FULL LETTER TRANSCRIPTION BELOW DESCRIPTION.This is a wonderful set of letters from John Cummings to his sister and mother presented in floating frames. There are four letters and each is written front and back. There are additionally two photos, one of General Sheridan and one of General Grant. The letters comprise a detailed description of life around Shellmound and Chattanooga Tennessee and at least one battle. Of note is the authors description of a bullet going through his hat, grapeshot and more. Please take the time to read the full transcribed letters below. Well Worth the read for a wonderful original civil war set. There is also reference of friends and a brother, Henry (?), God, Rebels, and more. Please take the time to read below:115th Illinois Infantry Nashville Tenn February the 28th 1863I take my pen in hand to write you a few words to let you know how I am and how I’m getting along. I am well and so is Henry. We are still in camp near Nashville Tenn. This would be a nice pretty place if it did not rain so much but it rains nearly every day and it keeps the ground muddy and cold. It is very disagreeable for soldiers when it rains, but we are to bear it all with patience. It is nothing in comparison to what the old Revolutioners suffered. They fought to establish what we fight to maintain. Our tents are getting old and thin and they leak very bad when it rains hard and gets our clothes all wet. Henry and me sleep together. We keep comfortable when it does not rain.This country is in bad order, for raising a crop, the fences are about all burned up by soldiers and there are two and three story brick houses standing over the country anybody living in them and there will not be any crop raised about here this year. And there was no crop raised there last year. Nashville has been a business place, but it is the picture of destruction. The streets are tore up, any lots of houses closed up and nothing. The appearance of war.[REVERSE]I think the war will be over before very long, if things are managed right and the armys in the North will only lay low and let us whip the rebels but if we have to come home to fight it will be woe to all sympathizers for we will not leave one of them to tell the story.I look on the Southern traitors as saints compared to the Northern traitors and they areas mean as satan wants them to be if not worse. I cannot look on the with any patience. Of all God’s creatures, I think they are the meanest. Those men that are calling for peace meetings and armistices and opposing every measure that is to weaken the power of the rebels. I am sorrow to think that such demons are allowed to breathe the pure air of liberty and at the same time trying to plowe the bird of liberty from our fair country and establish a reign of terror, blood shed and murder in our own beloved Illinois. I will die fighting such demons in human shape rather than live under an aristocracy that they would set up if they was in power, but thanks to the greed. Great Ruler of the universe they are about done ruling this country and the time of is about to reign and the proud eagle will spread her wings and soar over this our happy country.[Letter #2]Mother I often think of you and think you never forget to pray for your children and I hope that your prayers will be answered and finally wee will be gathered home to Heaven. With the loss of one of the family I shall never forget the good advice that you have often gave me as well as the rest of the family. Mother I am trying to live religious, but this is a trying place and religion that will stick to a man in the army must be good, but the Christian has the promise of help in evry time of need. The Lord says I will be with you always. We have no preaching anymore. Our chaplin is sick and the rest is cold and careless. I was at meeting at Danville Kentucky about two months ago and heard a presbyterian preacher preach and that was the last time I was at meeting. Our Colonel is in Nashville in the Hospital and has been for some time. The men nearly all like him now. He treats us good as ever he can, but our old Lieutenant Colonel is very hard on us. He makes us stand ground all kinds of weather when the colonel is gone and the other regiments has no ground. I was off on picket last night and was up nearly all night and I feel very sleepy and drowsy. It is all on account of the war.[REVERSE]Mother you must excuse me for not writing oftener to you. I have so many things to do that I cannot write so often as I would wish and stamps are hard to get. I expected to get some pay while we was at Louisville, but I got disappointed so I did not get very many stamps, but we will be mustered for pay this afternoon, but we may not get any money for sometime yet. I will now bring this to a close.Give my respects to all my enquiring friends. I hope that these lines may find all in good health and spirits and doing well. I so fare well for a while and if for ever for ever. Fare well.John Cummings To his MotherP.S. Write Soon and often and I will write again. Tell the rest to write to me.