CIVIL WAR 5th KANSAS CAVALRY Widow Bounty Pay Document Group 1864 MO/KS History For Sale

​📜 Item Description

​🦅 RARE & COMPLETE 1864 CIVIL WAR NARRATIVE GROUPING

​🐎 Co. C, 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry — Widow’s Bounty & Arrears Settlement

​An exceptional, 100% original multi-document archive tracking the complete chain of custody for a wartime federal bounty and arrears of pay claim. This grouping tells a seamless historical story following the death of Corporal James H. Smith of Company C, 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, who passed away in service on February 2, 1863, during the regiment’s grueling Trans-Mississippi winter campaign.

​What makes this archive highly desirable to collectors is its complete narrative integrity. Rather than an isolated document, this lot contains the entire administrative trail—from local county court verification to final federal payout.

​📂 What is Included in This Archive:

• ​📜 1. U.S. Treasury Department Arrears & Bounty Certificate (Feb 1864): A large, beautifully preserved three-part document issued by the Second Auditor's Office (No. 60184). It authorizes a payout of $215.90 to his widow, Nancy A. Smith, combining his final back-pay ($115.90) and his original 1861 enlistment bounty ($100). Features the sharp, authentic wartime signatures of Second Auditor Ezra B. French and Second Comptroller John M. Brodhead.

• ​⚖️ 2. State of Missouri, Mercer County Affidavit (Feb 29, 1864): A fascinating regional document executed by a local resident (R. B. Ballew) before Circuit Court Clerk W. L. Jerome in Princeton, MO. This document legally establishes that Corporal Smith was a Mercer County resident when he crossed the border to enlist in the Kansas Cavalry, and proves his widow still resides there. Features a crisp, distinct legal blind stamp.

• ​✍️ 3. Hand-Signed Attorney Payment Voucher / Receipt (March 7, 1864): The actual payout strip proving delivery of the funds by Army Paymaster Major Johnson. It is signed on behalf of the widow by her designated attorney, Elliott T. Merrick, and witnessed by R. D. Gibbons.

• ​📁 4. Original Tri-Fold Filing Jacket: The reverse side of the primary Treasury document, annotated by military clerks for vertical filing cabinet storage. Clearly details the voucher number, paymaster name, and final payout date.

​The 5th Kansas Cavalry was a hard-fought Western Theater regiment heavily engaged in anti-guerrilla operations, scouting, and major actions across Missouri and Arkansas (including the Battle of Helena and Pine Bluff). Corporal Smith’s documented death date of February 2, 1863, places him at the height of the regiment's brutal winter encampment at Camp Helena, Arkansas, where Union forces faced severe attrition from disease, exposure, and constant localized skirmishing with Confederate "bushwhackers."

​The cross-border dynamic of a Missouri resident serving in a Kansas Cavalry unit offers fantastic historical flavor for regional collectors of "Bleeding Kansas" and border war history.

​🔍 Condition Report:

​Documents are in Very Good antique condition given their age and field use. Crispy rag paper with standard fold lines, minor edge chipping, and tiny pinholes consistent with 19th-century filing methods. The iron-gall ink remains incredibly dark, sharp, and entirely legible throughout. No major text loss or devastating tears. Please study the high-resolution photos for exact details.

• ​🛡️ 100% Guaranteed Authentic and Period-Original

• ​📦 Shipped flat and securely packaged with rigid tracking to protect historical paper.

​💰 Pricing & Terms

• ​💵 Buy It Now: $275.00

• ​🤝 Offers considered for serious collectors.