Josephine Blakely Martin material
Date: Between 1858 and 1881
Material relating to Josephine Blakely Martin and William S. Blakely. Included in this folder are journals, letters, appointments, and a diploma. Several pages of the journal have been skipped or cut out. Some of the letters discuss the Civil War, one noting a fight between troops of the Second Kansas Calvary and William Quantrill's men at David Tate's farm on March 22, 1862.

Abishai Stowell to Margaret Stowell Torrence
Creator: Stowell, Abishai
Date: February 1, 1862 - April 22, 1865
Eighteen letters written by Abishai Stowell to his sister Margaret Stowell Torrence, Gambles, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania. The letters were written while he served in the Civil War. Stowell was a private in the Second Kansas Infantry, Company E, he enlisted May 14, 1861 and was mustered out October 31, 1861; re-enlisted in the Second Kansas Cavalry, Company A, November 6, 1861 and was promoted to corporal April 15, 1862; re-enlisted in the Second Kansas Cavalry, Co. A, January 5, 1864 and promoted to sergeant March 25, 1864; and re-enlisted in the Second Kansas Cavalry veterans of Co. A and was assigned to Co. B, January 5, 1864 and mustered out June 22, 1865 at Ft. Gibson.

Battle of Little Big Horn
Creator: Coffeen & Schnitger Trading Company
Date: 1875
These five postcards show scenes from the Battle of Little Big Horn after the June 25, 1875 incident between the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment and a coalition of Plains Indians.

Martin Anderson
Creator: Brown's Photographic Gallery, Paola Miami Co., Kansas
Date: Between 1862 and 1865
This carte de visite shows Major Martin Anderson, (1817-1897), of Circleville, Kansas. A commander of Union forces during the Civil War Anderson joined the military ranks, on August 30, 1862, when he mustered into Company B of the 11th Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment as company captain. He rose through the military ranks to major, on November 22, 1863, after the regiment was reassigned as the 11th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment in the summer of 1863. Anderson served in this capacity until he mustered out, on September 18, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth. After the war he ran for political office, in 1866, and was elected the state treasurer of Kansas, (1867-1869). Anderson remained actively involved in community affairs until his passing, on July 9, 1897, at the age of eighty.

George Armstrong and Elizabeth Custer
Date: 1865
A photograph of George Armstrong and Elizabeth Bacon Custer taken in Huntington, Texas. In June 1865, General Philip Sheridan put Custer in command of the 2d Division of Cavalry, Military Division of the Southwest. Accompanied by his wife, he led the division to Texas. In October he moved his men to Austin, when he became Chief of Cavalry for the Department of Texas. Custer's division was mustered out beginning in November 1865, replaced by the regulars of the U.S. 6th Cavalry Regiment.

Soldier on horseback
Date: Between 1895 and 1905
A photograph showing an African American soldier on horseback. The photograph was possibly taken in New Mexico.

Charles H. Hoyt
Date: Between 1861 and 1869
A portrait of Charles H. Hoyt, a resident of Lawrence, Kansas, who was a Lieutenant in Company D, Nineteenth Volunteer Kansas Cavalry.

George Armstrong Custer
Date: 1872
This informal portrait shows George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876), dressed in buckskins and holding a firearm during the Duke Alexis' hunt to Kansas. The Grand Russian Duke traveled to the Great Plains of Kansas and Nebraska to take part in the adventures of a buffalo hunt led by Custer, Buffalo Bill, and General Philip Sheridan.

Interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Berlin, George F.
Date: March 12, 2007
Berlin enlisted in the Army (Cavalry) in 1942 and served until 1945 in the 75th Infantry Divison; 2nd Infantry Division. Interviewed by Pattie Johnston on Mar 12, 2007, Berlin talked about military experiences in the Second World War. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Watkins Community Museum of History (Lawrence) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Fort Harker, Kansas, 218 miles west of Missouri River
Creator: Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882
Date: 1867
This is a photo showing U. S. Army troops on the grounds of Fort Harker, Kansas. Fort Harker (originally called Fort Ellsworth) was established in 1864 in order to provide protection for the Kansas Stage Line and military wagon trains transporting goods along the Smoky Hill Trail and the Fort Riley Road. The fort closed in 1872 and was located in present day Kanopolis, Kansas.

Members of Company G, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Creator: Morris, H. H.
Date: 1863
A photograph showing members of Company G, Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The soldiers are identified as seated (left to right) Fox Winne, N. D. Horton and standing Henry Barnes, Henry Boothe. The photograph was possibly taken in Galveston, Texas.

Battle of Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota
Date: 1890
Postcard showing members of the Lakota Sioux tribe surrendering to the U.S. Seventh Cavalry after the Battle of Wounded Knee. The December 29, 1890, battle was considered the last major conflict between U.S. troops and Native Americans.

