Kenneth Spencer Research Library Archival Collections

Overview

This collection consists of letters describing incidents of the border raids during the Kansas Territory-Missouri border wars just before the United States' Civil War in detail, including references to John Brown, William Quantrill, Jim Montgomery, and Fort Scott. The collection also includes a deed to land in McLean County, Illinois owned by Vansickle.

Overview Letter from Surgeon Numan N. Horton of Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas to his former captain, regarding life in Fort Scott and Bourbon County. Horton's topics include the weather, updates about fellow soldiers, selling of land in the area and expectations about an influx of settlers in the spring, and other related topics. The letter is written on a promotional or booster sheet regarding Fort Scott and Bourbon County, describing facilities available in Fort Scott (including mills,...