DOB:  November 6, 1836 DOD:  May 10, 1909 Age at Enlistment: 18 Date of Enlistment:  May 9, 1861 Place of Enlistment:  Franklin, TN Rank at Enlistment:  Private Rank at Discharge:  Quartermaster Sergeant Casualty:  Wounded at Franklin November 30, 1864. Comments:  According to William’s United Confederate Veteran application, he was born in Marshall County.  By 1850, his family had moved to District 6 of Williamson County (Northwest of Franklin).  He was promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant of the 1st Tennessee on May 2, 1862.  According to John Campbell of Franklin, following the first day of fighting at Chickamauga William buried all the dead from the 1st Tennessee.  Campbell later returned with William in 1908 to locate his brother Joseph that had been killed in the fighting, but they were unable to locate the graves.  William went almost the entire war without being wounded.  His luck ran out at the Battle of Franklin in 1864, though he was fortunate enough to survive his wounds.  He married Lizzie Shute on December 11, 1864, which was between the battles of Franklin and Nashville.  William surrendered with the regimental staff at Greensboro on April 26, 1865.  William and Lizzie had at least 5 children following the war and moved to a farm in Davidson County in the modern city of Hermitage.  William died of Uremia (blood in the urine usually caused by Kidney failure) in 1909 and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. 

William Cunningham was a member of the John L. McEwen Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans in Franklin.  His application is here.

Group shot of some of the Williamson Grays who served the entire war and surrendered in 1865.  William is sitting on the right (From the Confederate Veteran Magazine).  Photo was taken in 1902.

William’s grave at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville