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HANCOCK'S  DIARY 


OR, 


A    HISTORY 


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WITH   SKETCHKS 


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FIRST  AND  SEVENTH  BATTALIONS; 


ALSO, 


PORTRAITS  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES, 


TWO  VOLUMES  IN   ONE. 


Nashville,  Tenn.  : 
BRANDON   PRINTING   COMPANY. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLJCLJBiRARY 

2873 

ASTOR,  LENOX  AMD 

TTLOCK  FOUNDATtONS. 

1904 


Copyrighted,   i{ 


By  R.  R.  Hancock. 


TO  THE   MEMORY 

OF 

THE  HEROES 

WHO,  BY  THEIR  GALLANTRY  WHILE    LIVING   AND 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THEIR  PRECIOUS  LIVES, 

LARGELY  HELPED  TO  BUILD  UP 

THE  FAME   OF  THE 

SECOND  TENNESSEE  CAVALRY, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS 
AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 

BY 

THE   AUTHOR. 


PREFACE 


As  I  wrote,  during  the  war,  merely  for  my  own  future  reference, 
not  then  expecting  to  ever  have  my  Diary  published  in  book  form,  I 
omitted  many,  many  items  which  should  have  been  mentioned;  there- 
fore, soon  after  I  began  to  rewrite  the  work  for  publication,  I  had  five 
hundred  letters  printed  for  distribution  among  my  comrades,  and  be- 
sides I  have  sent  out  hundreds  of  manuscript  letters  to  let  my  com- 
rades know  what  I  was  doing  and  what  I  wanted  thetti  to  do.  I 
regret  to  say  that  my  Diary  is  not  what  I  wish  it  to  be,  from  the  fact 
that  so  few  oi  my  comrades  gave  the  desired  and  asked-for  aid.  I 
hope  that  they  will  not  complain  of  omissions  which  they  should  have 
furnished. 

I  have  endeavored  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  movements  of  the  dif- 
ferent commands  (whether  regiment,  brigade,  division,  corps,  or 
army)  with  which  the  First  Battalion  and  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry 
moved — from  General  ZoUicoffer's  first  campaign  into  Kentucky  in 
September  and  October,  1861,  to  the  last  campaign  of  General  For- 
rest into  Central  Alabama  in  March  and  April,  1865. 

I  highly  appreciate  the  following 

INDORSEMENT.  . 

' '  To  Our  Comrades  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  and  Others  : 

"We  have  examined  with  great  interest  the  manuscript  pages  of 
our  Brother  Hancock's  work.  It  is  fraught  with  a  peculiar  originality, 
and  is  a  consecutive  story  in  his  own  way  of  stirring  scenes  of  the  war 
that  will  pass  as  a  panorama  before  the  minds  of  all  who  participated 
in  them.  Of  course  there  are  many  things  omitted;  but  whose  fault 
is  it?     Our  brother  appealed  to  the  old  soldiers,    by  circulars  and 


vi  Preface. 

otherwise,  for  such  information  and  help  as- they  could  furnish,  though 
he  received  but  few  responses. 

"Now,  let  all  take  this  work  and  read  it;  as  time  advances  interest 
will  increase  in  Confederate  history;  they  can  easily  jot  down  and 
preserve  for  future  publications  such  omissions  or  inaccuracies  as  they 
think  have  been  made;"-:^  but  the  present  author  deserves  a  world  of 
credit  for  perseverance  against  the  lethargy  of  his  comrades,  and  the 
work  is  remarkably  correct. 

C.  R.  Barteau,  Colonel. 

G.  H.  Morton,  Lieutenant-Colonel . 

George  F.  Hager, 

Lieutena7it  Company  G. 
J.  D.  McLiN,  Company  C, 

Editor  Weekly  American,  Nashville." 

I  am  under  many  obligations  to  General  Thomas  Jordan  and  J.  T. 
Pryor,  the  writers  of  "Forrest's  Campaigns,"  for  much  valuable  in- 
formation in  reference  to  the  movements  and  actions  of  ' '  Forrest's 
Cavalry,"  which  I  could  not  tww  obtain  from  any  "other  source,  and 
also  to  Dr.  George  F.  Hager,  of  Nashville,  for  taking  valuable  time 
from  his  own  business  to  attend  to  the  portrait  department  for  me — in 
fact,  he  has  given  me  more  aid  and  encouragement  than  any  other 
one  of  my  comrades;  and  Colonel  Barteau  stands  next.  I  now  return 
thanks  to  all  who  have  aided  me. 

Colonel  H.  M.  Ashby's  Regiment,  which  was  composed  of  H.  M. 
Branner's  and  George  McLelland's  East  Tennessee  Battalions,  is 
officially  recorded  in  the  Confederate  Archives  (now  at  Washington, 
D.  C.)  as  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  while  Colonel  Barteau's 
Regiment,  through  carelessness  of  his  superior  officers,  in  the  field  or 
at  the  War  Department,  was  not  officially  recognized  at  Richmond 
until  February,  1865,  and  it  was  then  numbered  the  Tw^^^-second 
Tennessee  Cavalry. f     Though,  as  Barteau's  Regiment  has  ever  been 

*  Hope  my  comrades  will  heed  this  suggestion. — R.  R.  H. 

tSee  foot  note,  page  197;  and  also  sketch  of  Rev.  S.  C.  Talley,  Appendix  A, 


Preface.  vii 

known,  since  its  organization,  June  12th,  1862,  as  the  ^^f^z/^/ Tennes- 
see, and  as  it  is  so  recognized  in  "Forrest's  Campaigns"  and  "Mili- 
tary Annals  of  Tennessee,"  I  have  used  that  number  throughout  this 
work  when  speaking  of  Barteau's  Regiment. 

I  regret  that  it  was  not  convenient  for  me  to  correct  the  "proof- 
sheets,"  since  I  find  the  following  typographical  errors:  Widlard 
should  be  Willard  (roll  of  Allison's  Company) ;  F.  W.  Hearn  should 
be  F.  W.  Hor7i  (page  51);  Haskins  should  be  Hoskins  (page  73); 
headquarters  ^\\o\x\^  be  quarters  (page  loi);  Captain  ^(?«^^  should  be 
Bfludc  (page  175);  IVi/der's  Regiment  should  be  Wilson's  (page  328); 
port  should  htfori  (foot  note,  page  357);  list  of  wounded  should  be  list 
oi  prisoners  (foot  note,  page  364);  George  Leave  should  be  George 
Love  (page  363);  a  phrase  or  part  of  sentence  is  set  off  by  a  period, 
Dec.  8th,  1863,  and  March  19th,  1864;  TJ^z;-^  should  be  JF^rrt' (pages 
590  and  591). 

R.  R.  H. 

Auburn,  Tennessee,  September  loth,  1887. 


CONTENTS 


1861. 

Company  Rolls  of  McNairy's  Battalion  — 

Company  A,  28;  Company  B,  29;  Company  C,  31;  Company  D,  32;  Com- 
pany E,  18. 

First  Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry — 

Organized,  33;  start  for  East  Tennessee,  35;  at  Camp  Schuyler,  36;  at 
Huntsville,  37;  at  Knoxville,  39;  joined  to  ZoUicofter's  Brigade,  40. 

Zollicoffer's  First  Kentucky  Campaign — 

At  Cumberland  Ford,  43;  Detachments  sent  to  Laurel  Bridge  and  Salt 
Works,  46 ;  Action  at  Barboursville,  47  ;  Action  at  Rockcastle  Hills,  or  Wild- 
cat, 59;  Falls  back  toward  Cumberland  Ford,  67;  Evacuates  Kentucky,  71  ; 
Halts  at  Jacksboro,  71. 

Revolt  of  the  Unionists  in  East  Tennessee,  74. 

Zollicoffer's  Second  Kentucky  Campaign — 

Starts  from  Jacksboro,  81;  at  Mill  Springs,  87;  crosses  the  Cumberland 
River,  90;  (1862)  General  Crittenden  arrives,  106;  General  Carroll  ar- 
rives, 108;  Battle  of  Fishing  Creek,  113;  Crittenden's  Official  Report,  113; 
Thomas'  Report,  121  ;  Crittenden's  Division  transferred  to  "Central  Army," 
133;  Crittenden  joins  Johnson  at  Murfreesboro,  134. 

General  A.  S.  Johnston's  Shiloh  Campaign — 

Starts  from  Murfreesboro,  135;  Concentrates  and  Organizes  at  Corinth, 
140;  puts  his  Army  in  Motion  for  Pittsburg  Landing,  141 ;  Battle  of  Shiloh, 
147;  Johnston  killed,  150;  Beauregard  in  Command,  153;  Second  day's 
Battle,  156;  Confederates  withdrawn,  159. 

Movements  of  First  Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry — 

On  Outpost  Duty  at  luka,  164;  Skirmish  at  Bear  Creek  Bridge,  165; 
Moves  to  Burnsville,  166;  to  Jacinto,  167;  Re-enlists  and  Reorganizes,  168; 
Skirmish  at  Booneville,  172;  Covers  Retreat  from  Corinth,  173;  halts  near 
Fulton,  175. 

Sketch  of  Seventh  Battalion   (October  19th,  1861,  to  June  12th,  1862 — 
Roll  of  Company  A,    175;  Company  B,    178;  Company  C,    180;  Company 
D,   182;  Company  E,    183;  Organization  of  Seventh  Battalion,    185;   Roll 
of  Company  F,    186;  Seventh    Battalion   moves   to   Scottsville,   Kentucky, 
187;   Returns  to  Gallatin,  188;  Crosses  the  Cumberland  at  Nashville,  190; 


X  Contents. 

Reaches  Decatur,  190;  Arrives  at  Corinth,  191;  Moves  to  Purdy,  Tennes- 
see, 192;  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  193;  Corinth  Evacuated,  195;  Seventh  Bat- 
talion at  its  Last  Camp  near  Fulton,  195;  Reorganized  and  Re-enlisted,  196. 

Second  Tennessee  Cavalry — 

Organized,  197;  Roster,  198;  Moves  to  Bay  Springs,  202;  Four  Compa- 
nies go  with  Armstrong  to  Alabama,  203;  Report  of  Alabama  Expedition, 
205;  Attached  to  Armstrong's  Brigade,  207;  Starts  to  West  Tennessee, 
207;  Action  at  Middleburg,  210;  at  Medon,  211;  at  Britton's  Lane,  213; 
Returns  to  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  215;  Attached  to  Price's' Army.  217. 

Movements  of  General  Sterling  Price — 

Starts  for  luka,  217;  Arrives  at  that  place,  217;  Battle  of  luka,  219;  Re- 
turns to  Baldwin,  225;  Unites  with  VanDorn  at  Ripley,  227;  Battle  of 
Corinth,  228;   they  fall  back  toward  Holly  Springs,  229. 

Second  Tennessee  Cavalry — 

Encamped  at  Guntown,  235;  at  Okolona,  237;  (1863)  After  Grierson, 
239;  Action  at  Palo  Alto,  240;  at  Birmingham,  241  ;  at  King's  Creek,  near 
Tupelo,  242;  at  Mud  Creek,  255;  Fall  of  Vicksburg,  258;  Attached  to 
Ferguson's  Brigade,  265;  to  S.  D.  Lee's  Division,  266. 

Movements  of  S.  D.  Lee's  Division — 

Starts  to  North  Alabama,  266;  halts  at  the  Tennessee  River,  near  South 
Florence,  267;  Moves  to  meet  Sherman,  269;  Action  at  Cherokee,  271; 
Second  Tennessee  and  Second  Alabama  detached  to  meet  the  First  Alabama 
Tory  Cavalry,  275 ;  Action  with  the  Tories  on  the  Eastport-Fulton  Road, 
275;  Returns  to  Okolona,  280;  General  Forrest  arrives  at  Okolona,  285; 
Moves  to  aid  Forrest  in  passing  into  West  Tennessee,  286;  the  Affair  at 
Saulsbury,  289;  Action  near  Moscow,  in  Wolf  River  Bottom,  294;  Fer- 
guson's Brigade,  being  detached,  returns  to  Okolona,  296;  Ordered  South, 
301 ;  Second  Tennessee  transferred  to  Forrest,  302. 

1864. 

Movements  of  the  Second  Tennessee — 

Ordered  to  West  Tennessee,  303;  in  the  vicinity  of  Bolivar,  305;  Ordered 
back  to  Mississippi,  307;  Arrives  at  Oxford,  308;  Attached  to  Bell's  Brig- 
ade, Forrest's  Cavalry,  308. 

Movements  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  (February  nth  to  28th,  1864)  — 

Forrest  moves  so  as  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  junction  of  W.  S.  Smith 
and  Sherman,  310;  Colonel  Forrest  intercepts  Smith  near  Aberdeen,  312; 
Bell's  Brigade  detached,  under  Colonel  Barteau,  313;  Crosses  to  the  east 
bank  of  the  Tombigbee,   313;   Recrosses  to  the  west  bank,  313;  General 


Contents.  xi 

Forrest  holds  the  Federals  at  bay  awaiting  reinforcements,  314;  the  Fed- 
erals in  Retreat,  315;  Forrest  presses  their  rear,  315;  Barteau  on  the 
Right  Flank,  318;  Opens  the  Action  at  Okolona,  321,  and  closes  it  fifteen 
miles  beyond,  329;  General  Buford's  Brigade  added  to  Forrest's  Cavalry, 
332;   Reorganization,  332. 

Forrest's  Campaign  Into  West  Tennessee  and    Kentucky    (March    15th 
to  May  5th,  1S64) — 

Starts  from  Columbus,  339;  the  Action  at  Paducah,  Kentucky,  341;  Cap- 
ture of  Union  City,  Tennessee,  346;  Capture  of  Fort  Pillow,  352;  Returns 
to  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  371. 

Operations  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  in  Mississippi   (May  12th  to  September 
i6th,  1864)— 

Forrest  sets  out  from  Tupelo  to  join  Roddy  in  Alabama,  376;  Recalled  to 
meet  a  federal  force  from  Memphis,  377;  Battle  of  Brice's  Cross-Roads, 
3S1 ;  Forrest  returns  to,  and  establishes  his  headquarters  at,  Tupelo,  401 ; 
a  larger  Federal  force  afield,  410;  the  Second  Tennessee  detached  and 
moves  to  meet  General  A.  J.  Smith,  412;  meets  him  south  of  Albany,  412; 
General  S.  D.  Lee  arrives  at  Okolona  and  takes  command,  413;  moves  to 
meet  Smith  at  Pontotoc,  416  ;  Smith  moves  toward  Tupelo,  416;  the  Second 
Tennessee  attacks  the  Federal  right  flank,  417;  Battle  of  Harrisburg, 
420;  Smith  falls  back  to  Memphis,  434;  takes  the  field  again,  441;  Con- 
fronted by  Forrest  at  Oxford,  442;  Forrest  starts  to  Memphis,  444;  En- 
gagement at  Memphis,  447;  Forrest  returns  to,  and  establishes  his  head- 
quarters at,  Grenada,  459. 

Middle  Tennessee  Expedition  (September  i6th  to  October  i6th,  1864) — 
Forrest  starts  from  Verona,  462;  Fords  the  Tennessee,  463;  captures  the 
fort  at  Athens,  465;  the  works  at  Sulphur  Trestle  taken,  471  ;  Action  near 
Richland  Creek,  476;  Pulaski  threatened,  477;  Buford  detached  toward 
Huntsville,  479;  Forrest  at  Spring  Hill,  480;  Columbia  threatened,  481; 
Buford  crosses  the  Tennessee,  4S6;  Forrest  reaches  Florence,  with  heavy 
Federal  forces  in  pursuit,  486;  Barteau  holds  the  Federals  in  check  at 
Cypress  Creek,  487;  being  surrounded,  he  cuts  his  way  through  the  Federal 
lines,  489;  he  crosses  the  Tennessee,  490;  rejoins  Buford's  Division  at 
Corinth,  491. 

John'sonville  Expedition  (October  i6th  to  November  17th,  1864) — 

Forrest's  command  in  motion,  494;  the  advance  (Buford's  Division)  reaches 
Paris  Landing,  494;  the  steamer  Mazeppa  captured,  495;  the  gunboat 
Undine  captured,  497;    "Forrest's  Cavalry  Afloat,"  5C0;   successful  opera- 


xii  Contents. 

tions  against  the   Federal  depot  at  Johnsonville,  503;   Forrest  ordered  to 
Middle  Tennessee,  509;   forms  a  junction  with  Hood  at  Florence,  Alabama, 
5"- 
Hood  Campaign  (November  21st  to  December  27th,  1864)  — 

Hood  sets  out  from  Florence,  with  Forrest's  Cavalry  in  advance,  511; 
Action  at  Lawrenceburg  (Buford  and  Jackson),  511;  Chalijiers  meets  and 
engages  the  enemy  in  his  path,  512;  Buford  and  Jackson  engage  Hatch  at 
Campbellsville,  512;  Forrest  invests  Columbia,  513;  Hood  arrives  in  front 
of  Columbia,  514;  Forrest  in  pursuit  toward  Franklin,  516;  action  at 
Hurt's  Cross-Roads,  516;  Action  at  Spring  Hill,  517;  the  enemy  passes 
Hood  at  Spring  Hill,  and  falls  back  to  Franklin,  518;  Battle  of  Franklin, 
521;  Hood  invests  Nashville,  523;  Buford  ordered  to  reduce  block-houses 
on  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  523;  Forrest  moves  upon 
Murfreesboro,  525;  Action  at  Murfreesboro  on  the  7th,  526;  Forrest  retreats 
from  Murfreesboro  via  Columbia,  529;  Hood  defeated  at  Nashville,  530; 
Action  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  532;  the  "mixing  and  mingling"  six  miles 
south  of  Franklin,  534;  Engagement  six  miles  south  of  Columbia,  537;  at 
Richland  Creek,  537;  at  Anthony's  Hill,  538;  at  Sugar  Creek,  540;  Federal 
pursuit  checked,  541 ;  Forrest's  Cavalry  crosses  the  Tennessee  River  at  Bain- 
bridge,  542;   Commentaries,  542. 

The  Final  Campaign  (December  29th,  1864,  to  May  i6th,  1865) — 

Forrest's  Cavalry  at  Corinth,  544;  Reorganization  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  545; 
General  Wilson  takes  the  field  from  Chickasaw,  546;  Chalmers  ordered  to 
Selma,  Alabama,  547;  Jackson  sets  out  from  West  Point,  Mississippi,  for 
Montevallo,  Alabama,  547;  Wilson  detaches  Croxton's  Brigade  to  move 
upon  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  548;  Roddy  and  Adams  engage  the  enemy  near 
Montevallo,  548;  Crossland's  Brigade  meet  the  Federals,  548;  Forrest 
dashes  into  a  moving  column  of  Federals  with  his  staff  and  escort,  549; 
Croxton  routed  by  the  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee,  550;  Wilson 
detaches  another  brigade,  under  McCook,  to  form  a  junction  with  Croxton, 
551 ;  the  action  at  Bogler's  Creek,  552;  the  desperate  hand-to-hand  fighting 
of  Forrest  and  his  staff  and  escort,  554;  the  last  charge  of  the  Second  and 
Twenty-first  Tennessee,  557;  Wilson  attacks  Forrest  at  Selma,  558;  the  fall 
of  Selma,  559;  Forrest  retreats  to  Marion,  where  he  finds  Chalmers  and 
Jackson,  561  ;  Forrest  establishes  his  Headquarters  at  Gainesville,  Alabama, 
562;  the  End  near  at  hand,  562;  General  Forrest's  Farev^ell  Address  to  his 
Troops,  563 ;  Forrest's  Cavalry  cease  to  exist,  and  return  home  on  parole, 
565;  the  Closing  Remarks  of  Lieutenant  George  F.  Hager,  565. 


APPENDIX  A. 


Biographical  Sketches — 

General  N.  B.  Forrest,  571;  General  J.  R.  Chalmers,  573;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  F.  M.  McNairy,  575;  Colonel  J.  D.  Bennett,  576;  Colonel  C.  R. 
Harteau,  578;  Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  H.  Morton,  5S1 ;  E.  O.  Elliott,  583; 
Rev.  S.  C.  Talley,  584;  Surgeon  J.  W.  Harrison,  5S7;  Lieutenant  T.  C. 
Atkinson,  588;  Lieutenant  A.  H.  French,  5S9;  Lieutenant  P.  A.  Smith, 
596;  Captain  T.  B.  Underwood,  597;  Captain  J.  H.  Duncan,  599;  Captain 
T.  M.  Allison,  601;  Captain  M.  W.  McKnight,  603;  Lieutenant  H.  L.  W. 
Turney,  606;  Lieutenant  J.  S.  Harrison,  607;  Lieutenant  G.  Love,  608; 
Lieutenant  F.  W.  Youree,  609;  Lieutenant  J.  M.  Cantrell,  611;  Lieutenant 
E.  J.  Bullock,  612;  Lieutenant  J.  K.  Dodd,  612;  Captain  G.  E.  Seay, 
613;  Lieutenant  T.  J.  Carman,  615;  Captain  John  A.  Brinkley,  616;  Lieu- 
tenant J.  T.  Austin,  617;  Lieutenant  J.  E.  Denning,  618;  Lieutenant  J.  N. 
Penuel,  619;  Captain  T.  Puryear,  620;  Captain  J.  M.  Eastes,  622;  Captain 
B.  H.  Moore,  624;  Lieutenant  George  F.  Hager,  625;  Lieutenant  B.  A. 
High,  627;  Lieutenant  F.  M.  McRee,  630;  Captain  W.  H.  Harris  and  his 
Twenty-five  Men,  631. 


APPEiNDIX  B. 


Sketch  by  John  D.  McLin,  Editor   IVeckly  American 633 


PORTRAITS. 


Lieutenant-General  N.  B.  Forrest Frontispiece. 

R.  R.  Hancock 17 

Colonel  F.  N.  McNairy ;i^ 

Dr.  Monroe  Knight 77 

Captain  M.  W.  McKnight *. 168 

Sergeant  J.  C.  McAdoo 171 

Colonel  J.  D.  Bennett 185 

Lieutenant  B.  A.  High 194 

Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  II.  Morton 198 

Captain  T.  B.  Underwood 281 

General  J.  R.  Chalmers 286 

Lieutenant  George  Love 2^6 

Lieutenant  A.  H.  French 419 

Private  W.  C.  Hancock 424 

Lieutenant  George  E.  Seay 429 

Lieutenant  F.  M.  McRee 533 

Lieutenant  G.  F.  Hager 550 

Lieutenant  H.  L.  W.  Turney ^ 454 

Sergeant  A.  B.  McKnight 557 

Sergeant  J.  D.  McLin 633 


\fo\u(x\e  I. 


Skrceant   R.    R.    HANCOCK,   Co.   C. 


lURY 


R.  R.  HANCOCK'S  DIARY. 


By  the  request  of  some  of  my  friends  and  comrades, 
I  have,  on  this  the  i6th  of  June,  1885,  commenced  re- 
writing my  War  Diary  for  the  purpose  of  having  it 
pubHshed  in  book  form. 

Unfortunately,  the  first  month  of  my  Diary  has  been 
torn  out  and  lost ;  so  I  will  have  to  state  some  things 
from  memory,  without  giving  exact  dates  all  the  time. 

IVedjiesday,  June  26th,  1861. — Eighty-four  men,  hav- 
ing previously  organized  themselves  into  a  company 
and  elected  T.  M.  Allison  Captain,  met.  on  the  above 
date,  at  Auburn,  Cannon  County,  Tennessee,  for  the 
purpose  of  starting  to  Nashville  to  offer  their  services 
to  their  native  State  for  twelve  months.  The  writer 
was  one  of  the  eighty-four. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  above  named  period  is  now 
nearly  one-quarter  of  a  century  in  the  past,  that  day  of 
parting  is  still  green  in  the  memory  of  the  surviving 
soldiers  and  citizens  of  the  Auburn  vicinity. 

Oh !  the  thought  of  parting  from  our  friends,  rela- 
tives, and  especially  our  szveetJiearts,  was  enough  to 
make  us  feel  sad,  as  we  did  not  know  that  we  would 
ever  see  them  again  on  earth. 

After  the  "final  farewell"  to  our  friends  "had  been 
said,"  we  left  Auburn  in  time  to  go  (about  twenty-three 
2 


18  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

miles)  to  Judge  Ridley's  the  first  day.     The  Judge  lived 
in  Rutherford  County,  near  Old  Jefferson. 

Tlnwsday,  2'jth. — On  arriving  at  Nashville,  after  a 
ride  of  about  twenty-two  miles,  we  took  quarters  at  the 
fair  grounds. 

Friday,  28th. — As  Tennesseans  were  then  offering 
their  services  faster  than  the  state  was  prepared  to  arm 
and  equip  them,  it  was  after  hard  begging  that  Gov- 
ernor Isham  G.  Harris  gave  his  consent  to  have  our 
company  mustered  into  service  ;  and  as  he  would  not 
receive  more  than  seventy-six  men,  including  the  officers, 
eight  of  our  company  had  to  return  home. 
/  About   eleven   o'clock   a.   m.,   the    Auburn    Company 

(known   afterward   as  the   "  Sangs ")   was    sworn     into 
service  by  J.  G.  Picket. 

The  following-  roll  will  be  found  to  contain  the  names 
of  the  seventy-six  men  who  were  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  for  twelve  months, 
with  the  present  (1886)  address  opposite  the  name  of 
each  one  livino-,  so  far  as  known.  I  have  not  been  able 
to  learn  whether  those  whose  names  are  followed  by  an 
asterisk  (*)  are  dead  or  living  ;  therefore,  in  our  calcu- 
lations hereafter,  we  will  call  this  class  the  unaccounted 

COMPANY  ROLL 

Allison,  T.  M.,  Captain.      Killed  at  home  in  1862. 

Summar,  N.  W.,  First  Lieutenant,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Alexander,  George,  Second  Lieutenant,  Cedar  Creek, 
Texas. 

Wilson,  M.  v.,  Third  Lieutenant.* 

Odom,  J.  J.,f  First  Sergeant.  Died  in  West  Tennessee 
in  1885. 

t  Those  whose  names  are  in  small  capitals  were  present  at  the  surrender. 


JUxVE,  1861.  19 

WiDLARD,  D.  B.,  Second  Sergeant,  Auburn,  Tennes- 
see. 

McLin,  J.  D.,  Third  Sergeant,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Odom,  John  H.,  Fourth  Sergeant,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 
Wounded  at  Harrisburg. 

Summar,  J.  N,,  First  Corporal,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Davenport,  George,  Second  Corporal,  Auburn,  Ten- 
nessee.     Wounded  at  Bear  Creek  Bridge. 

Walker,  Sam,  Third  Corporal,  Smithville,  Tennessee. 

Lanear,  Dick,  Fourth  Corporal.* 

Thomas,  C.  F.,  Farrier.  Cleburne,  Texas.  Wounded 
at  Fort  Pillow  in  1864. 

Adamson,  W.  A.,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Adamson,  Presley,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Ashford,  Cahal.      Died  at  home  in  June,  1862. 

Barrett,  Eli,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Captured  in  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  and  taken  to  Camp  Morton,  Indiana. 

Bogle,  J.  M.,  Avoca,  Benton  County,  Arkansas. 

Cooper,  J.  M.     Died  in  1883. 

Cooper,  A.  D.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Cooper,  Jim,  Gallatin,  Tenn. 

Davenport,  R.  Died  in  West  Tennessee,  April  7, 
1885.     Wounded  October  26,  1863. 

Dougherty,  J.  R.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Dougherty,  C,  Columbia,  Texas. 

Dennls,  Sam,*  Arkansas.  Made  Second  Lieutenant 
in  1862,  and  wounded  at  Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

Ewing,  B.  D.,  Lane,  Hunt  County,  Texas. 

Ewing,  E.  L.,  Lane,  Hunt  County.  Texas.  Wounded 
at  Columbia,  Tenn. 

Ewing,  A.  G.     Committed  suicide  since  the  war. 

Francis,  A.  H.,  Calf  Creek,  Searcy  County,  Arkan- 
sas. 


20  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Gan,  Jim.  Killed  by  the  Federals  in  Wilson  County, 
Tennessee. 

Hancock,  B.  A.,f  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Discharged 
in  1862. 

Hancock,  R.  R.,  i\uburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded  Oc- 
tober 30,  1864. 

Hancock,  W.  C.f    Killed  at  Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

Hancock,  C.  E.  Died  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama^ 
June  4,  1864. 

Harrison,  Dr.  J.  S.,  McMinnville,  Tennessee.  Elect- 
ed Third  Lieutenant  in  1862,  and  wounded  at  Harris- 
burg, July  14,  1864. 

Harrison,  W.  W.  Killed  at  Memphis,  August  21, 
1864. 

Hawkins,  W.  W.  Died  since  the  war.  Wounded 
at  Okalona,  and  again  at  Fort  Pillow,  which  was,  per- 
haps, the  cause  of  his  death. 

Hawkins,  J.  E.  J.  Killed  near  Auburn,  in  1864,  by 
Federals. 

Hays,  J,  T.     Died  at  home  in  1861. 

Hannaphin,  Tim.* 

Hearmon,  John.  Died  at  Mill  Springs,  Kentucky, 
Jan.  6,  1862. 

Hale,  Josiah.*  Captured  at  Booneville,  Mississippi, 
May  30,  1862. 

Jetton,  Josh.     Died  in  1885. 

Jones,  Jesse,  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee. 

Kennedy,  J.  W.     Died  in  Auburn,  July  26,  1873. 

Kennedy,  W.  C,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Kennedy,  L.  V.     Died  in  Texas,  April  23,  1885. 

Knight,  Monroe,  Huntsville,  Arkanas.  Discharged 
in  1 86 1. 

t  B.  A.  and  W.  C.  are  brothers  of  the  writer. 


JuxE,  1861.  21 

Keaton,  Coon.      Died  in  prison,  on  Rock  Island. 

Keaton,  G.  C,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

McKnight,  M.  W.,  Waxahachie,  Texas. f 

McKniofht,  A.  B.,  Porterfield,  Tennessee.  Lost  one 
leg  in  1865. 

McKnight,  L.  W.  Mortally  wounded  at  Paducah, 
Kentucky,  March  25,  1864. 

McKnight,  D.  C.      Drowned  since  the  war. 

MiLLiGAN,  W.  H.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Markham,  A.,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Mullinax,  J.  B.,  Smallman,  DeKalb  County,  Tennes- 
see.     Discharged  in  November,  1861. 

McAdoo,  J.  C,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Nelson,  P.,* ,  Arkansas. 

Odom,  B.  F.      Killed  at  Paducah,  March  25,  1864. 

Odom,  B.  F.  S.,  Hall's  Hill,  Tennessee. 

O'CoNNER,  Tom,*  Corinth,  Mississippi. 

Purnell,  L.  T.      Died  since  the  war. 

Rich,  W.  E.,  Round  Top,  Wilson  County,  Tennes- 
see. Wounded  two  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  Missis- 
sippi, July  13,  1864. 

Richardson,  M.      Died  at  home  in  1861  or  '62. 

Stevens,  W.  C, ,  West  Tennessee. 

Stevens,  J.  W.,  Temperance  Hall,  DeKalb  County, 
Tennessee.  Captured  and  paroled  at  Okalona,  Missis- 
sippi, and  wounded  at  Paducah. 

Stanly,  John.  Captured  near  home,  and  died  in 
prison  at  Fort  Delaware. 

Smith,  Bob,  Liberty,  DeKalb  County,  Tennessee. 
Discharged  in  November,  1861. 

Summar,  T.  D.      Died  in  1871. 

Thomas,  Jim  L.,  Greenvale,  Wilson  County, Tennessee 

t  See  Appendix  A. 


22  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Tiirney,  H.  L.  W.  f  Wounded  at  Fort  Pillow  and 
at  Memphis,  August  21,  1864,  and  died  in  West  Ten- 
nessee, February  16,  1880. 

Talley,  Dick.      Died  since  the  war. 

Willard,  F.  M.,  Milton,  Rutherford  County,  Tennes- 
see. 

Womack,  D.,* ,  Missouri. 

Willard,  W.  B.,  Waxahachie,  Texas. 

To  recapitulate,  seven  were  killed,  twenty  have  died,, 
forty-one  are  living,  and  eight  unaccounted  for — total, 
seventy-six. 

The  following  is  as  complete  a  list  of  the  names  of 
those  who  joined  the  Auburn  Company  from  time  to 
time  during  the  war  as  I  can  now  make  out,  after  dili- 
gent inquiry  among  my  comrades : 

RECRUITS. 

Alexander,  G.  B.,  Oak  Point,  Wilson  County,  Ten- 
nessee. 

Armstrong,  Tom.* 

Baxter,  H.  A.     Died  since  the  war. 

Baxter,  J.  H.     Died  since  the  war. 

Black,  W.  A.,  Milton,  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 

Black,  J.  F.     Died  since  the  war, 

Barrett,  A,,  Auburn,  Cannon  County,  Tennessee. 

Barlow,  Jack,  Lascassas,  Rutherford  County,  Ten- 
nessee. 

Barker,  S.  ("Babe"^,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

Bradberry,  J,      Died  since  the  war. 

Barkley,  T.  C* ,  Texas. 

Barkley,  John  T.,  Yorkville,  Gibson  County,  Tennes- 
see. 


t  See  Appendix  A, 


June,  1861.  23 

Bryson,  R.  Captured  near  home,  and  died  in  prison 
at  Fort  Delaware. 

Bryson,  E.  D.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Cranor,Mose,  Milton,  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 

Cavender,  J.  H.,  Dixon,  Webster  County,  Kentucky. 
Lost  one  leg  at  "Tory  Fight,"  October  26,  1863. 

Cummings,  Tip,  Woodbury,  Cannon  County,  Ten- 
nessee. 

Champion,  J.  H.,  /\uburn,  Tennessee. 

Cooper,  M.  D.  L.,* -,  Missouri. 

Davenport,  William,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Dougherty,  J.  M.,  Statesville,  Wilson  County,  Ten- 
nessee. 

Duggin,  P.  L.      Died  August  29,  1867. 

EwiNG,  R.  B.      Died  in  Texas  in  1876. 

Elkins,  T.  D.  ("Coon"),  Woodbury,  Tennessee. 
Wounded  at   Paducah,  Kentucky,  March    25,  1864. 

Ellidge,  J.  B.,  Woodbury,  Tennessee. 

Francis,  M.  H.,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded  at 
Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

Francis,  J.  J.  Wounded  at  Tupelo,  Mississippi, 
May  5,  1863,  and  at  Harrisburg. 

Flowers,  A.  W.,  Ray,  Texas. 

Francis,  M.  C,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

Francis,  C.  C,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Captured  on 
Hood's  raid. 

Francis,  J.  D.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Garrison,  C,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

Goard,  J.  W.      Died  in  1884. 

Grisham,  O.  N.  Killed  at  Harrisburg,  Mississippi, 
July  14,  1864. 

Grisham,  Ben,  Russellville,  Franklin  County,  Ala- 
bama. 


24  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Greer,  John  J..  Auburn,  Cannon  County.  Tennessee. 

Hays,  John  W.,  Auburn,  Cannon  County,  Tennessee. 

Herndon,  Joe  W.*  Wounded  at  Harrisburg,  July 
14,  1864. 

Herndon,  John  L., ,  Mississippi. 

Hurt,  T.  M.* 

Hancock,  R.  M.     Died  since  the  war. 

Jetton,  A.  J..  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Jetton,  E.,  SmaUman,  DeKalb  County,  Tennessee. 

Knox,  B.  F.,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

Knight,  Horace,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Keaton,  H.,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Keaton,  William,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

LoRANCE,  MncE,  Porterfield,  Rutherford  County,  Ten- 
nessee.     W^ounded  at  Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

McKnight,  Jim  Nute,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

McKnight,  A.  G.,  Porterfield,  Tennessee. 

McAdoo,  J.  N.     Died  January  16,  1882. 

McKnight,  John  N.,  Porterfield,  Tennessee.  W'ound- 
ed  at  Paducah,  Kentucky. 

McWhirter,  Dr.  W.  H.,  Webber's  Falls,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory. 

McWhirter,  S.  A.,  Milton,  Tennessee. 

Milligan,  J.  A.     Died  since  the  war, 

Mathes,  J.  R.,  Cainsville.  Wilson  County,  Tennessee. 

Newman,* . 

Odom,  James  H.,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded  at 
Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

Odom,  J.  W.,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 

Odom,  W.  F.,  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee. 

Odom,  H.  C.  (Red),  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded 
at  Memphis,  August  21,  1864. 

Odom.  J.  M.  A,,  Auburn,  Tennessee. 


June,  1861.  25 

Owen,  J.  D.,  Auburn,  Tennessee, 

Owen,  Nelse,  Osage,  Caryell  County,  Texas. 

Odom,  S.  C,  x\uburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded  at  Mud 
Creek,  and  again  at  Paducah,  Kentucky. 

Odom,  F.  B.,  Fairfield,  Freestone  County,  Texas. 

Parris,  Joe,  McMinnville,  Tennessee. 

Parris,  J.  (Sweet),* ,  Missouri. 

Stevens,  H.  C,  Bear  Branch.  DeKalb  County,  Ten- 
nessee. Wounded  near  Cherokee,  Alabama,  October 
21,  1863. 

Sneed,  J.  H.,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Captured  and 
paroled  at  Okalona,  Mississippi,  in  December,  1862. 

Stone,  J.  R.      Died  in  August,  1885. 

Stone,  J.,  Woodbury,  Tenn. 

Stone,  William.      Died  since  the  war. 

Stone,  J.  G.      Died  since  the  war. 

Summar,  J.  D.,  x'\uburn,  Tennessee. 

Spurlock,  J.  M.,  Smallman,  Tennessee. 

Spicer,  Sol.*  Captured  September,  1863,  and  sent 
to  Camp  Morton,  Indiana. 

Summar,  M.  P.,  Honey  Grove,  Fannin  County,  Texas. 

Thomas,  J.  H.      Died  since  the  war. 

Thomas,  A.  J.,  Honey  Grove,  Texas.  Wounded  at 
Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 

Thomas,  E.  D.,  Auburn,  Tennessee.  Wounded  near 
Cherokee,  Alabama,  October  21,  1863. 

Thompson,  J.  B.,*  Texas. 

Tittle,  Sam,  Woodbury,  Tennessee.  Captured  in 
September,  1863,  and  sent  to  Camp  Morton,  Indiana. 

Tittle,  Adam,  McMinnville,  Tennessee. 

Tedder,  Frank.      Died  since  the  war. 

Warren,  O.  J.,* ,  Mississippi. 

Webb,  W.  J.,  Aberdeen,  Mississippi. 


26  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Willard,  N.,  Fairfield,  Texas.  Wounded  at  Corinth, 
October  5,  1862. 

Walker,  Tom.* 

Wamack,  Anderson.  Captured  near  home,  and  died 
in  prison  at  Fort  Delaware. 

Wamack,  W.  L.,* ,  Missouri.      Wounded 

at  Fort  Pillow. 

Willard,  J.  A.,  Fairfield,  Freestone  County,  Texas. 

Of  the  Recruits,  one  was  killed,  seventeen  have  died,, 
sixty-two  living,  and  twelve  unaccounted  for — total, 
ninety-two. 

Add  the  recruits  to  the  original  company,  and  the  re- 
sult will  be  as  follows  :  Eight  killed,  thirty-seven  died, 
one  hundred  and  three  living,  and  twenty  unaccounted 
for — total,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 

As  several  were  wounded  more  than  once,  some 
thirty-two  of  the  company  received  between  thirty-five 
and  forty  wounds. 

The  above  list  speaks  well  for  the  industry  and  perse- 
verance of  Captain  M.  W.  McKnight  in  keeping  his 
company  well  recruited,  as  well  as  for  the  popularity  of 
the  company. 

The  "  Sangs "  f  generally  outnumbered  any  other 
company  in  the  regiment,  and  yet  they  were  never  con- 
solidated with  any  other  company.  I  learn  from  an  old 
muster-roll,  which  has  been  preserved  by  Lieutenant 
J.  S.  Harrison,  that  sixteen;];  of  the  original  company 
and  thirty-five  J  of  the   recruits — total,    fifty-one — were 

t  The  above  name  (or  rather  as  at  first,  "Sang  Diggers")  was  given  to  the 
Auburn  Company  rather  as  a  term  of  derision  ;  though,  in  the  language  of  an 
ancient  general  (Epaminondas),  ''they  did  not  derive  any  honor  from  the  name> 
but  they  made  the  name  honorable." 

I  By  reference  to  the  preceding  rolls  their  names  will  be  found  printed  in 
small  capitals. 


June,  18G1.  27 

present  at  the  surrender  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  May  lo, 
1865.  The  muster-roll  referred  to  above  is  dated  thus: 
"  Near  Sumterville,  Alabama,  May  i,  1865."  And  upon 
said  roll  I  find  the  names  of  nineteen  others,  who  are 
accounted  for  as  follows:  Three  (J.  W.  Webb,  W.  E. 
Rich,*  and  T.  D.  Summer*)  are  reported  "Detached 
by  order  of  Lieutenant-General  Forrest;"  two  (A.  G. 
McKnight  and  B.  D.  Ewing  *)  are  reported  "Absent, 
waiting  on  wounded  ;  "  three  (A.  B.  McKnight,*  W.  W. 
Hawkins,*  and  R.  R.  Hancock*)  are  reported  "^Absent, 
wounded;"  six  (Captain  M.  W.  McKnight,*  Lieuten- 
ant H.  L.  W.  Turney,*  Privates  E.  L.  Ewing,*  J.  H. 
Cavender,  Mat  Francis  and  H.  C.  Odam)  are  reported 
"Retired  by  order  of  ^  Medical  Board;"  three  (A.  G. 
Ewing,*  J.  H.  Baxter,  and  John  N.  McKnight)  are  re- 
ported "Absent,  sick,"  and  two  (E.  D.  Thomas  and 
J.  H.  Thomas)  are  reported  "Absent  on  parole." 

Though  I  do  not  find  upon  said  roll  the  names  of  any 
of  the  Auburn  Company  (J.  D.  McLin,*  C.  C.  Francis, 
Eli  Barrett,*  and  perhaps  some  others)  who  were  in 
prison  when  this  muster-roll  was  made  out,  I  suppose 
they  were  omitted  from  the  fact  that  our  officers  did 
not  expect  to  get  paroles  for  those  in  prison.  But, 
omitting  those  in  prison  and  the  two  already  on  parole, 
there  were  sixty-eight  of  the  Auburn  Company  paroled 
at  Gaine.sville,  Sumter  County,  Alabama,  May  10,  1865. 
(Gainesville  is  situated  in  the  center  of  the  western 
border  of  Alabama,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombip"bee 
River,  about  forty-five  miles  southeast  of  Columbus, 
Mississippi.)  Besides  the  eight  killed,  only  about  nine 
of  the  company  died  during  the  war. 

Alfred    Hancock,    Dr.    G.    C.    Flowers,   William    A. 


*  These  (twelve)  were  members  of  the  original  company. 


28  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Groom,  John  Overall.  George  Owen,  George  Turney, 
and  Captain  Sam  Y.  Barkley  were  with  the  Auburn 
Company  from  time  to  time  during  the  war,  and  did 
more  or  less  service,  though  they  were  not  really  mem- 
bers of  the  company.  S.  Y.  Barkley,  the  last  named 
above,  was  Captain  of  a  company  in  Colonel  E.  S. 
Smith's  regiment;  and  after  that  regiment  disbanded 
Captain  Barkley,  though  remaining  independent,  did 
service  with  the  Auburn  Company  a  good  portion  of 
the  time  from  the  fall  of  1862  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

We  remained  at  Nashville  about  five  or  six  days. 
As  they  w^anted  our  boots  made  by  the  penitentiary 
hands,  we  went  there  and  had  our  measures  taken.  We 
moved  from  Nashville  to  Thorn  Hill,  near  Goodletts- 
ville,  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  north-east  of  Nashville, 
where  we  found  the  four  following  cavalry  companies 
-encamped : 

The  following  is  the  muster-roll  of  Captain  Frank  N. 
McNairy's  Company  (A): 

McNairy,  F.  N.,  Captain,  d. 

Harris,  W.  H.,  First  Lieutenant,  1. 

Brown,  C.  W.,  Second  Lieutenant,  1. 

Hicks,  E.  D.,  Third  Lieutenant,  1. 

Morton,  G.  H.,  First  Sergeant,  1. 

Roberts,  William,  Second  Sergea   t,  1. 

Maxey,  William  O.,  Third  Sergeant,  d. 

Britton,  William,  Fourth  Sergeant,  1. 

Drane,  J.  R  ,  First  Corporal,  d. 

Miliron,  A.  A.,  Second  Corporal,  killed  at  Milton. 

Shute,  J.  jNL,  Third  Corporal,  1. 

Craighead,  W.  J.,  Fourth  Corporal,  d. 

Bender,  John,  Bugler,  1. 

Winfrey,  Andrew,  Bugler,  1. 
Atkinson,  T.  C,  d.  Anderson,  J.  S.,  d. 

Abbay,  R.  H.,  d.  Abbay,  R.  H.,  d. 


June,  1861. 


2^ 


Anderson,  J.  S.,  d. 
Aiken,  George,  d. 
Adams,   R.  H.,  d. 
Bolton,  Alex.,  1. 
Blackman,  Hays,  1. 
Bush,  G.  W.,  d. 
Brien,  W.  A.,  1. 
Buchanan,  J.  R.,  d. 
Bennington,  Thomas,  1. 
Crawford,  Scott,  1. 
Curran,  Pat,  d. 
Clark,  Charles,  1. 
Curran,  J.  M.,  d. 
Campbell,  Joe,  d. 
Dashiells,  G.  W.,  d.       * 
Drane,  Tom,  1. 
Dodd,  B.  P.,  1. 
Edmondson,  Henry,  1. 
Edmondson,  W.  A.,  d. 
Ferguson,  Tom,  d. 
French,  A.  H.,  1. 
Grisham,  W.  J.,  1. 
Grififin,  Blank. 
Graves,  W.  H.,  1. 
Guthrie,  W.* 
Hamill,  M.^ 
Hamill,  A.  C.;  d, 
Hope,  R.  K.,  d. 
Haile,  G.  E.* 
Hancock,  G.  D.* 
Hallowell,  B.  F.,  1. 
Hendricks,  A.  P.,  1. 
Jackson,  Andrew. -i= 
Joplin,  Thomas,  1. 

The  following  is  the  muster- 
commanded  by  Captain  W.  L. 
Horn,  W.  L, ,  Captain,  1 


Kimbro,  Thomas,  1. 
Martin,  C.  C.f 
Marshall,  E.  S.,  1. 
Morris,  R.  E.  K.^ 
Mathews,  S.  G  ,  1. 
Marchbank,  Chase,  1. 
Nolan,  M.  D.  A.,  d. 
Natcher,  W.  K.,  k. 
Puckett,  James. 
Paul,  J.  A.,  1. 
Payne,  A.  B.,  d. 
Porch,  W.  A.,  1. 
Guinn,  W.   J. 
Ridley,  J.  L.,  1. 
Ridley,  G.  C,  1. 
Sykes,  J.  W.,  d. 
Steele,  J.  W.,  1. 
Smith,  Nat.,  1. 
Smith,  J.  M. 
Smith,  P.  A.,  1. 
Steele,  William. 
Smith,  E.  M.,  d. 
Smithwick,  George,  d. 
Shields,  John,  1. 
Safforans,  T.  M. ,  d. 
Shilcut,  T.  H.,  1. 
Tate,  Zack,  d. 
Tucker.* 

Thomas,  George,  1. 
Treanor,  J.  D. 
Vaughn,  J.  H.,  1. 
Vaughn,  J.  T.,  1. 
Williams,  N.  B.* 

roll  of  the  company  (B) 
Horn : 


t  Killed  at  Milton,  Tennessee: 

J  Killed  at  Winchester,  Kentucky. 


30 


R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Gasby,  L.  L. ,  First  Lieutenant,  d. 
Calvert,  W.  W.,  Second  Lieutenant,  d. 
Craft,  W.  H.,  Third  Lieutenant,  d. 
Horn,  F.  W.,  First  Sergeant,  1. 
Oswell,  Nick,  Second  Sergeant. 
Pickett,  J. C,  Third  Sergeant,  d. 
Horn,  E.  H.,*  Fourth  Sergeant,  1. 
Frankland,  J.,  First  Corporal,  p. 
Rhodes,  William,  Second  Corporal,  1. 
Singleton,  H.  E.,  Third  Corporal,  d. 
Polk,  Richard,  Fourth  Cor]joral,  1. 
Tate,  James,  Ensign,  k. 
Johnson,  E.  C,  Bugler,  1. 
Atilla,  Frank,  Drill   Master,  1. 


Armstrong.  Eli,  d. 
Bowman,  James,  1. 
Bowles,  W.  E.,  d. 
Bowles,  Thomas,  1. 
Brooks,  E.,  d. 
Breedlove,  Stanford,  1. 
Cantrell,  W.  H.,  d. 
Carpenter,  William,  d. 
Cash,  Jeff,  d. 
Cooke,  J.  E.,  d. 
Figg,  r"  M.,  1. 
Ford,  T.* 
Franklin,  J.,  d. 
Graves,  John,  1. 
Green,  J.* 
Hager,  B.  D. ,  1. 
Hook,  L  N.,  d. 
Hunley,  Ben,  d. 
Hays,  Mike  P,,  1. 
Henry,  J.  P.^^ 
Jackson,  J.  P.,  1. 
Johnson,  Lafayette,  d. 
Johnson,  W.  D..  1. 
Kenner,  John,  k. 
Kittle,  Richard,  1. 
Kelly,  Pat.* 


Little,  David.* 
Morton,  S.  W.* 
Mehrenstein,  M.,  1. 
Mann,  G.  W.,  1. 
Miller,  Aug.,  d. 
Mahoney,  John.* 
Meyer,  John,  1. 
Mahan,  Mike.* 
McKnight,  W.  G.,  d. 
Nicholson,  M.  R.,  1. 
Nellan,  M.* 
Newbern,  Thomas,  1. 
O'Brien,  John,  1. 
O'Donnell,  John.* 
Overstreet,  J.  L.,  1. 
O'Hara,  Roderick,  d. 
Overbee,   Coleman,* 
Patton,  F.,  1. 
Powers,  Pat.* 
Runnells,  Sam.* 
Rhodes,  D.  C,  1. 
Rhodes,  M.,  d. 
Singleton,  A.  J.,  d. 
Spillers,  L. ,  1. 
Stull,  J.,  1. 
Sutton,  J.  J.,  1. 


June,  18G1. 


31 


Squares,  Charles,  d. 
Stevenson,  J.  F.,  1. 
Searls,  Charles,  1. 
Sullivan,  Pat.* 
Tarpley,  Robert,  k. 
Thompson,  S.,  d. 
Webb,  J.  B.,  k. 


Wilson,  Wallace,  1. 
Woodruff,  John,  1. 
Wyatt,  Thomas,  d. 
Wright,  H.'i' 
Wittey,  Horatio,  d. 
Yates,  Thomas,  d. 
Zachary,  Wash,  1. 


The    following   is    the   roll  f   of    Company   C.J  First 

Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry  :  • 

Ewing,  William,  Captain,  d.  § 
Bond,  Burk,  First  Lieutenant,  d. 
House,  Isaac,  Second  Lieutenant,  d. 
Wyatt,  Joe,  Third  Lieutenant,  d. 
Parrish,  William,  First  Sergeant,  d. 


Andrews,  William. 
Allen,  John,  Sr. 
Allen,  John,  Jr. 
Bostick,  Jonn,  1. 
Brown,  John. 
Blythe,  James. 
Boyd,  Thad. 
Boyd,  D.  J. 
Beech,  David. 
Bailey,  Pat. 
Core,  J.  G. 
Crite,  J.  M. 
Clouston,  \\'.  G. 
Cowles,  James. 
Crow,  J.  M. 
Childress,  George. 
Childress,  William. 
Cathrenn,  H. 
Crump,  G.  R. 
Crump,  Marcus. 
Denton,  James. 


Davis,  James,  d. 
Dodson,  Andrew. 
Dodson,  Byrd. 
Dodson,  Tim. 
Duff,  William,  d. 
Elliott,  Joe. 
Ellis,  John. 
Fleming,  Lem. 
Franklin,  James. 
Hughes,  James. 
Hughes,  Lee. 
Hughes,  Brice. 
Hughes,  Henry. 
Hunt,  Turner. 
House,  Mann,  d. 
Jordan,  G.  M. 
Merrett,  J.  H. 
Merrett,  David. 
Mosley,  Sam. 
Mosley,  Robert. 
Maney,  H.  J.,  d. 


t  I  am  under  obligations  to  J.  L.  McGann  for  this  roll. 

j  This  company  was  from  Williamson  County,  the  other  three    from   Nash- 
ville, except  a  few  Kentuckians  in  Company  D. 
§  Resigned  at  Cumberland  Ford. 


32 


E.  B.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Mebane,  Alex. 
McGan,  J- L.,  1. 
Mallory,  Clem. 
Mallory,  John. 
McLane,  Ben. 
Mullins,  Doge. 
Marshall,  William. 
Malone,  Hiram. 
McDowell,  Sam. 

McCrea,  . 

McCallister,  Joe. 
North,  J.  A.,  1. 
Oden,  Thomas. 
Orum,  James. 


Pollard,  N.  N. 
Reid,  W.  W. 
Spivy,  R. 
Smithson,  James. 
Smithson,  G.  W. 
Sounders,  Mark; 
TuU,  Diidle. 
Tichnenar,  G.  AV. 
Tullan,  James. 
Underwood,  T.  B.,  1. 
Williams,  Wm. 
Williams,  N.  C. 
Wray,  J. 
Weli,  Sam. 


I  have  failed  to  get  a  full  report  of  the  living  and 
dead  of  Ewing's  Company. 

The  following  is  the  muster-roll  of  Captain  E.  D. 
Payne's  Company  (D) : 

Payne,  E.  D.,  Captain,  d. 

Petway,  R.  G.,  First  Lieutenant,  1. 

Ryan,  J.  B.,  Second  Lieutenant,  1. 

Birdwell,  J.  W. ,  Third  Lieutenant.* 

Dawson,  W.  R.,  First  Sergeant.-'' 

Smith,  W.  H.,  Second  Sergeant,  d. 

Bevill,  J.  M.,  Third  Sergeant.* 

Hickman,  J.  A.,  Fourth  Sergeant.* 

Knote,  T.  L. ,  Fifth  Sergeant,  d. 

Walker,  E.  R.,  First  Corporal.* 

Petty,  S.  H.,  Second  Corporal.* 

Sales,  W.  J.,  Third  Corporal.* 

Buckner,  J.  H.,  Fourth  Corporal.* 

Johnson,  C,  Farrier,  1. 

Maratta,  S.,  Bugler,  d. 

Cozatt,  G.  W.,  Bugler,  d. 
Anderson,  Alex.*  Blackwell,  J,  W.* 

Armstrong,  H.  C,  1.  Bledsoe,   C.  P.,  d. 

Adams,  G.  W.*  Bradley,  H.  C* 

Alexander,  J.  D.*  Bradley,  William,  d. 


Lieutenant-Colonel  F.  N.  McNAIRV,    Commander  First  Battalion. 


June,  1801. 


33 


Blair,  S.  S.,  1. 
Brien,  W.  A.,  1. 
Caldwell,  J.  R.* 
Carlisle,  VV.  G.,  d. 
Camperry,  R.  J.* 
Carler,  William.* 
Cavender,  J.  C. ,  1. 
Cayee,  F.  J.* 
Dobbs,  J.  R.,  1. 
Drane,  Thomas. -'- 
Duncan,  J.  H.,  d.t 
Forehand,  Thomas.* 
Fox,  Thomas. 
Glasco,  C.  L. ,  d. 
Good,  G.  H.* 
Houston,  J.  I).,  1. 
Hunter,  William,  1. 
Haynes,  J.  C* 
Head,  Robert.* 
Hutchinson,  W.  B.,  1. 
Hester,  J.  W.,  d. 
Hill,  J.  B.* 
Harbring,  J.* 
Hays,  E.  C* 
Heiss,  Henry,  d. 
Handy,  G.  M.* 
Handy,  D.  S.* 


Hickle,  G.  R.  H.* 
Jones,  Joseph,  d. 
Jones,  J.  M.* 
Knott,  R.  S.,  1. 
Kirkpatrick,  J.  W. 
Marks,  W.  P.,  k. 
Mayfield,  W.* 
McCartney,  L.  W.,  d. 
Nelson,  N.  R.,  d. 
Polk,  J.  A.,  1. 
Pendergras,  James.* 
Petty,  J.  M.* 
Rhodes,  J.  B.,  d. 
Ring,  A.  N.* 
Richardson,  J.  R.* 
Robertson,  J.  A.* 
Smith,  W.  B.* 
Steele,  E.  F.* 
Skeggs,  C.  H.,  1. 
Underwood,  F.  J.* 
Williams,  A.  J.* 
Whittey,  D.  J.* 
White,  Edward.* 
Washburn,  J.  M.,  d. 
Woods,  N.* 
West,  E.  M.* 


At  Thorn  Hill,  durinor  the  first  week  of  July,  the  five 
companies  previously  mentioned  were  organized  into  a 
battallion,  known  as  the, 

FIRST  BATTALION  OF  TENNESSEE  CAVALRY, 
by  electing-  the  following  field  and  staff  officers  : 
Frank  N.  McNairy,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
William  Malcomb,  Major. 
E,  D.  Hicks,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant. 


t  Made  Captain  at  Cumberland   Ford. 


34  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

M.  W.  McKnight,  Sergeant-Major. 

Dr.  Isaac  House,  Surgeon. 

G.  M.  Fogg,  Acting  Quartermaster. 

William  Britton,  Assistant  Quartermaster. 

Ramsey,  Commissary. 

John  Bender,  Bugler. 

As  the  Captain  of  Company  A  was  elected  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, and  the  Third  Lieutenant  of  the  same 
company  was  made  Adjutant,  therefore,  by  election, 
W.  Hooper  Harris  became  Captain,  and  Hays  Black- 
man  First  Lieutenant,  and  George  H.  Morton  was  made 
Third  Lieutenant  of  Company  A  in  December,  1861. 

A  few  days  after  the  First  Battalion  had  been  organ- 
ized at  Thorn  Hill,  it  moved  from  there  to  Camp  Jack- 
son, near  Hendersonville,  some  five  or  six  miles  east  of 
the  former  camp. 

News  having  reached  Auburn,  Cannon  County,  that 
the  First  Battalion  would  start  to  East  Tennessee  in  a 
few  days,  quite  a  number  of  the  friends  and  relatives  of 
our  company  (Allison's)  paid  us  a  visit,  about  the  .  24th 
of  July,  at  Camp  Jackson.  They  brought  trunks  and 
boxes  filled  with  "good  things"  to  eat.  How,  for  the 
next  three  or  four  days,  we  did  enjoy  the  company  of 
our  friends  and  relatives,  as  well  as  eatinor  the  orood 
things  they  brought  for  us  !  Had  I  an  eloquent  pen  I 
would  here  use  it  in  describing  those  few  but  bright 
days.  They  were,  in  comparison  with  the  rest  of  our 
soldier  life,  like  an  oasis  in  a  great  desert. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  most  of  our  friends  set 
out  on  their  return  home,  and  the  three  companies  en- 
listed at  Nashville  (Harris's,  Horn's,  and  Pa)ne's)  had 
previously  gone   to   that   place    to    visit    relatives    and 


August,  18G1.  35 


friends  before  starting  eastward.     Allison's  and  Ewing's 
Companies  were  still  at  Camp  Jackson. 

Tuesday, /illy  joth. — Having  received  our  clothing, 
saddles,  and  one  month's  pay,  we  were  busy  making 
the  necessary  preparations  for  our  anticipated  march. 

Wednesday,  Jist. — Two  companies  (C  and  E)  of  the 
First  Battalion,  setting  out  from  Camp  Jackson,  passed 
throuufh  Gallatin,  crossed  Cumberland  River  at  Wood's 
Ferry,  and  camped  for  the  night  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  river,  on  the  Lebanon  road.  The  other  three 
companies,  starting  from  Nashville,  moved  -by  a  differ- 
ent route,  crossing  the  Cumberland  at  Carthage,  and 
uniting  with  us  at  Livingston. 

Thursday,  Aug.  ist.  —  We  (-Ewing's  and  Allison's 
Companies)  moved  on  through  Lebanon  and  bivouacked 
seven  miles  beyond,  on  the  Livingston  road. 

Friday,  2d. — The  two  companies  marched  on  through 
New  Middleton,  crossed  the  Caney  Fork  River  at 
Trousdale's  Ferry,  and  camped  on  the  east  bank  of 
that  stream. 

Saturday,  jd. — Moving  on  through  Chestnut  Mound, 
we  encamped  in  quite  a  rough  section  of  country,  in 
Putnam  County,  after  a  march  of  about  twenty-one 
miles. 

Stmday,  4th. — We  made  a  short  march  of  about 
twelve  miles,  and  bivouacked  at  a  beautiful  place  within 
fourteen  miles  of  Livingston. 

Monday,  ^th. — We  moved  on  to  Camp  Zollicoffer. 
about  two  miles  north-west  of  Livingston.  Here  we 
found  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennessee  Infantry,  Colonel  S. 
S.  Stanton's  Regiment.     And  about  this  time,  or  soon 


36  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

after,  the  Twenty-eighth,  Colonel  J.  P.  Murray's  Regi- 
ment, was  organized  at  this  camp.  The  other  three 
companies  of  our  battalion  joined  us  here.  After  rest- 
ing one  day  at  Camp  ZoUicoffer,  the  whole  battalion 
took  up  the  line  of  march  again.  (Beg  pardon,  dear 
reader — right  here  I  find  another  leaf  of  my  Diary 
gone.)  However,  from  Livingston  the  First  Battalion 
marched  east  to  Jamestown,  thence  south-east  to  Mont- 
gomery, then  the  county  seat  of  Morgan  County,  and 
thence  four  miles  east,  through  Wartburg,  now  the 
county  seat  of  Morgan,  to  Camp  Schuyler,  arriving  at 
the  last  place  mentioned  on  the  14th  of  August,  where 
we  remained  one  week. 

We  found  that  a  majority  of  the  men  through  this 
portion  of  East  Tennes'see  had  either  crossed  over  into 
Kentucky  to  join  the  Federal  army  or  hid  out  in  the 
woods.  It  was  reported,  before  reaching  Montgomery, 
that  we  would  meet  a  considerable  force  of  "  Home 
Guards"  at  that  place,  but  they  left  before  we  got 
there.  We  saw  one  woman  and  one  child  as  we  passed 
through  the  county  seat  of  Morgan  County,  but  not  a 
single  man  was  to  be  seen.  A  "Union"  man  who  re- 
mained at  home  and  attended  to  his  own  business  we 
did  not  molest,  but  we  arrested  those  who  were  hiding 
out  from  home  or  thought  to  be  preparing  to  go  north, 
if  IV  e  could  find  them. 

Thursday,  i^th. — Seventy-five  of  our  battalions  set 
out  from  Camp  Schuyler  to  go  to  Knoxville,  about  forty 
miles  east,  with  some  prisoners.  They  returned  the 
I  7th. 

The  measles  broke  out  in  camp  while  at  Camp  Schuy- 
ler.* 

•■■'J.  C.  McAdoo  and  brother  Will  (Company  E)  had  the  measles,  and  went 
home  from  this  camp.     Brother  Ben  went  with  them. 


September,  18G1.  37 


Wednesday,  21st.  McNairy  moved  his  battalion  from 
Camp  Schuyler,  about  thirty  miles  north,  to  Huntsville, 
the  county  seat  of  Scott  County.  This  was  the  day  of 
the  noted  "  Bi"-  Auorust "  freshet.  It  rained  so  much  that 
our  wai^on  train  did  not  get  to  Huntsville  until  next 
day.     We  took  shelter  in  the  court-house. 

Companies  A  and  D  were  detached  on  the  25th  :xnd 
sent  back  to  Camp  Schuyler. 

TJiiLrsday,  2ytJi. — The  writer  and  a  few  others  were 
sent  to  a  gap  in  the  mountain,  about  twelve  miles  north 
of  Huntsville  and  within  three  miles  ol  the  Kentucky 
hue,  to  watch  lor  a  Federal  paymaster  whom  Madame 
Rumor  had  said  would  pass  through  that  section.  We 
had  only  been  stationed  a  few  hours,  however,  when 
Colonel  McNairy,  having  received  orders  to  move  to 
Jamestown  the  next  day,  sent  for  us  to  return  to  camp 
immediately,  though,  on  account  of  rain  and  high  water, 
we  remained  at  Huntsville  three  days  longer. 

Scott  was  rather  a  poor  county,  and  as  the  people 
were  mostly  "Union,"  they  were  not  willing  to  divide 
rations  with  "Rebs";  therefore  we  suffered  more  for 
want  of  rations  while  at  Huntsville  than  anywhere  else 
during  the  war,  while  in  camp. 

Saturday,  Jisi. — Companies  B,  C  and  E  very  gladly 
bid  Huntsville  adieu,  and,  moving  westward,  bivouacked 
on  the  Jamestown  road. 

Sujiday,  September  ist.  —  McNairy  moved  on  to  and 
camped  for  the  night  at  Jamestown. 

Monday,  2d. — Passing  down  Cumberland  Mountain, 
the  three  companies  bivouacked  at  Camp  McCinnis,  on 
Wolf  River,  some  ten  miles  north  of  Jamestown. 

As  I  was  sick  of  the   measles,  I  remained  for  a  week 


38  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diart. 

with  one  Mr.  Lathan,  who  Hved  one  mile  from  Camp 
McGinnis.  One  of  my  comrades,  J.  L.  Thomas,  re- 
mained with  me. 

Thursday ,  ^tli. — McNairy  moved  from  Camp  McGin- 
nis to  Livingston,  where  he  remained  about  five  days. 

Monday,  gih. — J.  L.  Thomas  and  I  set  out  from  Mr. 
Lathan's  to  hunt  our  command.  After  a  ride  of  about 
twenty-four  miles,  we  found  our  Company  at  Monroe, 
in  Overton  County,  six  or  eight  miles  north-east  of  Liv- 
ingston, on  their  way  to  Knoxville.  The  other  two 
companies,  B  and  C,  were  beyond  Livingston. 

Brother  Ben,  who  had  taken  brother  Will  home  from 
Camp  Schuyler,  rejoined  the  company.  It  was  about 
this  time  that  Captain  Payne  left  the  battalion,  and 
Duncan  was  made  Captain  of  Company  D. 

TiLesday,  lotJi. — After  a  march  of  about  sixteen  miles, 
our  company  (E)  went  into  camp  within  three  miles  of 
Jamestown. 

We  are  now  marching  over  the  same  road  and  in  the 
^same  direction  that  we  did  in  August.     The   other   two 
companies  are  coming  on.     I  suppose  that  we  were  sep- 
arated as  a  matter  of  convenience  in   procuring  forage 
for  our  horses. 

Wednesday ,  nth. — Marching  on  through  Jamestown, 
thence  south-east,  we  encamped  for  the  night  near  one 
Mr.  Hurst's.  We  had  camped  at  the  same  place  as  we 
passed  up  about  one  month  previous  to  this. 

Thursday,  12th. — We  marched  on  to  and  encamped 
at  Montgomery. 

Companies  B  and  C  (Harris's  and  Ewing's)  caught 
up  with  our  company  (E).     Here  we  rested  one  day. 


September,  1801.  39 


Saturday,  i^tJi.  \w  the  saddle  early,  we  again  took 
up  the  line  of  march  eastward.  Passing  through  Wart- 
burg,  we  soon  arrived  at  Camp  Schuyler,  where  we 
found  the  other  two  companies,  A  and  D.  They  had 
been  sent  to  this  camp  from  Huntsville,  the  25th  of 
August.  These  two  companies,  having  been  previously 
notified  to  be  ready  to  move,  now  fell  in,  and  the  whole 
battalion  continued  moving  eastward. 

We  camped  for  the  night  in  Anderson  County,  within 
twenty-two  miles  of  Knoxville. 

Sunday,  13th. — The  battalion  *  passed  on  through 
Knoxville  and  encamped  about  one  mile  and  a  half  east 
of  town,  at  Camp  Cummings. 

On  the  above  date  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston 
assumed  command  of  this  department  (No.  2),  which 
embraced  the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Arkansas  and 
that  part  of  Mississippi  west  of  the  New  Orleans,  Jack- 
son and  Great  Northern  and  Central  Railroad ;  also 
the  military  operations  in  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Kansas, 
and  the  Indian  country  immediately  west  of  Missouri 
and  Arkansas,  by  issuing  the  following  order  from  de- 
partment headquarters,  at  Nashville,  Tennessee: 

By  virtue  of  special  orders,  No.  149,  of  September  10,  1861,  from 
the  Adjutant  and  Inspector  General's  office  at  Richmond,  the  under- 

■■  As  J.  J.  Odoni  and  I  were  on  the  puny  list,  we  stopped  to  rest  and  take 
dinner  wilh  a  Frenchman,  within  fonr  miles  of  Knoxville.  The  family  were 
threat  "Rebs,"  so  it  seemed  to  lie  with  pleasure  that  they  did  all  they  could  to 
make  us  comfortable. 

It  so  happened  that  our  host  was  a  preacher.  Some  other  French  families 
who  lived  in  the  neighborhood  had  collected  there  to  hear  him  preach.  As 
some  of  them  did  not  understand  English,  he  preached  in  French.  I  "heard 
but  did  not  understand  "  a  single  word  of  that  sermon.  We  had  a  splendid 
dinner,  and  we  had  now  been  soldiering  long  enough  to  appreciate  a  good  din- 
ner. Among  other  nice  things,  a  glass  of  wine  of  their  own  make  was  served 
to  each. 

Odoni  and  I  went  to  camp  late  that  afternoon. 


40 


E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


signed  assumes  command  of  the  military  department  thereliy  created. 

A.  S.  Johnston,  General."^'- 

Brigadier- General  F.  K.  ZoUicoffer  had  been  in  com- 
mand of  the  District  of  East  Tennessee  since  about  the 
first  of  August,  with  headquarters  at  Knoxville. 

His  brigade  was  now  composed  of  nine  regiments  of 
infantry  and  lour  battaHons  of  cavalry,  as  follows : 

Abstract  fr 0)11  Repo7''t  of  Br igadier-  General  Zollicojjer  s 
command^  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  September  75,  1S61. 


TROOPS. 


< 


< 


INFANTRY    RKCI  M  ENTS. 

Sixteenth  Alabama  (Woods)    

FouiTeenlh   Mississippi  (Baldwin) 

Fifteenth  Mississippi  (Stathani) 

Eleventh  Tennessee  (Rains) 

Seventeenth  Tennessee  (Newman) 

Nineteenth  Tennessee  (Cummings)    

Twentieth  Tennessee  (Battle) 

[Fourth]  Tennessee  (Churchvvell) 

[Third]  Tennessee  (Lillard)   

Unorganized,  estimated 

CAVALRY    BATTALIONS. 

First  Tennessee  (McNairy) 

Second  Tennessee  (Branner),  estimated.. 
Third  Tennessee  (Brazelton),  estimated.. 
Fourth  Tennessee  (McClellan),  estimated 


354 
«5' 
630 

677 
685 

719 
732 
654 
701 
700 


361 
490 
540 
500 


867 
929 
912 

735 
729 
S21 
795 
777 
802 
800 


370 
530 
560 
570 


8,594 


10,194 


897 

1-043 
1,043 
891 
900 
941 
876 
850 
948 
925 


393 
550 
600 
600 


11,457  t 


Churchwell's  Regiment,  as  well  as  other  portions  of 
Zollicoffer's  Brigade,  was  totally  unarmed.  Only  a  part 
of  his  brigade  was  now  at  Knoxville,  for  on  the  16th 
instant  ZoUicoffer  writes  thus  to  A.  S.  Johnston: 

■•'■Rebellion   Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  407. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  409, 


September,  IHOJ.  41 


There  are  i)r()l)al)ly  by  this  time  tVuir  regiments  at  Cumberland 
Ford  [Kentucky]  and  a  tifth  at  the  gaj)  filteen  miles  this  side.  A 
sixth  will  probably  be  moved  up  by  the  21st  or  22d.''- 

NEUTRALITY  OF  KENTUCKY. 

Notwithstanding  Kentucky  had  been  claiming  to  be 
neutral,  she  had  not  only  allowed  F"ederal  soldiers  to 
camp  upon  her  soil,  but  her  citizens  were  organizing 
and  arming  themselves  to  aid   the  Federal  Government. 

On  the  loth  instant  General  G.  H.  Thomas  assumed 
command  of  a  Federal  brigade  which  had  been  pre- 
viously assembled  at  Camp  Dick  Robinson,  in  Garrard 
County,  Kentucky. 

General  U.  S.  Grant,  with  two  regiments  of  infantry 
and  four  pieces  of  artillery,  had  taken  possession  of 
Paducah,  Kentucky,  as  early  as  the  6th  of  September. 

Owing  to  the  menacing  movements  of  the  Federals 
down  the  Mississippi  River,  the  Confederates  (by  order 
of  General  L.  Polk,  who  was  then  in  command  of  the 
Second  Department)  landed  at  Hickman,  Kentucky,  on 
the  night  of  the  third,  and  at   Columbus  about  the  5th. 

It  had  been,  and  was  still,  the  policy  of  the  Confed- 
eracy to  respect  the  neutrality  of  Kentucky  so  long  as 
the  same  was  respected  by  the  Federal  Government,  as 
the  following  dispatches  will  show : 

Richmond,  September  4,  1861. 
General  Polk,  Memphis,   Tennessee  : 

News  has  reached  here  that  General  Pillow  has  landed  his  troops 
at  Hickman,  Kentucky.  Order  their  prompt  withdrawal  from  Ken- 
tucky. L.  P.  Walker,  Secretary  of  JVar.f 

After  explaining  to  the  President  that  a  previous 
movement  of  the  Federals  down  the   Mississippi    River 

"••■Rebellion   J'ecords,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  195. 
"("Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  180  ami  j8i, 


42  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 


had  been  the  cause  of  his  ordering  General  Pillow  into 
Kentucky,  General  Polk  received  the  following  dis- 
patch : 

Richmond,  September  4,  1861. 
General  Polk: 

The  necessity  justifies  the  action.  Jefferson  Davis. 

The  following  dispatches  and  replies  will  explain 
themselves  : 

Nashville,  September  13,  1S61. 
To  His  Exeelleney  Jefferson  Davis  : 

On  the  4tli  instant  I  sent  Jolin  Marshall,  Andrew  Ewing  and  Dr. 
Bowling  as  commissioners  from  Tennessee  to  Kentucky.  They  re- 
turned last  night,  and  think  it  of  the  highest  importance  that  our 
troops  be  withdrawn  They  say  withdrawal  secures  to  us  majority  in 
the  State.  If  not  withdrawn,  overwhelming  majority  against  us  and 
a  bloody  contest.  They  think  our  withdrawal  secures  withdrawal  of 
Federal  troops  and  saves  the  State.  They  are  able  and  reliable  men. 
I  submit  their  report  for  your  consideration. 

IsHAM  G.  Harris.* 

Richmond,  September  13,  1861. 
Governor  Harris^  Nashville,  Tennessee  : 

Movement  to  Columbus  was  reported  to  me  as  a  defensive  measure, 
rendered  necessary  by  the  descent  of  Federal  trooi)s.  As  a  necessity 
it  was  sanctioned.  If  they  can  be  safely  withdrawn,  it  would  con- 
form to  my  declared  policy  of  respect  for  the  neutrality  of  Kentucky. 
General  A.  S.  Johnston  has  been  directed  to  confer  with  you  at  Nash- 
ville. Security  to  Tennessee  and  other  parties  of  the  Confederacy  is 
tiie  [irimary  object.      To  this  all  else  must  give  way. 

Jefferson  Davis.* 

Knoxville,  September  14,   1861. 
Adjutant- General  Cooper,  \^Riehmond\: 

Governor  Harris  and  General  Buckner  telegraphed  me  if  possible 
to  arrest  the  movement  of  which  I  apprised  you  on  the   10th. f     It  is 

*  RebelHon  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  190. 

t  On  the  above  date  lie  apprised  Cooper  that  he  expected,  on  the  12th,  to 
have  three  regiments  at  Cumberland  Ford  and  three  other  regiments  there  as 
soon  as  they  could  be  withdrawn  from  other  posts  in  East  Tennessee. 


Septembkk,  18G1.  43 


too  late  to  arrest.  To  withdraw  would  be  unfortunate,  unless  the 
Federal  forces  which  menace  us  will  agree  to  withdraw.  I  have  in- 
formed (Governor  Magufifin  (of  Kentucky(,  through  Governoi  Harris, 
I  will  withdraw  on  this  condition.  F.  K.  Zollicofker, 

Brigadier-  General.  * 

Richmond,  September  14,  1861. 
General  Zollicoffcr,  Knoxville,   Tennessee  : 

Your  letter  of  the  j  oth  received.  The  military  consideration 
clearly  indicates  the  forward  movement  which  you  i)ro[i(xsf.  The 
[political  condition  of  Kentucky  affects  the  determination  of  this  (|ues- 
tion.  Of  that  you  are  better  informed  than  ourselves,  and  as  you  are 
supposed  to  have  conferred  with  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  the  matter 
is  left  to  your  discretion.  S.  Cooi'EK, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector-General. '\ 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter,  dated 
Clarksville,  September  15th,  written  by  the  Hon.,  G.  A. 
Henry  and  addressed  to  President  Davis: 

The  neutrality  of  Kentucky  has  been  all  the  time  a  cloak  to  enaljle 
the  Lincoln  party  there  to  hide  their  real  designs  to  arm  the  friends 
of  Lincoln  and  to  disarm  the  Southern  Rights  party.  We  ought  to 
strike  now.      A  step  backward  would  be  fatal,  in  my  opinion. J 

While  at  Knoxville  our  battalion  was  transferred  from 
the  State  to  the  Confederate  service. 

