CUNNINGHAM, ROBERT [SSNE 2132]

Surname
CUNNINGHAM
First name
ROBERT
Title/rank
COLONEL
Nationality
SCOT
Social status
OFFICER

Text source

Colonel Robert Cunningham was first a regimental quartermaster in Nils Ribbing's Alvsborg area regiment. He became a captain in George Cunningham's [SSNE 2118] Vastergotland-Dalarna regiment in 1626-29 where he also acted as quartermaster in 1630. This was perhaps the man mentioned by Monro as serving as a major in the Swedish army in 1632. After serving in George Cunningham's regiment he took over as colonel and chief in 1632, serving until 1636. He was noted as governor of Demmin/Damien in March 1636 when George Douglas [SSNE 2360] visited him. Apparently he died at the battle of Wittstock on 24 September 1636 (though his name appears on musters after that, perhaps as part of a fraud). In his report on the battle Field Marshal Johan Baner noted that he was missing, but his body was not among the dead and that he thus hoped he had been captured. It may be, therefore, that he was in captivity after the battle, but in all likelyhood he died at Wittstock 

 

Stockholm Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1626/1,7; 1626/11; 1627/4,5,10-12,14; 1628/4-7, 9-12, 14,15; 1629/6-10, 12,13,15,17,19; 1630/2,15,17; 1631/8; 1632/20,21; 1633/11-22; 1634/12-23; 1635/1,20-27, 29-31; 1636/15,18,20; 1637/13; R. Monro, His Expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mackeyes (2 vols., London, 1632), II, List of the Scottish Officers in Chief; Swedish Riksarkiv, P. Sondén, Militärachefer i svenska arméen och deras skrivelser; A. Douglas, Robert Douglas, en krigaregestalt fran var storhetstid, (Stockholm, 1957), p.57.

Service record

SWEDEN, GEORGE CUNNINGHAM
Arrived 1626-01-01, as QUARTERMASTER
Departed 1631-12-31, as QUARTERMASTER
Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, GEORGE/ROBERT CUNNINGHAM
Arrived 1632-01-01, as COLONEL
Departed 1636-10-04, as COLONEL
Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, DEMMIN, DAMIEN
Arrived 1636-01-01, as GOVERNOR
Departed 1636-12-31, as GOVERNOR
Capacity GOVERNOR, purpose MILITARY