These letters were written by Cornelius Cunningham (1837-1862), the son of Horace Cunningham (1781-1882) and Caroline Elizabeth Tree (1810-1880) of Valparaiso, Porter county, Indiana. Cornelius died of disease on 25 August 1862 at Helena, Arkansas, while serving in Co. G, 9th Illinois Cavalry.
The 9th Illinois Cavalry was organized at Camp Douglas in the fall of 1861 but was not mustered into the service until 30 November. A month after being mustered, the regiment had still not been issued their arms. Despite rumors of moving, the regiment remained in Chicago until mid-February 1862 when they were transported to Benton Barracks near St. Louis, and then on to Pilot Knob and Reeve’s Station where they were assigned to the 3rd Brigade of Gen. Steele’s Division in the District of Southeast Missouri.
To read other letters by members of the 9th Illinois Cavalry I have transcribed and published on Spared & Shared, see:
David Luddington, Troop G, 9th Illinois Cavalry (Union/1 Letter)
Jacob Everett Brown, Troop M, 9th Illinois Cavalry (Union/3 Letters)
Letter 1
Camp Douglas
November 12th 1861
My dear sister,
It is with pleasure that I seat myself to write a few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present and hope that these few lines may find you all well. Dave received a letter yesterday from Josiah. I was astonished at the number of deaths that has occurred in our neighboring vicinity since I left. It puts me in mind of the old adage that the old must die and the young may die. It is quite healthy here in camp. There has not been a death in camp since I have been in to my knowledge and a very few that has been sick. We will be marched up to the surgeon’s office some time today to be vaccinated for the kind pox.
Our camp is alive with carpenters, masons, and soldiers. Our barracks will be finished within two or three days. We have moved into ours. They are warmer than the tents was. They are large enough to hold a hundred men. Ours is not entirely finished. The doors is not hung nor stove set up. We generally sleep warm by putting our overcoats over us. We expect to draw another blanket apiece soon. I have been working on the barracks last week and this week I am working on barns. We—a company of one hundred men—have to build twelve barns 28 feet wide, 190 feet long, twelve feet high. We will finish two today.
I am not working this forenoon as we had about run out of lumber & I have got some cold and it is a cold day so I thought I would omit working this forenoon. Unless I work some of the time, I will get so fat and lazy that I can’t breathe with comfort.
I went down in the city one afternoon last week with Harry to see Lib Cunningham as she was going home. I staid at the Depot with her until she took the cars for home, it being 11 o’clock p.m. She said she was sorry that she was hurried off so soon as she wanted to make you a visit and calculated to before she left.
I got on the scales at the depot and I weighed 177 lbs in my every day dress. We have been expecting our pay every day for the last two weeks and have not got it yet. I can’t tell when I will come home. I may come home next week if we get our pay this week.
I understand the soldiers at Camp Douglas would receive their arms in a few days. We are having quite a time in our company at present. Our 2nd Lieutenant has resigned and we have to elect another one. There is a good deal of electioneering going on at present for the lieutenancy. Our chaplain preached to us last Sunday. He is a good speaker.
Daniel Miller is in the guard house yet. I do not know what his sentence is, nor he don’t. I have been looking for a letter for a day or two past, but have not seen any. I should think between some of you, you might write once a week as you have more time to write than I have. I tell you, we have not much leisure time, Sundays not excepted. Write soon. When this you see, remember me, though many miles apart we be. — Cornelius Cunningham
Letter 2
Camp Douglas
December 18th 1861
My dear sister,
I received your letter yesterday and was glad to hear that you were all well. I was not much surprised of hearing that Josiah and Sid was married. He told Dave that he was going to be married in a short time when he left. We are well and enjoying ourselves first rate. The weather being fine, we have to drill twice per day.
We had quite a fourth here last night. The Colonel got up a dance here in camp amongst the officers and the boys to have a little fun lighted up their barracks to the utmost power. We had from fifteen to twenty candles in each window. The most that was known in one window [was] 40. They made poles out of boards and nailed pieces across the, and hung lanterns on them, then raised them on the barracks. They got some barrels of pitch and set them on fire and had a big time in general. They kept it up until midnight or after.
I got a letter from Esther last week. They were all well. There is not much prospect of us leaving here this winter as I see. You said you seen James Smith’s likeness. I seen it when I was out there. It is a good picture of Jim Smith.
It has been the nicest kind of weather here for the last week or two. The Captain wants I should bunk in his room with him but I shan’t unless I can get someone to bunk with Dave that will suit him. I have to do a considerable writing for the captain which would make it more convenient for me to stay in his room. We have to go on dress parade once a day at 8 o’clock. I guess I have told you all the news—as much as you sent to me at any rate.
I send my love to all. Yours truly, — Cornelius Cunningham
Letter 3
Camp Douglas
December 31, 1861
My dear sister,
I received your letter today and am glad that I have at least one friend that will take the pains to write to me once a week. I am busy now every day helping the captain make out the pay roll. We was mustered in today for pay and if we get the pay roll ready, we will get our pay by the tenth of January when, if nothing happens more than we know of now, we will come to Valparaiso on our horses. But I expect that something will turn up so that we cannot come.