Medical history of the 19th Regiment, Kansas Cavalry Volunteers
Creator: Bailey, Mahlon
Date: 1869
Mahlon Bailey, the regimental surgeon, recorded this medical history of the 19th Kansas Cavalry. This history includes information on the hasty physicals given to new recruits, wounds received in battle, and other medical problems encountered on the trail, as well as general information about the day-to-day activities of the soldiers. Located at the end of the report is a chart detailing the medical problems of the regiment, including the number of cases of dysentery, gonorrhea, pneumonia, ulcers, burns, and sprains (among many others). At the end of these charts, Bailey expresses his appreciation to the commanders of the regiment, thanking them for following his medical advice and showing concern for the health of their soldiers.

Philip Henry Sheridan to Governor Samuel Johnson Crawford
Creator: Sheridan, Philip Henry, 1831-1888
Date: October 8, 1868
General Philip Henry Sheridan, a veteran of the Civil War, wrote this telegram to the Governor of Kansas to inform him of the current state of affairs in western Kansas. General William B. Hazen had informed Sheridan that their efforts to secure peace with the Kiowa and Comanche tribes was unsuccessful, and that Crawford should muster a cavalry regiment to assist in the military's efforts to place these tribes on reservations. This regiment was the 19th Kansas Cavalry, consisting of five companies.

Samuel Worthington to "My Dear Mother"
Creator: Worthington, Samuel
Date: August 22, 1864
Samuel Worthington was a Private in Company A, 11th [Cavalry] Regiment, Kansas Volunteers. Worthington's place of residence when he mustered in was Leavenworth, Kansas. Writing from Fort Riley, Kansas, this letter to his mother provides some sense of his mother emotions by writing him about her fears for his safety. Worthington writes that he enjoys letters from home but he prefers not "to be constantly reminded how near it breaks your heart to have one away from home, etc., etc." He writes that his current duties are to copy dispatches that are to be sent to eastern newspapers such as the New York Times, the Boston Commonwealth, Harpers Weekly, and his home newspaper the Leavenworth Conservative. He feels that fears of Indian attacks are exaggerated in hopes of having more troops sent to Fort Riley.

Samuel Worthington to Enos
Creator: Worthington, Samuel
Date: October 20, 1862
Samuel Worthington is writing from the Pea Ridge (Arkansas) Battlefield, though his unit did not participate in the battle. The letter is addressed to a friend named Enos. Worthington writes that "many gallant son[s] of the Union fell fighting for the Liberty of all mankind" He also notes that a friend Ben McCullough was killed near where he is writing and nothing marks the spot. He includes information about Union and Confederate troops in the area, asks for news from the neighborhood, and that his money had been stolen. His signature includes the information that he is a Private in Company A, 11th [Cavalry] Regiment, Kansas Volunteers. Worthington's place of residence when he mustered in was Leavenworth, Kansas. Note that the stationery has red and blue lines on some of the pages.

General Order No. 2, 19th Kansas Cavalry
Creator: Crawford, S. J. (Samuel Johnson), 1835-1913
Date: January 2, 1869
This order established the daily routine that must be observed by the cavalry forces located near Fort Cobb. This includes reveille (5:45am), calls for meals, and finally taps (8:25pm).

Charles F. Coleman
Creator: Wertz, G., proprietor of Kansas City Photograph Rooms
Date: Between 1861 and 1864
This is a portrait of Captain Charles F. Coleman, a member of Company D, 9th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.

George L. Higby, Volunteer Enlistment in the 19th Kansas Cavalry
Date: October 15, 1868
This volunteer enlistment form belonged to George L. Higby, who volunteered to serve in the 19th Kansas Cavalry, Company D, for the period of six months. The 19th Kansas Cavalry was organized in 1868 in order to fight native tribes in western Kansas and Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Creator: Braithwaite, C. H.
Date: Between 1890 and 1899
Portrait of William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. During the Civil War, he served in the 7th Kansas Cavalry Regiment. Later, Cody was chief of scouts for the Third Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He claimed to have worked many jobs, but he became world famous for his Wild West show. He got his nickname for supplying Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with bison meat.

Fort Harker, Kansas
Creator: Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882
Date: 1867
A stereograph showing U.S. Army troops on the grounds of Fort Harker, Kansas. The photo was taken 500 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri, in present day Kanopolis, Kansas. From Alexander Gardner's series, Across the Continent on the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division.

Preston B Plumb
Creator: Brown's Photographic Gallery, Paola, Miami Co., Kansas
Date: January 12, 1865
Portrait of Preston B. Blumb, 1837-1891, in military uniform. He served in the Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.

Chief, the last cavalry horse
Date: Between 1960 and 1962
Chief was the last living cavalry horse still carried on government rolls. He was foaled in 1932 and purchased by the Army in 1940 at Ft.Robinson, Nebraska. In December of 1949 he was placed in semi-retirement and was fully retired at Ft. Riley, Kansas, in 1958.

Fort Scott soldiers
Date: 1863-1865
This photograph of two men on horses at Fort Scott was probably taken between 1863 and 1865. The man in the foreground is Corporal George H. McCoon, company saddler in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry. The photograph shows the Fort Scott stables in the background.

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Date: 1864
This photograph of Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, was taken in 1864 by an unidentified photographer. The building in the background is the guardhouse, and in the foreground is an African-American battery. This battery appears to be the precursor to the 9th and 10th Colored Regiments, formed in 1866.