David Cummins

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day.  A day when people would decorate the graves of soldiers who died while fighting in the Civil War.  Mildred Strand's grandfather, David Bellinger, fought in the Civil War and was fortunate enough to return home. He was shot in the leg and taken prisoner, but he survived the war and returned home to marry Loretta Foster. What I've discovered recently is that Loretta Foster was married before marrying David B.. Also, that her first husband died while a prisoner of war at Andersonville prison in Georgia. I thought I'd write what little I know of David Cummins. 

I haven't been able to find out much about David Cummins, the first husband of Loretta Foster. According to the marriage record, David was born in 1842. He married Loretta August 3, 1861. A year later he enlisted to fight for the Union on August 22,1862. As far as I can tell, Loretta and David had no children. At least no surviving children. David signed up with the 5th Michigan Cavalry, Company I. It was organized in Detroit and mustered into service on August 30, 1862. In December of 1862 they left on a train to Washington, D.C. They were part of the Michigan Brigade and for awhile were under the command of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer. 

After arriving in the East, they fought in many battles. They were involved in the Second Battle of Bull Run, and most notably they were involved in the Battle of Gettysburg. They were instrumental in repelling an attack on the rear of the Union's forces by Confederate General Jeb Stuart. The Michigan Brigade was able to hold him off and kept him from advancing, helping the Union to win the battle. 

On October 12, 1863 David Cummins was taken prisoner in Culpepper, Va. He was exchanged in a prisoner swap. He re-enlisted in the army on Nov. 2,1863. On June 11, 1864 David Cummins was once again taken prisoner in Trevillian Station, Va. This time he was sent to Camp Sumter, aka Andersonville. 

Fort Sumter had been built in early 1864 to more securely hold Union prisoners of war. The stockade was 16 1/2 acres. 400 prisoners of war arrived daily. It was built to house 10,000 men but by June, when David was sent there, it housed 26,000 prisoners. The stockade was enlarged in June to 26 1/2 acres but it still wasn't big enough for all the men being sent there. The Confederates were unable to properly take care of the men being housed there. They were unable to provide adequate food, housing, medical care, clothing or sanitary conditions. One prisoner who was housed there in the summer of 1864 referred to it as "this Hell-upon-earth prison." https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/hell-upon-earth/ By August 1864 33,000 prisoners were housed there. The largest number of the war. 

David Cummins died on August 15, 1864 of disease. Some of the diseases common at Andersonville were diphtheria, small pox, hepatitis, dysentery,  typhoid, measles. 

David Cummins is buried at Andersonville National Cemetery in Andersonville, Georgia. After the war, Clara Barton and Dorence Atwater, a former prisoner of war at Andersonville, came to the prison to record and mark soldier's graves. They turned it into Andersonville National Cemetery. Thanks to their efforts, and the records kept by Dorence, only 460 of the graves were marked as "Unknown U.S. Soldier."

Our David Bellinger mustered out of the Union Army on June 10, 1865 and returned to Allegan, Michigan. On August 20, 1865 he married the widow Loretta Cummins. Their first child, a girl, was born October 25, 1866. Charles Bellinger, father to Mildred, was born March 27, 1871.

While not a blood relative, David Cummins deserves to be honored and remembered for the sacrifice he gave to his country. His death also changed the course of our family. If he had survived, Loretta wouldn't have married David Bellinger and none of us would be here.