[Letter #3]Shellmound Tennessee Wednesday January 6, 1863Dear SisterI again seat myself to write you a few lines to inform you that I am well and hope that you may be enjoying the same great blessing. We are still at Shellmound. We have cold weather here at this time the ground is frozen. We have had no snow here yet though. It has been cold enough to snow several times, but always rain instead of snowing. It is not as cold as Illinois, but it is more disagreeable. It is a great country for mud. It changes here everyday. It rains a while and then it turns cold and freezes up and then turns warmer until it rains again so we don’t have two days together alike.Henry is well. He is gone to Bridge Port today to look for some express matter for his company. We go on pickett every five five days and I expect we will have to go oftener before long. As there are so many reenlisting nearly all of the old soldiers are going into the veteran corps. Yet they only take those that have less than one year to serve in their present enlistment. I think the war will be over before we will have a chance to reenlist at least I hope so. I have been trying to get a furlough but I cannot lie enough to get one and I am content to stay until there is a change in affairs or officers. The army is a poor place for an honest man to get his rights. I hope the day will soon come whom all will be free again. [Reverse]D. W. Ablinson is well and is busy working in shells. The boys make a great many rings and other things out of muscle shells and lorrael roots. The river bridge is done and the cars come here from Nashville. Several of our company have got boxes of good things from home and are looking for still more yet to come. Dans boats did not fit but he waited until he got a ferry that did. There is no news of importance to write and it looks like a big undertaking to set down to write a letter. Our general is in Kentucky attending the legislature. He is a senator. We will be apt to stay here until onset spring at least. I hope so for it is hard on soldiers to have to march in the winter and carry their winter clothing and blankets. We would like for you to send us a good paper once in a while to help us to keep off the blues. We get lonesome here when not on duty and if we could get some good papers to read it would do us much good. We have meeting about twice a week. We have preaching on Sunday and prayer meeting at night once through the week. I believe I have written all that is of importance and perhaps more too. So I will bring this letter to a close. Write soon and often. Farewell for a while. Your affectionate brother until death. John CummingsTo his sister Anne Allison [Letter 4]Shell Mount TennesseeNov the 7th 1863I take the pleasant opportunity of writing you a few lines in answer to you kind letter of the 11 and 12 of October. We was glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well leaves us both well and hope these lines may find you all well and enjoying the pleasures of civil life. We are both with the old 115th in Camp at Shell Mound seven miles above Bridge Port on the south side of the Tennessee River. We left Chattanooga on the first day of this month. Our company is in good health.[Reverse]We have had some hard times of late. We was in one of the hardest battles that was ever fought. We faught about five hours with our guns at short range. It was an awful scene to witness men shot down all around me. Some walking to the rear with blood pouring from their wounds. The rebels was so near at times that we could see the whites of their eyes. Then the battle raged with fury. It was a continuous roar. No tongue or song can describe. It was longer than any storm I was ever in before. The air was full of bullets from the top of trees to the ground. To look at the timber it looked like it was impossible for a man to come out unhurt. Several times the lead passed so close to my face that I felt the sting.[Opposite]Though Thommy and I came out unscathed by the rebels lead. I had a bullet hole through my hat in about an inch or two from my head. I was struck several times by splinters from timber and shards from the racks torn by grape shot and bombshells. I feel thankful to the good Lord that I am unhurt so far and am willing to trust him in the future. He can take care of us just as well here as if we was at home. The rebels have most all left this part of the country I think. We have tolerable good fare here to what we had at Chatanooga. We had scarcely enough to keep soul and live together up there. We have never yet had any seen of Davide Clements or Jinkins or Housley. [Reverse]You must not think strange that I do not write oftener. We have been kept busy ever since we left Bridge Port on the 13 of September. I will try and write oftener now as we will be apt to stay here for some time and we have got a shelter up for winter and not so busy now the weather is coldand wet. Therefore very disagreeable to us that have no winter clothes. We begin to look for better times now. Our General is a United States Senator from Kentucky and will have to attend congress and I think we will be apt to stay here until the next session of congress is over. We are left here to guard the River and Railroad. The cars comes from and the steamboats runs from Bridge Port to Chatanooga. I will now bring this letter to a close. Give my best respects to all inquiring friends. Write soon.Your affectionate brother.John Cummings To Mary C. AllisonHenry will write soon.