Blue & Grey Reunion, Springfield, Mo.

Stereoview of the August 1883 “Blue & Grey” reunion held in Springfield, Missouri; the reunion hosted Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and other Civil War veterans. Several soldier reunions were held in Springfield, although the largest took place in 1883 and 1897. The reunions included trips ...

Landing at DeVall’s Bluff, Arkansas

Photograph of steamboats at the landing in DeVall's Bluff, Arkansas.

Undated photograph of the landing on the White River at DeValls Bluff, Arkansas; first occupied by Union troops and heavily fortified in 1863, it was a major Union supply base in Arkansas. In the background it is possible to see the tents of an army encampment. DeValls Bluff was important to Union efforts to supply ...

Pontoon Bridge at St. Charles, Mo.

People crossing a pontoon bridge.

Photograph of a 1560 foot pontoon bridge that spanned the Missouri River at St. Charles, Missouri, ca. 1871. During the Civil War, Union engineers built pontoon bridges over waterways to provide crossings for troops or to replace destroyed bridges. The bridges were prebuilt and transported to where needed, then assembled on floating pontoons, which were secured ...

Quantrill’s Men Reunion, Independence, Mo.

Post-war photograph of William C. Quantrill's guerrillas.

The first reunion of the men who rode with William Clarke Quantrill was held in September 1898 at Blue Springs, Missouri. They continued to hold annual reunions for thirty-two years, until 1929. The reunions were held in various locations, including Wallace Grove (the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Wallace) in Independence, Mo. This ...

Sibley Tents

Tintype of Sibley Tents.

The Sibley tent was invented by U.S. Army officer Henry Hopkins Sibley and patented in 1856. The “new and improved conical tent” was twelve feet high and eighteen feet in diameter; Sibley claimed that it could hold 20 men comfortably with “arms and equipments.” It was supported by a central pole and iron tripod ...

Signal Corps Quarters, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Photograph of the Single Corps. Quarters in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Undated photograph of the Signal Corps Quarters at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Fort Leavenworth is located in northeast Kansas, just west of Kansas City; built in 1827, it is the oldest active military installation west of the Missouri River. During the Civil War, Leavenworth was used as a mustering and training area for Kansas ...

St. Louis Hospital

Photograph of the St. Louis Hospital.

Photograph of an unidentified military hospital at St. Louis, Missouri; the thirty-four star flag hanging next to the building would indicate the photo was taken sometime between 1861 and 1863. St. Louis played an important role in the Civil War as the main Union supply depot on the Mississippi River, headquarters for the Western Department, and ...

Steamboats at St. Louis, Mo.

Two post-Civil War photographs of steamboats on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri; one includes a bridge spanning the river into Illinois; the other features a loading and unloading area with supplies in the foreground. St. Louis was a major supply port for the Union forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theatre. Following the ...