This letter was written by Cornelius Cunningham (1837-1862), the son of Horace Cunningham (1781-1882) and Caroline Elizabeth Tree (1810-1880) of Porter county, Indiana. Cornelius died of disease on 25 August 1862 at Helena, Arkansas, while serving in Co. G, 9th Illinois Cavalry.
Cornelius wrote this letter to his sister, Mary S. Cunningham (1841-1878), the daughter of Horace Cunningham (1781-1882) and Caroline Elizabeth Tree (1810-1880) of Porter county, Indiana.
See also 1862: Dave Luddington to Mary Cunningham
TRANSCRIPTION
Camp Douglas
Chicago, Illinois
January 28, 1862
My dear sister,
We are still at the old stomping ground with very little prospect of leaving for eight or ten days to come. We have not received any pay yet but expect to get it before we leave for the land of Dixie. It is a dismal day here today. It commenced raining here last night and still it is raining.
I have not received any letter from any of you this week. Dave got one from Josiah yesterday. There is a good many of the boys sick with the mumps and measles. There was some 20 reported this morning on the sick list. I thought yesterday that I should have to give up and call myself sick. I have had a bad cold ever since Father was out here. It settled on my lungs and caused me to cough a great deal and made my lungs sore. Yesterday I had quite a chill and fever. The fever left me about 8 o’clock last night. I have felt very well today. My cold is a little easier. My lungs still feel pretty sore but I guess I shall be alright in a few days. I have been trying to get a leave of absence to come home but since the weather has changed so I do not care so much about it. I would like to come out there and have a few sleigh rides and go to a spelling school or two, and give the girls a chance to kiss me. It is a pity to have them obliged to kiss my picture and not get a chance to kiss the original. If I do not get a chance to come home before I leave for the Land of Dixie, you can tell the girls I send my best respects to them all.
Tell Geely [?] that he must take good care of Nancy and not let the rest of the boys get ahead of him.
Wednesday morning, January 29. I feel pretty well this morning. I have just come in from dress parade and conclude to finish this letter so that I can send it out this morning or else you won’t get it this week. We had preaching in our barracks last night by the chaplain. It is pretty tolerable cool here this morning. Dave got quite homesick last night. He got it in his head that he wanted to go home. If we do not come home, I will send a letter to Valparaiso—that is, if we leave here before next week, which I hardly think we will.
I must close this for I shall be too late for the mail this morning.
Give my love to all enquiring friends, — C. Cunningham
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