Mary Whitney PhelpsImage Courtesy Lisa Donnelley and Katharine Donnelley Mary Whitney was born in Portland, Maine, in 1812. In her youth, Mary’s father and later her mother died, leaving her an orphan.  Perhaps believing marriage was a way to escape poverty, she soon married but discovered that her husband was not a lasting match for her, […]

Chapters Introduction Peter Wellington Alexander Thomas C. Hindman Thomas C. Hindman Image courtesy of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Thomas C. Hindman, born January 28, 1828, in Knoxville, Tennessee, was Thomas Hindman, Sr. and Sallie Holt Hindman’s first born son. His father was a planter, and in 1832 became a federal agent for the Creek Nation. […]

Chapters Introduction Peter Wellington Alexander Thomas C. Hindman Peter Wellington Alexander Image courtesy of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Peter Wellington Alexander was born in Ruckersville, Georgia in 1825 to Peter W. Alexander, Sr. and Elizabeth A. Banks. Alexander attended the University of Georgia, where he excelled, obtaining the second highest standing […]

1883-1885 Teacher Daily Register Book from Clear Creek School Image courtesy of Tommy Baker, whose grandmother, Emma Reiff, attended the school. Community & Conflict consists of hundreds of primary source documents surrounding the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. A committee of teachers selected specific themes and documents from the collection to develop into lesson […]

Introduction The Ray and Steele Family William Steele and his wife Roxanna met in Georgia and were married on December 26, 1837. William was the son of Robert and Nancy Steele who immigrated to New York in 1800, and was one of twelve children. Roxanna Grizzard was raised by the Neal family in Georgia, until […]

Chapters Introduction Christian Isely Marie Elizabeth “Eliza” Dubach Isely Christian Isely Image courtesy of John Mattox Christian H. Isely was born in Switzerland in 1828, and immigrated to America with his family at age three.1 In 1849, Christian headed West, leaving his family, consisting of his parents; Barbara Otzenberger Isely and Christian Isely, Sr., brothers; […]

Chapters Introduction Christian Isely Marie Elizabeth “Eliza” Dubach Isely Marie Elizabeth “Eliza” Dubach Isely Image courtesy of John Mattox Marie Elizabeth “Eliza” Dubach was born in Courrendlin, Canton Bern, Switzerland on June 21, 1842.1 Soon after her birth, her family moved to a dairy farm on the southern slope of Montagne d’Orvin in Switzerland. She […]

Chapters Introduction Peter Van Winkle Peter Van Winkle Image courtesy of Private Collector Peter Marselis Van Winkle was born in New York City on February 25, 1814 and was the fourth child of Helmich and Antje Van Winkle. At a young age, Peter moved with his family to Franklin County, Illinois. Peter had already been […]

Judson Taylor was a private in the Confederate Army. The exact regiment he served in is unknown. On February 18, 1862 Taylor wrote his last will and testament in the case he did not survive through the War. He divided his possession between his wife Bessie, daughter Jenny, son John and his friend Jake. With the uncertainty of surviving the war, soldiers often wrote letters directing how to divide their property and possessions if they died in battle.

In 1847, Drew, a slave belonging to Edward Thomson, poisoned a fellow slaved named Lige. The exact details of the murder may never be known, but the court records include depositions of several slaves, two physicians and a grocery store owner who provide their perspective of the events that unfolded. These depositions offer valuable insight into the lives and living conditions of slaves in Greene County, Missouri.

Chapters Introduction Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers William Clark Quantrill, Missouri Bushwhacker; Charles R. Jennison, Kansas Jayhawker Images courtesy of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Few Civil War terms generate more controversy than “Bushwhacker” and “Jayhawker.” Today, each elicits strong emotions from partisans on both sides, just as they did during the war. Though they were often used […]

Chapters Introduction 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry James M Williams Image courtesy of the U.S. Army Military History Institute This chapter contains language that may be objectionable to the reader. Quotes contain original language to preserve authenticity of the documents. The political chaos surrounding Kansas Territory planted seeds of rebellion among the settlers. Bloody violence spread […]

  Image Reproduced from Harper’s Weekly This chapter contains language that may be objectionable to the reader. Quotes contain original language to preserve authenticity of the documents. On October 26, 1862, the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry received orders to disperse a band of bushwhackers operating near Hog Island in Bates County, Missouri. 225 men from […]