Some  of  Allison's  Company,  who  went  home  from 
Camp  McGinnis  and  Livingston,  returned  to  camp  at 
Knoxville  on  the  i8th. 

Having  set  out  from  Knoxville  on  the  17th,  General 
Zollicoffer  arrived  at  Cumberland  Ford,  or  Camp  Buck- 
ner,  on  the  19th,  and  on  the  same  date  he  wrote  to 
General  A.  S.  Johnston,  Columbus,  Kentucky,  thus: 

An  advance  force  set  out  last  night  [under  Colonel  J.  A.  Battle], 
about    eight   hundred    strong,   entered    Barboursville,   eighteen    miles 

•■•Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  190. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  190. 
X  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  193. 


44  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


from  here,  about  daylight,  where  they  found  abuut  three  hundred  of 
the  enemy,  and  a  fight  ensued,  in  which  we  killed  twelve  and  took 
two  prisoners.  We  lost  one  killed,  Lieutenant  Powell,  of  Colonel 
Cuniniings'  Regiment,  one  fatally  wounded,  and  three  slightly 
wounded.  The  enemy  fled  preci])itately.  The  number  of  his 
wounded   unknown.* 

Friday,  20tli. — Being  ordered  to  move  his  battalion 
to  Cumberland  Ford,  Colonel  McNairy  set  out  from 
Camp  Cummings,  near  Knoxville,  about  six  i'.  m.,  with 
Harris's  (A),  Payne's  (D),  and  Allison's  (E)  companies, 
and  after  a  march  of  thirteen  miles  he  camped  for  the 
night.  The  other  two  companies  (B  and  C)  were  or- 
dered to  follow  in  about  three  days.f 

Saturday,  21st. — After  a  short  march  of  about  sixteen 
miles,  the  three  companies  bivouacked  in  Union  County, 
four  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Maynardville. 

Sunday^  2 2d. — In  the  saddle  early,  we  marched  some 
twenty-eight  miles,  and  halted  for  the  night  in  Claiborne 
County,  within  three  miles  of  Cumberland  Gap. 

Monday.  2jd. — We  crossed  Cumberland  Mountain  at 
the  Gap.  Here  we  passed  out  of  Tennessee,  across 
the  corner  of  Virginia,  and  into  Kentucky  in  going, 
perhaps,  a  little  over  one  hundred  yards.  Virginia  cor- 
ners at  Cumberland  Gap,  a  little  west  of  the  road. 

Some  grand  mountain  scenery  met  our  view  at  the 
Gap.  We  saw  bluffs  and  peaks  from  one  thousand  to 
seventeen  hundred  feet  hig^h. 

Passing  on  fifteen  miles  beyond  the  Gap,  crossing  the 
three  "  Log  Mountains,"  we  encamped  at  Camp  Buck- 
ner  (Cumberland  Ford),  in  Knox  County,  Kentucky. 

■•■■Rebellion  Records,  vol.  iv.,  p.  199. 

t  As  I  was  yet  ([iiite  feeble,  haviiis.,'  just  recovered  from  an  attack  of  measles, 
brothe.  I^en  and  I  put  ui>  onlv  three  nijle^  fmni  io\\n, 


September,  1801.  45 


IVednesday,  2^//i.  Harris's  (B)  and  Ewiug's  (C)  com- 
panies arrived  from  Knoxville  and  rejoined  the  rest  of 
McNairy^s  Battalion  at  Camp  Buckner. 

Besides  our  battalion,  General  Zollicoffer  now  had 
with  him  at  Camp  Buckner  four  regiments  of  infantry 
(Statham,  Rains,  Cummings,  and  Battle),  five  cavalry 
companies  (three  of  Branner's  Battalion  and  two  of 
Brazelton's),  and  one  artillery  company  of  six-pounders, 
commanded  by  Captain  Rutledge.  Colonel  Newman's 
Regiment  was  at  Cumberland  Gap.  The  Sixteenth 
Alabama  (Wood)  and  the  Fourth  Tennessee  (Church- 
well)  Regiments  of  infantry,  and  McClellan's  Battalion 
of  cavalry  and  half  of  Branner's  were  left  at  Knoxville* 
There  were  stationed  at  various  points  in  East  Tennes- 
see some  other  troops,  mostly  unarmed. 

About  six  days  previous  to  this,  General  Zollicoffer 
had,  according-  to  instructions  received  from  General 
A.  S.  Johnston,  ordered  the  Fourteenth  Mississippi 
(Colonel  Baldwin)  and  the  Third  East  Tennessee 
(Colonel  Lillard)  Regiments  of  infantry  to  move  to 
Camp  Trousdale,  to  reinforce  General  S.  B,  Buckner, 
who  was  then  in  command  of  the  Central  Division  of 
Kentucky,  with  headquarters  at  Bowling  Green.* 

General  Zollicoffer  had  learned  that  there  was  a  large 
quantity  of  salt  at  the  salt  works  on  Goose  Creek,  in 
Clay  County,  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Camp  Buckner 
and  eighteen  miles  east  of  a  camp  of  Home  Guards — 
variously  estimated  at  from  six  hundred  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred—at Laurel  Bridge,  in  Laurel  County,  some  thirty- 
eight  miles  north-west  of  Camp  Buckner  and  two  miles 
south-east  of  London.  As  our  General  had  decided  to 
send  a  detachment  to  capture  the  salt  above  named,  and 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  199. 


46  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

also  another  detachment  in  the  direction  oi  this  Federal 
encampment  at  Laurel  P)ridge  to  attract  attention  and 
mask  the  movement  of  the  first,  he  therefore  issued  the 
following"  special  orders : 

Brigade  Headquarters, 
Camp  Buckner,  September  25,  t86i. 

Colonel  James  E.  Rains  will  march  at  four  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  via  Barhonrsville,  to  Laurel  Bridge,  on  the  London  road, 
with  his  regiment,  provisioned  for  six  days,  three  rations  of  which 
shall  be  cooked,  leaving  his  tents  in  this  encampment.  Colonel  Mc- 
N.iiry's  command  will  accompany  him  or  follow  him,  by  a  right-hand 
road  crossing  Laurel  Creek  about  two  miles  above  the  bridge.  Colo- 
nel R.  will  have  command,  and  will  dislodge  a  supposed  force  of  the 
enemy  at  the  bridge  by  attacking  simultaneously  with  infantry  and 
cavalry  at  both  ends  of  the  bridge.  He  will  be  furnished  a  guide, 
who  will  give  him  information  of  some  arms,  which  he  will  capture, 
if  practicable.  He  will  take  with  him  also  Lieutenant  Falcand's  sec- 
tion of  artillery.  A  battalion  of  Colonel  Statham's  infantry,  with 
three  companies  of  Colonel  Branner's  cavalry,  will  be  posted  on  the 
road  to  be  pursued  by  Colonel  McNairy,  about  ten  miles  back,  to 
give  support,  if  necessary. 

Simultaneously,  Colonel  Cummings'  Regiment,  with  two  compa- 
nies of  Colonel  Brazelton's  cavalry,  will  escort  a  train  of  wagons  to 
the  Goose  Creek  Salt  Works,  sixteen  or  eighteen  miles  east,  in  Clay 
County,  to  load  with  salt. 

The  different  detachments  will  communicate  by  express  messen- 
gers with  each  other  and  with  me,  and  when  the  salt  train  returns  all 
will  return  to  this  encampment. 

Much  is  trusted  to  Colonel  Rains'  discretion  in  whatever  may 
transpire  on  the  way. 

F.  K.  Zollicoffer,  Brigadier-General.'^^ 

*  The  above  order  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Federals  (how  I  know  not)  and 
on  the  3d  of  October  it  was  sent  by  T.  T.  Garrard,  who  was  Colonel  of  the 
Third  Kentucky  Regiment  and  in  command  at  Camp  Wildcat,  or  Rockcastle 
Hills,  to  CJeneral  G.  H.  Thomas,  who  was  in  command  at  Camp  Dick  Robin- 
son, some  thirty-five  miles  beyond  Wildcat.  At  the  same  time  Garrard  wrote 
to  Thomas  tlius  (italics  mine)  : 

"I  have  no  information  in  regard  to  the  rebels  more  than  I  wrote  you,  ex- 
cept the  inclosed  order  of  General  Zollicoffer,  which  I  have  no  doubt  is  genu- 


September,  1861.  47 


Thursday,  26th. — According  to  ZoUicoffer's  orders  of 
yesterday,  the  several  detachments  named  (except 
Companies  B  and  C  of  McNairy's  BattaHon  that  did 
not  move  to  Barboursville  till  the  next  day),  marched 
(sixteen  miles)  from  Camp  Buckner  to  Barboursville, 
the  county  seat  of  Knox  County,  Kentucky,  leaving- 
their  tents  at  the  former  place. 

It  was  said  that  only  three  families  remained  in  town, 
and  this  showed  the  strong  "Union  sentiments"  of  that 
town.      Our  men  put  up  in  deserted  houses. f 

Friday,  2jth. — We  remained  at  Barboursville.  Colo- 
nel Rains  ordered  his  demi-brigade  to  cook  three  days' 
rations  and  be  ready  to  move  early  the  next  morning. 

We  were  now  in  twenty  miles  of  the  enemy's  camp  at 
Laurel  Bridge.  Col.  Brown,  who  lived  near  London, 
was  in  command  of  the  Home  Guards  at  that  camp. 
Colonel  Wolford,  with  a  part  of  his  regiment,  was  also 
in  that  vicinity. 

Saturday,  28th. — According  to  previous  instructions 
(see  under  25th  instant),  Col.  Rains,  with  his  regiment, 
McNairy's  Battalion  and  Falcond's  section  of  artillery, 
moved  out  from  Barboursville  in  the  direction  of  Laurel 
Bridge,  while  Colonel  Cummings,  with  his  detachment 
and  about  fifty  wagons,  moved  out  for  the  Salt  Works, 
and  Colonel  Statham  moved  so  as  to  support  either  of 
the  other  detachments  if  necessary. 

Colonel  McNairy  was  ordered  to  take  the  advance 

ine.  I  could  not  doubt  it,  because  they  carried  out  the  instrtuticms  to  the  let- 
ter.''''— Rebellion  Records,   Vol.  IV.,  p.  2gi. 

•■Rebellion   Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  292. 

tThe  larger  portion  of  the  household  furniture  was  left  in  many  of  the 
dwellings;  therefore,  the  writer,  as  well  as  a  good  many  others,  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  occupying  a  good  Kentucky  feather  bed  the  two  nights  that  we  remained 
in  Barboursville. 


48  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

with  Harris's,  Payne's  and  Allison's  Companies.  Our 
Colonel  had  not  gone  far  along  the  London  road  before 
he  threw  out  flankers  as  well  as  an  advance  guard,  with 
instructions  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  enemy. 
Thus,  we  moved  on  without  any  incident  worthy  of  note 
until  we  struck  the  enemy's  picket,  within  three  miles  of 
their  camp.  Our  advance  guard  captured  three  of  their 
picket  and  chased  the  rest  (six  or  eight)  into  carnp. 
Colonel  McNairy  then  fell  back  a  short  distance,  sent  a 
messenger  to  meet  Colonel  Rains,  and  awaited  his  arri- 
val with  the  infantry  and  artillery.  As  soon  as  Rains 
caught  up,  the  command  moved  on  again  with  McNairy's 
three  companies  still  in  front.  We  met  a  citizen  who 
said  that  the  enemy  was  lying  in  wait  for  us.  So  we 
thought  that  we  would  sure  have  our  first  engagement, 
then  and  there.  Before  reaching  the  enemy's  camp, 
Colonel  McNairy  was  ordered  to  halt,  and  Colonel 
Rains  took  the  advance  with  his  regiment,  leaving 
orders  for  McNairy  to  hold  his  battalion  well  in  hand, 
ready  to  pursue  if  he  (Rains)  should  succeed  in  routing 
them.  On  reaching  the  Federal  camp,  and  finding  it 
deserted,  Rains'  men  raised  a  war-whoop  that  must  have 
made  the  Federals  believe,  if  they  were  in  hearing,  that 
10,000  men*  were  after  them.  Then  dashing  forward 
in  pursuit,  our  battalion  went  as  far  as  London,  took 
down  a  Union  flag,  but  did  not  overtake  any  of  the 
fugitives.  The  citizens  caught  the  panic — men,  women, 
children  and  negroes — nearly  all,  either  fled  with  the 
Home  Guards  and  Federals  to  Camp  Wildcat,  some 
thirteen  miles  beyond  London,  or  went  to  their  neigh- 
bor's off    the     main  road.       How   straiige !    that    they 

*Colonel  Walford  estimated  our  force  at  ''  from  5,000  to  7,000." — See  Rebell- 
ion Records  {^Garrard to  Thomas),  p.  2S0. 


September,  1861.  49 


should  think  that  we  were  making  war  on  women  and 
children  ! 

As  it  was  now  about  nightfall,  our  battalion  moved 
back  about  two  miles  and  rejoined  Colonel  Rains,  en- 
camped where  the  Home  Guards  had  been  camping. 

Sunday,  2gth. — Colonel  Rains  had  learned  that  Colo- 
nel Brown,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Home  Guards 
that  had  fled  to  Wildcat  the  evening  before,  lived  some 
two  or  three  miles  beyond  London,  and,  thinking  that 
perhaps  Brown  might  have  some  supplies  for  his  men 
stored  away  at  his  home,  he  (Rains)  ordered  Colonel 
McNairy  to  take  his  battalion,  go  to  Brown's  and  search 
for  the  supposed  supplies.  Swinging  ourselves  into  the 
saddle,  before  i  o'clock  a.  m.,  we  went  by  the  way  of 
London,  and  searched  Brown's  dwelling  and  premises, 
but  found  only  a  box  of  shoes.*  As  soon  as  he  was  sat- 
isfied that  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  found  in  the 
way  of  army  supplies,  our  Colonel  called  out,  •*  Mount 
your  horses!"  and  we  were  soon  on  our  way  back  to 
London.  Arriving  at  that  place  about  daylight,  we 
halted  until  McNairy  treated  the  whole  battalion  on 
brandy,  after  which  we  returned  to  camp  and  took  an- 
other  breakfast. 

Besides  the  three  prisoners  and  the  shoes  (twenty- 
five  pairs)  already  mentioned,  Colonel  Rains  captured 
8,000  cartridges,  25,000  caps,  three  kegs  of  powder, 
several  guns,  six  barrels  of  sak,  two  wagons  and  teams, 
loaded  with  the  last  of  their  camp  equipage,  and  three 
other  horses. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  our  picket   came  dashing  into 

*It  would  seem  that  the  panic  struck  Colonel  Brown's  family  just  as  ihey 
were  ready  to  take  supper  last  eve,  for  we  found  their  supper  still  on  the  table 
when  we  entered  the  house  this  morning  before  day,  but  I  did  not  say  that  it  was 
on  the  table  when  we  left. 


50  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


camp  and  reported  that  they  had  been  fired  on  just  be- 
yond London.  Major  Malcomb  was  immediately  sent 
out  in  the  direction  of  London  with  two  companies  of 
McNairy's  Battahon  to  meet  the  enemy  and  bring  on 
the  engagement,  while  Col.  Rains  deployed  his  men 
into  battle  line  ready  to  receive  the  enemy  should  Mal- 
comb be  forced  back.  The  Major  returned,  however, 
and  reported  no  enemy  found,  so  we  concluded  that  it 
was  only  a  scout,  or  "bush-whackers,"  that  had  fired  on 
our  picket. 

Having  accomplished  the  object  for  which  he  had 
been  sent  out.  Col.  Rains  now  set  out  on  his  return. 
Going  about  eight  miles  back  in  the  direction  of  Bar- 
boursville,  his  regiment  and  Allison's  Company  biv- 
ouacked, while  McNairy  with  the  rest  of  his  battalion 
went  on  to  Barboursville. 

Monday,  jotk. — Through  carelessness,  or  some  other 
cause,  five  barrels  of  salt  were  left  where  they  were 
captured,  near  where  the  enemy  had  been  camping. 
Lieutenant  M.  V.  Wilson  was  ordered  to  take  twenty- 
five  of  Allison's  Company  and  a  wagon  and  go  back 
after  the  salt,  while  the  rest  of  the  command  moved  on 
toward  Barboursville.  We  regarded  this  as  rather  a 
hazardous  trip,  though  we  went  back  to,  and  loaded  in, 
four  barrels  of  the  salt  (thinking  five  would  be  too  much 
for  our  team)  without  any  incident  worthy  of  note ;  but 
we  had  not  gone  far  with  our  salt  before  bang !  bang ! 
bang !  went  several  guns  back  about  where  our  rear 
guard  was.  This  caused  considerable  excitement  in 
our  little  squad,  though  one  of  the  rear  guard  soon  came 
dashing  up,  and  reported  that  it  was  only  bush-whackers 
that  had  fired  on  them,  and  that  some  of  the  balls  C2it 
ve7y  close,  but  no  one  was  hurt.     So  we  felt  better  then, 


October,  1861.  51 


and  moved  on  to  Barboursville  without  any  more 
trouble.  Here  we  found  two  companies  of  our  battalion 
(B  and  C),  but  the  other  two  (A  and  D)  had  gone  on 
back  to  Camp  Buckner,  on  Cumberland  river.  We 
found  Rains'  Regiment  and  the  balance  of  our  company 
(E)  encamped  two  miles  from  Barboursville  on  the  road 
leading  back  to  Camp  Buckner. 

Colonel  Cummings  went  with  his  detachment  to  the 
Salt  Works,  loaded  in  all  the  salt  there,  200  bushels, 
and  returned  without  coming  in  contact  with  the  enemy. 
He  receipted  for  the  salt,  as  directed  by  General  ZoUi- 
coffer.  The  Salt  Works  belonged  to  Union  men,  yet 
Zollicoffer  expected  to  have  it  paid  for  at  the  price  of 
salt  at  the  works — forty  cents  per  bushel. 

Tuesday,  October  ist. — Rain's  Regiment  and  Allison's 
Company  returned  to  camp  at  Camp  Buckner.  Com- 
panies B  and  C  of  McNairy's  Battalion  remained  at 
Barboursville. 

Wednesday ,  2d. — Several  of  Allison's  Company  who 
had  been  home  returned  to  camp,  brother  Will  (W.  C, 
Hancock)  and  J.  C.  McAdoo,  who  were  sick  of  the 
measles  at  Camp  Schuyler,  last  August,  and  went  home 
from  there,  were  among  the  number. 

Companies  B  and  C  (they  had  been  at  Barboursville 
since  the  29th  ultimo)  rejoined  the  battalion  at  Camp 
Buckner. 

Thursday,  jd. — Lieutenant  Joe  Wyatt  (Company  C) 
was  elected  surgeon  of  McNairy's  Battalion,  F.  W. 
Hearn  (Company  B),  Quartermaster,  and  M.  D.  A. 
Nolan  (Company  A),  Commissary  Sergeant. 

Sergeant  Major  M.  W.  McKnight,  Lieutenant  George 
Alexander  and  Private  T.  D.  Summer,  all  from  Com- 
pany E,  started  home  on  furlough. 


52  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

On  the  2d  instant,  Col.  T.  T.  Garrard  wrote  to  Gen- 
eral G.  H.  Thomas  thus; 

Colonel  Brown  has  now  enrolled  and  in  camp  some 

250*  twelve  months'   soldiers.     He  has  muskets,    but   no  cartridge- 
boxes,  caps,  pouches,  nor  bayonet  scabbards 

Have  not  heard  anything  of  the  Rebels  since  they  reached  Bar- 
boursville.  The  last  account  is  that  some  100  or  upwards  were  in 
Barboursville.      (Two  companies  of  McNairy's  Battalion). 

I  have  got  Colonel  Brown  to  move  all  of  his  men  to  the  river  (Big 
Rockcastle,  some  two  miles  to  the  rear)  except  one  company,  and  they 
are  outside  our  camp  in  a  rock  house.  We  have  been  much  annoyed 
by  them,  as  well  as  visitors  and  others  who  were  driven  before  the 
Rebels.  Some  of  them  returned  this  evening  part  of  the  way  home, 
but  heard  of  the  Rebels  below  London,  and  they  returned  to  camp.. 
The  report,  I  am  satisfied,  is  false,  f 

And  the  next  day,  the  3d,  he  wrote  thus  in  reference 
to  Brown's  men  : 

You  will  see  before  this  reaches  you  that  Colonel  Brown  has- 
moved  to  the  river,  some  two  miles  from  us.  I  would  be  afraid  tO' 
place  them  between  the  enemy  aad  our  camp.  Some  of  his  men  are,. 
I  fear,  a  little  timid,  and  I  doubt  whether  or  not  they  will  do  their 
duty  on  that  side  of  us.  J 

And  in  reference  to   Wolford's  Cavalry,  on  the  loth, 

he  puts  it  thus  : 

When   Captain   Smith,   of    the    cavalry,    reached    here    (Wildcat), 
there  was  not  one  of  Walford's  men  in  camp,  nor  had  there  been  for 
several  days,  and  if  my  informant  is  correct,  some  of  them  that  are 
now  here  will  do  no  good.      They  were  seen  drunk  on  picket  yester- 
day at,  or  near,  London.  § 

On  the  date,  under  which  I  am  now  writing,  the  3d, 
ZoUicoffer  sent  the  following  telegraph  dispatch  to  Gen- 
eral A.  S.  Johnston,  Columbus,  Kentucky  : 

*'It  appears  from  the  above  that  their  force  at  Laurel   Bridge  had  been  over- 
estimated.     Including  Walford's  Cavalry,  perhaps  they  did  not  exceed  500. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  290. 
J  Ibid,  p.  292. 
§See  Rebellion  Records  (Garrard  to  Thomas),  Vol.  IV.,  p.  301. 


October,  1861.  53 


I  think  I  have  reliable  information  that  Camp  (Dick)  Robinson 
was  7,000  strong;  1,000  of  these  have  gone  to  Lexington  and  Frank- 
fort; 1,500  remain  in  camp,  the  residue  believed  to  be  certainly  mov- 
ing toward  Barboursville  to  meet  me.  Should  it  appear  to  me  expe- 
dient, I  wish  permission  to  meet  them  half  way.* 

On  the  same  day  Johnston  repHed  as  follows: 

"Dispatch  received.  Exercise  your  own  discretion  in  attacking 
the  enemy."* 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Captain  William  Ewing 
resigned  and  returned  home,  and  William  Parrish  be- 
came Captain  of  Company  C,  First  Battalion. 

Friday,  4th. — Gen.  Zollicoffer  ordered  Colonel  Mc- 
Nairy  to  go  with  his  battalion  on  a  reconnoitering  expe- 
dition as  far  as  London, 

As  soon  as  his  men  could  prepare  two  days'  rations, 
McNairy  set  out  from  Camp  Buckner  about  10:30  a. 
M.,  and,  after  a  ride  of  about  forty  miles,  he  drew 
rein  a  little  after  midnight,  within  two  miles  of  Lon- 
don. Our  advance  guard,  going  on  to  that  place,  re- 
turned and  reported  no  enemy  there.  We  then  took  a 
nap  of  some  two  or  three  hours. 

Saturday,  StJi. — Setting  out  on  his  return  between 
daybreak  and  sunrise,  McNairy  arrived  at  Camp  Buck- 
ner a  little  after  dark,  and  reported  the  result  ot  his  re- 
connoissance  to  Zollicoffer,  who,  on  the  next  day,  the 
6th,  sent  the  following  communication  to  A.  S.  John- 
ston : 

A  reconnoitering  detachment  has  just  returned  from  London,  re- 
porting no  appearance  of  an  enemy  there.  They  report, 'upon  gen- 
eral information  from  country  people,  that  there  are  3,300  of  the 
enemy  encamped  on  Rockcastle  hills  (Wildcat),  a  strong  position 
thirteen  miles,  beyond,  where  the  Mount  Vernon  road  crosses  the 
Rockcastle  River. 

I   would  move  forward  and  attack   them   instantly   but  for  unex- 

■•■■  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  435. 


54  R.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary 


pected  deficiency  in  subsistence  stores.  Ten  days  ago  I  ordered  the 
brigade  commissary  to  accumulate  a  stock  of  thirty  days'  rations  for 
5,000  men.  To-day  I  have  not  five  days'  rations.  I  could  not  prop- 
erly advance  with  less  than  ten.      I  hope  soon  to  have  the  supplies. 

I  sent  a  large  detachment  into  Harlan  county,  where  I  heard 
there  were  500  or  600  men  embodied  under  arms.  No  organized 
enemy  found. 

I  have  sent  a  cavalry  detachment  to  Williamsburg,  some  thirty 
miles  west.  Not  yet  returned.  This  is  nearly  my  only  means  of  get- 
ting information  of  the  country.* 

Monday,  yth. — Our  tents,  which  had  been  left  behind 
for  some  cause  unknown  to  me,  arrived.  We  were  very 
glad  to  see  them,  for  it  had  been  raining  almost  con- 
stantly for  the  last  two  days,  and  as  our  battalion  was 
camping  in  a  low,  flat  place,  we  had  mud  and  water  in 
abundance. 

B.  A.  Hancock  (Company  E)  was  appointed  assist- 
ant commissary  in  McNairy's  Battalion. 

Ttiesday,  8th.  —  McNairy's  Battalion  moved  from 
Camp  Buckner  about  four  miles  down  the  Cumberland 
River  to  Bald  Hill.  We  were  well  pleased  with  the 
change.  This  camp  was  on  elevated  ground  in  an 
old  field,  and  hence,  not  so  muddy. 

Wednesday ,  gtJi. — Our  battalion  drew  some  blankets 
and  clothing,  for  which  we  were  very  thankful,  as  winter 
was  now  coming  on. 

Monday,  14th. — B.  A.  Hancock,  who  had  been  sent 
to  Cumberland  Gap  the  day  before  after  provisions  for 
McNairy's  Battalion,  returned.  As  rations  had  been 
very  scarce  for  the  last  few  days,  we  were  glad  to  see  a 
supply  brought  into  camp. 

Tuesday,  i^tJi. — Having  now  received  the  necessary 
supply  of  provisions,  General  Zollicoffer  issued  orders 
for  a  forward  movement  of  his  brigade  on  the  morrow. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  439. 


October,  1861.  55 


Wednesday,  i6tJi. — According  to  orders  of  yesterday, 
about  5,400  of  Zollicofter's  Brigade,  including  six  pieces 
of  artillery,  were  put  in  motion  along  the  London  road. 

The  First  Battalion  struck  tents  and  prepared  to 
move,  but  as  McNairy  was  ordered  to  bring  up  the 
rear,  and  as  the  infantry,  artillery,  and  wagons  (about 
two  hundred  of  the  latter)  were  nearly  all  day  passing 
his  camp,  he  camped  for  another  night  on  Bald  Hill. 
The  head  of  the  column  bivouacked  some  six  miles  from 
Bald  Hill  and  ten  from  Camp  Buckner. 

The  following  communication  will  explain  Zollicoffer's 
then  contemplated  movement : 

Brigade  Headquarters, 
Camp  Tex  Mile,  Kv.,  October  16,  1861. 
Colonel  Murray,  Camp  Alyers :  ^^ 

Sir:  I  am  ten  miles  on  the  march  toward  a  camp  of  the  enemy  on 
Rockcastle  River  and  Hills,  having  left  Cumberland  Ford  this  even- 
ing with  the  greater  part  of  my  command.  I  learned  that  the  enemy 
at  Albany,  Ky. ,  has  retired.  My  plan  has  been  to  fall  in  their  rear 
and  cut  them  off.  Now  that  Colonel  Stanton  and  our  cavalry  have 
left  the  neighborhood  of  Jamestown,  Tenn.,  the  enemy  may  return 
in  force  near  the  line.  I  have  ordered  stores  of  subsistence  for  my 
troops  to  be  placed  at  Jamestown  by  the  25th  instant,  and  have  ordered 
the  same  cavalry  companies  to  return  to  that  neighborhood  almost  the 
same  time,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  seizing  and  appropriating  the 
stores.  Perhaps  the  cavalry  from  above  would  not  be  sufficient  to 
prevent  an  incursion. 

I  expect  to  pass  down  by  Sommerset  and  Monticello,  Ky.,  or  by 
Columbia  and  Burksville,  Ky. ,  in  the  hope  of  capturing  any  forces 
they  may  be  threatening  your  position  with. 

As  secrecy  is  the  element  of  success,  I  must  beg  of  you  not  to  men- 
tion to  any  solitary  person  this  enterprise. 

My  object  in  writing  to  you  is  to  ask  you  about  the  25th  to  move 
in  such  a  way  as  to  insure,  by  the  aid  of  the  cavalry,  the  safety  of  the 

*  In  Overton  County,  Tennessee. 


50  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


stores  until  I  can  reach  the  neighborhood.      Inform  General  Caswell 
at  Knoxville  what  you  can  do  and  he  will  communicate  with  me. 
Very  respectfully, 

F.  K.  Zollicoffer; 
Brigadier-  General.  * 

Colonel  Murray  replied  thus  : 

Camp  Red  Sulphur,  October  22,  1861. 
Gene7-al  F.  K.  ZoUicojfer : 

Dear  Sir:  I  am  in  receipt  of  yours  of  i6th  instant.  I  am  much 
pleased  to  learn  that  you  are  moving  in  direction  of  the  interior  of 
Kentucky.  We  are  to-day  within  thirty-two  miles  of  Burksville,  will 
reach  and  capture  the  Federal  forces  there  by  the  25th  of  this  instant. 
We  will  then  move  to  Albany  by  the  26th  of  this  instant. 

Will  you  inform  me  of  your  position  at  Albany,  as  I  will  wait  at 
that  point  for  orders  from  you?  I  have  no  fears  of  our  success  at 
Burksville.  In  the  meantime  our  forces  will  prevent  the  Federal  forces 
from  capturing  our  supplies  at  Jamestown,  Yours  shall  be  strictly 
confidential.      I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

John  P.   Murray, 
Colonel  Twenty-eighth  Regiment,  Tennessee  Volunteers. ^ 

Thursday,  lyth. — Setting  out  from  Bald  Hill  early  in 
the  morning,  our  battalion  soon  caught  up  with  the  rear 
of  the  wagon  train. 

The  road,  which  was  already  bad  enough,  was  made 
still  worse  by  its  raining  that  day.  Therefore  the  train 
moved  very  slowly,  and  "bringing  up  the  rear"  was 
quite  an  unpleasant  job  as  well  as  a  slow  one.  We 
camped  for  the  night  about  where  the  head  of  the  col- 
umns had  bivouacked  the  night  previous,  only  six  miles 
from  Bald  Hill. 

Friday,  i8th. — After  a  march  of  about  eight  miles. 
our  battalion  bivouacked,  still  in  rear  of  every  thing. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  212. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  213. 


October,  1861.  57 


The  cavalry  in  advance,  some  of  Branner's  or  Braz- 
elton's  men,  had  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy's  picket 
"about  four  miles  beyond  London  on  the  road  leadino-  to 
Camp  Wildcat,  in  which  one  of  the  enemy  was  killed 
and  one  captured. 

The  Federal  commander  at  Wildcat  sent  the  following- 
dispatch  to  Thomas  : 

Camp  Wildcat,  October  i8,  1861,  i  p.  m. 
General  George  H.   Thomas : 

I  have  information  now  beyond  doubt  that  Zolhcoffer  is  coming  on 
with  a  large  force  and  six  pieces  artillery.  .  .  .  . 

I  am  now  making  arrangements  to  move  my  sick  and  commissary's 
stores  across  the  river,  and  intend,  if  I  do  not  receive  more  troops, 
to  abandon  this  place  and  retreat  toward  Camp  (Dick)  Robinson. 

I  have  no  idea  of  having  my  men  butchered  up  here,  where  they 
have  a  force  of  six  or  seven  to  one,  with  artillery.  I  would  like  to 
hear  from  you  immediately.     Very  respectfully, 

T.  T.  Garrard, 
Colonel  TJiird  Regiment,  Kentucky  Volunteers."^'- 

The  above  dispatch  shows  very  clearly  what  would 
have  been  the  result  if  our  General  could  have  attacked 
the  next  day,  the  19th,  for  Brigadier-General  x\lvin 
Schoepf  did  not  reach  Wildcat  with  reinforcements  from 
Camp  Dick  Robinson  until  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
20th,  and  in  fact  some  of  the  reinforcements  did  not 
arrive  until  the  21st. 

Saturday,  igth. — The  head  of  the  column  advanced 
to  a  point  some  six  or  seven  miles  beyond  London,  on 
the  road  leading  to  Wildcat,  but,  for  want  of  water, 
subsistence  and  forage,  had  to  return  to  the  wagon  train, 
about  four  miles  beyond  London. 

Zollicoffer's   advance  had  another  skirmish  with  the 

••■Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  310. 


58  E.  R,  Hancock's  Diary. 


enemy's  picket,  resulting   in  the  killing  of  one  man  on 
each  side. 

After  marchino^  in  the  rear  of  the  wagfon  train  to* 
within  eight  miles  of  London,  Colonel  McNairy  was 
ordered  to  move  his  battalion  to  the  front.  On  reach- 
ing our  General's  headquarters,  about  nightfall,  en- 
camped, as  above  named,  some  four  miles  from  town, 
McNairy  was  ordered  to  send  out  scouting  parties  on 
both  sides  of  the  London- Wildcat  road.  Accordingly, 
a  part  of  our  battalion  went  southwest  in  the  direction 
of  Somerset,  while  Allison's  Company  went  back  to 
London,  and  thence  about  nine  miles  north-east  in  the 
direction  of  Booneville,  capturing  two  men,  two  muskets 
and  three  horses  on  the  way.  Finding  no  organized 
force  in  that  direction,  Allison  returned,  by  the  way  of 
London,  to  camp,  some  three  miles  from  town,  about 
daybreak  next  morning.  Here  the  road  forked — the 
left,  leading  by  the  way  of  Wildcat,  Mount  Vernon  and 
Crab  Orchard,  to  Camp  Dick  Robinson,  and  the  right, 
to  Richmond.  We  were  now  within  ten  miles  of  Wild- 
cat. 

Sunday,  20th. — Zollicoffer  put  his  brigade  in  motion 
about  noon,  with  McNairy's  Battalion  again  in  the  rear. 
Late  in  the  afternoon,  within  about  three  miles  of  Wild- 
cat, Zollicoffer's  advance  guard  killed  one*  of  the  ene- 
my's picket  and  wounded  and  captured  another. 

McNairy  having  been  ordered  to  the  front,  reported 
to  General  Zollicoffer,  at  the  head  of  the  infantry  col- 
umn, just  as  the  General  had  learned  that  the  battalion 
of  cavalry  in  front  had  come  in  contact  with  and  been 
repulsed  by  the  Federals.     Notwithstanding  it  was  now 

*  Dr.  Wyatt  and  the  writer  dismounted  and  lifted  his  remains  from  the  road.. 
He  proved  to  be  Captain  Merriman,  from  East  Tennessee. 


October,  1861.  5^ 


about  dark,  he  ordered  McNairy  to  take  his  battaHon 
and  dislodge  the  Federals  from  their  position  in  a  dense 
woods,  just  beyond  a  large  field. 

Just  as  the  front  of  our  battalion  had  passed  out  of 
the  field  into  the  road  beyond,  with  woods  on  both  sides, 
the  enemy  fired  a  few  shots  from  the  woods  on  our  right. 
Our  Colonel  then  cried  out,  ''Charge!  charge  F'  (with 
an  oath).  Dashing  forward  a  short  distance,  seeing  no 
enemy  in  front,  and  fearing  an  ambuscade,  he  halted, 
moved  his  men  back  into  the  field,  dismounted  a  part  of 
them,  and  scoured  the  woods  on  foot,  finding  that  the 
enemy  had  fallen  back.  It  would  seem  that  there  was 
only  a  small  squad  of  Federals  in  the  woods,  and  that 
they  fled  as  soon  as  they  fired  the  first  round.  We 
then  fell  back  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  field,  deployed 
in  line  of  battle,  and  lay  on  our  arms  all  night.  We 
were  now  within  about  two  miles  of  Wildcat ;  could 
hear  the  enemy's  "drums.  As  soon  as  the  enemy  fired 
on  the  First  Battalion,  the  Twentieth  Tennessee  In- 
fantry plunged  into  Rockcastle  River  about  waist  deep, 
and  went  to  our  support. 

ACTION  AT  ROCKCASTLE  HILLS  OR  CAMP  WILDCAT. 

Mo7tday,  21st. — General  Zollicoffer  sent  the  following 
telegram  this  morning  to  General  Johnston,  Bowling 
Green  Kentucky : 

One  Ohio  Regiment  said  to  be  twelve  miles  distant.  Another 
regiment  of  the  enemy  a  few  miles  beyond.  I  will  feel  of  them  to- 
day with  two  regiments  and  some  cavalry.  My  force  here  is  about 
5,400.* 

Johnston  replied,  the  same  day,  thus: 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,   p.  209. 


-60  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Your  telegram  from  London  received.  The  information  we  have 
of  the  enemy  in  your  front  is  this:  10,000  at  Camp  Dick  Robinson, 
-of  these  4,000  are  in  advance  toward  Cumberland  Gap,  but  how  far  is 
not  known;  it  is  commanded  by  Garrard;  and  10,000  dotted  from 
Robinson  to  Cincinnati. 

General  Polk  ordered  two  howitzers,  one  Parrott  and  three  iron 
guns  to  be  shipped  for  you  to  Knoxville,  October  15.  A  company  to 
man  this  battery  will  be  sent  in  a  few  days.* 

On  advancing  with  the  infantry,  about  daybreak,  Zol- 
Hcoffer  soon  learned  that  the  enemy  had  so  blockaded 
the  road,  by  cutting  trees  across  it,  that  it  was  very  diffi- 
cult for  infantry  to  approach  the  enemy's  position,  much 
less  cavalry  and  artillery  ;  and,  moreover,  the  enemy's 
entrenched  camp  on  Rockcastle  Hills  was  a  natural 
fortification,  almost  inaccessible,  from  our  side  of  ap- 
proach. 

Winding  their  way,  as  best  they  could,  between  two 
hills,  over  the  fallen  timber,  and  up,  up,  up  the  rugged 
cliffs.  Finally,  about  9  a.  m.,  the  Eleventh  (Rains)  and 
Seventeenth  (Newman)  Tennessee  Regiments  attacked 
the  Federals  in  their  entrenchments  on  Rockcastle 
Hills.  The  following  is  taken  from  Colonel  Newman's 
official  report : 

Near  Rockcastle  Heights,  October  21,  i86r. 

As  ordered,  I  formed  my  regiment  from  hill-top  to  hill-top  at  open 
intervals  to  move  in  rear  of  Colonel  Rains'  Regiment  and  support  him. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller  was  ordered  to  take  command  of  the  left 
wing,  composed  of  Companies  A,  D,  F  and  I  .  .  .  .  and  for  the 
movements  of  said  companies  on  the  field  I  refer  you  to  the  report  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller,  which  is  hereto  appended  and  made  a  part 
of  my  report. t  The  six  companies,  viz. :  B,  C,  E,  G,  H  and  K, 
constituting  the  right  wing,  were  under  my  immediate 
<:ommand,  and  moved  forward  in  line  of  battle  in  the  direction  of  the 
heights  in  front  of  our  position. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  VoJ.  IV.,  p.  212. 

tNot  found. 


October,  18G1.  61 


Upon  reaching  a  point  within  eighty  yards  of  the  heights,  we  dis- 
covered a  number  of  men  ascending  the  heights  and  entering  the 
fortifications,  but  supposing  these  men  to  be  a  portion  of  Colonel 
Rains'  command,  I  did  not  order  them  to  be  fired  upon. 

At  this  point  we  received  a  heavy  volley  of  rifles  and  musketry. 
The  command  moved  on,  however,  without  returning  the  fire  until 
within  forty  paces  of  the  enemy's  works  before  we  discovered  they 
were  not  Colonel  Rains'  men,  at  which  time  the  men  were  ordered  to 
cover  as  well  as  they  could  and  to  return  the  enemy's  fire.  In  this 
position  we  maintained  a  heavy  fire  for  twenty-five  minutes,  when  I 
ordered  Captain  Armstrong  and  Lieutenant  Harrison  to  move  their 
companies  around  to  my  extreme  right  to  prevent  a  flank  movement 
of  the  enemy,  which  I  saw  they  were  about  to  make.  These  officers 
executed  the  order  with  promptness  and  alacrity,  under  fire. 

The  fire  was  kept  up  by  all  the  companies  for  an  hour  and  ten 
minutes,  and,  seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  fall  back  without  great 
loss,  I  ordered  the  works  to  be  charged.  Four  companies  gallantly 
charged  the  works,  as  ordered.  Officers  and  men  seemingly  vied  with 
each  other  as  to  who  should  be  first  to  reach  the  works  of  the  enemy. 

After  the  fortification  was  reached,  and  many  of  my  men  had  got 
within  the  works,  driving  the  enemy  from  the  first  parallel,  not  receiv- 
ing any  support,  and  being  nearly  destitute  of  cartridges,  I  ordered 
my  command  to  fall  back,  which  it  did  in  good  order.  While  this  was 
being  executed  the  other  two  companies  maintained  their  position  as 
ordered.  .  .  .  ........ 

Killed,  II  ;  wounded,  34. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

Taz.   W.   Newman, 
Colonel  Commanding  Seventeenth  Regiment  Tennessee  Volunteers.'^ 

After  he  had  fallen  back  to  Flat  Lick,  between  Bar- 
boursville  and  Camp  Buckner,  Zollicoffer  sent  the  fol- 
lowing report  to  A.  S.  Johnston  : 

Camp  Flat  Lick,  Knox  County,  October  24,  1861. 
On  the  2ist  I  reached  the  enemy's  entrenched  camp,  on  Rock- 
castle Hills,  a  natural  fortification,  almost  inaccessible.     Having  re- 
connoitered  in  force  under  heavy  fire  for  several  hours  from  heights 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  213, 


62  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

on  the  right,  left  and  in  front,  I  became  satisfied  that  it  could  not  be 
carried  otherwise  than  by  immense  exposure,  if  at  all.  The  enemy 
received  large  reinforcements. 

Our  loss  was  forty-two  wounded  and  eleven  killed  and  missing. 
We  captured  twenty-one  prisoners,  about  loo  guns  and  four  horses. 
The  loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed  and  wounded  unknown. 

The  country  is  so  poor  that  we  had  exhausted  the  forage  on  the 
road  for  fifteen  miles  back  in  twenty-four  hours.  Our  subsistence 
nearly  exhausted.  Under  these  circumstances  I  deemed  it  proper  the 
next  day  to  fall  back.  Enemy's  camp  said  to  be  7,000  strong,  with 
large  reserves  near  at  hand.  Very  respectfully, 

F.    K.    ZOLLICOFFER, 

Brigadier-  General.  * 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  Colonel  Rains'  official 
report,  therefore  can  give  no  fijrther  account  of  the  part 
taken  by  his  regiment  in  the  above  action,  though  it 
would  seem  that  the  most  of  the  fighting  was  done  by 
Newman's  Regfiment,  from  the  fact  that  ZoUicoffer  re- 
ports  the  same  number,  eleven,  "killed  and  missing" 
from  the  brigade  that  Newman  reports  "killed"  from 
his  regiment;  the  former,  however,  reports  eight  more 
wounded,  which  may  have  been  the  loss  of  Rains'  Reg- 
iment.f 

Remaining  in  front  of  the  Federal  position,  ZoUicoffer 
made  another  slio^ht  attack  about  two  o'clock,  p.  m.,  but 
still  he  could  not  induce  the  enemy  to  come  from  his 
intrenchments  and  give  battle  on  equal  footing. 

The  Thirty-third  Indiana  Infantry,  under  Colonel 
John  Coburn.  and  the  First  Kentucky  Cavalry,  under 
Colonel  Frank  Wolford,  did  the  most  of  the  fighting  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy. 

I  take  the  following  from  Colonel  John  Coburn's  offi- 

•••  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  210. 

tSince  writing  the  above  I  have  learned  (from  Military  Annals  of  Tennes- 
see, p.  293)  that  Rains  lost  "one  killed  and  six  or  eight  wounded." 


October,  1861.  63 


cial  report,    addressed   to  "  General  A.   Schoepf,  Com- 
manding Brigade : 

They  (Rebels)  soon  came  near  us*  under  cover  of  a  wood,  which 
•entirely  concealed  their  approach  until  we  were  apprised  of  their 
presence  by  the  firing  of  musketry.  At  this  time  we  were  reinforced 
by  a  portion  of  the  First  Kentucky  Cavalry,  dismounted,  under  Col- 
onel Wolford,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  strong,  who  immediately 
formed  and  took  part  in  the  engagement.  The  firing  at  this  time  was 
very  severe,  which  caused  the  cavalry  to  waver  and  retreat.  They 
were  soon,  however,  rallied  and  formed  again  in  order,  and  fought 
with  good  spirit. 

The  enemy  engaged  was  composed  of  a  portion  of  General  ZoUi- 
-coffer's  command,  and  consisted  of  two  regiments  of  Tennesseans, 
under  the  command  of  Colonels  Newman  and  Cummings  (Rains). 
They  charged  up  the  hill  upon  us,  and  were  met  by  a  galling  and 
deadly  fire,  which  wounded  and  killed  many  of  them.  The  front  of 
their  column  approached  within  a  few  rods  of  us  with  their  bayonets 
fixed,  declaring  themselves  "Union  men,"  and  "all  right,"  at  the  next 
moment  leveling  their  guns  at  us  and  firing. 

After  being  engaged  nearly  an  hour,  the  enemy  retreated,  bearing 
off  a  portion  of  their  dead  and  wounded  and  their  arms.  Our  men 
have  buried  their  dead  left  on  the  field  and  taken  the  woundedt  to  our 
hospitals.  Thirty  corpses  have  been  found  up  to  this  time  (October 
2 2d).  A  large  number  of  their  wounded  and  dead  were  carried  off 
in  their  wagons.  It  is  safe  to  estimate  the  loss  of  the  enemy  at  least 
one  hundred  killed.  .  ........ 

About  the  close  of  the  engagement  four  companies  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Ohio,  Colonel  Connell,  came  upon  the  hill  and  formed  in  line 
of  battle.  ; 

.  .  About  two  o'clock,  p.  M.,  we  were  again  attacked.  At  this 
time    the  Fourteenth    Ohio,   Colonel    Steedman,   appeared  upon   the 

field 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night  Lieutenant  Sypher,  of  Captain  Standart's 
Ohio  Battery,  came  on  the  hill,  on  an  alarm  fired  three  rounds.  They 
were  the  last  shots  fired. 

At  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  heard  sounds  which  betok- 

*  On  an  eminence  east  of  the  Federal  encampment. 

t  Three,  one  mortally,  so  General  .Schoepf  reports.  See  Rebellion  Records 
Vol.  IV.,  p.  207. 


64  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ened  a  movement  of  General  Zollicoffer's  army.     It  proved  to  be  a 
retreat.  .  .  .  .  .  ...... 

The  number  of  our  loss  is  a  follows:  Company  D,  one  killed  and 
five  wounded;  Company  I,  one  killed  and  ten  wounded,  three  mor- 
tally.    Colonel  Wolford  lost  one  killed  and  eleven  wounded.-'' 

Colonel  T.  T.  Garrard,  Third  Kentucky,  who  was  in 
command  at  Wildcat  before  General  Schoepf  arrived, 
wrote  to  General  Thomas,  under  October  25th,  thus: 

Your  aid  arrived  in  time  to  save  us  from  a  certain  defeat  (what  oth- 
ers may  say  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding).  It  is  not  necessary  for 
me  to  say  one  word  about  the  fight,  for  you  have  no  doubt  been  fully 
posted.  Though  don't  be  deceived  as  to  the  number  killed  by  us; 
my  impression  is  that  we  did  not  kill  to  exceed  sixteen,  and  wounded 
some  thirty  or  forty. 

Many  say  we  lost  a  great  victory  by  not  pursuing  the  enemy.  It  is 
true,  if  we  had  have  known  as  much  then  as  now,  we  might  have 
done -wonders.  But  we  expected  an  attack  the  next  morning,  and 
every  one  was  sleeping  on  their  arms,  and  we  never  knew  the  enemy 
had  left  camps  until  near  eight  o'clock.  We  have  a  great  many  here 
who  know  precisely  how  to  manage  affairs  when  the  enemy  is  out  of" 
hearing,  but  would  be  as  much  at  a  loss  to  do  so  in  a  fight  as  I  would 
be.f 

I  am  glad  to  have  an.  opportunity  of  proving  by  a 
Federal  Colonel,  who  was  present  at  Wildcat,  that  Col- 
onel Coburn  did  greatly  overestimate  our  loss  at  that 
place. 

Supposing  that  all  of  the  missing  were  killed,  Colonel 
Newman  reported  eleven  killed,  but  as  three  of  them 
were  only  wounded,  our  loss  was  really  eight  killed  and 
forty-five  wounded,  one  mortally. 

Colonel  Garrard  does  not  say  any  thing  about  the 
Federal  loss  in  his  report.  General  Schoepf  reports 
four  killed  and  eighteen  wounded,  while  Colonel  Coburn 

*Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  208. 
tRebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  319. 


OCTORRR,    1801.  65 


reports    twenty-six   wounded    from    his    and    Walford's 
reg^iments. 

Companies  A  and  E,  of  McNairy's  Battalion  went 
back  a  short  distance  in  the  direction  of  London,  crossed 
over  to  the  Richmond  road,  and  thence  around  to  the 
east  of  Wildcat,  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  any  flank 
movement  that  the  enemy  might  be  making  in  that 
direction.  Making  no  discovery,  however,  we  returned 
to  the  wagon  train,  about  half-way  between  London  and 
Wildcat,  a  little  after  dark. 

TiLesday,  22d. — Eleven  men  from  First  Battalion  were 
sent  back  in  the  direction  of  Wildcat  to  make  a  report 
to  General  Zollicoffer  and  get  orders.  They  had  gone 
only  about  one  mile  when  they  met  the  advance  of  the 
brigade  on  the  retreat. 

Zollicoffer  had  decided  that  if  the  Federal  position  at 
Wildcat  could  have  been  taken  at  all  by  storm,  it  would 
have  been  at  a  cost  of  too  great  a  sacrifice  of  his  men, 
and  as  he  had  declined  the  idea  of  going  back  by  the 
way  of  Mill  Springs  or  Burkesville,  as  he  had  intimated 
to  Colonel  Murray  on  the  i6th,*  he  was  now  on  his  way 
back  to  Camp  Buckner. 

Passing  back  through  London,  the  brigade  bivouacked 
six  miles  from  that  place,  on  the  Barboursville  road. 

Twenty-five  of  /\llison's  company  and  about  the  same 
number  from  Harris'  First  Battallion.  went  back  to 
within  two  miles  and  a  half  of  London  to  picket  that 
road  for  the  night. 

Wednesday,  2jd. — Zollicoffer  moved  on  to,  and  camped 
lor  the  night  at,  Barboursville. 

■••'On  October  28lh,  at  Camp  Buckner,  Zollicoffer  wrote  to  Murray  as  follows: 
■*'  Learning  that  the  enemy  had  retired  from  Albany,  and  desiring  to  see  that 
the  guns  were  all  in  position  at  the  gap,  I  determined  to  return  this  way." 
Rebellion  Records,  \o\.  IV.,  p.  483. 

5 


66  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Two  companies,  A  and  E,  of  McNairy's  Battalion, 
were  sent  out  about  ten  miles  from  Barboursville  on  the 
Manchester  road.  They  returned  to  Barboursville,  a 
little  after  midnight,  without  learning  any  thing  worthy 
of  note.* 

Thursday,  2^th. — The  infantry  and  artillery  moved 
on  in  the  direction  of  Camp  Buckner.  A  part  of  Braz- 
elton's  Battalion  was  left  on  the  London  road  a  short  dis- 
tance north-west  of  Barboursville. 

Colonel  McNairy  ordered  Captain  Allison  to  take  his 
company  and  picket  the  road  leading  east  from  Bar- 
boursville in  the  direction  of  Mount  Pleasant.  Going 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  from  town,  Allison  ordered  his 
'company  to  halt,  except  five  men  who  were  ordered  to 
take  post  about  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  picket 
base.  About  the  time  the  company  had  dismounted 
and  tied  up  their  horses,  our  pickets  commenced  firing, 
only  about  four  hundred  yards  from  us.  In  less  than 
three  minutes  we  were  in  the  saddle  again,  and  going 
in  a  dash  to  see  what  the  trouble  was.  We  soon  learned 
that  our  pickets  had  seen  only  one  man,  who,  on  being 
ordered  to  halt,  took  to  the  bushes.  They  fired  about 
four  shots  at  him,  but  he  made  good  his  escape.  We 
then  returned  to  where  we  had  first  dismounted,  but  did 
not  unsaddle  that  nig^ht. 

Friday,  2^th. — Captain  Allison  sent  some  of  his  men 
out  to  search   the  woods  into  which  the   bush-whacker 

*I  shall  here  relate  an  amusing  incident  that  occurred  while  out  on  the 
above  named  scout.  It  occurred  thus:  We  called  on  an  old  gentleman  to  know 
if  he  could  furnish  us  some  forage  for  our  horses.  He  replied,  rather  emphat- 
ically: "No,  I  have  110  forage  for  your  horses.  My  neighbors /'«^7f  I  have  none; 
I  don't  see  why  they  sent  you  here.''''  As  soon,  however,  as  the  old  gentleman 
was  informed  that  we  were  "  Union"  men,  he  cried  out  in  a  still  higher  key, 
addressing  his  wife,  "O  Betsey,  these  are  good  Union  boys  !  I  have  plenty  of  corn 
and  fodder !'"  We  then  fed  our  horses,  and  "Betsey"  furnished  supper  for  sev- 
eral of  the  "good  Union  boys." 


October,  1861.  67 


was  chased  last  evening-  to  see  what  discovery  they 
could  make.  They  soon  after  returned  with  four  mus- 
kets, about  twenty  thousand  caps,  and  some  powder, 
which  they  had  found  hid  out  in  the  woods. 

Captain  Horn's  servant  was  shot,  but  only  wounded, 
b)^  a  bush-whacker  between  Barboursville  and  Camp 
Buckner. 

Calling  in  Allison's  company  off  of  picket,  McXairy 
moved  two  miles  from  Barboursville  on  the  road  to 
Cumberland  Ford. 

As  we  were  on  the  lookout  for  the  enemy,  we  did  not 
unsaddle  our  horses. 

Saturday,  26th. — Several  detachments  were  sent  out 
over  the  country  after  beef  cattle.  Some  sixty  beeves 
were  brought  in  during  the  day. 

The  battalion  moved  some  three  miles  nearer  Camp 
Buckner. 

Sunday,  2yth. — Lieutenant  George  Alexander,  Dr. 
J.  S.  Harrison  (afterward  Lieutenant)  and  R.  Daven- 
port rejoined  i\llison's  company.  They  had  been  home 
on  a  visit. 

Our  battalion  moved  about  three  miles  and  encamped 
at  Flat  Lick,  within  eight  miles  of  Camp  Buckner,  at 
Cumberland  Ford,  where  we  remained  for  several  days. 

As  Cumberland  Gap  was  naturally  a  strong  position, 
and  as  the  three  Log  Mountains  between  Camp  Buck- 
ner and  the  Gap  would  soon  be  almost  impassable.  Gen- 
eral Zollicoffer  therefore  believed  that  the  Federals 
would  attempt  to  enter  East  Tennessee  at  some  point 
west  of  the  Gap,  and  for  this  reason  he  decided  to 
abandon  his  position  at  Camp  Buckner.  I  shall  now 
let  our  General  explain  his  contemplated  movement  as 
follows  : 


68  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Brigade  Headquarters, 
Camp  Buckner,  Cumberland  Ford,  October  29,  1861. 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Mackall,  Assistant  Adjutant- General,  Boivling  Green, 

Kentucky : 

Sir  :  My  pickets  at  Laurel  Ridge  yesterday  drove  back  a  small 
cavalry  picket  of  the  enemy  and  took  three  prisoners,  who  represented 
that  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  force  has  advanced  to  London.  Their 
force  at  and  on  this  side  of  Rockcastle  River  (Wildcat)  is  reported  at 
nine  thousand. 

There  are  three  main  roads  by  which,  if  an  invasion  of  East  Ten- 
nessee is  contemplated,  an  enemy  might  approach.  On  this,  by  Cum- 
berland Gap,  we  have  heretofore  concentrated  nearly  our  whole  force, 
and  we  now  have  seven  guns  in  position  at  Cumberland  Gap.  The 
most  westernly  road  is  by  Monticello,  in  Kentucky,  and  Jamestown, 
in  Tennessee.  The  counties  of  Fentress,  Scott,  Morgan,  and  Ander- 
son are  poor,  mountainous,  and  disaffected.  Should  a  force  select 
that  route  of  invasion,  I  could  meet  them  at  the  mountain  passes  near 
Clinton,  and  between  Kingston  and  Morgan  Court-house,  and  keep 
them  on  that  broad,  sterile  region  until  it  would  be  practicable  for 
General  Buckner  to  throw  a  force  in  their  rear  and  cut  them  off. 

In  view  of  this  danger  they  may  select  the  middle  rotite,  by  Will- 
iamsburg, Ky.,  and  Jacksborough,  Tenn.  The  road  over  the  Log 
Mountains  will  soon  become  almost  impassable  between  here  and 
Cumberland  Gap.  The  Gap  is  a  much  stronger  position  than  this. 
While  I  am  watching  the  road  from  here  to  Laurel  River,  the  enemy 
might  be  advancing  on  the  Jacksborough  or  the  Jamestown  road 
without  my  knowledge.  For  these  reasons  I  send  four  cavalry  com- 
panies to  scout  on  the  roads  from  the  neighborhood  of  Jacksborough 
into  Kentucky,  and  I  have  ordered  one  infantry  regiment  to  Jacksbor- 
ough, one  six  miles  east  to  Big  Creek  Gap,  two  about  half-way  be- 
tween Jacksborough  and  Cumberland  Gap,  while  four  will  remain  at 
present  at  Cumberland  Gap.  I  leave  six  cavalry  companies  to  observe 
this  road.  One  cavalry  company  is  posted  on  the  road  from  William- 
burg,  Ky.,  to  Huntsville,  Tenn.,  and  six  cavalry  companies,  McClel- 
ian's  Battalion,  and  I  suppose  Colonel  Murray's  Regiment  of  infantry, 
are  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jamestown.* 

*Colonels  Murray  and  Stanton  had,  according  to  orders  from  A.  S.  John- 
ston, broken  up  a  Federal  camp  at  Burkesville,  Ky.,  and  on  the  same  day  that 
Zollicoffer  wrote  the  above  they  were  at  Albany,  Ky.,  on  their  way  back  to 
Overton  County,  Tenn.  Captain  Bledsoe's  company  was  at  Camp  McGinnis, 
between  Jamestown,  Tenn.,  and  Albany,  Ky. 


October,   1861.  69 


It  is  currently  reported  that  an  invading  force  from  twenty  thou- 
sand to  thirty  thousand  is  on  the  road  from  Cincinnati  to  East  Tennes- 
see, but  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  any  thing  of  the  accuracy  of 
the  rumor.* 

Except  cavalry  scouts,  my  force  will  be  withdrawn  from  this  post 
to-morrow.  Acting  upon  my  best  judgment,  I  have  supposed  the  dis- 
position of  my  forces  I  have  described  the  very  best  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. Had  I  a  military  engineer  in  whose  judgment  1  could 
rely,  to  reconnoiter  the  mountain  roads,  gaps  and  passes  from  Cum- 
berland Gap  to  Jamestown  I  would  feel  much  more  capable  of  making 
a  judicious  disposition  of  troops. 

I  have  had  rumors  that  reinforcements  of  Confederate  troops  were 
to  be  thrown  upon  this  part  of  the  border,  but  as  I  have  no  official 
information  I  take  it  for  granted  the  rumors  are  erroneous.  Very  re- 
spectfully, F.   K.  ZOLLICOFFER, 

Brigadier-  General,  f 

Tuesday,  2gtk. — Colonel  McNairy  sent  a  scout  of 
sixty  men  out  in  the  direction  of  London  yesterday,  and 
on  returning  last  night  four  of  Captain  Horn's  company 
put  up  for  the  night  some  fifteen  miles  from  our  camp. 
As  they  were  coming  to  camps  this  morning  they  were 
fired  on  from  the  bushes.  They  reported  that  they  re- 
turned the  fire,  killing  one  of  the  bush-whackers  and 
capturing  four  muskets.  They  brought  the  muskets 
into  camp.  The  above  named  scout  went  within  about 
seven  miles  of  London  and  reported  that  the  Federals 
had  advanced  from  Wildcat  to  that  place. 

*It  appears  that  General  Geo.  H.  Thomas,  who  commanded  the  Second  Di- 
vision of  Sherman's  army,  and  was  now  in  front  of  ZoUicoffer,  had,  subject  to 
his  orders,  twenty-nine  regiments  and  three  batteries  of  artillery,  though  some 
of  the  regiments  were  not  fully  organized  and  equipped  at  this  time.  See  Re- 
bellion Records,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  334,  315. 

tBrigadier-General  L.  P.  Walker  had  been  (October  22d)  ordered  by  Gen- 
eral A.  S.  Johnston  to  move  his  brigade  from  Huntsville,  Ala.,  via  Knoxville, 
to  the  support  of  ZoUicoffer,  and  General  W.  H.  Carroll,  at  Memphis,  had 
been  (October  26th)  ordered  by  Secretary  of  War  to  join  ZoUicoffer  with  three 
regiments,  but  neither  one  of  them  could  obey  the  order,  because  their  men 
were  not  armed.      See  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  470,  476,  486. 


70  R.  B.  Hancock's  Diary. 

General  Albin  Schoepf  had  advanced  from  Wildcat 
with  six  regiments*  and  two  batteries  of  artillery,  and 
established  his  headquarters  at  the  junction  of  the  Crab 
Orchard  and  Richmond  roads,  three  miles  north  of  Lon- 
don, with  two  of  his  regiments  thrown  forward  to  that 
place. 

On  the  above  date  General  Thomas  sent  the  follow- 
ing dispatch  to  General  Schoepf: 

I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  General  Sherman.  He  objects 
to  advancing  the  troops  too  far  on  this  route,  and  directs  that  we  go 
no  farther  than  your  camp  for  the  present,  f 

The  Major  of  our  battalion,  William  Malcomb,  re- 
signed and  started  home. 

Wedfiesday,  joth. — L.  V,  Kennedy  and  Dr.  Monroe 
Knight, J  having  received  an  honorable  discharge  from 
the  service  on  account  of  ill  health,  started  home.  We 
regretted  very  much  to  lose  from  our  company  (Allison's) 
two  such  good  soldiers.  They  were  always  ready  and 
willing  to  do  duty  when  called  upon,  so  far  as  able,  and 
besides  they  were  strictly  gentlemen. 

A  part  of  the  infantry  moved  from  Camp  Buckner  to 
Cumberland  Gap,  yesterday,  and  Zollicoffer  followed 
with  the  rest  to-day. 

Sattirday,  November  2d. — The  First  Battalion  moved 
(eight  miles)  from  Flat  Lick  to  Camp  Buckner.  The 
latter  camp  appeared  somewhat  lonely  now,  as  the  in- 
fantry had  left,  as  previously  mentioned.      Two  compan- 

■■■■  Fourteenth,  Colonel  Steedman,  and  Seventeenth,  Colonel  Connell,  Ohio, 
Thirty-third  Indiana,  Colonel  Coburn,  Third  Kentucky,  Colonel  Garrard,  First, 
Colonel  Byrtl,  and  Second,  Colonel  Carter,  Tennessee,  and  Standart'.s  and  Ken- 
ny's Batteries.      Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  322. 

t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  323. 

JSee  Appendix  A. 


November,  1861.  71 


ies  of  Brazelton's  Battalion  were  still  back  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Barboursville. 

Tuesday,  ^tJi. — Our  battalion  moved  (twelve  miles) 
from  Camp  Buckner  to  within  four  miles  of  the  Gap, 
where  we  remained  until  Thursday,  November  7th. 

McNairy's  Battalion  marched  out  of  Kentucky, 
through  Cumberland  Gap,  thence  along  a  fertile  valley 
in  the  ^direction  of  Jacksborough,  Tennssee,  and  biv- 
ouacked eighteen  miles  from  the  Gap. 

General  Zollicoffer  set  out  for  Jacksborough  yester- 
day from  the  Gap.  Four  regiments  of  infantry  (Bat- 
tle's, Cumming's,  Newman's  and  Statham's),  four  cavalry 
companies  (Branner)  and  a  battery  of  artillery  (six 
6-pounders  and  two  Parrott  guns)  were  now  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Jacksborough.  The  Twenty-ninth 
Tennessee  (Colonel  Powell)  and  a  battalion  of  the  Six- 
teenth Alabama  (Lieutenant-Colonel  Harris)*  were  on 
their  way  to  the  same  place,  leaving  Colonels  Rains' 
and  Churchwell's  Regfiments  well  intrenched,  and  seven 
guns  in  good  positions  at  the  Gap,  with  two  companies 
of  Brazelton's  Battalion  to  scout  in  front  of  that  position. 

A  military  engineer.  Captain  Victor  Sheliha,  had  been 
sent  to  Zollicoffer,  and  was  now  reconnoiterinor  the 
mountain  passes  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksborough. 

Before  leaving  Cumberland  Gap  yesterday  Zollicoffer 
received  the  following  dispatch  from  Lieutenant-Colonel 
McClellan,  stationed  near  Jamestown  : 

I  have  information  that  is  entirely  reliable  that  the  enemy  is  ap- 
proaching this  point  6,000  strong — 1,500  cavalry  and  the  balance 
artillery  and  infantry.       The  infantry  and  artillery  camped  last  night, 

*  Colonel  Wood  had  the  other  battalion  of  this  regiment  with  him  at  Knox- 
ville.      He  was  in  command  of  that  post. 


72  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary, 

the  3d,  five  miles  east  ot"  Muiuiceiiu,  a  iijrtion  ot  the  cavalry  in  town, 
their  pickets  seven  miles  below. 

Colonel  Murray  is  at  Camp  Zollicoffer,  in  Overton  County.  I  dis- 
patched him  yesterday,  urging  him  to  move  to  this  place.  Colonel 
Stanton,  I  understand,  is  at  Celina.* 

This  was  the  Information  that  ZolHcoffer  had  been 
expecting  to  receive,  and,  in  anticipation  of  which,  he 
had  previously  (October  31st)  ordered  Colonels, Stan- 
ton, Murray  and  McClellan  to  concentrate  their  com- 
mands, and  throw  up  intrenchments  at  some  suitable 
point,  near  Jamestownf ,  and  was  now  moving  as  rapidly 
as  possible  with  the  force  above  named,  including  Mc- 
Nairy's  Battalion,  by  the  way  of  Jacksborough,  Clinton 
and  Montgomery,  to  their  support. 

Fi'-iday,  8th. — In  the  saddle  early  that  morning,  our 
battalion  arrived  at  Jacksborough  late  in  the  afternoon 
(about  twenty-two  miles).  Zollicoffer  had  left  orders 
here  for  McNairy  to  follow  the  brigade  by  a  forced 
march  in  the  direction  of  Clinton.  After  allowing  his 
men  to  halt  long  enough  to  feed  their  horses  and  take 
supper,  McNairy  pressed  on  thirteen  miles  further  and 
bivouacked  for  the  rest  of  the  night. ;|;  Here  he  was  met 
by  a  messenger,  with  orders  for  him  to  halt. 

•''Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,    p.  514. 

tibid,  p.  493. 

J  I  had  been  on  the  sick  list  ever  since  our  battalion  left  Flat  Lick,  but  had 
still  followed  the  command  until  the  above  night.  Not  being  able  to  go  any 
further,  I  put  up  with  one  Mr.  Bowling,  who  lived  on  the  Clinton  road,  six  miles- 
south  of  Jacksborough,  the  county  seat  of  Campbell  County,  where  I  remained 
for  about  ten  days,  and  was  quite  sick  wiih  a  fever  during  the  time.  J.  W. 
Kennedy  first  stopped  with  me,  but  as  I  continued  to  grow  worse  for  some  days, 
my  brother,  B.  A.  Hancock,  resigned  as  assistant  commissary  of  our  battalion 
and  came  to  see  that  I  was  properly  cared  for.  Ben  and  I  rejoined  the  battal- 
ion at  Clinton,  on  the  l8th.  B.  J.  MuUinax,  P.  Nelson  and  Bob  Smith  were 
sick  of  the  measles  at  Jacksborough  and  dis^-harged  at  Clinton. 


November,  1861.  '  73^ 


The  rest  of  the  brigade  had  also  halted,  and  I  shall 
now  endeavor  to  explain  why. 

The  First  Kentucky  Infantry,  under  Colonel  Bram- 
lette,  and  the  Fourth,  under  Colonel  Haskins,  and  Wol- 
ford's  Cavalry  were  at  that  time  encamped  at  or  near 
"Camp  Goggin,"  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Cumber- 
land, some  nine  miles  above  Mill  Springs  and  twenty 
from  Monticello,  Kentucky.*  On  the  3d,  Colonel 
Wolford  set  out  from  the  above  named  camp  with  four 
hundred  of  his  regiment  and  one  piece  of  artillery  on  a 
reconnoitering  expedition  in  the  direction  of  Monticello, 
and,  if  necessary,  he  was  to  send  a  messenger  back  and 
Colonels  Bramlette  and  Haskins  were  to  follow  with  all 
their  available  force — 1,200.  Colonel  Wolford  went  as 
far  as  Monticello,  and,  finding  no  "  Rebs  "  there,  he  re- 
turned to  Camp  Goggin. 

It  appears  that  Madam  Rumor  had  swelled  Wolford's 
four  hundred  to  6,000  before  she  delivered  her  "  en- 
tirely reliable"  report  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  McClellan, 
for  on  the  next  day,  the  4th,  he  wrote  the  dispatch 
which  has  been  previously  given,  under  the  7th  instant. 
On  the  5th,  he  moved  his  battalion  down  to  Camp  Mc- 
Ginnis,  and  sent  some  of  his  men  out  toward  Monticello 
to  meet  the  enemy.  They  went  as  far  as  Monticello, 
and  sent  a  messenger  back,  who  reported  that  a  few 
cavalry  had  been  there,  but  had  gone  back  to  Camp 
Goggin.  So,  just  as  Zollicoffer  entered  the  road  from 
Knoxville  to  Wartburg,  within  twenty-two  miles  of  the 
latter  place,  a  messenger  met  him  with  a  dispatch  from 
Colonel  McClellan,  statin^  that  the  information  which 
he  had  given  on  the  4th  was  founded  in  error.  There- 
fore, our  General  decided  to  fall  back  to  jacksborough, 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  328. 


74  '  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

and  completely  blockade  the  two  wagon  roads  through 
the  mountains  in  that  vicinity.* 

Saturday, '  gth. — Our  brigade  moved  back  from  An- 
derson County  to  the  vicinty  of  Jacksborough.  Mc- 
Nairy's  Battalion  camped  six  miles  south  of  town  on  the 
Clinton  road. 

REVOLT  OF  THE  UNIONISTS  IN  EAST  TENNESSEE. 

East  Tennessee  was  now  ablaze  with  excitement  on 
account  of  the  uprising  and  open  rebellion  of  the  Union 
men.  They  were  flying  to  arms  in  squads  of  from  fifty 
to  five  hundred.  Several  bridges  along  the  East  Ten- 
nessee and  Georgia,  and  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Rail- 
roads  were  burned  last  night. 

It  appears  that  William  Blunt  Carter, f  of  East  Ten- 
nessee, was  the  prime  mover  and  chief  instigator  of  the 
revolt  and  bridge  burning  above  named,  and  the  follow- 
ing communication  will  show  the  "beginning  corner" 
of  his  plans : 

Headquarters  Camp  Dick  Robinson, 

September  30,  1861. 

Major- General   George   B.    McClellan,    Commanding  Deparimerit  of  the 

Potomac  : 

General:  I  have  just  had  a  conversation  with  Mr.  W.  B.  Carter, 
of  Tennessee,  on  the  subject  of  the  destruction  of  the  Grand  Trunk 
Railroad  through  that  State. 

He  assures  me  that  he  can  have  it  done  if  the  Government  will 
intrust  him  with  a  small  sum  of  money  to  give  confidence  to  the  per- 
sons to  be  employed  to  do  it.  It  would  be  one  of  the  most  important 
services  that  could  be  done  for  the  country,  and  I  most  earnestly  hope 
you  will  use  your  influence  with  the  authorities  in  furtherance  of  his 

*  Rebellion  Records.  \'oi.  I\'.,  p.  530. 

t  A  brother  of  General  S.  P.  Carter,  who  commanded  the  Tennessee  Fed- 
-eral  Brigade. 


November,  1801.  75 


plans,  which  he  will  submit  to  you,  together  with  the  reasons  for  doing 
the  work. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

Geo.  H.  Thomas, 
Brigadier-General,   U.  S.    Volunteers,  Commanding.'^^ 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  received  satisfactory  encour- 
agement from  the  Federal  Government,  and,  setting  out 
on  his  mission  about  the  middle  of  October,  Carter  ar- 
rived in  the  neighborhood  of  Montgomery,  Morgan 
County,  Tennessee,  on  the  2 2d,  and  under  that  date  he 
wrote  to  General  Thomas  thus  : 

I  reached  here  at  2  p.  m.  to-day.  I  am  in  six  miles  of  company  of 
rebel  cavalry.  .  .  .  The  rebels  continue  to  arrest  and  imprison 
our  people. 

You  will  please  furnish  the  bearers  with  as  much  lead,  rifle  powder, 
and  as  many  caps  as  they  can  bring  for  Scott  and  Morgan  Counties. 
You  need  not  fear  to  trust  these  people.  They  will  open  the  war  for 
you  by  routing  these  small  bodies  of  marauding  cavalry. 

I  find  our  people  have  suffered  beyond  all  forbearance.  Hasten 
on  to  our  aid.  To-morrow  night  I  hope  to  be  near  our  railroad. 
You  shall  hear  from  me  again  soon.t 

On  the  27th,  near  Kingston,  Roane  County,  he  wrote 

aofain  to  Thomas  as  follows :  \ 

o 

I  am  now  within  a  few  miles  of  our  railroad,  but  I  have  not  yet 
had  time  to  obtain  all  the  information  I  must  have  before  I  decide  on 
the  course  best  for  me  to  adopt.  If  I  can  get  half  a  dozen  brave  men 
to  "take  the  bull  by  the  horns"  we  can  whip  them  completely  and 
save  the  railroad. 

If  I  cannot  get  such  leaders  we  will  make  a  desperate  attempt  to 
destroy  all  the  bridges,  and  I  firmly  believe  I  will  be  successful.  .  .  . 
The  Union  men  of  East  Tennessee  are  longing  and  praying  for  the 
hour  when  they  can  break  their  fetters.  .  .  .  Men  and  women 
weep  for  joy  when  I  merely  hint  to  them  that  the  day  of  our  deliver- 
ance is  at  hand.  ...  I  beg  you  to  hasten  on  to  our  help,  as  we 
are  about  to  create  a  great  diversion  in  General  McClellan's  favor. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV..  p.  284. 
tRebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  317. 


76  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

You  must  bring  some  small  arms  with  you.  I  am  satisfied  that  you 
will  have  to  take  the  road  by  Monticello  and  Jamestown,  unless  you 
come  by  Cumberland  Gap.* 

Having  succeeeded  in  maturing  his  plans,  the  execu- 
tion of  which  resulted  in  the  bridge  burning,  as  pre- 
viously mentioned.  Mr.  W.  B.  Carter  set  out  on  his 
return  November  iith,  and  arrived  at  his  brother's 
headquarters  at  "  Camp  Calvert,"  near  London,  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  1 6th,  and  on  the  same  day  his  brother, 
Colonel  S.  P.  Carter  (afterward  General)  sent  the  fol- 
lowing report  to  General  Thomas,  whose  headquarters 
had  been  moved  forward  from  Camp  Dick  Robinson  to 
Crab  Orchard : 

My  brother  William  has  just  arrived  from  East  Tennessee. 
He  reports  that  on  Friday  night,  8th  instant,  of  last  week,  he  succeeded 
in  having  burned  at  least  six,  and  perhaps  eight  bridges  on  the  rail- 
road, viz.  :  Union  bridge,  in  Sullivan  County,  near  the  Virginia  line, 
Lick  Creek  bridge,  in  Green  County,  Strawberry  plains,  in  Jefferson 
County,  fifteen  miles  east  of  Knoxville,  partially  destroyed,  Hiawassee 
bridge  seventy  miles  south-west  of  Knoxville,  and  on  the  East  Ten- 
nessee and  Georgia  Railroad,  two  bridges  over  the  Chickamauga,  one 
between  Cleveland  and  Chattanooga,  and  the  other  between  Chatta- 
nooga and  Dalton,  Georgia.  These  bridges  are  certainly  destroyed. 
The  Long  Island  bridge,  at  Bridgeport,  on  Tennessee  River,  and  a 
bridge  below  Dalton,  on  the  Western  and  Atlantic  road,  are  probably 
destroyed,  t 

Only  five  bridges  were  burned,  as  the  following  dis- 
patch from  Colonel  W.  B.  Wood,  Sixteenth  Alabama, 
who  had  been  for  some  time  guarding  the  railroad  as 
best  he  could  with  the  small  force  at  his  command,  will 
show  : 

Knoxville,  November  ii,  i86i. 
Adjutant-General  Cooper,  Richmond: 

Three  bridges  burned  between  Bristol  and  Chattanooga,   two  on 

'■Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  320. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  359. 


