lizzie Gilmore collection is a series of letters written by Elizabeth C. Gilmore, primarily to her cousins in Crittenden County, Kentucky. Through her letters, “Lizzie” notes political differences among her family, guerrilla warfare in Missouri and Kentucky, and the hardships she faced in Laclede County. She commented on the fears of living among the war split community of Lebanon and the nature of co-existence. Lizzie declared her loyalty to the Union, but she specifically states, “but that is as far as I go.” It is unknown if she was opposed northern aggression, advocated for states rights, or supported slavery. This collection provides a glimpse of life for a Laclede County citizen facing the struggles of war and reconstruction in the Ozarks.

The Moses J. Bradford collection consists of forty letters written to his wife, Malissa Jane, and family. Bradford joined the Missouri State Guard under General James H. McBride, and later served in the 10th Missouri Infantry (CSA). In July of 1863, Bradford was captured in Helen, Arkansas. Bradford was incarcerated with other Confederate officers at five different Union prisons: Johnson’s Island in Ohio, Camp Hammond in Maryland, Fort Delaware in Delaware, Morris Island in South Carolina, and Fort Pulaski in Georgia. Bradford wrote ten letters while in the Missouri State Guard and 10th Missouri Infantry. The remainder of the collection was written from the prison. These letters tell of the worsening conditions Bradford faced as a prisoner of war, and the resolve of his dedication to the Confederate States of America.

The Murray Collection contains 16 letters detailing the activities of the 20th Iowa Infantry as they marched through the Ozarks. The letters are addressed to Thomas Murray from his brother William Murray and his cousin, Thomas Murray, serving in the 20th Iowa. William wrote the bulk of the wartime letters, offering his perspective of the Ozarks and the events that unfolded in the region. The 20th Iowa marched through St. Louis, Rolla, and Springfield. They camped at Newtonia in early October 1862. William reported to his brother about the 1862 Battle of Newtonia that took place there only a few days before his arrival. In December of 1862, the 20th Iowa then participated in the Battle of Prairie Grove in Arkansas. William was severely wounded in the Battle, and died shortly after. The collection contains three post-war letters, in which Thomas inquires about his brother’s grave in Arkansas. Thomas Murray continued to write his cousin, as the 20th Iowa traveled to Mississippi and participated in the Siege of the Vicksburg.

Lyman Gibson Bennett enlisted in the 36th Illinois Infantry in 1861. Prior to the War he trained as a surveyor and civil engineer, working for the railroad. The military utilized Bennett’s skills as a cartographer, and assigned him to survey battlefields, road systems, and fortifications. Bennett’s diaries document his daily duties as both a soldier and an engineer for the military. His regiment participated in the Battle of Pea Ridge, which he describes in vivid detail. Bennett was discharged from the military in August 1864.

In 1865, Bennett joined the engineering department of General Samuel R. Curtis as a civilian. He mapped the 1864 battlefields of Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition. Bennett was then assigned to survey fortifications in Nebraska and Colorado, and eventually served as an engineering officer on the Powder River Expedition of 1865. Bennett’s diaries provide colorful insight to his perception of the Ozarks and its inhabitants.

The Chadwell Leavenworth Collection comprises a series of letters between family members. Gideon and Lucinda Chadwell’s son, Alexander, served in the Missouri State Guard and later in the 2nd Missouri Cavalry (CS). His letters home tell of his service in the military. Alexander had three sisters, Nancy Amanda, Martha and Mary Emma. The family resided in the Ste. Genevieve area. Although Alexander fought for the Confederacy, the family remained in correspondence with their extended Union sympathetic family in Illinois.

John Harvey Doran, a carpenter in Springfield, Missouri kept a journal of his daily activities from August 13, 1864 through September 24, 1865. Doran had steady business building shelves, coffins, framing houses, and other general construction jobs. The journal entries include business notes, news from family and friends, and information about Doran’s brief service in the Enrolled Missouri Militia.