I finished my letter last week rather hasty. I commenced it in the morning and wrote all but the last line or so when at noon the captain went to his dinner and carried off my key so that I could not get into his room (but not intentionally) and did not come back till dusk when I got the letter, wrote a line or two, and closed it and went to Chicago, bought me an under shirt, and went to the theater. Seen the sights and came back to the barracks about 11 o’clock. Found Preacher Fairchild in camp and myself right side up with care, &c. The boys are fixin’ to have a big dinner tomorrow. They have got some thirty chickens, one turkey, and one duck. They are stuffing the turkey and some of the chickens. We went down in the city yesterday with the whole regiment and one regiment of cavalry from the other camp and two regiments of infantry which took us from nine o’clock in the morning till two in the afternoon. Came back tired and hungry as I was a going to say.
It is rumored that we as well as other western cavalry are about to go to New Albany in Indiana near the Ohio River. We may not go there for some time and may not go at all, but such is the news in the paper. If any of th boys come out here, send us some butter and such like. Put it in a box and nail it up and send it to us to Chicago.
Dave says he is a going to write to his folks to have them send him some. You can put things together and send them to us to Chicago. You can see that I am tired of writing for I have been writing all day and it is now twenty-five minutes of 9 o’clock. We have not got any arms yet so we do not drill much of any.
When you write, write about everything you can think of. Give my love to all enquiring friends and keep a good share of it yourself. It is now roll call and I must bid you good night and wish you a happy new year. Yours truly, — C. Cunningham
Letter 4
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
Letter 5
Editors Note: Even though this letter is only partial and is missing the critical opening page with the date and location of the writing of the letter, readers will find that the events described in this letter coincide with those summarized on the website published by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas under the title, “Skirmish at Cache River Bridge.”
[Camp Tucker, at the junction of White and Black Rivers in Arkansas]
[June 1862]
…into an ambush I was about middle way of our company when we started and at the last end of the race there was 4 men and the captain ahead of me. I carried my carbine in my right hand and held my horse with the left—or tried to, They turned around once and thought they would fire but I guess they thought their chance would be slim if they stopped very long, but they all made their escape. About the same time the other companies was running too on to the other road. The road split and came together again about four miles from the fork. The first companies went one road and we went the other, We came out ahead or rather went back about a mile on the other road where they had camped. We catched one man and got two horses. We rested in peace that night. The next morning we went on together to Augusta [Arkansas].
The object of the scout was to see how many rebels there was down in that vicinity and catch a company that is known as Hooker’s Company. 1 We got into Augusta about noon but found no secesh. Hooker’s Company was there the day before and came up the way we went down and probably in the swamp except them that we chased. We camped in a nice little grove in Augusta that afternoon and night and all was quiet until about midnight when our picket fired two shots which caused us to be called up in line of battle on foot until we found but what the alarm was. The picket saw a man on horseback cross the road a few yards ahead of him. He halted him but he did not stop so he fired on him which caused him to leave in double quick so we laid down with our arms on and slept till morning. Then we started and came back to camp.
There is some pretty country down there. Wheat is ripe to cut. They have lots of Niggers. The wenches plow corn and cotton here and do all kinds of work. I seen a lot one place girdling trees. They have from 50 to a hundred on a farm.
Col. [Hiram F.] Sickles and the other companies come in contact with some secesh on Cache River. They had tore up the bridge and when our [ ] got onto it, they fired into them from the other side wounding a couple. Our boys returned the fire but to what effect they did not know. We all got back to camp about the same time and the news in camp quite exciting. The Col. got a dispatch that the rebels are coming up the river with a gunboat to shell us out. There is no troops here but our regiment and two six-lb. guns. There was a dispatch came in last night that the secesh was crossing above us—some 3,000. They sent Lieut. [John E.] Warner and ten men up the river to reconnoiter. They came back and reported no enemy there as they could hear of.
We had everything ready to march provided we are not attacked yet. There’s 5 or 6 regiments 15 miles from here of our men. Gen. Curtis is making his way to Little Rock. We probably will leave in a day or two or get reinforcements.
The weather is pretty warm. Haven’t seen any flour for six weeks, hard living. Dave is not very hearty. Zal is around again but can’t ride a horse yet. Several of the boys sick. One boy got drownded this morning and four mules while crossing the ferry. Dave gone out in the country with the boys after corn. No more pay yet.
I received two papers—one with paper and envelopes but no stamps. I have a five dollar bill but can’t get no change. The mail is a good while getting here from the [Pilot] Knob. Write often and all you can think of.
Dinner is ready.
1 “Hooker’s Company” was the company organized by Captain Richard Hooker in Jacksonport late in 1861. The men were armed with shotguns and borrowed sabers. The company was known as Captain Hooker’s Company, Arkansas 30-Day 1861 Mounted Volunteers. The company re-organized on February 26, 1862 at Jacksonport and more men mustered into it. Before becoming part of the 32nd Infantry Regiment it figured prominently in the action around Jackson County in the spring and summer of 1862. The March 31, 1862 morning report gave Hooker’s Company’s strength at 130 officers and men.
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