The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-01-16
MARYVILLEIS MOURN
ING
Beloved Citizen Has Pass
ed Away

In mourning, MAI. ben cunningham
who was greatly beloved and highly
respected is no more. His death
came as a great shock to a large
majority Of our citizens, He had
been sick onlv few days when his
immortal spirit was waited into the
great beyond. He was rushed to
the hospital at Knoxville, last
Thursday, with the hope that his
life might be saved. but he gradually
grew worse until the end
The funeral was held at this place
in New Providence Church on Sat-
urday morning at 10 O'Clock, after
which all that was left of our be-
loved friend, neighhor and citizen
was laid to rest in Magnolia Gene,
terry. The funeral service was con-
Quoted nv DIR. 8, T Wilson, Presi-
dent Of Maryville College. and Rev
HI. s. Lvle, Pastor of the above
named church large concourse
of sorrowing relatives and friends
assembled to paw the last sad re-
Fpects to the departed loved one.
The floral designs were beautiful
and were contributed from every
walk Of life, showing how he was
loved hv every hodv.
We publish below sketch of his
life contributed hy DR. s T. Wilson:
Ben Cunningham was born on Nails
Creek. about three miles from Eusebia
Church, in Blount County. Tennessee, on
December 10. 1870 HIS rarents were Ben
Cunningham. Sr. and Sarah Kirkpatrick
Cunningham. He was one ofa large family
of children all Of whom except hall
sister, Mrs Sarah NJ. Pet'v are now gone,
most oGttem bapirr died in early life.
When ~ was in HE fifth year his mother
died. and when he II his ninth year
his father nassed a~av Thus he was early
left douhlv an orphan He found home
near Eusehia and Al Marvville, with differ
ent relatives of his. during the years that
elapsed before he reached his manhood.
During his boyhood he attended public
~ Mnrwyt1Ia
and then. Just before the outbreak OF the
civil war, he was student in Maryville
College. While thus connected with the
college he roomed On Main street. near the
place where New Providence Church now
stands His school days. like those OF hosts
of other yourg men of the Sixties. were
abruptly terminated by the coming of the
war.
The closing of the college doors in 1861;
the coming of the secret recruiting officer,
or ''g'lde", as he was called; the Perilous
Journey bv night across East Tennessee
and over the Cumberlands into Kentucky;
the formal enlistment as private there in
Company A of the Sixth Tennessee Infantry
his most hazardous return to old Blount,
where he helped recruit Company A OF the
Third Cavalry, in which company he was
commissioned first Lieutenant; his skillful
and safe conduct of his company through
hostile lines and amid many perils to
rendezvous on the Ohio river; and then his
four years of aIduous, efficient, and faithful
service in the rmy,-all these stirring ex'
periences might well be the basis of
thrilling story of patriotic devotion and ad'
venture And yet the Major rarely referred
to the experiences of those days of var.
In the words Of his wartime coArade
and life. ong friend, Major viii A. McTeer,
"Maior Cuaninghara was tie best military
officer in our regiment in discipline, in
courage aud in commanding the absolute
confidence II his men" He had So ba'anc.
ed and urering j. dgmen, that his fellow
officers retied upon hin, while his men were
willing to fol ow him anywhere aud every
where confident that there would be no
blunder on his part to involve them in
disaster In he hard campaigning that
fell 10 the lot Of the cavalry in general and
especially 70 his regiment, he bore himself
with such conspicuous galanuy and dis
played such strong sodierly qualities
throughout it all, that he won promotion,
fl st to the rank Of captain; then to that Of
majr; and finally he received commission
as ieutenant-co He was IN many
bapti m Of FIRE, nor did he escape unscath-
ed of The FIRE. AT the sanguinarv struggle
of Sulphur Trest!e, where he was captured
where the colonel of the post was killed,
and then Colonel Minnis was disabled by
cannon ball, the command fell to his hands
but he too received wound, bullet pass
ing through his shoulder de is bearing
that honorable scar with him TO the grave.
He was strict in military discipline, but
was so reasonable and kind J with it all,
that his men Were ever lola TO him. The
n me that they genera y applied to him ia
the army was stMaio Ren" and that kindly