15th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Date: Between 1861 and 1865
This tintype shows Captain Oran Curtis standing with sword just left of center with members of the 15th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Company F. Captain Curtis was the father of U.S. vice-president Charles Curtis.

15th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Date: Between 1860 and 1870
This tintype shows Captain Oran Curtis, to the left, with members of the 15th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Company F. Captain Curtis was the father of United States Vice President Charles Curtis.

1878 Penny from the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield, 14LN337
Date: 1878
This penny dates to 14 years later than the Battle of Mine Creek, but still can help archeologists understand activity or disturbance at the site. The site was the location where on October 25, 1864 Union and Confederate forces fought one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War. The penny, sometimes called an Indian Head cent or Indian Head penny shows Liberty with a head dress on the obverse side. The reverse side shows an oak wreath and shield surrounding the words "ONE CENT."

1st Kansas Colored Infantry flag
Date: between 1862 and 1864
Blue silk regimental flag of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, the first African American regiment from a northern state in the Civil War. Recruitment began August 1862, although they weren't mustered into Federal service until January 13, 1863. They saw their first action at Island Mound, Missouri on October 29, 1862. The flag bears the names of eight battle honors. In 1864 the regiment was redesignated the 79th United States Colored Regiment.

2nd Kansas Colored Infantry flag
Date: 1863
Blue silk regimental flag of the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry. The flag bears the names of six battle honors. The 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry was organized in mid-1863 and saw action in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Its commander was Colonel Samuel J. Crawford, who later served as the governor of Kansas.

34-star American flag playing cards
Date: between 1861 and 1863
This deck of thirty-five glossed paper cards depicts two 34 star American flags on the back. The reverse contains the suits with no numbers in the corners. Kansas is the 34th State admitted to the Union (in 1861), which dates these to the early Civil War between 1861 and 1863. Prior to 1880 playing cards typically did not have numbers in the corners.

4th Kansas Infantry muster rolls
Date: 1862
These are the muster rolls of the 4th Kansas Infantry. The muster roll identifies the officers and enlisted men, their age, birthplace, the location from which they came to Kansas, and their Kansas residence.

.54 Caliber Bullets from the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield, 14LN337
Date: 1864
Shown are three of the many bullets recovered during the 1990 survey and excavation at the Mine Creek Battlefield by Kansas Historical Society Archeologists and crew. All of the artifacts are .54 caliber lead bullets. The one of the far left was manufactured by Sharps and has three grease rings. The other two bullets both have concave or hollow bases. The site was the location where on October 25, 1864 Union and Confederate forces fought one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War.

6th Kansas Cavalry flag
Date: 1861
This national flag was carried by the 6th Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. Established at Fort Scott, Kansas, in July 1861, the unit started out as a "Home Guard," meant to protect citizens living in counties along the state's eastern border from guerilla raiders. In the spring of 1862, the unit was organized as a cavalry regiment. During the course of the war, the 6th Kansas fought in skirmishes in Missouri and Arkansas, preventing Confederate troops from moving farther north. The unit also participated in the Camden Expedition, a Union military campaign meant to secure Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas in Northern hands. As part of the expedition, they fought in the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry and the Battle of Prairie Grove, among others. The 6th Kansas mustered out on August 27, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry
Date: 1862
This tintype shows members of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry, Company E. Soldiers in the tintype are: (standing) Elisha D. Rose, James Hunter, Volney Brown, Henry Davidson, (kneeling) Lewis V. Bryan, Richard Russell, William Wendall, and Cyrus Grant.

8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry flag
Date: between 1862 and 1866
This flag belonged to Eighth Kansas Volunteer Regiment, which was recruited in 1862 and mustered out in 1866. The Eighth Kansas went farther east than any other Kansas unit, fighting in the battles of Chickmauga and Chattanooga, and taking part in the Atlanta campaign.

8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry monument at Missionary Ridge
Creator: Schmedling Photographer
Date: Between 1870 and 1900
These are three photographs of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry monument on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

9th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Company D
Date: Between 1861 and 1864
This is a poster for the 9th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Company D. It contains the names of officers, enlisted men, and those soldiers that were transferred, discharged, died, and deserted. The home towns of the soldiers are listed also. The poster has colored illustrations depicting the Civil War. The company was organized in Iola, Kansas. A history of the company is at the bottom of the poster but it is difficult to read. Portions of the poster have deteriorated.

Aaron Kuykendall
Creator: Morse, A. S.
Date: Between 1861 and 1865
This is a carte de visite of Private Aaron Kuykendall from Moline, Illinois, who served in Company I of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. The carte de visite was removed from an album belonging to Lt. Charles H. Slawson, who served in Company I of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. The photographer was A. S. Morse in Nashville, Tennessee.

