Lordy, has it really been that long ago? In that case then, it was quite a few years after your letters that I received the ones I spoke about. I've had them for about a year now, and do some transcribing when the spirit moves me. I have way too many irons in the fire.
As to the ferocity of some of the Kansas troops, unlike some Kansas-haters I don't believe there was anything in Kansas water that made those guys so mean. In a sense, they had been fighting the Civil War long before the actual war began. They didn't call it "Bleeding Kansas" for nothing.
But for pure orneryness, it's hard to top the 1st Colorado Cavalry. Check the O.R.'s sometime. There's some interesting reports about some New Mexico volunteers who were detailed to the 1st Colorado. They refused to participate in the Sand Creek massacre, and later provided testimony in the inquiry into the 1st Colorado's actions.