Including a early 20 th century manuscript copy of a Georgia CSA letter originally written by J. Wooley, 2 nd Ga. Infantry and 12 th Battalion Ga. State Guard. This letter reads in part: Ringgold Georgia April 9 th 1864 Dear Sister...hope you will not think hard of me for not writing sooner for I have been very busy...I want to hear fro the good people of Macon county, as they are pretty accomidating (sic) that is some of them, forthey will do most anything for a soldier… Post script in another hand reads Copy of Letter my Mother Bessie Wooley made of a letter written to her grandmother, by her grandmothers brother during the Civil War, on single unlined letter sheet with 1 ½ pages of inked text; and an Ohio manuscript letter written by Vendruth D. Washburn, from the Ohio Penitentiary in 1889, written to David Lyon Esq. Lee’s Creek, Clinton Co., Ohio and headed: O.P. Columbus Feb. 17, 1889. Vendruth enlisted in the U.S. 18 th Infantry at the age of 16, (must have lied about his age) He was wounded in action and captured during the battle of Missionary Ridge, Nov. 25 th 1864, was later paroled and enlisted as a substitute in Co. G, 11 th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and transferred to Co. B. 12 th OVI. David Lyon was also in the 11 th OVI. Vendruth was sent to prison in the Ohio Penitentiary in Nov. 29, 1870. This letter reads as follows: Dear Sir, your communication duly received to which I reply with pleasure. I enlisted the 6 th day of August 1861 in the 18 th U.S.I., was discharged from that Regt. The 6 th of August 64. I went as a substitute in September 64 and was assigned to the 11 th Ohio Vol. Inf. Co. H. There was one other Company beside Co. H, the letter of which I have forgotten. The rest of the Regt. had been discharged by reason of expiration of term of enlistment. Probably you were discharged before I became connected with the Regt. My name has always been Washburn under all the ---- of my eventful life. Legally, a crime is expiated when the sentence of the court has been carried out, or the criminal otherwise legally released, etc. But morally, crime or sin, cannot be expiated or paid for. There is only one road to freedom and that is a thourgh, i.e. complete turning from sin, with pure and upright intent at all ties. Your offer of assistance is not unpleasant to think of, coming from a stranger, but I do not see just how you can assist, unless you have a surplus fund, and a large one too, laying idle which you wish to invest to a disadvantaged. In the last two years I have lost all ambition for freedom. Those who know me and the circumstances of my case have manifested an animosity for nearly 19 years toward me without any sign of relenting, which seems to me, the Demons in Hell would be ashamed to exercise toward any one. The circumstances surrounding me, my trial and conviction, are peculiarly distressing. They are such as would naturally elicit the sympathy and the help of every upright man and woman. But from the fact that nothing has been elicited but animosity and efforts to keep me in prison, I am constrained to believe that there are no upright men and women. Justice in America is a shame. I would I could truthfully say otherwise, but my experience and my observations, what I read and what I hear, tell but too plainly that the principle of justice does not reside in the human breast. There is, no doubt a few honorable exceptions, but oh, how few! Further research could uncover why Washburn was imprisoned; written in ink on single unlined folded letter sheet with crown blind stamp in upper left with three pages of manuscritp text. Condition both with normal folds 2 nd with slight separation at same, still VG.