Dr. Cornelius was born on Long Island in 1758, and was just twenty at
the time of his capture. His ancestors came from Holland. They were of
good birth, and brought a seal bearing their coat of arms to this
country. On the 15th of April, 1777, he was appointed surgeon's mate
to the Second Regiment of Rhode Island troops under Colonel Israel
Angell.
The article in the _Republican_ gives a description of Cunningham
and the Provost which we do not quote in full, as it contains little
that is new. It says, however that "While Cunningham's victims were
dying off from cold and starvation like cattle, he is said to have
actually mingled an arsenical preparation with the food to make them
die the quicker. It is recorded that he boasted that he had killed
more rebels with his own hand than had been slain by all the King's
forces in America."
Cornelius continued in the Continental service until January 1st,
1781, and received an honorable discharge. After the war he settled
at Yorktown, Westchester County, and came to be known as the "beloved
physician." He was very gentle and kind, and a great Presbyterian. He
died in 1823, and left descendants, one of whom is Judge
C. M. Tompkins, of Washington, D. C.
As we have seen, Cunningham was not always in charge of the
Provost. It appears that, during his absence in Philadelphia and other
places, where he spread death and destruction, he left Sergeant
O'Keefe, almost as great a villian as himself, in charge of the
hapless prisoners in New York.
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