William Alexander Cunningham, son of George and Susan Rieves Cunningham and brother-in-law of Cicero Fidello Turner, was born in Franklin County, North Carolina on January 29, 1843. On June 8, 1861, at the age of 18, he enlisted as a private in Company E of the 9th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops (1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry), in Granville County, North Carolina, for the duration of the war. Wounded in the right leg and captured on June 9, 1863, at Brandy Station, he was admitted to the Prince Street U.S.A. General Hospital at Alexandria, Virginia on June 10, 1863 and the Lincoln U.S.A. General Hospital at Washington, D.C. on August 4, 1863. On August 22, 1863, he was transferred to Baltimore, Maryland, where he was paroled on August 23, 1863 and delivered at City Point, Virginia on August 24, 1863. Following his exchange, he was reported first at Petersburg Hospital and then later at home, wounded in the leg. William is listed on the Roll of Honor for his service during the battle at Brandy Station, Virginia.
Company muster roles indicate that William was again
present by April 1864 when he was assigned to light duty at Salem,
Virginia. On May 4, 1864, he was
reported at General Hospital No. 9 at Richmond, Virginia and on May 5, 1864, at
Jackson Hospital at Richmond, Virginia with a gunshot wound to the "upper
third left leg." On May 18, 1864,
he was hospitalized at C.S.A. General Hospital at Danville, Virginia. Returning to duty on June 2, 1864, he was
again hospitalized at Danville, Virginia on June 4, 1864 and returned to duty
on August 23, 1864. In September 1864,
he was assigned to duty at Salem, Virginia through November 1864. Muster rolls for November and December show
him present with his company. Although
no official information is available following December 1864; William's
personal letters indicate that he was with his company as late as March
1865. This lack of information may
explain why muster rolls indicate his rank as private though he is pictured
with corporal's chevrons in the photograph above.
As a member of the 1st North Carolina
Cavalry, William served in one of the most respected and praised regiments of
the Confederated Army:
The Old Guard of Napoleon never on any field of battle more forcibly
illustrated the effect of discipline and the power of cool courage than did the
1st NC Cav….
-- The Tribune, Columbia, S.C., March 4,
1862.
On every field this regiment displayed conspicuous gallantry, your
State, which furnished so many gallant soldiers to the Confederacy, gave none
who upheld her honor and reflected a glory on our flag more bravely than did
the First Regiment of North Carolina Cavalry.
-- General Wade Hampton.
The Battle of Brandy Station was the
largest cavalry battle ever fought on American soil. According to General Rufus Barringer, in his
history of the 1st North Carolina Cavalry:
And now opened the grandest cavalry fight of the war-- from eighteen to
twenty thousand mounted men charging and counter-charging all over the immense
plains of Brandy, and through the long hours of a summer's sun and with
ever-varying results. In the thickest of
the fight and the longest in the field were the Ninth North Carolina (First
Cav.) and the Jeff Davis Legion, led respectively by Colonel Baker and
Lieutenant Colonel Waring. The
Confederate dash and valor at last carried the day. Late in the evening Pleasanton was forced to
retire and recross the river, with a loss of nine hundred and thirty-six men
killed and wounded and five hundred prisoners. The Confederate loss was five hundred and twenty-three. The loss was unusually heavy in Confederate
officers.
William wrote the following letters during the last
months of the war:
Hicksford, Va.
Feb. 5th 1865
Dear Sister
It is with
pleasure -I now seat myself to drop you a few lines which will inform you that
I am well and hearty. Hoping that this may find you in like condition. Your letter of a recent date was received a
few days hince which afforded me great pleasure in hearing that you were all well. I would have written sooner but I have just
written to Indiana a day or two before I received your letter. I wrote for Ma to send my pants by Robert
Grisham when he came back through then it would be the last chance she would
have to send them but I expect some of the other boys will be out on furlough
as soon as they return- also I am not kneeding them now so she need not send
them yet: She can send me some soap and
such things to eat as is most convenient. I would like to have a little sorgham but she need not put herself to
any trouble for I am not sufering at all -I get a great deal better rations
than they do in camp- I am very glad to hear that you have a school in the
neighborhood- I know it is very much kneeded.
