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Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR
Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov
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<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001144204-10-034524.txt : 20100809
<SEC-HEADER>0001144204-10-034524.hdr.sgml : 20100809
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20100622160638
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001144204-10-034524
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20100622

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			CORNERSTONE BANCSHARES INC
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001038773
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANKS [6021]
		IRS NUMBER:				621175427
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			TN
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		4154 RINGGOLD RD
		CITY:			CHATTANOOGA
		STATE:			TN
		ZIP:			37412-416
		BUSINESS PHONE:		4236982454

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		4154 RINGGOLD RD
		CITY:			CHATTANOOGA
		STATE:			TN
		ZIP:			37412-0416

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	EAST RIDGE BANCSHARES INC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19970507
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
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<TEXT>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Unassociated Document</title>
    <!--Licensed to: Vintage Filings-->
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    <div>&#160;</div>
    <div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="center"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Cornerstone
Bancshares, Inc.</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="center"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">835
Georgia Avenue</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="center"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37402</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="center"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Phone:
(423) 385-3000</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">June 22,
2010</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">VIA
EDGAR TRANSMISSION</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Division
of Corporation Finance</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">United
States&#160;Securities and Exchange Commission</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">100 F
Street, N.E.</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Washington,
D.C.&#160;&#160;20549</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left">
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              <td style="WIDTH: 36pt"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">&#160; </font></td>
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                <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Re:&#160;</font></div>
              </td>
              <td align="left">
                <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Cornerstone
      Bancshares, Inc.</font></div>
              </td>
            </tr>
        </table>
      </div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><font id="TAB1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt"></font>Registration Statement on Form
S-1</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><font id="TAB1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt"></font>Filed on May 7, 2010 and Amended on
June 17, 2010</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><font id="TAB1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt"></font>File
No.&#160;&#160;333-166625</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><a name="salutation">Ladies and Gentlemen:</a></font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 36pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><a name="bodytext">Cornerstone Bancshares, Inc. (the &#8220;Company&#8221;) hereby requests that
the effective date of the above-referenced Registration Statement on Form S-1
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the &#8220;Registration Statement&#8221;), be
accelerated so that it will become effective on June 23, 2010, or as soon
thereafter as practicable.</a></font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 36pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">The
Company acknowledges that:</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div>
        <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left">
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                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt;" face="Symbol, serif">&#183;&#160;</font></div>
                </td>
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                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">should
      the Commission or its staff, acting pursuant to delegated authority,
      declare the Registration Statement effective, it does not foreclose the
      Commission from taking any action with respect to the Registration
      Statement;</font></div>
                </td>
              </tr>
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        </div>
      </div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div>
        <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left">
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                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt;" face="Symbol, serif">&#183;&#160;</font></div>
                </td>
                <td align="left">
                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">the
      action of the Commission or its staff, acting pursuant to delegated
      authority, in declaring the Registration Statement effective, does not
      relieve the Company from its full responsibility for the adequacy and
      accuracy of the disclosure in the Registration Statement;
    and</font></div>
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      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
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                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt;" face="Symbol, serif">&#183;&#160;</font></div>
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                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">the
      Company may not assert the declaration of effectiveness as a defense in
      any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal
      securities laws of the United
States.</font></div>
                </td>
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        </div>
      </div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 36pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Thank you
for your assistance.</font></div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 36pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">&#160;</div>
      <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="justify">
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              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;
      </font></td>
                <td align="left" valign="top" width="40%">
                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">Sincerely,</font></div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;</font></td>
                <td align="left" valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;</font></td>
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              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;
      </font></td>
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      BANCSHARES, INC.</font></div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;</font></td>
                <td align="left" valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;</font></td>
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              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;
      </font></td>
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      Nathaniel F. Hughes</font></div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;</font></td>
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              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;
      </font></td>
                <td align="left" valign="top" width="40%">
                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">Nathaniel
      F. Hughes</font></div>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <td valign="top" width="40%"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">&#160;
      </font></td>
                <td align="left" valign="top" width="40%">
                  <div style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">President
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                </td>
              </tr>
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