Mr. Huling,
Franklin L. Cunningham was 14 years old in the 1860 Federal Census. It is possible that he served. It is also possible that he had an older sibling other than his sister given his mother’s age. He had only one sibling in the 1860 census that was older than him, a sister named Charlotte J. (age 17). His father was Wyley H. Cunningham (age 48) and his mother was Elvira Cunningham (age 43). He lived in Washington, Rhea County. Today it is known as Old Washington. There are Cunningham’s that live in Rhea County. I grew up on the Rhea and Hamilton County line and went to church with church with them. Again, I recommend that you looked at the previously mentioned pension request for data that may confirm or deny any information that you may have that I am certainly not aware of. You can find these records on microfilm at the Chattanooga Public Library (Main Branch), Eastern Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, and the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville.
I apologize but I did not catch who exactly Captain Francis Franklin Cunningham was related to. Whose brother was he? As you know, Company H (Murray’s) Tennessee Cavalry was formed on 22 JUL 1861 at Nashville. These men were from Smith County, Tennessee and ultimately became Company C, 8th Tennessee Cavalry.
Again, I apologize but I saw only three other names mentioned in previous posts that you mentioned in this email. I certainly did not have Cooks, Davis's, and Burchett's names to cross-reference. With your knowledge beyond the scope that has been previously posted, I am somewhat myopically limited in my searches for information for you.
Here are three recommendations for you:
The first is that you thoroughly look at the county records. This will require that you either contact the county historian or go to the county yourself and look through the County Court Clerk records and it may have rosters of men that were enrolled in a particular organization.
The second is that you contact Dr. Doug Smith at Doug.D.Smith@state.tn.us. He and I both had ancestors that served in Ashby’s 2nd Tennessee Cavalry. He has more knowledge on the regiment than I.
The third recommendation is that you thoroughly research guerilla activity in Claiborne County. Good ole’ Champ Ferguson’s bones was very active in the county. I am not sure of the members of his group but it is not an avenue that should be overlooked.
Lastly, I totally disagree with your generalized statement that Confederate soldiers hid their service because they were afraid of retaliation. I agree that retaliation took place. I had an officer clearly assassinated in north Georgia because of his wartime service in the regiment I research (39th Georgia) and my ancestor that served with Ashby's 2nd Tennessee Cavalry went to Arkansas until Reconstruction was over with and then he returned to Tennessee. However, you cannot hide your service. A veteran absolutely could not hide their service. Unlike present day America, you could not remain anonymous in your local community in the 19th Century. A person's local community was their world. They went to church with them, they sought employment with them, and they traded with them. The casual observer would recognize if someone was absent for a period of time. Some indicators were they trading at the local grocery, were they mailing letters and if so where, were they buying seed for the crops, were they selling crops, were they or their immediate family attending church, if they owned slaves what were they doing, were they participating in the community by volunteering in any community organizations, were they doing their part in working on public works, and if they were a Freemason were they attending Lodge.
Some food for thought.
Good luck in your search.
Respectfully,
Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
http://39thgavolinfrgt.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html