Chapters Introduction George Falconer & Albert Ellithorpe George Falconer was born on July 15, 1843 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. By 1860, he lived on a farm in Sebastian County with his stepfather and mother. Falconer enlisted in Col. J. J. Clarkson’s Confederate Cavalry for one year on April 1, 1862.  He supplied his own horse […]

Chapters Introduction Thomas R. Livingston The Thomas R. Livingston Collection consists of three civil law suits related to the estate of the notorious Confederate soldier. These suits include depositions from several of Livingston’s friends and family members. In 1861, Livingston helped organize a regiment for the 8th Division, Missouri State Guard in Jasper County, Missouri. […]

Introduction Louisa Cheairs McKenny Sheppard Louisa “Lulu” Cheairs McKenny Sheppard Images courtesy of The History Museum on the Square Louisa Cheairs McKenny Sheppard, “Lou” or “Lulu,” was the fourth child of Talitha and E.D. McKenny. Talitha died during Louisa’s birth in 1848, and she was raised by her grandmother Louisa “Lucy” Terrell Cheairs Campbell after […]

Chapters Introduction Clinton Owen Bates Clinton Owen Bates was born in 1857, and grew up on a farm in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bates family had split loyalty among the North and South, and even as a young child, Bates remembered the tension that the War brought into their home. Bates’ father worked as a surveyor, […]

“Old Age,” written by Clinton Owen Bates in 1949, reflects on the life of a young boy growing up in Arkansas during the Civil War, and his career as a teacher. Bates was born in 1857, and grew up on a farm in Fayetteville. The Bates family had split loyalty among the North and South, and even as a young child, Bates remembered the tension that the War brought into their home. Bates recalled the bloody conflict along the border of Missouri and Kansas, encounters with runaway slaves, and various Trans-Mississippi Theater battles. After the War, Bates began his career as a teacher. He taught at the Cherokee Headquarters on the Tahlequah Indian Reservation and later held a position in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Chapters Introduction John W. Fisher John W. Fisher’s Missouri State Guard company organized in Westport and marched along western edge of Missouri. They entered secessionist-friendly territory in hopes of raising troops and fueling the fire of Union opposition. I wrote to you day before yesterday form our camp at Carthage, where we arrived that day, […]

Chapters Introduction Erasmus Stirman Erasmus Stirman Image courtesy of the University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections Erasmus “Ras” Stirman and his sister, Rebecca Stirman Davidson, were lifelong Fayetteville, Arkansas residents at the dawn of the Civil War, and their family enjoyed the upper class comforts so often associated with antebellum “Dixie.” Merchants and physicians, their […]

Chapters Introduction James “Wild Bill” Hickok Recognized authority on James Butler Hickok, Joseph Rosa, offers the following: Immortalized as “Wild Bill,” James Butler Hickok was well known in Springfield, Missouri during the period 1861-1866. His reputation as a pistol shot, gambler and Union scout and spy is now a part of the city’s early day […]

Chapters The Enrolled Missouri Militia, 4th Military District, Order Book On August 17, 1861 Missouri Governor Hamilton R. Gamble ordered a proclaiming establishing the Missouri State Militia for defense of the State against guerrilla activity. Gamble soon realized the need for additional troops, and on July 22, 1862 he issued General Order Number 29 organizing […]

Chapters Introduction Kansas-Nebraska Act Seeds of Discontent The 12th Confederate State Missouri’s Provisional Union Government Post War Politics After four long grueling years of bitter conflict, Missourians were weary, and looking forward to new leadership and a peaceful future. The 1864 political ballots listed two names for Governor. Thomas L. Price, who although commissioned as […]

Chapters Introduction The Macks as Refugees Macks in the War Macks in Politics Although living in a Union state, the Macks were unhappy in Iowa. Marshal complained bitterly about the people, and his comments on the Republican Party foreshadowed the family’s involvement in wartime politics. Marshal’s letter also reveals deep animosity towards African-Americans. While the […]

Chapters Introduction The Macks as Refugees Macks in the War Macks in Politics Authorized by Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union troops raised in southwest Missouri were the Greene and Christian County Home Guards. John A. Mack Sr. enlisted in the company on June 7. 1861. Unhappy with the performance of their first captain […]

Chapters Introduction The Macks as Refugees Macks in the War