Private  MONROE  KNIGHT,  Co.   E,   First  Battalion. 


November,  1801.  77 


Georgia  road.  Five  hundred  Union  men  now  threatening  Strawberry 
Plains.  Fifteen  hundred  assembUng  in  Hamilton  County,  and  a  gen- 
eral uprising  in  all  the  counties.  I  have  about  one  thousand  men 
-under  my  command.  W.  B.  Wood, 

Colonel. '^'■ 

In  order  to  put  down  this  revolt  of  the  Unionists, 
Stovall's  BattalHon  and  a  Hght  field  battery  were  sent 
from  Richmond,  Virginia,  to  Bristol,  Tennessee  (iith), 
the  Seventh  Alabama,  Col.  S.  A.  M.  Wood,  from  Pen- 
sacola  to  Chattanooga  (14th).  General  W.  H.  Carroll, 
with  two  regiments,  though  mostly  unarmed,  from  Mem- 
phis to  Chattanooga  (15th),  and  General  Zollicoffer  sent 
the  Twenty-ninth  'lenhessee,  Colonel  S.  Powell,  from 
Jacksborough  to  Knoxville  (loth).  On  the  iith  Col- 
Danville  Leadbetter,  of  Engineer  Corps,  was  ordered 
by  President  Davis  to  proceed  at  once  from  Richmond 
to  East  Tennessee,  assume  command  of  all  the  troops 
to  be  stationed  for  the  protection  of  the  railroad  be- 
tween Bristol  and  Chattanooga,  reconstruct  bridges, 
and  repair  and  keep  open  the  line  of  communication 
between  those  points. f 

Mr.  W.  B.  Carter  happened  to  enter  East  Tennessee 
on  his  special  mission  just  at  the  right  time  for  it  to  be 
an  easy  matter  for  him  to  induce  the  Union  men  of  that 
section  to  do  his  bidding.  For  when  Zollicoffer  fell  back 
out  of  Kentucky  the  Unionists  fully  believed  that  the 
Federal  army  would  be  in  their  midst  in  a  few  days. 

On  the  20th  Colonel  W.  B,  Wood  wrote  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  war  thus : 

The  rebellion  in  East  Tennessee  has  been  put  down  in  some  of 
the  counties,  and  will  be  effectually  suppressed  in  less  than  two  weeks 
in  all  the  tounties.     Their  camps   in   Sevier  and   Hamilton   Counties 

*  Ibid.,  p.  236. 

tSee  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  234,  235,  538. 


78  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

have  been  broken  up,  and  a  large  number  of  them  made  prisoners. 
Some  are   confined  in    jail  at  this   place  and  others   sent  to  Nash- 
ville.        ............ 

The  prisoners  we  have  tell  us  that  they  had  every  assurance  that 
the  (Federal)  army  was  already  in  the  State,  and  would  join  them 
in  a  very  few  days ;  that  the  property  of  Southern  men  was  to  be  con- 
fiscated and  divided  among  those  who  would  take  up  arms  for  Lin- 
coln.* 

In  answer  to  an  inquiry  in  reference  to  what  he  should 
do  with  his  prisoners,  Colonel  Wood  received  the  fol- 
lowing from  the  Secretary  of  War: 

All  such  as  can  be  identified  as  having  been  engaged  in  bridge 
burning  are  to  be  tried  summarily  by -drum  head  court-martial,  and, 
if  found  guilty,  executed  on  the  spot  by  hanging.  It  would  be  well 
to  leave  their  bodies  hanging  in  the  vicinity  of  the  burned  bridges. 

All  such  as  have  not  been  so  engaged  are  to  be  treated  as  prison- 
ers of  war,  and  sent  with  an  armed  guard  to  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama, 
and  held  in  jail  till  the  end  of  the  war. 
Such  as  come  in  voluntarily,  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  surren- 
der their  arms  are  alone  to  be  treated  with  leniency,  t 

Some,  I  know  not  how  many,  were  found  guilty  by  a 
"drum-head  court  martial"  and  hung. 

As  a  general  thing  these  bands  of  traitors  would  dis- 
band and  Bee  to  the  mountains  on  the  approach  of  an 
armed  force  of  Confederates,  therefore  it  was  a  difficult 
matter  to  do  any  thing  with  them. 

While  W.  B.  Carter  was  in  East  Tennessee  arousing 
a  spirit  of  rebellion  there,  ex-Governor  Andrew  Johnson 
was  with  the  Federal  army  at  London,  Kentucky,  urg- 
ing upon  and  pleading  with  Generals  Schoepf  and 
Thomas  to  move  forward  into  East  Tennessee.  In  fact, 
this  "forward  movement"  had  been  so  often  urged  by 
Johnson,  Maynard,  the  Carters  and  others  of  East  Ten- 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  250. 
t  Rebellon  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  701. 


November,  1861.  71> 


nessee,  that  it  had  become  quite  annoying  to  the  Fed- 
eral commanders,  as  the  following  correspondence  will 
show. 

On  November  7th,  General  Thomas  wrote  thus  to 
Johnson : 

Your  favor  of  the  6th  instant  is  at  hand.  I  have  done  all  in  my 
power  to  get  troops  and  transportation  and  means  to  advance  into 
East  Tennessee.  I  believe  General  Sherman  at  (Louisville)  has  done 
the  same.     Up  to  this  time  we  have  been  unsuccessful. 

If  the  Tennesseans  are  not  content  and  must  go,  then  the  risk  of 
disaster  will  remain  with  them.  ....... 

In  conclusion  I  will  add  that  I  am  here  ready  to  obey  orders,  and 
earnestly  hope  that  the  troops  at  London  will  see  the  necessity  of 
doing  the  same.* 

At  the  same  time  Thomas  addressed  a  letter  to 
Schoepf  as  follows : 

I  find  it  necessary  to  reply  to   Governor  Johnson's  letter  in  the 
manner  of  the  foregoing,  which  I  send  to  you  for  your  information. 
It  is  time  that  discontented  persons  should  be  silenced,  both  in  and 
out  of  the  service.  .  .  .  ...... 

.1  hope  you  will  therefore  see  the  necessity  of  dealing  decidedly 
with  such  people,  and  you  have  my  authority  and  orders  for  doing 
so.  We  must  learn  to  abide  our  time,  or  we  shall  never  be  success- 
ful, f 

On  the  8th,  Schoepf  replied  to  the  above  thus  : 

Yours  of  the  7th  instant,  with  copy  of  letter  to  Governor  John- 
son, is  before  me,  and  it  is  with  extreme  satisfaction  that  I  note  the 
decided  manner  in  which  the  case  is  laid  down  to  Governor  Johnson. 

This  outside  pressure  has  become  intolerable,  and  must  be  met 
with  firmness,  or  the  army  may  as  well  be  disbanded. 

With  importunate  citizens  on  one  side  and  meddlesome  reporters- 
for  papers  on  the  other,  I  can  scarce  find  time  to  attend  to  the  appro- 
priate duties  of  my  position.  By  the  way,  cannot  something  be  done 
to  rid  our  camps  of  this  latter  class?     I  have  really  reached  that  point 


*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  342  and  343. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  347. 


W  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

that  I  am  afraid  to  address  my  staff  officer  above  a  whisper  in  my  own 
tent.* 

Though,  in  place  of  a  forward,  the  Federals  made  a 
retrograde,  movement  from  London  soon  after  the  above 
•correspondence. 

On  the  13th,  General  Schoepf  set  out  from  London 
to  join  General  Thomas  at  Crab  Orchard,  with  all  the 
troops  camped  there,  except  the  First  and  Second  Ten- 
nessee and  Third  Kentucky  (Colonel  T.  T.  Garrard), 
which  remained  at  London,  under  the  command  of  Col- 
■onel  S.  P.  Carter  (Second  Tennessee. )f 

If  you  will  excuse  me,  dear  reader,  for  the  above  di- 
gression, I  shall  now  return  to  Jacksborough  and  take 
up  the  movements  of  Zollicoffer's  Brigade. 

Siinday,  lotJi. — Colonel  Powell's  Regiment,  as  pre- 
viously mentioned,  was  detached,  and  ordered  to  report 
to  Colonel  W.  B.  Wood  at  Knoxville.  Colonel  Mc- 
Nairy  moved  his  camp  from  six  miles  south  to  a  point 
three  miles  north  of  Jacksborough. 

Monday,  nth. — Zollicoffer's  infantry  was  now  busily 
engaged  blockading  the  gaps  in  Cumberland  Mountain, 
near  Jacksborough,  under  the  direction  of  his  engineer, 
Captain  V.  Sheliha,  while  his  cavalry  was  picketing, 
scouting,  watching  the  by-ways  by  which  the  tories 
would  be  likely  to  attempt  to  pass  into  Kentucky,  aiding 
in  putting  down  the  rebellion,  of  which  we  have  been 
speaking,  and  seizing  all  the  arms  that  could  be  found 
in  possession  of  Union  citizens.  And  thus  the  brigade 
was  employed  for  about  seven  days  after  the  above 
date. 

Saturday,   i6th. — According   to   orders   from  brigade 

*  Rebellion   Records,  \''ol.  IV.,  p.  347. 

tSee  Carter  to  H.  Maynard,  Rebeflion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  468. 


November,  1861. 


headquarters,  Captain  Allison's  Company  was  detached 
from  First  Battalion,  and  proceeded  from  Jacksborough 
to  Wartburg",  Morgan  County,  where  they  arrived  the 
next  day,  and  remained  there  until  the  brigade  came 
up.  Allison  was  instructed  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  tor 
tories,  and  guard  any  stores  that  might  be  sent  to  that 
point  from  Knoxville  for  the  brigade. 

Sunday,  ijtJi.  —  Having  blockaded  the  roads  over  the 
mountains  near  Jacksborough,  and  believing  the  fortifi- 
cations at  Cumberland  Gap  very  strong,  our  General 
did  not  think  an  army  train  of  the  enemy  could  pass  the 
mountains  anywhere  between  the  Pound  Gap,  in  Virginia, 
and  Jacksborough,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles.*  Therefore,  leaving  orders  for  his  bri- 
gade to  take  up  the  line  of  march  again  the  next  morn- 
ing in  the  direction  of  Wartburg,  General  Zollicoffer 
went  in  person  to  Knoxville  to  obtain  more  definite  in- 
formation of  the  state  of  things  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad  and  among  the  tories  generally. 

Monday,  i8tli. — According  to  orders  previously  men- 
tioned, what  was  left  of  Zollicoffer's  Brigade  took  up 
the  line  of  march  again  from  Jacksborough,  going  by 
way  of  Clinton,  county  seat  of  Anderson  County,  where 
McNairy's  Battalion  halted  for  two  days,  while  the  rest 
of  the  brigade  moved  on  to  Wartburg. 

VVedjiesday,  20th. — Setting  out  from  Clinton,  the  First 
Battalion  moved  about  fifteen  miles  and  camped  on  the 
Wartburg  road,  in  the  north  corner  of  Roane  County. 

Having  set  out  from  Knoxville  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  17th,  General  Zollicoffer  rejoined  the  brigade  at 
Wartburg,  19th,  and  on  the  20th  he  wTote  to  A.  S. 
Johnston  as  follows  : 

•■•"  Rebellion  Records,  \o\.  I\'.,  p.  244. 

6 


82  E.  E.  Hakcock's  Diary. 

I  am  moving  as  expeditiously  as  possible,  with  four  and  a  half 
infantry  regiments,  a  battalion  of  cavalry  and  Rutledge's  Artillery,  to 
unite  with  Stanton's  command  (his  and  Murray's  regiments  and  Mc- 
Clellan's  cavalry)  beyond  Jamestown,  with  a  view  of  taking  a  strong 
position  on  the  Cumberland  River  beyond  Monticello 

I  hope,  by  scouring  the  country  on  the  north  bank  down  to 
l^urkesville  occasionally,  to  command  the  river,  and  draw  supplies 
from  Nashville  when  the  roads  to  Knoxville  are  bad.  From  this 
camp  as  a  base  of  operations  I  hope  in  mild  weather  to  penetrate  the 
country  towards  London  or  Danville,  or  in  other  directions,  and. 
command  the  approaches  to  Cumberland  Gap  or  Jacksborough. 

.     .      I  sent  a   few   men    up  to   Greeneville   to   arrest  Andrew 
Johnson's  sons  and  son-in-law.^ 

According  to  ZoUicoffer's  official  report,  the  following 
shows  the  aggregate  present  at  Wartburg  : 

Sixteenth  Alabama  (battalion),  401  ;  P^ifteenth  Missis- 
sippi, 701  ;  Seventeenth  Tennessee  (Newman),  538  ; 
Nineteenth  Tennessee  (Cummings),  603  ;  Twentieth 
Tennessee  (Battle),  d},']  ;  McNairy's  Battalion,  341  ; 
and  Rutledge's  Battery  (eight  guns),  126 — total,  3,565, 
but  only  2,995  were  able  for  duty.  Thirty-five  of  Mc- 
Nairy's Battalion  were  reported  absent. f 

Zollicoffer  ordered  Colonel  Stanton,  with  his  regi- 
ment. Colonel  Murray's  Regiment  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  McClellan's  Battalion  of  cavalry,  encamped  at 
Camp  McGinnis,  some  ten  miles  north  of  Jamestown, 
to  make  a  rapid  and  stealthy  forward  movement  to  cap- 
ture as  many  ferry-boats  as  possible  along  the  Cumber- 
land River,  between  Burkesville  and  Mill  Springs.;]; 

Thursday,  21st. — Our  battalion  moved  from  the  north 
corner  of  Roane  County  to  within  one  mile  and  a  half 
of  Wartburg,  where  we  remained  for  two  days  waiting 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  686. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  687. 
\  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  6go. 


November,  1861.  83 


for  some  clothing  that  was  on  the  way  to  us  from  Knox- 
ville. 

General  Zollicoffer  moved  from  Wartburof  in  the  di- 
rection  of  Jamestown,  with  the  infantry  and  artillery. 

Friday,  22d. — Now  being  anxious  to  go  forward  in 
advance  of  the  brigade,  to  overtake  Colonel  Stanton  in 
order  to  ascertain  whether  he  had  put  his  command  in 
motion,  as  directed  on  the  20th,  or  not,  Zollicoffer  sent 
a  messenger  back  to  Wartburg  that  morning  after  Cap- 
tain Allison's  Company,*  which  had  been  stationed  at 
that  place  since  the  17th,  while  he  moved  on  with  the 
brigade  to  Jamestown. 

Captain  Allison  set  out  from  Wartburg  with  about 
twenty-five  of  his  company  immediately  after  the  arrival 
of  the  above-named  messenger,  and  by  a  forced  march 
arrived  at  Zollicoffer's  headquatters,  at  Jamestown,  a 
little  after  dark — distance,  about  thirty-five  miles. 

SatiLi'day,  2jd. — Leaving  instructions  for  the  brigade 
to  follow.  General  Zollicoffer  and  his  staff,  with  Captain 
Allison  and  twenty-five  of  his  company  as  escort,  left 
Jamestown  early  in  the  morning,  and,  pressing  forward 
to  -overtake  Colonel  Stanton,  they  found  him  just  at 
night  encamped  not  far  from  ^Albany,  Kentucky. 

Sunday,  z^th. — The  clothing  for  our  battalion  having 
been  received  and  distributed,  Colonel  McNairy  again 
took  up  the  line  of  march,  and,  passing  through  Wart- 
burg, encamped  for  the  night  some  fourteen  miles  from 
that  place  on  the  Jamestown  road. 

The  main  portion  of  our  brigade  camped  within  eight 
miles  of  Albany,  where  Zollicoffer  awaited  their  arrival, 

*  Zollicoffer  had  no  regular  escort.  The  writer,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  Alli- 
son's Company,  moved  with  the  First   Battalion. 


84  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

while  Colonel  Stanton  pressed  on  in  the  direction  of 
Mill  Springs,  Kentucky,  with  two  regiments  and  Mc- 
Clellan's  Battalion  of  cavalry. 

Monday,  2§th. — It  was  now  very  cold,  and  the  ground 
was  frozen  hard  all  day,  in  consequence  of  which  our 
wagon  train  did  not  get  as  far  as  Jamestown.  In  place 
of  moving  with  his  train,  or  at  least  going  no  further 
than  it  could  go  over  the  frozen  roads,  McKairy  pressed 
on  through  Jamestown,  down  Cumberland  Mountain  to 
Camp  McGinnis  on  Wolf  River — a  march  of  about 
thirty-one  miles.  The  result  was  his  men  were  without 
tents  and  rations  one  very  cold  night,  and  until  late  in 
the  afternoon  the  next  day.* 

The  following  explains  itself: 

Headquarters, 
Knoxville,  November  26,  1861. 
Hon.  J.  P.  Benjamin,  Secretary  of  JJar: 

Sn-!. — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  I  arrived  here  on  Saturday 
last,  by  order  of  General  ZoUicoffer,  and  assumed  command  of  this 
post  on  Sunday.  I  found  stationed  here  Colonel  Wood's  Battalion 
and  several  companies  of  infantry  and  cavalry. 

.  .  .  There  are  now  in  custody  here  about  seventy  persons, 
many  of  whom,  it  is  believed,  were  either  directly  or  indirectly  con- 
nected with  the  burning  of  the  railroad  bridges.  Colonel  Wood 
(Sixteenth  Alabama),  who  was  in  command  here  before  my  arrival, 
had  in  contemplation  a  court-martial  for  the  trial  of  those  upon 
whom  proof  of  guilt  seemed  to  be  strong.  I  concurred  with  him, 
and  ordered  the  meeting  on  the  28th. 

It  is  important  that  steam  power  should  be  secured  for  the  purpose 

■•■■'As  I  was  just  out  of  a  spell  of  fever,  I  did  not  wish  to  take  the  frozen 
ground  that  night  without  even  a  tent  for  shelter,  so  I  rode  over  to  my  friend 
Lathan's,  with  whom  I  staid  while  sick  of  the  measles  in  September  (about  one 
mile  from  Camp  McGinnis),  to  see  if  I  could  get  to  lodge  with  him  another 
night.  As  I  neared  his  house,  and  before  I  saw  him,  he  called  out,  "Yes,  you 
may  get  down."  I  yet  feel  grateful  to  Mr.  Lathan  for  the  comforts  of  that 
night. 


November,  1861.  85 


of  driving  the  machinery  necessary  in  the  alterations  of  arms.  I 
therefore  took  possession  of  the  printing  establishment  of  Rrownlow. 
The  steam  engine  and  building  are  suitable  for  our  purposes,  and  it 
was  the  only  one  that  could  be  procured  here. 

Brownlow  has  left,  and  no  certain  information  of  his  whereabouts 
can  be  obtained.  It  is,  however,  certain  that  he  is  aiding  and  abet- 
ting our  enemies. 

With  high  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

•  Wm.   H.   Carroll, 

Brigadier-  General  Commanding.  * 

lVednesda)\  2/'th. — Our  battalion  marched  (about  four- 
teen miles)  from  Camp  McGinnis  to  within  five  miles  of 
Albany,  the  county  seat  of  Clinton  County,  Kentucky. 

From  his  headquarters,  thirteen  miles  west  of  Monti- 
cello,  Zollicoffer  wrote,  under  the  above  date,  to  General 
S.  Cooper,  Adjutant  and  Inspector- General,  Richmond, 
Virginia,  thus  : 

Two  regiments  cross  the  river  to-day  at  Mill  Springs  to  endeavor 
to  cut  off  eight  hundred  of  the  enemy  at  Waitsborough,  nine  miles 
above.  A  mail  from  Columbia  to  Monticello  has  been  captured,  by 
which  we  learn  that  there  are  two  battalions  of  cavalry  and  two  regi- 
ments of  infantry  at  Columbia. 

They  had  heard  of  my  advance  and  heard  my  force  was  nine  thou- 
sand. This  they  doubt,  but  think  if  it  is  true  they  will  have  to  re- 
treat for  want  of  numbers.  I  learn  that  General  Thomas  is  at  Crab 
Orchard,  but  have  no  reliable  intelligence  of  forces  other  than  those 
at  Columbia  and  Waitsborough. 

I  have  sent  detachments  of  cavalry  to  examine  the  ferries  at 
Burkesville,  and  Creelsborough,  seventeen  miles  above  Burkesville, 
also  to  get  more  particular  information  of  the  ferries  and  roads  cross- 
ing at  Dorothea  Landing  and  Horse-Shoe  Bottom.  It  is  now  certain 
there  is  no  enemy  this  side  of  the  Cumberland. f 

TJiursdax,  28th. — Accordincr  to  orders  from  General 
Zollicoffer,   Colonel   McXairy   went   out   to    Burkesville 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  pp.  704  and  705. 
t  Rebellion  Rej   id>,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  706. 


86  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


with  a  scout  of  seventy-six  men.  The  writer  had  suffi- 
ciently recovered  to  be  able  to  go  with  that  scout. 

Burkesville,  the  county  seat  of  Cumberland  County, 
is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Cumberland  River,  some 
eighteen  miles  north-west  from  Albany.  McNairy 
bivouacked  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  opposite  to 
Burkesville.  He  threw  a  few  of  his  men  across  the 
river,  but  they  found  no  enemy  in  town. 

Friday,  2gth. — We  returned  to  camps  a  little  after 
dark  at  the  same  place  we  started  from  the  morning  be- 
fore.     It  was  a  cold,  rainy  day. 

We  learned  that  quite  a  sad  aftair  had  happened  in 
camps  that  day — the  result  of  card  playing.  W.  K. 
Natcher  had  shot  and  killed  George  Aiken.  Natcher 
was  put  under  arrest.      Both  from  Company  A. 

On  the  above  date.  Colonel  T.  E.  Bramlette,  who  was 
stationed  at  Columbia  with  his  regiment  (First  Ken- 
tucky Infantry)  and  a  part  of  Wolford's  and  Haggard's 
Cavalry,  made  the  following  report  of  our  visit  to 
Burkesville,  in  a  dispatch  addressed  to  General  G.  H. 
Thomas : 

I  received  a  dispatch  before  day  this  morning  from  Burkesville 
that  two  hundred  rebel  cavalry  were  at  the  ferry  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river.  A  few  of  them  crossed  over  and  went  to  Boles',  saw  and 
arranged  with  him  and  his  partners  for  the  slaughter  of  hogs,  and  re- 
turned. I'he  courier  informed  me  that  the  men  who  are  acting  for 
the  rebels  are  killing  and  packing  a  large  number  of  hogs  at  Burkes- 
ville, viz  :  J.  B.  Alexander,  J.  R.  Ryan,  James  and  Sam  Boles,  nnd 
Robert  Cross. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  steamboats  will  be  up  in  a  few  days  and  carry 
off  the  large  amount  of  pork,  wheat,  etc.,  the  rebels  are  gathering 
upon  the  river.  The  rebels  are  now  in  possession  of  the  river  from 
Mill  Springs  down.  .  ...  ..... 

I  sent  Colonel  Wolford  to  the  aid  of  Colonel  Haskins  with  five 
hundred  cavalry,  embracing  part  of  Colonel  Haggard's  command. 


November,  1861.  87 


As  I  have  before  advised,  the  rebels  are  at  Mill  Springs,  in  force 
about  eight  thousand,  but  as  yet  have  not  crossed  the  river,  and  I  do 
not  believe  will. 

Colonel  Haskins,  with  his  regiment,  the  Fourth*  Ken- 
tucky Infantry,  was  now  encamped  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Cumberland,  some  ten  miles  above  MilkSprings. 

General  ZoUicoffer,  having  reached  the  vicinity  of 
Mill  Springs  late  in  the  afternoon,  established  his  head- 
quarters at  one  Mr.  A.  R.  West's,  within  about  one  mile 
of  the  river.  As  a  portion  of  Captain  Allison's  com- 
pany had  gone  through  with  the  General,  and  was  still 
acting  as  escort  for  him,  Allison  and  his  men  put  up  at 
the  same  place. 

Colonel  Stanton,  who  had  arrived  at  Mill  Springs 
with  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  McClellan's  Battal- 
ion and  Sanders'  company  of  cavalry,  about  two  days  in 
advance  of  ZoUicoffer,  had  failed  to  secure  any  boats, 
from  the  fact  that  Colonel  Haskins  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  have  them  sunk  ;  and  for  want  of  transporta- 
he  (Stanton)  had  failed  to  cross  the  river,  as  directed  by 
ZoUicoffer,  to  cut  off  Haskins'  Regiment. 

Saturday,  joth. — According  to  orders  from  our  Gen- 
eral, Colonel  McNairy,  setting  out  from  his  camp,  five 
miles  south  of  Albany,  with  about  seventy-five  of  his 
battalion,  went  to  the  Cumberland  above  Burkesville. 
When  our  advance  guard  got  in  sight  of  the  river  a 
boat  was  crossing  to  the  north  bank  with  seven  men 
and  five  horses.  As  a  portion  of  the  men  were  Federal 
soldiers,  a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  the  ferryman  and 
one  soldier  were  wounded.  None  of  our  boys  were 
hurt.  The  ferryman,  who  lived  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  brought  his  boat  back  to  our  side.      We  destroyed 

*  Afterward  the  Twelfth. 


88  E.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary. 


two  ferry-boats  and  two  canoes  at  that  ferry,  and  one 
boat  at  another.  McNairy  allowed  his  men  to  scatter 
in  order  to  hunt  quarters  for  the  night.  The  writer 
and  about  twenty-four  others  put  up  with  our  wounded 
ferryman,  who  lived  half  a  mile  from  the  river. 

Sunday,  December  ist. — Just  before  sunrise  the  enemy 
opened  fire  on  us  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
As  we  did  not  wish  to  have  lead  mixed  with  our  breakfast 
(fearing  it  would  not  digest  well),  we  moved  back  about 
seven  miles  from  the  river  and  took  breakfast  without 
the  lead.  McNairy,  having  collected  his  men  together, 
returned  to  camps,  which  he  found  four  miles  from  Al- 
bany, on  the  Monticello  road,  and  within  fourteen  miles 
of  the  latter  place.  Camps  had  been  moved  about  nine 
miles. 

General  Zollicoffer,  with  a  small  detachment  of  In- 
fantry and  cavalry,  proceeded  to  reconnoiter  from  the 
south  bank  Colonel  Haskin's  camp,  nine  miles  above 
Mill  Springs,  on  the  North  bank  of  the  river.  Many  of 
the  enemy's  tents  were  in  full  view,  and  they  came  out 
and  fired  on  our  men  with  small  arms  and  one  twelve- 
pounder  howitzer.  Our  men  returned  the  fire,  but  the 
distance  was  too  2"reat  for  small  arms  to  be  of  material 
service.*  Our  General  returned  to  his  headquarters  at 
Mr.  West's. 

General  Albin  Schoepf,  having  pressed  on  in  advance 
of  his  brigade,  arrived  at  Colonel  Haskins'  camp  on  the 
above  date.f 

Mo)ida)\  2d.  —  Our  General  took  up  four  pieces  of 
artillery  and  soon    shelled   Col.    Haskins'    Kentuckians 

*  Rebellion  Records,  \"ul.  \'II.,  ]i.   lo. 
t  Uaid.,  p.  7. 


Decembkr,  18G1.  8{> 


out  of  their  encampment,  causing  them  to  strike  tents 
precipitately  and  retire  out  of  sight,  after  which  ZoUi- 
coffer  returned  to  Mr.  West's. 

In  the  meantime  our  commander  was  building  ferry- 
boats at  Mill  Springs  as  rapidly  as  possible,  by  means 
of  which  he  hoped  soon  to  be  able  to  cross  to  a  good 
position  in  the  bend  of  the  river,  on  the  north  bank,  op- 
posite Mill  Springs.  Some  lumber  and  a  saw-mill, 
which  were  found  at  Mill  Springs,  aided  materially  in 
constructinof  boats. 

Tuesday,  jd. — McNairy's  Battalion  moved  up  to 
"  Camp  Hall,"  within  seven  miles  of  Monticello  and 
within  sixteen  miles  of  Mill  Springs,  where  it  remained 
several  days. 

Having  learned  that  one  of  my  brothers,  W.  C.  Han- 
cock, was  sick  at  headquarters,  I  went  to  see  and  wait 
on  him.  On  reaching  Mr.  West's  I  found  that  J.  W. 
Kennedy,  E.  L.  Ewing,  B.  F.  Odom.  and  John  Herri- 
man,  all  belonging  to  Allison's  company,  were  sick,  as 
well  as  my  brother.  Notwithstanding  Mr.  West  was  a 
"Union  man,"  he  was  very  kind  to  us,  especially  to  our 
sick  boys. 

Wednesday,  ^.tli. — General  Zollicoffer  threw  over  the 
first  small  cavalry  picket  at  Mill  Springs. 

Colonel  J.  M.  Connell  set  out  from  Somerset  early 
that  morninpf  with  his  reo^iment,  Seventeenth  Ohio,  three 
pieces  of  artillery  and  a  company  of  cavalry,  with  in- 
structions to  move  to  the  river  and  plant  his  artillery  so 
as  to  command  the  ferry  at  Mill  Springs,  in  order  to 
prevent  Zollicofter's  crossing  at  that  point.  Leaving  his 
main  force  some  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  river, 
Colonel    Connell  went   forward  with   Captain   Ricketts 


•90  E,.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


and  Lieutenant  Fife,  of  the  artillery,  to  make  a  personal 
reconnoissance.  On  meeting  our  cavalry  before  reach- 
ing the  river  at  Mill  Springs,  they  (our  men.)  opened 
fire  and  gave  chase,  and  the  Colonel  very  narrowly  es- 
caped capture. 

I  take  the  following  from  Connell's  official  report : 

In  turning  a  sharp  angle  my  saddle  turned,  girth  broke,  and  I  was 
thrown  within  one  hundred  yards  of  them,  and  but  for  the  noble  con- 
duct and  cool  bravery  of  Captain  Ricketts  I  would  have  been  killed 
or  captured.  He  got  off  his  horse  and  waited  until  I  ran  up  to  him 
and  gave  me  his  horse,  while  he  escaped  into  the  woods.* 

Our  men  got  the  Colonel's  saddle,  one  pistol,  and 
some  other  equipments.  Connell  moved  his  force  back 
to  a  position  behind  Fishing  Creek,  some  twelve  miles 
from  Mill  Springs,  thus  leaving  the  way  open  for  Zolli- 
coffer  to  cross. 

Thursday,  ^tk. — Our  commander  commenced  throw- 
ing his  main  force  to  the  north  side  of  the  river.  His 
cavalry  pickets  captured,  six  miles  north  of  the  river, 
after  a  chase  of  more  than  a  mile.  Major  F.  W.  Hel- 
veti,  of  the  First  Kentucky  Cavalry  (Wolford),  Captain 
Prime,  of  New  York,  engineer  officer  of  General  Buell's 
staff,  and  a  corporal,  W.  F.  Hudson,  of  Colonel  Has- 
kin's  Kentucky  Regiment.  The  Major  and  Captain 
were  severely  wounded,  the  former  in  the  arm  and  the 
latter  in  the  leg.  They,  all  three,  were  sent  back  to 
Mr.  West's  and  placed  in  the  care  of  Captain  Allison. 
So  we  guarded  them  for  about  nine  days. 

Friday,  6th. — ils  Zollicofter  had  by  that  afternoon 
thrown  a  good  portion  of  his  command  to  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  he  moved  his  headquarters  from  Mr. 
West's  to  Mill  Springs. 

*RebelIion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  475. 


December,  1861,  91 


General  Shoepf  became  so  alarmed  at  the  movements 
of  Zollicoffer  on  yesterday,  that  he  fell  back  with  his 
entire  company  last  night  to  a  position  three  miles  north 
of  Somerset.* 

Fishing  Creek  runs  south  into  the  Cumberland  five 
miles  above  Mill  Springs,  and  lies  between  that  place 
and  Somerset.  One  road  to  the  latter  place  crossed 
Fishing  Creek  seven  miles  from  Mill  Springs,  and  the 
other  eleven.  The  enemy  had  thrown  up  fortifications 
.at  the  more  distant  crossing. 

Saturday,  jth. — Our  men  were  still  very  busily  en- 
gaged crossing  the  river  and  intrenching  (at  "Beech 
Grove  ")  on  the  north  bank. 

A  cavalry  scout  crossed  fishing  Creek  at  the  upper 
crossing,  passed  through  the  fortifications  on  the  east 
bank  and  returned  without  meeting  any,  not  even  a 
picket,  of  the  enemy. 

Sttnday.  8th. — Brother  Ben  and  four  others  of  Alli- 
son's Company  left  Mr.  West's  to  rejoin  our  battalion 
at  Camp  Hall,  seven  miles  beyond  Monticello. 

Zollicoffer  sent  out  two  companies  of  cavalry  to  see  if 
they  could  learn  what  had  become  of  the  enemy.  Be- 
fore reaching  the  upper  ford  on  Fishing  Creek  they 
found  a  Federal  cavalry  picket,  consisting  of  one  com- 
pany of  Wolford's  Regiment,  under  Captain  Dillon. 

This  company  broke  and  a  lively  chase  ensued. 

Lieutenant  Dine  was  posted  a  little  beyond  the  upper 
ford,  on  the  road  leading  to  Somerset,  with  about  thirty 
infantry  from  the  Thirty-fifth  Ohio  f  (Colonel  Van  Der- 
veer).  Dillon's  fugitives  refused  to  halt  or  give  Dine's 
men  any  assistance,  but  pressed  on  to  camp  near  Som- 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  476. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  \o\.  VII.,  p.  9. 


92  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

erset.*  When  our  men  struck  the  infantry  picket  above 
mentioned,  they  (the  enemy)  were  soon  killed,  captured 
or  dispersed,  after  which  our  cavalry  followed  Dillon's 
men  nearly  to  Somerset.  According  to  Zollicoffer's  re- 
,  port,t  the  enemy's  loss  was  ten  killed  and  sixteen  cap- 
tured, one  of  whom  was  badly  wounded;  and  our  loss 
one  man-  and  one  horse  wounded,  and  two  horses  killed. 
I  take  the  following  from  Colonel  Van  Derveer's  re- 
port :  J 

We  killed  one  of  their  officers  in  command  of  the  advance,  one  of 
their  horses,  and  captured  one  horse.  Our  own  loss  was  one  killed, 
one  wounded,  and  fifteen  missing. 

In  reference  to  the  above  affair  General  Schoepf  wrote 
to  General  Thomas  thus: 

The  cavalry  under  my  command,  as  usual,  behaved  badly.  They 
are  a  nuisance,  and  the  sooner  they  are  disbanded  the  better. 

Is  there  no  such  thing  as  obtaining  a  regiment  of  reliable  cavalry? 
Such  a  regiment  is  indispensable  with  this  brigade  at  this  time.  The 
absence  of  such  troops  has  kept  me  in  the  saddle  until  I  am  nearly 
worn  down  with  fatigue. § 

Monday,  gth. — General  Zollicoffer  now  had  with  him 
six  and  a  half  regiments  of  infantry,  a  six-pounder  bat- 
tery of  eight  guns,  and  McNairy's,  Branner's  and  Mc- 
Clellan's  Battalions  of  cavalry  ;  also  two  companies  of 
Brazelton's  Battalion,  and  two  independent  companies, 
commanded  by  Captains  Bledsoe  and  Sanders.  Total, 
about  five  thousand  five  hundred  present  tor  duty.  Two 
regiments  of  infantry,  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  Mc- 
Nairy's Battalion  were  left  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  ;   all  the  other  troops  were  now  encamped   on  the- 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  9. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  10. 

j  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  9. 
(^Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  8. 


December,  1861.  93 


north  bank,  opposite   Mill   Springs,  intrenching  as  rap- 
idly as  possible. 

General  D.  C.  Buell  was  now  in  command  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Ohio,  with  headquarters  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  General  G.  H.  Thomas  was  in  command  of 
First  Division  of  Buell's  army,  with  headquarter's  at 
Lebanon,  Kentucky.  Thomas's  Division,  which  was 
now  in  front  of  Zollicoffer,  was  composed  of  five  bri- 
gades, four  regiments  each,  distributed  as  follows  :  The 
First  Brigade,  under  Brigadier-General  A.  Schoepf,  was 
now  at  Somerset;  the  Second,  under  Colonel  M,  D. 
Manson,  and  Third,  under  Colonel  R.  L.  McCook,  were 
posted  at  Lebanon  ;  the  Eleventh  Brigade,  under  Brig- 
adier-General J.  T.  Boyle,  at  Columbia;  and  two  regi- 
ments of  the  Twelfth  Brigade,  the  First  and  Second 
East  Tennessee,  under  Colonel  S.  P.  Carter,  set  out 
from  London  on  the  7th,  and  arrived  at  Somerset  on 
the  9th  instant,  leaving  Garrard's  Kentucky  Regiment 
at  London.  Carter's  other  regiment,  the  Thirty-first 
Ohio,  was  at  Camp  Dick  Robinson.* 

Besides  his  own  brigade,  which  was  composed  of  the 
Thirty-third  Indiana,  Colonel  John  Coburn  ;  Seven- 
teenth Ohio,  Colonel  J.  M.  Connell ;  Twelfth  Kentucky, 
Colonel  W.  A.  Haskins,  and  Thirty-eighth  Ohio,  Colo- 
nel E.  D.  Bradley;  General  Schoepf  had  with  him  at 
Somerset  the  Thirty-fifth  Ohio,  Colonel  F.  Van  Der- 
veer.,  from  McCook's  Brigade  ;  First  East  Tennessee, 
Colonel  R.  K.  Byrd  ;  Second  East  Tennessee,  Colonel 
J.  P.  T.  Carter,  from  S.  P.  Carter's  Brigade  ;  First  Ken- 
tucky Cavalry,  Colonel  Frank  Wolford,  and  ten  pieces 
of  artillery. f 

*See  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  461,  467,  479  and  480. 
tSee  Rebellion  Records,  \'ol.  VII.,  pp.  479,  484  and  486. 


94  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Schoepf  and  Carter  were  now  greatly  alarmed,  and 
calling  loudly  on  General  Thomas  for  re-enforcements. 

On  the  same  date  under  which  I  am  now  writing,  the 
former  wrote  to  Thomas  thus  : 

From  the  above  you  must  see  the  necessity  of  my  being  immedi- 
ately reenforced.  My  communications  for  the  last  seven  or  eight 
days  have,  I  think,  fully  shown  this  necessity.* 

On  the  same  day  Carter  wrote  to  Thomas  as  follows : 
From  the  best  information  I  have  had,  our  position  is  rather  a 
critical  one.  The  force  of  the  enemy,  even  at  the  lowest  estimate,  is 
nearly  double  ours,  and  they  are  but  some  seven  miles  off.  We  cer- 
tainly need  reenforcements,  and  I  hope  they  will  be  sent  forward  be- 
fore we  are  attacked  by  such  unequal  odds.t 

Zollicoffer  had  only  four  and  a  half  regiments  of  in- 
fantry and  six  pieces  of  artillery  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  while  Schoepf  had  seven  regiments  of  infantry 
and  ten  pieces  of  artillery  at  Somerset.  And  in  place 
of  being  near  Fishing  Creek,  seve7i  miles  from  Somer- 
set, he  was  encamped  near  the  river  sixteen  miles  Irom 
that  place. 

Tuesday,  loth. — All  of  our  company,  except  eight, 
had  rejoined  the  battalion  at  Camp  Hall.  Our  sick 
boys  and  wounded  prisoners — still  at  Mr.  West's — were 
improving. 

McNairy's  scouts,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  con- 
tinued to  be  annoyed  by  the  enemy's  firing  across  the 
river  at  them  from  Rowena,  some  thirty  miles  below 
Mill  Springs.  Zollicoffer  having  now  "determined  to 
punish  the  enemy"  at  that  place,  ordered  McNairy  to 
go  down  the  south  side  of  the  river  the  next  day  to  a 
point  opposite  Rowena,  while   another   detachment  of 

*  See  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  pp.  479,  484  and  486. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  486. 


December,  1861.  95 


cavalry  was  to  go  from   Beech  Grove*   down  the  north 

side  to  the  same  place. 

As  our  Heutenants  were  either  sick  or  absent,  Mc- 
Nairy  sent  up  a  request  for  Captain  AHison  to  rejoin 
the  battahon  at  Camp  Hall,  in  order  to  take  command 
of  his  company  on  the  Rowena  trip  the  next  day.  But 
as  Zollicoffer  was  not  willing  to  let  our  Captain  go,  the 
latter  sent  his  orderly,  John  D.  McLin,  to  take  charge 
of  our  company. 

IVeduesday,  iitk. — According  to  orders  previously 
mentioned,  McNairy,  having  set  out  from  Camp  Hall 
with  his  battalion  early  in  the  morning,  got  to  the  river 
opposite  Rowena  in  advance  of  the  detachment  from 
Beech  Grove,  and  ordered  Serjeant  McLin  to  cross  the 
river  with  Company  E  and  enter  the  town  of  Rowena, 
if  he  did  not  meet  a  superior  force.  McLin  crossed 
and  boldly  entered  the  town  with  about  thirty  men  dis- 
mounted ;  but  he  found  no  organized  force  of  Federals 
there,  and  if  any  home  guards  were  there  they  did  not 
make  any  show  of  resistance.  About  this  time  our 
cavalry  from  Beech  Grove  came  dashing  into  Rowena 
from  an  opposite  direction,  and  a  warm  collision  was  now 
about  to  ensue,  but  both  parties  happily  discovered  their 
mistake  just  in  time  to  prevent  any  damage. 

After  McLin's  squad  had  recrossed  the  river  McNairy 
destroyed  the  ferry-boats  and  canoes  which  the  enemy 
had  collected  at  that  place. 

Our  Colonel  complimented  McLin  and  his  followers 
for  having  so  boldly  entered  the  enemy's  town,  unsup- 
ported, and  without  knowing  any  thing  about  what  force 
they  might  have  met. 

*  This  was  the  name  of  Zollicoffer's  camp  wn  the  north  side  of  the  river. 


t)6  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

I  suppose  that  it  was  only  "home  guards"  that  had 
been  annoying  our  scouts  at  Rowena,  and  that  they  fled 
on  hearing  of  the  approach  of  our  men. 

Tlmrsday,  i2tJi. — Our  battahon  returned  to  Camp 
Hall,  and  the  detachment  that  went  down  the  north  side 
of  the  river  returned  with  eleven  prisoners.  They  re- 
ported that  three  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and  that  one 
of  our  men  was  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  the 
river. 

When  the  news  reached  Columbia  last  night  that  the 
Confederates  were  at  Rowena,  General  Boyle  ordered 
a  part  of  Woliord's  and  a  part  of  Haggard's  cavalry  to 
Rowena  and  Creelsborough.*  The  latter  place  is  be- 
tween Rowena  and  Burkesville.  Wolford  followed  as 
far  as  Jamestown,  and  reported  that  our  men  lelt  that 
place  between  midnight  and  daylight  this  morning, f  but 
•Colonel  Haggard  reported  thus  : 

Creelsborough,  December  13,  1S61,  1  a.  m. 
■General  Boyle : 

Dear  Sir:  We  reached  this  place  at  dark,  expecting  an  attack 
every  moment  since  our  arrival.  I  placed  pickets  out  upon  every 
road  reaching  this  place. 

Our  pickets  from  the  Rowena  road  have  just  come  in,  bringing 
us  information  that  is  reliable  that  three  hundred  men  had  crossed  the 
river  at  that  point  this  evening,  and  a  large  force  on  the  opposite 
bank  were  crossing  (said  to  be  three  thousand  at  least). 

D.  R.  Hagcard, 
Colonel  Cavalry. \ 

Our  men  had  all  returned  to  their  camps  several 
hours  before  Colonel  Haggard  penned  the  above  ''reli- 
able ill  form  a  tion . ' ' 

"^Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  494. 

t  Ibid.,  p.  498. 

^Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  497. 


December,  1861.  97 


On  the  1 2th  General  Boyle  wrote  to  General  Thomas 
thus  : 

The  rebel  cavalry  who  crossed  the  Cumberland  into  Russell  County 
{at  Rowena)  have,  it  is  reported,  killed  fifty  or  sixty  of  the  loyal  and 
defenseless  citizens.* 

Though  he  wrote  as  follows  to  Thomas  the  next  day : 

The  people,  even  the  good  Union  people,  circulate  the  most  devil- 
ish lies  in  regard  to  the  enemy,  and  our  own  scouts,  without  they  are 
^selected  with  care,  are  not  reliable.  ...... 

The  rebels  were  at  Rowena  and  shot  two  or  three  men,  but  killed 
none.f 

Friday,  ijik. — I  helped  to  bury  Cousin  A.  N.  Ram- 
sey, who  had  died  of  fever  two  days  before.  He  was 
from  FrankUn  County,  Alabama,  and  a  member  of  the 
sixteenth  Alabama  Infantry.  He  was  buried  in  the 
honors  of  war,  near  Mr.  A.  R.  West's. 

Saturday,  14th. — Captain  Bledsoe's  Company  passed 
Mr.  West's  with  thirty  prisoners.  They  also  took  the 
three  that  we  had  been  guarding  since  the  5th.  Cap- 
tain Bledsoe  was  instructed  to  take  the  prisoners  to 
Gainesboro  and  send  them  by  steamer  to  Nashville. 
Captain  Wm.  L.  Horn,  Company  B,  First  Battalion,  went 
to  Nashville  with  these  prisoners.  His  horse  fell  on 
him  while  in  Nashville  and  broke  his  leg,  which  had  to 
be  amputated,  and  consequently  he  was  not  with  us  any 
more. 

Sunday,  i^th. — As  Captain  Allison  was  now  relieved 
from  escort  duty,  and  also  of  his  prisoners,  and  as  the 
sick  boys  were  improving,  he  and  I  went  to  camps, 
leaving  three  of  our  company  to  wait  on  the  four  sick. 

*  RebelHon  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  494. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  49S. 

7 


98  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


We  found  the  battalion  at  Camp   Hall,  where  I  left  it 
the  third  instant. 

Our  battalion  moved  about  ten  miles  that  afternoon 
and  camped  for  the  night  within  six  miles  of  Mill 
Springs. 

Monday  i6tJi. — According  to  orders  from  Zollicoffer,. 
McNairy  moved  his  battalion  back  to  Camp  Hall,  where 
he  remained  for  about  nine  days  longer. 

COMMENTARY. 

It  would  seem  that  while  at  Richmond,  in  the  latter 
part  of  last  month,  Major-General  George  B.  Crittenden 
was  directed  by  President  Davis  to  proceed  to  East 
Tennessee,  assume  command  of  all  the  forces  under 
Zollicoffer,  and  with  ten  additional  regiments,  to  be  fur- 
nished by  the  President,  move  into  Kentucky  at  once. 
Accordingly  Crittenden  arrived  at  Knoxville  and  as- 
sumed command  "  about  the  first  day  of  December."* 

On  the  6th  he  dispatched  for  the  ten  regiments, f 
and  on  the  8th  he  recived  the  following-  from  the  Secre- 
tary  of  War  : 

The  President  desires  that  you  return  to  Richmond  and  report  to 
him  without  delay,  ^l 

On  the  13th  he  was  ordered  to  return  to  his  depart- 
ment, which  he  did,  but  without  bringing  any  troops 
with  him. 

On  tke  1 6th  he  wrote  to  the  Adjutant  and  Inspector- 
General,  S.  Cooper,  at  Richmond,  as  follows  : 

General  Zollicoffer  is  threatened  by  a  much  superior  force  in  front 

■•''Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  '763. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  740. 
tibid.,  p.  745. 


December,  1861.  99 


and  one  nearly  equal  on  his  left  flank.  He  has  been  ordered  by  me 
to  recross  the  river. 

He  asks  for  six  pieces,  twenty-four  pounders  or  eight  inch  how- 
itzers. Colonel  Powell's  regiment  has  been  ordered  from  the  railroad 
to  join  Zollicoffer  immediately,  and  Colonel  Leadbetter  informed,  so 
that  he  can  replace  the  guard  it  withdraws. 

To  make  General  Carroll's  brigade  effective  it  is  necessary  to  ob- 
tain eight  hundred  muskets,  which  are  known  to  be  in  ordnance  office 
at  Memphis.  Please  order  William  R.  Hunt,  ordnance  officer  at  that 
point,  to  forward  them  immediately  to  this  place,  subject  to  my  order.* 

Three  citizens  from  the  vicinity  of  Auburn,  Cannon 
County,  Tennessee — Messrs.  Frankhn  Odom,  Henry 
Dougherty  and  Hop  Kennedy — arrived  at  Camp  Hall 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  above  date,  the  i6th.  Each  of 
them  had  sons,  and  also  many  other  relatives  and 
friends,  in  Captain  Allison's  Company.  They  came  to 
spend  a  few  days  with  us,  and  we  appreciated  and  en- 
joyed their  visit  very  much.  Three  of  our  company 
who  had  been  home  on  a  visit  and  two  recruits  came 
with  them. 

Tuesday,  lytk. — Zollicoffer  wrote  to  General  A.  S. 
Johnston  thus: 

Had  the  reserve  of  Powell's  Regiment,  Wood's  Battalion  and  Mc- 
Clung's  Battery  been  sent  on,  as  I  ordered,  I  could  have  advanced. 
But  I  can  hear  nothing  official  from  Knoxville  of  them. 

For  a  day  or  two  past  my  information  leads  to  the  suspicion  that 
the  enemy  contemplate  an  early  attack  upon  this  position. f 

.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Powell's  Regiment  was 
detached  from  the  brigade  at  Jacksborough  and  sent  to 
Knoxville  to  help  guard  the  railroad.  Colonel  Wood's 
Battalion — Sixteenth  Alabama — was  left  at  Knoxville 
when  Zollicoffer  started  on  his  first  campaign  into  Ken- 
tucky. 

*  "  So  ordered  same  day."      Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  770. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  773. 


287300 


100  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Wednesday,  i8th. — Having  received  a  dispatch  from 
Zollicoffer  during  the  past  night  stating  that  Wolford's 
Cavalry  was  reported  to  be  crossing  the  river  at  Creels- 
borough,  some' twenty  miles  below  Camp  Hall,  McNairy 
sent  a  scout  in  that  direction  early  this  morning.  On 
returning  to  camps,  about  half  after  eight  p.  m.,  our  men 
reported  the  rumor  to  be  false. 

Friday,  20th. — Cousin  Alfred  Hancock,  who  was  then 
and  yet  is  (1886)  a  citizen  of  DeKalb  County,  Tennes- 
see, paid  us  a  visit.  A  member  of  our  company,  J.  E. 
J.  Hawkins,  who  had  been  home  on  a  visit,  came  with 
Cousin  Alfred,  The  latter  had  a  son  (C.  E.)  in  Alli- 
son's Company,  who,  on  account  of  bad  health,  went 
home  with  his  father  a  few  days  after. 

Saturday,  21st. — I  started  to  headquarters  with  a  dis- 
patch for  Zollicoffer,  but,  finding  Colonel  McNairy  at 
Mr.  A.  R.  West's,  I  put  up  there  for  the  night,  accord- 
ing to  orders  from  the  Colonel. 

Sunday,  22d. — Colonel  McNairy,  Captain  Allison  and 
I  crossed  the  river  and  went  to  our  General's  headquar- 
ters, which  we  found  in  a  tent  about  one  mile  from  the 
river.  It  rained  nearly  all  day.  We  recrossed  the  river 
and  put  up  with  Mr.  West  again. 

Monday,  2jd. — I  went  back  to  camp,  fifteen  miles 
from  Mr.  West's. 

Zollicoffer  wrote  to  A.  S.  Johnston,  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky,  as  follows  : 

Sir — I  feel  it  my  duty  frankly  to  say  that  the  failure  to  receive  the 
reserves  and  supplies  I  ordered  up  a  month  ago,  and  upon  which  in 
part  the  plan  of  campaign  was  predicated,  has  given  and  is  likely  to 
give  serious  embarrassment. 

I  now  receive  no  responses  to  communications  addressed  to  Knox- 
ville  connected  with  the  most  important  details. 


December,  1861.  101 


I  have  five  (four  and  a  half)  regiments  north  of  the  river  and  two 
south.  The  strength  of  the  enemy  is  unknown,  but  it  is  reported  by 
the  country  people  to  be  very  large. 

There  are  now,  I  learn,  in  East  Tennessee,*  besides  the  force  at 
Cumberland  Gap,  eight  full  regiments  and  a  Georgia  Battalion,  a  bat- 
tery of  artillery  and  eight  cavalry  companies.  I  beg  respectfully  to 
say  that  it  cannot  be  that  half  this  force  is  required  there. 

On  the  other  hand,  were  this  column  strengthened  properly,  the 
enemy  could  not  venture  to  pass  London  to  attack  Cumberland  Gap. 
We  could  open  the  Cumberland  and  drive  the  enemy  from  Somerset 
and  Columbia. t 

Tuesday,  24th. — Messrs.  Franklin  Odom  and  Henry 
Dougherty  bade  us  farewell  and  set  out  on  their  return 
home.  W.  C.  Kennedy  of  Allison's  Company,  having 
been  discharged  on  account  of  bad  health,  went  home 
with  them. 

IVednesay,  2^th. — Ac'cording  to  orders  from  our  Gen- 
eral, McNairy  moved  from  Camp  Hall.  Leaving  his 
wagon  train  and  camp  equipage  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  north  of  Mr.  A.  R.  West's,  and  within  one  mile 
of  Mill  Springs,  he  crossed  the  river  with  the  main  por- 
tion of  his  Battalion,  and  took  headquarters  for  the 
night  with  Branner's  Battalion. 

Thursday,  26th. — Zollicoffer  had  ordered  a  steamer 
to  ascend  the  Cumberland  to  Celina,  and  if  deemed  safe 
to  press  on  to  Mill  Springs  with  army  stores  for  his 
command.  In  order  to  make  a  diversion  in  favor  of  this 
boat  Colonel  McNairy  was  ordered  to  go  down  the 
north  side  of  the  river  in  the  direction  of  Burkesville, 
with  his  own,  Branner's  and  McClellan's  Battalions,  in 
all  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  men. 

^On  the  loth  of  December  General  Carroll  reported  his  brigade  five  thou- 
sand .-trong,  and  all  other  troops  in  East  Tennessee  at  six  thousand — total, 
eleven  thousand. — Rebellion  I\ccori/s,  J'ol.  Vll.,  p.  jji. 

t  Rebellion  Records,"  Vol.  VII.,  p.  786. 


102  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Settine  out  from  Beech  Grove,  as  above  directed,  with 
First  Battahon,  under  Captain  AUison,  in  front,  Mc- 
Nairy  moved  at  the  head  of  the  column  until  he  neared 
Jamestown,  the  county  seat  of  Russell  County,  when, 
on  learning  that  he  would  meet  the  enemy  at  that  place, 
he  halted  to  hurry  up  Branner  and  McClellan,  who  in 
the  meantime  had  dropped  somewhat  behind. 

When  the  head  of  our  battalion  got  within  about  two 
hundred  yards  of  town  the  enemy  opened  on  us, 
but  without  doing  any  damage  except  the  killing  of  one 
man  (James  Tate,  Company  B)  and  one  horse  belong- 
ing to  Adamson,  who  was  a  member  of  Allison's  Com- 
pany, and  F.  W.  Horn's  horse  was  wounded  and  fell. 
Allison  then  fell  back  a  short  distance  and  awaited  the 
arrival  of  McNairy  with  the  other  two  battalions.  As 
soon  as  our  Colonel  came  up  he  ordered  one  battalion 
to  move  round  rightward  and  attack  the  north  side 
of  town,  while  he  would  move  forward  and  attack  the 
east  side  of  the  place  with  the  other  two  battalions.  A 
messenger  from  the  battalion  moving  to  the  right  re- 
ported to  McNairy  that  the  town  could  not  b(^  ap- 
proached from  that  direction.  Therefore,  as  it  was  now 
about  nightfall,  the  Colonel  withdrew  the  troops  with- 
out making  an  attack.  Falling  back  about  two  miles, 
we  halted  and  fed,  after  which  we  scattered  along  the 
road  about  four  miles  further,  where  we  remained  till 
morning. 

I  shall  here  relate  the  following  incident :  Before 
reaching  Jamestown  this  afternoon,  McNairy's  groom, 
"Johnnie,"  happened  to  be  riding  alone  some  distance 
in  rear  of  our  battalion,  when  a  gentleman  rode  up  and 
commenced    a   conversation   with   him.      Soon    learning 


December,  1861.  103 


that  his  companion  was  a  Federal  soldier,  Johnnie* 
quickly  drew  his  revolver,  saying,  ''Sir,  yoiL  are  my 
J)risonery  On  marching  his  prisoner  up  to  the  battal- 
ion, he  proved  to  be  no  less  than  that  of  a  Federal  cor- 
poral, who  had  been  home  on  a  visit  and  was  on  his 
way  back  to  camps,  not  knowing  or  suspecting  that 
there  were  any  Confederates  in  the  neighborhood, 

Friday,  zyth. — McClellan's  and  Branner's  Battalions 
returned  to  their  camps  at  Beech  Grove.  Our  battal- 
ion recrossed  the  river  and  went  into  camps  near  Mr. 
West's,  where  we  left  our  wagon  train  the  25th. 

At  nine  p.  m.,  Colonel  T.  E.  Bramlette  (First  Ken- 
tucky Infantry),  who  was  at  that  time  in  command  of 
General  Boyle's  Brigade  at  Columbia,  wrote  as  follows 
to  General  Thomas : 

The  enemy  is  at  Jamestown,  eighteen  miles  from  here,  some  three 
thousand  strong.  He  has  ascertained  the  strength  and  position  of 
Colonel  Wolford's  camp,  and  threatens  to  destroy  that  before  moving 
further.  He  has  one  thousand  seven  hundred  mounted  men,  armed 
mostly  as  infantry.  ......... 

I  would  not  be  surprised  if  the  whole  of  ZoUicoffer's  forces  were 
to  be  on  us  in  two  or  three  days.  ...... 

We  will,  however,  strike  a  blow,  even  if  left  to  ourselves,  that 
shall  terrify  the  rebel  hell-hounds  wherever  they  hear  of  us.  Retreat 
we  will  not,  and  if  they  come  upon  us  we  will  fight  the  fight  of  des- 
peration to  win.t 

Notwithstanding  McNairy  did  not  go  so  far  down  the 
river  as  Zollicoffer  had  instructed  him  to  go,  yet  it  would 
seem  from  the  above  communication  that  the  object  of 
the  expedition,  at  least  to  some  extent,  had  been  accom- 
plished. That  is  to  say,  the  attention  of  the  Federals 
had  been  attracted  from  the  river,  and  Colonel  Bramlette 

•■■Johnnie  was  a  white  man,  l)ut  I  <io  nut  remember  his  surname, 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  \'II.,  p.  517. 


104  E.  R.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

was  now  holding  his  brigade   in  readiness  at  Cokimbia, 
awaiting'  an  attack  from  ZolHcofter, 

The  long  looked  for  "reserves"  are  coming  in  at  last. 
Colonel  William  B,  Wood,  with  a  battalion  of  his  regi- 
ment (Sixteenth  Alabama),  and  Captain  H.  L.  W.  Mc- 
Clung,  with  his  battery  of  artillery  (six  guns),  have  ar- 
rived. Colonel  Samuel  Powell's  Regiment  will  be  here 
soon,  having  started  from  Knoxville  the  24th  instant, 
Colonel  Moses  White's  Regiment,  of  General  Carroll's 
Brigade,  is  also  on  the  way  from  Knoxville. 

SatiLvday,  28th. — Half  after  six  o'clock,  v.  m,,  the 
writer  and  forty-four  others  of  our  battalion  set  out  from 
Camp  West,  going  in  the  direction  of  Livingston,  Ten- 
nessee, to  meet  and  guard  back  a  wagon  train  which  had 
been  sent  down  the  Cumberland  to  meet  a  steamer  from 
Nashville  with  supplies  for  Zollicoffer's  command. 

As  the  river  was  low  our  wagons  had  to  go  as  low  as 
Carthage  on  this  trip  to  meet  the  boats. 

After  a  ride  of  about  twenty-two  miles,  we  met  a  part 
of  the  wagons  about  two  a.  m.  on 

Sunday,  zgth,  and  halted  for  the  rest  of  the  night 
within  some  four  miles  of  Albany. 

In  the  saddle  again  early  that  morning,  fourteen  of 
our  scouts  went  out  within  seven  miles  of  Creelsbor- 
ough,  while  the  rest  went  on  in  the  direction  of  Livings- 
ton to  meet  the  other  wagons.  We  all  returned,  with- 
out any  incident  worthy  of  note,  to  the  same  place  we 
started  from  that  morning  and  camped  for  the  night. 

Monday,  joih. — Having  our  wagons  all  up,  we  moved 
about  fourteen  miles  and  camped  near  Monticello. 

Tuesday,  31st. — Going  on  in  advance  of  the  wagons^ 


January,  1802.  105 


we  got  to  Camp  West  a  little  after  noon.      The  wagons 
did  not  get  to  Mill  Springs  until  late  that  evening. 

Zollicoffer  now  had  seven  regiments  of  infantry,  three 
battallions  and  four  companies  of  cavalry,  and  two  bat- 
teries (fourteen  guns)  of  artillery.  Total  present  for 
duty,  six  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  ;  aggre- 
gate present  and  absent,  eight  thousand  four  hundred 
and  fifty-one.* 

Wednesday ,  Jaimary  ist. — As  this  was  the  first  day  of 
the  new  year  there  was  a  general  inspection  of  horses, 
arms,  etc. 

T/mrsday,  2d. — Colonel  McNairy  started  home  on  a 
furlough  on  account  of  ill  health,  leaving  Captain  Alli- 
son in  command  of  the  battalion. 

Allison  received  orders  to  cross  the  river  and  report 
to  Zollicoffer's  headquarters  as  soon  as  his  men  could 
cook  three  days'  rations.  We  did  not  have  three  days' 
rations,  but  we  cooked  what  we  had,  went  to  the  river 
and  commenced  crossing,  when,  on  learning  that  we  did 
not  have  the  requisite  amount  of  rations,  Zollicoffer 
ordered  Allison  to  go  back  to  camps  and  cook  the  rations, 
which  he  ordered  the  brigade  commissary  to  furnish. 
As  soon  as  we  had  cooked  our  rations  Allison  crossed 
the  river  and  reported  to  our  General  that  the  First  Bat- 
talion was  ready  to  move.  Our  Captain  soon  after  re- 
turned and  reported  that  the  order  to  cross  the  river 
was  countermanded. 

Mr.  Andy  Bogle,  from  Cannon  County,  Tennessee, 
came  in  a  carriage  after  Clabe  Francis,  a  member  of 
Allison's  Company,  who  was  sick. 

Friday,  jd. — According  to  orders  given  him  while  at 

■'■■Rebellion  Kccurtls,   Vol.    v  il.,  p.  0I4. 


106  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

headquarters  last  evening,  Captain  i\lIison  set  out  from 
Camp  West  with  the  larger  portion  of  our  battalion  to 
meet  and  guard  back  another  wagon  train.  After  a 
march  of  about  thirty-four  miles  in  the  direction  of  Liv- 
ingston, we  halted  for  the  night  near  the  line  between 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Satui^day,  ^th. — Going  seven  miles  further  Allison 
met  the  wagons  within  eighteen  miles  of  Livingston. 
Turning  back,  he  camped  within  one  mile  of  where  he 
camped  the  night  before. 

Sunday,  §ih. — Our  wagons  made  a  very  good  drive 
that  day,  about  twenty-two  miles.  We  camped  within 
five  miles  of  Monticello. 

Monday,  6tJi. — We  moved  in  rear  of  the  wagons  up 
to  Monticello,  and  there  we  passed  them  and  went  into 
camp. 

One  of  our  comrades,  John  Hearmon,  who  had  been 
sick  at  Mr.  West's  about  one  month,  died  about  noon. 

Tuesday,  ytk. — The  First  Battalion  had  the  honor  of 
going  on  dress  parade  in  the  presence  of  Major-General 
George  B.  Crittenden,  who  had  arrived  at  Mill  Springs 
and  assumed  command  on  the  3d  instant. 

Colonel  S.  Powell's  Regiment  (Twenty-ninth  Tennes- 
see) came  with  General  Crittenden,  and  I  think  a  part 
of  Colonel  M,  White's  Regiment  (Thirty-seventh  Ten- 
nessee), of  Carroll's  Brigade,  arrived  at  the  same  time. 

Good  news!  good  news!  A  small  steamboat,  the 
*' Noble  Ellis,"  has  arrived  at  Mill  Springs  loaded  with 
army  stores,  coffee,  sugar,  molasses,  etc. 

General  Boyle,  who  had  returned  to  Columbia  and 
was  now  in  command  of  Eleventh  Brigade,  wrote  as  fol- 
lows to  General  Thomas,  Lebanon,  Kentucky  : 


January,  1862.  107 


A  rebel  steamboat  passed  Burkesville  yesterday  (6th)  at  twelve 
o'clock,  loaded  with  men  and  cannon  and  other  arms,  clothing,  etc. 

I  send  three  hundred  cavalry  to  heights  on  this  side  to  intercept  it, 
if  possible.  I  will  move  with  three  hundred  of  Third  Kentucky  and 
Nineteenth  Ohio  to  an  advantageous  position  at  the  mouth  of  Renick's 
Creek,  two  and  a  half  miles  above  Burkesville,  on  the  Cumberland. 
I  shall  move  the  whole  force  here  to  Burkesville.  It  is  only  four 
miles  further  from  Glasgow  than  Columbia. 

I  am  not  willing  to  see  the  Cumberland  surrendered  without  a 
struggle  to  ZoUicoffer  and  the  rebel  invaders.  .... 

We  have  no  cannon,  and  must  rely  on  our  rifles  to  take  off  the 
men  from  the  boats.  With  one  piece  of  artillery  the  boats  could  be 
torn  to  atoms  or  sunk. 

Can  you  not  send  me  a  section  of  a  battery  ?^= 

Fortunately  for  us.  Boyle  did  not  stop  our  boat. 

Wednesday.  8th. — Two  companies  of  Brazelton's  Bat- 
talion, fifty  men  from  McNairy's,  and  about  five  compa- 
nies of  infantry  went  about  ten  miles  up  the  south  side 
of  the  river  to  guard  and  load  a  forage  train.  While 
the  wagons  were  being  loaded  our  infantry  exchanged 
a  few  shots  with  some  Federals  who  were  on  the  oppo- 
site bank  of  the  river,  without  any  damage  on  our  side. 

All  returned  to  camp  a  little  after  dark  with  thirty- 
four  wagons  loaded  with  corn  and  oats. 

W.  C.  Hancock,  brother  to  the  writer,  and  four  others 
from  Company  E  started  home  on  "sick  furlough." 

Monday,  ijth. — A  member  of  Company  A  was  elect- 
ed color-bearer  for  First  Battalion. 

Tuesday,  i^tli.- — Forty-seven  of  our  battalion  went 
sixteen  miles  ciown  the  south  bank  of  the  river  to  auard 
some  wagons  that  were  hauling  forage  to  the  river  to  be 
brought  up  by  our  steamboat,  the  Noble  Ellis.  It  was 
a  cold  day ;  the  ground  was   nearly  covered  with  snow, 

■■'■•Rebellion  Kecords,  Vol.  VII..  p.  535. 


108  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

but  at  night  it  turned  warmer  and  rained.      We,   and 
also  our  horses,  had  shelter. 

Wednesday,  ijtk. — The  Noble  Ellis  had  come  down 
from  Mill  Springs  and  commenced  loading,  when  we 
left  and  returned  to  camp. 

Another  scout  of  about  one  hundred  men,  some  from 
our  battalion  and  the  balance  from  Brazelton's,  had 
started  out  in  the  direction  of  Burkesville  before  we  re- 
turned to  camp. 

Thursday,  i6th. — Brigadier-General  William  H.  Car- 
roll arrived  at  Mill  Springs  yesterday,  but  his  com- 
mand—  Captain  G.  H.  Monsarrat's  Battery  (four  guns) 
and  the  balance  of  Colonel  White's  Regiment — did  not 
arrive  until  to-day.  One  regiment  and  one  battery  of 
four  guns  were  all  the  troops  that  General  Carroll  was 
able  to  bring-  with  him  from  Knoxville  to  add  to  Zolli- 
coffer's  command. 

He  was  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  W  ar,  as  early  as 
the  3d  of  November,  to  move  his  brigade  to  Knoxville 
and  report  to  General  Zollicoffer.  He  arrived  at  Knox- 
ville the  23d  of  November,  but  did  not  move  on  to  join 
Zollicoffer  from  the  fact  that  his  brigade  was  not  armed, 
notwithstanding  he  had  been  making  every  possible  ef- 
fort for  two  months  previous  to  procure  arms  for  his 
men. 

On  the  1 2th  of  December  Carroll  received  another 
dispatch  from  the  Secretary  ordering  him  to  proceed 
immediately,  with  all  the  armed  men  of  his  brigade,  to 
the  aid  of  Zollicoffer,  leaving  the  unarmed  portion  of 
his  command  at  Knoxville,  under  the  control  ot  a  suit- 
able officer,  until  arms  could  be  provided.  The  next 
day  (13th),  in  a  lengthy  communication  to  the   Secre- 


January,  1862.  109 


tary,  he  laid  before  that  officer  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  embarrassment  under  which  he  had  labored  ever 
since  he  had  assumed  command  of  his  brigade,  espe- 
cially in  reference  to  his  inability  to  procure  arms  for 
his  men.  "Out  of  my  entire  force,"*  continued  he, 
"  I  could  not  muster  more  than  three  hundred  men  effi- 
ciently armed."  f 

On  the  1 7th  of  December  the  Secretary  of  War  re- 
plied thus  : 

Your  troops  are  enlisted  but  for  twelve  months,  and  to  such  troops 
we  never  furnish  arms.      .      .      .      It  is  impossible  for  us  to  carry  on  a 

war   at  such   an   enormous   expenditure   as   is   involved    in   receiving 
twelve-months'  men  without  arms.  ...... 

If  your  men  will  now  enlist  for  the  war  they  will  be  en- 
titled to  receive  the  bounty  of  fifty  dollars  allowed  by  Congress,  and 
I  will  endeavor  to  aid  in  arming  them ;  but  if  not,  all  that  are  un- 
armed must  be  disbanded  on  the  loth  of  January.]; 

By  January  ist  Carroll  had  procured  arms  for  two 
regiments  (White's  and  Looney's)  of  his  brigade,  and 
had  the  promise  of  arms  for  the  other  (Gillespie's)  in 
thirty  days. 

On  the  eighth  he  was  ordered  by  A,  S.  Johnston  to 
send  forward  at  once  to  Bowling  Green  all  the  men  who 
were  armed  and  ready  for  duty  of  the  regiments  of 
Colonels  Looney  and  Gillespie. (^ 

I  give  the  above  to  show  why  Carroll  was  so  long 
coming  to  the  aid  of  Zollicoffer,  and  also  to  show  why 
he  did  not  bring  more  troops  with  him. 

Newman's,  Murray's  and  Powell's  Regiments  were 
detached    from    ZoUicoffer's    Brigade   and    attached    to 

■■■  4,000. 

tRebellon  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  j).  764. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  771. 
^<  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  825. 


110  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diart. 


Carroll's.  Crittenden's  Division  was  now  composed  of 
two  brigades.  Zollicoffer  commanded  the  First,  and 
Carroll  the  Second.  The  former  had  five  regiments 
and  the  latter  four.  I  do  not  know  how  the  eighteen 
pieces  of  artillery  and  the  nineteen  companies  of  cav- 
alry were  divided  between  the  brigade  commanders. 
However,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  McNairy's  Battalion 
still  remained  attached  to  Zollicoffer's  Brigade. 

Friday,  lyth. — The  scout  that  was  sent  out  in  the 
direction  of  Burkesville  on  the  15th  returned  to  camps. 
They  reported  that  three  or  four  regiments  of  Federals, 
with  four  pieces  of  artillery,  were  stationed  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  some  four  miles  above  Burkesville. 
They  also  report  that  one  night  while  they  were  out 
Captain  Coffee,  of  Brazelton's  Battalion,  and  three  or 
four  of  his  men  put  up  with  one  Mr.  Gridder.  ^  squad 
of  Federals  crossed  the  river  and  came  to  Mr.  Gridder's 
for  the  purpose,  it  was  thought,  of  killing  him.  A 
skirmish  ensued,  which  resulted  in  the  killing  of  Mr. 
Gridder  and  wounding  one  of  his  sons  and  Captain 
Coffee.    One  of  the  enemy  was  killed  and  one  wounded. 

We  also  heard  that  two  of  the  Federal  pickets  in 
front  of  Beech  Grove  were  killed. 

Saturday,  iSt/i. — It  was  said  that  another  picket  skir- 
mish on  the  north  side  of  the  river  resulted  in  the  kill- 
ing of  two  of  our  men  and  one  of  the  enemy. 

It  rained  nearly  all  day. 

General  Buell  ordered  General  Thomas,  on  Decem- 
ber 29th,  to  move  from  Lebanon  by  the  way  of  Colum- 
bia upon  Zollicoffer's  left  flank,  while  General  Schoepf 
was  to  move  upon  his  front  from  Somerset.  On  the 
30th  Thomas  replied  thus  : 


January,  1862.  ill 


Have  made  arrangements  to  move  as  light  as  possible,  and  hope  to 
get  started  to-morrow,  although  with  raw  troops  and  raw  mules  I  fear 
there  will  be  some  difificulty.* 

The  advance  of  Thomas's  division  arrived  yesterday 
at  Logan's  Cross  Roads,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Crit- 
tenden's intrenched  position  (Beech  Grove),  and  within 
eicfht  miles  of  Somerset,  where  he  halted  for  the  rear  to 
close  up  and  to  communicate  with  Schoepf. 

Late  that  afternoon  our  commander  wrote  the  follow- 
ing dispatch  to  A.  S,  Johnston,  Bowling  Green,  Ken- 
tucky : 

Headquarters,  Beech  Grove  Kentucky, 

January  i8,  1862. 
Sir:   I  am  threatened  by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy  in  front, 
and  finding  it  impossible  to  cross  the  river  I  will  have  to  make  the 
fight  on  the  ground  I  now  occupy. 

If  you  can  do  so  I  would  ask  that  a  diversion  be  made  in  my  favor. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

G.  B.  Crittenden, 
Major-  General  Covmianding. 
To  ihe  Assistant  Adjutant- General,  Headquarters  Department  of  the  West  A; 

■■  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  \\\.,  p.  524. 

t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  103. 

The  above  dispatch  was  handed  to  General  Zollicoffer  (he  being  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  troops)  with  the  request  to  start  it  at  once  by  couriers.  He 
immediately  sent  to  Captain  T.  M.  Allison  for  a  reliable,  well  mounted  man. 
Accordingly,  C.  F.  Thomas  (Company  E)  was  ordered  to  go  to  Mill  Springs 
(one  mile),  cross  the  river  and  report  to  Zollicoffer.  Leaving  camp  about  sun- 
set, Thomas  did  as  requested.  Handing  him  the  dispatch,  Zollicoffer  said  :  "I 
want  you  to  take  this  to  General  Sidney  Johnston,  at  Bowling  Green,  and  this," 
handing  him  another  addressed  to  an  officer  at  Memphis,  "you  will  mail  at 
Gallatin.  Take  one  good  man  with  you  and  make  the  trip  through  to  Bowling 
Green  as  quick  as  you  possibly  cany  Recrossing  the  river,  Thomas  was  soon 
back  in  our  camp  again.  He  selected  to  go  with  him  on  that  venturesome  trip 
John  D.  McLin,  who  was  then  his  messmate,  and  is  now  (1886)  editor  of  the 
weekly  Nashville  American. 

Swinging  themselves  into  the  saddle,  Thoma?  and  McLin  set  out  on  thedr 
daring  trip  about  ten  o'clock  that  night — to  use  Thomas's  own  language,  "One 
of  the  darkest  and  muddiest  I  ever  saw."     They  went  down   the  south  side  of 


112  R.  R.  HANCorK's  Diary. 

It  appears  from  the  above  dispatch  that  Crittendea 
then  expected  to  remain  in  his  intrenchments  and  await 
the  attack  of  the  enemy,  but  he  afterward  decided  to 
move  out  and  attack  them. 


the  river.  They  were  not  only  in  danger  of  meeting  Federal  scouts  and  home 
guards,  but  also  of  being  shot  from  the  bushes  by  "bush-whackers."  They 
would  sometimes  have  to  travel  miles  out  of  their  way  in  order  to  deceive  the 
home  guards,  and  other  times  they  would  pass  themselves  off  to  some  good  old 
lady  as  good  "  Union  soldiers.''  They  rode  two  days  and  nights,  stopping  only 
two  or  three  times  for  a  few  moments  to  feed  their  horses. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  they  crossed  the  Cumberland   at  Williams'  " 
Ferry.     Their  horses  %vere  so   fatigued  by  this  time  by  constant  riding  through 
deep  mud  that  they  had  to  stop  and  let  them  rest;   therefore  they  put  up  for  the 
night  with  one  Mr.  Williams. 

With  very  great  surprise  and  bewilderment  did  they  learn  next  morning 
(2ist)  that  neither  of  their  horses  was  able  to  travel,  having  eaten  too  much  corn 
during  the  previous  night. 

