Cyrus Leland Jr. (Kansas Historical Society)
Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr.
I came across this letter sometime ago. The letter is from Lieutenant Cyrus Leland Jr. to his mother. At the time, Leland was a member of Ewing’s staff:
HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE BORDER
Kansas City, Mo Nov. 14th , 1863
Dear Mother,
I received your letter of the 8th inst. Was rather glad to hear of Crabb's election. So Howard has sold his Pone. I have me a fine mare. I got her three or four weeks ago. She is worth one Hundred & Twenty five dollars. By getting her, it made me a little short of money. I can send it to you. I must tell you of a little circumstance in which I was a____somewhat intended at this time. While we were down in Mo. at Neosho, the people gave us a dance. There was some of Blunt's [Major General James G. Blunt], scouts there & they got on a bust during the evening. One of them was a little more nosiy than the rest, so I put him out of the house & used him rather roughly in putting him out. After I shut the door he fired through it at me the ball passing over me and very close to Gen'l Ewing. I then got a revolver and stepped out [the] door. As he saw me step out he run (the scout). I then commenced firing. At the second shot he fell. The ball had just coursed itself on the top of his head, just enough to stun him. The folks brought him in searched his head & he came to his senses. The next morning Gen'l discharged him and all of the Fort Scott Scouts and they went back to Fort Scott. When we returned to Fort Scott, I saw this chap with his head tied up. He told the people at Fort Scott that he had been bushwhacked in coming up...
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