Abbie Bright correspondence
Creator: Bright, Abbie, 1848-1926
Date: 1861-1903
Abbie Bright was born on a farm near Danville, Pennsylvania, on December 17, 1848. She had three brothers, Dennis, Hiram and Philip, all of whom enlisted in the army when the Civil War broke out. Abbie had three sisters, Rebecca, Peninah, and Mary, all of whom aided the war effort. In 1870 Abbie traveled to Indiana and Kansas to visit Hiram and Philip and wrote an account of her trip in a diary (also available on Kansas Memory as record unit 223662). While in Kansas she acquired 160 acres as an investment. This series of correspondence includes letters describing the brother's wartime activities. There are also letters to and from other individuals who were involved in the Civil War. These writings make a significant contribution to Civil War research. Other letters pertain to Philip and Abbie Bright's westward migration. Philip moved to Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, and Arizona but died in 1873 and the letters at that time mostly concern his death. The 1902 and 1903 correspondence apparently regards the sale of Abbie's land in Kansas. A complete transcription is available by clicking on "Text Version" below.

Abbott Howitzer
Creator: Leonard & Martin
Date: Between 1880s and 1890s
This sepia colored photograph shows the artillery piece known as the Abbott Howitzer. The cannon, manufactured by the Ames Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was purchased in 1855 by free-state activist James Burnett Abbott. The howitzer protected Lawrence, Kansas, during the sacking of the city on May 21, 1856. It was later used during the Civil War by James Henry Lane's brigade in Missouri. At the end of the war, the cannon was returned to Lawrence where it remained until Abbott donated the artillery piece to the Kansas Historical Society.

Abbott Howitzer
Date: 1850s
This black and white photograph shows the artillery piece known as the Abbott Howitzer. The cannon, manufactured by the Ames Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was purchased in 1855 by free-state activist James Burnett Abbott. The howitzer protected Lawrence, Kansas, during the sacking of the city on May 21, 1856. It was later used during the Civil War by James Henry Lane's brigade in Missouri. At the end of the war, the cannon was returned to Lawrence where it remained until Abbott donated the artillery piece to the Kansas Historical Society.

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.

Abraham Lincoln
Date: 1850s
A portrait of Abraham Lincoln. In December 1859, Lincoln traveled to the Kansas Territory and spoke at Elwood, Troy, Doniphan, Atchison, and Leavenworth. His speeches covered several issues including preventing the expansion of slavery, the theory of popular sovereignty, and the evils of states seceding from the Union. In 1860, Lincoln received the Republican party's nomination for president. Although Kansans liked him the delegation from the territory did not support his nomination. He won the election, and on February 22, 1861, at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA, Lincoln raised the United States flag bearing a 34th star, honoring Kansas as the newest state.

Abraham Lincoln
Date: 1862
An engraving of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States. He successfully led the country through the Civil War, saving the Union and ending slavery, only to be assassinated as the war was virtually over. Before becoming the first Republican elected to the Presidency, Lincoln was a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Abraham Lincoln
Date: Between 1859 and 1860
This sepia colored photograph shows Abraham Lincoln. A lawyer from Springfield, Illinois who began his political career as an Illinois state legislator and later was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He became the sixteenth President of the United States on November 6, 1860. As commander in chief he guided the country through the difficult years of the Civil War and signed into law legislation that respected and maintain human freedom for all individuals.

Abraham Lincoln
Creator: Brady, Mathew B., 1823 (ca.)-1896
Date: February 1860
This black and white negative shows Abraham Lincoln. A lawyer from Springfield, Illinois who began his political career as an Illinois state legislator and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He became the sixteenth President of the United States on November 6, 1860. As commander in chief he guided the country through the difficult years of the Civil War and signed into law legislation that respected and maintain human freedom for all individuals.

Abraham Lincoln
Creator: Hesler, Alex, 1823-1895
Date: June 3, 1860
This black and white photograph shows Abraham Lincoln during his campaign for the U.S. Presidency. A lawyer from Springfield, Illinois who began his political career as an Illinois state legislator and later was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He became the sixteenth President of the United States on November 6, 1860. As commander in chief he guided the country through the difficult years of the Civil War and signed into law legislation that respected and maintain human freedom for all individuals.

Abraham Lincoln
A portrait of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the Civil War, saving the Union and ending slavery, only to be assassinated as the war was virtually over. Before becoming the first Republican elected to the Presidency, Lincoln was a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Abraham Lincoln
Date: 1861
An engraving of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the Civil War, saving the Union and ending slavery, only to be assassinated as the war was virtually over. Before becoming the first Republican elected to the Presidency, Lincoln was a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a member of the United States House of Representatives.