Seeing  that  our  boys  were  in  distress,  and  fully  realizing  the  situation,  Mr. 
Williams,  who  happened  to  be  a  kind,  generous,  noble-hearted  Southern  man, 
happily  came  to  their  relief  by  ordering  a  servan'  to  bring  out  a  span  of  fine, 
fat,  gray  geldings.  As  soon  as  they  were  brought  out  and  saddled  Mr.  Williams 
said,  '■  Here,  boys,  take  these  horses  and  keep  them  as  long  as  you  need  them, 
2inA  ride  thon  as  hard  as  you  please.''''  After  returning  heart-felt  thanks  to  their 
kind  host  for  such  a  great  and  unexpected  favor  from  a  stranger,  offered,  too, 
with  such  a  free  good-will,  the  boys  leaped  into  their  saddles  and  pressed  on  to 
Gallatin  that  day.  Here  they  had  expected  to  take  the  cars  for  Bowling  Green, 
but  in  this  they  were  disappointed.  The  cars  had  been  taken  from  that  road 
and  were  then  running  in  the  interest  of  Fort  Donelson,  which  was  now  threat- 
ened by  a  heavy  Federal  force. 

After  mailing  the  dispatch  addressed  to  Memphis  and  holding  a  "council  of 
war,"  they  decided  that  McLin  should  remain  at  Gallatin,  while  Thomas  should 
get  a  fresh  horse  and  proceed  alone,  as  they  felt  that  they  were  now  out  of  dan- 
ger of  home  guards  and  "bush-whackers."  Accordingly  Thomas  set  out  from 
Gallati  1  early  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  and  arriving  at  Bowling  Green  about 
dark  the  same  day,  handed  the  dispatch  to  General  Johnston,  who  had  just  re- 
ceived another  dispatch  announcing  the  defeat  of  Crittenden  at  Fishing  Creek. 
Starting  back  next  morning  Thomas  rejoined  McLm  at  Gallatin.  Returning 
now  at  their  leisure,  and  finding  their  horses  all  right  on  arriving  at  Mr.  Will- 
iams' they  exchanged  horses,  and  finally  rejoined  their  command  at  Chestnut 
Mound. 

I  shall  here  mention  another  incident  in  which  the  two  above  named  took 
part.  It  occurred  while  they  were  at  home  on  furlough  in  August,  1863,  as 
..follows: 

Captain  S.  Y.  Barkley,  who  lived  (and  does  now)  sixteen  miles  East  of  Mur- 


January,  1862.  113 


Sunday^  igth. — On  the  above  day  and  date  was 
fought  the  memorable 

BATTLE  OF  FISHING  CREEK, 
on  "  Logan's  Cross  Roads,"  near  Mill  Springs. 

The  following  is  General  Crittenden's  official  report 
of  the  above  enpagfement : 

Division  Headquarters, 
Camp  Fogg  (Smith  County),  Tenn.,  J^eb.  13,  1862. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  en- 
gagement of  January  19,  near  Fishing  Creek,  Pulaski  County,  Ken- 
tucky. 

On  January  17  I  was  occupying  Mill  Springs,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Cumberland  River,  with  the  Seventeenth,  Twenty-eighth  and 
Thirty-seventh  Tennessee  Regmients,  the  First  Battalion  Tennessee 
Cavalry,  two  companies  of  the  Third  Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry 
and  four  (six)  pieces  of  artillery.  I  was  also  at  the  same  time  occu- 
pying Beech  Grove,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  and  directly  oppo- 
site Mill  Springs,  with  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi,  Sixteenth  Alabama, 
Nineteenth,    Twentieth,    Twenty-fifth    and    Twenty-ninth    Tennessee 

freesboro  on  the  pike  leading  from  that  place,  by  the  way  of  Hall's  Hill  to  Lib- 
erty, learned  late  one  evening  that  a  small  squad  of  Federals  had  passed  along 
the  pike  going  in  the  direction  of  Liberty.  After  a  ride  of  about  six  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Statesviile  he  found  C.  F.  Thomas  and  John  D.  McLin  at  Jim 
B.  Thomas'  (C.  F's.  father).  Notwithstanding  it  was  now  dark  and  raining, 
these  three  daring  riders  set  out  immediately  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  About 
one  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  next  morning,  they  arrived  at  Auburn,  where  they  learned 
that  two  Federals  had  passed  that  place  going  in  the  direction  of  Liberty.  On 
learning  at  Mr.  Matthew  Wilson's,  about  two  miles  beyond  Auburn,  that  the 
enemy  had  not  passed  there,  our  boys  turned  and  went  back  to  Mr.  A.  Owen's, 
where  they  learned  that  the  Federals  had  gone  about  one  mile  from  the  pike  and 
put  up  for  the  night  witti  one  Mr.  A.  Lax.  Our  boys  drew  rein  about  dawn  at 
Mr.  Lax's  barn.  The  old  man  Lax,  who  soon  came  out  to  feed,  was  captured 
iirst.  Next  one  of  the  Federals  came  out  to  the  barn  and  was  made  prisoner 
without  the  fire  of  a  gun.  Leaving  the  two  prisoners  in  care  of  Thomas,  Bark- 
ley  and  McLin  went  to  the  house,  where  they  found  the  other  soldier  still  asleep. 
On  rousing  him  up  and  demanding  his  surrender,  he  very  coolly  remarked, 
while  rubbing  his  eyes  open,  "Well,  I  wish  you  had  let  me  get  my  nap  out." 
Taking  their  horses  and  arms  (and  they  were  well  mounted,  well  armed,  and 
well  supplied  with  ammunition),  our  boys  turned  their  prisoners  loose  on  parole. 


114  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Regiments,  two  battalions  of  Tennessee  cavalry,  two  independent 
cavalry  companies,  and  twelve  pieces  of  artillery. 

For  some  time  the  enemy  in  front  of  Beech  Grove  had  occupied 
Somerset^  eighteen  miles  distant,  with  eight  regiments  of  infantry  and 
with  artillery ;  and  Columbia,  thirty-five  miles  distant,  with  five  regi- 
ments of  infantry.  On  January  17  I  was  informed  that  the  force 
from  Columbia,*  with  a  large  addition, f  making  a  total  of  from  six. 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  men,  with  guns  of  a  large  caliber,  under 
General  Thomas,  commanding  First  Division  of  the  Federal  Army  in 
Kentucky,  was  moving  across  my  front,  on  the  road  from  Columbia 
toward  Somerset,  with  the  intention  of  forming  a  junction  with  the 
Somerset  force  and  attacking  Beech  Grove. 

On  the  1 8th,  at  daylight,  I  moved  the  Seventeenth  and  Twenty- 
eighth  Tenneessee  Regiments  across  the  river  from  Mill  Springs  to 
Beech  Grove.  On  the  i8th  I  was  informed  that  the  force  under 
General  Thomas  was  encamped  at  Webb's  (Logan's)  Cross-Roads,  a 
point  ten  miles  from  Beech  Grove  and  eight  miles  from  Somerset,  at 
which  the  roads  from  Columbia  to  Somerset  and  Beech  Grove  to 
Somerset  unite,  and  that  V.  would  there  await  both  a  re-inforcement 
(that  I  was  advised  was  advancing  from  the  rear)  and  the  passage  of 
Fishing  Creek  by  the  Somerset  force.  It  was  necessary  that  the 
Somerset  force  should  cross  Fishing  Creek  before  it  could  join  the 
force  under  General  Thomas  or  approach  Beech  Grove,  and  for  this 
purpose  it  had  advanced  from  Somerset.  I  was  advised  that  late  and 
continuous  rains  would  prevent  the  passage  of  Fishing  Creek  on  the 
iSth  and  19th  by  any  infantry  force. 

In  the  then  condition  of  my  command  I  could  array  for  battle 
about  four  thousand  effective  men.  ...... 

To  defend  Beech  Grove  required  me  to  draw  into  it  the  force  from 
Mill  Springs.  From  the  course  of  the  river  and  condition  of  things 
it  was  easy  for  a  detachment  from  the  force  of  the  enemy  occupying, 
it  below  to  cross  over,  intercept  the  line  of  land  communication,  and, 
taking  Mill  Springs,  entirely  prevent  my  recrossing  the  Cumberland. 
This  river  (greatly  swollen),  with  high,  muddy  banks,  was  a  trouble- 

*  Thomas  moved  from  Lebanon  via  Columbia  with  two  brigades,  Manson's- 
and  McCook's.  Boyle's  Brigade  had  moved  to  the  river  near  Burkesville.  On 
the  19th  Buell  dispatched  to  Thomas  thus  : 

f'The  reinforcements  ordered  to  you  were  ten  pieces  of  artillery  and  De- 
Courcy's  and  Ray's  regiments."     Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  560. 


January,  1862.  115 


some  barrier  in  the  rear  of  Beech  Grove.  Transportation  over  it  was, 
at  best,  very  difficult.  A  small  stern-wheel  steamboat,  imsuited  for 
the  transportation  of  horses,  with  two  flat-boats,  were  the  only  means 
of  crossing. 

Beech  Grove  was  protected  in  front  by  earthworks,  but  these  in- 
complete and  insufficient,  and  necessarily  of  such  extent  that  I  had  not 
force  to  defend  them.  The  range  of  our  artillery  was  bad,  and  there 
were  commanding  positions  for  the  batteries  of  the  enemy.  Every 
effort  had  been  made  to  provision  the  command,  to  increase  the  means 
of  crossing  the  river  and  to  pefect  the  works  for  defense,  under  charge 
of  a  skillful  engineer  officer,  Captain  Sheliha. 

When  I  first  heard  that  the  enemy  was  approaching  in  front  it  was 
my  opinion  that  I  could  not  retire  with  my  command — artillery, 
transportation,  camp  and  garrison  equipage,  baggage  and  cavalry 
horses — from  Beech  Grove  to  Mill  Springs  without  information  of 
such  movement  reaching  the  enemy,  and  a  consequent  attack  during 
the  movement  and  heavy  loss.  I  was  out  of  reach  of  support  or  re- 
enforcements.  Under  these  circumstances  I  determined  not  to  retreat 
without  a  battle.  I  decided  that  it  was  best  to  attack  the  enemy,  if 
possible,  before  the  coming  re-enforcements  from  his  rear  should 
arrive  and  before  the  Somerset  force  could  cross  Fishing  Creek.  I 
could  reasonably  expect  much  from  a  bold  attack  and  from  the  spirit 
of  my  command. 

On  the  evening  of  the  iSth  I  called  in  council  Brigadier-Generals 
ZoUicoffer  and  Carroll  and  the  commanding  officers  of  regiments  and 
of  cavalry  and  artillery,  and  there  it  was  determined,  without  dissent, 
to  march  out  and  attack  the  enemy  under  General  Thomas  on  the 
the  next  morning.  Accordingly  Generals  ZoUicoffer  and  Carroll  were 
ordered  to  move  their  brigades  at  midnight  in  the  following  order: 

ist.  The  brigade  of  General  ZoUicoffer,  in  the  following  order: 
In  front  the  independent  cavalry  companies  of  Captains  Saunders 
and  Bledsoe;  then  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  Regiment,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walthall;  then  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee, 
commanded  by  Colonel  D.  H.  Cummings;  then  the  Twentieth  Ten- 
nessee, commanded  by  Colonel  Battle;  then  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennes- 
see, commanded  by  Colonel  S.  S.  Stanton;  then  four  guns  of  Rut- 
ledge's  Battery,  commanded  by  Captain  Rutledge. 

2d.  The  brigade  of  General  Carroll  in  this  order:  In  front  the 
Seventeenth  Tennessee  (Newman),  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 


116  R.  E.  Hancock'kS  Diary. 

Miller;  then  the  Twenty-eighth  Tennessee,  commanced  by  Colonel 
Powell;  then  two  guns  of  McClung's  Battery,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain McClung. 

In  rear  were  the  Sixteenth  Alabama  as  a  reserve,  commanded  by 
Colonel  W.  B.  Wood,  and  the  cavalry  battalions  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Branner  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  McClellan. 

Soon  after  daylight  on  the  morning  of  January  19  the  cavalry  ad- 
vance came  in  contact  with  the  pickets  of  the  enemy,  after  a  march 
of  near  nine  miles  over  a  deep  and  muddy  road.  With  a  few  shots 
the  enemy's  pickets  were  driven  in,  retiring  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
to  a  house  on  the  left  of  the  road.  From  this  house  and  woods  in 
the  rear  of  it  quite  a  brisk  firing  was  opened  upon  the  head  of  the 
column.  Skirmishers  having  been  thrown  forward,  General  Zolli- 
coffer's  Brigade  was  formed  in  line  of  battle  and  ordered  to  advance 
upon  the  enemy,  whom  I  supposed  would  come  out  from  their  camp, 
which  we  were  now  approaching,  to  take  position.  The  road  here 
extended  straight  in  front  for  near  a  mile  toward  the  north. 

A  company  of  skirmishers  from  the  Mississij^pi  Regiment,  ad- 
vancing on  the  left  of  the  road,  after  sharp  firing,  drove  a  body  of 
the  enemy  from  the  house  and  the  woods  next  to  it,  and  then,  under 
orders,  crossnig  the  road,  fell  in  with  their  regiment.  Following  this 
company  of  skirmishers  on  the  left  of  the  road  to  the  point  where  it 
crossed  to  the  right,  the  regunent  of  Colonel  Cummings  (Nineteenth 
Tennessee)  kept  straight  on,  and  crossing  a  field  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  wide  at  a  double-quick,  charged  into  the  woods  where 
the  enemy  was  sheltered,  driving  back  the  Tenth  Indiana  Regiment 
until  it  was  re-enforced.  At  this  time  General  Zollicoffer  rode  up  to 
the  Nineteenth  Tennessee  and  ordered  Colonel  Cummings  to  cease 
firing,  under  the  impression  that  the  firing  was  upon  another  regiment 
of  his  own  brigade.  Then  the  General  advanced,  as  if  to  give  an 
order  to  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  within  bayonet  reach,  and  was  killed 
just  as  he  discovered  his  fatal  mistake.  Thereupon  a  conflict  ensued, 
when  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee  broke  its  line  and  gave  back.  Rather 
in  the  rear  and  near  to  this  regiment  was  the  Twenty-fifth  Tennessee, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Stanton,  which  engaged  the  enemy,  when  the 
Colonel  was  wounded  at  the  head  of  his  men  ;  but  this  regiment, 
impressed  with  the  same  idea  which  had  proved  fatal  to  General  ZoUi-  ■ 
■coffer — that  it  was  engaged  with  friends — soon  broke  its  line  and  fell 
into  some  disorder. 


January,  1862.  117 


At  this  time — the  fall  of  Cieneral  Zollicoffer  having  been  announced 
to  me — I  went  forward  to  the  regiments  ot  Colonels  Cummings  and 
Stanton,  and  announced  to  Colonel  Cummings  the  death  of  General 
Zollicoffer,  and  that  the  command  of  the  brigade  devolved  upon  him. 

There  was  a  cessation  of  firing  for  a  few  moments,  and  I  ascer- 
tained that  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Battle  was  on  the  right,  and  the 
Mississippi  Regiment  in  the  center,  neither  as  yet  having  been  actively 
engaged,  and  the  enemy  in  front  of  the  entire  line.  I  had  ordered 
General  Carroll  to  bring  up  his  brigade,  and  it  was  new,  in  support- 
ing distance,  displayed  in  line  of  battle. 

I  now  repeated  my  orders  for  a  general  advance,  and  soon  the 
battle  raged  from  right  to  left.  When  I  sent  my  aide  to  order  the 
Fifteenth  Mississippi  to  charge,  I  sent  by  him  an  order  to  General 
Carroll  to  advance  a  regiment  to  sustain  it.  He  ordered  up  for  that 
purpose  Colonel  Murray's  Regiment,  which  engaged  the  enemy  on  the 
left  of  the  Mississippi  Regiment  and  on  the  right  of  Stanton's  Regi- 
ment. I  ordered  Captain  Rutledge,  with  two  of  his  guns,  forward  m 
the  road  to  an  advanced  and  hazardous  position,  ordering  Colonel 
Stanton  to  support  him,  where  1  hoped  he  might  bring  them  to  play 
effectively  upon  the  enemy;  but  the  position  did  not  permit  this,  and 
he  soon  retired,  under  my  order.  At  this  point  the  horse  of  Captain 
Rutledge  was  killed  under  him. 

Very  soon  the  enemy  began  to  gain  ground  on  our  left,  and  to  use 
their  superior  force  for  flanking  in  that  quarter.  I  was  in  person  at 
the  right  of  the  line  of  Stanton's  Regiment,  the  battle  raging,  and  did 
not  observe  this  as  soon  as  it  was  observed  by  General  Carroll,  who 
moved  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Cummings,  then  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker,  to  the  left,  to  meet  this  movement  of  the 
enemy,  and  formed  the  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Miller,  to  support  the  regiment.  The  regiments  of 
Murray,  Stanton  and  Cummings  were  driven  back  by  the  enemy,  and, 
while  re-forming  in  rear  of  the  Seventeenth  Tennessee,  that  well-dis- 
ciplined regiment  met  and  held  in  check  for  some  time  the  entire  right 
wing  of  the  Northern  army.  These  regiments  on  my  left  and  on  the 
left  of  the  road,  retired  across  the  field,  a  distance  of  about  250  yards, 
and  there  for  a  time  repulsed  the  enemy.  Especially  the  regiment  of 
Colonel  Stanton,  partially  rallied  by  its  gallant  field  officers,  formed 
behind  a  fence,   and,   pouring  volleys  into  the  ranks  of  the   enemy 


118  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

coming  across  the  field,  repulsed  and  drove  them  back  for  a  time  with 
heavy  loss. 

For  an  hour  now  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi,  under  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Walthall,  and  the  Twentieth  Tennessee,  under  Colonel  Joel  A. 
Battle,  of  my  center  and  right,  had  been  struggling  with  the  superior 
force  of  the  enemy. 

I  cannot  omit  to  mention  the  heroic  valor  of  these  two  regiments, 
officers  and  men.  When  the  left  retired  they  were  flanked  and  com- 
pelled to  leave  their  position.  In  their  rear,  on  the  right  of  the  road, 
was  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Powell  (Twenty-ninth  Tennessee),  which 
had  been  formed  in  the  rear  and  ordered  forward  by  me  some  time 
before.  General  Carroll  ordered  this-  regiment  to  face  the  flanking 
force  of  the  enemy  which  was  crossing  the  road  from  the  left  side, 
which  it  did,  checking  it  with  a  raking  fire  at  thirty  paces.  In  this 
conflict.  Colonel  Powell,  commanding,  was  badly  wounded. 

The  Sixteenth  Alabama,  which  was  the  reserve  corps  of  my  divis- 
ion, commanded  by  Colonel  Wood,  did,  at  this  critical  juncture,  most 
eminent  service.  Having  rushed  behind  the  right  and  center,  it  came 
to  a  close  engagement  with  the  pursuing  enemy,  to  protect  the  flanks 
and  rear  of  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  and  the  Twentieth  Tennessee 
when  they  were  the  last,  after  long  fighting,  to  leave  the  front  line  of 
the  battle,  and,  well  led  by  its  commanding  officer,  in  conjunction 
with  portions  of  other  regiments,  it  effectually  prevented  pursuit  and 
protected  my  return  to  camp. 

Owing  to  the  formation  and  character  of  the  field  of  battle,  I  was 
unable  to  use  my  artillery  and  cavalry  to  advantage  in  the  action. 
During  much  of  the  time  the  engagement  lasted  rain  was  falling. 
Many  of  the  men  were  armed  with  flint-lock  muskets,  and  they  be- 
came soon  unserviceable.  ........ 

During  the  engagement,  or  just  prior  to  it,  the  force  under  General 
Thomas  was  increased  by  the  arrival,  on  a  forced  march,  of  a  brigade 
from  his  rear,  which  I  had  hoped  would  not  arrive  until  the  engage- 
ment was  over.  This  made  the  force  of  the  enemy  about  12,000  men. 
My  effective  force  was  4,000.       The  engagement  lasted  three  hours. 

My  loss  was  125  killed,  309  wounded  and  99  missing,  as  follows: 


January,  1862. 


119 


TROOPS. 


Killed.  Wounded.  Missing 


Fifteenth  Mississippi  Regiment :  44 

Twentieth  Tennessee  (Battle) 33 

Nineteenth  Tennessee  (Cummings)    lo 

Twenty-fifth  Tennessee   (Stanton) lo 

Seventeenth  Tennessee  (Newman)   ii 

Twenty-eighth  Tennessee  (Murray) \  3 

Twenty-ninth  Tennessee  (Powell) 5 

Sixteenth  Alabama 9 

Captain  Saunders'  Cavalry : 


153 

29 

59 

18 

22 

2 

28 

17 

25 

2 

4 

5 

12 

10 

5 
I 

12 

The  loss  of  the  enemy,  from  the  besf  information  I  have  and  state- 
ments made  by  themselves,  may  be  estimated  at  700  killed  and 
wounded.  It  was  larger  than  mine  from  the  fact  that  my  regiments 
on  the  left,  after  first  being  driven  back,  fired  from  the  cover  of 
woods  and  fences  upon  the  large  numbers  advancing  upon  them 
through  the  open  field,  inflicting  heavy  loss  and  sustaining  but  little. 
My  command  retired  to  Beech  Grove  without  any  annoyance  in  the 
rear  by  infantry  or  cavalry.  On  the  return,  one  piece  of  artillery,  of 
Captain  Rutledge's  Battery,  mired  down  and  was  left. 

To  myself,  to  the  army  and  to  the  country,  the  fall  of  General  Zol- 
licoffer  was  a  severe  loss.  I  found  him  wise  in  council,  heroic  in 
action.  He  fell  in  front,  close  to  the  enemy,  and  they  bore  off  his 
body.  Of  his  staff,  Lieutenants  Fogg  and  Shields  were  mortally 
wounded  and  have  since  died.  Lieutenant  Bailie  Peyton,  Jr.,  com- 
manding Company  A,  of  Battle's  Regiment,  was  killed  in  the  heat  of 
the  action.  Adjutant  Joel  A.  Battle,  Jr.,  was  badly  wounded  while 
in  front  with  the  colors  of  his  regiment,  which  he  seized  when  the 
bearer  was  shot  down.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Carter,  a  distinguished 
officer  of  this  same  regiment,  was  taken  prisoner.  Colonel  Battle 
commanded  with  marked  ability  and  courage.  Colonel  Statham,  of 
the  Fifteenth  Mississippi  Regiment,  was  absent  at  the  time  of  the  bat- 
tle on  furlough.  His  regiment  was  most  gallantly  led  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Walthall.  The  reputation  of  the  Mississippians  for  heroism 
was  fully  sustained  by  this  regiment.  Its  loss  in  killed  and  wounded, 
which  was  far  greater  than  that  of  any  other  regiment,  tells  sufficiently 
the  story  of  discipline  and  courage.  The  already  extended  limits  of 
this  report  will  not  permit  me^  even  if  I  had  them  at  hand,  to  enu- 
merate the  individual  acts  of  courage  with  which  this  regiment 
abounded.      Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  is  entitled  to  all  praise. 

I  resumed  position  at  Beech  Grove  early  in  the  afternoon.     The 


120  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

enemy  followed  and  took  position  in  force  on  my  left,  center  and  right. 
They  opened  with  two  batteries — one  in  front  of  my  cen- 
ter and  one  on  my  right.  Captain  McClung  and  Lieutenant  Falconet, 
commanding  a  section  of  Rutledge's  Battery,  replied  to  the  enemy's 
battery  in  front.  From  the  right  the  enemy  fired  upon  the  steam- 
boat, which,  at  the  crossing,  was  commanded  by  their  position. 
Their  first  shots  fell  short,  afterwards,  mounting  a  larger  gun,  as  it 
grew  dark,  they  fired  a  shot  or  two  over  the  boat,  and  awaited  the 
morning  to  destroy  it.  The  steamboat  destroyed,  the  crossing  of  the 
river  would  have  been  impossible.  .  ..... 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th,  I  called  in  consultation  General  Car- 
roll, Colonel  Cummings,  engineers,  artillery  and  other  officers,  and  it 
was  considered  best  by  all  to  retire  from  Beech  Grove. 

I  ordered  the  men  to  be  crossed  over — first,  by  commands,  in 
designated  order,  then  the  artillery  to  be  crossed  over,  then  what 
could  be  crossed  of  baggage  and  mules,  horses,  wagons,  etc.  I  di- 
rected the  cavalry  to  swim  their  horses  over.  Time  only  permitted  to 
cross  the  infantry  under  arms,  the  sick  and  wounded,  one  company  of 
cavalry  mounted,  the  rest  of  the  cavalry  dismounted,  the  artillerymen 
and  some  horses.  Many  cavalry  horses,  artillery  horses,  mules, 
wagons  and  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  with  baggage  and  camp  and 
garrison  equipage  were  left  behind. 

Much  is  due  to  the  energy,  skill  and  courage  of  Captain  Spiller, 
of  the  cavalry,  who  commanded  the  boat  and  continued  crossing  over 
with  it  until  fired  upon  b)  the  enemy  in  the  morning,  when  he  burned 
it,  by  my  directions.  .... 

Any  further  collision  was  now  prevented,  but  the  want  of  commis- 
sary stores  compelled  me  at  once  to  move  to  Gainesboro,  lower 
down  on  the  river,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  and  the  nearest  point 
where  I  could  have  communication  by  water  with  Nashville  and  could 
obtain  supplies.  ....... 

From  Gainesborough  I  have  moved  my  division  to  this  point 
(Chestnut  Mound),  where  it  is  refurnished  and  drilling,  and  I  have 
the  honor  to  report  that  it  is  ready  for  any  service  to  which  it  may  be 
assigned.  G.  B.  Crittenden, 

Major-  General  Provisional  Army  Confederate  States. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  W.  Mackall, 

Assistant  Adjutant- General. '^- 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  ]>]).   105-110. 


January,  1862.  121 

I  take  the    followinor  extracts  from  General  Thomas' 

o 

official  report  of  the  engagement  near  Fishing  Creek: 

Headquarters  First  Division,  Department  of  the  Ohio, 

Somerset,  Kentucky,  January  31,  1862. 

Captain:  .  .  .  I  reached  Logan's  Cross  Roads,  about  ten  miles 
north  of  the  intrenched  camp  of  the  enemy  on  the  Cumberland  River, 
on  the  17th  instant,  with  a  portion  of  the  Second  and  Third  Brigades, 
Kenny's  Battery  of  artillery,  and  battalion  of  Wolford's  Cavalry. 
The  Fourth  and  Tenth  Kentucky,  Fourteenth  Ohio,  and  the  Eight- 
eenth U.  S.  Infantry  being  still  in  rear,  detained  by  the  almost  im- 
passable condition  of  the  roads,  I  determined  to  halt  at  this  point  to 
await  their  arrival  and  to  communicate  with  General  Schoepf. 

General  Schoepf  visited  me  on  the  day  of  my  arrival,  and  after 
consultation  I  directed  him  to  send  to  my  camp  Standart's  Battery, 
the  Twelfth  Kentucky,  and  the  First  and  the  Second  Tennnssee  Reg- 
iments to  remain  until  the  arrival  of  the  regiments  in  rear. 

The  Fourth  Kentucky,  the  Battalion  of  Michigan  Engineers, 
and  Wetmore's  Battery  joined  on  the  i8th. 

About  6:30  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  the  pickets  from 
Wolford's  Cavalry  encountered  the  enemy  advancing  on  our  camp,  re- 
tired slowly  and  reported  their  advance  to  Colonel  M.  D.  Manson, 
commanding  the  Second  Brigade.  He  immediately  formed  his  regi- 
ment (the  Tenth  Indiana)  and  took  a  position  on  the  road  to  await 
the  attack,  ordering  the  Fourth  Kentucky  (Colonel  S.  S.  Fry)  to  sup- 
port him,  and  then  informed  me  in  person  that  the  enemy  were  ad- 
vancing in  force.  I  directed  him  to  join  his  brigade  immediately  and 
hold  the  enemy  in  check  until  I  could  order  up  the  other  troops,  which 
were  ordered  to  form  immediately  and  were  marching  to  the  field  in 
ten  minutes.  .......... 

On  reaching  the  position  held  by  the  Fourth  Kentucky,  Tenth  In- 
diana, and  Wolford's  Cavalry,  at  a  poiiit  where  the  roads  fork  leading 
to  Somerset,  I  found  the  enemy  advancing  through  a  corn  field  and 
evidently  endeavorimg  to  gain  the  left  of  the  Fourth  Kentucky,  which 
was  maintaining  its  position  in  a  most  determined  manner.  I  directed 
one  of  my  aides  to  ride  back  and  order  up  a  section  of  artillery,  and 
the  Tennessee  Brigade  to  advance  on  the  enemy's. right,  and  sent  or- 
ders to  Colonel  McCook  to  advance  with  his  two  regiments  (the  Ninth 
Ohio  and  Second  Minnesota)  to  the  support  of  Fourth  Kentucky  and 
Tenth  Indiana. 

\ 


122  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


A  section  of  Captain  Kenny's  Battery  took  a  position  on  the  edge  of 
the  iield  to  the  left  of  Fourth  Kentucky  and  opened  an  efficient  fire 
on  a  regiment  of  Alabamians,  which  were  advancing  on  the  Fourth 
Kentucky.  Soon  afterward  the  Second  Minnesota  arrived,  the  Col- 
onel (Van  Cleve)  reporting  to  me  for  instructions.  I  directed  him  to 
take  the  position  of  the  Fourth  Kentucky  and  Tenth  Indiana,  which 
regiments  were  nearly  out  of  ammunition.  The  Ninth  Ohio  . 
came  into  position  on  the  right  of  the  road  at  the  same  time. 

Immediately  after  these  regiments  had  gained  their  positions  the 
enemy  opened  a  most  determined  and  galling  fire,  which  was  returned 
by  our  troops  in  the  same  spirit,  and  for  nearly  half  an  hoar  the  con- 
test was  maintained  on  both  sides  in  the  most  obstinate  manner.  At 
this  time  the  Twelfth  Kentucky*  (Colonel  Haskins)  and  the  Tennes- 
see Brigade*  reached  the  field  to  the  left  of  the  Minnesota  Regiment, 
and  opened  fire  on  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy,  who  then  began  to 
fall  back.  The  Second  Minnesota  kept  up  a  most  galling  fire  in  front, 
and  the  Ninth  Ohio  charged  the  enemy  on  the  right  with  bayonets 
fixed,  turned  their  flank  and  drove  them  from  the  field,  the  whole  line 
giving  way  and  retreating  in  the  utmost  disorder  and  confusion. 

As  soon  as  the  regiments  could  be  formed  and  refill  their  cartridge- 
boxes,  I  ordered  the  whole  force  to  advance.  ...  As  we  ap- 
proached their  intrenchments  the  division  was  deployed  in  line  of  bat- 
tle and  steadily  advanced  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  at  Moulden's. 
From  this  point  I  directed  their  intrenchments  to  be  cannonaded, 
which  was  done  until  dark  by  Standart's  and  Wetmore's  Batteries. 
Kenny's  Battery  was  placed  in  position  on  the  extreme  left  at  Russell's 
house,  from  which  point  he  was  directed  to  fire  on  their  ferry  to  deter 
them  from  attempting  to  cross.  .  .  .  And  every  preparation  was 
made  to  assault  their  intrenchments  on  the  following  morning.  The 
Fourteenth  ^hio  (Steedman)  and  the  Tenth  Kentucky  (Harlan),  hav- 
ing joined  from  detached  service  soon  after  the  repulse  of  the  enemy, 
.  were  placed  in  front  in  my  advance  on  the  intrenchments  the 
next  morning  and  entered  first.  General  Schoepf  also  joined  me  the 
evening  of  the  19th  with  the  Seventeenth,  Thirty-first,  and  Thirty- 
eighth  Ohio.      His  entire  brigade  entered  with  the  other  troops. 

On  reaching  the  intrenchments  we  found  the  enemy  had  abandoned 
every  thing  and  retired  during  the  night.     Twelve  pieces  of  artillery, 

*  Both  from  Somerset.  So  you  see  that  Critiendcn  did  not  attack  Thomas 
i)efore  the  arrival  of  the  Somerset  force,  as  he  had  hoped  to  do. 


January,  1862.  123 


with  their  caissons  packed  with  ammunition,  one  battery  wagon  and 
two  forges,  a  large  amount  of  ammunition,  a  large  number  of  small 
arms,  mostly  the  old  flint-lock  muskets,  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  one 
hundred  and  sixty  wagons,  and  upwards  of  one  thousand  horses  and 
mules,  a  large  amount  of  commissary  stores,  intrenching  tools,  and 
camp  and  garrison  equipage  fell  into  our  hands.  .... 

The  steam  and  ferry  boats  having  been  burned  by  the  enemy  in 
their  retreat,  it  was  found  impossible  to  cross  the  river  and  pursue 
them.  ........... 

Colonel  S.  S.  Fry,  Fourth  Kentucky,  was  slightly  wounded  whilst 
his  regiment  was  gallantly  resisting  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  during 
whch  time  General  Zollicoffer  fell  from  a  shot  from  his  (Colonel 
Fry's)  pistol,  which  no  doubt  contributed  materially  to  the  discomfiture 
of  the  enemy. 

The  enemy's  loss,  as  far  as  known,  is  as  follows  :  .  .  . 
192  killed;  89  prisoners  not  wounded  and  68  wounded;  a  total  of 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  349. 

Our  loss  was  as  follows:     •      •      •      39  killed  and  207  wounded. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Geo.  H.  Thomas, 
Brigadier- General,   U.  S.    Volunteers,  Commanding. 

Captain  J.  B.  Fry. 

A.  A.  G.,  Chief  of  Staff,  Headquarters  Department  Ohio,  Louisville,  A'r.* 

According  to  the  preceding  reports,  the  Fifteenth 
Mississippi  lost  more  men  killed  (five  more)  than  Gen- 
eral Thomas'  entire  division,  or  our  entire  loss  in  killed 
was  nearly  five  times  greater  than  that  of  the  enemy. 
Surely  the  superiority  of  the  enemy  in  arms  did  not 
make  the  difference  so  great.  According  to  Critten- 
den's report,  the  loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed was  greater  than  ours. 

In  July,  1880,  ex-President  Davis  wrote  to  General  G. 

B.  Crittenden  "  requesting  a  statement  of  the  affairs  at 
Fishine  Creek."  The  following^  is  an  e.xtract  from 
Crittenden's  reply: 

*  Rebellion  Records,    Vol.  VII.,  pp.  79  to  82. 


124  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


While  I  was  detained  in  Knoxville  on  business  connected  with  my 
command,  I  received  an  official  communication  from  General  Zolli- 
coffer,  informing  me  that  he  had  crossed  the  Cumberland  by  fording, 
and  was  fortifying  a  camp  on  the  right  bank,  etc.  By  the  messenger 
who  bore  me  this  communication  I  ordered  him  to  recross  the  river 
and  resume  his  original  position  on  the  left  bank.  Early  in  January 
I  reached  Mill  Springs  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  General  Zollicoffer 
still  on  the  right  bank.  He  called  on  me  immediately  and  informed 
me  that  his  messenger  who  bore  back  my  order  had  lost  several  days 
in  returning,  and  that  when  it  was  received  he  supposed  that  I  would 
arrive  almost  immediately,  and,  hoping  to  be  able  to  convince  me  that 
it  would  be  better  to  remain  on  the  right  bank,  he  had  postponed 
crossing,  until,  by  a  rise  in  the  river,  it  had  become  impossible  to  da 
so.  ...  I  was  dissatisfied,  but  as  I  knew  that  the  General  had 
been  actuated  by  pure  motives,  I  accepted  his  excuse.  Details  were 
promptly  placed  in  the  woods  to  prepare  timber  for  flat-boats  to  trans- 
port the  artillery  and  wagons  to  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  The 
weather  was  execrable  and  the  men  unskilled,  so  that  the  work  pro- 
gressed slowly. 

Such  was  the  posture  of  affairs  when,  on  the  i8th  of  January,  I  was 
informed  that  General  Thomas  was  approaching  with  a  large  force  of 
all  arms.  .  .  .  Here  was  thrust  upon  me  the  very  contingency 
which  my  order  to  General  Zollicoffer  was  intended  to  obviate.    .    .    . 

We  had  scarcely  taken  up  the  line  of  march  when  the  rain  began 
to  fall,  the  darkness  became  intense,  and  the  consequent  confusion 
great,  so  that  day  dawned  before  we  reached  his  position.  The  attack 
as  a  surprise,  failed;  nevertheless,  it  was  promptly  made.  It  rained 
violently  throughout  the  action,  rendering  all  the  flint-lock  guns  use- 
less. The  men  bearing  them  were  allowed  to  fall  back  on  the  re- 
serve. ........... 

I  attributed  the  loss  of  the  battle,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the  inferi- 
ority of  our  arms  and  the  untimely  fall  of  General  Zollicoffer,  who 
was  known  and  highly  esteemed  by  the  men,  who  were  almost  all 
Tennesseeans. 

I  think  I  have  shown  that  the  battle  of  Fishing  Creek  was  a  neces- 
sity, and  that  I  ought  not  to  be  held  responsible  for  that  necessity.* 

*The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  C  n federate  Government,  by  Jefferson  Davis^ 
Vol.  II.,  pp.  19    o  21. 


January,  1862.  125 


Ex-President  Davis  concludes  his  criticism  upon  this 
affair  thus : 

By  General  Crittenden  .  .  .  it  is  assumed  that  General  Zolli- 
coffer  made  a  mistake  in  crossing  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Cumber- 
land, and  that  thence  it  resulted  as  a  consequence  that  General  John- 
ston's right  flank  of  his  line  through  Bowling  Green  was  uncovered,. 
I  do  not  perceive  the  correctness  of  the  conclusion,  for  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  General  Zollicoffer's  command  was  not  adequate  to  resist 
the  combined  forces  of  Thomas  and  Schopf  (Schoepf),  or  that  the 
Cumberland  River  was  a  sufficient  obstacle  to  prevent  them  from 
crossing  either  above  or  below  the  position  at  Mill  Springs. 

General  ZoUicoffer  may  well  have  believed  that  he  could  better  re- 
sist the  crossing  of  the  Cumberland  by  removing  to  the  right  bank 
rather  than  by  remaining  on  the  left.  The  only  difference,  it  seems  to 
me,  would  have  been  that  he  could  have  retreated  without  the  discom- 
fiture of  his  force  or  the  loss  of  his  artillery  and  equipments,  but  in 
either  case  Johnston's  right  flank  would  have  been  alike  uncovered 

To  ZoUicoffer  and  the  brave  patriots  who  fell  with  him,  let  praise, 
not  censure,  be  given;  and  to  Crittenden,  let  tardy  justice  render  the 
meed  due  to  a  gallant  soldier  of  the  highest  professional  attainments, 
and  whose  fault,  if  fault  it  be,  was  a  willingness  to  dare  much  in  his 
country's  service.  --^ 

Captain  AlHson,  who  was  in  command  of  our  battal- 
ion, ordered  us  to  saddle  our  horses  and  be  ready  to 
move  at  a  moment's  warnino- ;  but  he  did  not  receive  a 
single  order  during-  the  day. 


?5 


Monday,  2otJi. — Some  of  our  boys  went  down  the 
river  that  morning  before  day  to  assist  in  bringing  the 
wounded,  on  horses,  back  to  a  point  out  of  range  of  the 
Federal  guns.  A  few  of  the  severely  wounded  had  to 
be  left  on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

Surgeon  D.  B.  Cliff  was  allowed  by  General  Thomas 
to  accompany  the  remains  of  General  ZoUicoffer  and 
Lieutenant  Bailie   Peyton  to   Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 

*The  Rise  and  Fall  nf  the  Confederate  Government,  by  Jefferson  Davis, 
Vol.  II.,  p.  23. 


126  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


from  there,  if  General  Biiell  would  consent,  to  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee.* 

Having  been  sent  with  a  dispatch  to  General  Zolli- 
coffer's  headquarters,  a  few  days  previous  to  his  death, 
he  invited  me,  though  but  a  "high  private,"  into  his 
tent,  offered  me  a  drink  of  wine,  and  treated  me  with  as 
much  respect  and  politeness  as  if  I  had  been  his  equal 
in  rank. 

His  men  did  not  only  have  confidence  in  him  as  a 
commander,  but  he  had  been  so  good  and  so  kind  to 
them  that  they  had  learned  to  love  him  almost  with 
filial  affection.  Hence  the  fall  of  our  gallant  leader  was 
a  desperate  blow  to  the  followers.  And,  unfortunately, 
General  Crittenden  had  been  with  the  command  only 
sixteen  days  and  General  Carroll  only  four  previous  to 
this  unfortunate  event. 

To  add  to  the  demoralization  of  our  little  army,  such 
rumors  as  the  following  were  now  afloat  in  camps : 
"Crittenden  is  drunk  a  good  portion  of  the  time." 
"  He  has  a  brother  in  the  Federal  army."  "He  is  in 
sympathy  with  the  North."  "  He  will  surrender  us  all 
to  the  Federals  if  he  has  a  good  opportunity,"  etc.  It 
was  thought  by  some  that  the  Fifteenth  Mississippi 
were  so  desperately  mad  that  they  would  have  shot  him 
if  they  had  had  a  good  opportunity.  It  was  said  that 
he  ordered  the  brigades  to  halt  and  fortify  at  Monti- 
cello,  Kentucky,  and  that  the  colonels  refused  to  obey 
orders.  I  give  the  above  as  rumors,  allowing  each 
reader  to  have  his  own  opinion  about  them.  But, 
whether  true  or  untrue,  they  had  a  demoralizing  effect 
upon  the  command. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  565. 


January,  1862.  12T 


On  Januar)-  27th  the  Hon.  Landon  C.  Haynes  wrote 
from  Knoxville  to  President  Davis  thus : 

The  Army  of  the  Cumberland  is  utterly  routed  and  demoralized. 
The  result  is  regarded  with  the  profoundest  solicitude.  Confidence  is 
gone  in  the  ranks  and  among  the  people.  It  must  be  restored.  I  am 
confident  it  cannot  be  done  under  Generals  Crittenden  and  Carroll. 
I  do  not  propose  to  inquire  whether  the  loss  of  public  con- 
fidence in  Generals  Crittenden  and  Carroll  is  ill  or  well  founded.  It 
is  sufficient  that  all  is  lost.  ........ 

I  must  think,  as  everybody  else  does,  that  there  has  been  a  great 
mistake  made.  .  .  .  Cannot  you,  Mr.  President,  right  the  wrong 
by  the  immediate  presence  of  a  new  and  able  man  ?  -'^ 

On  the  same  date  (27th)  Governor  Isham  G.  Harris 
dispatched  thus  to  Hon.  J.  D.  C.  Atkins: 

Crittenden  can  never  rally  troops  in  East  Tennessee.  Some  other 
general  must  be  sent  there.* 

We  fell  back  to  Monticello,  nine  miles  from  the  river, 
unmolested  by  the  Federals.  The  infantry  and  /oo^ 
cavalry  had  quite  a  disagreeable  march  on  account  of 
so  much  mud.  The  command  halted  for  the  night 
about  one  mile  south  of  Monticello — that  is  to  say,  a 
part  of  the  command,  for  a  good  many  besides  our 
battalion  kept  moving  homeward. 

There  was  nothing  to  have  hindered  us  from  bringing 
off  all  the  camp  equipage  belonging  to  our  battalion,  as 
we  were  camping  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  but  in 
place  of  doing  that  we  lost  all,  leaving  our  tents  in 
flames,  I  suppose  it  was  thought  that  the  Federals 
would  cross  the  river  and  follow  us,  but  they  did  not. 

Col.  McNairy  being  absent,  the  captains  of  our  bat- 
talion held  a  consultation  at  Monticello,  and  after  taking; 
all  things  into  consideration — no  rations,  camp  equipage, 
etc. — they   decided   to   disband,    allow    the   men    to  go 

'■■Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  849. 


128  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


home  for  a  few  days,  get  a  better  supply  of  clothing 
and  return  to  our  command  again. 

We  had  only  gone  about  one  mile  from  Monticello 
when  Captain  Parrish  (Company  C)  halted,  saying,  "I 
am  not  willing  to  take  so  much  responsibility  upon  my- 
self. I  am  going  back  to  the  command."  So  that 
caused  a  confusion,  and  the  battalion  began  to  scatter. 
Captain  Parrish,  fourteen  of  his  company  and  one  of 
our  company  (J.  R.  Dougherty)  remained.  The  rest  of 
the  battalion  went  home,  being  instructed  to  meet  the 
command  agrain  at  Gainesboro,  on  the  Cumberland 
River,  in  Jackson  County,  Tennessee.  We  now  trav- 
eled in  small  squads,  on  different  roads.  Lieutenant 
George  x'\lexander,  brother  Ben  (B.  A.  Hancock)  and 
I,  going  in  the  direction  of  Jamestown,  Tennessee,  put 
up  for  the  night  within  four  miles  of  Wolf  River. 

Tuesday ,  2 1st. — One  of  our  company,  A.  G.  Ewing, 
was  very  sick,  and  had  to  be  brought  off  in  one  of  our 
company  wagons,  driven  by  Jesse  Jones.  The  team,  be- 
ing very  thin  in  order  and  almost  broken  down,  stalled 
at  the  bank  of  Wolf  River.  Ben  and  I,  being  mounted 
on  good  wagon  horses,  took  out  the  jaded  team,  put  in 
ours  and  brought  Ewing  on  to  Jamestown. 

Wednesday,  2 2d. — We  moved  out  in  the  direction  of 
White  Plains;  on  the  23d  we  passed  through  White 
Plains,  and  on  the  24th  we  crossed  Caney  Fork  River 
at  Trousdale's  Ferry,  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  the 
Widow  Allen's.  Here  we  left  Ewing  in  the  care  of  Mr. 
Anderson  French,  a  member  of  our  battalion,  who  was 
afterwards  lieutenant.  He  was  to  take  Ewing  by  stage 
to  his  (Ewing's)  uncle's,  near  Nashville.  Ewing  suf- 
fered a  great  deal  during  the  trip.  He  was  very  low 
spirited.     It  seemed  that  he  had  just  as  soon  die  as  live. 


February,  1862.  129 


He  frequently  said  to  us,  "  Drive  the  wagon  out  of  the 
road,  take  out  your  horses  and  go  on  home." 

Saturday,  2^th. — Ben  and  I  went  on  home  by  the  way 
of  New  Middleton  and  Alexandria,  taking  the  wagon 
on  home  with  us.  We  were  about  the  last  of  the  com- 
pany getting  home.  It  had  been  seven  months  since 
we  first  started  into  service  from  Auburn,  Cannon 
County,  Tennessee. 

Crittenden  moved  on  from  Monticello,  Kentucky,  by 
the    way    of    Livingston,    Tennessee,    to     Gainesboro. 

There  some  of  the  regiments  that  were  near  home 
were  disbanded  for  a  few  days,  while  a  few  tents  and 
cooking  vessels  were  procured  for  the  rest.  Captain 
Parrish's  Company  and  J.  R.  Dougherty  were  fur- 
loughed  for  twenty  days. 

We  remained  at  home  until 

Stmday,  February  2d. — About  twenty-eight  of  Cap- 
tain T.  M.  Allison's  Company  left  home  to  rejointhe 
command  at  Gainesboro.  Had  one  wagon  with  us,  in 
which  we  had  rations  to  last  us  to  camps.  Passing 
Alexandria,  about  eight  of  us  stopped  for  the  night 
about  one  mile  beyond,  with  Mr.  Davis,  while  the  rest 
went  one  mile  further  and  stopped  with  Mr.  Smith. 

Mo7iday,  jd. — As  our  wagon  broke  down,  we  had 
only  marched  about  twelve  miles,  when  we  stopped  at 
the  Widow  Allen's,  on  the  bank  of  Caney  Fork  River, 
and  had  our  wagon  repaired. 

Tuesday,    ^th. — Crossing    Caney    Fork,    we  marched 
twenty  miles  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  one  Mr.  Alli- 
son's,   in    Putnam    County,    within    seventeen    miles  of 
Gainesboro. 
9 


130  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Wednesday,  ^th. — When  within  five  miles  of  Gaines- 
boro  we  met  the  advance  of  the  First  Brigade,  now  un- 
der the  command  of  Colonel  Statham,  going  in  the 
direction  of  Carthage  by  the  way  of  Chestnut  Mound. 
Captain  Allison,  I  and  four  others  went  on  to  Gaines- 
boro.  There  we  found  General  Carroll's  Brigade,  and 
Colonel  McNairy  with  a  part  of  our  battalion.  Colonel 
McNairy  said  we  had  better  go  back  to  Mr.  Allison's, 
or  in  that  neighborhood,  in  order  to  get  forage  for  our 
horses.  We  went  back  and  remained  in  the  Allison 
neighborhood  until 

Friday,  yth. — As  Colonel  Statham  passed  Mr.  Alli- 
son's he  ordered  our  company  to  go  on  in  advance  of  his 
brigade  toward  Carthage.  Going  six  miles,  where  the 
brigade  camped  for  the  night,  we  were  overtaken  with 
a  dispatch  from  Colonel  McNairy  ordering  us  back  to 
Livingston. 

Going  back  to  Mr.  Allison's,  we  there  met  another 
dispatch  from  Colonel  McNairy  ordering  us  to  halt,  as 
the  order  for  our  battalion  to  go  to  Livingston  had  been 
countermanded.  So  we  put  up  for  the  night  with  Mr. 
Allison.  The  rest  of  the  battalion  passed  us,  some  of 
them  going  as  far  as  Chestnut  Mound. 

Saturday,  8th. — Passing  Chestnut  Mound,  our  com- 
pany put  up  for  the  night  one  mile  beyond.  The  rest 
of  the  battalion  remained  near  Chestnut  Mound. 

Under  the  above  date  the  Secretary  of  War,  J.  P. 
Benjamin,  wrote  to  General  A.  S.  Johnston  as  follows: 

We  have  ordered  to  Knoxville  three  Tennessee  regiments 
(Vaughn's,    Maney's  and   Bate's),   the   First   Georgia   Regiment  and 
four  regiments  from   General  Bragg's  command  to  be  forwarded  by 
him.  ............ 

The  whole  force  in  East  Tennessee  will  thus  amount,  as  we  think, 


■Febrfart,  1862.  131 


to  at  least  fifteen  regiments,  and  the  President  desires  that  you  assign 
the  command  to  General  Buckner.* 

The  formation  of  this  new  army  for  Eastern  Tennessee  will  leave 
Genera]  Crittenden's  army  .     .      free  to  act  with  your  center. 

The  President  thinks  it  best  to  break  up  the  army  of  General  Crit- 
tenden, demoralized  by  its  defeat,  and  that  you  should  distribute  the 
forces  composing  it  among  other  troops.  You  can  form  a  new  com- 
mand for  General  Crittenden,  connected  with  your  own  corps,  in  such 
manner  as  you  may  deem  best. 

General  Crittenden  has  demanded  a  court  of  inf[uiry,  and  it  has 
been  ordered;  but  from  all  the  accounts  which  now  reach  us  we  have 
no  reason  to  doubt  his  skill  or  conduct  in  his  recent  movements,  and 
feel  convinced  that  it  is  not  to  any  fault  of  his  that  the  disaster  at 
Somerset  (Fishing  Creek)  is  to  be  attributed. f 

Sunday,  gth. — General  Carroll's  Brigade  passed  on 
toward  Carthage.  Allison  was  instructed  to  remain 
until  further  orders.  We  were  in  Smith  County,  eight 
and  a  half  miles  from  Carthage.  The  whole  division 
halted. 

Mo7iday,  loth. — J.  S.  Anderson  J  shot  and  killed  W. 
K.  Natcher  at  Chestnut  Mound.  The  latter  was  drunk. 
They  were  both  members  of  Harris'  Company.  About 
three  months  previous  to  this  Natcher  had  killed  An- 
derson's brother-in-law,  George  Aiken, 

Tuesday,  nth. — Our  company  went  back  to  Chestnut 
Mound.  After  the  burial  of  Natcher  and  a  short  drill, 
we  returned  to  our  former  boarding  places. 

Wednesday.  12th. — The  battalion  met  at  Chestnut 
Mound  again  to  drill,  after  which  we  scattered  out  to 

■•■  Major-General  E.  K.  Smith  was  sent  to  East  Tennessee.  General  Buckner 
surrendered  with  the  garrison  at  Fort  Donelson,  February  i6th. 

t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  862. 

:}:  Andersoai  was  put  under  arrest,  and  marched  through  with  the  Fifteenth 
Mississip]:)i  to  Corinth,  Mississippi,  He  fought  so  bravely  in  the  Shiloh  battle 
that  I  think  he  was  afterward  released. 


132  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

hunt  lodging  places  for  the  night,  for  our  company  still 
had  neither  tents  nor  cooking  vessels.  Only  about  nine- 
ty-five of  our  battalion  had  returned  to  camps  to  date. 
In  place  of  going  on  to  Carthage,  as  we  expected,  Colo- 
nel Statham,  being  in  front,  turning  to  the  left,  moved 
his  brigade  down  and  went  into  camp  on  the  east  bank 
of  Caney  Fork  River  near  Trousdale's  Ferry. 

Thursday,  ijih. — Captain  Allison's  Company  crossed 
Caney  Fork  at  Trousdale's  Ferry.  Thirteen  more  of 
his  company  joined  him.  The  rest  of  McNairy's  Bat- 
talion moved  from  Chestnut  Mound  down  to  where 
Colonel  Statham's  Brigade  was  camping  on  the  east  side 
of  Caney  Fork. 

Saturday,  i^tJi. — The  deepest  snow  of  the  season 
was  on  the  ground  that  morning — abottt  half  an  inch 
deep. 

General  Crittenden  was  now  ordered  by  General 
Johnston  to  move  without  delay  on  Nashville,  halting 
within  ten  miles  of  the  city  and  reporting. f 

Sunday,  i6th. — By  daylight  all  of  Colonel  Statham's 
Brigade  had  crossed  Caney  F'ork  except  a  few  wagons. 
Before  night  General  Carroll's  Brigade,  except  two  regi- 
ments (Stanton's*  and  Murray's,  that  were  yet  behind), 
had  crossed.  Four  companies  of  McNairy's  Battalion 
were  still  on  the  east  side  of  Caney  Fork  waiting  for 
those  other  two  regiments. 

Seven  regiments  of  Crittenden's  Division  had  crossed 
and  moved  out  in  the  direction  of  Nashville  by  the  way 
of  Lebanon.  Allison's  company  was  still  boarding 
among  the  citizens  near  Trousdale's  Ferry. 

tRebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  882. 
*  Stanton  belonged  to  Statham's  Brigade, 
Rebellion  Records,  Vol,  VII.,  p.  862, 


February,  18G2.  133 


The  following  explains  itself: 

Headquarters  Western  Department, 

Edgefield,  February  17th,   1862. 
Af a/or- General  Ciitteiiden,  Com //landing  Chestnut  Mound  : 

General  Johnston  directs  you  to  move  your  command  to  Murfrees- 
boro  (instead  of  Nashville)  without  delay.  Press  all  tlie  wagons  you 
need.  Fort  Donelson  has  fallen,  and  General  Floyd's  army  is  capt- 
ured after  a  gallant  defense.      Respectfully, 

W.    \V.    MACKALL.t 

Wednesday,  igth. — ^Stanton's  and  Murray's  Ivegi- 
ments  came  to  and  commenced  crossing  the  river. 

Thursday,  20th. — Owing  to  the  high  water  those  two 
regiments  made  slow  progress  crossing  the  river. 

Friday,  21st. — They  finished  crossing  the  river.  The 
other  four  companies  of  McNairy's  Battalion  crossed 
also. 

Sahn^day,  22d. — McNairy's  Battalion  took  up  the  line 
of  March  again,  following  the  division  in  the  direction 
of  Murfreesboro.  As  it  rained  nearly  all  day,  and 
brother  Ben  was  unwell,  he  and  I  remained  at  one  Mr. 
Coffee's,  where  we  had  been  boarding  for  several  days. 

Sunday,  2jd. — As  it  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  Ben 
was  able  to  ride,  we  went  home,  near  Auburn,  Cannon 
County,  Tenn.,  distance  twenty-three  miles. 

Tuesday,  2^th. — I  left  home*  to  rejoin  the  battalion 
near  Murfreesboro.  After  a  ride  of  nineteen  miles  I, 
with  several  others  of  Allison's  Company,  stopped  for 
the  night  with  Colonel  E.  S.  Smith's  Battalion,  within 
two  miles  of  Murfreesboro. 

I  will  here  pause  to  make  a  few  remarks  in  reference 
to  the  movements  of  the  Confederates  at  other  points. 


t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  889. 

*  The  last  time  I  saw  home  until  June  3d,  1865. 


134  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Fort  Henry,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Federals  on  February  6th.  General  Grant, 
making  Fort  Henry  his  base  of  operations,  moved 
against  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland  River. 

General  Buckner,  with  about  nine  thousand  five  hun- 
dred rank  and  file,  surrendered  the  latter  place  to  Grant 
on  the  1 6th. 

About  this  time  the  Confederates  at  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky,  fell  back  to  Nashville  before  General  Buell. 
By  the  23d  the  last  of  the  Confederate  troops  evacuated 
the  latter  place,  falling  back  to  Murfreesboro. 

Nashville  was  formally  surrendered  by  the  Mayor  to 
General  Buell  on  the  25th  of  February. 

So  I  found  quite  a  number  of  infantry,  cavalry  and 
artillery  at  Murfreesboro  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Albert  Sidney  Johnston. 

That  portion  of  Johnston's  army  which  was  now  with 
him  at  Murfreesboro,  and  known  as  the  Central  Army, 
was  composed  of  three  divisions,  commanded  respect- 
ively by  Major-Generals  Hardee,  Crittenden  and  Pillow, 
and  one  "reserve"  brigade  under  Brigadier-General 
Breckinridge.  Each  division  was  composed  of  two 
brigades,  making  a  total  of  seven  brigades. 

Bennett's  Battalion,  which  was  afterward  consoli- 
dated with  McNairy's,  belonged  to  Hindman's  Brigade 
and  Hardee's  Division. 

Wednesday,  26th. — We  rejoined  our  battalion  at 
Black's  Shop,  seven  miles  from  Murfreesboro,  on  the 
Lebanon  pike.  We  were  ordered  to  hunt  quarters  for 
the  night,  as  we  still  had  no  tents. 

Thursday^  2^111. — On  reassembling  the  battalion  drew 
five  tents  to  each  company,  and  put  them  up  at  Black's 
Shop. 


March,  1862.  135 


Hearing  that  the  Federals  were  about  five  miles  south 
of  Nashville  and  still  advancing  toward  Murfreesboro, 
the  battalion  moved  out  about  eight  miles  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  former  place.  Hearing  that  about  one  thou- 
sand Confederate  cavalry  were  three  miles  in  advance 
of  us,  we  turned  and  went  back  to  camps  at  Black's 
Shop. 

Friday,  28th. — Crittenden's  Division,  to  which  Mc- 
Nairy's  Battalion  still  belonged,  took  up  the  line  of 
march  again  for  Corinth  Mississippi.  Passing  on 
through  Murfreesboro,  we  went  into  camps  about  ten 
miles  beyond,  on  the  Shelbyville  pike.  Johnston  also 
put  the  rest  of  his  command  in  motion  southward. 

Saturday,  March  ist. — Passing  on  through  Shelby- 
ville, crossing  Duck  River,  we  went  into  camps  on  its 
bank  in  sight  of  town,  in  Bedford  County,  twenty-five 
miles  from  Murfreesboro,  where  we  remained  until 

Tuesday,  ■f.tJi. — Johnston  dispatched  thus  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  from  Shelbyville : 

My  army  will  move  beyond  this  to-day  on  the  road  to  Decatur. 
One  brigade  remains  here  to  protect  the  stores  until  they  are  shijjped 
south. 

I  will  be  at  the  telegraph  ofifice  at  Fayetteville  to-morrow  morning 
to  receive  any  communications.* 

After  a  march  of  about  fifteen  miles  on  the  Fayette- 
ville pike,  we  went  into  camps  in  a  beautiful  woods, 
where  we  had  plenty  of  wood  for  fires. 

Wednesday,  ^th. — Passing  on  through  Fayetteville, 
crossing  Elk  River,  we  went  into  camps  on  its  bank  half 
a  mile  from  town,  in  Lincoln  County.  Had  another 
nice  camping  place.  Distance  from  Shelbyville  to  Fay- 
etteville, twenty-six  miles.      Here  we  rested  one  day. 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  917. 


136  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Finday,  yth. — After  a  march  of  about  seven  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Athens,  Alabama,  we  camped  for  the 
night  in  a  barren,  swampy  country,  in   Lincoln   County. 

Saturday,  8th. — After  a  march  of  eleven  miles  through 
a  broken  country,  we  camped  in  an  oak  grove,  still  in 
Lincoln  County,  Tennessee. 

Su7iday,  gth. — We  marched  through  a  section  of  coun- 
try the  principal  growth  of  which  was  post-oak.  There 
were  so  many  quicksand  bogs  that  it  was  difficult  for 
our  wagons  to  pass.  Aiarching  about  eleven  miles, 
passing  out  of  Tennessee,  we  camped  for  the  night  in 
Limestone  County,  Alabama. 

Monday,  loth. — Passing  on  through  Athens,  we  went 
into  camps  about  two  miles  beyond.  Distance  from 
Fayetteville,  Tennessee,  to  Athens,  Alabama,  thirty- 
eight  miles.  As  it  rained  the  night  before,  the  roads 
were  still  worse. 

Tuesday,  nth. — After  mounting  and  moving  out,  per- 
haps, one  mile  and  a  half  in  the  direction  of  Decatur, 
we  were  ordered  back  to  the  same  camp  we  had  just 
left,  in  a  nice  oak  grove.      It  was  a  beautiful  day. 

Wednesday,  12th. — The  battalion  moved  only  about 
six  miles  and  went  into  camps.  The  artillery  moved  on 
still  further  in  the  direction  of  Decatur. 

Thursday,  ijth. — Our  battalion  crossed  the  Tennes- 
see River  on  the  railroad  bridge  at  Decatur,  and  went 
into  camps  about  one  mile  west  of  town.  The  artillery 
and  wagons  of  our  division  (Crittenden's),  being  loaded 
about  two  miles  from  the  river,  were  brought  over  on 
the  cars.  Distance  from  Athens  to  Decatur,  fourteen 
miles ;  from  Murfreesboro  to  Decatur,  one  hundred  and 
three  miles. 


March,  18G2.  1-37 


Crittenden's  Division  remained  near  Decatur,  in 
Morgan  County,  for  several  days. 

Friday,  i^ih. — About  dusk  there  was  an  awful  storm 
of  wind  and  rain.  It  was  all  we  could  do  to  keep  our 
tents  from  blowing  off. 

Tuesday,  i8th — McNairy's  Battalion  drew  five  months' 
pay,  from  the  ist  of  August  to  December  31st,  1861. 
Each  private  drew  twenty-four  dollars  per  month.  There 
were  quite  a  number  of  troops  camped  near  Decatur, 
but  they  were  being  rapidly  conveyed  by  rail  to  Cor- 
inth, Mississippi. 

Wednesday,  igth. — Carroll's  Brigade  moved  out  by 
rail  for  Corinth.  Five  of  Allison's  Company  who  had 
been  home  rejoined  their  company. 

Thursday,  20th. — Statham's  Brigade  (except  Mc- 
Nairy's Battalion*)  with  their  baggage  left  by  rail  for 
Corinth,  Mississippi. 

The  wagons  belonging  to  the  two  brigades  did  not  go 
through  by  rail,  but  were  taken  through  by  their  teams. 
After  a  march  of  about  twenty  miles  McNairy's  Battal- 
ion camped  for  the  night  in  a  beautiful  lot  within  four 
miles  of  Courtland. 

Friday,  21st. — We  found  the  Tennessee  Valley  to  be 
a  better  farming  coimtry  than  some  we  had  passed 
through.  The  road  was  also  better.  After  a  ride  of 
twenty-four  miles  the  battalion  halted  for  the  night  within 
four  miles  of  Tuscumbia,  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama. 

■' Our  liattalion  Lad  been  with  the  above  named  brigade  about  six  months, 
but  we  were  here  separated  from  the  flw  true,  the  noblt-,  and  ///(•  urave  soldiers 
who  composed  that  brigade  to  be  united  with  them  no  more  during  the  war. 
Perhaps  there  were  but  few,  if  any,  better  brigades  in  the  Confederate  service 
than  ZoUicoffer's,  and  afterward  Statham's  Brigade. 


138  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Saturday,  22d. —  The  battalion  moved  on  through  and 
camped  about  seven  miles  beyond  Tuscumbia. 

Sunday,  2jd. — After  a  ride  of  about  thirty  miles, 
crossing  Big  Bear  Creek,  the  battalion  went  into  camps 
near  luka,  in  Tishamingo  County,  Mississippi,  within 
about  twenty-five  miles  of  Corinth.  The  battalion  re- 
mained near  luka  for  about  three  weeks.  Distance 
from  Decatur  to  Tuscumbia,  forty-eight  miles ;  from 
Decatur  to  luka,  eighty-five. 

Monday,  z^th* — A  little  after  dark  seventy-five  of 
the  battalion  went  out  to  guard  the  railroad  bridge 
which  crossed  Bear  Creek  about  seven  miles  east  of 
luka. 

Tuesday,  2^th. — Bear  Creek  empties  into  the  Tennes- 
see River  eight  miles  north-east  of  luka.  Chickasaw 
was  a  little  village  above,  or  on  the  east  of  Bear  Creek, 
and  Eastport  was  below,  both  on  the  bank  of  the  Ten- 
nessee. The  Confederates  had  a  battery  at  the  latter 
place.  Two  Federal  gun-boats  came  up  the  river  to 
Eastport,  and  opened  fire  on  our  battery.  The  boats 
fell  back  down  the  river  soon  after  our  battery  opened 
on  them.  A  part  of  our  battalion  was  still  guarding 
Bear  Creek  bridge. 

Sunday,  joth. — I  and  two  others  being  on  picket 
within  five  miles  of  Chickasaw,  and  hearing  the  firing  of 
artillery  a  little  below,  mounted  our  horses  and  went  to 
the  river  at  the  above  named  place.  The  firing  that  ap- 
peared so  near  ceased  before  we   reached   Chickasaw, 

•■Brother  Will  and  I  left  the  battalion  at  Tuscumbia  (on  the  22d)  to  visit  some 
of  our  relatives  (Aunt  Martha  Ramsey's  and  Uncle  Ben  Hancock's  families),  who 
lived  fourteen  miles  south  on  the  Russellville  road.  After  spending  an  evening 
and  one  night  very  pleasantly  with  our  relatives,  we  rejoined  the  battalion  at 
luka  on  the  24th. 


April,  18G2.  139 

but  heavy  cannonading  was  still  going  on,  we  supposed, 
at  Savannah,  twenty-five  miles  below.  I  learned  after- 
ward that  the  firing  that  appeared  so  near  was  six  miles 
below  Chickasaw,  and  occurred  as  follows:  A  gun-boat 
was  coming  up  the  river  with  a  sounding  skiff  in  ad- 
vance. Some  Confederate  cavalry,  being  near  the  river, 
killed  one  man  in  the  skiff.  The  gun-boat  then  fired  a 
few  shots,  without  doing  any  harm,  so  far  as  I  know. 

Titcsday,  April  ist. — Two  gun-boats  and  three  trans- 
ports came  up  and  landed  some  troops  at  Eastport  and 
Chickasaw,  after  firing  a  few  shots  at  the  former  place. 
Fhere  was  a  picket  guard  from  our  battaHon  at  the  lat- 
ter place.  One  of  our  picket  reported  to  Colonel  Mc- 
Nairy,  while  the  others  withdrew  to  a  neighboring  hill, 
from  which  they  could  watch  the  movements  of  the  Fed- 
erals. About  dark  the  battalion  mounted  and  moved 
out  in  the  direction  of  Chickasaw.  The  advance  guard, 
having  gone  on  to  the  river,  and  finding  that  the  Federal 
boats,  after  taking  the  troops  aboard  again,  had  been 
withdrawn,  met  the  battalion  two  miles  from  the  river. 
So  we  aii  returned  to  camps  without  a  fight. 

Our  camp  was  moved  out  near  the  Bear  Creek 
bridge. 

Thursday,  jd. — I  and  five  others  were  on  picket  on 
the  bank  of  the  Tennessee  at  Chickasaw.  About  nine 
o'clock  A.  M.  another  gun-boat  paid  us  a  visit.  She  had 
eleven  guns  aboard.  After  spying  round  awhile,  she 
went  back  down  the  river,  without  either  landing  any 
troops  or  firing  a  gun.  The  battalion  moved  to  luka, 
and  camped  in  the  "  luka  Springs"  lot,  in  the  edge  of 
town.  There  were  a  couple  of  nice  mineral  springs 
there. 

Saturday,  ^th. — The  battalion  moved  to  a  nice  camp- 


140  R.  R.  Hancook's  Diary. 

ing  place  in  an  old  field,  one  mile  west  of  luka,  where 
it  remained  about  eleven  days. 

Sunday,  6th. — On  the  above  day  and  date  commenced 
one  of  the  great  battles  of  the  "  War  Between  the 
States,"  generally  known  as  the  "Battle  of  Shiloh." 

Finding  a  very  full  description  of  said  battle  in  the 
History  of  Forrest's  Campaigns,  from  the  pen  of  Gen- 
eral Thomas  Jordan  (than  whom,  perhaps,  no  other  was 
better  qualified  to  describe  said  battle,  as  he  was  at  the 
time  A.  S.  Johnston's  Adjutant-General),  I  will  copy  at 
length,  though  I  shall  somewhat  abridge  without  using 
marks  of  ellipsis  or  quotation  points  : 

The  Confederate  forces  that  had  abandoned  Ken- 
tucky and  Middle  Tennessee  were  assembled  by  rail- 
road from  Huntsville  and  Decatur  at  Corinth,  in  North 
Mississippi. 

Major-General  Polk's  forces,  from  Columbus,  Ken- 
tucky, and  West  Tennessee,  had  likewise  been  concen- 
trated at  the  same  place,  as  well  as  a  splendid  corps 
under  General  Bragg,  drawn  from  Pensacola  and  New 
Orleans,  with  the  addition  of  some  newly-enrolled  Mis- 
sissippi regiments.  This  force  was  reorganized  during 
the  last  week  of  March  into  three  army  corps :  The 
First,  commanded  by  Major-General  Polk ;  the  Second, 
by  Major-General  Bragg,  and  the  Third,  by  Major- 
General  Hardee.  The  cavalry  had  a  separate  organi- 
zation of  about  four  thousand  five  hundred.  The  whole 
was  under  the  chief  command  of  Albert  Sidney  John- 
ston, with  Beauregard  as  second  in  command. 

While  the  Confederates  were  thus  occupied  their  ad- 
versary had  not  been  dilatory.  General  Grant,  under 
orders  from  his  superior,  had  proceeded,  with  his  force 
engaged  in  the  operations  ending   in  the  fall  of  Fort 


April,  1802.  141 

Donelson,  and  established  himself  at  a  point  upon  the 
west  bank  of  the  Tennessee  River  known  as  Pittsburu 
Landintr.  Here,  too,  he  had  been  followed  soon  by 
three  other  divisions,  commanded  by  W.  T.  Sherman, 
Hurlburt  and  Prentiss. 

Moreover,  after  diverting  one  of  his  divisions  (Mitch- 
ell's) toward  Huntsville,  Alabama,  General  Buell,  with 
his  other  four  divisions,  was  known  to  be  rajjidly  con- 
verging to  the  same  theater  of  operations. 

Thus  matters  stood  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of 
April :  Two  considerable  hostile  armies  had  been 
brought  within  eighteen  miles  of  each  other,  with  no 
physical  barrier,  such  as  a  large  river  or  mountain,  be- 
tween them. 

I^eing  satisfied  the  time  had  come  to  spring  upon,  if 
possible,  surprise  and  crush  General  Grant's  army  be- 
fore Buell  had  come  up.  General  Johnston,  about  eleven 
o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  2d,  decided  to  put  his  army 
in  movement  the  following  day,  and  trust  its  fortunes  to 
the  "iron  dice"  of  battle.  Accordingly  the  orders  to 
that  end,  issued  at  once  by  his  Adjutant-General,  were 
received  by  his  several  corps  commanders  by  forty  min- 
utes past  one  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  April,  while 
a  reserve  was  organized  at  the  same  time  of  three  bri- 
gades, under  Breckinridge,  to  move  directly  from  Burns- 
ville  and  join  the  main  body  at  a  petty  cross-road  vil- 
lage called  Monterey.  By  noon  (the  3d)  the  whole 
Confederate  army  was  under  arms  and  ready  to  begin 
the  march.  But  from  untoward  causes  the  First  (Polk's) 
Corps  dici  not  get  in  motion  so  soon  as  had  been  ex- 
pected, and  did  not  bivouac  as  far  in  advance  as  was 
desirable. 

Moreover,  the    badness   of   the    roads,  caused  by  a 


142  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

heavy  rainfall  the  night  of  the  3d,  so  retarded  the 
movement  that  Bragg's  Corps  was  not  able  the  second 
day  to  advance  further  than  Monterey,  whereas  it  had 
been  confidently  anticipated  that  by  the  night  of  the 
4th  the  whole  army  would  have  assembled  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  antagonist.  Instead  of  being  able  to  attack 
Saturday  morning,  as  anticipated.  General  Polk's  Corps 
did  not  reach  the  vicinity  of  the  designated  point  of 
concentration  until  quite  as  late  as  two  o'clock  Saturday 
afternoon,  5th  of  April. 

Though  General  Johnston,  through  his  staff,  had 
made  every  effort  to  get  his  troops  in  position  for  an 
attack  that  day. 

Supremely  chagrined  that  he  had  been  balked  in  his 
just  expectations,  it  was  now  evidently  too  late  for  a 
decisive  engagement  that  afternoon,  so  General  John- 
ston called  his  corps  and  reserve  commanders  together, 
and  a  council  of  war  was  held  within  less  than  two  miles 
of  Shiloh  Chapel,  the  headquarters  of  the  Federal  Gen- 
eral Sherman.*  General  Beauregard  earnestly  advised 
the  idea  of  attacking  the  enemy  should  be  abandoned, 
and  that  the  whole  force  should  return  to  Corinth,  inas- 
much as  it  was  now  scarcely  possible  they  would  be 
able  to  take  the  Federals  unawares  after  such  delay 
and  noisy  demonstrations  which  had  been  made  mean- 
while. 

It  did  seem  that  the  Federals  had  had  ample  warning 
of  the  impending  tempest,  for  a  force  of  Confederate 
cavalry  that  had  been  sent  forward  mainly  to  procure 
topographical  information  which  hitherto  the  Confeder- 
ate generals  had  been  unable  to  acquire  of  that  region, 

•■■  Grant,  the  Federal  Canimander-in-Chief,  it  appears,  had  gone  that  after- 
11)  )n  down  the  river  to  Savannah,  some  tvi'elve  miles  distant. 


April,   I8G2.  143 


had  been  pushed  up,  and  somewhat  injudiciously  though 
boldly  landed  in  the  immediate  front  of  the  Federal  po- 
sition. During  that  day  (Saturday)  one  regiment  of 
cavalry  (Colonel  N.  B.  Forrest's)  had  had  some  lively 
skirmishing  on  the  left  of  the  Federal  position. 

Therefore,  Beauregard  urged  the  enemy  would  be 
now  found  formidably  intrenched  and  ready  for  the  at- 
tack ;  that  success  had  depended  on  the  power  to  assail 
them  unexpectedly,  tor  they  were  superior  in  numbers, 
and  in  large  part  had  been  under  fire.  On  the  other 
hand,  few  comparatively  of  the  Confederates  had  that 
advantage,  while  a  large  part  were  too  raw  and  recently 
enrolled  to  make  it  proper  to  venture  them  in  an  assault 
upon  breastworks  which  would  now  be  thrown  up.  And 
this  unquestionably  was  the  view  of  almost  all  present. 

General  Johnston,  having  listened  with  grave  atten- 
tion to  the  views  and  opinions  advanced,  then  remarked 
in  substance  that  he  recognized  the  weight  of  the  ob- 
jections to  an  attack  under  the  circumstances  involved 
by  the  unfortunate  loss  of  time  on  the  road.  But,  nev- 
ertheless, he  still  hoped  the  enemy  was  not  looking  for 
offensive  operations,  and  that  he  would  yet  be  able  to 
surprise  them.  And  that,  having  put  his  army  in  mo- 
tion for  a  battle,  he  would  venture  the  hazard. 

This  decision  being  announced,  the  officers  rapidly 
dispersed  to  their  respective  posts  in  high  and  hopeful 
spirits,  notwithstanding  the  probabilities  that  all  pre- 
vious expectations  of  a  surprise  would  fail  of  accom- 
plishment. 

Here  a  topographical  sketch  of  the  theater  of  war 
may  serve  to  make  more  intelligible  the  occurrences  and 
vicissitudes  of  the  battle. 

Two  streams,  Lick  and  Owl  Creeks,  taking  their  rise 


144  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

very  near  each  other,  just  westward  of  Monterey,  Mow- 
ing (a  Httle  east  of  north)  nearly  parallel  with  each  oth- 
er, the  former  empties  into  the  Tennessee  about  three 
miles  above  Pittsbur^^  Landing,  the  latter,  after  ming- 
ling its  waters  with  Snake  Creek,  empties  into  the  Ten- 
nessee about  one  mile  below  said  landing.  In  other 
words.  Owl  Creek  empties  into  Snake  Creek  about 
three  or  four  miles  (in  a  direct  line,  nearly  west),  from 
the  mouth  of  the  latter.  Intersected  by  various  ravines, 
drainatre  is  into  Owl  Creek,  as  the  land  rises  hitrhest 
and  ridgelike  near  Lick  Creek. 

