April 7, 1864

Letter from Chauncey Herbert Cooke to Doe Cooke, April 7, 1864
Dear Sister:

I believe my last was written father from Cairo Illinois. The same day our squad got transportation to Louisville Kentucky by way of Cen tral Illinois which means taking our back track a hundred and fifty miles. Look on the map and you can see better than I can tell you. We got into Louisville Monday morning.

They call Louisville the biggest city in Kentucky and the nicest.

It looks pretty, all right to a country boy. They have lots of iron works and they make Kentucky whiskey here in plenty. Some of the boys tried the whiskey and said it was better than yankee whiskey.

Soon as we arrived we were ordered into quarters and stayed until seven in the morning when we took the train for Nashville, Tenn.

There were seven coaches all loaded with returning soldiers, going to rejoin their regiments. In Nashville the entire squad some 300 were sent to barracks in the Zollicoffer bullding built by the rebel General Zollicoffer. The rebs had to quit the city before it was finished. It's the biggest structure in Nashville. We have been here two days. I went up to see the state capitol and spent a few hours reading the picture of the famous men of the State. Their life sized pictures hang all around the walls. Sam Houston was the only one and Davy Crocket that I knew much about. Then I knew more from what I have heard father say of them than from books.

The Capitol stands on a knoll in the center of the town, much like Madison. The building is not so large nor so pretty.

I am feling better every day. I have nothing like a chill since I left Chicago. Aunt Lydia gave me something that seems to knock them.

Last night the boys sang a lot of darkey songs more than a hundred voices joining in, and I tell you it made the building tremble.

This is a nice country along the road much like Buffalo county, or would be if Buffalo county had peach trees on the road side. You can pick the blossoms from the windows of the cars. The farms look neglected. The darkies are free and the whites won't or can't work It's funny how the darkies show their liking for the soldiers of Lincoln. When they meet in the main streets they hardly notice us, but round the corner or on a back street they take off their hats and say, "God bress de Linkum, soldiers." The poor creatures can't feel very free so long as they are afraid to speak to us on the main streets.

I don't exactly like the darkies, but I pity them and what father said to me when he held my hand as I got into the wagon at [...] Fullers I can never forget. You know that father thot that John Brown and Garrison and Wendell Philips did more to free the slaves than all the pulpits in the land. I won't go back on the black man for father's sake.

Say sister, you are a bit mistaken I have no correspondent save you and mother and father. No, I have not written Myra, nor has she written me. You may say to her if you care to, what I told you about the last spelling match. I say yet that I would sooner she would spell me down than any one else. It tickled me to see her so fidgety and so excited that she won the prize. I think the teacher rather helped her to spell the word just the same. But I don't care.

My only bother now is some sore toes. My big toe nail is growing in to my big toe so I limp when I walk. Plague on it I must try and cut them out.

More next time when I get to the regiment. Direct Via Cairo Illinois.

Your brother,

CHAUNCEY.