You didn’t say where Miss Rainey was goin to teach I expec you have heard of the great turniment
that took place in our brigade last Thursday. I tell you these men that that wear stripes on their collars had a great
time. After the turniment was over they
took an old gander and tied him up by the neck and had a gander pulling I don't reckon you ever heard the like of it
I had heard of it before.
They have the feathers all picked off
his neck and ride by as fast as their
horses can run and pull at his hed. That
night they had a ball here in Hicksford.
It was the most disgusting affair
I ever saw. The officers were
generally half drunk and some three-
forths and I expect would of ben under but for one thing and that was their
brandy give out- as for the ladies I think I could get a better looking crowd
almost anywhere- some of the boys say sogham and corn bread will not do to feed
girls on. I do not think it will myself if that crowd is to be taken as a Specimen and I have no news. I will close tell Indiana to send them gloves
she had for me by Robert Grisham
I remain your brother
William
PS
My love to all the family and
tell Pa to get me a good pipe from Mr
Reddick and send it by Bob and if he passes by Mr J Hights place between now
and then to cut me a fig stem and send it.
My old pipe that I took with me
is very nigh played out
Nothing more from
Willie
Camp
1st N.C. Cavalry
Feb 22nd 1865
My Dear Sister
Your letter of the 20th
inst came to hand this evening (paper torn) finding me well and healthy. I was
glad to hear you were all well. I am
(paper torn) sorry James Satterwhite had to go in service. I suppose from what you say he had a plenty
of ladies to see him before he started. Daniel Duke left here last Sunday for home. Stephen White came by here the same day on
his way to Raleigh though he said he was going to stop at home as he went by
and stay a few days. I left Hicksford a
few days after I wrote to you before. I
expect the Brigade will move tomorrow we have orders to that efect they say
that we are going to Stoney Creek. I
suppose they have got the railroad complete.
I do not like to leave much on account of our good quarters that we have
here. We are fairing very well here
now. We get tolerable good rations. A great deal better than the infantry from what those say whohave
visited their camps. I hope the time is
not far distant when this old war will stop and I must think it will terminate
soon. I intend to think it will-----
then it does or not. I must be like Mrs
Duke was by her fortune line in hope if I die in dispare.
Lieut Fuller is going to start
to the hospital tomorrow he will go to Kittrells if he can he had been before a
Board and had an application sent
up for a furlough they send him off
because we are going to move his
furlough will be sent to him (paper torn) gues as soon as it comes in. Well I believe I have wrote you all the
news I can think of. Tell Pa I am mounted again on one of those
old Ridgeway horses I don’t know how
long it will last me. I will now
close as the horn has blown me for roll
call goodby for this time and write soon
to your
Brother
William
If the post office is changed or anything turns up when we move I will
write and let you know.
Camp.
1st N C Cav near Stoney Creek
March 3rd 1865
Dear mother and father
Knowing you are ever willing and
anxious to hear from me I will drop you a few lines this morning which will inform
you that I am well and hope these lines may find you the same. I have no news to write you more than we have
had some very ugly weather it has been raining nearly every day for a week it
is almost imposible to travel owing to the flatness of the land. I wrote to Sister the night before we left
Belfielch ? but I have not heard from her yet. I don’t know thoughwhether there has ben time for a letter to go and
come or not. It is necessary for me to
write today or my letter will not have time to reach you before Daniel Duke
starts back. You can send those pants you have for me by him as I will be
needing them by that time Indiannas gloves she had for me will be acceptable as
my old ones is about played out -I
believe that is all the clothing I need at
this time I shall need a shirt and some
drawers after a while unless I can draw some and I believe that is nearly plaid
out in fact the shirts and drawers are not fit to ware when we get them if a personcan do any better do not forget my pipe Tell Daniel to bring a supply of envelopes
with him when he comes for I am just about out and they are very hard to come
at here I reckon he can get some at
Weldon I must now close give my love to all nothing more I only
remain
Your son William
On January 16, 1868, William married Mary Elizabeth
Powell and they had seven children: William Omega Cunningham, Adellah Bell
Cunningham, Lizzie Wellons Cunningham, Robert Powell Cunningham, Susan Henly
Cunningham, Gussie Bell Cunningham, and Annie Laura Cunningham. Following his death on April 24, 1904,
William was buried at Liberty Church Cemetery in Vance County, North
Carolina.
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