Recent  heavy  rains  had  rendered  the  soil  boggy,  es- 
pecially along  those  small  streams,  and  hence  difficult 
for  artillery  and  cavalry.  A  primeval  forest,  cumbered 
with  a  great  deal  of  undergrowth,  covered  the  region, 
except  a  few  small  farms  of  fifty  or  seventy  acres  scat- 
tered occasionally  here  and  there.  Two  roads  leacHng 
from  Corinth,  crossing  Lick  Creek  about  a  mile  apart, 
converge  .together  about  two  miles  from  Pittsburg 
Landing.  Other  roads  also  approach  from  all  direc- 
tions :  one  from  Purely  crosses  Owl  Creek  by  a  bridge 
before  its  junction  with  Snake  Creek ;  one  from 
Crump's  Landing,  six  miles  below  Pittsburg,  crosses 
Snake  Creek  by  a  bridge,  and  one  from  Hamburg  Land- 
ing, about  four  miles  above,  crosses  Lick  Creek  by  a 
bridcre,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  its  mouth. 

A  Federal  force  of  five*  strong  divisions,  thirty-seven 
thousand  infantry,  three  thousand  cavalry  and  artillery, 
and  eighty-four  guns,  forty  thousand  of  all  arms,  occu- 
pied the   space  we   have   described,   between  Owl  and 

•■■Grant  had  six  divisions,  but  one  of  them  (Lew  Wallace's)  was  about  six 
miles  below,  near  Crump's  Landing,  and  consequently  not  in  the  first  day's 
fight. 


April,  1862.  145 

Lick  Creeks,  in  front  of  Pittsburg,  and  were  thus  dis- 
posed : 

The  first  Federal  Hne,  extending  from  the  crossing  of 
Owl  Creek,  on  the  Purdy  road,  to  the  crossing  of  Lick 
Creek  on  the  Hamburg  road,  was  composed  of  Sher- 
man's and  Prentiss'  Divisions.  The  headquarters  of  the 
former  were  at  a  rustic  log  "meeting-house,"  called 
Shiloh,  while  the  latter  was  to  the  left.  A  third  divis- 
ion, that  of  jNlcClernand,  was  in  supporting  distance 
of  Sherman  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  Corinth 
roads. 

A  second  line  to  the  rearward  was  composed  of  Hurl- 
but's  and  W.  H.  L.  (not  Lew)  Wallace's  Divisions,  the 
first  of  which  was  stretched  across  the  Corinth  road,  and 
the  other  extended  to  the  leftward  along  the  Hamburg 
road. 

By  three  o'clock  Sunday  morning  the  Confederate 
army  was  all  astir,  and,  after  a  hasty,  scanty  breakfast, 
the  lines  were  formed  as  follows : 

Hardee's  corps,  augmented  by  Gladden's  Brigade 
from  Bragg's  corps,  constituted  the  first  line,  deployed 
in  battle  order  on  the  grounds  upon  which  they  had 
bivouacked. 

The  second  line,  five  hundred  yards  rearward,  was 
formed  of  Ruggles'  Division  and  two  brigades  (the 
other  was  in  the  first  line)  of  Withers'  Division,  under 
Major-General  Bragg.  The  artillery  of  both  corps  fol- 
lowed their  respective  lines  by  the  Pittsburg  road. 

The  First  Corps  (Clark's  and  Cheatham's  Divisions) 

under   Major-General   Polk,  drawn  up   in  a   column   of 

brigades,  deployed  in  line  about  eight  hundred  yards  to 

the  rear  of  Bragg,  constituted  a  third  line. 

Three  brigades  under  Brigadier-General  Breckinridge 
10 


146  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

constituted  a  special  reserve*  for  the  support  of  the  at- 
tacking Hnes  as  might  be  needed  on  either  flank. 

The  cavalry,,  about  4,300  strong,  was  distributed,  for 
the  most  part,  to  guard  the  flanks.  The  cavalry,  with 
the  exception  of  Forrest's  and  Wharton's  regiments, 
being  lately  regimented,  insufficiently  armed,  and  wholly 
without  drill,  together  with  the  nature  of  the  scene  of 
operations,  was  rendered  almost  valueless,  and  only  the 
two  regiments  mentioned  took  any  material  part  in  the 
actions  of  either  day. 

About  sunrise  some  thirty-four  thousand  infantry,  with 
about  fifty  guns,  were  in  movement,  with  a  bearing 
never  surpassed,  to  fall  upon  their  enemy — an  enemy  as 
yet  undeveloped,  but  known  to  be  ensconced  near  at 
hand  in  the  fog  and  forest,  superior  in  numbers  and 
equipments,  for  their  many  drums  the  evening  before 
had  plainly  told  their  formidable  strength. 

That  the  Federals  did  not  take  even  the  ordinary 
precautions  which  habitually  hedge  an  army  in  the  field 
is  passing  strange.  Instead  of  that,  in  sooth,  there  was 
no  line  of  infantry  pickets  in  advance  of  the  ordinary 
chain  of  sentinels,  apparently  no  cavalry  exterior  either 
to  Sherman  or  Prentiss,  and  that  invading  army  lay 
drowsily  in  its  cosy  encampments,  as  if  supremely  confi- 
dent no  harm  were  threatening  and  no  disaster  could 
befall  it.  Many  as  yet  were  in  their  blankets,  fast 
asleep,  many  others  washing  and  dressing,  others  cook- 
ing their  morning  meal,  while  the  arms  and  accoutre- 
ments of  all  were  spread  around  in  the  orderless  fashion 
of  holiday  soldiers. 

Meanwhile,  swiftly  forward  through  the  woods  strode 

■•'■Statham's  Brigade,  to  which  McNairy's  Battery  formerly  belonged,  was- 
in  this  reserve. — R.  R.  H. 


April,  1862.  •  147 

the  Confederates.  With  an  elastic  tread  they  surged 
onward  and  forward  until,  the  mist  gradually  lifting,  the 
white  tents  might  be  seen  through  the  trees. 

On  poured  the  living  current  of  the  Confederates. 
By  an  anomalous  arrangement  Hildebrand's  Brigade  of 
Sherman's  Division  was  on  the  left  of  Prentiss'  Di- 
vision*. Sherman,  with  his  other  three  brigades,  was  on 
the  riofht. 

By  a  mischance  the  Confederates'  left  had  not  been 
thrown  sufficiently  near  to  Owl  Creek,  so  when  the  col- 
lision came  it  was  only  with  the  left  (Hildebrand's)  bri- 
gade ;  but  it  soon  fell  with  overwhelming  force  upon 
Prentiss  from  flank  to  flank.  Their  sentinels,  taken  by 
surprise,  were  run  in  with  barely  time  to  discharge  their 
pieces.  Just  at  their  heels  came  the  Confederates,, 
cheering  heartily ;  and  so  complete  a  surprise  of  an 
army  has  not  the  like  in  history.  Officers  and  men 
were  killed  or  wounded  in  their  beds,  and  larp-e  num- 
bers  had  not  time  to  clutch  up  either  arms  or  accoutre- 
ments. Nevertheless,  few  prisoners  were  taken,  nor 
were  many  either  killed  or  wounded  in  the  first  stage  of 
the  battle.  Hildebrand's  Brigade  of  Ohioans,  swept 
by  the  violence  of  the  onslaught  from  their  encamp- 
ment, scattered  and  was  heard  of  no  more  as  a  bellig- 
erent organization  on  that  field!  Prentiss'  Division, 
rallying,  was  formed  in  good  time  on  a  neighboring 
ridge,  but,  little  able  to  stand  the  torrent  that  streamed 
after  it,  was  swept  further  back.  Meanwhile  Sherman's 
rightward  brigades,  which  had  escaped  collision  with 
Hardee,  he  had  time  to  form,  and  with  them  right  man- 
fully did  he  strive  to  make  head  against  Ruggles'  Di- 
vision of  Bragg's  Corps,  that  by  this  time  had  come 
upon  the  scene  and   bore  down  vehemently  upon  them. 


148    •  •  R.  R.  Ha.voock's  Diary. 

The  position  held  by  Sherman  was  one  of  natural 
strength ;  with  a  small  watercourse  in  front,  it  aftbrded 
a  converging  fire  upon  the  Confederates.  Such,  how- 
ever, was  the  vigor  of  the  assault  that  Sherman,  with 
the  loss  of  five  or  six  guns,  was  forced  back  just  as  Mc- 
Clernand  came  to  his  support.  They  were  both  then 
swept  rearward  near  the  line  of  the  cross-road  from 
Hamburg  to  Purdy.  There  Sherman,  with  McClernand, 
gained  a  foothold,  and,  with  several  batteries  favorably 
posted,  made  another  stand  on  a  thickly-wooded  ridge 
with  a  ravine  in  front.  But,  speedily  assailed  by  Rug- 
gles'  and  some  of  Polk's  Brigades  with  a  fury  not  to  be 
withstood,  the  Federal  line  again  yielded,  losing  several 
pieces  of  artillery  and  receding  to  the  position  of  Mc- 
Clernand's  encampment. 

About  forty  minutes  past  seven  a.  m.,  hearing  the  up- 
roar in  front,  Hurlbut  also  sent  Yeach's  Brigrade  of  his 
division  to  support  Sherman,  and  with  his  other  two 
brigades  moved  swiftly  to  the  succor  of  Prentiss',  who 
had  called  for  aid.  After  Prentiss'  Division  had  fil- 
tered through  his  lines  he  formed  in  the  edge  of  an  old 
field,  sheltered  by  timber  and  thick  undergrowth,  near 
the  Hamburg  road,  south  (to  the  left)  of  the  position 
taken  by  Sherman  and  McClernand.  There  Hurlbut 
also  was  speedily  assailed  by  the  Confederates,  now  re- 
enforced  in  that  quarter  by  Chalmers'  and  Jackson's 
brigades  of  Bragg's  Corps,  and  was  soon  swept  back, 
with  the  loss  of  some  artillery.  Thus  the  whole  front 
line  of  Federal  encampments  was  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  adversary,  filled  with  equipage  and  baggage,  the 
most  abundant  and  luxurious  that  encumbered  any  ex- 
cept an  oriental  army. 

Meanwhile    Sherman    was    making    able,    desperate 


April,  1862.  149 


efforts  to  redeem  the  losses  of  the  niorning.  However, 
the  Confederates,  now  re-enforced  in  that  quarter  by 
Cheatham's  and  Clark's  Divisions,  Polk's  Corps,  still 
drove  their  anemy  nearer  the  river. 

W.  H.  L.  W^allace  had  also  been  attacked,  and  the 
Federal  line  of  battle  was  pushed  back  to  within  a  mile 
of  the  Landing.  There  were  massed  what  remained  of 
their  artillery  and  the  fragments  of  their  five  divisions. 

General  Johnston,  the  Confederate  Commander-in- 
Chief,  was  now  in  the  very  front  of  the  battle.  Assured 
of  a  great  victory  after  the  marvelous  success  of  his 
planned  surprise,  he  now  stimulated  the  onslaught  by 
his  personal  presence  on  the  right,  where  the  press  was 
fiercest,  the  resistance  the  most  effective.  More  than 
once  brigades  that  faltered  under  the  inspiration  of  his 
leading  bore  back  the  enemy  and  wrested  the  position 
fought  for.  As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  General  Grant 
was  not  upon  the  immediate  field  earlier  than  midday. 
On  Saturday  afternoon  he  had  gone  to  Savannah  and 
slept  there.  The  sound  of  many  cannon  at  Shiloh  was 
his  first  tidings  of  a  hostile  juncture  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing. As  he  was  leaving  Savannah  he  ordered  Nel- 
son's Division  of  Buell's  Corps,  that  la)-  at  that  place, 
to  march  to  Pittsburg  by  the  nearest  road.  When  he 
reached  Pittsburg  it  was  to  find  his  whole  front  line  sur- 
prised, overwhelmed,  routed,  and  the  ravines  and  river 
bank  adjacent  packed  with  thousands  of  crouching  fugi- 
tives. These  could  not  be  rallied  nor  incited  to  return 
to  the  field  to  aid  in  recovering  the  fortunes  of  the  day. 

There  was  abundant  intrepidity  in  leading  every- 
where, but,  unfortunately  for  the  Confederate  cause,  too 
little  knowledge  of  the  right  way  to  handle  regiments,, 
brigades,  divisions,  even  corps,  to  secure  that  massing 


150  R.  R.  Hancock's  Dlart. 

of  troops,  those  •  mighty  blows  which  achieve  decisive 
victories.  Though,  indeed,  there  were  far  to  many  strag-  ' 
glers  who  ignobly  shrank  from  the  victorious  edge  of 
battle,  many  going  back  to  Corinth  that  night,  yet 
everywhere  there  was  the  largest  measure  of  sturdy 
fighting  by  regiments,  brigades,  and  parts  of  divisions. 
For  the  most  part,  confident  of  the  issue  and  bent  on 
pressing  toward  the  enemy,  there  was  yet  a  lack  of  har- 
monious movement.  Superior  officers  led  with  notable 
courage  regiments  or  parts  of  brigades,  and  doubtless 
stimulated  their  men  not  a  little  by  their  example,  but 
at  the  same  time  lost  sight  ot  the  mass  of  their  com- 
mands, which  were  thus  not  unfrequently  left  at  a  halt 
without  orders  and  uncertain  what  to  do.  And  this  was 
the  case  with  batteries  also,  which,  moreover,  were 
too  often  employed  smgly.  There  was  no  concerted 
concentration  of  these  triumphant  corps  respectively, 
much  less  of  the  whole  mass,  for  a  well-timed,  over- 
whelming blow  at  the  now  sorely  crippled,  dispirited 
enemy.  And  as  a  consequence,  with  Sherman  among 
them  doing  all  possible  in  the  exigency,  the  Federals 
were  enabled  to  protract  their  defense  against  the  des- 
ultory onset  with  which  they  were  assailed  for  the  next 
hour  or  two. 

Meanwhile,  to  the  riehtward  the  Confederate  General- 
in-Chief,  taking  part  at  a  critical  juncture  in  the  charge 
of  a  brigade,  and  by  his  intrepid  presence  giving  a  re- 
sistless momentum  to  the  onset,  received  a  rifle  wound 
in  the  leg — a  mortal  wound,  as  it  proved  presently,  tor 
the  want  of  timely  surgical  aid.  The  Governor  ot  Ten- 
nessee (I.  G.  Harris),  by  his  side  when  struck,  caught 
the  soldier  in  his  arms  as  he  fell  from  his  saddle,  ex- 
hausted  by   an   apparently    painless    loss    of  blood.      A 


April,  18G2.  151 


moment  after  his  aid-de-camp  and  brother-in-law,  Colo- 
nel William  Preston,  of  Kentucky,  came  up,  and  A,  S. 
Johnston,  with  scarce  a  murmur,  died  in  his  arms.  The 
scene  of  his  untoward  death  was  a  wooded,  secluded 
hollow,  and  the  loss  of  their  chief  was  not  known  to  the 
Confederate  arm)'  until  that  night,  nor  even  generally 
then. 

About  the  time  of  this  calamity  the  reserves  under 
Breckinridge  were  thrown  vigorously  into  action.  He 
was  ordered  to  the  support  of  Bragg,  who  had  called 
for  aid.  In  front  was  to  be  seen  a  camp  without  an  in- 
mate. This  camp  was  in  an  open  woods  and  just  ahead 
was  an  open  field  bordered  by  a  dense  thicket. 

Through  the  camp  passed  Breckinridge's  Brigade  and 
into  the  open  field,  and  still  there  was  silence  ;  but  not 
long,  for  a  few  steps  beyond  a  hissing  stream  and  fiame 
of  musketry  burst  at  their  breasts,  mowing  their  ranks 
fearfully  and  heaping  the  ground  with  dead  and  wound- 
ed. They  gave  back  to  the  woods,  but  only  for  a  little 
while  did  the)-  recede.  Closing  their  thinned  ranks,  and 
animated  by  their  officers,  they  retook  the  advance,  and 
their  adversaries  were  forced  back,  yet  with  not  a  little 
stubbornness  and  desperate  fighting  on  favorable 
ground.  By  this  time  Withers'  Division,  of  Bragg's 
Corps,  as  well  as  Breckinridge's  reserves,  mingled  with 
portions  of  Hardee's  men,  were  all  massed  on  the  Con- 
federate right  in  the  quarter  of  Lick  Creek.  General 
Bragg,  assuming  command  of  the  whole,  launched  them 
with  a  resistless  weight  at  the  enemy,  who  now  gave 
way,  and  on  all  sides  were  forced  from  the  line  of  Wal- 
lace's and  Hurlbut's  encampments,  leaving  behind  more 
of  their  artillery  and  three  thousand  prisoners,  chiefly 
of  Prentiss'  Division,   in   the   hands  of  their  assailants. 


152  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

At  the  same  time,  on  the  center  and  left,  Polk's  Divi- 
sions, with  Ruggles'  Division  of  Bragg's  Corps,  and 
some  of  Hardee's  also,  made  no  less  strenuous  efforts 
to  close  the  battle.  Those  of  the  routed  Federals  who 
were  not  killed  or  captured  dropped  back  in  great  con- 
fusion toward  the  Landing.  Some  were  rallied  upon 
the  ridge  immediately  overhanging  the  Landing,  but 
large  masses  were  added  to  the  already  dense  mob  of 
fucjitives  huddled  below  the  bank. 

But  meanwhile  Colonel  Webster,  chief  of  the  Federal 
staff,  an  officer  of  the  regulars  who  knew  his  profession, 
observing  the  mortal  peril  of  his  people,  had  gathered 
upon  that  ridge  all  the  guns  available,  including  some 
thirty-two  pounders  and  a  battery  of  twenty-pounder 
Parrotts,  or  in  all,  twenty-two  pieces,  which  he  manned 
with  gunners  from  the  least  demoralized  of  the  run-a- 
ways.  Soon,  too,  the  remains  of  the  field  batteries 
were  added,  and  some  fifty  guns  were  massed  upon  this 
eminence  about  five  p.  m.,  with  a  field  of  fire  sweeping 
all  the  approaches  to  the  river.  The  position  was 
strong;  timber  and  undergrowth  gave  shelter  for  the 
artillery  and  their  support,  while  a  deep  ravine  separated 
it  from  the  table-land  over  which  it  dominated  ;  tangled 
brushwood  obstructed  its  steep  slopes,  and  on  or  behind 
this  position,  as  we  have  said,  took  final  refuge  the  en- 
tire Federal  force  except  the  remains  of  one  of  Sher-. 
man's  brigades,  which  appear  to  have  drifted  off  with 
their  General  to  the  vicinity  of  the  bridge  across  Snake 
Creek,  on  the  road  to  Crump's  Landing,  and  not  being 
followed,  he  established  them  there  undisturbed,  with 
the  rear  open  for  retreat  in  an  emergency,  northward. 

The  air  now  resounded  with  hearty  shouts  of  natural 
exultation  on  part  of  the  victorious  Confederates. 


April,  1862.  153- 

General  Beauregard,  throug-h  his  staff,  urged  the 
forward  propulsion  of  the  whole  force  upon  the  shat- 
tered fragments  of  the  enemy.  Unfortunately,  however, 
from  various  causes,  none  of  the  divisions  confronted  in 
an  embodied  form  the  last  position  that  remained  be- 
tween them  and  the  deep,  broad  waters  of  the  Tennes- 
see. The  superior  officers  present,  howbeit,  collected 
the  men  immediately  around  them,  of  whatever  corps. 
Tired,  hungry,  and  exhausted  as  were  the  Confederates, 
nevertheless  a  number  of  determined  separate  efforts 
were  made  by  them  during  the  remaining  hour  of  day- 
light to  wrench  the  last  foothold  from  their  elsewhere 
beaten  adversary.  But  meanwhile,  at  five  p.  m.,  Am- 
men's  Brigade  of  Nelson's  Division  had  been  thrown 
across  the  river  and  established  by  Buell  as  a  support 
of  Webster's  powerful  battery,  and  the  Federals,  like  a 
rat  brought  to  bay  in  a  corner  from  which  there  is  no 
escape,  fought  with  all  the  desperation  of  that  animal 
under  similar  circumstances,  knowing,  moreover,  that 
night,  with  its  shield  of  darkness,  and  ample  succor  were 
close  at  hand. 

But  in  attempting  to  mount  the  last  ridge,  the  Con- 
federates were  met  by  a  fire  from  a  whole  line  of  bat- 
teries, protected  by  infantry,  and  assisted  by  shells  from 
the  gun  -  boats.  They,  however,  stoutly  persisted  in 
storming  the  steep  hillside  despite  the  impediments 
with  which  it  bristled,  and  made  charge  after  charge 
without  success  until  night  closed  hostilities. 

General  Beauregard,  in  the  meantime,  observing  the 
exhausted,  widely-scattered  condition  of  his  army,  di- 
rected it  to  be  brouoht  out  of  battle,  collected  and  re- 
stored  to  order  as  far  as  practicable,  and  to  occupy  for 
the  night  the  captured  encampments  of  the  enemy. 


154  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

All  the  encampments  that  had  been  occupied  by  the 
five  Federal  divisions  were  now  in  possession  of  their 
adversary.  They  were  full  of  the  rich,  opportune  spoils 
of  war,  including  many  thousand  stands  of  arms,  all  the 
blankets  and  baggage  of  the  whole  force,  their  subsist- 
ence, their  hospital  stores,  means  of  transportation  to  a 
great  extent,  and  large  stores  of  ammunition.  But  so 
great  was  the  lassitude  and  fatigue  of  the  Confederates 
that  all  which  could  be  done  was  to  glean  food  sufficient 
for  their  supper,  for  which,  indeed,  all  were  dependent 
upon  what  they  could  thus  find. 

The  prisoners,  however,  were  collected  together  dur- 
ing the  night  not  far  from  Shiloh  Church,  where  Gener- 
als Beauregard  and  Bragg  established  their  headquar- 
ters. There,  after  a  time,  the  former  had  an  interview 
with  his  corps  commanders  and  received  brief  oral  re- 
ports of  the  operations  of  the  day. 

Among  the  prisoners  was  General  Prentiss  himself, 
who  had  much  to  say  touching  the  ultimate  issue  of  the 
affair,  which  he  asserted  was  by  no  means  terminated 
with  the  disaster  of  that  untoward  day;  for  Buell,  he 
stated,  would  effect  a  junction  that  night,  the  fight 
would  break  out  the  next  morning  with  renewed  vigor, 
and  all  losses  would  be  recovered.  At  the  moment, 
however,  this  was  regarded  as  idle  talk,  for  an  official 
telegraphic  dispatch,  addressed  to  General  Johnston 
from  near  Florence,  was  forwarded  to  the  field  from 
Corinth,  announcing  that  Buell  was  moving  with  his 
whole  force  upon  Florence.  Emanating  from  a  reliable 
officer  placed  there  in  observation,  whose  scouts  had 
doubtless  mistaken  the  movement  of  Mitchell's  Division 
for  the  whole  of  Buell's  army,  it  was  credited,  and  Buell's 
timely   junction  with    General    Grant   was    accordingly 


April,  18(32.  155 

deemed  impossible.  Therefore  the  capture  of  the  latter 
was  regarded  at  Confederate  headquarters  as  inevitable 
the  next  day,  as  soon  as  all  the  scattered  Confederate 
resources  could  be  brought  to  bear  for  a  concentrated 
effort.  Such  of  the  Confederate  soldiery  as  could  find 
shelter  from  a  heavy  rain  slept  undisturbed  and  hopeful 
of  the  fullest  fruition  of  a  great  victor)'  on  the  morrow. 

II. 
After  first  finding  food  and  forage  for  his  men  and 
horses,  Colonel  Forrest  threw  out  a  squadron  as  pickets, 
confronting,  as  close  as  possible,  those  of  the  enemy, 
on  a  stretch  of  a  mile  across  to  Owl  Creek.  He  also 
dispatched  Lieutenant  Sheridan  with  other  scouts  clad 
in  Federal  cavalry  overcoats,  to  reconnoiter  within  the 
precincts  of  the  enemy's  lines.  Completely  successful, 
in  an  hour  Sheridan  returned  and  reported  that,  reaching 
the  Landing,  he  had  seen  heavy  reinforcements  coming 
rapidly  by  water.  Also,  in  his  opinion,  such  was  the 
disorder  prevailing  that  if  an  attack  were  made  in  full 
force  at  once,  they  might  be  readily  pushed  into  the 
river.  Forrest,  ever  a  man  of  prompt  action,  mounted 
his  horse  instantly  to  convey  this  startling  intelligence 
to  the  nearest  corps  commander,  and  soon  coming  upon 
Generals  Hardee  and  Breckinridge,  made  known  what 
his  scouts  announced.  He  also  bluntly  added  his  opin- 
ion that  either  the  Confederates  should  immediately  re- 
sume the  battle  or  quit  the  field  to  avoid  a  damaging 
conflict  with  overwhelming  odds.  Hardee  directed  him 
to  communicate  his  information  to  General  Beauregard, 
and  with  that  object  he  rode  forth  again  ;  but  after  a  dili- 
gent search  through  the  woods  and  darkness,  unable  to 
find  that  General,  he  became  so  deeply  solicitous  that 
he  hurried  back  to  his  pickets.      Finding  all   quiet  he 


156  R.  R.  Hancock's  Dtary. 

again  dispatched  his  scouts  within  the  Federal  Hnes.  It 
was  two  o'clock  a.  m.  before  they  returned  and  reported 
the  continued  arrival  of  fresh  troops.  Again  Forrest 
repaired  and  reported  to  General  Hardee  the  state  of 
affairs,  but  was  instructed  to  return  to  his  regiment, 
keep  up  a  vigilant,  strong  picket  line,  and  report  all 
hostile  movements.  All  the  while,  every  few  minutes 
through  the  night,  two  gun-boats  had  been  sedulously 
throwing  their  dread  "bolted  thunder  "  directly  over  For- 
rest's bivouac,  murdering  sleep,  weary  and  drowsy  as 
all  his  men  were. 

III. 

By  seven  p.  m.  Nelson's  other  two  brigades  (Bruce's 
and  Hazen's)  had  crossed  the  Tennessee,  and,  with  the 
one  (Ammen's)  that  so  materially  helped,  with  Web- 
ster's opportunely  posted  battery,  to  save  the  Federal 
army  from  utter  overthrow,  were  at  once  thrown  forward 
by  General  Buell  as  a  shield  between  General  Grant's 
army  and  the  Confederates.  Crittenden's  Division  like- 
wise came  up  from  Savannah  by  water  not  long  after, 
and  was  promptly  established  in  the  same  manner  on 
Nelson's  rio-ht.  Moreover,  Lew  Wallace,  one  of  Grant's 
divisions  that  was  not  in  the  first  day's  battle,  came  up 
by  land  from  near  Crump's  Landing,  crossed  Snake 
Creek,  and  took  a  position  there  commanding  the 
bridge,  and  by  chance,  too,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Sherman.  One  of  McCook's  Brigades  (Rousseau's) 
also  reached  the  scene  about  sunrise  and  took  a  posi- 
tion on  Crittenden's  right.  His  other  two  brigades 
(Johnson's  and  Kirk's)  took  position  about  ten  a.  m. 

Thus  were  marshaled  there  or  near  at  hand,  ready  to 
take  the  offensive  against  the  victors  of  the  day  before, 
twenty-five    thousand    fresh    Federal    troops.      On    the 


April,  1802.  157 

Confederate  side,  to  meet  such  an  onset,  there  was  not 
a  man  who  had  not  fought  steadfastly  for  the  greater 
part  of  Sunday,  and  not  more  than  twenty  thousand 
Confederate  infantry  could  have  been  found  to  answer 
to  their  names  that  morning,  the  7th. 

In  haste  to  efface  the  tarnish  of  the  arrant  disaster  in- 
flicted on  his  army  on  Sunday,  General  Grant  did  not 
await  the  advent  of  Buell's  other  divisions,  but  directed 
the  offensive  to  be  assumed  at  dawn.  His  shattered 
forces  on  Sunday  night  had  been  reorganized  into  three 
divisions  under  Sherman,  McClernand  and  Hurlbut. 

To  recapitulate:  Six  Federal  divisions — Nelson's, 
Crittenden's,  McClernand's,  McCook's,*  Sherman's  and 
Lew  Wallace's — were  in  position  in  the  order  named, 
and  ready  to  take  the  offensive  Monday  morning,  with 
Hurlbut's  Division  held  back  near  the  river  as  a  reserve. 
Hurlbut,  bringing  up  his  reserves  about  ten  o'clock  and 
fusing  them  with  McClernand's  command,  repaired  rear- 
ward again,  at  McClernand's  request,  to  seek  further 
support. 

Chalmers'  Brigade,  with  a  part  of  J.  K.  Jackson's, 
imder  Wheeler,  in  advance,  in  front  of  Nelson,  were  the 
first  to  become  engaged.  Nelson  came  out  with  vigor, 
and  the  Confederates  retired  slowly  to  concentrate  their 
strength.  By  eight  o'clock,  Hardee,  however,  had 
massed  in  that  quarter  a  number  of  his  own  corps,  as 
well  as  Withers'  Division  of  Bragg's,  and  the  combat 
began  in  earnest.  Nelson  now  found  a  lion  in  his  path, 
but  Hazen's  Brigade  pushed  forward  with  decided 
pluck,  and  the  Confederates  were  driven  from  their  po- 
sition with  the  loss  ot  a  battery.      A  well-timed  concen- 

®Two  of  McCook's  brigade?,  as  before  stated,  did  not  take  position  until 
about  ten  a.  m. 


158  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


tration,  however,  enabled  the  Confederates  to  hur! 
Hazen  back  from  his  prey,  and  in  turn  pressed  Nelson 
so  sorely  that  by  nine  a.  m.  he  was  calling  lustily  for  aid. 
Nelson  was  reinforced  by  Terrell's  j!;attery  (regulars), 
and  a  portion  of  Crittenden's  Division,  and  an  obstinate 
struggle  for  the  mastery  of  this  part  of  the  field  raged 
until  about  one  p.  m.  But  neither  party  gained  any  ma- 
terial advantage,  except  Terrell's  Battery  was  so  cut  up 
that  he  had  to  assist  as  a  gunner  at  one  of  his  pieces, 
and  the  battery  narrowly  escaped  capture. 

Crittenden  by  this  time  was  likewise  hotly  engaged 
in  the  immediate  center.  The  Confederates  on  his 
front,  at  first  retiring  to  concentrate  at  his  advance, 
finally  rebounded,  and  he  and  Nelson  were  borne  back 
by  the  same  refluent  wave.  Polk's  corps  coming  up 
from  the  rear,  on  the  Confederate  side,  entered  the  bat- 
tle in  splendid  order  and  spirit. 

By  the  time  Nelson  was  well  at  work  on  the  Federal 
left,  the  Confederates  opened  a  light  fire  upon  Wallace 
and  Sherman,  who,  encouraged  by  its  feebleness,  ad- 
ventured the  offensive.  But  their  speedy  greeting  was 
a  sheet  of  flame,  lead  and  canister  from  the  woods  in 
their  front,  where  portions  of  Ruggles'  and  Breckin- 
ridge's Divisions  stood  in  wait.  The  Federals  reeled 
and  rushed  rearward,  followed  nearly  a  mile  by  the  Con- 
federates ;  but  here,  reinforced  by  McCook,  Sherman 
attempted  to  resume  the  advance.  Now,  the  fight 
waxed  obstinate,  and  the  firing,  says  Sherman,  was  the 
"severest  musketry"  he  had  ever  heard.  Rousseau's 
Federal  Brigade  was  pitted  against  Trabue's  Kentuck- 
ians.  .Both  fought  with  uncommon  determination  to 
win,  but  the  Federals  were  repulsed,  and  Wallace  was 
so  pressed  that  his  situation  became   extremely  critical. 


April,  1862.  159- 


As  the  Confederates  in  that  part  of  the  field  were  con- 
fronted by  more  than  double  their  number,  the  impetus 
of  their  attack  was,  therefore,  slackened  in  the  face  of 
such  odds.  Yet  several  brilliant  charges  were  made,  in 
one  of  which,  to  the  left  of  Shiloh,  General  Beauregard 
himself  led  in  person,  carrying  the  battle  flag  of  a  Louis- 
iana regiment ;  and  Trabue's  Brigade,  having  carried 
earlier  an  eminence  near  Owl  Creek,  repulsing  every 
effort  to  dislodge  him,  held  his  position  until  the  retreat 
was  ordered.  Here,  as  on  the  right,  the  Confeclerate 
troops  were  animated  by  the  greatest  intrepidity  on  the 
part  of  their  superior  officers. 

It  was  now  after  one  o'clock.  The  battle  had  raged 
furiously  from  right  to  left  for  more  than  five  hours,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  odds  of  fresh  troops  brought  up 
against  them,  despite  their  long-continued  engagement, 
the  Confederates  had  not  receded  from  the  ground  upon 
which  they  had  been  concentrated  as  soon  as  it  was  ap- 
parent that  the  battle  was  on  their  hands.  Beginning 
the  combat  with  not  more  than  twenty  thousand  men, 
exclusive  of  cavalry,  less  than  fifteen  thousand  were 
now  in  the  Confederate  ranks.  General  Beauregard, 
seeing  the  unprofitable  nature  of  the  struggle,  deter- 
mined not  to  prolong  it.  Directing  his  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral to  select  a  position,  and  post  such  troops  as  were 
available  to  cover  the  retreat,  he  dispatched  other  staff 
officers  to  the  corps  commanders,  with  the  order  to  re- 
tire simultaneously  from  their  several  positions,  ready, 
however,  to  turn  and  fight  should  it  become  necessary.. 
And,  accordingly,  about  two  o'clock  the  retrograde 
movement  was  inaugurated,  and  carried  out  with  a 
steadiness  never  exceeded  by  veterans  of  a  hundred 
fields.     The  retreat  had  now  commenced  in  earnest,  but 


160  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

so  stunned  and  crippled  was  the  enemy  that  no  eftbrt 
or  pretense  to  pursue  was  made.  The  hne  estabhshed 
to  cover  the  movement  commanded  the  ground  of  Shiloh 
Church  and  some  open  fields  in  the  neighborhood. 
Thence,  keeping  up  a  vigorous  play  of  artillery  on  the 
woods  beyond,  there  was  no  reply,  nor  did  any  enemy 
become  visible.  The  next  line,  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
to  the  rear,  was  abandoned,  with  no  enemy  in  sight. 
Breckinridge,  assigned  to  the  duty  of  covering  the  re- 
treat with  his  division,  was  ordered  to  bivouac  for  the 
night  at  a  point  not  more  than  four  and  a  half  miles  from 
Pittsburg  Landing.  The  other  corps  were  now  en 
route  for  Corinth  by  a  road  which,  that  night,  was  made 
almost  impracticable  for  wheels  by  a  heavy  rainfall. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  General  Breckinridge  fell  back 
to  a  position  only  three  miles  beyond,  and  there  re- 
mained undisturbed  for  some  days,  with  the  cavalry 
thrown  forward  in  close  proximity  to  the  Federal  lines. 
After  Breckinridge  had  thus  withdrawn,  Colonel  For- 
rest found  himself  with  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  troops  on  Tuesday  morning  (the  8th),  on  the 
road  toward  Monterey,  in  the  presence  of  a  heavy 
Federal  infantry  force,  advancing  in  three  lines  of  battle. 
The  position,  a  ridge,  was  advantageous,  and  Forrest 
determined  to  attempt  to  hold  it  until  re-enforcements 
could  be  brought  up.  Formed  in  line  of  battle,  the 
Confederates  boldly  stood  their  ground  as  about  two 
battalions  of  cavalry  and  a  regiment  of  infantry  were 
thrown  forward  to  assail  them.  The  infantry  advanced 
handsomely  at  a  charge,  with  their  bayonets  presented. 
There  was  some  confusion,  however,  in  the  Federal 
ranks  in  crossing  a  small  stream,  and  Forrest,  with  his 
characteristic  quickness  of  sight  and  plans,  his  wonted 


April,  1862.  161 

hardihood,  resolved  to  charge  the  Federals  with  his 
force,    as   small    as   it   was.       His    buorler    sounded  the 

■  o 

charp-e,  and  forward  dashed  the  Confederates  from  their 
covert  behind  the  crest  of  the  ridge  in  superb  order  and 
spirit,  and  were  almost  upon  the  enemy  before  the 
nature  of  the  movement  was  perceived  or  they  had  had 
time  to  prepare  for  it.  At  twenty  paces  the  Confeder- 
ates gave  a  volley  with  their  shot-guns — a  formidable 
weapon  at  that  short  distance — ^and  rushed  in  with  pis- 
tols and  sabers.  So  sudden  was  the  onset  that,  despite 
their  numbers,  the  Federal  cavalry  broke  in  disorder 
and  tied  back  through  the  woods,  running-  over  their 
own  infantry  in  their  panic,  creating  a  scene  of  singular 
confusion  and  tumult  for  some  moments.  Many  of  the 
infantry  were  thus  knocked  down;  many  horses  also 
were  transfixed  by  the  bayonets  of  their  own   infantry. 

Scores  of  other  horses  fell  and  threw  their  riders, 
-sprawling  and  bruised,  upon  the  ground,  and  all  around 
was  a  medley  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  scattering  and 
running  to  and  fro,  hither  and  thither,  officers  shouting 
and  cursing  and  the  hurt  groaning.  The  flying  infantry 
were  closely  pursued  for  several  hundred  yards  by  their 
eager,  excited  enemy.  The  loss  inflicted  was  heavy, 
while  seventy  were  captured. 

In  the  ardency  and  exultation  of  the  pursuit  Forrest 
pressed  on  until  he  found  himself  alone  within  fifty 
yards  of  the  main  body  of  the  Federal  expeditionary 
force,  and  beyond,  indeed,  a  large  part  of  those  whom 
he  had  just  surprised  and  routed.  Halting,  he  saw  at 
a  glance  that  his  men,  perceiving  sooner  the  situation, 
had  very  properly  halted,  and  were  then  falling  back 
with  their  prisoners — which  they  were  doing,  however, 
unaware  of  the  perilous  position  of  their  leader.  Im- 
11 


162  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


mediatc'ly  observed  by  the  enemy,  now  all  around  him, 
Forrest  was  fired  at  from  all  sides.  One  ball  from  an 
Austrian  rifle,  striking  him  on  the  right;  side,  just  above 
the  point  of  the  hip-bone,  penetrated  to  the  spine,  and, 
ranoino-  around,  lodged  in  the  left  side — a  severe  if  not, 
indeed,  mortal  Vv'ound,  as  his  surgeon  apprehended. 
His  right  leg,  benumbed  by  the  blow,  was  also  left 
hanging  useless  in  the  stirrup.  Turning  his  horse, 
however,  he  resolved  to  escape,  surrounded  as  he  was 
by  hundreds  bent  on  his  death,  and  shouting,  "Kill 
him!"  "Shoot  him!"  "Stick  him!"  "Knock  him  off 
his  horse!"  all  of  which  they  literally  sought  to  do.  His 
horse,  too,  was  wounded  (mortally,  as  it  proved)  ;  but 
still  bore  up  under  his  daring  rider  as  he  dashed  out  of 
the  throng  of  assailants,  using  his  revolver  with  deadly 
aim  to  clear  his  path.  In  a  moment  more  his  path  to  the 
rear,  at  least,  was  clear  of  foes,  but  their  marksmen,  still 
within  easy  range,  sent  hundreds  of  balls  after  him  as  he 
galloped  down  the  road  and  over  the  hill.  Happily,  he 
escaped  without  further  hurt,  and  rejoined  his  command, 
halted  behind  the  ridge.  Giving  orders  to  the  officer 
next  in  rank  to  assume  command,  but  to  avoid  further 
action  with  so  large  a  force,  Forrest  went  to  Corinth  that 
night,  when  the  horse,  which  had  borne  him  so  stoutly 
and  faithfully,  dropped  and  died  a  few  hours  later.  On 
the  next  day  Colonel  Forrest,  furloughed  for  sixty  days, 
repaired  to  Memphis. 

The  losses  of  the  Confederates  in  the  two  days'  com- 
bats are  accurately  and  ofiicially  stated  by  General 
Beauregard  at  1,728  killed,  8,012  wounded,  959  miss- 
ing, or  an  aggregate  of  10,699.  The  Federal  com- 
mander, in  his  brief  report  of  the  battle,  estimates  his 
own  losses  at  only  1,500  killed  and  3,500  wounded,  an 


ApiiiL,   1862.  163 

evidently  larg-e  understatement,  lor  in  the  official  reports 
ot  three  of  his  division  generals  we  find  their  losses 
loot  up  in  killed  and  wounded  as  high  as  4,614,  with 
1,832  reported  missing,  a  number  of  whom  must  have 
been  killed,  as  only  3,000  were  captured,  and  most  of 
them  were  Prentiss'  Division.  Furthermore,  Swinton, 
who  always  writes  in  a  fair  spirit,  estimates  the  Federal 
loss  at  15,000.  Of  trophies  the  Confederates  carried 
from  the  field  some  twenty-six  stands  of  flags  and  col- 
ors, and  about  thirty  of  the  guns  captured  on  the  6th. 
The  guns  which  figure  in  Federal  subordinate  reports 
as  captured  from  the  Confederates,  with  few  exceptions, 
were  those  lost  on  Sunday  by  the  Federals,  which,  for 
want  of  horses  to  draw  them  from  the  field,  had  been 
left  by  the  Confederates  where  they  had  been  taken. 

COMMENTARIES. 

The  true  reason  why  the  battle  of  Sunday  fell  short 
ot  the  most  complete  victory  of  modern  war  by  the 
capture  of  the  whole  Federal  army  is  simply  this :  First, 
General  Johnston,  not  knowing  the  actual  position  oc- 
cupied by  the  Federal  front  line,  failed  to  extend  his  line 
of  battle  sufficiently  near  Owl  Creek  to  force  the  Fed- 
eral right  (Sherman)  back  north-easterly  into  the  ciil  de 
sac  made  above  Pittsburg  Landing  by  the  junction  of 
Lick  Creek  with  the  Tennessee  River.  As  the  attack 
was  made,  the  shock  of  the  onset  only  affected  Sher- 
man's left  brigade  (Hildebrand's).  Had  it  fallen  with 
full  force  upon  his  entire  division,  it  is  manifest  that  that 
which  happened  to  Hildebrand's  Brigade  would  have 
befallen  it.  The  entire  division  must  have  been  swept 
away  as  that  brigade  was,  and  been  driven  rearward  so 
rapidly  upon  McClernand's,  Hurlbut's,  and  Wallace's 
(W.  H.  L.)  as   to  give  them  little  or  no   time  to  form 


164  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


their  divisions,  and  make  the  stand  which  Sherman's  ob- 
stinate resistance  with  two  brigades  near  Shiloh  enabled 
them  to  do. 

Second,  after  the  combat  was  at  its  height,  those  su- 
perior officers  who  should  have  been  occupied  \yith  the 
concentration  and  continuous  projection  of  their  troops 
in  heavy  masses  upon  the  shattered  Federal  divisions, 
were  at  the  very  front  and  "perilous  edge"  of  the  bat- 
tle, leading  forward  regiments,  perchance  brigades,  into 
action  with  great  individual  intrepidity,  and  doing  a 
great  deal,  no  doubt,  by  their  personal  example  to  impel 
small  bodies  forward.  But  meanwhile,  to  their  rear  were 
left  the  masses  of  their  respective  commands  without 
direction,  and  thus  precious  time  was  lost.  The  Con- 
federates were  not  kept  continuously  massed  and  em- 
ployed, either  corps  or  divisions  ;  mere  piecemeal  onsets 
were  the  general  method  of  fighting  after  twelve  o'clock, 
with  this  consequence :  Sherman  was  enabled  to  make 
several  obstinate,  powerful  stands,  by  which  he  protracted 
the  battle  some  hours.  Had  the  corps  been  held  well 
in  hand,  massed  and  pressed  continuously  upon  the  tot- 
tering, demoralized  foe,  the  battle  assuredly  would  have 
closed  at  least  by  midday. 

As  our  battalion  was  on  outpost  duty,  on  the  extreme 
right  of  Johnston's  army  (as  my  diary  has  shown),  it 
was  not  in  the  Shiloh  battle.  While  we  were  sitting 
quietly  in  camp  on  Sunday,  listening  to  a  sermon  from 
our  chaplain,  we  could  hear  the  booming  of*  artillery  at 
Shiloh. 

Wednesday,  gth. — A  gun-boat  passed  up  by  East- 
port,  going  perhaps  one  mile  and  a  half  above,  then 
turning,  went  back  down  the  river  without  firing  a  gun. 
I,  with  some  others,  being  on  picket  at  Eastport,  con- 


Apkil,  1862.  165 

cealed  ourselves  on  a  hill  near  by  and  watched  the  ma- 
neuvers of  the  boat.  We  had  a  good  view  of  the 
river. 

Siaiday,  13th. — Two  gun-boats  and  two  transports 
came  up  to  Chickasaw  and  landed  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  cavalry  and  three  regiments  of  infantry  about  day- 
light.* Our  picket  fell  back  in  advance  of  the  Federals 
to  Bear  Creek.  After  crossing  the  bridge  they  (the 
picket)  set  fire  to  it.  The  Federals  continued  their 
movement  along  the  east  side  of  Bear  Creek  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  railroad  bridge  that  spans  said  creek 
about  eight  miles  from  Chickasaw.  Having  no  artillery 
and  only  about  two  hundred  cavalry  at  luka,  we  were 
poorly  prepared  to  protect  said  bridge  while  a  force 
so  much  superior  to  ours  was  now  apparently  bent  on 
its  destruction.  However,  about  one  hundred  of  our 
battalion  and  a  part  of  Captain  Sanders'  Company 
mounted  and  moved  out  to  the  bridge  to  see  what  was 
up.  A  few  moments  after  we  arrived  at  the  bridge  the 
enemy  came  in  sight  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek, 
and  firingr  commenced.  We  soon  found  that  the 
enemy  had  another  advantage  of  us  in  having  long- 
range  guns.  A  few  of  our  men  who  happened  to  have 
long-range  guns  returned  the  fire.  Considering  it  use- 
less for  us  to  make  further  effort  to  protect  the  bridge 
with  such  odds  agrainst  us,  we  were  ordered  to  fall  back. 
The  Federals,  after  burning  the  bridge  and  cutting  the 
telegraph  wire,  went  back  to  Chickasaw,  reboarded 
their  boats  and  moved  back  toward  Pittsburg  Landing 
that  night.  No  one  of  our  battalion  was  killed,  but 
three  were  wounded.  One  of  them,  George  Daven- 
port, was    from  Captain   Allison's   Company.      And,  by 

■'General  \V.  T.  Sherman  \vas  in  ccmmand  of  this  expedilion. 


166  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


the  way.  he  was  the  first  man  of  said  company  that  had 
been  wounded.  George  C.  Moore,  First  Sergeant  of 
Sanders'  Company,  was  wounded.  We  were  reinforced 
about  midnight  by  cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery,  but  it 
was  too  late  to  save  the  bridgre. 

Wednesday,  i6tJi. — Our  battalion  moved  about  nine 
miles  west  and  went  into  camps  one-half  mile  south-west 
of  Burnsville,  still  in  Tishamingo  County,  on  the  Mem- 
phis and  Charleston  Railroad,  x^ll  the  troops,  except 
a  few  cavalry,  lett  luka. 

Saturday,  79///.— Forage  by  this  time  was  very  scarce, 
so  much  so  that  our  quartermaster  was  not  able  to  fur- 
nish half  rations  for  our  horses.  By  going  to  the  coun- 
try I  had  the  good  luck  to  find  and  purchase  one  bushel 
of  corn  for  \\\\  horse.  Such  trips  were  now  daily  made 
by  others. 

Wednesday,  2jd. — Six  of  Captain  x^ilison's  Company 
(J.  W.  Kennedy,  H.  L.  \V.  Turney,  Jim  Thomas,  W.  E. 
Rich,  Tom  O'Conner  and  B.  A.  Flancock),  whom  we 
had  left  at  home  in  Middle  Tennessee,  had  made  tlieir 
way  out  through  the  Federal  lines,  and  after  about  thir- 
teen days'  travel  rejoined  their  company  at  Burnsville 
on  the  above  date. 

We  were  still  picketing  the  various  roads  leading  out 
from  Burnsville. 

Saturday,  26th. — Captain  Harris  and  a  part  of  his 
company  were  detached  from  our  battalion  and  started 
to  Tennessee  with  John  Morgan's  Squadron  for  the 
purpose  of  watching  the  movements  ot  the  Federals 
there  and  reporting  back. 

Monday,  28th. — It  was  reported  that  the  Federals 
were  at  Sulphur  Springs,  some  twelve    or   hlteen  miles 


May,  1802.  167 

from  Burnsville.  The  picket  on  that  road  was  re- 
enforced  about  midnight. 

Ttiesday,  zgtJi. — McNairy  sent  a  scout  out  in  the 
direction  of  Sulphur  Springs.  On  returning  they  re- 
ported no  Federals  there. 

Sahirday,  May  jd. — It  was  reported  in  camps  about 
sundown  that  the  Federals  were  tearing  up  the  railroad 
about  five  miles  west  of  Burnsville.  h  squad  of  us 
mounted  and  rode  out  in  that  direction  far  enough  to 
learn  that  the  Federals  were  surely  there.  As  Vv-e  did 
not  wish  to  attack  about  eleven  hundred  in  the  dark,  we 
went  back  to  camps.  We  then  moved  our  camps  about 
two  miles  from  Burnsville,  on  the  Jacinto  road,  where 
we  remained  the  rest  of  the  night. 

Sunday,  ^tJi. — The  battalion  went  back  to  the  rail- 
road, and  after  learning  that  the  Federals  had  gone 
back  and  were  encamped  about  six  miles  north  of  the 
railroad,  we  turned  south,  going  through  Jacinto,  the 
county  seat  of  Tishamingo,  and  went  into  camps  two 
miles  from  town,  in  an  old  sage  field.  Jacinto  is  nine 
miles  from  Burnsville. 

Monday,  ^tJi. — After  cooking  three  days'  rations,  we 
struck  tents  and  loaded  our  wagons.  The  wagons  Vv-ere 
sent  to  Booneville.  twelve  miles  from  Jacinto,  on  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.  McNairy  moved  his  men 
back  to  Jacinto,  and  quartered  them  in  the  various  un- 
occupied houses.  Allison's  Company  had  splendid 
quarters — in  the  court-house.  Two  scouts  were  sent 
out,  one  to  Burnsville,  the  other  to  Glendale,  six  miles 
west  of  the  former  place,  on  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad.  Found  no  Federals.  We  remained  at 
Jacinto  for  some  days,  scouting  and  picketing. 

Monday,  i2fJi. — There  vvas  a  orreat  deal  of  talk  and 


168  K.  K.  Haxcock's  Diaky. 


excitement  in  the  battalion  about  reorganizing  for  three 
years,  or  during  the  war,  under  a  new  law  that  the  Con- 
federate Congress  had  lately  passed,  known  as  the 
"conscript  law."  The  expiration  of  our  enlistment^ 
twelve  months,  was  now  near  at  hand,  and  the  question 
was.  Shall  we  re-enlist  or  quit  and  go  home? 

As  our  company  had  a  number  of  acquaintances  in 
Colonel  E.  S.  Smith's  Regiment  of  cavalry,  which  was. 
then  thought  to  be  in  Tennessee,  north  of  the  Tennes- 
see River,  not  far  from  Chattanooga,  and  as  we  were 
wanting  to  get  back  nearer  home.  Captain  Allison  sent 
M.  W.  McKnight  and  B.  A.  Hancock  to  Corinth  to  take 
a  petition  to  General  Beal.  In  said  petition  we  request- 
ed the  transfer  of  our  company  to  the  above  named  reg- 
iment. General  Beal  seemed  to  be  favorable  to  our  pe- 
tition, but  said  that  he  would  have  to  wait  until  he  could, 
find  out  the  condition  of  Smith's  Regiment  before  he 
could  grant  our  request.  In  the  meantime,  however,, 
we  learned  that  Smith's  Regiment  was  "  bursted  up,"  so 
that  was  the  end  of  our  petition. 

Wednesday,  i^tJi. — McNairy's  Battalion  re-enlisted 
"for  three  years  or  during  the  war,"  and  reorganized. 
Companies  A  and  B  were  consolidated,  also  Companies- 
C  and  D.  Therefore  x^llison's  Company,  not  being 
consolidated  with  any  other,  became  Company  C  in 
place  of  E.  So  our  battalion  was  thus  reduced  to  three 
companies. 

As  the  commissioned  officers  (T.  M.  x\lIIson,  Captain; 
N.  W.  Summer,  First  Lieutenant ;  George  Alexander 
and  M.  V.  Wilson.  Second  Lieutenants)  of  our  company 
resicfned  and  went  home,  we  elected  a  new  set  of  of- 
ficers.      The  election  resulted  as  follows: 

Moses  \V,    McKnight,    Captain  ;   H.    L.  \V.   Turney,. 


Captain  M.   W.   McKNIGHT,  Co.  C. 


May,  18()2.  109 

First  Lieutenant;   Sam  Dennis  and  Dr.   J.   S.  Harrison, 
Second  Lieutenants. 

The  election  of  non-commissioned  officers  of  Com- 
pany C  was  postponed. 

Company  A  elected  George  H,  Morton,  Captain;  N, 
Oswell,  First  Lieutenant;  T.  C,  Atkinson,  Second 
Lieutenant,  aud  Anderson  H.  French,  Third  Lieuten- 
ant. 

Company  B  elected  William  Parrish,  Captain ;  T.  B. 
Underwood,  First  Lieutenant;  G.  W.  Smithson,  Second 
Lieutenant,  and  S.  B.  Wall,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  F.  N.  McNairy  resigned,  and  a 
few  days  after,  bidding  us  farewell,  returned  to  Tennes- 
see and  was  killed  at  Dover,  Tennessee,  in  January, 
1863,  being  temporarily  on  General  Forrest's  staff  at 
that  time. 

General  Beal  sent  Colonel  Bradfute  to  take  charge  of 
the  three  companies  to  which  our  battalion  was  now  re- 
duced, from  the  reorganization  at  Jacinto  to  the  time  of 
consolidation  with  the  Seventh  Battalion,  at  Fulton, 
June  1 2th. 

As  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  of  which  the  First 
Battalion  formed  a  part,  surrendered  May  loth,  1865, 
we  liked  only  four  days  serving  out  the  term  of  our  re- 
enlistment — three  years. 

Friday,  i6th. — Eight  of  Company  C  were  stopping 
with  relatives  and  friends  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama, 
about  sixty  miles  east  of  Jacinto.  The  writer,  having 
been  detailed  to  go  after  them,  set  out  from  Jacinto*  for 
that  purpose  about  noon. 

■■"Tishamingo  is  now  divided  into  thiee  counties — Alcorn,  with  Corinth  as 
county  seat;  Prentiss,  with  Bocneville  as  county  seat;  while  the  eastern  portion 
retains  the  old  name,  with  luka  as  county  seat.  Jacinto  is  in  the  south-east 
corner  of  Alcorn  Countv. 


170  R.  Ft.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Sahirday,  lyth. — Passing  on  through  F"rankfort  and 
Russellville,  Alabama,  and  notifying  the  boys  to  be 
ready  to  start  to  camps  next  morning.  I  stopped  for 
the  night  with  my  vmcle,  Ben  Hancock,  who  Hved  four 
miles  north  of  Russellville.  Starting  back  the  i8th,  we 
rejoined  our  company  the  19th  at  Jacinto. 

Ttcesday,  20th. — We  learned  after  dark  that  the  Fed- 
erals were  at  Burnsville.  So  McKnight's  Company  was 
sent  out  to  re-enforce  the  picket  on  the  Burnsville  road. 
The  company  lay  in  ambush  all  night  a  few  hundred 
yards  behind  the  picket.*  The  rest  of  the  battalion  were 
sent  out  on  other  roads  leadinp-  out  in  the  direction  of 
Burnsville  and  Glendale.  But  no  enemy  made  their  ap- 
pearance. 

Wednesday,  21st. — A  scout  went  out  to  Burnsville  and 
learned  that  one  hundred  and  five  Federal  cavalry  had 
been  there  the  evening  before.  So  all  except  the  pick- 
ets went  back  to  camps. 

Colonel  McCulloch's  Battalion  and  ours  were  all  the 
troops  stationed  near  lacinto. 

'Thursday,  22d. — The  Federals  were  reported  to  be 
three  miles  south  of  Glendale,  and  advancing  on  us.  So 
McCulloch's  Battalion  and  ours  mounted  and  moved  out 
in  that  direction.  Finding  the  report  to  be  false,  we  re- 
turned to  camp. 

Friday,  2jd. — Captain  McKnight,  I,  and  ten  others, 
went  out  to  Burnsville  on  a  scout.  We  met,  about  two 
and  a  hall  miles  from   Burnsville,  two  of  Beauregard's 

■How  vivid  "to  my  memory  still"  is  that  night!  The  pickets  were  sta- 
tiouetl  thus:  15.  A.  Hancock,  in  front;  W.  W.  Hawkins,  a  few  paces  to  the 
rear;  while  I  was  a  few  paces  to  the  rear  of  Hawkins.  We  expected  to  be  re- 
lieved, as  the  custom  was,  in  two  hours.  Rut  we  were  very  much  disappointed 
and  somewhat  chagrined  at  having  to  sit  there  on  our  liorses  all  that  hug  iiight. 
Do  not  remember  of  doing  the  like  any  more  during  the  war. 


Sergeant  J.  C.   McADOO. 


May,  1802.  171 

scouts.  They  told  Captain  McKnight  that  they  had 
seen,  early  that  morning,  about  five  hundred  Federal 
cavalry  eight  miles  beyond  Burnsvllle.  After  starting  a 
dispatch  back  to  Colonel  McKairy,  we  went  on  to  Burns- 
ville.  We  had  been  there  only  a  short  time  when  the 
enemy  came  in  sight.  Their  advance  guard,  about  fifty, 
made  a  dash  at  us  as  though  they  were  bent  on  our 
capture.  They  followed  us  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
almost  at  full  speed.  As  we  were  well  mounted  we  all 
made  our  escape.  They  fired  a  few  shots  at  us,  but  we 
escaped  without  injury.  I  do  not  now  remember  of  be- 
inor  in  another  such  race  durinor  the  war.  About  two 
miles  further  we  found  our  battalion  in  ambush.  In  a 
short  time  McCulloch's  Battalion,  with  one  six-pounder, 
came  up.  Expecting  the  Federals  were  advancing,  and 
finding  a  favorable  position  within  about  three  miles  of 
Burnsville,  McCulloch's  Battalion  and  a  part  of  ours 
were  deployed  in  battle  line,  while  the  other  portion  of 
our  battalion  (with  McKnight's  Company  in  front) 
moved  on  to  meet  the  enemy.  Going  about  one  mile 
further,  we  halted  and  formed  in  ambush,  while  a  small 
squad  went  on  in  search  of  the  enemy.  Going  on  to 
Burnsville,  and  finding  the  enemy  had  fallen  back,  we 
all  returned  to  Jacinto  a  little  before  dark. 

Saturday,  24th. — The  non-commissioned  officers  of 
our  company  were  elected.  The  election  resulted  as 
follows  : 

John  D.  McLin,  First  Sergeant;  A.  B.  McKnight, 
Second;  R.  R.  Hancock,  Third;  and  J.  C.  McAdoo, 
Fourth.  (About  one  year  afterward  Sam  Walker  was 
made  First  Sergeant.)  W\  W.  Harrison,  X.  A.  Baxter, 
W.  W.  Hawkins  and  C.  Dougherty  were.  I  think,  the 
corporals. 


172  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Sunday,  2^tk. —  McKnight's  Company  went  on  a  scout 
up  the  Tuscumbia  road,  but  brought  back  no  news  of 

interest. 

JVednesday,  zStJi. — About  noon  McCulloch's  Battal- 
ion moved  out  toward  Burnsville,  and  just  before  sun- 
down ours  followed.  We  found  McCulloch  within  two 
miles  of  Burnsville.  The  Federals  had  been  in  town, 
but  had  fallen  back.  We  dismounted,  hitched  our 
horses,  and  remained  there  all  nio-ht. 

TJiursday,  2gth. — After  returning  to  Jacinto  and  cook- 
ing three  days'  rations,  our  battalion  moved  down  to 
within  one  mile  of  Booneville,  where  our  wagons  had 
been  stationed  since  we  took  quarters  in  the  vacant 
houses  of  Jacinto,  May  5th.  We  heard  that  the  Fed- 
erals were  marching  down  east  of  Jacinto,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Booneville,  but  we  thought  that  that  must  be  a 
false  report.      Corinth  was  evacuated  that  night. 

Friday,  joth. — Between  daylight  and  sunup  about 
twelve  hundred  Federal  cavalry  surrounded  Booneville,  a 
small  village  station  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad. 
There  was  one  train  of  cars  there  and  about  five  or  six 
hundred  Confederates,  including  the  sick  and  their  nurses, 
but  there  was  no  armed  force  there  to  defend  the  place. 
So  the  Federals  had  quietly  taken  possession  of  the 
place,  set  fire  to  the  depot  and  train  of  cars,  and  had 
collected  all  the  Confederates  that  were  able  to  travel,, 
and  perhaps  a  number  that  were  not  really  able,  and 
formed  them  in  line  ready  to  march  off,  when  about 
eighty  of  our  battalion  came  upon  the  scene.  Small  as 
our  squad  was,  we  made  a  daring  charge  and  released 
the  prisoners.  How  they  (the  prisoners)  did  come  yell- 
ing towards  us  !      We  then  dropped  back  into  the  woods 


Mat,  18G2.  173 

near  by,  and  after  a  little  skirmishing,  the  Federals  with- 
drew in  time  for  us  to  save  two  boxes  of  cars  and  also 
the  engine.  The  train  was  loaded  with  arms  and  am- 
munition. Our  loss  was  one  killed  (Culwell),  three 
wounded,  and  it  was  said  that  the  Federals  carried  off 
two  prisoners,  though  the  prisoners  were  not  from  our 
battalion.  The  Federal  loss  was  two  killed,  several 
wounded,  and  nine  prisoners.  How  those  prisoners 
whom  we  released  did  appreciate  being  set  at  liberty! 
And  they  did  not  forget  it,  but  continued  to  express 
their  gratitude  to  our  battalion  when  they  happened  to 
meet  with  any  of  us  along  through  the  war.  The  re- 
lease of  five  or  six  hundred  prisoners,  in  the  hands  of 
twelve  hundred  Federals,  by  not  exceeding  eighty  Con- 
federates, was  no  small  feat. 

The  Confederate  Army  was  moving  south  along  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  in  the  direction  of  Boone- 
ville.  So  there  was  no  little  excitement  in  Confederate 
ranks  on  account  of  the  explosion  of  the  bombshells  in 
the  burning  cars,  being  taken  for  heavy  cannonading. 
However,  they  soon  learned  better,  for  it  was  not  lono- 
before  the  head  of  the  column  passed  Booneville.  Our 
sick  had  to  get  out,  or  be  taken  out,  of  the  depot  to 
avoid  being  burned  alive,  so  they  were  lying  about  on 
the  ground,  some  dead  and  others  in  a  dying  condition  ; 
so  the  scene  was  anything  but  a  pleasant  one  to  look 
upon.  Our  battalion  moved  back  to  the  same  place  we 
camped  the  night  before. 

Saturday,  jist. — After  the  rear  of  the  infantry  passed 
we  moved  on  down,  covering  the  retreat  on  the  left 
flank.  Two  companies  of  Colonel  Forrest's  Regiment 
were  with  us.  We  bivouacked  about  six  miles  from 
Boonville.     Our  wagons  moved  on  with  the  main  army. 


J 74  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Sunday,  /luie  isi  — Alter  a  march  of  about  ten  miles 
through  the  woods,  along  by-paths,  passing-  but  tew 
farms,  we  camped  for  the  night  in  the  woods,  or  rather 
in  the  bushes.  Still  in  Tishamingo  County.  It  is  a 
large  but  rather  poor  county,  though  heavily  timbered, 
mostly  pine. 

Monday  2d. — Moving  only  about  two  miles,  we 
stopped  for  the  night  on  the  road  leading  from  Ja- 
cinto to  Marietta.  Had  quite  a  hard  rain  in  the  even- 
ing. 

Tuesday,  jd. — Moving  two  miles  again,  we  halted  for 
a  few  days  at  Marietta,  a  small  village  in  Itawamba 
County,  twenty-one  miles  from  Jacinto. 

A  part  of  the  army  stopped  at  Baldwin,  a  station  on 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  twelve  miles  west  of 
Marietta,  while  the  rest  went  further  south.  The  wag- 
ons belonging  to  our  battalions  were  at  Baldwin. 

Friday,  6th. — McKnight's  Company  went  on  a  scout 
toward  Bay  Spring.  They  brought  no  news  of  inter- 
est. 

Saturday,  ph. — The  battalion  fell  back  almost  three 
miles  from  Marietta. 

Sujiday,  8th. — After  a  march  of  about  seventeen  miles 
on  the  Fulton  road,  we  camped  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  the  Tombigbee  River,  near  where  Colonel 
Bennett's  Battalion  was  camped. 

Monday,  gtJi. — We  moved  about  two  hundred  yards 
and  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  Tombigbee.  Our 
wagons  were  brought  out  to  us,  loaded  with  corn,  pro- 
visions and  cooking^  vessels.  Our  tents  were  left  at  the 
railroad.      Our  wagons   had   not   been   with    us,  except 


Seventh  Battalion.  175 


two   nights  at   Booneviile,  since   they  left  us  at  Jacinto 
(May  5th). 

Fuhon,  the  county  seat  oi  Itawamba  County,  was 
about  one  mile  from  our  camp,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Tombigbe^,  and  about  twenty-one  miles  from  Marietta. 

Wednesday,  iith. — We  moved  back  and  camped  on 
higfher  orround,  about  one-halt  mile  from  the  river. 

SKETCH  OF  SEVENTH  BATTALION. 

I  have  been  thinking  that  I  would  be  able  to  induce 
some  member  of  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cav- 
alry, to  write  up  a  sketch  of  said  battalion  ;  but  as  I 
have  not  been  able  to  do  so  I  shall  proceed  to  give  a 
sJiort  sketch  of  said  battalion  from  its  organization  to 
the  time  it  was  consolidated  with  the  First  Battalion,  as 
best  I  can,  depending  for  data  mainly  upon  Lieutenant 
B.  A.  High  (Company  E),  who  is  the  only  member  of 
Seventh  Battalion  living  near  the  writer. 

As  the  following  company  rolls  have  been  made  out 
from  memory  of  surviving  comrades,  I  do  not  by  any 
means  claim  that  they  are  complete,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  expect  that  many  errors  will  be  found  and  many 
names  omitted,  though  not  intentional. 

COMPANY  ROLLS  OF  BENNETT'S  BATTALION. 

The  following  is  the  roll  of  Company  A,f  Seventh 
Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry  : 

Bonde,  H.  B.,  Captain.      Living  in  Texas. 
Montgomery,  W.  N.,  First  Lieutenant,  l.| 

t  Baxter  Smith  was  Captain  of  this  Company  when  first  organized  at  Galla- 
tin, but  as  he  was  soon  after  made  Major,  H.  B.  Bonde  was  made  Captain. 

J  Those  whose  names  are  followed  by  an  1  were  living,  and  those  whose 
names  are  followed  by  the  letter  d  were  dead  when  this  and  the  following  rolls 
were  made  out,  in  January,  1887.  The  star  (*)  marks  the  unaccounted  for. 
Those  in  small  capitals  surrendered  May  loth,  1865. 


170  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Love,  George,  Second  Lieutenant.      Killed  at  Fort  Pillow.  || 

Love,  T.  R.,  Third  Lieutenant,  living  in  Sumner  County. 

Treadway,  X.  V.,  First  Sergeant. -i= 

Hamilton,  T.  P.,  Second  Sergeant,  1. 

Solomon,  H.,  Third  Sergeant.     Discharged  and  killed  by  accident. 

Duncan,  Fourth  Sergeant.-;^  Captured  at  Medon,  West  Tennessee, 
and  mortally  wounded  July  15,  1864. 

Bullock,  Ed,  First  Corporal. 

Styles,  John,  Second  Corporal.      Living  in  Arkansas. 

Buck,  Elias,  Third  Corporal.      Died  since  the  war. 

Johnson,  G.  W.,  Fourth  Corporal,  1. 

Avers,  William.      Killed  near  Paducah  March  25th,  1S64. 

Bayless,  Richard,  1. 

Barnes,  Tho.     Captured  at  Columbia  and  died  in  prison. 

Brazzel,  Henry,  1. 

Blackmore,  A.  J.,  1. 

Brown,  George.      Killed  at  Tory  fight. 

Brown,  William.  Wounded  and  captured  at  Medon,  Tennessee, 
and  mortally  wounded  July  14,  1864. 

Baley,  Ed,  1.     Captured  at  Corinth  while  courier  for  General  Beal. 

Buck,  John,  1. 

Belcher,  John,  1. 

Clenny,  Henry,  1. 

Carr,  John  D.      Living  at  Hartsville.      Wounded  April  2d,  1865. 

Carter,  W.  N.,  1.     Discharged  at  Corinth. 

Conley,  Pat.* 

Cantrell,  J.  M.      Living  at  Gallatin. ||     Wounded  July  14th,  1864. 

Crocket,  Tho.,  1. 

Dodd,  J.  K.  (Tobe),  1.  Wounded  slightly  at  Medon,  Tennessee; 
captured  by  Grierson  raid,  and  wounded  again  at  Fort  Pillow  in  April, 
1864.11 

Dobbins,  G.  B.      Living  in  Kentucky. 

Duffer,  R.  A.*     Discharged  at  Corinth  May,  1862. 

Eaton,  Alph.     Died  at  Corinth  in  1862. 

Elliott,  E.  O.     Living  at  Gallatin. || 

Elliott,  S.  F.  Living  in  Sumner  County.  Transferred  from  W. 
B.  Bate's  Regiment  at  Murfreesboro  in  February,  1862. 

Franklin,  John.      Killed  at  Shiloh  April  7th.  1862. 

Feeling,  William.  1. 

II  See  Appendix  A. 


Seyenth  Battalion.  177 


Franklin,  S.  C,  1. 

Franklin,  A.  R.,  1. 

Faidley,  Charles.     Died  at  Gallatin  of  cholera  in  1873. 

Gillespie.  Dr.  J.  F.,  1. 

Holder,  John,  d.      Discharged  at  Corinth  in  1862. 

Harlen,  Stephen,  1. 

Harrel,  John,  1.     Captured  at  Port  Hudson  in  July,    1863,  while 
•courier  for  General  Beale. 

Henley,  George,  1.     Captured  with  John  Harrel. 

Henley,  James.     Ca]3tured  near  Bolivar,  Tennessee;  died  at  Camp 
Douglass. 

Harris,  O.  B.,  d.     Captured  at  Medon,  Tennessee,  in  1862. 

Hunter,  J.  C.      Killed  at  Shiloh,  April  7th,  1862. 

Harper,  VV.  T. ,  1. 

Ireland,  R.  M.,  1. 

joiner,  Tho.,  1. 

Jarvis,  J.  L.* 

King,  Dempsey,  1.     Captured  near  Bolivar,  Tennessee,  and  sent  to 
'Camp  Douglass. 

King,  Joe,  1. 

Lee,  Alfred,  d. 

Lee,  John.     Killed  at  Town  Creek,  July  15th,  1864. 

Love,  S.  \V.     Living  in  Gallatin;  wounded  at  Fort  Pillow. 

Love,  H.  E.     Living  in  Gallatin. 

Love.  G.  W.     Killed  accidentally  since  the  war. 

McCormack,  James,  1. 

Martin,  J.  D.,  1.     Captured  in  Mississippi,  but  mape  his  escape. 

Murphrey,  John.* 

Moore,  John,  1. 

McCarty,  Pat.* 

Moses,  S.  D.,  1.  , 

May,  W.  H.,  1. 

Owsley,  William,  1. 

Porter,  Jack.*     Captured  at  Woodburn,  Kentucky,  in  1862, 

Rickman,  W.  T. ,  1.     Wounded  July  13th,  1864. 

Renfro,  Pleas.     Died  at  Corinth  in  1862. 

Ray,  Alex.,  1. 

Ray,  Sid.,   1.     Captured  near  Bolivar,   Tennessee,  sent  to  Camp 
Douglass. 

Ryan,  James,  d.     Wounded  July  13th,  1864. 


12 


178  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Shaw,  James.      Died  in  hospital  at  or  near  Okolona,  in  1862. 

Seay,  George.* 

Seay,  WilHam  T.*     Discharged  at  Corinth,  May,  1862. 

Tompkins,  John.  Living  at  Gallatin.  Captured  near  Bolivar^ 
Tennessee,  and  sent  to  Camp  Douglass,  111. 

Thompson,  John.      Killed  at  Shiloh  April  7th,  1862. 

Wells,  W.  T. ,  1.  Captured  at  West  Point,  Mississippi,  and  sent  to^ 
Camp  Douglass,  111. 

Wells,  James,  1. 

Williamson,  Rush,  d. 

Wilson,  R.  I.,  1. 

Youree,  Peter,  1. 

Youree,  Charles,  1. 

Company  B,  Seventh  Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry,, 
was  mustered  into  service  at  Hartsville,  in  October, 
1 86 1,  by  Baxter  Smith.     The  following  is  the  roll  of  said 

Company  : 

Bennett,  C.  L.,  Captain,  d. 

Allen,  R.  B.,  First  Lieutenant,  1. 

Stalker,  J.  D.,  Second  Lieutenant,  1. 

Sory,  John,  Third  Lieutenant,  1. 

Martin,  Z.  W. ,  First  Sergeant,  1. 

Carman,  T.  J.,  Second  Sergeant,  1. 

Bennett,  Wm.,  Third  Sergeant,  1. 

Blackwell,  Geo.,  Fourth  Sergeant,  1. 

Fleemon,  James,  First  Corporal,  1. 

Kerley,  B.  P.,  Second  Corporal,  1. 

Day,  James,  Third  Corporal,  d. 

Bradley,  T.  M.  Fourth  Corporal,  1. 
Allen,  Chilton,  1.        ,  Buckingham,    P.    T.     Captured' 

Allen,  Arch,  1.  on  Hood  raid,  and  sent  to  Camp 

Averitt,  J.  D.*  Chase. 

Ball,  Boney,  1.  Buckingham,  Tho.,  1. 

Blankenship,    Joel,     1.     Wounded      Burrow,  William,  1. 

at  Britton'SjLane  Sept.  i,  1862.  Burrow,  Joe.*  Wounded  at 
Brown,  Burnett.     Wounded  at  Shi-         Britton's  Lane  Sept.   i,  1862. 

loh  and  died  soon  after.  Bass,     Rubin,*      Wounded    at 

Burk,  John.*  Courtland,  Ala. 

Burk,  William.*  Carman,  William.* 


Seventh  Battalion. 


179 


Crank,  T.  J.,  1. 

Crank,  John,  1. 

Curtis,  Joe.* 

Curtis,  Ben.*  Captured  at  Cor- 
inth May,  1862. 

Cakr,  J.  C,  1. 

Carr,  Nute,  1.  Wounded  at  Padu- 
cah,  Ky. ,  March,  1864. 

Carr,  LaFayette.* 

Collins,  R.  L.* 

Collins,  John.* 

Dobbins,  R.  B.,  d.  Captured  near 
Florence,  Alabama,  October, 
1864. 

DeBow,  W.  A.,  d.  Wounded  at 
Harrisburg,  July  14,  1864. 
Made  Captain  and  Major. 

Day,  William,  d. 

Dixon,  Pate,  1. 

Draper,  Jeff.* 

Dixon,  Step.,  1. 

DUK,   MiCAJAH,    1. 

Duke,  Wm.,  1.  Wounded  at  Fort 
Pillow  April  12,  1864. 

Donaho,  Charlie,  d. 

Earls,  Dink,  d. 

Fuller,  John,  d. 

Fleemon,  Joe,  1. 

Gammons,  Eli,  d. 

Gammons,  Caleb,  d. 

Gammons,  William,  1. 

Hall,  John  C* 

Hall,  Richard,  died  at  Corinth, 
Miss. 

Harris,  Elijah.* 

Huchison,  John.* 

Hassion,  Jack.* 

Hughes,  James,  d. 

Hollins,  Charlie,  killed  by  jay- 
hawkers  Oct.  I,  1862. 


Harland,  Steph.,  1.    Wounded 

near  Cherokee,  Ala.,  Oct.  21, 

1863. 
Jentry,  Sam.* 
Jentry,  Simon,  d. 
Jenkins,  Yancy,  1. 
Jacobs,  M.  v.* 
Jackson,  Tho. ,  d. 
Jones,  Charlie,  1. 
Jackson,  Green,  1. 
James,  John,  1. 
Jentry,  Louis.* 
Kerley,  John,  1. 
Kerley,  William,  1. 
McMurtry,  James,  1. 
Maddox,  Joe,  killed  at  Medon, 

Tenn.,  Aug.  31,  1862. 
Meadors,  Kit,  1. 
Meadors,  Wesley,  1. 
Meadors,  Jehu,  d. 
Marshall,  Franklin,  1.    Captured 

near  Florence,    Ala.,   Oct,   8, 

1864. 
Marshall,  Frank,  1, 
Nixon,  Tho.,  d.     Captured  near 

Florence,  Ala.,  Oct.  8,  1864. 
Ouhls,  William,  died  at  Corinth, 

Miss.,  1862. 
Payne,  F.  R.,  1. 
Piper,  Sam,  wounded  at  Shiloh, 

and  died  at  Corinth,  Miss. 
Piper,  Jeff.* 
Parker,  Wylie,  d. 
Parker,  William,  1. 
Parker,  Nute,  1. 
Parker,  E.  B.,  d. 
Petigo,  Henry.* 
Reese,    B.   P.,  1.     Captured  on 

Hood  raid,  and  sent  to  Camp 

Chase. 


180 


R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Ragland,  Wilse,  d. 
Roark,  William.* 
Roark,  Joel.* 
Stafford,  S.  T.,  d. 
Stafford,   Tennessee, 

inth,  Miss. 
Stafford,  Tom,  1. 
Stafford,  A.* 
Stafford,  Sam,  d. 
Sacra,  H.  S.* 
Shrum,  Joiner.* 
Shrum,  William.* 


Smithwick,  T.  M.,  1. 

Smithwick,  Lon,  1. 

Stein,  E.  P.,  1. 

Turner,  Granville,  1. 
died  at   Cor-     Turner,  Herrod,  1. 

Thurman,  Jesse,  1. 

Throp,  F.  W.,  1.  Captured  near 
Columbia,  Tenn.,  on  Under- 
wood expedition. 

Violett,  William,  died  at  Corinth, 
Miss.,  1862. 

Walton,  John.* 


Brevard,  Goldman,  1. 
DeBow,  Richard,  d. 
DeBow,  Grant,  1. 
Lauderdale,  John.* 
Luster,     William.*     Wounded 


at 


Medon,    Tenn.,     and    captured 


The  following  list  contains  the  names  of  those  who 
were  transferred  from  the  Second  Tennessee  Infantry 
(Colonel  W.  B.  Bate)  at  Corinth : 

near  Columbia,  Tenn,  on  Un- 
derwood expedition. 

Mills,  Dero,  1. 

Oglesby,  James  P.,  1. 

Seav,  George  E.,  1.  Made 
Lieutenant  and  Captain. 

Ward,  John,  d. 

Company  C  was  made  up  in  Sumner  County  and  or- 
ganized into  a  company  at  Castalian  Springs,  about 
midway  between  Hartsville  and  Gallatin.  This  company 
roll  is  as  follows  : 

Tyree,  E.  P.,  Captain.      Died  since  the  war. 

Mentlow,  J.  A.,  First  Lieutenant,  1. 

Bentley,  J.  M.,  Second  Lieutenant,  d. 

Patterson,  W.  C,  Third  Lieutenant.     Living  in  Sumner  County, 

Tennessee. 
Young,  Joe,  First  Sergeant.      Died  in  Alabama  in  March,  1862. 
Youree,  T.  J.,  Second  Sergeant,  1.     Made  Lieutenant  in  June,  1862. 
Harlin,  Henry,  Third  Sergeant.     Went  to  Texas. 
Bentley,  Tho.  H.     Living  in  Sumner  County. 
Phillips,  William,  First  Corporal.     Went  to  North  Carolina. 
Parsons,  Baker,  Second  Corporal,  1. 


Seventh  Battalion. 


181 


Maddox,  Wilburn,  Third  Corporal.      Left  in  Mississippi. 
Clifton,  Joshua,  Fourth  Corporal.      Went  to  Arkansas. 


Aldrage,  Alex,  1. 

Askew,  C.  M.,  died  since  the  war. 

Brown,  George,  1. 

Bird,  Dabney,  1. 

Byrns,  John,  1.  Captured  near 
Bolivar,  Tenn.,  Feb.  5,  1864. 

Corum,  Abiga,  died  on  the  way 
home  from  Corinth  in  1862. 

Corum,  William,  1. 

Cockes,  William  I.,  died  in  Ala- 
bama March,    1862. 

Compton,  Ben.,  died  since  the  war. 

Cannon,  David,  died  at  Corinth 
in  1862. 

Cannon,  Berry,  1. 

Cloay,  John,  killed  at  Shiloh  April 
7th,  1862. 

Cloay,  Jones,  died  on  the  way  home 
from  Corinth  in  1862. 

Clark,  Sam,  d. 

Chambers,  Jack.     Went  to  Texas. 

Connor,  Sam.* 

Uickerson,  James  R.,  killed  at 
Cherokee,  Ala.,  Oct.  21,  1863. 

Echols,  J.  B. ,  discharged  at  Cor- 
inth in  1862. 

Grantham,  Carroll,  1. 

Harrison,  Dr.  J.  W. ,  living  at 
Cairo,  Sumner  County,  Tenn.f 

Jinkins,  Mason,  1. 

Jackson,  Dock,  1. 

Luster,  Charlie,  1. 

Lockett,  Eli,  1.'  Captured  July  14, 
1864;  now  in  Mississippi. 

Maddox,  Feeling,  1. 


Marlin,  Henry,  1. 

Oneal,  William.* 

Pruett,  Pall,  1. 

Posey,  Robert,  d. 

Parrish,  Horace.   Went  to  Texas. 

Ramsey,  William  (Mack),  living 

in  Wilson  County. 
Ramsey,   Vol,    living  in  Wilson 

County. 
Robertson,  Nat. ,  1.     Transferred 

from  W.    B.   Bate's  Regiment 

at  Marfreesboro. 
Robertson,  William,  1. 
Stinson,  Joe.* 
Shelton,  Benton,  d. 
Taylor,  William,  1. 
Turnage,    Alex    (Sandy),     died 

since  the  war. 
Williams,  Henry,  died  since  the 

war. 
Wilks,  Ashley,  died  on  the  way 

home  from  Corinth,  Miss. 
Wilks,  Ulysses,  1. 
Wicks,  William,  1. 
Williams,  J.  G.,  1. 
Walker,  Noah.* 
Wynn,  Robert,  1. 
Young,  Rich,  died  at  Gallatin  in 

1861. 
Young,  Tom,  died  since  the  war. 
Youree,   W.   B.,    transferred    to 

Bate's    Regiment    and    killed 

near  Atlanta,  Ga. 
Youree,  F.  W.,  living  near  Gal- 
latin, f 


tSee  Appendix  A. 


182  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Company  D  was  made  up  and  organized  in  the  north- 
western portion  of  Sumner  County.  A  few  men  from 
the  south-eastern  portion  of  Robertson  County  joined 
this  company.  It  was  mustered  into  service  at  Fountain 
Head,  some  twelve  miles  north  of  Gallatin,  in  October, 
1 86 1.     The  following  is  the  company  roll : 

Grififin,  M.  T. ,  Captain.  Raised  another  company,  and  died  in 
prison. 

Cole,  A.  F. ,  First  Lieutenant,  1. 

Jackson,  Alfred,  Second  Lieutenant,  living  eleven  miles  north- 
west of  Gallatin. 

Jones,  A.,  Third  Lieutenant.* 

Armstrong,  Elias,  First  Sergeant,  living  in  Sumner  County. 

Brinkley,  J.  A.,  Second  Sergeant,  afterward  Captain,  living  at  Ve- 
rona, Mississippi,  t 

Brinkley,  J.  K.,  Third  Sergeant,  1.  Wounded  at  Fort  Pillow  April 
12,  1864. 

Corkian,  W.  L.,  Fourth  Sergeant,  1. 

Jackson,  William,  First  Corporal,  1. 

Wilson,  William,  Second  Corporal,  1. 

Brinkley,  H.  A.,  Third  Corporal,  1. 

Kelley,  Samuel,  Bugler,  died  in  Mississippi  in  October,  1862. 

Austm,t   James  T.,  1.  Wounded     Colley,  William,  1. 

April    24,    1863,    and  July    13,     Crabb,  William,  1. 

1864.     Made  Lieutenant   June,     Cummings,  James,  d. 

1862.  Denning,    John   E.,    transferred 

Briley,  John,  1.  from  William  B.  Bate's  Regi- 

Briley,    Elisha,   mortally  wounded         ment  and  killed  at  Harrisburg 

at  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  Sept.  27,  1864.         July  14,  1864.:!: 
Briley,  Howard,  1.  Edwards,    William,    captured  at 

Bailey,  Samuel,  1.  Guntown,  and  died  in  prison. 

Boling,  Crockett,  1.  Eidson,  William,  d. 

Biggs,  Sandy,  1.  Foster,  John,  1. 

Blackard,  Green,  1.  Friece,  J.  V.  W.,  d. 

Baldridge  Charles,  1.  Garrett,  Sam,  1. 


tSee  Appendix  A.  J  Ibid. 


Seyenth  Battalion. 


183 


Owen,  William,  killed  in  Sumner 
County. 

Pennell,  Newsom,t  living  in 
Nashville.  Made  Third  Lieu- 
tenant June  12,  1863. 

Pitt,  Bridger,  1. 

Rigsby,  S.  B.,  1. 

Roberts,  Dock,  1. 

Roberts,  George,  died  since  the 
war.    . 

Roberts,  Henry,  died  since  the 
war. 

Shaw,  James,  1. 

Summers,  Joseph,  1. 


■Gilbert,  J.  W.,  1. 

Hames,    Andrew,    killed    at    Mud 

Creek  June  20,  1863. 
Harden,  Joseph,  d. 
Harden,   Robert,   died  during  the 

war. 
Harden,  Calvin,  1. 
Hester,  W.   B.,  1.     Captured  near 

Rienzi,  Miss. 
Harden,  James,  d. 
Hames,  William.* 
Hall,  Simon,  died  at  Ramon,  Miss. 
Houston,  Erby,  1. 
Jackson,  John,  1. 
Jackson,  James,  1.     Captured  and     Strother,  William,  d, 

paroled   at   Okolona,    Miss.,    in     Trauber,  William,  d 

December,  1862. 
Johnson,  Robert,  1. 
Johnson,  John,  died  in  1862. 
Kinkade,  Eli,  1. 
Link,  Dock,  1. 
Link,  James,  1.     Wounded  at  Fort 

Pillow  April  12,  1864. 
Link,  Thomas,  1.     Wounded  near 

Cherokee,  Ala.,  Oct.  21,  1863. 
Lanier,   J.    R.,  1.     Now  (1887)  a 

physician  in  Sumner  County. 
-Legg,  William,  1. 
Legg,  David,  1. 
Louis,  John,  1. 
Martin,  George,  1. 
Mackey,  J.  B.,  1. 
Morras,  J.  F.,  d. 
Moore,  Joseph,  1. 
TSTimmo,  J.  B.,  d. 

Company  E  was  raised  in  Smith  County,  Tennessee, 
organized  at  New  Middleton,  and  mustered  into  service 
at  Epperson  Springs,  in  Macon  County,  Tennessee,  on 

t  See  Appendix  A. 


Warren,  Wash,  1.  Wounded  at 
Okolona  Feb.  22,  1864. 

Wilkerson,  Charles,  wounded  at 
Shiloh,  and  captured  near 
Bolivar,  Tenn. 

West,  W.  W.,  1. 

Williams,  G.  B.,  killed  in  Ken- 
tucky during  Hood  raid. 

Williams,  John,  d.  Captured 
near  Bolivar,  Tenn. 

Wilkerson,  LaFayette,  1. 

Wilkerson,  George.* 

Walton,  John,  1. 

Walker,  Tom,  d. 

Winn,  Whit,  1. 

Winn,  William,  d.  Wounded  at 
Manassas  and  transferred  from 
W.  B.  Bate's  Regiment. 


184 


E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


The  following  is   the 


the   17th  day  of  October,  1861. 
roll  of  said  company  : 

Gates,  A.  B.,  Captain. 

Eastes,  J.  M.,  First  Lieutenant.     Made  Captain  in  1863 

wounded  July  13th,  1864.! 
High,  B.  A.,  Second  Lieutenant,  1. 
Bowen,  John,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Allen,  Tobe,  1. 

Allen,  Riley,  1. 

Andrews,  Sam,  d. 

Allison,  Lee.* 

Boulton,  Gideon,  d. 

Boram,  Merido,  d.  Captured  near 
New  Middleton,  Tenn. 

Barrett,  George,  d. 

Barrett,  L  Jock,  d.  Captured  at 
Rienzi,  Miss.,  August  26,  1862. 

Bradford,  J.  R.  Bugler  of  Sev- 
enth Battalion  and  Second  Ten- 
nessee Regiment.  Died  near 
New  Middleton  in  1882. 

Bayken,  Jink,  d. 

Clark,  William,  died  at  Corinth. 

Carnett,  John.* 

Denney,  Brown,  1. 

Dickerson,  Tom,  died  in  West 
Tennessee. 

Dickerson,  James,  died  since  the 
war. 

Eastes,  Tho.  J.  Wounded  Aug. 
8,  1863,  while  on  private  scout. 
Now  (1887)  a  Baptist  preacher. 

Fuller,  Tho.,  1.  Was  a  prisoner 
from  September  9th,  1863,  to 
March  3d,  1865. 

Fultes,  J.  D.,  1. 

Huddleston,  Coon,  1.  Captured 
in  Wilson  County,  Tennessee. 


Mortally 


Hogge,  Vit,  killed  in  Smith 
County,  Tennessee. 

Hoges,  Robert,  died  at  Corinth,. 
Mississippi. 

Jones,  Allen.* 

Jones,  Dan.,  d. 

Johnson,  Shed.,  1. 

Luster,  J.  B.  Quartermaster  of 
Seventh  Battalion.  Now  (1887) 
editor  of  Carthage  Mirror. 

Lawrence,  J.  J. 

Ligon,  Ned.* 

Ligon,  Tim.* 

Matthews,  Mat.,  1. 

McMurry,  John.* 

McGhee,  Charlie,  d. 

Moore,  B.  H.,  1.  Orderly  Ser- 
geant, Lieutenant,  and  Cap- 
tain. Wounded  in  December, 
i864.t 

Minton,  Carroll,  1. 

Merritt,  A.  V.,  1. 

Moore,  Dudley,  1. 

Nichol,  VVm.,  killed  at  Mur- 
freesboro  December  7,  1864. 

Nichol,  George,  1. 

Pope,  N.  C,  1.  Wounded  at 
Paducah  March  25,  1864. 

Paschal,  M.  F.  M.  Captured 
July  13,  1864.  Died  in  De- 
cember, 1886. 


fSee  Appendix  A. 


CoLONEi.  J.   D.   BENNETT. 


SevExNth  JUttalion. 


185 


Reeves,  David,  killed  October  26, 
1863— "Tory  fight." 

Robertson,  Dave,  d. 

Robertson,  William  R.,  killed  Oc- 
tober ist,  1862,  by  Kansas  jay- 
hawkers. 

Robertson,  A.  A.,  1.  Captured 
Sept.  27,  1862,  by  Seventh  Kan- 
sas. 

Rittenberry,  L.  J.,  d. 

Stephens,  John,  d. 

Sanders,  John,  d. 

Squires,  William,  died  ten  days 
after  his  return  home. 

Saddler,  William,  1.  Wounded 
on  Hood  raid  while  private  scout 
for  General  Buford. 

Sampson,  J.,  1. 

Tyree,  John,  1. 


Taylor,  Vince.* 

Thompson,  William,  killed  July 
13,  1864,  by  sun-stroke. 

Thompson,  V.  D.  (Tobe),  1. 
Captured  Dec.  25,  1864. 

Trousdale,  Harvey,  died  at  Cor- 
inth, Miss.,  in  1862. 

White,  William.* 

White,  Bud.* 

Wilhoit,  Buck.* 

Wilhoit.* 

Williams,  Goolsberry.* 

Williams,  Barnett,  d. 

Wooton,  John,  1. 

Wooton,  James.* 

West,  W.  C,  living  near  Car- 
thage. Wounded  July  14th, 
1864. 

VVilkerson,  Dock,  1. 


On  the  19th  of  October,  1861,  at  Epperson  Springs, 
Macon  County,  Tennessee,  the  five  companies  pre- 
viously mentioned  were  organized  into  a  battaHon,. 
known  as  the 

SEVENTH  BATTALION,  TENNESSEE  CAVALRY, 
by  electing  the  following  field  and  staff  officers : 

James  D.  Bennett,  Lieutenant-Colonel. f 

Baxter  Smith,  Major. 

J.  B.  Luster,  Acting  Quartermaster. 

E.  O.  Elliott,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant. 

T.  Winston,  Surgeon, 

J.  W.  Harrison,  Assistant  Surgeon. 

Horace  Paris,  Commissary. 

J.  R.  Bradford,  Bugler. 

Haney,  Chaplain. 

Another  company  (F),  whose  roll  is  given  below,  was 
organized  at  Gallatin  and  added  to  the  Seventh  Battal- 

tSee  Appendix  A. 


186 


E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


ion  after  it  was  organized  as  above  mentioned.     This 
company  was  made  up  as  follows  : 

Thomas  Puryear  (afterward  Captain)  had  enlisted  a 
number  of  men  alongr  the  Cumberland  River,  in  the 
southern  portion  of  Sumner  and  the  northern  portion  of 
Wilson  Counties  ;  but  as  he  did  not  have  enough  for  a 
full  company,  and  as  Captain  Bonde's  and  Captain  Ben- 
nett's Companies  had  by  this  time  grown  to  be  too  large 
(the  latter  had  increased  to  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men),  enough  men  were  detached  from  those  two 
companies  (A  and  B)  to  complete,  with  Puryear's  en- 
listment, the  sixth  and  last  company  of  Bennett's  Bat- 
talion. 

Odom,  J.  T.  E.,  Captain.     Living  in  Sumner  County. 

Puryear,  Thomas,  First  Lieutenant,  d.f 

Andrews,  Robert,  Second  Lieutenant,  d. 

Terry,  Kib,  Tliird  Lieutenant,  1. 

Vance,  William,  First  Sergeant,  1. 

Stafford,  Sam..  Second  Sergeant,  I. 


Averett,  Jared  (Mars),  killed  near 
Florence,  Ala.,  Oct.  7,  1864. 

Armstrong,  William  J.,  d.  Cap- 
tured at  Rienzi,  Miss. ,  Aug.  26, 
1862. 

Buck,  Jeff.,  1. 

Buck,  Elias,  1. 

Barteau,  C.  R.,  1.  Transferred 
from  Company  B.  Afterward 
Colonel  of  Second  Tennessee 
Regiment  Cavalry,  t 

Barbour,  Henry,  missing  at  Shiloh. 

Carothers,  Marion,  1. 

Dias,  W.  W.,  1. 

Dyer,  Gibs.* 

Drury,  James,  killed  July  13,  1864. 


Dickens,  John,  1.  Wounded  at 
Franklin.  Tenn.,  December, 
1864. 

Dickens,  Jesse.* 

Dannel,  Cricket,  d. 

Driver,  Daniel. 

Fowler,  Thomas,  1. . 

Grant,  Ed.,  1. 

Grant,  Wills,  d. 

Grifhn,  J.  P.,  1.  ^ 

Harshaw,  James,  d. 

Houston,  Eli.* 

Hager,  George  F.,  1.  Trans- 
ferred from  Sixth  Kentucky 
Regiment  at  Corinth.]; 

James,  John.* 


t See  Appendix  A. 


Ibid. 


Seventh  Battalion. 


187 


Lasater,  Sol.,  1. 
Mason,  James,  d. 
Mason,  Ed.,  1. 
McCuUoch,  David,  1. 
Mansfield,  P.  E.,  d. 
Mahorn,  P.  R. ,  1. 
Petway,  T.  W.,1 

2d,  1865. 
Petway,  J.  M.,  I. 
Puryear,  Elijah,  1. 
Puryear,  William,  d. 
Priar,  George,  1. 
Pruett,  James.* 
Puryear,  D.  C,  1. 
Ramsey,  Z.  B. ,  1. 
Rose,  Henry,  1. 
Rutledge,  J.  W.,  1. 
Stephens,  John,  d. 
Smith,  John,  1. 
Southerland,  William.* 
Stafford,  William,  1. 


Siddons,  George  L. ,  living  at 
Selma,  Ala.  Made  Lieuten- 
ant in  1864. 

Siddons,  Gilbert,  1. 

Siddons,  J.  K.,  1. 

Siddons,  James,  1. 
Wounded  April     Smith,  John,  1. 

Talley,  Rev.  S.  C,  1.  Chaplain 
of  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

Templeton,  Ab. ,  1. 

Trout,  Bird,  d. 

Thurman,  Wallace,  1. 

Thurman,  Monroe,  1. 

Vance,  James,  Sr.,  1. 

Vance,  James,  Jr.,  d. 

Vance,  John,  1.  Wounded  July 
14,  1864. 

Woodard,  James,  1. 

Woods,  Sam,  1. 

White,  William,  d. 

White,  Bud,  1. 


After  the  organization  (as  previously  mentioned)  of 
the  Seventh  Battalion  at  Epperson  Springs,  Macon 
County,  Tennessee,  near  the  Kentucky  line,  they  re- 
mained encamped  at  that  place  about  four  weeks,  mean- 
while doing  picket  duty  and  scouting  along  the  southern 
border  of  Kentucky. 

About  the  17th  of  November,  1861,  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Bennett  moved  his  battalion  from  Epperson  Springs 
to  a  large  woods  lot  near  one  Mr.  Chinault's,  about  six 
miles  north-east  of  Gallatin,  Tennessee ;  and  after  re- 
maining there  about  one  week  his  next  camping  place 
was  about  one  mile  north  of  Scottsville,  Allen  County, 
Kentucky. 

Colonel  Bennett  was  now  instructed  to  keep  out 
.scouts  and  guard  well  the  right  flank  of  General   Buck- 


188  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


ner's  army,  the  main  portion  of  which  was  now  at  Bowl- 
ing Green.  Therefore,  soon  after  reaching  Scottsville, 
Colonel  Bennett  threw  out  scouting  parties,  with  in- 
structions to  guard  the  line  of  Green  River  below  Co- 
lumbia. One  of  these  scouts,  composed  of  about 
thirty  men,  was  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  B. 
A.  High,  Company  F.  He  threw  his  men  out  to  the 
line  of  Green  River,  on  the  extreme  Confederate  right, 
near  Columbia,  which  was  at  that  time  occupied  by  the 
enemy.  It  was  while  out  on  this  expedition  that  he 
and  his  scout  captured  the  Major  of  Colonel  Crane's 
Kentucky  Regiment  and  some  four  or  five  others. 

While  at  Scottsville,  Captain  Bonde's  Company  (A) 
was  detached,  with  instructions  to  report  to  General 
Buckner  at  Bowline  Green. 

About  the  first  week  in  December  the  Seventh  Bat- 
talion moved  from  Scottsville,  Kentucky,  to  Gallatin, 
Tennessee,  encamping  at  the  race-tracks,  about  one 
mile  north  of  town.  Lieutenant  High's  scout  did  not 
rejoin  the  battalion  until  a  few  days  after  it  had  moved 
to  Gallatin.  About  this  time  Captain  Tyree's  Com- 
pany (C)  was  detached  to  guard  the  Cumberland  River 
from  Carthage  to  Celina,  and  also  to  guard  the  supplies 
which  were  now  being  landed  at  or  between  those 
places,  to  be  conveyed  by  wagon  from  there  to  Zolli- 
coffer's  army  at  Mill  Springs. 

Having  previously  done  but  little  drilling,  it  was 
while  encamping  at  Gallatin  that  Major  Cheneworth,  a 
Kentuckian,  commenced  the  work  of  thoroughly  drill- 
ing and  disciplining  the  Seventh  Battalion.  That  of- 
ficer remained  with  the  battalion  as  drill-master  until 
after  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 

Bonde's   and    Tyree's   Companies  having  previously 


Seventh  Battalion.  189 


rejoined  the  battalion  at  Gallatin,  Colonel  Bennett  was 
ordered,  in  January,  1862,  to  divide  his  battalion  into 
detachments,  placing  one  at  each  of  the  various  bridges 
alone  the  railroad  for  some  distance  above  and  below 
Gallatin.  He  was  also  instructed  to  keep  a  scout  in 
the  vicinity  of  Columbia  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
■enemy  in  that  quarter,  and  also  to  protect  the  couriers 
who  occasionally  passed  between  General  A.  S.  John- 
ston at  Bowling  Green  and  General  G.  B.  Crittenden 
at  Mill  Springs.  Accordingly  he  ordered  Lieutenant 
High  to  take  a  squad  of  men  and  go  to  that  vicinity  for 
the  purposes  above  named.  In  fact,  having  learned  by 
this  time  that  High  was  a  true  and  trusty  scout.  Colonel 
Bennett  kept  him  in  that  branch  of  service  nearly  all  the 
time.  High  had  the  "  Home  Guards,"  who  were  now 
scattered  all  through  that  portion  of  country,  to  contend 
with  and  look  after,  as  well  as  the  regular  Federal  sol- 
diers. The  service  which  he  was  now  called  upon  to 
perform  was  very  dangerous.  It  was  he  who  reported 
to  General  Johnston  that  General  Thomas  was  moving 
upon  General  Crittenden  at  Mill  Springs,  and  soon  after 
reported  the  defeat  of  the  Confederates  at  Fishing  Creek. 

When  the  Confederate  army  was  falling  back  from 
Bowling  Green  to  Nashville,  about  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  Colonel  Bennett  was  ordered  to  ''keep  the 
track  clear''  along  that  portion  of  the  railroad  which 
his  battalion  was  still  guarding.  Whereupon  Lieuten- 
ant High,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been  called  in  from 
Kentucky,  was  instructed  to  take  charge  of  an  engine 
and  see  that  the  above  order  was  strictly  obeyed.  To 
use  his  own  language,  he  "made  all  trains  either  move 
on  or  get  upon  a  side-track,  zvhether  they  could  or  not.'' 

After  the  Confederate  army  had  all   fallen   back  from 


190  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary, 


Bowling  Green  to  Nashville,  the  several  detachments  of 
the  Seventh  Battalion  moved  to  the  latter  place,  and, 
crossing  the  Cumberland  River  on  the  wire  bridge,  ren- 
dezvoused near  the  Lunatic  Asylum,  on  the  Murfrees- 
boro  turnpike,  six  miles  from  Nashville.  As  soon  as  all 
the  detachments  of  his  battalion  had  crossed  the  Cum- 
berland .and  joined  him  at  the  above  named  camp.  Colo- 
nel Bennett  moved  on  to  Murfreesboro,  where  he  halted 
but  a  few  days.  At  the  reorganization  of  Johnston's 
army  at  Murfreesboro,  on  the  23d  of  February,  the 
Seventh  Battalion  was  attached  to  Hindman's  Brigade, 
Hardee's  Division. 

On  the  28th  Johnston  put  his  army  in  motion  south- 
ward from  Murfreesboro,  with  Hindman's  Brigade  (with 
which  Bennett  now  moved)  in  advance.  Passing  on 
through  Shelbyville,  Fayetteville  and  Athens,  the  ad- 
vance of  Johnston's  army  arrived  at  Decatur,  Alabama, 
about  the  loth  of  March.  The  Seventh  Battalion 
crossed  the  Tennessee  River  on  the  railroad  bridge  and 
encamped  about  one  mile  from  town. 

From  Gallatin  Lieutenant  B.  A.  High  (Company  E) 
went  by  the  way  of  Smith  County  after  some  of  his 
company  who  were  at  home  on  furlough.  At  Carthage 
he  found  a  large  lot  of  rations  and  clothing,  which  had 
been  shipped  to  that  point  from  Nashville  for  Critten- 
den's Division,  and  had  been  left  for  want  of  trans- 
portation. Having  collected  together  about  ten  of 
Gates'  Company  (E),  High  pressed  all  the  wagons  that 
he  could  in  that  vicinity  and  sent  the  main  portion  of 
these  stores  from  Carthage  to  McMinnville,  to  be 
shipped  south  from  there  by  rail.  He  with  his  ten  men 
then  joined  the  battalion  before  it  had  crossed  the  Ten- 
nessee, as  previously  mentioned. 


Seventh  Battalion.  191 


The  wagons  and  artillery  were  being  brought  across 
the  river  on  the  cars,  but  on  account  of  a  long  levee 
they  had  to  be  put  on  the  cars  about  two  miles  from 
the  river.  The  work  of  crossing  the  trains  appeared  to 
be  progressing  quite  slowly,  for  the  Seventh  Battalion 
had  now  been  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  about  two 
days,  and  yet  its  train  had  not  arrived.  Colonel  Ben- 
nett went  to  General  Armstrong,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  post,  and  complained  that  his  men  were  sufferings 
as  they  had  neither  rations  nor  camp  equipage,  and  re- 
quested that  officer  to  either  have  his  train  brought 
over  or  allow  his  men  to  cross  back  to  the  train.  Arm- 
strong replied  that  everything  was  in  confusion  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  therefore  he  could  not  have 
the  wagon  trains  brought  over  as  fast  as  he  wished.  I 
suppose  that  it  was  at  the  suggestion  of  Colonel  Ben- 
nett that  Lieutenant  High  was  now  sent  for  and  in- 
structed by  General  Armstrong  to  cross  the  river  and 
superintend  the  loading  of  artillery  and  wagons.  And, 
notwithstanding  General  Floyd  was  present  when  High 
reached  the  scene,  the  former  stepped  aside,  after  a  few 
rather  short  words  had  been  passed,  and  the  latter  soon 
brought  order  out  of  confusion,  and  sent  the  wagons 
and  artillery  across  as  fast  as  it  could  possibly  be  done. 

After  remaining  at  Deca-tur  some  five  or  six  days, 
Bennett  moved  down  to  Courtland,  where  he  halted  a 
few  days,  and  then  moved  on  to  Corinth,  Mississippi, 
by  the  way  of  Tuscumbia  and  luka. 

Being  immediately  thrown  out  on  outpost  duty,  the 
battalion  camped  for  several  days  about  three  or  four 
miles  north  of  Corinth,  near  Farmington,  doing  picket 
duty  and  scouting  between  there  and  the  Tennessee 
River. 


192  E.  R.  HaiVcock's  Diary. 

About  the  ist  of  April  Colonel  Bennett  was  ordered 
to  move  his  battalion  from  Farmington  to  Purdy,  Mc- 
Nairy  County,  Tennessee,  about  twenty  miles  north  of 
Corinth,  and  there  report  to  General  Cheatham.  Purdy 
is  about  thirteen  miles  north-west  of  Pittsburg  Landing, 
where  the  Federal  army  under  General  Grant  had  pre- 
viously landed.  The  right  wing  of  said  army  was  only 
about  eight  miles  from  Purdy.  Owing  to  the  near 
proximity  of  the  enemy,  Cheatham  now  kept  the  Sev- 
enth Battalion  on  constant  hard  duty,  and  with  alacrity 
did  they  perform  all  duty  required  of  them. 

About  the  3d,  Lieutenant  High  was  instructed  to 
take  thirty  men  and  pass  over  certain  roads  to  see  if 
they  were  occupied  by  the  enemy,  after  which  he  could 
go  where  he  pleased.  After  examining  said  roads  and 
finding  no  enemy  on  either,  he  ordered  his  men  to  halt 
while  he  and  Lieutenant  R.  B.  Allen  (Company  B)  rode 
nearer  the  enemy's  camp.  About  this  time  a  skirmish 
was  heard  going  on  some  distance  south,  and  as  the 
Federals  ran  up  on  a  ridge  to  see  what  was  going  on 
south  of  their  camp,  High  and  Allen  rode  into  their  camp 
from  the  north  side.  Seeing  two  Federals  sitting  on  a  log 
near  by,  Allen  shot  and,  as  afterward  learned,  mortally 
wounded  one  of  them.  After  which  High  and  Allen 
rejoined  the  scout  and  returned  to  camp  near  Purdy. 

On  the  4th  Captain  A.  B.  Gates'  Company  was  de- 
tached and  sent  to  guard  a  bridge  on  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  near  Falcon,  about  six  miles  south  of 
Purdy.  Believing  that  a  fight  was  near  at  hand  (John- 
ston was  then  moving  upon  Grant  at  Shiloh),  two  of 
Gates'  Company  (Lieutenant  High  and  Private  W.  C. 
West)  remained  with  the  battalion. 

On  the   5th  Cheatham's   Division,  including  the  Sev- 


Seventh  Battalion.  193 


enth  Battalion,  moved  from  Purdy  and  joined  the  main 
Confederate  army  in  front  of  Shiloh. 

On  the  6th  Johnston  attacked  Grant  in  the  vicinity 
of  Shiloh  Church  ;  and  as  I  have  previously  given  an 
account  of  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  I  shall  say  but  little 
more  about  it  here.  Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground 
the  cavalry  could  not  be  handled  to  much  advantage, 
and  hence  they  did  not  do  a  great  deal  of  hard  fight- 
ing, yet  they  did  valuable  service  in  guarding  the  flanks. 

Polk's  Corps,  to  which  Cheatham's  Division  belonged, 
constituted  the  third  line  of  battle,  with  Cheatham's 
Division  on  the  left.  Lieutenant  High  commanded  the 
.advance  guard  in  front  of  Cheatham's  Division.  This 
guard  was  composed  of  a  detachment  from  the  Seventh 
Battalion  and  perhaps  some  other  cavalry.  When  High 
struck  Sherman's  Division,  to  the  left  of  the  Shiloh 
Church,  he  fell  back  behind  the  Confederate  infantry, 
with  instructions  from  Cheatham  to  form  all  the  cavalry 
belonging  to  his  division  on  the  left  of  it.  As  Colonel 
Bennett  was  moving  in  the  rear  of  the  cavalry,  when  he 
moved  around  and  formed  on  the  left  of  Cheatham's 
Division  he  was  also  on  the  extreme  Confederate  left. 
As  Sherman  had  had  time  to  form  his  men  before  at- 
tacked by  Cheatham's  Division,  it  was  in  this  quarter 
of  the  field  that  the  hardest  fighting  was  done,  though 
Sherman  was  soon  forced  to  yield  his  favorable  position 
and  fall  back  toward  the  Tennessee  River.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  the  Seventh  Battalion  cheerfully  and  promptly 
did  all  that  was  required  of  it  throughout  the  two  days' 
fighting. 

In   reference   to   the   surrender   of    General   Prentiss, 
which  occurred  during  the  first  day's  fighting.  Lieuten- 
ant B.  A.  High  says: 
13 


194  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

When  the  Confederate  right  drove  back  the  Federal  left  I  saw  that 
we  had  got  in  advance  of  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  line  to  our  left. 
Believing  that  the  Federals  thus  cut  off  would  surrender  if  asked  to  do- 
so,  I  immediately  rode  out  leftward  in  their  rear,  or  rather  in  their 
front,  as  they  had  turned  to  fall  back,  and  when  I  met  General  Pren- 
tiss he  handed  me  his  sword,  saying :  ''To  whom  have  I  the  honor  of 
surrendering?"  I  accepted  his  surrender,  but  handed  his  sword 
back   to  him. 

As  the  Confederates  fell  back  toward  Corinth,  Lieu- 
tenant High  was  sent  to  Falcon  to  order  Captain  Cates' 
Company  and  the  wagon  train  of  Cheatham's  Division 
to  Corinth. 

During  the  two  days'  fighting  at  Shiloh  the  Seventh 
Battalion  lost  four  (John  Thompson,  John  Franklin  and 
J.  C.  Hunter,  Company  A,  and  John  Cloay,  Company 
C)  killed,  about  two  (Sam  Piper  and  Burnett  Brown,. 
Company  B)  wounded,  and  two  (Henry  Barbour  and 
Daniel  Driver)  missing. 

When  the  Seventh  Battalion  moved  from  Farmington 
to  Purdy,  A.  V.  Merritt  (Company  E)  was  left  sick 
near  the  former  place.  When  the  advance  of  the  Fed- 
eral army  reached  that  vicinity,  some  time  after  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  General  Grant  established  his  head- 
quarters for  several  days  at  the  same  house.  Merritt, 
who  in  the  meantime  had  been  concealed  up-stairs, 
could  hear  Grant  talking  to  his  officers,  giving  his  or- 
ders, and  thus  he  learned  what  that  general  expected 
to  do,  the  movements  of  his  army,  etc.  In  a  few  days, 
however,  our  army  drove  the  Federals  back  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Farmington,  and  Merritt,  who  was. 
able  for  duty  by  this  time,  rejoined  his  command. 

I  omitted   an   incident  in  reference  to  the    battle  of 
Shiloh  which  is  worthy  of  mention.      It  is  this:    Captain 
Griffin,   Company  D,  Seventh   Battalion,  had   a   negr© 


Lieutenant  B.   A.   HIGH,  Co.   G. 


Seventh  Battalion.  195 


cook  with  him,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  shouldering  his 
gun  and  going  with  the  boys  whenever  a  fight  was  up. 
During  the  battle  of  Shiloh  this  negro  managed  to  get 
hold  of  two  prisoners,  and  as  he  was  bringing  them 
from  the  field  he  met  two  or  three  other  Federals,  who- 
made  an  attempt  to  rescue  their  comrades.  The  negro, 
making  a  bold  defense,  repulsed  his  assailants,  with  the 
loss  of  one  killed,*  and  succeeded  in  bringing  off  his 
two  prisoners. 

The  Seventh  Battalion  suffered  heavy  loss  from  sick- 
ness while  camping  around  Corinth.  Alf  Eaton,  Pleas 
Renfroe  (Company  A),  Richard  Hall,  William  Ouhls, 
Tennessee  Stafford,  Burnett  Brown,  Sam  Piper  and 
William  Violett  (Company  B),  David  Cannon  (Com- 
pany C),  and  William  Clark,  Robert  Hoges  and  Harvey 
Trousdale  (Company  E)  were  among  the  number  who 
died  near  Corinth  in  April  and  May. 

William  N.  Carter,  John  Holder,  W.  T.  Seay  and  R. 
A.  Duffer  (Company  A),  Abijah  Crum,f  Jones  Cloay,f 
Ashley  Wilkes f  and  J.  B,  Echols  (Company  C)  were 
discharged  at  Corinth. 

While  the  Federals  were  advancing  on  Corinth  dur- 
ing the  month  of  May,  the  Seventh  Battalion,  being  on 
outpost  duty,  was  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  almost 
daily  up  to  the  evacuation  of  that  place,  which  took 
place  on  the  night  of  the  29th  of  May.  Then  moving 
by  short  and  easy  marches  southward,  along  the  east 
side  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  the  Seventh  Bat- 
talion encamped,  about  the  9th  of  June,  on  a  fiat  ridge 
in  Itawamba  County,  Mississippi,  about  one  mile  and  a 
half  west  of  Fulton.     It  was  at  this  camp  that  the  Sev- 

*I  saw  this  Federal  after  he  had  been  thus  killed. — B.  A.  High. 
tDied  before  reaching  home. 


196  K.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 


enth   Battalion,  by  consolidation   with  the   First,  ceased 
to  exist  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1862. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  James  D.  Bennett,  Major  Baxter 
Smith,  all  six  of  the  captains  and  a  number  of  the  lieu- 
tenants returned  to  their  homes  in  Middle  Tennessee, 
though  the  majority  of  them  engaged  in  service  after- 
ward in  other  commands.  However,  Captain  J.  T.  E. 
Odom  returned  soon  after  to  the  Second  Tennessee, 
and  did  valuable  and  gallant  service  with  it. 

REORGANIZATION  OF  BENNETT'S  BATTALION. 

Near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862, 
the  Seventh  Battalion  reorganized  and  re-enlisted  for 
"three  years  or  during  the  war."  In  this  reorganization 
and  consolidation  the  six  companies  of  Bennett's  Bat- 
talion were  reduced  to  four,  as  follows : 

Bonde's  and  Tyree's  Companies  (A  and  C)  were  con- 
solidated and  became  Company  D  of  Second  Regiment 
Tennessee  Cavalry,  commanded  by  Captain  William  T. 
Rickman ;  Captain  Bennett's  Company  (B)  became 
Company  E  of  Second  Tennessee,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain W.  A.  DeBow ;  Captain  Griffin's  Company  (D) 
became  Company  F  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  com- 
manded by  Captain  John  A.  Brinkley ;  and  Odom's  and 
Cates'  Companies  (E  and  F)  were  consolidated  and 
became  Company  G  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Thomas  Puryear. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  joined  Rickman's 

Company  at  various  times  after  June  12th,  1862: 

Abston,  Henry.*  McAlister,  Sank,  1. 

Bonner,  Robert,  1.  Payne,  E.  S.,  1. 

Bracking,  William.*  Robertson,  John,  1. 

Douglass,  James.*  Raney,  James,  d. 

Douglass,  William,  I.  Sanford,  George.* 

Douglass,  Robert,  1.  Stoveall,  Gallie,  1. 

Douglass,  S.  C*  Stoveall,  William,  1. 

Qgjdner,  CuUin,  1.  West,  .* 


June,  1862.  197 

Captain  DeBow's  Company  was  recruited  as  follows: 

Adams,  H.  C,  d.  Freedle,  Charlie,  1. 

Adams,  William  N.,1.     Captured  Irving,  William,  1. 

at  Columbia,  Tenn.  Johnson,  William,  1. 

Bass,  John,    1.     Wounded  April  Lauderdale,  Dero,  d. 

ist,  1865.  Mills,  J.  P.,  1.     Wounded. 

Carr,  James,  1.  Oglesby,  Frank.  1. 

DeBow,  Archie,  1.  Stalcup,  William,  1.     Wounded 
Dalton,    Robert,    1.     Wounded         July  14,  1864. 

at  Tupelo,  Miss.,  May  5,  1863. 

The  following  recruits  were  added  to  Captain  Brink- 
ley's  Company: 

Bond,  William.*     Wounded  July     Harris,  Tyree,  d. 

14,  1864.  Link,  Rice,  1. 

Cartwright,  James,  1.  McMillen,  James,  d.     Wounded. 

Corkran,  P.  H.,  1.  Shubert,  William.* 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  SECOND  REGIMENT  OF  TENNESSEE 

CAVALRY.* 

Thursday,  Jtme  12th. — The  three  companies  of  the 
First  Battalion  and_  the  four  companies  to  which  the 
Seventh  was  now  reduced   were  consolidated,  and  the 

*  Having  previously  learned  that  his  regiment  had  not  been  "officially 
known  or  recorded  at  the  War  Department,"  Colonel  Barteau  wrote  on  the  8th 
of  May,  1864,  to  the  Adjutant  and  Inspector-General  at  Richmond  as  follows: 

"...  These  two  battalions  were  consolidated  by  order  of  Brigadier- 
General  Beall  on  the  13th  (12th)  of  June,  1862,  and  the  organization  designated 
by  him  the  Second  Regiment  of  Tennessee  Cavalry.  The  organization  on  the 
day  of  consolidation  was  composed  of  seven  companies;  on  the  day  following 
an  order  was  sent  to  the  command  by  Brigadier-General  Beall  designating  it  as 
the  '  Second  Regiment  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,'  and  requiring  the  officers  recently 
elected  to  take  command;  that  they  would  be  obeyed  and  respected,  etc.  Gen- 
eral Beall  also  stated  in  a  note  addressed  to  myself  that  three  more  companies 
would  report  to  the  regiment  in  a  few  days.  He  was  soon  after  relieved  of  the 
command  of  the  cavalry;  the  three  companies  which  he  had  ordered  to  report 
were  never  known  or  found.  It  is  probable  that  the  three  which  he  had  de- 
signed adding  were  disposed  of  otherwise. 

"The  original  muster-rolls  nor  the  original  order  of  consolidation  were 
never,  as    I  suppose,   sent   by    General    Beall    to    Richmond,    or    the    command 


198  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Second  Tennessee  Cavalry  was  organized  by  the  elec- 
tion of  the  following  field  and  staff  officers  : 

C.  R.  Barteau,  Lieutenant-Colonel.* 

G.  H.  Morton,  Major. 

J.  M.  Hughes,  Surgeon. 

J.  W.  Harrison,  Assistant  Surgeon. 

M.  X.  Treadway,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant. 

Gala  Brevard,  Sergeant-Major. 

E.  O.  Elliott,  Acting  Quartermaster. 

Geo.  L.  Siddons,  Commissary-Sergeant. 

S.  C.  Talley,  Chaplain. 

James  R.  Bradford,  Bugler. 

As  the  Captain  of  Company  A  (G.  H.  Morton)  was 
■elected  Major,  Lieutenant  N.  Oswell  became  Captain  by 
promotion  ;  and  as  Atkinson  and  French  were  also  pro- 
moted, the  Third  Lieutenancy  was  left  vacant ;  P,  A. 
Smith  was  elected  to  fill  said  vacancy. 

The  following  is  the  Regimental  Roster  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  at  the  time  of  its  organization  as  above  men- 
tioned: 

•would  have  been  known  and  recognized.  We  continued  to  do  our  duty  in  the 
field,  not  thinking  but  that  our  superior  officers  were  doing  theirs 

"The  regiment,  however,  is  now  full  by  companies  added  by  General  For- 
rest, it  having  been  transferred  to  his  command  in  January  last. 

"  I  desire,  if  possible,  that  the  number  of  the  regiment  may  not  be  changed. 
The  Second  Tennessee,  commanded  by  Colonel  Ashby,  is  from  East  Tennessee. 
If  mine  could  be  known  as  the  Second  Middle  Tennessee  Regiment,  it  would 
be  exceedingly  gratifying  to  the  command.  It  was  raised  in  Middle  Tennessee, 
at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Nashville  ;  it  is  composed  of  the  best  material  in 
Middle  Tennessee,  and  has  achieved  some  little  character,  which  would  seem 
to  have  been  lost  if  the  identity  of  the  regiment  should  be  destroyed — that  is, 
if  the  name  or  number  of  the  regiment  should  be  changed." 

Colonel  Barteau  informs  me  that  he  received  no  reply  to  the  above  nor  other 
communications  which  he  had  sent  previously;  nor  did  I  know  until  twe}ity-two 
years  after  the  war  had  closed  that  our  regiment  was  officially  recorded  at 
Richmond  as  the  Twenty-sscoruX  Tennessee.  See  biographical  sketch  of  Rev. 
S.  C.  Talley  in  Appendix  A. 

*  As  we  had  only  seven  companies  we  were  not  entitled  to  a  colonel. 


LlEUTKNANT-Col.ONEl,   GEO.    H.    MORTON. 


June,  1862. 


199 


Company  A. 
N.  Oswell,  Captain. 
T.  C.  Atkinson,  First  Lieutenant. 
A,  H.  French,  Second,  Lieutenant. 
P.  A.  Smith,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  B. 
Wm.  Parrish,  Captain. 
T.  B.  Underwood,  First  Lieutenant. 
•G.W.  Smithson,  Second  Lieutenant. 
S.  B.  Wall,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  C. 
M.  W.  McKnight,  Captain. 
H.  L.  W.  Turney,  First  Lieutenant. 
S.  Dennis,  Second  Lieutenant. 
J.  S.  Harrison,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  D. 
W.  T.  Rickman,  Captain. 
'Geo.  Love,  First  Lieutenant. 


F.W.Youree,  Second  Lieutenant. 
T.  R.  Youree,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  E. 
W.  A.  DeBovv,  Captain. 
Geo.  E   Seay,  First  Lieutenant. 
R.  B.  Dubbins,  Sec'd  Lieutenant. 
T.  J.  Carman,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  F. 
J.  A.  Brinkley,  Captain. 
Jas.  F.  Austin,  First  Lieutenant. 
J.  E.  Denning,  Sec'd  Lieutenant. 
N.  Penuel,  Third  Lieutenant. 

Company  G. 
Thomas  Puryear,  Captain. 
J.  M.  Eastes,  First  Lieutenant. 

A.  W.  Lipscomb,  Sec'd  Lieuten't. 

B.  H.  Moore,  Third  Lieutenant. 


Friday,  13th. — We  had  orders  to  cook  three  days' 
rations,  and  be  ready  to  take  up  the  Hne  of  march  by 
three  o'clock  p.  m.,  but  as  it  was  pay-day,  and  as  the 
paymaster  did  not  get  through  by  that  hour,  the  order 
was  countermanded,  and  we  did  not  move.  We  were 
paid  for  four  months  and  twenty-two  days'  service,  from 
ist  of  January  to  the  2 2d  of  May,  1862,  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  dollars  and  sixty  cents  to  each  private. 

Saturday,  14th. — Our  regiment*  mounted  and  moved 
out  toward  Marietta,  at  which  place  they  halted  for  the 
night. 

*  As  I  was  badly  poisoned  with  poison  oak  vine  I  did  not  go  on  the  above 
named  scout,  but  remained  with  the  wagons,  which,  for  safety,  were  moved 
about  seven  miles  nearer  the  railroad,  where  they  remained  until  the  l6th;  then 
they  were  moved  back  and  met  the  regiment  near  the  old  camp,  half  mile  west 
of  the  Tombigbee. 

About  this  time  General  Beauregard  went  to  Bladen  Springs,  Alabama,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  leaving  General  Bragg  in  command  of  the  army,  now  in 
the  vicinity  of  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad. 


200  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Sunday,  i^th. — After  moving  on  up  within  ten  miles 
of  Jacinto  (about  thirty  from  camps)  Colonel  Barteau 
learned  that  the  Federals  were  at  Marietta,  in  his  rear. 
Thinking  that  they  were  attempting  to  cut  him  off,  and 
if  possible  capture  his  whole  regiment,  he  turned  to  the 
right,  crossed  the  Tombigbee,  and  came  down  on  the 
east  side  to  Fulton,  where  he  remained  for  the  night. 
Colonel  Barteau  thus  gave  the  Federals  a  complete 
dodge,  and  returned  unmolested. 

Monday,  i6tJi. —  The  regiment  crossed  the  river  and 
encamped  half  mile  from  it.  They  reported  that  the  Fed- 
erals were  moving  east  toward  Chattanooga  in  large 
force. 

Tuesday,  lyth. — The  regiment  recrossed  the  river  and 
encamped  in  sight  of  Fulton,  in  a  beautiful  bottom  on 
the  west  side  of  town. 

Thursday,  igth. — A  scout  went  out  and  burned  a  lot  of 
cotton  in  order  to  prevent  the  Federals  from  getting  it. 

Friday,  zotJi. — W.  C.  Hancock  and  three  others,  who 
went  out  the  day  before,  returned.  They  reported  that 
they  went  to  Marietta,  but  found  no  Federals  there. 

Major  Morton,  with  a  part  of  our  regiment,  went  out 
on  a  scout  in  the  direction  of  luka. 

Saturday,  21st. — A  number  of  our  regiment  went  to 
preaching  in  Fulton.  News  coming  to  church  that  the 
Federals  were  not  far  off,  and  moving  in  the  direction 
of  Fulton,  we  did  not  remain  to  hear  that  preacher  bring 
his  remarks  to  a  close,  but  went  to  camps  in  haste  to 
prepare  to  receive .  the  enemy.  However,  in  place  of 
coming  to  Fulton,  the  Federals  crossed  Tombigbee 
some  distance  above  Fulton,  cutting  off  Major  Morton's 
scout  from  camps. 


July,  1862.  201 

Sunday,  22d. — The  Federal  scout,  said  to  be  about 
one  hundred  and  ten,  turned,  recrossed  Tombigbee,  and 
went  back  through  Marietta.  Morton  returned  to 
camps  in  the  evening  without  having  any  coUision  with 
the  enemy. 

Thursday,  26tJi. — We  moved  camps  from  the  west  to 
the  south-east  of,  and  half  a  mile  from,  Fulton,  on  the 
Smithville  road. 

Sahirday,  28th. — I  can  now  say  I  have  been  a  soldier 
one  year,  for  on  the  28th  of  June,  1861,  about  eleven 
o'clock  A.  M.,  our  company  (Allison's)  was  mustered  into 
service. 

No  troops  were  camped  near  Fulton  except  Barteau's 
Regiment. 

Monday,  joih. — A  large  scout  went  out  with  three 
days'  rations.  We  heard  news  that  pleased  us  well. 
Colonel  Bradfute  said  our  division  was  ordered  to  Mid- 
dle Tennessee.  O  how  delighted  were  we  with  the 
thought  of  going  back  to  our  native  State  !  But  I  guess 
it  was  either  a  false  report  or  the  order  was  counter- 
manded, for  we  heard  no  more  of  it. 

Wedfiesday,  July  2d. — We  were  ordered  to  cook  five 
days'  rations  for  those  in  camps  and  those  on  the  scout, 
and  be  ready  to  march  at  seven  next  morning.  The 
scouting  party  returned  without  any  news  of  interest. 

Thuj^sday,  jd. — Promptly  in  the  saddle  by  seven 
Colonel  Barteau  moved  his  regiment  about  fifteen  miles 
in  the  direction  of  luka  (on  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad),  thence  about  five  miles  on  the  Russell- 
ville  (Alabama)  road,  where  he  bivouacked  for  the 
night. 

Friday,    4th. — Returning    to   the    luka   road,   thence 


202  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

about  four  miles  in  the  direction  of  luka,  we  bivouacked 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  enemy's  picket. 

Saturday,  ^th. — Colonel  Barteau  left  Fulton  with  the 
expectation  of  going  on  to  luka,  but  the  aid  that  he 
expected  not  coming  up;  and  not  being  willing  to  ven- 
ture an  attack  with  but  little  over  two  hundred,  he 
turned,  came  back  by  the  way  of  Marietta  and  biv- 
ouacked some  four  miles  south  on  the  Fulton  road. 

Sunday,  6th. — The  regiment  returned  to  camps  near 
Fulton  ;  had  quite  a  dusty  trip.  We  remained  at  Ful- 
ton until 

Friday,  nth. — We  took  up  the  line  of  march,  wagons 
and  all,  except  a  few  sick  that  were  not  able  to  go. 
After  a  march  of  about  thirteen  miles  on  the  luka  road 
we  encamped  for  the  night. 

Sattirday,  12th. — After  a  short  march  of  about  six 
miles  we  encamped  at  Bay  Springs,  where  the  regi- 
ment  remained  for  several  days,* 

Wednesday,  i6th. — Dark  and  rainy  as  was  that  night 
Colonel  Barteau  attempted  to  capture  a  wagon  train 
that  was  going  east  between  Bay  Springs  and  luka, 
but  he  was  too  late.  The  train  had  passed  before  he 
arrived  at  the  place  where  he  expected  to  make  the 
capture.  After  burning  some  cotton  within  six  miles  of 
luka  the  regiment  returned  to  camps. 

Friday,    i8th. — McKnight's    Company    was    sent    to 

■•'■  It  had  been  ordered  that  the  man  whose  arms  were  in  the  best  condition 
should  have  a  furlough  for  eight  days.  On  inspection  day  (July  13th)  the  in- 
spector decided  in  my  favor,  so  I  was  furloughed  for  eight  days.  J.  W.  Ken- 
nedy and  I  went — partly  on  a  pleasure  trip  and  partly  after  clothing  and 
liorses — to  Franklin  County,  Alabama;  and  after  spending  about  five  days  very 
pleasantly  with  our  relatives  and  friends  near  Russellville,  we  returned  to 
camps  at  Bay  Springs,  July  2lst. 


July,  1802.  203 

Marietta  to  picket  that  place  for  some  days.  Colonel 
Barteau,  with  four  companies  of  his  regiment,  left  camps 
at  Bay  Springs  to  join  General  Armstrong  in  an  expe- 
dition into  North  Alabama.  Will  speak  more  of  this 
scout  when  Colonel  Barteau  returns. 

Tuesday,  22d. — It  was  reported  that  the  Federals  in 
large  force  were  in  ten  miles  of  our  camps.  I  and  a  few 
others  mounted  and  went  out  about  eight  miles.  Hear- 
ing nothing  of  the  enemy  we  returned  to  camps  a  little 
after  dark.  Loading  our  wagons  we  moved  back  about 
two  miles  on  the  Fulton  road,  where  we  remained  until 
morning.  But  little  rest  for  a  poor  soldier  that  night, 
on  account  of  so  much  rain. 

Wednesday,  2jd.  —  Parrish's  Company  was  sent  to 
Marietta  to  relieve  McKnight's.  The  wagons  and  the 
few  men  that  were  left,  one  company  and  fragments  of 
others,  moved  on  back  through,  and  encamped  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  from,  Fulton.  McKnight's  Company 
from  Marietta  joined  us  there  in  the  evening. 

Saturday,  26th. — Captain  McKnight,  with  fifteen  of 
his  company,  left  camps  with  orders  to  scout  north  of 
Bay  Springs.  Passing  by  that  place  he  bivouacked  three 
miles  beyond,  on  the  luka  road. 

Siniday,  2'/tk. — Going  a  few  miles  in  the  direction  of 
luka,  learning  nothing  of  interest  from  the  Federals,  we 
turned  back  and  bivouacked  four  miles  south  of  Bay 
Springs,  on  the  Fulton  road. 

Monday,  28th. — McKnight's  squad  was  re-enforced  by 
Captain  Kitchen,  with  about  sixty-five  men.  We  re- 
mained near  Bay  Springs  until 

Wednesday,  ^oih* — Captain  McKnight  was  sent  with 

*  General  Breckinridge  had  been  sent  to  Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  in  the  latter 
part  of  June,  with  a  portion  of  Bragg's  army,  and  perhaps  some  had  been  sent 


204  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


his  squad  to  relieve  Parrish's  Company  at  Marietta.  As 
it  was  a  very  rainy  time  we  took  shelter  in  a  school- 
house  about  two  miles  from  Marietta,  on  the  Fulton 
road.      Our  picket  stand  was  in  town. 

I  will  here  relate  a  little  incident  that  occurred  while 
we  were  picketing  at  Marietta.  Captain  McKnight  was 
informed  (August  4th)  that  a  man  who  had  belonged  to 
the  Confederate  army,  but  had  deserted  and  visited  the 
Federals,  was  at  home  fixing  to  move  his  family  inside 
the  Federal  lines.  This  man  lived  about  ten  miles 
north.  Determined  to  make  an  effort  to  capture  him, 
Captain  McKnight,  I  and  a  few  others  left  our  school- 
house  a  little  after  dark,  and  awhile  before  day  we  sur- 
rounded his  house.  We  called  at  the  door,  as  though 
we  were  some  of  his  neighbors.  His  wife  answered. 
We  told  her  that  we  wanted  to  see  her  husband,  call- 
ing him  by  name,  as  though  we  were  well  acquainted 
with  him.  She  said  he  was  not  at  home,  but  had  gone 
to  his  father's.  On  being  asked  to  open  the  door,  she 
said  she  would  as  soon  as  she  could  get  a  light.  We 
believed  he  was  at  home,  because  she  was  so  much  ex- 
cited and  so  long  getting  a  light.  After  so  long  a  time 
she  opened  the  door,  and  Captain  McKnight  searched 
the  house  while  I  gruarded  the  door.  We  noticed  three 
ladies  lying  on  one  bed,  but  did  not  find  our  man.  We 
searched  other  houses,  and  finally  went  to  his  father's, 
but  still  failed  to  find  him.  Our  trip,  however,  was  not 
altogether  in  vain,  for  one  Mr.  Malone  gave  us  a  splen- 
did breakfast,  his  daughters  made  some  sweet  music  for 

to  other  points,  but  Bragg  was  now  transferring  the  main  portion  of  his  army 
from  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  to  confront  General  Bu- 
ell,  who,  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  had  been  ordered  back  into  Middle  Ten- 
nessee. 


August,  ]8H2.  205 


us,  besides  we  had  as  many  melons  and  peaches  as  we 
could  eat.  Who  but  a  soldier,  though,  could  appreci- 
ate such  a  treat  as  that !  While  at  Mr.  Malone's  we 
learned,  to  our  surprise  and  chagrin,  that  the  object  of 
our  search  was,  at  the  time  we  were  searching  his  house, 
■between  the  straw  and  feather  beds  ufider  those  three  ladies. 
After  taking  a  real  hearty  laugh  over  the  aftair,  we 
mounted  and  returned  to  our  picket  base. 

While  McKnight's  Company  was  picketing  at  Ma- 
rietta our  camps  were  moved  from  Fulton  to  within 
two  miles  of  Guntown.  The  latter  place  is  on  the  Mo- 
bile and  Ohio  Railroad,  some  thirteen  miles  south-west 
from  Marietta.  The  Federals  were  kind  enouph  not  to 
visit  Marietta  while  we  were  there,  though  they  came 
within  about  five  miles,  taking  cotton,  negroes,  horses, 
etc. 

I  will  here  relate  another  little  incident,  which.  I  am 
sure,  some  of  McKnight's  Company  will  remember.  A 
good  lady  who  lived  near  Marietta  had  any  amount  of 
fine  peaches,  but  neither  she  nor  we  had  any  Hour.  So 
we  told  her  to  use  cor?i  Tneal  in  making  the  crust,  as  we 
were  bent  on  having  a  "peach  cobbler."  Novel  as  the 
idea  was,  she  made  the  "cobbler."  And  right  heartily 
-did  we  eat  of  it.  Well,  it  was  a  great  deal  better  than 
no  pie.     We  remained  at  Marietta  until 

Thursday,  14th. — We  rejoined  the  regiment  near  Gun- 
town,  after  an  absence  of  about  nineteen  days.  Colonel 
Barteau  had  returned  (August  loth)  from  his  Alabama 
expedition.  So  the  regiment  was  "all  at  home"  once 
more. 

According  to  promise,  I  will  now  give  an  account 
of  Colonel  Barteau's  trip  to  Alabama.  The  Second 
Lieutenant  (Dr.  J.  S.   Harrison)  of  McKnight's  Com- 


206  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

pany,  acting  as  surgeon  of  the  regiment  at  the  time, 
went  with  Colonel  Barteau,  He  (Lieutenant  Harrison) 
gave  the  following  account  of  the  expedition: 

General  Armstrong's  Brigade — composed  of  Colonels 
McCulloch's  and  Kelly's  Battalions,  a  Louisiana  squad- 
ron and  two  companies  commanded  by  Hill  and  San- 
ders— passing  Bay  Springs  on  the  i8th  of  July,  was- 
then  and  there  joined  by  Colonel  Barteau  with  four 
companies  of  his  regiment — in  all  about  seven  hundred 
troopers. 

Marching  east  four  days  Armstrong  arrived  at  Moul- 
ton,  in  North  Alabama;  thence  by  a  forced  march  to 
Courtland,  he  surprised  and  routed  a  Federal  force — 
two  companies  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry—  en- 
camped at  that  place,  capturing  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
two.  He  also  captured  ten  wagons,  about  fifty  mules 
and  ten  horses,  three  hundred  bushels  of  corn,  some 
oats,  a  good  lot  of  ammunition,  commissaries  enough 
for  seven  days'  rations,  including  several  sacks  of  coffee 
and  salt,  and  a  lot  of  small  arms.  Four  of  the  Federals, 
were  wounded;  the  number  killed  unknown.  Colonel 
Kelly,  in  a  skirmish  below  Courtland,  killed  about 
twelve  Federals;  wounded  unknown.  Colonel  Kelly  re- 
turned to  Moulton  with  a  few  prisoners.  The  Federal 
loss  in  this  expedition — killed,  wounded  and  prisoners — 
was  194.* 

After  falling  back  to  Moulton,  General  Armstrong 
paroled  the  prisoners.  A  few  days  after  this  he  started 
back  to  North  Mississippi,  and  on  the  loth  of  August 
he  returned  to  and  encamped  along  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  near  Guntown. 

*  By  an  oversight  in  me  I  failed  to  record  the  Confederate  loss  in  this  expe- 
dition.    However,  I  think  it  was  light. — R.  R.  H. 


August,  1862.  207 


Friday,  i^fh.—lKn  order  was  read  at  dress-parade 
requiring  us  to  drill  on  horseback  in  the  morning,  on 
foot  in  the  evening,  go  on  dress-parade  once  a  day,  and 
prepare  as  fast  as  possible  for  a  more  vigorous  cam- 
paign. 

Stinday,  iph. — Colonel  Barteau's  Regiment  were  paid 
from  May  23d  to  June  30th.  Each  private  received 
thirty-one  dollars  and  twenty  cents.  I  drew  thirty-seven 
dollars  and  sixty-four  cents. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  Confederate  Army  had  by 
this  time  been  sent  from  North  Mississippi  to  other 
points — Vicksburg,  Mobile,  Chattanooga,  etc.  And  only 
a  small  part  of  Grant's  army  was  left  at  Corinth. 

In  the  meantime  General  Armstrong  was  making 
active  preparations  for  an  expedition  into  West  Tennes- 
see. Colonel  Barteau's  Regiment  was  now  added  to 
his  brigade.  Barteau  had  orders  to  be  ready  to  march 
with  ten  days'  rations,  a  few  cooking  vessels,  and  one 
wagon  to  two  companies. 

F7Hday,  22d. — About  daylight  General  Armstrong's 
Brigade,  all  cavalry,  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  West 
Tennessee  from  near  Guntown,  Mississippi.  After  a 
march  of  about  twelve  miles  in  a  south-west  direction, 
he  bivouacked  in  Pontotoc  County.  Colonel  Barteau 
left  one  company  (G)  of  his  regiment  at  Guntown  for 
picket  duty. 

Satiu'day,  2jd. — After  a  march  of  about  fifteen  miles 
the  brigade  bivouacked  five  miles  north  of  Pontotoc, 
the  county  site  of  Pontotoc  County.  We  marched 
nearly  west. 

Sunday,  2^th. — Marching    a  little   north  of  west  for 


•208  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


about  sixteen  miles  we  bivouacked  on  Cypress  Creek, 
in  Pontotoc  County,  near  the  west  boundary  line., 

Mo7iday,  2^th. — Crossing  the  Tallahatchie  River  at 
Rocky  Ford,  moving  about  sixteen  miles  north-west, 
we  bivouacked  on  the  Tippah  River.  Had  quite  a  nice 
time  that  evening  bathing  in  the  river.  As  we  had 
teen  marching  for  several  days  over  very  dusty  roads 
we  needed  a  bath. 

Ttiesday,  26th. — In  the  saddle  and  moving  before 
light,  we  marched  into  Holly  Springs,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi Central  Railroad,  and  were  forming  in  line  when 
the  town  clock  struck  nine.  By  the  way,  Holly  Springs 
is  the  nicest  town — perhaps  I  should  say  city — that  I 
have  seen  in  Mississippi.  Here  Armstrong's  Brigade 
was  reinforced  by  more  cavalry.*  He  now  had  per- 
haps thirty-five  hundred,  rank  and  file.  We  had  never 
moved  with  as  large  a  body  of  cavalry  before.  Gener- 
ally speaking,  they  were  well  mounted  and  a  fine-look- 
ing body  of  men.  Remaining  in  town  but  a  few  mo- 
ments we  moved  out  five  miles  north  and  bivouacked 
on  Coldwater  River,  in  a  beautiful  lot,  where  the  Fed- 
erals had  previously  camped.  We  have  been  traveling 
through  some  beautiful  country — quite  different  from 
Tishamingo  and  Itawamba  Counties.  I  like  the  people, 
as  well  as  the  country,  around  Holly  Springs  better 
than  any  place  I  have  been  in  Mississippi.  They  ap- 
pear to  be  more  like  Tennesseans. 

Wednesday,  2jth. — Not  starting  until  about  three 
p.  M.,  traveling  about  sixteen  miles  north,  and  marching 
until  late  in  the  night,  we  bivouacked  on  one  prong  of 

■■■The  Second  Missouri,  First  Mississippi,  and  Seventh  Tennessee,  under 
Colonel  (afterward  General)  William  H.  Jackson,  joined  Armstrong  at  Holly- 
Springs. 


Afgfst.   18G2.  209 


Wolf  River,  within  four  miles  of  La  Grange,  Tennessee. 
Here  we  rested  one  day. 

Friday,  zgth. — We  crossed  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad  at  La  Grange  and  halted  about  noon,  at 
one  Mr.  Smith's,  in  Hardeman  County,  Tennessee.  In 
our  native  State  once  more!  This  Mr.  Smith  w^as  a 
"whole  soul  reb,"  as  the  following  will  plainly  show. 
Our  forage  master  asked  him  if  we  could  get  something 
from  him  to  feed  our  horses.  His  answer  was,  "  Do  not 
ask  me  such  a  question."  Using  his  index  finger,  "There 
is  my  corn  field,  there  is  my  corn  crib,  and  there  is  my 
smoke-house;  just  help  yourself."  "I,"  continued  he, 
"  have  been  daily  expecting  the  Yankees  to  come  and 
take  what  I  have,  therefore  as  I  now  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  give  it  to  rebels,  I  am  going  to  do  it."  "  Per- 
haps I  had  better  have  a  guard  placed  around  your 
peach  orchard,"  suggested  General  Armstrong."  "  No," 
replied  Smith,  "just  let  these  rebels  help  themselves  to 
the  peaches  too."  Turning  to  his  servants  he  had  some 
of  them  to  put  fire  under  a  large  kettle  in  the  yard,  oth- 
ers to  fill  it  with  water  and  hams,  while  still  others  he 
put  to  baking  bread.  Never,  during  the  war,  saw  I 
men  and  horses  fed  as  did  this  man  Smith.  After  men 
and  horses  had  partaken  of  Mr.  Smith's  bounty,  swing- 
ing ourselves  into  the  saddle  again,  moving  out  a  few 
miles  nearly  north,  we  bivouacked  within  about  nine 
miles  of  Bolivar.  (Bolivar,  the  county  site  of  Harde- 
man County,  is  on  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad.) 

Saturday,  joth. — From  some  cause  the  brigade  did 
not    move  until    after  noon.*     Perhaps   General  Arm- 

■•■■"  J.  C.  McAdoo  and  I  were  sent  out,  perhaps  a  mile  or  two  from  camp,  to 
have  some  bread  baked.     Hearing  while  we  were  out   the  roar  of  cannon  and 
-small  arms  in  the  direction  of  Bolivar,  we  were   thus   assured   that  the  brigade 
14 


210  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


strong  was  waiting  for  his  scouts  to  report  or  to  see 
what  the  enemy  were  going  to  do.  A  Federal  force, 
composed  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery,  coming  out 
from  Bolivar,  was  met  and  engaged  by  Colonels  Slem- 
mon's  and  McCulloch's  Regiments,  near  Middleburg,. 
between  one  and  two  o'clock  p.  m.  The  Federals  were 
repulsed,  with  the  loss  of  seventy-one  prisoners.  I  do 
not  know  the  Federal  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  ex- 
cept two  colonels  (one  by  the  name  of  Hogg)  were 
killed.  About  eig-ht  Confederates  were  wounded,  some 
thought  to  be  mortally.  One  captain,  who  belonged  to 
McCulloch's  Regiment,  was  killed.  Leaving  Middle- 
burg a  little  before  sunset,  going  around  to  the  west  of 
Bolivar,  we  bivouacked,  between  nine  and  ten  p.  m., 
within   three  miles  of  Whiteville,  on  Clearwater  Creek. 

Sunday,  31st. — In  the  saddle  and  moving  by  two 
o'clock  A.  M.,  we  crossed  the  Big  Hatchee  River  be- 
tween daylight  and  sunup.  Passing  on  through  woods,, 
lots,  and  fields,  we  struck  the  Mississippi  Central  Rail- 
road between  Bolivar  and  Jackson,  within  sixteen  miles, 
of  the  latter  place.  Finding  a  few  Federals  guarding 
some  trestle-work,  one  of  them  was  killed  and  forty-two 
were  taken  prisoners,  two  of  the  latter  being  wounded. 
One  or  two  Confederates  were  wounded.  After  setting 
fire  to  the  trestle  and  cutting  the  telegraph  wire,  we 
moved  on  up  the  railroad,  the  Second  Tennessee  in 
front.  When  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Medon,  a 
little  place  on  the  railroad,  in  Madison  County,  we  were 

had  moved  from  where  we  left  it  and  was  then  engaged  in  at  least  a  heavy  skir- 
mish. Mounting,  we  put  out  in  haste  in  search  of  our  regiment.  However, 
we  did  not  know  which — Federals  or  Confederates — we  would  come  up  with 
first;  but  on  we  went,  until  finally  we  came  in  sight  of  about  five  hundred  cav- 
alry drawn  up  in  battle  lin«  across  a  large  field.  Still  in  doubt,  but  on  a  nearer 
approach  we  found,  to  our  delight,  that  they  were  Confederates. 


Septembrk,  1862.  211 


fired  on  by  the  Federal  pickets.  A  few  of  our  regiment 
with  long-range  guns  dismounted  and  drove  the  Feder- 
als from  among  some  houses  back  to  their  breastworks, 
which  were  made  of  cotton  bales.  Remounting  his 
men,  Major  Morton  moved  the  Second  Tennessee 
around  to  the  right  and  made  an  attack  from  the  north- 
east side,  charging  up  into  the  edge  of  town,  but  found 
that  the  Federals  were  well  protected  from  that  side 
also. 

Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  perhaps  think- 
ing it  would  be  too  great  a  sacrifice  of  his  men  to  at- 
tempt to  take  their  works  by  storm.  General  Armstrong 
withdrew  his  troops  between  sundown  and  dark,  after 
regular  firing  for  perhaps  one  and  a  half  hours,  and 
bivouacked  within  half  a  mile  of  Medon. 

The  loss  of  the  Second  Tennessee  was  as  follows : 
Company  D — Tobe  Dodd  slightly  wounded,  William 
Brown  wounded  and  captured,  and  Ed.  Bullock  and  O. 
B,  Harris  captured;  and  Company  E — Joe  Maddox 
killed  and  William  Luster  wounded.  The  loss  of  the 
rest  of  the  brigade  was  light.  The  Federal  loss  un- 
known. 

Motiday,  September  ist. — In  motion  by  daylight,  leav- 
ing the  railroad  and  going  in  a  north-west  direction,. 
General  Armstrong  met  near  Denmark,  seven  miles 
south-west  from  Jackson,  a  Federal  force  composed 
mostly  of  infantry.  However,  they  had  some  cavalry 
and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  in  all  about  eighteen  hun- 
dred strong,  under  Colonel  Dennis.  I  suppose  those 
Federals  were  from  Brownsville,  on  their  way  to  re- 
inforce Medon.  The  enemy  had  taken  a  strong  posi- 
tion in  a  skirt  of  woods  on  the  north  side  of  the  road, 
with  an  open  field   in   front.     The  Second  Tennessee 


212  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary 


was  immediately  deployed  in  line  and  hurled  through 
the  open  field  against  the  Federal  position,  under  the 
leadership  of  our  gallant  Major,  George  H.  Morton.* 
We  were  met,  however,  by  such  a  heavy  fire,  from  both 
small  arms  and  artillery,  that  we  were  forced  back  to 
the  margin  of  the  field.  A  second  charge  was  made 
with  a  like  result.  Colonel  Adams'  Regiment,  and  per- 
haps other  portions  of  the  brigade,  were  now  thrown 
forward  to  support  our  regiment,  and  a  third  time  did 
the  Second  Tennessee  face  the  missiles  of  death  through 
that  field,  without  being  able  to  drive  the  Federals  from 
their  position  in  the  woods  beyond. 

The  command,  "  Dismount,  and  prepare  to  fight  on 
foot,"  which,  no  doubt,  should  have  been  given  at  the 
outset,  and  which  was  afterward  familiar,  was  now- 
given.  Being  determined  that  our  colors  should  not 
lag  behind  any  other  on  that  field,  Major  Morton  very 
gallantly  led  the  Second  Tennessee  "square  up  to  the 
cannon's  mouth,"  and  after  a  hand-to-hand  conflict,  in 
which  some  of  the  gunners  were  knocked  down  and 
others  made  prisoners,  the  two  pieces  of  artillery  were 
ours.  Being  assisted  in  this  last  charge  (on  foot)  by 
the  Seventh  Tennessee,  McCulloch's  and  Adams'  Regi- 
ments, and  perhaps  some  others,  the  Federals  were 
forced  from  their  position,  with  the  loss  of  about  sev- 
enty-five killed  and  wounded.  It  was  said  that  they 
carried  off  a  number  of  their  wounded.  We  captured 
about  two  hundred  and  thirteen  prisoners. 

The  Second  Tennessee  lost  about  five  killed  and 
about  fifteen  wounded.  Fortunately,  none  of  Company 
C  was  killed,  though  our  Second  Sergeant,  A.  B,  Mc- 
Knight,  was  severely  wounded  in  the  forehead,  and  had 

*  On  account  of  his  being  sick,  Colonel  Barteau  was  left  at  Guntown. 


SEPTK.MBEK,  IS(Y2.  213 


to  be  left  at  a  house  near  the  battle-field.  C.  E.  Han- 
cock's knife  and  comb  were  shot  all  to  pieces  in  the 
pocket  of  his  pants.  As  his  knife  caused  the  ball  to 
glance  he  was  only  bruised.  B.  F.  Odom's  horse  was 
killed.  My  horse  was  shot  from  under  me  in  the  sec- 
ond charge. 

Joel  Blankenship  and  Joe  Burrow  (Company  E)  were 
wounded. 

Regret  that  I  did  not  note  the  names  of  all  the  killed 
and  wounded  of  our  regiment  in  this  as  well  as  other 
engagements,  for  I  cannot  now  give  them  from  mem- 
ory.* 

The  Seventh  Tennessee  fought  gallantly  and  suffered 
considerable  loss  in  killed  and  wounded ;  among  the  lat- 
ter was  Major  W.  L.  Duckworth.  The  above  engage- 
ment was  afterward  known  as  the  battle  of  "  Britton's 
Lane." 

The  engagement  lasted  between  two  and  three  hours, 
closing  about  three  o'clock  p.  m.  Soon  after  which  the 
brigade  moved  out  in  the  direction  of  Big  Hatchee 
River.  As  the  prisoners  were  afoot  we  had  to  march 
very  slow.     Marching  nearly  all  night  we  halted  to  feed 

■■  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  received,  through  the  kindness  of  General 
M.  J.  Wright,  General  F.  C.  Armstrong's  official  report,  addressed  to  General 
Price,  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  from  which  I  take  the  following : 

"  While  marching  toward  Denmark,  I  encountered  two  regiments  of  in- 
fantry, two  squadrons  of  cavalry  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  in  which  we  cap- 
^  tured  two  pieces  of  artillery,  destroyed  a  portion  of  the  train  and  took  two 
hundred  and  thirteen  prisoners,  killing  and  wounding,  by  their  own  statement, 
over  seventy-five  of  the  enemy.  My  loss  was  small.  I  have  recrossed  to  the 
south  side  of  the  (Hatchee)  river  this  morning  (2d),  and  have  this  evening 
paroled  the  prisoners.  .......... 

"  I  have  had  the  co-operation  of  Colonel  Jackson,  whose  command  deserves 
an  equal  share  of  credit  with  my  own.  .         .   •      .         It  would  be  unjust  to 

make  distinctions.  Each  one  has  nobly  done  his  duty  during  the  expedition. 
I  move  southward  toward  Summerville  in  the  morning.  Dis- 
patches via  Holly  Springs  will  reach  me.    I  can  strike  across  whenever  needed." 


•214  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


within  two  miles  of  the  river  about  two  hours  before 
day. 

Tuesday,  2d. — Crossing  Big  Hatchee  about  ten  miles 
below  where  we  crossed  going  up,  General  Armstrong 
halted  a  little  before  noon  to  let  his  men  rest  and  parole 
the  prisoners.  And  by  this  time  we  needed  rest,  for  we 
had  been  either  marching  or  fighting  almost  constantly 
for  the  last  three  days  and  nights,  except  Sunday  night 
near  Medon. 

Wednesday ,  jd. — Feeling  somewhat  refreshed  after  a 
rest  of  about  eighteen  hours,  we  marched  on  through 
Whiteville,  and  as  General  Armstrong  wanted  us  to 
take  another  night  ride  we  halted  and  fed  near  where 
we  had  bivouacked  on  Saturday  night  before.  Swing- 
ing ourselves  into  the  saddle  again,  after  a  short  rest, 
and  moving  out  nearly  south,  we  bivouacked  within  five 
miles  of  La  Grange  about  midnight. 

Thursday,  ^th. — As  we  passed  on  through  La  Grange 
(covered  with  dust  so  that  one  could  hardly  tell  whether 
we  were  white  men  or  black)  the  good  ladies  cheered 
us  on  our  way  with  sweet  music,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental. And  we  needed  something  to  cheer  us  up,  for, 
besides  being  dusty,  we  were  weary  and  hungry.  (By 
the  way,  I  have  my  opinion  of  any  man  who  does  not 
love  women  and  music.^  For  just  listen  again:  after  we 
had  halted  about  a  mile  from  town  to  feed  and  eat  a 
snack,  if  we  could  get  it,  a  good  lady  sent  some  of  us,  as 
a  present,  a  dish  of  boiled  and  fried  meat,  Irish  potatoes, 
cabbage,  cornbread,  biscuit,  and,  to  cap  the  climax,  a 
box  of  nice  peaches.  And  I  assure  you,  dear  reader, 
that  we  were  in  a  condition  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  that 
treat,  for  remember  that  we   had  started  out  from  Gun- 


September,  1862.  215 


town,  fourteen  days  before  this,  with  ten  days'  rations, 
so  it  is  not  necessary  for  one  to  understand  algebra  or 
geometry  in  order  to  calculate  that  our  rations  had  been 
out  for  the  last  four  days.  Moving  only  about  three 
miles  after  dinner  we  bivouacked  near  Wolf  River,  on 
the  same  ground  where  we  rested  August  29th.  We 
were  now  in  Mississippi  again,  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
from  the  State  line.  And  here  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
resting  for  two  days. 

Sunday,  yth. — (We  did  not  march  back  to  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railroad  along  the  same  route  that  we  came 
out  to  this  point,  going  a  more  direct  route  and  consid- 
erably further  north.)  Moving  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing we  halted  and  fed  at  Salem.  After  which  we  moved 
on  and  bivouacked  within  six  miles  of  Ripley,  in  Tippah 
County. 

Monday,  8th. — Moving  on  through  Ripley,  the  county 
seat  of  Tippah  County,  we  bivouacked  within  twelve 
miles  of  Baldwin  a  little  after  midnig^ht. 

Tuesday,  gth. — We  marched  on  to,  and  encamped  at 
Baldwin.  Our  wagons  and  camp  equipage  had  been 
moved  from  Guntown  up  to  the  former  place. 

As  previously  mentioned,  we  left  Captain  Puryear's 
Company  at  Guntown  when  we  started  on  the  expedi- 
tion into  West  Tennessee.  Though  this  company  was 
not  by  any  means  idle  during  our  absence,  for  besides 
taking  care  of  camp  equipage  they  were  kept  busy 
scouting  and  picketing.  While  out  on  one  of  these 
scouts  with  his  company  Captain  Puryear,  in  connection 
with  perhaps  two  or  three  other  companies  of  cavalry, 
dashed  into  Rienzi  on  the  26th  of  August,  taking  the 
Federal  infantry  encamped  there  completely  by  surprise. 


21G  I>'.  R.  Hancock's  Iuaky. 


and  was  driving  everything  before  them  when  a  heavy- 
force  of  Federal  cavalry  came  dashing  into  town  from 
an  opposite  direction,  and  soon  the  Federals  and  Con- 
federates were  so  mixed  and  mingled  together  under 
such  a  cloud  of  dust*  that  it  was  for  a  few  moments  dif- 
ficult to  tell  friend  from  foe.  Luckily,  however,  Captain 
Puryear  led  his  men  out  with  the  loss  of  only  two  (I.  J. 
Barrett  and  William  J.  Armstrong)  of  his  company 
captured.  Z.  B.  Ramsey's  horse  fell  and  he  (Ramsey) 
lay  as  though  he  was  dead  until  the  Federals  passed ;  he 
then  crawled  to  the  bushes,  and  that  night  he  gave  a  cit- 
izen fifty  dollars  to  pilot  him  out  of  danger.  When  he 
got  to  camps  the  next  day  there  was  great  rejoicing,  for 
he  was  thought  to  be  either  killed  or  captured. 

Notwithstanding  we  had  just  returned  from  an  expe- 
dition of  nineteen  days,  we  were  ordered  to  cook  three 
days'  rations  and  prepare  for  another  expedition.  Gen- 
eral Price,  from  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department,  was 
now  near  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  with  a  consid- 
erable force  of  infantry  and  artillery, f  on  his  way  tO' 
luka.      He  wanted  Armstrong's  Brigade  to  go  with  him. 

Wednesday,  loth. — Our  brigade  (Armstrong's)  took 
the  field  again.  After  a  march  of  about  twelve  miles 
we  bivouacked  at  Marietta  a  little  before  noon.  Leav- 
ing our  tents  in  care  of  the  Quartermaster,  our  wagons 
and  cooking  vessels  moved  with  us. 

Thursday,  nth. — Moving  four  miles  on  the  Jacinto 
road,  Armstrongf's  Brig^ade  halted  and  cooked  three 
days'  rations.  General  Price  sent  for  one  regiment  of 
Armstrong's   Brigade  to  act  as  advance  guard  for  his 

■••'In  speaking  to   the  ■writer  about   the  above  affair,  Clabe  West,  who  was  in 
that  daring  charge,  said,  "The  Lord  and  the  dust  were  all  that  saved  us."' 
t  Estimated  at  twelve  thousand. 


Skptrmukk.   18()2.  217' 


(Price's)  army.  Colonel  Barteau's  Regiment  being  de- 
tailed for  said  duty,  returned  to  Marietta  and  there  re- 
ported to  General  Price,  who  ordered  us  to  bivouac  two 
miles  from  Marietta  on  the  road  to  Bay  Springs. 

Friday,  12th. — Moving  on  in  advance  of  Price  to  Bay 
Springs,  thence  going  two  miles  north,  our  regiment 
bivouacked  on  the  road  leading  from  Fulton  to  luka. 
The  rest  of  Armstronof's  Brig^ade  moved  on  in  the  direc- 
tion  of  luka  so  as  to  guard  Price's  left  flank.  Had  a 
nice  rain  in  the  evening,  which  was  needed  to  lay  the 
dust. 

Saturday,  ijik. — In  the  saddle  and  moving  before 
light,  after  a  march  of  twelve  miles  we  halted  and  fed. 
Swinging  ourselves  into  the  saddle  again  after  a  short 
rest,  and  still  keeping  in  advance  of  General  Price,  our 
regiment  bivouacked  within  five  miles  of  luka,  while 
Price  camped  only  a  short  distance  behind  us. 

Sunday,  i^tJi. — As  Armstrong  passed  on  our  regi- 
ment joined  the  brigade  again  about  daylight.  From 
our  bivouac  Armstrong,  moving  on  to  and  across  the 
Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  about  two  miles  east 
of  luka,  thence  in  a  circuitous  route  along  the  north 
side  of  town,  marched  into  luka  from  the  north-west, 
while  Price  approached  from  the  south-west.  The  Fed- 
eral rear  guard  had  passed  out  of  town  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  before  Armstrong  marched  in.  So  he  took 
possession  of  the  place  without  the  firing  of  a  gun. 
General  Price  had  b^en  expecting  to  capture  the  Feder- 
als stationed  at  luka,  but  to  his  chag-fin  he  found  the 
place  vacated.  Armstrong's  Brigade  was  deployed  in 
line  on  the  north  side  of  town.  We  then  had  the  pleas- 
ure  of   hearing   some    splendid   music   from   Wheeler's 


■218  R.  R.  Hancock's  Dtahy. 

brass  band.  We  captured  quite  a  lot  of  flour,  corn, 
salt,  crackers,  bacon,  beef  cattle,  etc.,  the  whole  thought 
to  be  worth  about  two  thousand  dollars.  Armstrong's 
Brigade  camped  two  miles  north  of  town.  Our  compa- 
ny was  sent  out  to  picket  the  Eastport  road.  The  Fed- 
erals withdrew  to  Burnsville,  the  next  station  on  the 
railroad,  nine  miles  west  of  luka. 

Monday,  i^th. — Our  company  was  called  in  from 
picket  duty  in  the  evening.  As  it  was  reported  that  the 
Federals  were  advancing  on  us,  our  brigade  mounted 
and  formed  in  line  of  battle  near  our  camp.  Remain- 
ing in  line  until  a  little  after  dark,  we  then  dismounted 
and  tied  up  again.     No  enemy  made  their  appearance. 

Ttiesday,  i6th. — Our  company  was  sent  out  to  picket 
the  Eastport  road  again.  A  part  of  our  brigade  met, 
engaged  and  routed  a  Federal  force  two  miles  west  of 
luka.  The  Confederate  loss  was  one  horse  killed  and 
one  man  had  his  leg  cut  off  by  a  cannon  ball.  Do  not 
know  the  Federal  loss. 

Wednesday,  ijth. — Our  company  was  called  in  from 
picket  duty  early  in  the  morning.  Our  regiment  moved 
to  luka,  thence  down  the  Burnsville  road  three  or  four 
miles,  and  back  to  luka  again. 

It  was  reported  that  the  Federals  were  being  rein- 
forced at  Burnsville  by  rail.  A  little  after  dark  a  part  of 
our  brigade  (including  our  regiment)  mounted  and 
moved  out  about  four  miles  on  the  Jacinto  road,  where 
we  halted  and  remained  right  there  in  the  road  until 
next  morning.  And  to  add  to  the  unpleasantness  of 
our  situation  it  rained. 

Thursday,  i8th. — Returning  to  luka  we  rested  until 
night.  Our  regiment  was  sent  out  on  picket  about 
dark.      As  General  Price  was  expecting  the  Federals  to 


September,  ]>*fi2.  219 


advance  on  him,  regiments  were  sent  out  on  picket  in 
place  of  companies. 

Friday,  igth. — The  Federals  were  now  advancing  on 
General  Price  from  Burnsville,  and  he  was  preparing  to 
give  them  a  warm  reception.  As  our  regiment  had 
been  on  duty  for  the  last  two  nights,  we  were  needing 
rest  badly,  so  being  relieved  from  picket  duty  about 
noon,  we  moved  back  to  luka  to  take  the  needed  rest. 
About  nine  thousand  Federals,  under  General  Rose- 
crans,  were  met  and  engaged  by  a  part  of  General 
Price's  army,  under  General  Little,  late  in  the  evening, 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  west  of  luka.  After  a  hot 
■engagement  of  about  one  hour  and  a  half,  the  Federals 
were  repulsed.  As  it  was  now  about  dark  the  Confed- 
erates did  not  pursue,  so  the  firing  ceased.  I  do  not 
know  the  exact  loss,  though  it  was  considerable  on  both 
sides. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  found  the  following 
account  of  Price's  movements,  which  I  take  from  the 
"Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Confederate  Government,"  by 
ex-President  Davis,  pages  -^^6  and  387,  Vol.  II: 

General  Price  learned  that  Rosecrans  was  moving  to  cross  the  Ten- 
nessee and  join  Buell;  he  therefore  marched  from  Tupelo  and  reached 
luka  on  the  19th  [14th]  of  September. 

His  cavalry  advance  found  the  place  occupied  by  a  force  which  re- 
treated toward  Corinth,  abandoning  a  considerable  amount  of  stores. 

The  cavalry  pickets  had  reported  that  a  heavy  force  was  moving 
from  the  South  toward  luka  on  the  Jacinto  road,  to  meet  which  Gen- 
eral Little  had  advanced  with  his  Missouri  brigade,  an  Arkansas  bat- 
talion, the  Third  Louisiana  Infantry,  and  the  Texas  Legion.  It 
proved  to  be  a  force  commanded  by  General  Rosecrans  in  person.  A 
bloody  contest  ensued,  and  the  latter  was  driven  back  with  the  loss  of 
nine  guns. 

Our  own  loss  was  very  serious.  General  Maury  states  that  the 
Third  Louisiana  Regiment  lost  half  its  men,  that  Whitfield's  legion 


220  E.  11.  Hancock's  Diary. 

suffered  heavily,  and  adds  that  these  two  regiments  and  the  Arkansas 
battalion  of  about  a  hundred  men  had  charged  and  captured  the  ene- 
my's guns.  In  this  action  General  Henry  Little  fell,  an  officer  of  ex- 
traordinary merit,  distinguished  on  many  fields,  and  than  whom  there 
was  none  whose  loss  could  have  been  more  deeply  felt  by  his  Missouri 
brigade,  as  well  as  by  the  whole  army,  whose  admiration  he  had  so 
often  attracted  by  gallantry  and  good  conduct. 

It  was  afterward  ascertained  that  this  movement  of  Rosecrans  was 
intended  to  be  made  in  concert  with  one  by  Grant  [Ord]  moving  from 
the  west  (about  five  thousand  strong)  but  the  former  had  been  beaten 
before  the  latter  arrived. 

On  the  same  day  Price  received  a  letter  from  General  Ord  inform- 
ing him  that  "Lee's  army  had  been  destroyed  at  Antietam  ;  that,  there- 
fore, the  rebellion  must  soon  terminate,  and  that  in  order  to  spare  the 
further  effusion  of  blood,  he  gave  him  this  opportunity  to  lay  down 
his  arms."  Price  replied,  correcting  the  rumor  about  Lee's  army, 
thanking  Ord  for  his  kind  feeling,  and  promised  to  "lay  down  his 
arms  whenever  Mr.  Lincoln  should  acknowledge  the  independence  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  and  not  sooner." 

On  that  night  General  Price  held  a  council  of  war,  at  which  it  was- 
agreed  on  the  next  morning  to  fall  back  and  make  a  junction  with 
Van  Dorn,*  it  being  now  satisfactorily  shown  that  the  enemy  was 
holding  the  line  on  our  left  instead  of  moving  to  reinforce  Buell. 

Our  loss,  according  to  General  Price's  official  report, 
was  as  follows : 

Hebert's  Brigade  lost  in  the  action,  sixty-three  killed  and  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  wounded;  Martin's  Brigade,  twenty-two  killed 
and  ninety-five  wounded;*  total,  eighty-five  killed  and  three  hundred 
and  ninety-four  wounded;  Aggregate,  four  hundred  and  seventy-nine. 

According  to  Rosecran's  official  report  the  Federal 
loss  was  as  follows  : 

Commissioned  officers  killed,  six;  wounded,  thirty-nine;  missing,, 
one — total,  forty-six ;  enlisted  men  killed,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight;  wounded,  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine;  missing,  thirty-nine — total,, 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-six  ;t  aggregate,  seven  hundred  and  eighty-two.. 

•■■'  Who  was  then  on  the  Missis.sippi  Central  Railroad,  in  the  vicinity  of  Oxford.. 

tThe  writer  is  under  obligations  to  General  Marcus  J.  W/ight,  who  is  now 
(1887)  superintending  the  publication  of  Rebellion  Records,  Washington,  D.  C... 
for  the  above  reports. 


September,  1862.  221 


The  writer  thinks  that  the  above  reports  are  very 
good  evidence  that  Northern  writers  err  when  they 
claim  that  Rosecrans  captured  one  thousand  of  Price's 
army  at  luka. 

Satui^day,  zotJi. — General  Price  having  decided  to 
abandon  luka  and  retrace  his  steps  to  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  moved  out  early  in  the  morning  on  the 
Fulton  Bay  Springs  road.  Armstrong's  Brigade  cov- 
ered the  retreat.  By  seven  a.  m.  all  the  Confederates 
had  withdrawn  from  luka  except  our  regiment,  which 
was  drawn  up  in  line  on  the  north-west  side  of  the 
town,  awaiting  the  approach  of  the  Federals.  We  did 
not  have  to  wait  long,  for  by  seven-thirty  a.  m.  they 
moved  up  and  planted  a  battery  on  a  rise  to  our  left 
front,  in  easy  range  of  us.  From  this  position  they 
soon  opened  fire,  but  I  am  glad  to  say  that  their  pieces 
were  elevated  too  high  to  do  us  any  harm,  some  of  their 
balfs  going  perhaps  half  a  mile  to  our  rear.  From  the 
noise  to  our  rear  we  thought  one  ball  struck  a  house. 
They  surely  must  either  have  had  some  bad  gunners  or 
been  aiming  at  some  imaginary  force  to  our  rear. 
About  eight  a.  m.  our  regiment  moved  on  back  through 
luka,  thence  along  the  Fulton-Bay  Springs  road,  halting 
and  forming  again  after  passing  several  other  lines. 
The  regiments  of  Armstrong's  Brigade  kept  alternate- 
ly falling  back  and  forming  in  line  a  few  hundred  yards 
to  the  rear  of  each  other,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  Fed- 
erals should  they  at  any  time  make  a  dash  upon  our  rear 
guard.  The  Federals,  however,  pursued  us  very  cau- 
tiously and  slowly,  coming  up  near  enough  for  our  rear 
guard  to  take  a  few  shots  at  them  occasionally.  After 
falling  back  thus  for  about  ten  miles,  coming  to  where 
the  road  crossed  a  small  hill,  we  found  four  pieces  of 


222  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

artillery  supported  by  infantry  and  cavalry.  It  was  a 
splendid  position.  The  artillery  was  placed  so  as  to  be 
able  to  rake  the  road  for  some  distance  to  the  rear, 
while  the  infantry  were  lying  just  behind  the  crest  of  the 
hill,  so  as  to  be  concealed  from  the  approaching  Feder- 
als. On  came  the  dismounted  cavalry,  driving  our  rear- 
guard before  them.  When  within  about  two  hundred 
yards  of  our  artillery  they  were  greeted  with  such  a  blaze 
of  musketry  and  artillery  that  they  retreated  somewhat 
faster  than  they  had  advanced.  They  were  so  well  satis- 
fied with  their  reception  at  this  place  that  they  did  not 
trouble  us  any  more  during  the  retreat  from  luka. 

Our  loss  in  this  affair  was  one  killed  and  two  or  three 
wounded,  and  the  Federal  loss  was  considerably  more, 
though  I  do  not  know  the  exact  number. 

We  camped  eighteen  miles  from  luka  and  within  six 
miles  of  Bay  Springs. 

COMMENTARY. 

There  had  been  a  great  deal  of  guessing  among  us 
soldiers  in  reference  to  the  object  that  General  Price 
had  in  view  in  making  this  trip  to  luka,  and  also  in  ref- 
erence to  where  we  would  go  from  there.  Some  thought 
we  were  going  to  cross  the  Tennessee  River,  either  at 
Chickasaw  or  Florence,  Alabama,  and  go  on  into  Middle 
Tennessee  to  aid  General  Bragg,  who  had  gone  from 
Chattanooga  on  through  Middle  Tennessee,  and  was  by 
this  time  in  Kentucky.  The  fact  that  our  wagons  left 
luka  before  we  did,  with  orders  to  go  to  Tuscumbia, 
Alabama,  is  a  strong  proof  that  General  Price  did  ex- 
pect to  make  such  a  move  as  the  above-named.  I  am 
confident  that  Price  was  sent  on  this  expedition  to  aid 
Bragg  in  some  way,  if  it  was  nothing  more  than  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  Federals  along  the  Memphis 


September,  1862.  223 


and  Charleston  road,  in  order  to  thus  prevent  them 
from  being  sent  by  rail  to  aid  General  Buell,  who  was 
following  Bragg  in  Kentucky.  At  any  rate,  our  regi- 
ment was  very  much  disappointed  and  somewhat  cha- 
grined at  having  to  turn  our  faces  southward  again,  for 
we  were  very  anxious  to  get  back  into  our  native  State 
once  more. 

Perhaps,  after  sending  off  his  wagons  to  Tuscumbia, 
General  Price  decided  that  it  would  be  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  cross  the  Tennessee  with  a  superior  force  at 
his  heels,  and  consequently  turned  southward. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  find  the  following,  which  I 
copy  from  the  "  Life  of  General  U,  S.  Grant,"  page  i88  : 

On  the  loth  of  September,  Price,  having  reached  Northern  Missis- 
sippi with  his  army  of  about  twelve  thousand  men,  started  toward 
luka,  where  he  arrived  on  the  19th  (14th),  having  driven  in  a  small 
detachment  of  the  national  troops  from  Jacinto  and  Chewalla  (luka). 
He  made  a  feint  of  following  Bragg  in  his  northern  march,  in  the 
hope  that  Grant  would  pursue  him,  and  thus  leave  Corinth  an  easy 
prey  to  Van  Dorn.  But  Grant,  whose  headquarters  were  at  Jackson,. 
Tennessee,  was  too  sagacious  to  fall  into  such  a  trap. 

Knowing  from  his  scouts  that  Van  Dorn  could  not  reach  Corinth 
for  four  or  five  days  yet,  he  determined  to  crush  Price  by  sending  out 
a  heavy  force  under  Ord  and  Rosecrans,  who  had  succeeded  Pope. 
He  therefore  threw  Ord  toward  luka,  on  the  north  side  of  the  rail- 
road, reinforcing  him  by  Ross'  Brigade  from  Bolivar,  bringing  his 
force  up  to  about  five  thousand  men,  and  directed  Rosecrans,  with 
about  nine  thousand  men  in  all,  to  move  toward  luka  by  the  way  of 
Jacinto  and  Fulton,  hoping  thus  to  cut  off  the  Confederate  retreat,, 
and  to  concentrate  a  force  sufficient  to  overwhelm  Price. 

This  combined  movement  commenced  at  an  early  hour  on  the  i8th 
of  September,  and  although  the  distances  to  be  overcome  did  not  ex- 
ceed in  either  case  thirty  miles,  the  Confederates  discovered  it  before 
it  was  fairly  executed.  For  some  reason  not  satisfactorily  explained 
Rosecrans  failed  to  occupy  the  Fulton  road.  The  junction  of  Ord 
and  Rosecrans  did  not  take  place  till  after  the  latter  had  had  a  des- 
perate and  only  partially  successful   engagement  with   Price  on  the 


224  R.  H.  Hancock's  Diaky. 


19th,  in  front  of  luka.  Rosecrans'  troops  fought  well,  but  owing  to 
the  exceedingly  difficult  nature  of  the  ground  he  was  not  able  to 
bring  his  whole  command  into  action. 

The  Confederates  were  defeated  after  a  sanguinary  battle,  and  un- 
der cover  of  night  retreated  southward  by  the  Fulton  road.  Their 
loss*  is  stated  by  Pollard  the  historian  "at  about  eight  hundred  killed 
and  wounded,"  not  counting  over  a  thousand  prisoners  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  victors. 

On  the  2 2d  Grant  ordered  the  pursuit  to  be  discontinued,  and  di- 
rected Rosecrans  to  return  to  Corinth,  where  he  arrived  on  the  26th. 
Ord  was  sent  to  Bolivar,  and  Hurlbut  in  the  direction  of  Pocahontas. 

Sunday,  21st. — Moving  on  to  Bay  Springs,  there 
General  Price  turned  west  and  bivouacked  on  the  Bald- 
win road,  while  our  regiment,  being  detached  from  Arm- 
strong's Brigade,  moved  on  eight  miles  south  of  Bay 
Springs  and  camped  on  the  Fulton  road.  I  suppose 
we  were  thus  scattered  in  order  to  obtain  forage  and 
rations. 

Monday,  22d. — Turning  westward,  moving  in  the  di- 
rection of  Baldwin,  our  regiment  bivouacked  within  five 
miles  of  that  place.  As  it  was  only  twenty-two  miles 
from  Bay  Springs  to  Baldwin,  I  suppose  that  by  this 
time  the  infantry  and  artillery  were  encamped  along  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  at  or  near  the  latter  place. 

Titesdav,  2jd. — Our  regiment  went  back  to  guard 
Walker's  bridge,  which  spanned  the  Tombigbee  River 
at  the  crossing  of  the  road  from  Baldwin  to  Bay  Springs. 
Halting-  at  the  Widow  Walker's,  within  half  a  mile  of 
the  bridge,  we  made  that  the  base  of  our  guard  stand. 
As  we  left  luka  with  only  about  one  day's  rations,  and 
as  our  wagons  had  not  yet  returned  from  Alabama,  we 
had,  therefore,  to  get  our  rations  as  best  we  could 
through  the   country.      Accordingly,  our  company  were 

*  Strange  the  writer  gives  our  loss  and  not  the  Federal. 


September,  1862.  225 


allowed  to  scatter  out  through  the  neighborhood  in 
search  of  rations,  with  orders  to  report  back  next  morn- 
ing. 

Wednesday,  2^th. — According  to  orders  our  company 
reassembled  at  Mrs.  Walker's  to  assist  in  guarding  the 
bridge  and  to  give  others  an  opportunity  to  "hunt 
grub." 

Thursday,  2^th. — Late  in  the  evening  we  left  Mrs. 
Walker's  and  went  to  Baldwin,  where  we  found  our 
wagons  again.  They  had  come  round  by  the  way  of 
Russellville,  Alabama,  and  Fulton,  Mississippi. 

Friday,  26th. — Our  regiment  went  out  three  and  a 
half  miles  north-west  of  Baldwin  to  picket  the  Boone- 
ville  road. 

Saturday,  2'/th. — Leaving  a  small  guard  on  the  Boone- 
ville  road,  our  regiment  returned  to  camps  and  drew 
two  months'  pay,  July  and  August;  also  a  bounty  of 
fifty  dollars. 

A  Federal  scout  came  down  and  captured  two  of  our 
pickets,  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Lipscomb  and  Private  A.  A. 
Robertson,  from  Company  G.  After  being  fired  at  a 
few  times  by  the  rest  of  our  picket,  the  Federals  went 
back  toward  Corinth.  This  little  affair  created  some 
excitement  in  camps,  especially  among  the  wagoners 
and  Company  "Q."  *  The  wagon  train  moved  out  in 
a  hurry,  and  did  not  make  any  halt  until  it  arrived  at 
Guntown.  The  regiment  mounted  and  moved  out  be- 
yond the  picket  stand.  Finding  no  Federals  we  re- 
turned to  the  same  camps,  minus  the  wagon  train. 

*  Company  "Q"  was  composed  of  from  five  to  ten  men  from  each  company, 
who,  on  account  of  not  being  able  for  duty  themselves  or  having  horses  not 
able  for  duty,  remained  with  the  wagon  train  when  the  rest  of  the  regiment 
went  out  on  scouts  or  other  active  service. 

15 


226  E.  R.  Hancocz's  Diary. 


Sunday,  28th. — Our  regiment  moved  to  CarroUville. 
There  we  met  our  wagons,  and  were  ordered  to  cook 
three  days'  rations.  "Old"  CarroUville  was  a  small 
cross-roads  village,  some  three  or  four  miles  north-west 
of  Baldwin,  west  of  the  railroad. 

Monday,  2gth. — In  the  saddle  early  in  the  morning 
we  moved  northward,  leaving  Booneville  to  our  right. 
The  advance  guard  came  up  with  and  fired  on  the  Fed- 
eral picket  within  three  miles  of  Rienzi,  a  station  on 
the  railroad  between  Booneville  and  Corinth.  The  regi- 
ment then  turned  back  and  bivouacked  some  three  miles 
west  of  Booneville. 

Tuesday,  joth.  —  A  Federal  scout  followed  us  out 
some  distance  from  Rienzi.  We  made  an  attempt  ta 
capture  them  by  moving  back,  a  little  before  day,  in  a 
circuitous  route,  so  as  to  come  into  the  road  in  their 
rear,  but  we  failed,  as  they  had  passed  back  before  we 
came  into  the  road  which  they  were  on.  The  regiment 
returned  to  camps  at  CarroUville.* 

Wednesday,  October  ist. — A  part  of  our  regiment 
moved  out  about  three  miles  north  of  CarroUville, 
where  they  met,  engaged  and  repulsed  a  F^ederal  scout, 
with  the  loss  of  eight  killed  and  two  prisoners.  I  do 
not    know    how    many  were    wounded.     Our   loss  two 

*  On  returning  to  camps,  greatly  to  owx  joy  and  surprise,  we  found  C.  F. 
Thomas  there.  He  was  a  member  of  our  company,  whom  we  had  not  even 
heard  from  since  he  left  us  at  Burnsville  in  April  to  go  to  Middle  Tennessee 
with  Morgan.  He  was  right  from  home.  We  were  glad  to  learn  that  the  Fed- 
erals had  left  that  part  of  Tennessee  which  we  still  called  home.  He  brought 
eight  recruits  for  our  company,  and,  still  better,  he  said  eleven  more  would  be 
in  next  day.  So  we  had  a  real  jollification  in  camp  that  evening.  As  mail 
communication  had  been  cut  off,  we  had  not  even  heard  from  home  in  some 
time.  That  is  one  reason  why  we  were  so  rejoiced  at  hearing  from  there.  And, 
by  the  way,  our  company  was  needing  recruits,  for  we  only  mustered  about 
thirty  men  before  these  twenty  recruits  came. 


October,  1862.  227 


wounded,  one  (William  R.  Robertson,  Company  G) 
mortally.  The  two  prisoners  were  picked  up  by  Lieu- 
tenant B.  H.  Moore  and  our  Chaplain,  S.  C.  Talley 
(Company  G),  after  a  hard  race  of  some  three  or  four 
miles.  The  prisoners  were  from  the  Seventh  Kansas, 
known  as  the  Kansas  "  Jayhawkers."  It  was  said 
that  they  took  no  prisoners.  And  from  the  following  it 
would  appear  that  they  did  not  expect  quarter,  for  when 
Talley  called  out,  "  If  you  will  halt  and  surrender  you 
shall  not  be  hurt !  "  they  immediately  drew  rein,  and  one 
of  them  replied,  ''Had  I  known  that  I  would  have 
stopped  long  ago.'' 

Our  company  double-quicked  for  about  two  miles, 
but  it  was  all  over  before  we  got  there.  After  the  regi- 
ment returned  to  Carrollville  the  same  old  orders  were 
issued — cook  three  days'  rations. 

Thursday,  2d. — Marching  on  through  Booneville  the 
regiment  halted  and  fed,  between  sundown  and  dark,  in 
Jlienzi.  The  Federals  had  evacuated  the  place  in  the 
forenoon,  going  west  toward  Ripley.  We  found  Rienzi 
to  be  tolerably  well  fortified.  After  moving  out  about 
five  miles  nearly  west,  we  bivouacked  on  the  Ripley 
road. 

General  Price,  having  left  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road about  the  26th  of  September,  had  by  this  time 
formed  a  junction  with  Van  Dorn  at  Ripley,  and  with 
their  combined  forces,  about  twenty-two  thousand 
strong,  they  were  moving  on  Rosecrans  at  Corinth. 
Barteau's  Regiment,  being  on  the  extreme  Confederate 
right,  still  operated  along  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road. 

Friday,  jd. — After  moving  about  three  miles  further 
along  the  Ripley  road,  a  Federal  scout  made  their  ap- 


228  .       R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

pearance  in  the  road  to  our  rear.  A  few  shots  from  our 
rear  guard  made  them  disappear.  Then,  turning  back: 
and  meeting  our  wagons,  we  encamped  some  six  or 
eight  miles  west  of  Booneville.  Generals  Price  and 
Van  Dorn  attacked  Corinth,  and  after  hard  fighting: 
they  succeeded  in  driving  Rosecrans,  before  nightfall,, 
inside  of  his  fortifications,  with  the  loss  of  two  guns. 

Saturday,  4th. — After  making  several  desperate  at 
tempts,  but  finally  failing  to  take  Corinth  by  storming 
the  Federal  works.  Price  and  Van  Dorn  were  forced  tO' 
raise  the  siege,  from  the  fact  that  McPherson's  Brigade 
was  coming  to  the  assistance  of  Rosecrans,  while  Major- 
General  Hurlbut  was  moving  on  the  Confederate  rear 
with  a  large  Federal  force  from  Bolivar. 

The  following  account  of  the  Battle  of  Corinth  is- 
from  the  "Life  of  Grant,"  page  190: 

On  the  2d  of  October  Van  Dorn  and  Price,  with  three  divisions^ 
advanced  thence  toward  Corinth  by  the  way  of  Chewalla. 

Rosecrans  had  withdrawn  his  outposts  upon  the  first  appearance  of 
the  enemy,  and  formed  his  Hne  over  a  mile  in  front  of  the  fortifi- 
cations. The  Confederates,  advancing  on  the  Chewalla  road,  soon 
drove  in  Stanley's  advanced  brigade,  which,  being  supported  by  an- 
other, made  head  for  a  time.  But  the  Confederates,  continually  de- 
veloping their  front,  soon  hotly  engaged  Davies'  Division  also,  and 
finally  the  entire  line.  Pushing  their  attack  with  great  vigor  they 
finally  compelled  Rosecrans  to  fall  back,  with  the  loss  of  two  guns,, 
and  to  occupy  the  fortifications. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  the  action  was  re- 
newed by  the  Confederates,  who  opened  upon  the  Union  lines  with 
their  batteries,  and  at  half-past  nine  o'clock  Price  assaulted  the  Union, 
center  with  desperate  determination.  A  storm  of  canister  and  grape 
was  poured  upon  the  Confederate  columns,  but  with  only  partial  ef- 
fect. Cheered  on  by  their  officers,  they  renewed  the  attack,  now  be- 
come general,  and  soon  succeeded  in  breaking  Davies'  Division  and 
in  forcing  the  head  of  their  column  into  the  town.  But  Rosecrans- 
concentrated  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  upon  them,  and  pushing  forward 


October,  1862.  229 


the  Tenth  Ohio  and  Fifth  Minnesota  Regiments,  followed  closely  by 
■Sullivan's  Ikigade,  succeeded  in  driving  the  Confederates  beyond  the 
works  and  in  re-establishing  Davies'  line.  In  the  meanwhile  Van 
Dorn  had  formed  the  right  of  his  army  into  column  of  attack,  and 
"under  cover  of  a  heavy  skirmish  line  was  leading  it  in  person  to  the 
assault  of  the  Union  left.  But  Rosecrans  was  ready  on  that  side 
also.  Stanley's  Division  and  the  heavy  guns  of  Battery  Robinet, 
manned  by  the  veterans  of  the  First  Regular  Infantry,  made  an  an- 
swer to  the  Confederates'  musketry,  and  with  round  shot,  shell,  grape 
and  canister  played  dire  havoc  among  the  advancing  troops.  But 
■still  they  held  their  forward  course  till  within  fifty  yards  of  our  na- 
tional works.  Here  they  received  a  deadly  rifle  fire,  and  after  strug- 
gling bravely  for  a  minute  to  face  it,  they  were  compelled  to  fall 
^back.  Again  the  Confederate  leaders  led  their  men  forward  to  the 
■very  ditclies  and  parapets  of  the  defenses,  but  again  were  they  bloodily 
repulsed ;  this  time,  however,  to  be  followed  by  the  gallant  soldiers  of 
Ohio  and  Missouri,  who,  seeing  the  enemy  falter,  poured  over  the 
works  and  drove  them,  routed  and  broken,  back  to  the  woods  from 
-which  they  had  advanced.  The  battle  had  spent  its  fury;  the  Con- 
federates were  no  longer  able  to  make  head,  and  lost  no  time  in  with- 
drawing their  disorganized  battalions  to  a  place  of  safety. 

They  left  dead  upon  the  field  fourteen  hundred  and  twenty  officers 
and  men  and  more  than  five  hundred  wounded,  besides  losing  twenty- 
two  hundred  and  forty-eight  prisoners,  forty-one  colors  and  two  guns. 
The  next  day  Rosecrans,  reinforced  by  McPherson's  Brigade,  began 
the  pursuit,  but  he  had  lost  eighteen  hours,  and  could  not  regain  the 
advantage  which  had  thus  escaped. 

Here,  as  at  luka,  the  Federal  writer  fails  to  give  the 
loss  on  his  side ;  however,  in  this  case  I  suppose  that 
the  Federal  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  less  than  the 
Confederate,  as  the  Federals  were  behind  breastworks. 
Van  Dorn  and  Price  fell  back  in  the  direction  of  Holly 
Springs. 

Barteau's  Regiment,  moving  only  a  short  distance, 
encamped  again  four  miles  west  of  Booneville,  and 
cooked  three  days'  rations. 

Sutiday,  ^th. — In  the  saddle  and  moving   by  sunup, 


230  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

the  regiment  marched  on  through  Rienzi  and  Danville. 
(The  latter  is  a  small  place  about  midway  between  Ri- 
enzi and  Corinth,  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad.) 

From  Danville,  moving  on  in  the  direction  of  Corinth,, 
crossing  Tuscumbia  River,  we  dashed  into  a  Federal 
camp  within  three  miles  of  Corinth,  capturing  one  wag- 
on and  team  and  nine  prisoners.  After  a  right  hot  little 
skirmish  we  withdrew.  Our  loss  was  one  man  killed 
and  two  wounded;  one  of  them  (Nelse  Willard)  be- 
longing to  McKnight's  Company,  was  only  slightly 
wounded. 

A  few  horses  were  wounded  ;  one  belonging  to  a  mem- 
ber of  McKnight's  Company  was  shot  through  the  ear. 
I  not  do  know  the  Federal  loss  in  killed  or  wounded. 
We  came  back  and  bivouacked  within  four  miles  of 
camp. 

Monday,  6th. — After  we  returned  to  camp,  at  the 
same  place  we  started  from  the  morning  before,  Captain 
McKnight  left  us  to  go  into  Middle  Tennessee  after  re- 
cruits for  his  company.  Two  of  his  company  went 
home  with  him.  A  little  after  sundown  our  company, 
now  under  Lieutenant  Turney,  went  out  three  miles 
from  camp  to  picket  the  Rienzi  road. 

Tuesday,  yt/i. — After  our  company  was  called  in  from 
picket  duty  the  regiment  moved  back  to,  and  encamped 
at,  Carrollville. 

Wednesday,  8th  — In  the  evening  our  company  went 
out  six  miles  from  Carrollville  to  picket  the  Blackland 
road. 

Thursday,  gth. — The  wagon  train  and  Company  Q 
moved  down  and  encamped  one  mile  south-west  of  Gun- 
town.  After  our  company  came  in  from  picket  duty  the 
regiment  moved  down  to,  and  bivouacked  at,  Baldwin. 


October,  1862.  231 

Friday,  loth. — The  regiment  moved  down  to  where 
the  wagons  had  encamped  the  day  before.  It  rained  in 
the  evening  and  turned  cold,  which  made  it  very  disa- 
greeable, as  we  had  no  tents.  Guntown  is  the  next  sta- 
tion below  Baldwin,  and  the  next  station  above  Saltillo, 
on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

The  Second  Tennessee  remained  in  camp  near  Gun- 
town  for  one  month.  That  was  longer  than  usual  for  us 
to  remain  in  the  same  camp.  It  will  be  seen  by  an  ex- 
amination of  the  preceding  pages  that  our  regiment  had 
been  in  very  active  service  from  the  time  we  started  on 
our  West  Tennessee  expedition  until  we  went  into 
camp  at  Guntown.  The  regiment  were  by  no  means 
idle  during  their  stay  at  Guntown,  for  picketing  was  a 
daily  duty,  and  scouting  parties  were  frequently  sent 
out.  There  were  no  other  troops  camped  near  Gun- 
town at  this  time.  In  fact,  a  few  regiments  of  cavalry 
scattered  about  at  different  points,  and  perhaps  a  few 
pieces  of  artillery,  were  all  the  troops  that  now  remained 
in  North-east  Mississippi.  Price  and  Van  Dorn  fell  back 
along  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad  in  North-west 
Mississippi. 

Saturday,  2^th. — It  turned  cold  and  snowed  some, 
nearly  covering  the  ground.  But,  as  good  luck  would 
have  it,  the  regiment  drew  new  tents  the  day  before, 
and  also  one  blanket  to  each  man.  But,  as  bad  luck 
would  have  it,  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  goon  picket*  that  even- 


*  I  was  not  on  picket  any  more  for  seven  months,  as  the  following  will  show: 
About  this  time  a  member  of  our  company,  A.  Barrett,  was  sick  with  the  ty- 
phoid fever.  After  trying  nearly  all  over  the  neighborhood,  finally  one  Mr. 
Robison,  who  lived  in  Guntown,  agreed  that  we  might  take  the  sick  man  to  his 
house.  So  on  Sunday,  November  2d,  we  moved  A.  Barrett  to  Mr.  Robison's, 
and  I  remained  with  him,  as  he  was  very  sick  and  needed  a  nurse. 

He  grew  worse  and  worse-,  until  finally,  about  the  1 1  th  of  November,  he  be- 


232  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


ing  to  remain  until  the  next.  So  we  had  a  very  cold, 
disagreeable  night  to  be  out  on  picket. 

Szmday,  November  loth. — The  regiment  moved  about 
four    miles    and    encamped    near   Saltillo,   where    they 

came  speechless.  He  did  not  even  whisper  for  three  long  weeks — they  appeared 
long  to  me.  Our  surgeon  quit  coming  to  see  him,  thinking  it  useless.  I  re- 
mained with  him  all  the  time,  both  day  and  night.  Lieutenant  Turney,  who 
was  in  command  of  our  company  at  that  time  (Captain  McKnight  had  gone  home 
after  recruits),  did  not  only  send  two  or  three  of  the  boys  up  to  Mr.  Robison's 
nearly  every  night  to  assist  me  in  sitting  up  with  Barrett,  but  he  frequently 
came  himself. 

Finally,  beginning  to  improve  by  the  last  of  November,  he  spoke  again  for 
the  first  time  on  the  2d  of  December,  and,  contrary  to  the  expectation  of  all,  he 
got  well,  and  is  now  (January,  l886)  a  stout  man.  About  nine  o'clock  A.  M., 
December  15th,  hearing  a  noise  and  looking  out  to  see  the  cause,  I  saw,  to  my 
great  astonishment,  that  the  house  (Mr.  Robison's)  was  surrounded  by  Federal 
cavalry.  That  was  the  first  notice  that  I  had  had  of  that  Federal  scout.  Soon 
a  trooper  stepped  in,  and  marching  me  out,  placed  me  in  the  care  of  the  Fed- 
eral guards.  Barrett  was  improving,  but  as  he  was  not  well  enough  to  be 
moved  they  did  not  trouble  him.  This  Federal  scout  was  composed  of  two 
regiments  of  infantry,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  one  battalion  of  cavalry. 
Moving  on  south,  they  bivouacked  one  mile  beyond  Saltillo.  Moving  on  back 
from  Saltillo,  by  the  way  of  Marietta  and  Jacinto,  they  arrived  at  Corinth  Dec. 
19th.  On  this  trip  they  picked  up  here  and  there  sixty-one  prisoners,  about 
half  of  them  being  citizens.  We  were  placed  in  a  large  house  with  some  other 
prisoners,  in  all  about  one  hundred  and  fourteen.  As  General  Forrest  was  now 
in  West  Tennessee  tearing  up  the  railroad,  the  Federals  could  not  conveniently 
send  prisoners  North;  therefore  we  were  paroled  on  the  25th  of  December. 
The  next  day  I  and  about  forty  others  were  sent  to  luka  by  rail,  and  there 
turned  loose  to  take  care  of  ourselves.  From  luka,  going  by  the  way  of  Bay 
Springs,  I  arrived  at  Guntown  December  29th.  Finding  Barrett  considerably 
better,  and  thinking  that  he  would  soon  be  able  to  ride,  I  decided  to  take  him 
to  my  uncle's  (Ben  Hancock's)  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama.  But  I  had  to  first 
go  to  camp  after  our  horses.  On  December  31st  I  found  the  Second  Tennessee 
encamped  one  and  a  half  miles  south-east  of  Okolona,  some  thirty-six  miles 
south  of  Guntown.  Returning  to  Guntown  with  our  horses  January  6th,  1863, 
Barrett  and  I  started  the  next  day  to  Alabama. 

We  arrived  at  my  uncle's,  some  seventy  miles  east  of  Guntown,  January  9th. 
Barrett,  remaining  in  Alabama  about  five  weeks,  started  to  rejoin  his  company 
February  i6th. 

I  went  back  to  camp  several  times  while  I  was  a  paroled  prisoner;  however, 
I  spent  most  of  the  time  among  my  relatives  in  Alabama.  Being  notified  May 
22d  that  I  was  exchanged,  I  started  to  camp  the  23d,  finding  the  regiment  en- 
camped seven  and  a  hilf  miles  north  of  Okolona,  at  Camp  Rogers,  May  25th. 


December,  18(52.  233 


remained  another  month,  scouting  and  picketing  as 
usual. 

Thursday,  20th. — Captain  McKnight.  who  had  been 
liome  after  recruits,  returned  to  camp,  bringing  a  num- 
iDer  of  recruits  for  his  company.  Thirty-one  arrived  the 
day  before, 

Thursday,  December  gth. — The  regiment  left  Saltillo 
to  go  to  Okolona,  and  arrived  at  the  latter  place  Decem- 
ber loth,  encamping  one  mile  and  a  half  south-east  of 
town,  Okolona  is  in  Chickasaw  County,  quite  a  differ- 
ent looking  country  to  Tishamingo  and  Itawamba  Coun- 
ties, The  fine  black  prairie  land  around  Okolona  is 
^ery  productive,  and  plenty  of  forage  suits  cavalry. 

General  Grant,  now  bent  on  the  capture  of  Vicksburg, 
having  left  Jackson,  Tennessee,  November  4th,  was 
■moving  a  heavy  force  along  the  Mississippi  Cefttral  Rail- 
road, establishing  his  headquarters  at  Oxford,  Mississip- 
pi, on  the  5th  of  December.  General  John  C.  Pember- 
ton,*  who  was  in  command  of  the  Confederate  army  in 
front  of  Grant,  had  fallen  back  to  Grenada. 

General  Sherman,  who  commanded  the  right  wing  of 
Grant's  army  at  Memphis,  was  to  descend  the  river  by 
"transports,  with  the  gunboat  fleet  as  a  convoy,  com- 
Tnanded  by  Admiral  Porter,  and  to  attack  Vicksburg  by 
the  29th  of  December.  While  Grant  himself  was  to 
move  rapidly  on  the  Confederates  to  the  north  and  east 
of  Vicksburg,  and  to  take  part,  if  necessary,  in  the  re- 
duction of  the  place. 

About  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  De- 
'Cember,  Van  Dorn,  executing  a  brilliant  cavalry  opera- 
tion, rushed  upon  Holly  Springs,  capturing  the  place 
with  an  immense  quantity  of  property,  valued  at  over 

*  He  had  superseded  Van  Doru. 


284  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  taking  with 
him  what  he  could  carry  and  destroying  the  remainder. 

About  this  time  General  Forrest,  who  had  crossed  out 
of  Middle  Tennessee,  was  playing  havoc  with  Grant's 
communications  along  the  railroad  in  West  Tennessee. 

Grant  being  thus  forced  to  fall  back,  his  part  of  the 
campaign  had  failed.  On  the  20th,  the  very  day  on 
which  Van  Dorn  and  Forrest  struck  the  btow  which 
compelled  Grant  to  fall  back  and  abandon  his  part  of 
the  joint  undertaking,  Sherman  took  his  departure  from 
Memphis  with  tvyenty  thousand  troops  in  transports. 

After  Porter's  convoy  of  gunboats,  part  at  Friar's 
Point  and  the  remainder  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo, 
and  the  transports  from  Helena  were  added,  Sherman's 
force  was  then  at  least  thirty  thousand. 

Leaving  A.  J.  Smith's  Division  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
with  instructions  to  send  one  brigade  to  break  up  the 
railroad  leading  from  Vicksburg  to  Shreveport,  Louisi- 
ana, Sherman  proceeded  on  the  26th  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Yazoo,  and  up  that  river  to  Johnson's  plantation, 
some  thirteen  miles,  and  there  disembarked.  Here  A.  • 
J.  Smith's  Division  rejoined  him  on  the  night  of  the 
27th.  On  the  29th  he  attempted  to  take  by  storm 
Haines'  Bluff  (a  strongly  fortified  place  nine  miles  north- 
east of  Vicksburg)  ;  being  unsuccessful,  he  was  forced 
to  withdraw  his  troops,  with  a  loss  in  killed,  wounded,. 
and  prisoners  amounting  to  nearly  two  thousand  men. 
On  the  2d  of  January,  1863,  he  placed  his  troops  on 
board  the  transports,  and  the  fleet  sailed  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Yazoo,  where  he  learned  for  the  first  time 
what  had  befallen  Grant.  All  further  attempts  against 
Vicksburg  for  the  present  were  abandoned,  and  the  en- 
tire force  left  the  Yazoo  and  returned  to  Milliken's  Bend 


December,  1862.  235- 


on  the  Mississippi.*  Thus  ended  somewhat  ingloriously 
the  secondf  campaign  against  Vicksbiirg. 

The  Confederates  were  jubilant  after  this  victory.  It 
was  undoubtedly  a  great  triumph.  General  Pemberton 
felt  proud  that  he  had  baffled  Grant  in  person,  compell- 
ing him  to  retreat,  and  that  he  had  temporarily,  at  least, 
saved  Vicksburg  by  the  defeat  of  the  greatest  of  Grant's 
Lieutenants. 

We  will  now  go  back  a  little  and  noti<:e  the  move- 
ments of  the  Second  Tennessee. 

A  Federal  scout,  composed  of  two  regiments  of  in- 
fantry, a  battalion  of  cavalry,  and  two  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, that  had  descended  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad 
from  Corinth,  entered  Guntown  about  nine  a.  m.,  on  the 
15th  of  December,  and  there  the  writer  was  captured, 
as  previously  mentioned.  Camping  that  night  one  mile 
south  of  Saltillo,  the  Federals  turned  back  the  next  day, 
arriving  at  Corinth  the  19th. 

On  learning  through  his  scouts  that  the  Federals  were 
at  Saltillo,  Colonel  Barteau  sent  a  detachment  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  from  his  camp  at  Okolona  up  in  that 
direction  under  Lieutenant  Turney  (Company  C). 

In  the  meantime  General  Grant  had  thrown  a  portion 
of  his  cavalry  (from  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad) 
out  in  the  direction  of  Okolona.  This  was  just  what 
General  Van  Dorn  desired,  for  he  was  now  (the  19th) 
moving  with  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  cavalry 
to  strike  Grant's  communications  a  heavy  blow  at  Holly 
Springs,  as  previously  mentioned ;  and  as  he  did  not 
wish  to  interfere  with  this  Federal  force  which  was  mov- 

*The  above,  which  is  an  account  of  the  second  campaign  against  Vicksburg, 
I  get  from  the  "  Life  of  Grant,"  pp.  196  to  210. 

t  Farragut  and  Williams  had  made  a  previous  campaign  against  Vicksburg 
by  the  way  of  New  Orleans. 


236  B.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ing  out  of  his  way,  he  ordered  Colonel  Barteau  to  fall 
iDack  from  Okolona.  Therefore  the  Second  Tennessee 
fell  back  about  six  miles  in  the  direction  of  Aberdeen, 
-on  the  20th.  That  afternoon  our  Colonel  sent  about  fif- 
teen men,  under  Captain  N.  Oswell  (Company  A),  back 
to  Okolona  to  guard  some  stores  and  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  Federals  if  they  should  make  their  appear- 
ance at  that  place.  Before  reaching  Okolona  Captain 
Oswell  met  Lieutenant  Turney,  who  reported  that  he 
had  been  up  in  thd  neighborhood  of  Guntown  and  that 
the  Federals  had  gone  back  to  Corinth.  Not  knowing 
that  another  Federal  force  was  afield  from  the  west,  the 
Captain  did  not  now  apprehend  any  dajiger,  therefore 
•did  not  throw  out  any  pickets  that  night.  The  Federals 
dashed  into  Okolona  very  early  the  next  morning  and 
captured  the  entire  squad. 

Captain  N.  Oswell,  Wallace  Wilson,  and  J.  J.  Sutton 
(Company  A),  J.  L.  McGan  (Company  B),  J.  H.  Sneed 
and  J.  W.  Stephens  (Company  C),  Simon  Elliott  (Com- 
pany D),  J.  P.  Oglesby  and  Jef  Piper  (Company  E), 
James  Jackson  (Company  F),  and  Billy  Nichol  were,  I 
think,  among  the  captured.  The  Federals  paroled  our 
boys*  and  left  immediately.  The  former  had  heard  of 
Van  Dorn's  movement  and  were  consequently  very  much 
alarmed. 

Our  regiment  moved  back  to  their  camp  one  mile  and 
-a  half  south-east  of  Okolona  on  the  2 2d. 

Thursday,  January  /,  186^. — The  first  of  the  new 
year  found  Barteau's  Regiment  still  encamped  near 
•Okolona.     McKnight's  Company,   which  had  been  re- 

*They  were  sent  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  remained  there  until  Grant  captured 
that  place  on  May  14th,  1863.  Then  after  remaining  at  Demopolis,  Ala.,  about 
■two  months,  they  were  exchanged. 


March,  1863.  237" 


ceiving    recruits    from    Tennessee    for   the    last    three 
months,  now  numbered  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen, 
men,  the  largest  company  in  the  regiment.     They  were 
in   good   health   and   fine   spirits,   and,   I  will   add,  well' 
mounted. 

Saturday,  Jist. — Major-General  Van  Dorn,  who  was 
now  somewhat  famous  on  account  of  his  brilliant  affair 
at  Holly  Springs,  arrived  at  Okolona  with  three  brigades 
of  cavalry  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  His  three  bri- 
gades were  commanded  by  Armstrong,  Whitfield,  and 
Cosby,  and  the  battery  by  King.  He  was  from  West- 
ern Mississippi,  and  the  following  from  Campaigns  of 
General  Forrest,  page  231,  tells  his  destination: 

While  Forrest  was  giving  rest  to  his  men  for  some  days  at  Colum- 
bia, Tennessee,  after  such  fearful  weather  exposure  and  battle  losses, 
Major-General  Van  Dorn  arrived  from  Mississippi  with  three  brigades 
of  cavalry,  about  four  thousand  five  hundred  rank  and  file,  and  thus 
materially  strengthened  the  Confederate  cavalry  force  on  that  flank. 

General  Bragg's  headquarters  were  then  at  Shelby- 
ville,  Tennessee,  so  Van  Dorn  went  to  his  (Bragg's) 
left  flank. 

Some  time  in  February  the  Second  Tennessee  moved 
to  the  south-west  side  of  Okolona  (about  one  mile  and 
a  half  from  town),  where  they  remained  until 

Saturday,  March  jth. — Three  companies  of  the  regi- 
ment moved  to  Verona,  followed  by  the  remainder  the 
next  day.  The  regiment  then  encamped  half  a  mile- 
from  Verona  and  fifteen  miles  north  of  Okolona. 

Captain  McKnight  was  ordered  to-  go  with  his  com- 
pany into  Alabama  on  a  conscripting  tour.  He  also, 
had  orders  to  pick  up  all  stragglers  from,  the  Confeder- 
ate army  that  he  could  find.     Ratber  an  unpleasant  duty 


-238  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

— at  least  no  thanks  were  received  from  those  who  were 
thus  forced  into  the  army. 

Friday,  13th. — Leaving  Verona,  passing  on  through 
Richmond,  Smithville,  and  within  three  miles  of  Cotton 
Gin  Port,  finally  after  a  march  of  seven  days,  Captain 
McKnight  arrived  at  Fayetteville,  the  county  seat  of 
Fayette  County,  on  Thursday,  March  19.  Establishing 
his  headquarters  at  Fayetteville,  Alabama,  he  sent  out 
detachments  to  each  of  the  following  couties:  Marion, 
Walker,  Winston,  and  Pickens.  The  company  remained 
there  on  duty  as  above  named  for  about  twenty-four 
days. 

Calling  in  the  detachments  and  leaving  Fayetteville 
on  Tuesday,  April  14th,  after  a  march  of  five  days  Mc- 
Knight rejoined  the  regiment  at  Verona  Saturday, 
April  1 8th. 

Sunday,  April  igth. — Hearing  that  a  Federal  scout* 
was  afield,  Colonel  Barteau  left  Verona  to  go  in  search 
of  it.  Moving  on  through  Tupelo,  the  next  station 
north  of  Verona,  thence  nearly  west,  he  bivouacked 
within  three  miles  of  Chesterville  and  about  twelve  from 
Tupelo. 

Monday.  20th. — About  midnight  the  regiment  mount- 

■••■'This  was  Colonel  Grierson's  raid,  made  to  assist  General  Grant  in  his  oper 
ations  against  Vicksburg.  I  find  the  following  account  of  this  raid  in  the  "Life 
of  Grant : " 

"Colonel  Grierson,  who  had  left  LaGrange,  Tennessee,  April  17th,  with  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  cavalry,  after  traversing  Mississippi  lengthwise,  de. 
stroying  stores  and  arms,  tearing  up  railways,  burning  bridges,  c&pturing  mili- 
tia, and  carrying  consternation  through  the  entire  State,  reached  our  lines  at 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  May  2d,  having  traveled  six  hundred  miles  in  fifteen 
days,  and  lost  no  less  than  thirty  men  in  sick,  wounded  and  missing.  Nowhere 
did  he  meet  with  any  serious  resistance,  and  his  daring  raid  convinced  Grant 
that  the  Confederacy  had  become  'a  mere  shell,  with  all  its  resisting  power  on 
the  outer  edge.' " 


April,  1863.  239 


ed  and  moved  out  a  little  south  of  west.  When  within 
two  miles  of  Pontotoc,  Barteau  learned  that  the  Feder- 
als had  passed  going  south,  and  were  about  ten  hours 
in  advance  of  him.* 

Not  far  from  Pontotoc  Grierson  divided  his  force, 
sending  one  part,  which  was  estimated  as  high  as  eight 
hundred,  under  Colonel  Hatch,  toward  Houston,  while 
he  proceeded  straight  to  the  Southern  railroad  with  his 
main  force.  Perhaps  he  intended  to  unite  his  forces 
-again  somewhere  south  ;  if  so,  in  this  he  was  disap- 
pointed. Or,  perhaps,  he  used  this  strategy  to  draw 
Colonel  Barteau  from  following  him,  and  thus  allow  him 
to  proceed  unmolested  to  cut  Pemberton's  communica- 
tions in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  If  the  latter  was  his  ob- 
ject he  was  not  disappointed,  for  the  Second  Tennessee, 
Smith's  Regiment,  and  Inge's  Battalion  with  Colonel 
Barteau  in  command,  followed  the  scout  that  went  in 
the  direction  of  Houston.  After  a  march  of  about  six- 
iy-seven  miles  Colonel  Barteau  deployed  his  command 
in  battle  order  within  two  miles  of  Houston,  where  they 
remained  until  next  morning,  Houston,  the  county 
seat  of  Chicksaw  County,  is  forty  miles  south  of  Ponto- 
toc, 

Tuesday,  21st. — Colonel  Barteau  came  up  with  the 
Federals  about  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  near  Palo  Alto,  some 
twenty-five  miles  south-east  of  Houston.  Finding  that 
the  Federals  were  just  entering  a  lane  with  a  hedge  on 
both  sides,  Colonel  Barteau  quickly  threw  the  Second 
Tennessee,  under  Major  Morton,  around  rightward,  to 
gain  the  head  of  their  column  and  hold  them  in  check 

*  Being  a  paroled  prisoner  at  the  time,  I  was  not  with  this  expedition;  how. 
€ver,  I  will  give  the  best  account  of  it  that  I  can  from  what  the  boys  who  were 
with  the  expedition  told  me  afterward. 


240  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

at  the  far  end  of  the  lane,  while  the  rest  of  the  command 
(Smith's  Regiment  and  Inge's  Battalion)  should  move 
up  on  the  enemy's  rear  at  the  other  end  of  the  lane. 
Seeing  that  Morton  had  gained  the  desired  position  at 
the  far  end  of  said  lane,  and  was  gallantly  holding  the 
enemy  at  bay,  our  Colonel  now  felt  confident  that  he 
would  then  and  there  capture  the  entire  Federal  force. 
Unfortunately,  however,  just  at  this  juncture  a  few  shots, 
from  a  small  piece  of  Federal  artillery  caused  Smith's 
and  Inge's  men  to  fall  back,  and  thus,  to  the  deep  cha- 
grin of  Colonel  Barteau,  the  way  was  opened  for  the 
enemy  to  march  out. 

The  Colonel  now  contrived  to  throw  the  rest  of  his 
command  around  to  their  front,  and  thus  caused  the 
Federals  to  come  to  a  halt  at  Palo  Alto.  Thus  holding 
the  Federals  at  bay  he  decided  to  wait  until  morning 
for  the  arrival  of  the  Second  Alabama  before  he  made 
further  attack,  thinking  that  the  Federals  would  either 
attack  his  position  or  remain  near  Palo  Alto  until  morn- 
ing. In  this  he  was  mistaken,  for  they  withdrew  under 
cover  of  night  and  retreated  northward  along  the  Oko- 
lona  road.  One  man  was  killed  and  three  or  four 
wounded,  all  belonging  to  Colonel  Smith's  Regiment. 
Two  horses  belonging  to  the  Second  Tennessee  were 
wounded. 

Wednesday,  22d. — Reinforced  by  the  Second  Ala- 
bama, Colonel  Barteau  followed  the  Federals  in  the  di- 
rection of  Okolona.  In  attempting  to  pass  through  a 
swamp  after  dark  his  pilot  got  lost  within  seven  or  eight 
miles  of  Okolona,  consequently  he  had  to  fall  back  out 
of  the  swamp  and  remain  there  until  morning. 

As  the  Federals  passed  on  through  Okolona  they 
burned    the    hospitals     and    female    institute.       They 


May,  1863.  241 

bivouacked   six  miles   from  Okolona  on    the    Pontotoc 
road. 

Thursday,  2jd. — Leaving  the  Pontotoc  road,  moving 
nearly  north,  the  Federals  bivouacked  five  or  six  miles 
east  of  Chesterville. 

By  marching  until  about  midnight  Colonel  Barteau 
bivouacked  within  three  miles  of  the  Federals. 

Friday,  2^th. — Coming  up  with  the  Federals  again  at 
Birmingham,  Colonel  Barteau  attacked  them  about 
eleven  o'clock  a.  m.,  driving  them  before  him  for  about 
three  and  a  half  miles.  Then,  after  crossing  a  bridge, 
the  Federals  destroyed  it.  That  put  an  end  to  the 
chase.  As  men  and  horses  were  now  so  much  fatigued 
Colonel  Barteau  thought  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  at- 
tempt a  further  pursuit.  Therefore  he  returned  to  camp 
at  Verona  that  night. 

The  Federal  loss  in  this  Birmingham  fight  was  esti- 
mated at  about  sixteen  killed.  It  was  said  that  they 
carried  off  six  loads,  some  wagons  and  some  ambulances, 
of  killed  and  wounded.*  And  strange  to  say  that  only 
one  of  the  Confederates  was  killed,  and  Lieutenant  J. 
T.  Austin  (Company  F),  Second  Tennessee,  wounded. 
Birmingham  is  some  thirty-five  miles  from  Okolona. 
The  above  expedition,  which  was  made  in  six  days,  was 
about  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  long. 

Saturday,  2^th. — The  regiment  moved  down  to,  and 
encamped  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of,  Okolona. 

Friday,  May  ist. — The  regiment  moved  camps  two 
and  a  half  miles  south-west. 

*  In  speaking  of  this  affair  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Hager  says:  "  We  routed  him  [Hatch] 
again,  killing  thirty  of  his  men  and  taking  fifty  prisoners." — Military  Annals 
of  Tennessee,  p.  613. 

10 


242  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

A  little  after  dark  one  of  our  scouts  came  in  and  re- 
ported another  Federal  scout  afield.  So  tents  were 
struck,  wagons  loaded  and  driven  out  into  the  road  ready 
for  traveling  if  it  should  be  necessary.  Barteau  moved 
the  regiment  back  to  Okolona,  where  they  lay  in  wait 
for  the  Federals  all  night,  but  they  did  not  come.  So 
next  morning  the  regiment  returned  to  camp  and  the 
wagons  were  unloaded. 

Sunday,  jd. — General  Ruggles,  who  now  commanded 
the  same  brigade  that  Barteau  had  been  commanding, 
moved  out  from  Okolona  in  search  of  a  Federal  scout  that 
was  still  said  to  be  afield.  Moving  out  some  nine  miles 
on  the  Pontotoc  road,  thence  toward  Verona,  he  biv- 
ouacked within  eight  miles  of  the  latter  place. 

Monday,  4th. — Leaving  Colonel  Barteau  in  command 
Generals  Ruggles  returned  to  Okolona.  Barteau  moved 
the  brigade  to,  and  camped  at,  Verona. 

The  following  is  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau's  official  re- 
port of  the  action  at  King's  Creek,  near  Tupelo: 

Verona,  Miss.,  May  8,  1863. 

Having  been  ordered  to  this  place  from  the  Pontotoc  and  Shannon 
road  on  the  3d  [4th]  instant,  I  reached  here  at  10  a.  m.  There  was 
then  no  reliable  account  of  an  advance  of  the  enemy,  as  rumored, 
down  the  Une  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  but  in  the  evening  of 
the  4th  instant  I  learned  that  a  mounted  force  of  the  enemy  (strength 
not  known)  had  reached  Baldwin  that  morning  and  was  marching  rap- 
idly in  this  direction.  I  considered  it  only  a  reconnoitering  party  and 
made  no  immediate  report;  but  at  12  o'clock  the  same  day  the  enemy 
drove  in  the  pickets  at  Guntown  and  advanced  toward  Saltillo. 

The  lieutenant  in  charge  of  scouts  at  Guntown  reported  the  force 
to  be  three  regiments  with  artillery,  and  a  prisoner  whom  he  had  cap- 
tured and  sent  in  stated  that  the  force  would  not  exceed  nine  hundred. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  4th  scouts  from  Inge's  Battalion  were 
fired  upon  between  Tupelo  and  Saltillo,  east  side  of  the  railroad. 
That  night  the  enemy  advanced  to  Priceville,  and  by  daylight  on  the 


May,  18G3.  243 


5th  i)assed  that  place  toward  Plantersville  with  the  evident  intention  of 
moving  down  between  Town  Creek  and  Tombigbee  River  to  cross  at 
Camargo,  threatening  Aberdeen  on  [near]  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad 
below  Okolona;  but  by  the  delay  of  the  enemy  near  Miller's  Mills, 
north  of  Plantersville,  I  was  led  to  apprehend  that  his  intention  was 
to  cross  Town  Creek  at  Reece's  Bridge,  and  immediately  ordered 
Inge's  Battalion  to  that  point  to  destroy  the  bridge  and  prevent  his 
crossing.  Upon  arriving  at  Reece's  Bridge  Inge's  Battalion  was  con- 
fronted by  a  force  of  the  enemy  which  it  could  not  successfully  con- 
tend with,  and  fell  back  to  Thomasson's  farm  one  mile  and  a  quarter 
from  the  bridge. 

In  the  meantime  Lieutenant-Colonel  [James]  Cunningham  arrived 
at  Verona  and  assumed  command  of  all  the  troops.  [He]  received  an 
order  from  Major- General  [S.  J.]  Gholson,  of  the  State  service,  to 
join  him  at  Tupelo.  Started  with  his  command  by  the  most  direct 
route,  and  ordered  me,  with  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  to  go  by  way 
of  Reece's  Bridge.  I  arrived  near  the  bridge,  found  that  the  enemy 
had  crossed,  and  that  Inge's  Battalion  had  fallen  back.  Moved  then 
to  Thomasson's  farm,  where  I  rejoined  Colonel  Cunningham  eti  route 
for  Tupelo,  and  followed  his  column  with  Inge's  Battalion  in  rear  of 
my  regiment.-'^ 

Colonel  Cunningham  moved  immediately  forward  without  (so  far 
as  my  knowledge  extends)  reconnoitering  or  sending  out  flankers- 
passed  into  thick  woods  and  swamp  south  of  Tupelo,  and  encoun- 
tered the  enemy  in  ambush  just  before  arriving  at  the  Tupelo  and 
Pontotoc  road.  A  few  shots  from  the  enemy  announce'd  his  presence 
and  he  reserved  his  heavy  fire  until  the  column  had  passed  nearly  half 
way  through,  and  then  opened  with  small  arms  and  artillery  upon  both 
flanks,  cutting  off  two  companies  of  the  Second  Alabamaf  with  Hew- 
lett's Battalion  and  my  own  command,  consisting  of  the  Second  Tennes- 
see Regiment  and  Inge's  Battalion.  The  advanced  portion  of  Colonel 
Cunningham's  command  (probably  consisting  of  four  hundred  men) 
passed  between  the  two  fires  of  the  enemy  and  moved  to  his  rear.  The 
enemy  then  immediately  closed  in  upon  the  front  of  the  advancing 
column  and  poured  a  rapid  fire  upon  us  from  three  directions.  The 
fire  was  so  severe  that  all  of  Hewlett's  Battalion  could  not  form  and 

■■■Major  W.  A.  Hewlett's  Jiattalion  marched  in  rear  of  Cunningham's  Regi. 
ment. 


t  Cunningham's  Regiment. 


244  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

dismount,  as  directed,  hence  it  gave  way  with  the  exception  of  two 
companies,  which,  having  received  their  position,  remained  upon  the 
ground  immediately  in  front  and  fought  gallantly.  I  at  once  ordered 
the  Second  Tennessee  mto  line  and  to  dismount,  which  was  executed 
promptly  and  in  good  order,  and  the  horses  sent  to  the  rear  out  of 
reach  of  the  enemy's  fire.  By  keeping  the  men  close  to  the  ground 
and  behind  trees,  taking  deliberate  aim  at  the  enemy,  we  succeeded  in 
the  course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  in  driving  the  enemy  some  five 
hundred  yards  beyond  the  Tupelo  and  Pontotoc  road. 

The  number  of  killed  of  the  enemy  has  been  reported  by  prisoners 
who  escaped  from  his  hands  and  citizens  of  Tupelo  to  have  been  twenty 
or  more,  and  the  wounded  many  times  as  great.  The  loss,  as  nearly 
as  can  be  ascertained,  in  the  Second  Tennessee  and  Inge's  Battalion 
was  six  wounded*  and  eight  captured.!  Several  horses  were  killed 
and  wounded.  I  then  withdrew  the  men  from  the  engagement  and 
moved  to  Harrisburg ;  the  enemy  still  remaining  at  Tupelo  in  line  of 
battle  waiting  another  attack.     I  withdrew  to  Verona. 

The  next  morning  moved,  under  orders  from  General  Gholson,  to 
Harrisburg,  and  finding  that  during  the  night  previous  the  enemy  had 
retreated  toward  Guntown  pursued  two  miles  and  returned. 

It  may  be  well  to  state  that  after  running  the  gauntlet  of  the  ene- 
my's fire  and  getting  in  his  rear,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cunningham 
continued  his  march  to  Chesterville  or  vicinity,  where  finding  General 
Gholson,  returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to  Verona  at  nine  p.  m.  Had 
he  fought  the  enemy  vigorously  in  his  rear,  or  rejoined  the  troops 
which  were  left  in  the  ambuscade,  the  result  might  have  been  more 
favorable  for  us. 

The  force  of  the  enemy  was  not  less  than  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred, with  six  pieces  of  artillery  (six-pounder  guns).  The  various 
commands  of  the  enemy  were  Ninth  Illinois  Regiment,  Seventh  Kan- 
sas, Tenth  Missouri,  and  two  companies  of  mounted  infantry,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Quinine  [Cornyn]. 

*J.  J.  Francis  (Company  C)  and  R.  Dalton  (Company  E)  were  wounded. 

t  Joel  Blankenship  (Company  E),  Perry  Hughes  (Company  A),  and  two  oth- 
ers were  from  the  Second  Tennessee.  J.  R.  Dougherty  (Company  C)  was  cap- 
tured near  Booneville  as  this  scout  came  down.  Willis  Wamack  (Company  C) 
was  also  captured  not  far  from  Booneville,  but  made  his  escape  by  getting  under 
the  floor  of  a  negro  cabin  where  they  put  u])  one  night  while  on  their  way  back 
to  Corinth.      Dougherty  and  Wamack  were  independent  scouts. 


Mat,  1863.  245 

The  force  which  I  had  engaged  did  not  exceed  five  hundred. 
I  am,  Captain,  your  obedient  servant,  C.   R.  Barteau, 

Lieutenant-  Colonel. 
[Captain]  Roy  Mason  Hoge, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General.'^ 

The  following  is'  an  extract  from  the  official  report  of 
Lieutenant- Colonel  James  Cunningham  (Second  Ala- 
bama) : 

As  my  scouts  had  on  that  morning  [5  th]  reported  the  enemy  to  be 
near  Miller's  Mills,  and  as  I  had  been  ordered  to  Tupelo  without  any 
warning  that  there  was  any  probability  of  being  intercepted  on  my  way 
thither,  I  must  state  that  my  coming  upon  the  enemy  was  quite  unex- 
pected. Lieutenant  Dodd,  of  the  advance  guard,  reported  the  enemy 
in  line  on  my  right,  just  across  the  creek,  about  half  a  mile  this  side 
of  Tupelo.  I  accordingly  drew  up  my  regiment  into  line  of  battle, 
facing  to  the  right.  Lieutenant  Dodd  with  the  advance  guard  was 
during  this  time  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  and  had  succeeded  in 
capturing  ten  prisoners,  who  were  sent  back  to  the  rear  and  there  re- 
taken by  the  enemy. 

As  soon  as  my  command  was  formed  into  line  the  enemy  opened 
upon  me  a  cross  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry.  I  then 'discovered  that 
I  was  ambuscaded  on  the  light  and  left,  and  I  determined  to  extricate 
my  command  as  soon  as  practicable.  I  ordered  a  countermarch  from 
the  left,  but  as  Companies  B  and  I  had  faced  to  the  rear  and  left  to 
check  the  enemy,  who  were  closing  in  upon  my  rear,  they  did  not  re- 
ceive my  orders  and  were  left  on  the  field.  I  passed  on  with  the  rest 
of  my  command  out  through  the  west  edge  of  Tupelo  and  took  the  road 
to  Chesterville,  where  I  learned  General  Gholson  was  at  the  time. 

The  companies  who  were  left  behind  attempted  to  rejoin  the  regi- 
ment, but  Captain  Daniel,  who  was  in  command  of  them,  reports  that 
he  was  entirely  cut  off  by  the  enemy  and  forced  to  fall  back  toward 
the  direction  of  Verona.  In  doing  so  he  kept  up  a  brisk  skirmish 
with  the  enemy's  cavalry,  who  were  endeavoring  to  surround  him. 

In  this  engagement  my  loss  was  killed,  two  men  and  three  horses; 
wounded,  two  horses;  missing,  three  men  and  three  horses. f 

In  speaking  of  this  same  affair  Major  W.  A.  Hewlett 
reports  thus  : 

*■  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XXIV,  pp.  692  to  694.     tibid,  p.  691. 


246  R.  R.   Hancock's  Diary. 

Colonel  Cunningham  pushed  on  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy's  advance 
guard  without  drawing  the  fire  of  his  main  body,  which  was  in  am- 
bush. On  reaching  a  ridge  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  creek 
I  first  received  the  fire  from  the  enemy's  left  wing,  at  a  distance  of 
from  twenty-five  to  forty  yards.  I  returned  the  fire  and  dismounted 
my  right  wing.  Several  of  the  horses  of  my  left  becoming  unmanage- 
able, they  faltered.  The  enemy  raised  a  yell  and  attempted  a  charge, 
but  were  held  in  check  by  my  right  wing. 

At  this  time  Lieutenant-Colonel  Barteau  came  to  my  assistance  on 
the  right,  poured  a  volley  into  the  enemy,  driving  them  back  about 
two  hundred  yards  to  a  more  advantageous  position.  The  firing  then 
commenced  from  their  whole  line,  with  three  pieces  of  artillery,  two 
making  a  cross  fire  from  each  wing  and  one  from  the  center.  It  is 
said  by  those  at  a  distance  that  they  fired  forty  rounds  from  each  gun. 
Just  before  the  firing  ceased  Colonel  Barteau  informed  me  that  two 
regiments  were  attempting  a  flank  movement  on  the  left,  and  ordered 
me  to  recross  the  creek  and  form  on  the  opposite  side,  which  I  did 
under  a  heavy  fire.  I  was  here  joined  by  two  rear  Companies  of  the 
Second  Alabama,  which  were  cut  off.  After  crossing  the  creek  the 
firing  ceased  along  the  whole  line,  and  Colonel  Barteau  came  out  a 
few  minutes  afterward.  I  then  moved  with  Colonel  Barteau's  com- 
mand to  Chesterville  [Harrisburg],  one  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Tupelo, 
and  continued  driving  in  the  enemy's  pickets  and  skirmishing  until 
night. 

My  loss  is  one  killed,  three  wounded,  and  two  missing.  I  also  lost 
twelve  horses.* 

Brigadier-General  Ruggles,  commanding  "  First  Dis- 
trict, Department  Mississippi  and  Eastern  Louisiana," 
in  his  official  report  of  the  engagement  at  King's  Creek, 
compliments  the  Second  Tennessee  and  its  gallant  com- 
mander thus : 

In  conclusion  I  respectfully  recommend  to  your  attention  accom- 
panying report  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau,  who,  with  his 
command,  is  entitled  to  special  consideration  on  account  of  good  con- 
duct in  this  as  in  some  previous  encounters  with  the  enemy. f 

Wednesday,  6th. — Having  learned  through  dispatches 

*  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XXIV,  p.  692.     f  Ibid,  p.  690. 


May,  1863.  247 

from  Colonel  Barteau  that  the  Federals  were  advancinof 
along  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  General  Ruggles 
set  out  from  Okolona  about  three  a.  m.  with  Major  W. 
Boyles'  Battalion  of  Alabama  Cavalry,  some  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  strong,  four  companies  of  the  Third  Ken- 
tucky (mounted  men),  and  a  section  of  Owens'  Battery 
to  reinforce  Barteau.  Having  learned  by  dispatch  from 
Colonel  Barteau  before  reaching  Harrisburg  that  the 
enemy  had  fallen  back  during  the  night  previous  from 
Tupelo  toward  Guntown,  General  Ruggles  returned  to 
Okolc^na,  and,  as  previously  mentioned  in  his  report, 
Barteau  pursued  about  two  miles  and  returned  to  Ve- 
rona. 

The  wagon  train  moved  two  and  a  half  miles  toward 
Verona  and  encamped  at  "  Camp  Rogers,"  about  mid- 
way between  Okolona  and  Verona. 

Thursday,  yth. — A  part  of  the  wagon  train  with  a  few 
cooking  vessels  and  some  rations  moved  up  to  Verona. 

Saturday,  gth. — Owing  to  an  alarm  being  raised  a 
while  before  day,  the  wagons  that  had  been  sent  up  to 
Verona  the  7th  were  sent  back  to  Camp  Rogers.  After 
finding  the  alarm  to  be  false,  Barteau  moved  his  regi- 
ment down  to  where  the  wagons  were  encamped  and  re- 
mained there  about  eighteen  days. 

When  they  had  an  opportunity  of  resting  a  few  days, 
no  Federals  about,  the  brigade  usually  scattered,  as  a 
matter  of  convenience  in  procuring  forage  and  rations. 

Being  notified  while  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama, 
May  2  2d,  that  I  was  exchanged,  I  reported  to  Captain 
McKnight  ready  for  duty  May  2-5 th.  I  found  the  Sec- 
ond Tennessee  at  Camp  Rogers,  some  seven  and  a  half 
miles  north  of  Okolona, 


248  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Wednesday,  2'/th. — The  regiment  moved  about  five 
miles  north-west  and  encamped  at  Edwards'  mill,  on 
Chauappa  Creek. 

We  were  here  placed  under  very  strict  discipline. 
We  had  to  drill  in  the  morning  and  go  on  dress  parade 
in  the  evening.  Commanders  of  companies  could  not 
give  a  pass  for  a  longer  period  than  twelve  hours,  and 
only  two  men  were  allowed  to  be  absent  at  the  same 
time.  And  in  order  to  catch  any  that  might  be  absent 
without  a  pass,  the  roll  was  called  three  times  a  day. 

Saturday,  June  6th. — The  regiment  moved  from  Ed- 
wards' mill  and  encamped  within  three  and  a  half  miles 
of  Okolona. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this  an  order  had  been  issued 
requiring  all  battalions  and  independent  companies  to 
be  organized  into  regiments.  Notwithstanding  the  Sec- 
ond Tennessee  had  been  called  a  reghneut  ever  since 
the  consolidation  of  the  First  and  Seventh  Tennessee 
Battalions,  yet,  in  fact,  it  lacked  three  companies  of  being 
a  full  regiment,  as  it  only  had  seven  companies.  There- 
fore one  company  from  Alabama  and  two  companies 
from  Mississippi  were  ordered  to  be  attached  to  the 
Second  Tennessee  in  order  to  make  it  a  regiment  in 
fact  as  well  as  name. 

As  a  result  of  the  above  arrangement  the  following 
promotion  of  officers  took  place  at  this  time  : 

Our  Lieutenant-Colonel,  C.  R.  Barteau,  was  promoted 
to  Colonel ;  our  Major,  G.  H.  Morton,  was  raised  to  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Captain  William  Par- 
rish  (Company  B)  was  made  Major.  By  regular  promo- 
tion T.  B.  Underwood  became  Captain  of  Company  B, 
G.  W.  Smithson  became   First   Lieutenant,   and   S.  B. 


June,  18G3.  249 

Wall  Second,  thus  leaving  the  Third   Lieutenancy  va- 
cant, and  J.  D.  Core  was  elected  to  fill  said  vacancy. 

From  some  cause,  unknown  to  the  writer,  the  two 
companies  from  Mississippi  did  not  do  any  service  with 
the  Second  Tennessee,  but  the  company  (H)  from  Ala- 
bama remained  with  us  for  some  time,  and  was  finally 
transferred  to  an  Alabama  regiment.  However,  the 
failure  to  make  the  Second  Tennessee  a  full  regiment  at 
this  time  did  not  interfere  with  the  rank  of  our  regi- 
mental officers. 

Satitrciay,  ijth. — I  suppose  we  set  out  that  morning 
from  our  camp  near  Okolona  to  meet  a  Federal  scout 
that  was  coming  down  in  the  direction  of  New  Albany. 
Moving  about  fifteen  miles  north-west  we  bivouacked 
within  two  miles  of  Chesterville. 

Sunday,  14th. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty-two 
miles,  still  north-west,  the  regiment  bivouacked  within 
two  and  a  half  miles  of  New  Albany.  There  we  learned 
that  the  Federals  had  burned  New  Albany  the  night  be- 
fore and  turned  back.      We  remained  there  two  days. 

Wednesday,  lyth. — Captain  Thomas  Puryear  (Com- 
pany G),  with  fifty-five  of  the  Second  Tennessee  and 
about  forty-five  men  from  an  Alabama  regiment  that 
was  camping  near  by,  was  instructed  to  undertake  no 
less  an  expedition  than  that  of  going  around  Corinth. 
Lieutenant  A.  H.  French  (Company  A,  Second  Tennes- 
see) went  with  this  scout  as  second  in  command.  One 
Captain  Morphis,*  an  independent  scout  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  various  roads  around  Corinth,  went 

*'*This  same  Captain  Morphis  made  a  good  scout  and  pilot,  and  after  the 
war  made  a  good  Republican  United  States  Deputy  Marshal  for  North  Missis- 
sippi, under  Republican  administration,"  —  Letter  from  Lieutenant  A.  II, 
French, 


250  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

with  Captain  Puryear  as  guide.  After  the  latter  had 
set  out  from  our  camp  near  New  Albany  upon  his  dan- 
gerous expedition,  the  balance  of  the  Second  Tennessee, 
as  well  as  the  Alabamians,  moved  nearly  east  to  Gun- 
town  by  the  way  of  EUistown. 

General  Ruggles  had  moved  his  headquarters  up  to 
Guntown.  He  now  had  command  of  four  or  five  resfi- 
ments  of  cavalry,  a  battery  of  six  six-pounders,  and  two 
one  horse  breech-loaders.  Two  of  the  six-pounders  had 
been  left  at  Okolona. 

The  writer  is  under  obligations  to  Lieutenant  French 
for  the  following  account  of  Captain  Puryear's  expedi- 
tion. 

The  Captain  with  his  guide  rode  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  while  French  was  instructed  to  bring  up  the 
rear.  In  attempting  to  cross  Tuscumbia  River  bottom, 
on  the  night  of  the  17th,  when  it  was  so  densely  dark 
that  the  men  could  scarcely  see  their  file  leaders,  about 
twelve  of  the  Alabamians  succeeded  in  getting  lost  or 
cut  off  from  those  in  front,  to  the  great  surprise  and 
chagrin  of  Lieutenant  French,  who  had  no  thought  but 
what  they  had  been  keeping  well  closed  up.  It  was 
now  about  ten  p.  m.,  and  believing  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  him  to  make  his  way  out  and  overtake  the 
rest  of  the  command  without  a  guide,  French  decided 
to  allow  his  men  to  dismount  and  take  a  nap  while  wait- 
ing for  day  to  dawn.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to 
see  the  trail  he  set  out  to  overtake  Captain  Puryear,  who 
in  the  meantime  had  missed  French  after  going  about 
four  miles,  and  halted  to  await  his  arrival.  As  soon  as 
French  came  up  those  two  officers  held  a  consultation 
and  decided  to  go  back  into  the  river  bottom,  remain 
there  until  dark,  and  then  attempt  to  pass  around  Cor- 


June,   1803.  251 

inth  under  cover  of  darkness;  but  just  as  they  were  in 
the  act  of  making  the  countermarch  they  learned  that 
two  regiments  of  Federal  cavalry  and  two  pieces  of 
artillery  had  passed  about  one  mile  north  of  them  only 
a  few  hours  previous,,  going  in  the  direction  of  Ripley. 
This  changed  their  plan.  They  now  decided  to  drop  in 
behind  this  Fecieral  expedition  and  follow  after  it.  Ac- 
cordingly, about  eight  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  the  i8th,  they 
ascertained  that  the  enemy  had  halted  and  gone  into 
camp  near  Ripley.  Now  being  satisfied  that  this  expe- 
dition had  been  set  on  foot  for  the  purpose  of  making 
an  effort  to  take  our  outpost  near  Guntown  by  surprise, 
they  sent  a  courier  that  night  to  inform  Colonel  Barteau 
of  the  movement.  Then  Banking  the  enemy's  camp, 
Captain  Puryear  ordered  his  men  to  halt  about  eleven 
p.  M.,  some  ten  miles  south  of  Ripley  on  the  New  Alba- 
ny road,  where  they  rested  a  few  hours. 

Fi'iday,  igth. — The  courier  from  Captain  Puryear 
having  arrived  at  our  camp  near  Guntown,  about  sun- 
rise, the  Second  Tennessee  was,  soon  after,  in  the 
saddle  and  moving  in  the  direction  of  Ripley.  General 
Ruggles  followed,  a  few  hours  later,  with  the  rest  of  his 
brigade. 

Having  decided  to  make  no  resistance  until  after 
crossing  the  Tallahatchie  River,  Captain  Puryear,  put- 
ting his  scout  in  motion  before  daylight,  crossed  that 
stream  near  New  Albany,  about  eleven  a.  m.  After 
consultation,  he  and  French  decided  to  contest  every 
inch  of  the  ground  from  there  back  ;  and  another  mes- 
senger was  dispatched  to  inform  Colonel  Barteau  of  the 
situation  of  affairs.  Lieutenant  French,  with  a  sergeant 
and  twelve  men,  was  left  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  as 
long  as  possible,  at  the  river,  while  Captain  Puryear, 


252  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

with  the  rest  of  his  men,  fell  back  a  mile  or  so  to  a  skirt 
of  woods  on  the  Ellistown  road. 

French,  concealing  his  men  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
river,  near  the  ford,  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  Federals, 
who  made  their  appearance  about  noon.  French  and 
his  little  band  reserved  their  fire  until  the  enemy's  ad- 
vance had  come  within  one  hundred  yards  of  their  posi- 
tion, when  a  volley  from  their  steady  rifles  emptied 
several  saddles  and  caused  the  enemy  to  retreat  in  con- 
fusion back  to  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  about  a  half  mile 
from  the  river.  The  Federal  commander  now  threw 
forward  a  heavy  line  of  skirmishers — ^about  two  hundred 
— to  dislodge  the  Confederates.  When  this  line  had 
advanced  to  within  two  hundred  yards  of  French's  posi- 
tion, Wallace  Thurman,  who  had  gone  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  up  the  river  and  concealed  himself,  fired, 
killing  or  wounding  the  officer  in  charge ;  this  caused 
the  enemy  to  halt  but  for  a  moment ;  then  pressing  on 
about  one  hundred  yards  further,  directly  toward  the 
ford,  they  were  again  repulsed  by  a  volley  from  French's 
men.  In  the  mean  time,  however,  a  portion  of  the  Fed- 
erals had  crossed  the  river  some  distance  above,  and 
Wallace  Thurman  narrowly  escaped  capture.  French, 
being  thus  flanked  out  of  his  position,  withdrew  his  men 
in  good  order,  to  the  south  side  of  New  Albany,  and  at 
a  right  angle  in  the  road  he  made  another  stand  ;  and 
here  the  enemy  was  again  brought  to  a  halt  by  a  volley 
from  French's  men,  who  then  withdrew  a  few  hundred 
yards  to  another  favorable  position.  The  Federals  now 
threw  forward  their  artillery  and  commenced  shelling 
both  sides  of  the  road  ;  and  thus  by  nightfall  French 
and  his  thirteen  men  had  been  driven  only  four  miles. 
The   Federals  then  withdrew  from  the   Ellistown   road 


June,  18G3.  253 

and  moved  in  the  direction  of  Pontotoc  ;  and  French 
found  Puryear  encamped  about  three  miles  further  back 
on  the  ElHstown  road. 

Setting  out  from  Guntown,  as  previously  mentioned 
the  Second  Tennessee,  after  moving  about  six  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Ripley,  turned  toward  Pontotoc  ;  but, 
soon  after  we  had  passed  Ellistown,  Colonel  Barteau 
learned  that  Captain  Puryear's  scout  was  engaging  the 
enemy  at  New  Albany;  and  thence,  turning  in  that  di- 
rection, he  found  Puryear  within  seven  miles  of  that 
place,  a  few  moments  after  the  arrival  of  French's  de- 
tachment, as  above  named.  Here  we  took  supper  and 
fed  our  horses.  Then  turning  back,  and  moving  across 
the  country  in  a  circuitous  route,  we  struck  the  New 
Albany-Pontotoc  road,  at  Plentytude,  eight  miles  south 
of  New  Albany,  and  about  two  and  a  half  miles  in  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy.  Here  we  rested  two  or  three 
hours.  In  the  mean  time,  the  Federals  had  turned  west- 
ward— going  in  the  direction  of  Rocky  Ford,  on  the 
Tallahatchie  River.  Moving  up  toward  New  Albany 
until  he  had  struck  the  road  along  which  the  Federals 
had  moved.  Colonel  Barteau  learned,  through  his  scouts, 
that  the  enemy  had  halted  and  encamped  not  far  dis- 
tant ;  therefore,  he  pressed  on,  hoping  to  be  able  to  take 
.the  enemy  by  surprise;  but,  on  reaching  their  supposed 
camping  place,  about  daylight  the  next  morning  (the 
2oth),  he  learned  that  they  had  halted  only  long  enough 
to  feed,  and  then  continued  their  march  westward.  By 
his  own  request.  Lieutenant  French  was  allowed  to  press 
on  ahead,  in  search  of  the  enemy,  with  thirteen  men 
who  volunteered  to  go  with  him. 

The  First  and  Second  Alabama  Regiments  came  up 
about  this  time.     As  General  Rug^gles  was  yet  behind, 


254  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


hurrying  up  the  artihery,  Colonel  Barteau  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  three  regiments  present,  and  continued  the 
pursuit  of  the  enemy.  He  had  not  gone  far,  however, 
before  he  learned,  through  a  messenger  from  French, 
that  the  Federals  had  halted  and  were  still  in  their  camp 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Lappylubbee  Creek.  On  reach- 
ing said  creek,  the  Second  Tennessee,  now  under  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Morton,  was  thrown  across,  dismounted 
to  engage  the  enemy ;  but,  as  they  had  just  moved  out 
from  their  camp,  our  horses  were  brought  over,  and  we 
mounted  again  and  continued  the  pursuit.  Finding  a 
good  position  about  one  mile  from  the  creek,  the  Fed- 
erals halted,  deployed  in  line  of  battle,  and  awaited  our 
advance.  Their  position  being  just  beyond  a  short  turn 
in  the  road,  Lieutenant  French,  who  was  still  in  the  ad- 
vance, was  within  thirty  yards  of  their  skirmishers  before 
he  saw  them.  He  and  the  thirteen  men  whom  he  had 
with  him,  on  that  memorable  occasion,  composed  as 
gallant  a  little  band  as  ever  rode  into  battle.  Regret 
that  I  am  not  now  able  to  give  the  name  of  each  man. 
They  immediately  opened  fire  upon  the  enemy,  to  which 
the  latter  replied  with  vigor.  To  use  French's  own 
language,  "Each  man  seemed  to  pick  out  his  man  and 
fight  to  a  finish^  The  following  is  from  French's  man- 
uscript notes  : 

For  my  part,  I  selected  an  ofificer  who,  I  afterward  learned,  was 
the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Ninth  Illinois  Regiment  of  Cavalry; 
whether  this  be  true  or  not,  I  am  unable  to  state;  yet  I  do  know  that 
he  was  a  cool-headed  officer,  for  nearly  every  sliot  that  he  fired  at  me 
took  effect. 

One — the  first  that  I  felt — burnt  my  neck;  the  next  passed  through 
my  pistol  scabbard  on  my  right  side;  and  another  took  effect  in  my 
right  arm,  passing  through  and  shivering  the  ulna;  this  last  shot  he 
fired  after  he  was  wounded  by  me. 


June,  1803.  255 

1  shot  at  him  five  times.  My  first  shot  was  too  low,  striking  his 
horse  and  causing  him  to  drop.  The  ofificer  lit  on  his  feet  and  con- 
tinued to  fire,  until  one  of  my  shots  took  effect  in  his  thigh;  he  then 
fell,  but  raising  up  again,  he  fired  again,  with  the  result  above  men- 
tioned— breaking  my  arm,  which  dropped  at  my  side  powerless. 

And  thus  did  Lieutenant  French  and  his  heroic  little 
band  stand  and  fight  desperately,  at  short  range,  until 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton  reached  the  scene,  and  threw 
forward  the  Second  Tennessee,  dismounted,  to  their 
support.     And  then  and  there 

THE  BATTLE  OF  MUD  CREEK 
opened  in  earnest.  The  F'ederal  skirmish  line  was  soon 
driven  back  to  their  main  line,  which  then  opened  a 
heavy  fire.  But  onward  pressed  the  Second  Tennessee, 
driving  the  enemy  before  them.  About  this  time  Colo- 
nel Barteau  threw  forward  the  Second  Alabama,  dis- 
mounted, to  the  support  of  the  Second  Tennessee ;  and 
General  Ruggles  came  up,  soon  after,  with  the  artillery, 
which,  being  immediately  thrown  into  position,  opened 
upon  the  enemy.  After  driving  the  Federals  thus  for 
about  one  mile,  Colonel  Barteau  ordered  the  command 
to  halt  and  mount.  We  had  not  gone  far,  however, 
before  we  found  the  enemy  strongly  posted  behind  trees, 
logs,  etc.,  in  Mud  Creek  bottom.  Dismounting  again 
we  succeeded  in  driving  them  from  this  position,  after 
heavy  firing  for  a  few  minutes.  Still  pressing  forward 
we  drove  them  on  through  a  bad  swamp  and  across 
Mud  Creek.  Having  to  halt  here  to  assist  the  artillery 
in  crossing  the  creek,  and  to  wait  for  our  horses  to  be 
brought  across,  it  gave  the  Federals  the  start  of  us. 
Going  on  to  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  Rocky  Ford 
we  there  learned  that  the  Federals  had  crossed  the  Tal- 
lahatchie River  and  destroyed  the  bridge ;  so  we  then 
turned  back. 


256  U.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

After  passing  back  through  the  battlefield,  our  regi- 
ment scattered,  a  company  or  two  in  a  place,  in  order  to 
obtain  forage  and  rations. 

The  Confederate  loss  was  two  killed  and  ten  or  twelve 
wounded.  One  of  the  killed  (Andrew  Hames,  Com- 
pany F)  and  about  five  of  the  wounded  were  from  the 
Second  Tennessee.  Among  the  wounded  were  S.  C. 
Odom  (Company  C)  and  Lieutenant  A.  H.  French 
(Company  A). 

There  seemed  to  be  various  opinions  in  reference  to 
the  Federal  loss.  However,  nine  were  said  to  have 
been  found  dead  on  the  field  and  buried;  and  about 
twenty-seven  wounded.  We  captured  five  wagons, 
loaded  with  bacon,  crackers,  corn,  oats,  etc.,  one  ambu- 
lance, a  few  i,Tiules,  the  hind  wheels  of  a  caisson,  and 
some  ammunition.  I  suppose  that  there  were  about 
five  hundred  Federals  in  this  scout,  though  some  esti- 
mates put  their  number  at  eight  hundred.  They  had 
two  pieces  of  artillery.  I  suppose  we  had  between  three 
and  four  hundred  engaged.* 

Dr.  George  F.  Hager,  who  wrote  the  sketch  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry  for  Dr.  John  B.  Lindsley's 
History  of  Tennessee  Troops,  says : 

We  soon  drove  them  across  Mud  Creek,  killing  and  capturing  in 
all  about  seventy-five  men.  Destroying  the  bridge  and  deserting  two 
guns,  they  hastily  retreated.  Our  loss  was  light;  few  killed  and 
wounded,  t 

Sunday,  21st. — On  reassembling  early  in  the  morning, 

*'I  shall  here  relate  a  little  incident  that  occurred  during  the  action  at  Mud 
Creek.  The  Alabamians,  coming  up  in  rear  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  opened 
fire  a  little  too  quick,  and  thus  the  latter  was  exposed  to  a  fire  from  the  rear  as 
well  as  the  front.  In  fact,  the  halls  were  cutting  closer  to  me  from  the  rear 
than  the  front.  Some  of  us  were  getting  about  in  the  right  humor  to  turn  our 
guns  the  other  way,  when  a  runner  was  sent  back  to  stop  "that  foolishness." 

t  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  p.  613. 


JuLj,  1863.  257 

McKnight's  Company  was  detached  and  sent  back  to 
the  hospital  to  try  to  make  some  arrangements  to  have 
our  wounded  sent  to  Pontotoc,  while  the  rest  of  the 
regiment  moved  on  to  that  place.  I  and  one  other  were 
sent  out  to  hunt  conveyance  for  the  wounded,  and  the 
rest  of  the  company  followed  the  regiment.  After  hunt- 
ing for  some  time  we  found  one  carriage,  but  the  sur- 
geon decided  that  it  would  not  do,  because  a  man  could 
not  lie  down  in  it.  So  he  finally  told  us  to  go  on  to 
Pontotoc  and  send  back  the  ambulances.  Going  within 
ten  miles  of  town  we  put  up  for  the  night. 

Monday,  22d. — We  found  our  regiment  one  mile  east 
of  Pontotoc,  and  reported  the  request  of  the  surgeon  to 
Colonel  Barteau. 

Wednesday,  z^th. — Barteau  moved  his  regiment  down 
to  within  four  miles  of  Okolona.* 

Tuesday-,  July  yth. — The  regiment  was  scattered  ;  the 
larger  portion,  however,  went  to  Mooreville.  A  part  of 
McKnight's  Company  was  sent  to  Aberdeen,  a  part  to 
Okolona,  and  the  larger  part  to  Cotton  Gin  Port,  on  the 
Tombigbee  River,  in  Monroe  County,  Mississippi.  The 
object  in  thus  scattering  the  regiment  was  to  take  up 
and  return  to  their  respective  commands  such  soldiers  as 
might  be  found  scattered  through  the  country  absent 
from  their  commands  without  permission. 

*It  was  from  this  camp  that  I  started,  about  two  o'clock  p.  M.,  June  26th, 
with  a  dispatch  to  General  Roddy,  who  was  near  Tuscumbia,  Alabama.  Going 
by  the  way  of  Camargo,  Smithville,  Burlison  and  Russellville,  I  arrived  at  Tus- 
cumbia, Alabama,  about  sunset,  June  28th — distance  about  one  hundred  and 
five  miles.  General  Roddy  had  moved  his  headquarters  eighteen  miles  west. 
The  dispatch  was  sent  to  him  by  another  courier  that  night.  As  my  horse  was 
slightly  foundered  at  Tuscumbia,  I  did  not  rejoin  my  company  until  a  few  hours 
after  a  part  of  the  company  had  arrived  at  Cotton  Gin  Port,  Mississippi,  July 
7th. 

1.7 


258  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

It  was  on  the  above  date  that  we  heard  the  sad  7iews 
of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  This  was  the 
heaviest  loss,  both  as  to  number  of  men  and  importance 
of  position,  that  the  Confederacy  had  sustained  up  to 
that  time,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  loss  up  to  the  sur- 
render of  General  Lee's  army. 

Lieutenant-General  John  C.  Pemberton  surrendered 
Vicksburg  to  General  U.  S.  Grant  July  4th,  1863. 

The  following  (from  the  Life  of  Grant,  page  251)  is 
the  estimated  Confederate  losses  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  campaign  on  April  30th,  to  the  final  surren- 
der of  the  city : 

PRISONERS, 

Lieutenant-General i 

Major  and  Brigadier-Generals 19 

Field,  staff,  and  line  officers 4,600 

Non-commissioned  officers  and  privates 30,000 

KILLED    AND    WOUNDED. 

Killed  in  battles  and  skirmishes 1,000 

Wounded  in  battles  and  skirmishes 4,000 

Captured  in  hospitals  in  Vicksburg  and  elsewhere.  6,000 
Stragglers,  including  men  cut  off  and  unable  to  re- 
join their  commands 800 

Grand  total 46,420 

Field  artillery  captured  in  battle 83 

Field  artillery  captured  at  Vicksburg 128 

Siege  guns  captured  at  Vicksburg 90 

Total 301 

Muskets  and  rifles -   45,000 

General  Grant  in  his  official  report  sums  up  the  Federal  losses  dur- 
ing the  series  of  battles  of  the  Vicksburg  campaign  as  follows :    .    .    . 

Killed 943 

Wounded 7>o95 

Missing 537 

Total 8,575 


July,  1863.  259 

In  speaking  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  Pollard  says : 
"It  was  a  disaster  that  nearly  broke  the  heart  of  the 
Confederacy,  as  it  did  cut  in  twain  its  body." 

"Vicksburg,"  continues  Pollard,  "was  the  strategic 
point  in  the  Confederacy,  second  only  to  the  capital." 

According  to  A.  H.  Stephens,  in  his  history  of  the 
"  War  Between  the  States,"  this  was  Grant's  eighth 
attempt  to  take  that  stronghold,  and  sums  them  all  up 
thus  : 

First,  by  Holly  Springs ;  second,  by  Chickasaw  Bayou  ;*  third,  by 
Williams'  Canal ;  fourth,  by  Lake  Providence ;  fifth,  by  Yazoo  Pass ; 
sixth,  by  Steele's  Bayou  ;  seventh,  by  Milliken's  Bend;  and  eighth,  by 
the  rear  land  movement  from  below. 

The  following  dispatch  tells  the  fate  of  the  last  foot- 
hold (Port  Hudson)  that  the  Confederates  held  on  the 
Mississippi  River: 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Gulf, 
Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  Port  Hudson,  La.,  July  loth,  1863. 
To  General  H.  W.  Halleck — Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  inform 
you  that  with  this  post  there  fell  into  our  hands  over  five  thousand  five 
hundred  prisoners,  including  one  Major-General  and  one  Brigadier- 
General,  twenty  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  five  complete  batteries, 
numbering  thirty-one  pieces  of  field  artillery,  a  good  supply  of  pro- 
jectiles for  light  and  heavy  guns,  forty-four  thousand  eight  hundred 
pounds  of  cannon  powder,  five  thousand  stands  of  arms,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  rounds  of  small  arm  ammunition,  besides  a 
small  amount  of  stores  of  various  kinds.  We  captured  also  two 
steamers,  one  of  which  is  very  valuable.  They  will  be  of  great  service 
at  this  time. 

I  am.  General,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

N.   P.   Banks, 
Major-  General  Commanding .  f 

As  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg 
Major-General  Frank  Gardner,  commanding  the  Con- 

•■Or  Sherman's  attempt  to  take  Haines'  Bluff,       tLife  of  Grant,  page  258. 


260  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

federates  at  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana,  surrendered  with- 
out further  resistance  to  General  N.  P.  Banks,  on  the 
8th  of  July. 

So  there  was  now  nothing  left  to  hinder  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  by  the  Federals. 

Mo7iday,  ijth. — Lieutenant  S.  Dennis*  was  sent  to 
Smithville,  some  twelve  miles  north  of  Cotton  Gin  Port, 
with  ten  men  to  guard  the  roads  around  that  place. 

Sunday,  26th. — As  our  regiment  had  orders  to  reas- 
semble, Dennis'  squad  returned  to  Cotton  Gin  Port. 

Monday^  2'/th. — The  detachments  of  McKnight's 
company  reassembled  at  Okolona.  The  rest  of  our  reg- 
iment had  gone  on  to  Pontotoc. 

Tuesday,  28th. — Leaving  Okolona  to  hunt  the  regi- 
ment, our  company  bivouacked  within  about  five  miles 
of  where  the  regiment  was  encamped,  joining  it  next 
morning  (29th)  one  mile  east  of  Pontotoc.  We  found 
the  regiment  almost  without  forage.  The  old  crop  had 
about  "  played  out,"  and  the  new  corn  crop  was  not 
quite  ready  for  use  yet,  though  there  was  a  prospect  for 
a  good  corn  crop.  Wheat  was  good ;  however,  it  was 
very  seldom  that  we  had  the  pleasure  of  eating  any  bread 
made  of  it.  Provisions  were  scarce  also.  So  it  was  bad 
on  us,  as  well  as  our  horses,  to  have  a  missing  link 
between  the  crops. 

Mofiday,  August  jd. — Leaving  the  wagon  train  and 

*A  dispatch  from  Ruggles  to  Roddy  was  handed  to  Lieutenant  Dennis  by  a 
courier  with  instructions  to  "forward  in  haste."  Accordingly,  I  left  Smithville 
with  this  dispatch  between  one  and  two  o'clock  A.  M.,  July  23d,  and  got  to  Gen- 
eral Roddy's  headquarters  at  the  Franklin  House,  in  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  be- 
fore breakfast — in  fact,  before  the  General  had  got  up — next  morning,  distance, 
seventy-five  miles.  I  returned  to  Smithville  with  a  dispatch  from  Roddy  to 
Ruggles  on  the  26th,  just  as  Dennis'  squad  was  leaving  for  Cotton  Gin  Port, 


August,  1863.  261 


Company  Q  in  camps  near  Pontotoc,  Colonel  Boyle 
started  out  on  a  scout  with  the  Second  Tennessee  and 
First  Alabama  Regiments  and  two  pieces  of  artillery. 
The  Second  Tennessee  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  G.  H.  Morton.  (As  I  was  on  picket  when  this 
scout  started  out  I  did  not  go  with  it.)  Moving  north 
they  bivouacked  near  New  Albany. 

Tuesday,  4th. — Moving  on  through  New  Albany  they 
bivouacked  within  three  miles  of  Ripley.  Colonel  Boyle 
sent  a  scout  on  to  Ripley.  On  returning  they  reported 
that  a  squad  of  Federals  had  been  in  town  that  day,  but 
left  before  they  got  there. 

Wednesday ,  ^th. — Three  companies  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  were  sent  up  to  Ripley.  Forty  Federals 
had  been  in  town  that  morning,  but  on  learning  that  a 
scout  of  Confederates  had  been  town  the  evening  be- 
fore they  left  hurriedly  just  before  our  scout  got  there. 

Friday,  jth. — The  Second  Tennessee  and  First  Ala- 
bama returned  to  their  respective  camps  near  Pontotoc, 
without  having  any  engagement  with  the  Federals. 

Saturday,  '8th. — It  was  reported  in  camps  that  the 
Federals  were  moving  down  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road in  large  force.  About  sundown  we  were  ordered 
to  strike  tents  and  load  our  wagons.  In  the  saddle  and 
moving  at  dark,  making  an  even  night's  march,  we  ar- 
rived at  Okolona  at  daybreak  on 

Sunday,  gth. — Moving  out  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
town,  we  dismounted  and  took  a  nap,  while  waiting  for 
our  wagons  to  come  up. 

They  were  about  one  hour  and  a  half  behind  us.  As 
the  alarm  proved  to  be  false,  after  feeding  our  horses 
and  eating  a  snack  ourselves,  the  regiment  moved  up  to 


262  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Sanders'  Mill,  on  Chauappa  Creek,  some  eight  and  a 
half  miles  north  of  Okolona. 

Saturday,  i^th. — The  regiment  moved  from  Sanders' 
Mill,  four  miles  up  the  creek,  to  Edwards'  Mill,  occupy- 
ing the  same  camp  that  we  did  when  there  before.  This 
move  was  made  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  water  at 
the  former  camp,  and  we  found  that  article  scarce  at  the 
latter,  that  is,  for  the  men,  as  we  had  plenty  of  water  for 
our  horses. 

Monday,  ijth. — About  four  o'clock  p.  m.  we  were  or- 
dered to  prepare  to  move,  and  that  immediately !  Ac- 
cordingly, we  were  soon  on  the  road.  Two  wagons, 
with  a  few  cooking  vessels,  moved  with  the  regiment. 
The  rest  of  the  wagon  train  and  Company  Q  went  to 
Okolona.  We  bivouacked  at  our  old  camp-ground,  one 
mile  east  of  Pontotoc,  about  ten  o'clock  p.  m. — distance 
fifteen  miles.  Here  we  learned  that  a  Federal  scout  had 
crossed  the  Tallahatchie  River  at  Rocky  Ford,  on  the 
1 6th,  going  south.  General  Ferguson  commanded  the 
brigade.  I  suppose  that  his  object  in  making  this  move 
was  to  watch  this  Federal  scout  that  was  rtow  afield. 

Tuesday,  i8th. — Moving  out  on  the  Holly  Springs 
road,  the  Second  Tennessee  halted  and  fed  at  Butter- 
milk Springs,  about  twelve  miles  from  Pontotoc.  Turn- 
ing back,  they  bivouacked  within  seven  miles  of  Pontotoc. 

Wednesday,  igth. — We  returned  to  the  camp  which 
we  left  the  morning  before,  and  remained  there  until 
late  in  the  evening.  Then  moving  out  about  ten  miles  on 
the  Houston  road  we  bivouacked  about  eleven  o'clock 
p.  M.     It  rained  some  on  us  that  night. 

Thursday,  20th. — We  lay  by  during  the  day  ;  had 
plenty  of  corn  and  fodder  for  our  horses,  and  plenty  to 


September,  1863.       .  263 


eat  ourselves  ;  had  corn  and  fodder  laid  by  to  feed  our 
horses  next  morning ;  had  our  beds  made  down  on 
fodder,  so  we  were  well  fixed  for  a  pleasant  night's  rest. 
About  the  time  most  of  us  were  snugly  to  bed  "that 
old  bugle,"  in  notes  too  plain  to  be  misunderstood  by  a 
soldier,  said,  "  Saddle  your  horses."  Soon  after  this  our 
bugler  piped  forth  again,  "Mount  your  horses,"  and 
next  came  the  sharp,  quick  notes,  "  Forward,  march !  " 

Well,  this  is  the  luck  of  a  soldier !  He  has  to  march 
when  ordered,  whether  night  or  day,  rain  or  shine,  cold 
or  hot.  We  arrived  at  Houston  about  one  hour  before 
day  on  Friday,  August  21st.  It  was  said  that  the  Fed- 
eral scout,  that  passed  Rocky  Ford  on  the  i6th,  had 
moved  on  down  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad  and 
formed  a  junction,  at  Grenada,  with  another  force. 
Grenada  is  about  forty-five  miles  west  of  Houston. 
General  Ferguson  had  concentrated  between  twelve  and 
fifteen  hundred  cavalry  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery,  four 
small  and  four  large  pieces,  at  the  latter  place.  Our 
regiment  bivouacked  near  Houston. 

Sunday,  22d. — As  the  Federals  did  not  seem  to  be 
coming  out  toward  Houston,  the  Second  Tennessee 
moved  back  to  Okolona  (twenty  miles),  where  they 
found  the  wagon  train  and  Company  Q. 

Monday,  2jd. — The  regiment  moved  back  to  our  old 
camp,  at  Edwards'  Mill,  twelve  miles  above  Okolona. 

Saturday,  2gth. — The  regiment  moved  from  Edwards' 
Mill  to  Tupelo.  The  Second  Alabama  met  our  regi- 
ment there. 

Friday,  September  4th. — The  regiment  left  Tupelo,* 

■*I  went  to  Aberdeen  to  buy  a  saddle,  on  the  29th  of  August,  and  as  I  had 
to  wait  until  the  saddler  made  one,  I  did  not  get  back  to  camp  at  Tupelo  until 
September  4th,  after  this  scout  had  started;  therefore,  I  did  not  go. 


264  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

some  thought,  to  go  to  West  Tennessee,  but  it  turned 
out  to  be  a  conscripting  expedition.  So  they  returned 
to  Tupelo,  on  the  7th,  without  going  to  Tennessee.  The 
boys  complained  of  having  a  hard  time  during  this  ex- 
pedition, on  account  of  having  more  dust  than  rations. 

Thursday ,  loth. — Our  regiment,  two  others,  six  pieces 
of  artillery  (six-pounders),  and  four  smaller  pieces,  left 
Tupelo  early  in  the  morning,  and  after  a  march  of  about 
twenty  miles,  the  brigade  encamped  within  eight  miles 
of  New  Albany.  Here  our  brigade  formed  a  junction 
with  a  small  brigade  from  Pontotoc,  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  R.  V.  Richardson.  He  had  one  reg- 
iment of  Mississippians,  about  three  hundred  "new  re- 
cruits" from  West  Tennessee,  and  two  six-pounder 
guns.     General  Ferguson  commanded  both  brigades. 

Friday,  nth. — The  divisions  moved  on  through  New 
Albany,  and  after  a  march  of  twenty  miles  encamped 
at  Orizaba,  seven  miles  south  of  Ripley. 

Saturday,  12th. — About  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  we  heard 
that  the  Federals  were  in  Ripley.  Our  regiment,  one 
other,  and  four  small  pieces  of  artillery,  were  sent  up  to 
Ripley.  When  we  got  there,  we  learned  that  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  Federals  had  dashed  into  town  and  out 
again  early  in  the  morning.  After  going  about  four 
miles  north  of  Ripley,  without  finding  any  Federals,  we 
returned  to  camp  at  Orizaba  about  dark. 

Sunday,  i^th. — As  the  command  did  not  move,  our 
chaplain,  S.  C.  Talley,  preached  for  us.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  he  had  preached  for  us  in  several  months. 

Monday,  14th. — General  Ferguson  moved  his  com- 
mand back  to  New  Albany,  and  encamped  on  the  Talla- 
hatchie River.     As  it  had  not  rained  for  several  days 


OCTOBEE,  1863.  265 


it  was  very   disagreeable    marching  on   account   of    so 
much  dust. 

Wednesday,  i6th. — The  Second  Tennessee  moved 
from  New  Albany  back  to  Tupelo — distance  twenty- 
eight  miles.  Two  regiments  of  our  brigade  remained 
at  New  Albany.  I  think  Richardson  went  back  near 
Pontotoc. 

We  were  glad  to  be  thus  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  brigade.  When  a  fight  was  on  hand,  "  the  more 
the  merrier;  "  but  when  in  camp,  "the  fewer  the  better 
share."  When  there  were  so  many  camped  close  to- 
gether, the  ''buttermilk  wouldri  t  go  'round.'"  We  had 
a  pleasant  day's  march  to-day,  as  the  dust  is  laid  by  a 
rain  that  fell  yesterday. 

Wednesday ,  joth. — The  regiment  drew  pay  for  two 
months — May  and  June. 

Thursday,  October  ist. — The  regiment  moved  from 
Tupelo  to  Poplar  Springs — distance  seventeen  miles. 
We  were  on  our  way  to  New  Albany. 

Friday,  2d. — The  regiment  moved  on  to  New  Albany 
early  in  the  morning.  Ferguson's  and  Richardson's 
Brigades  were  reassembled  at  New  Albany  for  the 
purpose  of  being  inspected  by  Lieutenant  -  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston.  The  Second  Tennessee  was  re- 
viewed by  him  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.  It 
was  the  first  time  that  we  had  ever  had  the  honor  of 
being  reviewed  by  a  Lieutenant-General.  Notwith- 
standing we  had  been  in  his  department  for  some  time, 
this  was  the  first  time  that  we  had  ever  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  inspecting  Joseph  E.  Johnston.  He  now  ranks 
among  the  great  generals  of  America.     I  failed  to  men- 


266  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


tion  in-  the  proper  place  that  our  wagon  train  went  to 
Pontotoc  in  place  of  New  Albany. 

Saturday,  ^d. — Ferguson's  Brigade  moved  out  to,  and 
encamped  on,  Cherry  Creek,  eleven  miles  from  New 
Albany  and  seven  from  Pontotoc.  The  wagon  train 
came  up  from  Pontotoc  to  the  brigade  at  this  camp  the 
next  day.  Richardson's  Brigade  remained  at  New  Al- 
bany. 

Monday,  ^th. — Ferguson's  Brigade  moved  from  Cherry 
Creek  to  Pontotoc.  A  Federal  scout  came  down  to  New 
Albany.  General  Richardson  had  an  artillery  skirmish 
with  them.  We  could  hear  the  artillery  as  we  were 
going  on  down  to  Pontotoc.  They  did  not  become  en- 
gaged with  small  arms. 

Major-General  Stephen  D.  Lee,  who  was  J.  E.  John- 
ston's Chief  of  Cavalry,  was  now  at  Pontotoc,  prepar- 
ing for  an  expedition  into  North  Alabama.  Besides  our 
brigade — commanded  still  by  S.  W.  Ferguson — another 
brigade  had  been  sent  up  to  Pontotoc  from  near  Jack- 
son, Mississippi,  to  go  on  this  Alabama  expedition,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Ross. 

Tuesday,  6th. — General  S.  D.  Lee,  with  the  two  bri- 
gades above  named  and  two  or  three  batteries  of  artil- 
lery, moved  out  from  Pontotoc  early  in  the  morning. 
Going  east  through  Harrisburg  and  Tupelo  he  biv- 
ouacked near  Mooreville  (distance  twenty-seven  miles). 
The  most  of  the  wagon  train  and  camp  equipage  were 
left  at  Pontotoc.  We  had  two  wagons  with  our  regi- 
ment— one  loaded  with  cooking-vessels  and  the  other 
with  ammunition. 

Wednesday ,  yth. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty-four 
miles,  passing  through  Fulton  and  crossing  Tombigbee 


October,  1803.  267 


River,    Lee's    Division    bivouacked    on   the   Tusciimbia 
road. 

Thursday,  8th. — Passing  out  of  Mississippi  into  Ala- 
bama, and  crossing  Bear  Creek,  the  division  bivouacked 
on  Cedar  Creek,  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Frankfort,  the 
county  seat  of  F'ranklin  County,  after  a  march  of  about 
twenty-seven  miles.  Here  we  were  ordered  to  cook  six 
days   rations,  which  was  something  unusual. 

Fj'iday,  gth. — The  division  marched  on  through  Frank- 
fort and  Tuscumbia,  and  bivouacked  two  miles  above 
Florence,  near  the  Tennessee  River — marching  over 
twenty-seven  miles  again. 

Saturday,  loth. — In  order  to  be  more  convenient  to 
water  and  forage,  the  division  moved  one  mile  up  the 
river, 

COMMENTARIES. 

1 .  We  marched  from  Pontotoc  to  the  Tennessee  River, 
near  Florence,  in  four  days,  and  did  it  with  ease  to  our- 
selves and  horses.  General  Lee  was  a  "  West  Pointer," 
and  I  think  that  he  exhibited  his  training  at  that  school 
by  the  systematic  manner  in  which  he  moved  his  di- 
vision from  Pontotoc  to  Florence. 

2.  We  learned  that  General  Wheeler's  cavalry  was 
crossing  from  the  north  to  the  south  side  of  the  Tennes- 
see River,  at  Lamb's  Ferry,  some  distance  above  us. 
He  was  from  Bragg's  army,  near  Chattanooga.  Cross- 
ing the  Tennessee  River  east  of  Chattanooga,  General 
Wheeler  had  come  round  by  the  way  of  McMinnville, 
Woodbury,  Murfreesboro,  and  Shelbyville.  We  heard 
that  he  captured  all  the  above  places,  except  Murfrees- 
boro. It  was  thought  by  some  that  Lee  left  Pontotoc 
with  the  expectation  of  forming  a  junction  with  Wheeler 


268  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

somewhere  in  Tennessee,  perhaps  Murfreesboro,  and 
assist  him  in  his  operations  in  rear  of  Rosecrans.  His 
rapid  march  and  his  order  to  cook  six  days'  rations  the 
night  before  he  got  to  Tennessee  River,  go  far  to  prove 
that  Lee  did  have  such  a  move  in  contemplation.  A 
misunderstanding  between  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and 
Bragg,  in  reference  to  the  time  that  Wheeler  started  on 
his  raid,  might  have  been  the  reason  why  Lee  did  not 
start  in  time  to  form  the  intended  junction.  However, 
be  that  as  it  may,  the  junction  was  formed  at  the  Ten- 
nessee River  in  place  of  Murfreesboro.  Or,  perhaps, 
it  was  only  intended  for  Lee  to  assist  Wheeler  in  pass- 
ing to  the  south  side  of  the  Tennessee. 

3.  By  this  time  General  Bragg  had  driven  Rosecrans 
back  into  Chattanooga,  and  had  seized  and  was  still 
holding  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  which 
was  Rosecrans'  only  line  of  communication  by  rail,  thus 
forcing  him  (Rosecrans)  to  bring  his  supplies,  by  wagon, 
over  a  rugged  mountain  road,  seventy  miles  long.  Ac- 
cording to  their  own  account,  "  The  Federal  army  was 
on  half  rations,  ten  thousand  mules  and  horses  had  died 
of  starvation,  and  there  seemed  no  possibility  of  rescue. 
The  Government,"  continues  the  writer,  "became  greatly 
alarmed,  and  at  once  sent  for  Grant  to  take  command  of 
Rosecrans'  army."  So  Grant  was  now  on  his  way  from 
Vicksburg  to  Chattanooga,  going  by  the  way  of  Cairo 
and  Louisville. 

Though,  some  time  previous  to  this,  perhaps  about  the 
ist  of  September,  "Grant  was  directed  to  send  all  his 
available  force  to  the  support  of  Rosecrans."  Accord- 
ingly, Sherman,  with  a  whole  corps,  was  sent  up  the 
Mississippi  River  to  Memphis,  thence  along  the  Mem- 
phis   and    Charleston    Railroad    toward    Chattanooga ; 


October,  18G3.  269 


and  by  this  time  (loth  of  October)  was  somewhere  in 
North  Mississippi,  perhaps  about  Corinth. 

Therefore,  I  am  sure  that  one  object  of  Lee's  expedi- 
tion into  North  Alabama  was  to  tear  up  the  railroad  in 
front  of  Sherman,  and  otherwise  annoy  him,  so  as  to 
either  make  his  march  along  the  railroad  very  slow,  or 
force  him  to  abandon  that  route,  thus  holding  him  back 
as  long  as  possible  from  the  support  of  Rosecrans.  The 
following  pages  will  show  the  result. 

Monday,  12th. — Our  division  moved,  from  where  we 
bivouacked,  three  miles  above  South  Florence,  on  the 
lOth,  four  miles  further  up  the  river,  where  we  remained 
four  days.      It  rained  a  great  deal  during  those  four  days. 

Friday,  i6tJi. — The  division  moved  seven  or  eight 
miles  east,  and  bivouacked  near  Hennington's  Spring, 
a  beautiful  spring,  affording  an  abundance  of  water. 
How  delightful  it  would  be  if  we  could  always  have  such 
a  spring  near  camp. 

Tuesday,  20th. — About  ten  o'clock  r.  m.,  General 
Ferguson,  with  our  regiment,  commanded  by  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Morton,  the  F"ifty-sixth  Alabama,  Major 
Sanders'  Battalion,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  moved 
out  west  from  our  bivouac  near  Hennington's  Spring, 
After  a  march  of  about  twenty-three  miles,  we  halted 
three  miles  west  of  Tuscumbia,  where  we  rested  until 
daylight. 

Wednesday,  21st. — General  F'erguson,  moving  about 
twelve  miles  west  along  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad,  met  the  advance  of  Sherman's  army. 

You  may  pause  here,  my  dear  reader,  while  I  lift  the 
vail  from  this  scene,  and  allow  you  to  take  a  look  (in 
your  imagination)  at  not  exceeding  nine  hundred  and 


270  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

fifty  "  rebs  "  facing  Sherman's  army  of,  perhaps,  twenty 
thousand  men.  However,  I  do  not  suppose  that  Fer- 
guson expected  to  defeat  Sherman  on  that  field,  but  try 
to  check  his  advance  for  a  short  time.  When  we  met 
the  Federals,  the  Fifty-sixth  Alabama  was  deployed  in 
line  on  the  left  of  the  railroad,  and  our  regiment  and 
Sanders'  Battalion  on  the  right.  Dismounting,  the 
Second  Tennessee  advanced  through  a  woods-lot,  and 
just  as  we  emerged  from  this  lot  the  firing  became  tol- 
erably heavy.  Pressing  on  through  the  woods  beyond 
the  lot,  the  firing  became  so  heavy  that  we  fell  back  a 
little,  and  then  charged  the  Federals  again.  But,  as 
they  had  a  good  position  behind  the  embankment  of  the 
railroad,  we  still  failed  to  move  them  from  it.  Had  the 
Fifty-sixth  Alabama  swung  round  on  their  right  as  a 
pivot,  taking  the  Federals  by  their  right  flank  or  rear, 
perhaps  we  might  have  succeeded  in  moving  them  from 
their  position.  But  they  failed  to  come  to  our  relief  in 
mty  way  whatever.  If  one  of  them  fired  a  gun  I  did  not 
know  it ;  nor  am  I  able  to  explain  why  they  did  not  do 
anything.  After  we  had  been  engaged  about  two  hours, 
still  holding  our  position,  Colonel  Morton  ordered  us  to 
fall  back  to  our  horses. 

After  falling  back  to  and  remounting  our  horses,  we 
moved  off  slowly,  halting  and  deploying  in  line  every 
now  and  then,  thinking  that  perhaps  the  Federals  would 
follow  and  charge  us.  After  falling  back  thus  for  about 
one  mile,  unmolested,  the  Second  Tennessee  fell  in  with 
the  rest  of  the  brigade,  which  was  now  drawn  up  in  bat- 
tle line  on  an  elevated  portion  of  ground  in  a  large, 
open  field,  from  which  position  we  had  a  good  view 
back  to  the  woods  in  which  we  had  just  been  engaged. 
About  this  time  we  saw  a  line  of  Federal  infantry  emerge 


OCTOBEK,  1863.  271 


from  these  woods  and  advance  about  two  hundred  yards 
into  the  open  field.  Their  artillery  also  moved  up,  un- 
limbered  and  opened,  for  the  first  time,  from  a  position 
just  in  rear  of  the  infantry.  They  cut  the  fuse  too  short, 
their  shells  bursting  before  reaching  our  position ,  though, 
perhaps,  they  were  throwing  their  shells  at  our  skirmish 
line,  which  was  considerably  in  advance  of  the  main  line. 
Our  artillery  had  been  left  some  two  or  three  miles  in 
the  rear. 

Nightfall  now  closed  the  operations  of  the  day,  and 
General  Ferguson  moved  the  brigade  back  a  few  miles, 
and  camped  on  the  east  bank  of  Cane  Creek,  where  he 
met  General  S.  D.  Lee  with  the  rest  of  the  division. 

It  yet  appears  strange  to  me  why  General  Sherman 
allowed  Colonel  Morton  to  hold  his  [Morton's]  position 
as  he  did  for  two  hours  (with  not  exceeding  three  hun- 
dred men),  and  then  move  off  unmolested. 

While  my  manuscript  was  in  the  hands  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Morton,  he  added  the  following  in  reference  to 
the  above  engagement,  which  was  afterward  known  as 
the  "Action  at  Cherokee:" 

We  did  not  fall  back  until  ordered  by  General  Ferguson.  He 
could  not  get  either  one  of  his  staff  to  carry  the  order,  but  it  was 
finally  sent  to  me  by  a  courier. 

It  was  then  that  Ferguson  formed  the  Second  Tennessee  in  line 
and  made  a  speech,  complimenting  them  for  their  bravery. 

This  was  one  among  our  best  fights  during  the  war. 

Our  gallant  leader  [Morton]  narrowly  escaped  being 
killed  during  the  action  ;  three  balls  passed  through  his 
coat,  and  one  man  was  shot  down  by  his  side.  This 
was  the  only  man  who  was  killed  on  the  field.  I  think 
that  he  was  a  member  of  Company  H,  a  company  of 
Alabamians  that  was  attached  to  the  Second  Tennes- 
see at  that  time.     The  Orderly  Sergeant  of  this  com- 


272  11.  11.  Hancock's  Diary. 

pany  was  severely  wounded  and  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  Captain  Thomas  Puryear*  (Company  G)  was 
mortally  wounded  while  gallantly  leading  his  company. 
He  lived  about  eight  days.  James  R.  Dickerson  (Com- 
pany D)  was  mortally  wounded;  died  a  few  days  after 
the  battle.  Steve  Harland  (Company  E),  Thomas  Link 
(Company  F)  and  E.  D.  Thomas f  and  H.  G.  Stephens 

*See  Appendix  A,  for  biographical  sketch. 

t  Thomas,  who  was  thought  to  be  mortally  wounded,  was  left  at  the  first 
house,  and  there  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Federals.  His  brother,  J.  H.  Thomas, 
who  remained  with  him,  was  also  captured.  While  waiting  at  Sherman's  head- 
quarters the  next  morning  for  the  doctors  to  get  ready  to  extract  the  ball  that 
had  lodged  in  his  left  side,  the  following  dialogue  took  place  between  E.  D. 
Thomas  (who  is  a  reliable  man)  and  General  W.  T.  Sherman: 

ShermAn — Reb,  how  many  men  did  you  have  in  the  fight  yesterday  ? 

Thomas — About  three  hundred,  less  one-fourth  holding  horses. 

.S'. — I  did  not  ask  you  for  a  lie.  I  saw  about  ten  times  that  number  with  my 
own  eyes. 

T. — I  supposed  that  you  asked  for  the  truth;  that  is  why  I  told  you  the 
truth.  Had  I  thought  you  wanted  a  lie,  I  could  have  told  one.  But  where  did 
you  see  so  many  men  ? 

S. — Deployed  in  line  back  on  that  hill  after  the  engagement  was  over. 

T. — O  yes!  I  guess  that  you  saw  the  whole  brigade  in  that  line;  but  only 
one  regiment — the  Second  Tennessee — was  engaged  yesterday.  We  have  enough 
cavalry  in  the  valley  above  here  to  whip  your  whole  army. 

[Lee,  Roddy  and  Wheeler  were  all  in  North  Alabama  at  that  time. — R.  R.  H._j 

.S*. — I  guess  you  are  mistaken  about  that,  too.  Another  reason  why  you 
must  be  mistaken  about  the  number  engaged  yesterday  is,  that  one  hundred  of 
my  men  were  killed  on  the  field  ;  and  no  three  hundred  men  could  have  killed 
so  many  in  so  short  a  time. 

T. — I  am  sure  that  the  number  engaged  did  not  exceed  three  hundred;  and 
if  there  was  a  single  man  killed  on  our  side  I  did  not  hear  of  it. 

J.  H.  Thomas  was  sent  right  on  to  Alton,  Illinois;  they  would  not  allow  him 
to  remain  with  his  brother. 

E.  D.  Thomas  says  that  forty  ambulances  were  sent  to  luka,  in  one  train, 
loaded  with  wounded — from  two  to  three  in  each  ambulance — and  all  Federals 
except  himself  and  one  more.  After  remaining  at  luka  about  eleven  days,  he 
was  sent  to  Memphis,  where  he  remained  about  three  months.  He  had  now 
about  recovered  from  his  wound.  He  was  sent  from  Memphis  to  Alton,  Illi- 
nois, and,  after  remaining  there  about  two  months,  he  and  his  brother  were  sent 
to  Fort  Delaware.  Being  paroled  at  that  prison,  after  staying  there  about 
eleven  months,  they  arrived  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  on  the  3d  of  March,  1865. 
From  there,  by  a  circuitous  route  through  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi, 
they  went  to  West  Tennessee,  vtrhere  they  remained  until  the  war  closed, 


October,  1863.  273 


(Company  C)  were  wounded.  Perhaps  one  or  two  oth- 
ers were  wounded.  To  recapitulate:  Our  loss  was  one 
killed  and  about  eight  wounded — two  mortally.  If  there 
was  a  man  killed  or  wounded  in  the  Fifty-sixth  Alabama 
or  Sanders'  Battalion,  the  writer  never  heard  of  it. 

I  cannot  see  what  General  Ferguson  expected  to  ac- 
complish by  attacking  General  Sherman's  army  at  all ; 
and  I  am  yet  at  a  still  greater  loss  to  explain  why  he 
allowed  the  Second  Tennessee  to  contend  ao-ainst  such 
fearful  odds,  2tnsicpported,  for  two  long  hours  before  he 
ordered  them  to  fall  back.  However,  as  this  was  their 
first  action  under  his  command,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
his  main  object  was  to  try  their  mettle. 

Sherman's  advance  (about  four  regiments  of  iniantry) 
had  been  camping  near  Tuscumbia,  but  had  moved  back 
to  the  main  army  that  morning  just  in  advance  of  us. 
It  was  a  rainy  day,  and  as  the  Federals  had  got  wet 
•during  their  march  that  morning,  they  were  in  their 
tents  changing  their  clothing  at  the  time  we  attacked 
them.  It  is  strange  that  Sherman  would  allow  himself 
to  be  taken  as  completely  by  surprise  as  it  seemed  that 
he  was  this  time.  I  suppose  that  he  thought  that 
there  were  no  Confederates  nearer  than  Tuscumbia,  as 
those  regiments  (infantry)  had  just  come  from  a  point 
a  little  west  of  that  place  without  being  molested.  But 
it  so  happened  that  we  followed  right  at  their  heels.  It 
was  the  complete  surprise  that  must  have  made  the 
great  difference  between  the  Federal  and  Confederate 
losses  in  this  engagement.     (See  foot  note.) 

After  the  death  of  Captain  Puryear  Lieutenant  J.  M. 

Hastes  was  made  Captain  of  Company  G  by  promotion. 

B.  H.  Moore  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  and  A. 

W.  Lipscomb  to  Second,  thus  leaving  the  Third  Lieu- 

18 


274  .  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


tenancy  vacant.     J.J.  Lawrence  was  elected  to  fill  said! 
vacancy. 

Thjirsday,  22d. — Ross'  Brigade  went  out  on  picket.. 
A  part  of  our  regiment  was  tearing  up  the  railroad  and 
burning  cross-ties.     All  quiet  in  front. 

Friday,  2jd. — Ferguson's  Brigade,  with  two  pieces  of 
artillery,  went  out  to  relieve  Ross'  Brigade.  Lee  still 
kept  part  of  his  division  ''fixing'''  the  railroad  in  ad- 
vance of  Sherman.  I  guess  that  when  he  (Sherman) 
examined  it  he  thought  that  some  one  had  been  fixing 
it.  There  was  a  line  of  couriers,  two  every  six  miles, 
from  Lee  to  Bragg,  near  Chattanooga.  By  this  means 
the  latter  was  kept  posted  in  reference  to  the  progress 
that  Sherman  was  making  in  his  march  to  Chattanooga. 
Sherman  was  kind  enough  to  let  us  rest  that  day. 

Saturday,  z^th. — Ferguson's  Brigade  was  still  on' 
picket.  The  two  pieces  of  artillery  that  we  had  with  us 
were  supported  by  the  Second  Tennessee.  Had  a  nice 
position  for  our  artillery,  a  good  view  for  some  distance- 
west.  About  daybreak  the  Federal  skirmish  line  ad- 
vanced, driving  our  skirmish  line  before  it.  They  then 
moved  up  their  artillery  in  sight  of  our  position  and 
threw  a  few  bomb-shells,  which  fell  far  short  of  us. 
The  captain  of  our  artillery  thought  that  he  would  not 
waste  his  powder  and  balls  at  such  long  range,  but  wait 
until  they  came  up  closer.  However,  they  soon  fell 
back  without  having  any  general  engagement,  so  our 
artillery  did  not  fire  a  shot.  Being  relieved  in  the  even- 
ing by  Ross'  Brigade,  Ferguson  moved  back  to  his  biv- 
ouac east  of  Cane  Creek. 

Sunday,  2^th. — All  quiet  in  front  again,  and  we  are 
still  occupying  the  same  bivouac  that  we  did  the  21st. 
It  seems  that  Sherman  is  moving  very  slow;  especially^ 


October,  1863.  275 


does  it  seem  so  when  we  consider  that  he  has  been  or- 
dered to  move  with  all  possible  speed  to  the  relief  of 
the  Federal  army  at  Chattanooga,  now  in  an  awful 
strait.  Though,  perhaps,  Lee  is  woX.  fixijig  the  railroad 
to  suit  him,  and,  therefore,  he  has  to  stop  and  rejix  it  in 
some  places. 

An  explanation  is  necessary  here  before  I  give  the 
next  move  in  which  the  Second  Tennessee  took  part, 
A  good  many  "tories"  in  Marion,  Winston,  and  Fay- 
ette Counties,  Alabama,  had  joined  the  Federal  army. 
I  suppose  that  they  thought  that  while  Sherman's  army 
was  in  North  Alabama,  holding  the  attention  of  all  the 
Confederate  Cavalry  in  that  section,  it  would  be  a  g-ood 
time  for  them  to  take  the  "old  woman  and  children" 
some  sugar  and  coffee.  So  General  Lee  happened  to 
learn  that  the  First  Alabama  tory  Cavalry  (about  seven 
hundred  strong)  had  been  out  in  the  above  named  coun- 
ties and  was  then  on  its  return  to  luka.  So  Lee 
thought  that  he  could  spare  two  regiments  and  still  have 
enough  left  to  manage  Sherman — that  is  to  fall  back  as 
fast  as  the  latter  would  advance.  Therefore,  General 
Ferguson,  with  the  Second  Tennessee  and  Second  Ala- 
bama Regiments,  moved  out  from  his  bivouac  on  Cane 
Creek  about  half  after  seven  o'clock  p.  m.  After  a 
march  of  about  thirty-five  miles  in  a  south-west  direc- 
tion, over  an  awful  rough,  hilly  country,  we  halted  about 
sunrise  on  the  26th  and  fed  our  horses  near  the  junction 
of  Cedar  and  Bear  Creeks.  Swinging  ourselves  into 
the  saddle  again,  after  a  hasty,  scanty  breakfast,  cross- 
ing Bear  Creek,  we  moved  west  to  the  Eastport-Fulton 
road,  thence  in  the  direction  of  Fulton.  We  had  not 
gone  far  in  the  direction  of  Fulton  before  the  Second 
Alabama,  which  was  in  advance,  met  that  Federal-tory 


276  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

scout.  Hearing  the  firing  in  front,  our  regiment  halted, 
and  while  waiting  for  orders,  the  Federals  threw  a  few 
canister-shot  among  us,  from  a  couple  of  small  pieces  of 
artillery  which  they  had  along  with  them ;  but,  luckily, 
no  one  was  hurt.  Our  regiment  and  two  companies  of 
the  Second  Alabama  formed  and  dismounted  in  an  old 
field  to  the  left  of  the  road,  while  the  rest  of  the  Second 
Alabama  was  thrown  out  to  the  right.  The  Federal 
skirmish  line,  on  the  left  of  the  road,  was  in  a  skirt  of 
woods  a  short  distance  in  our  front,  while  their  main 
line  was  just  behind  this  skirt  of  woods  in  another  old 
field.  All  things  being  now  ready  the  whole  line  was 
ordered  to  charge.  Their  skirmish  line  fell  back  through 
those  woods  as  we  advanced,  and  after  heavy  firing 
from  both  sides  for  a  few  minutes  we  drove  them  from 
their  position  on  the  left  of  the  road.  Seeing  that  the 
squadron  from  the  Second  Alabama  had  failed  to  move 
the  Federals  on  the  rigfht  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton 
dashed  across  the  road  to  their  assistance  with  two 
companies  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  and  he  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  them  from  their  position  on  the  right 
also.  Then  our  whole  line  moved  forward  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  without  meeting  any  opposition.  As  soon 
as  our  horses  could  be  brought  to  us  we  mounted. 
Dashing  forward  a  short  distance  we  dismounted  again, 
but  as  it  proved  to  be  only  a  few  skirmishers  we  re- 
mounted. However,  not  far  from  this  they  made  an- 
other stand.  Charging  up  within  one  hundred  yards 
of  their  position  they  poured  a  volley  among  us,  and 
our  daring  leader,  Colonel  G.  H.  Morton,  fell  from  his 
horse.  Leaping  from  our  saddles,  charging  on  foot,  we 
o  completely  routed  the  Federals  that  they  did  not 
make  another  stand,  but  dashed  through  the  woods  to 


OcTOBEK,  1863.  277 


our  right.  Seeing-  that  Colonel  Morton  had  fallen,  our 
Adjutant,  Pleas.  A.  Smith,  immediately  assumed  com- 
mand, and  very  gallantly  lead  the  Second  Tennessee  in 
this  last  charge.  Remounting  and  dashing  down  the 
road  we  soon  learned  that  none  of  the  Federals  had 
retreated  along  the  main  road.  Turning  and  passing 
back  through  the  battlefield  our  hearts  leaped  for  joy 
on  seeing  Colonel  Morton  in  the  saddle  again.  He  had 
been  struck  in  the  breast  by  a  spent  ball,  which,  though 
knocking  him  lifeless  for  a  few  moments,  bruising  him 
considerably,  did  not  break  the  flesh.  As  it  was  now 
about  nightfall  we  did  not  pursue,  but  moving  back  to 
we  bivouacked  near  our  hospital. 

Notwithstanding  he  had  been  successful  in  completely 
routing  this  Federal-tory  scout,  I  think  that  General 
Ferguson  had  failed  to  accomplish  all  that  he  had  de- 
signed. Mooreland's  Battalion,  from  General  Roddy's 
Brigade,  was  to  attack  the  Federals  in  the  rear  about 
the  same  time  that  he  [Ferguson]  attacked  them  in 
front,  and  thus  make  a  capture  in  place  of  a  roiU.  But 
owing  to  some  mishap  or  other  Mooreland  failed  to  ap- 
pear in  the  rear  at  the  proper  time.  However,  I  think 
that  he  arrived  upon  the  scene  in  time  to  follow  a  short 
distance,  giving  them  a  few  parting  shots.  The  Second 
Tennessee  lost  two  killed.  One  of  them,  George 
Brown,*  was  the  First  Sergeant  of  Company  D,  and  the 
other,  Dave  Reeves,*  a  private  from  Company  G. 
Three,  besides  Colonel  Morton,  were  wounded.  Two 
of  them,  Richard  Davenport  and  J,  H.  Cavender,  were 
from  Company  C  (McKnight's  Company).  The  latter 
was  so  severely  wounded  that  his  leg  had  to  be  ampu- 

■■■■They  were  decently  buried  at  Fulton,  Mississippi,  the  next  evening.  D. 
B.  Willard,  of  Company  C,  superintended. 


278  E.  B.  Hancock's  Diary. 

tated.     The  Second  Alabama  had  three  or  four  wounded, 
none  killed. 

I  do  not  know  the  exact  loss  of  the  Federals.  How 
ever,  from  the  best  information  I  could  g^et  their  loss 
was  about  eleven  killed  and  twenty  wounded.  We  cap- 
tured about  twenty-five,  besides  their  wounded.  We 
also  captured  their  two  pieces  of  artillery,  several  horses 
and  mules,  cavalry  and  pack  saddles,  a  good  many  over- 
coats and  blankets,  a  few  small  arms,  some  ammunition, 
and  two  or  three  sacks  of  coffee.  The  prisoners  said 
that  they  burned  their  wagons  back  in  Alabama.  (We 
met  them  in  Mississippi.)  We  thought  that,  perhaps, 
their  wagons  were  concealed,  in  place  of  being  burned. 

The  Federals  advanced  on  General  Lee,  drivinof  him 
back  a  few  miles  east  of  Tuscumbia.  However,  they 
remained  in  Tuscumbia  only  one  night,  falling  back  the 
next  day — the  27th.  Lee  followed  them  down  below 
Cane  Creek. 

Ttiesday,  2ph. — Moving  out  east,  alter  proper  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  for  the  burial  of  the  dead, 
and  takinor  care  of  the  wounded.  General  Ferguson 
bivouacked  within  nine  miles  of  Russellville.  C^3tain 
McKnight's  Company  was  stopped  two  miles  west  for 
picket. 

Wednesday,  28th. — Marching  on  through  Russellville, 
thence  along  the  Courtland  road,  he  bivouacked  ten 
miles  east  of  the  former  place. 

Thursday,  2gth. — Moving  on  north-east  we  camped 
at  Courtland,  some  twenty-four  miles  west  of  Decatur. 

Friday,  joth. — Marching  fourteen  miles  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Florence  we  bivouacked  with  the  rest  of  the 
brigade.  Here  we  learned  that  Sherman*  had  aban- 
doned the   Memphis  and   Charleston   Railroad,  crossed 

■■■■  He  got  to  Bridgeport  on  the  13th  of  November. 


NOYEMBER,   18G3.  279 


the  Tennessee  River  at  Eastport,  and  was  marching 
toward  Chattanooga  along  the  north  side  of  the  river. 
This  was  a  very  disagreeable  day  on  account  of  so  much 
rain. 

Saturday,  j/i"/. -^Ferguson's  Brigade  marched  south 
to  Leaton,  thence  east  along  the  railroad  to  Town 
Creek,  and  encamped  in  a  nice  oak  grove. 

Wednesday,  November  ^th. — The  brigade  left  the  nice 
oak  grove  on  Town  Creek,  marched  seven  miles  east, 
and  bivouacked  at  Courtland, 

Thursday,  ^th. — By  taking  a  wrong  road  we  were 
nearly  all  day  moving  three  miles  east  of  Courtland.  It 
was  really  provoking  to  think  that  we  had  to  ride  all 
day  in  a  cold  November  rain,  when  we  should  have 
made  the  trip  in  one  hour. 

Sunday,  8th. — A  detachment  of  fifty  men,  from  the 
Second  Tennessee,  under  the  command  of  Captain  T. 
B.  Underwood,  left  our  bivouac,  three  miles  east  of 
Courtland,  at  seven  o'clock  p.  m.  We  supposed  that 
they  were  going  to  cross  the  Tennessee  River.  I  shall 
speak  of  this  scout  again  when  they  return. 

Monday,  gth. — Ferguson's  Brigade  moved  a  few  miles 
nearly  north,  and  bivouacked  within  two  miles  of  Brown's 
Ferry.  Some  think  we  are  going  to  cross  the  Tennessee 
JR-iver,  while  others  are  of  the  opinion  that  we  are  going 
back  to  Mississippi.  It  is  evident  that  all  this  cavalry 
will  not  remain  in  North  Alabama  much  longer,  from 
two  considerations :  First,  Sherman  has  now  passed  on 
toward  Chattanooga;  and,  in  the  second  place,  forage 
is  too  scarce. 

Tuesday,  loth. — Moving  out  about  ten  o'clock  a,  m. 
the  brigade  passed  on  through  Courtland,  thence  along 
the  Russellville  road,  and  camped  on  Mr.  East's  planta- 


280  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary, 

tion,  some  ten  miles  east  of  the  latter  place.  Marched 
thirty  miles.  The  question,  as  to  where  we  are  going, 
is  now  no  longer  debatable — this  day's  march  has  de- 
cided that  we  are  going  back  to  Mississippi. 

Wednesday,  nth. — The  two  brigades  met  at  and 
camped  near  Russellville,  Ross'  Brigade  had  come 
down  the  Malton-Russellville  road.  So  the  division  was 
together  again,  for  the  first  time  since  the  25th  of  Oc- 
tober. 

Thursday,  12th. — After  a  march  of  twenty-one  miles- 
Lee's  Division  bivouacked  near  Burlison,  on  Bear  Creek. 

Friday,  ijth. — The  division  passed  back  out  of  Ala- 
bama into  Mississippi  again.  After  a  march  of  about 
twenty-seven  miles  we  bivouacked  on  the  Smithville 
road. 

General  Lee  sent  W,  W,  Hawkins  and  the  writer  to 
White's  Ferry,  seven  miles  from  our  camp,  on  the  Tom- 
bigbee  River,  to  examine  the  boat  and  see  if  the  river 
could  be  forded  at  that  point.  On  returning  to  his 
headquarters  we  reported  no  boat  there,  and  the  river 
not  fordable, 

Saturday,  14th. — Ferguson's  Brigade,  turning  nearly 
south  at  Smithville,  forded  the  Tombigbee  about  one- 
half  mile  above  Cotton  Gin  Port,  and  bivouacked  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river.  Ross'  Brigade  crossed  the 
river  near  Smithville. 

Sunday,  i^th. — The  division  got  back  to  Okolona  on 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.  Ferguson's  Brigade 
encamped  one  mile  north  of  town,  where  we  found  our 
tents  and  the  balance  of  our  wagon  train,  which  were 
left  at  Pontotoc  on  the  6th  of  October.  As  it  is  now 
nearly  midwinter,  we  are  glad  to  get  back  to  our  tents 
again.     However,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  resting  and 


/  YORK 


m 


Captain  T.   B.   UNDERWOOD. 


November,  18G3.  281 


enjoying  our  tents  only  about  ten  days  before  we  had  to 
go  on  another  expedition,  as  the  following  pages  will 
show. 

Saturday,  21st. — The  Second  Tennessee  was  paid  for 
two  months'  service — July  and  August. 

Captain  T.  B.  Underwood,  who  left  the  regiment  near 
Courtland,  the  8th  inst.,  with  fifty  men.  got  back  to 
camp. 

Besides  the  fifty  well-mounted  men.  Captain  Under- 
wood had  with  him,  on  this  Tennessee  expedition.  Lieu- 
tenants A.  H.  French  (Company  A)  and  A.  W.  Lips- 
comb (Company  G),  and  our  Adjutant,  P.  A.  Smith. 

Notwithstanding  Sherman's  army  was,  at  that  time, 
moving  eastward  along  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Tennes- 
see, Captain  Underwood  was  instructed  to  cross  that 
stream,  and,  with  his  gallant  little  band  of  followers, 
burn  as  many  bridges  and  trestles  as  he  possibly  could 
alone  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad  south  of  Co- 
lumbia. 

Having  set  out  from  our  camp,  near  Courtland,  Ala- 
bama, about  nightfall  on  the  8th  instant  (as  previously 
mentioned),  they  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  at  De- 
catur by  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  soon  learned 
that  the  enemy  was  near  by ;  but,  as  their  object  was  to 
attack  the  railroad  and  not  the  Federals,  they,  by  skill- 
ful maneuvering,  avoided  coming  in  contact  with  the  lat- 
ter, and,  after  hard  riding,  they  struck  the  former  just 
north  of  Pulaski,  burning  the  bridges  and  trestles  along 
the  railroad  to  a  point  within  ten  miles  of  Columbia. 
As  a  considerable  Federal  force,  commanded  by  Gen- 
eral Negley,  was  at  that  place,  and  as  the  object  for  which 
this  expedition  had  been  set  on  foot  was  now  mainly 
accomplished,  they  decided  to  return — or  at  least  make 


282  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

an  effort  to  do  so,  for  well  did  they  know  that  this  would 
be  a  difficult  matter,  from  the  fact  that  Sherman's  army, 
estimated  at  twenty  thousand  men,  was  between  them 
and  the  Tennessee  River;  and  that  broad  stream  was 
another  barrier  between  them  and  their  command. 

The  Federals  were  not  using-  the  railroad  south  of 
Columbia,  but  were  preparing  to  send  out  trains ;  and 
the  road  was  in  condition  to  be  used  before  it  was  at- 
tacked by  Captain  Underwood's  scout. 

His  horses,  as  well  as  his  men,  were  now  very  much 
fatigued,  as  the  Captain  had  scarcely  stopped,  day  or 
night,  longer  than  to  feed. 

Soon  after  setting  out  on  their  return,  Underwood  and 
his  men  found  themselves  in  the  fork  of  the  pikes,  the 
right  prong  of  which  led  to  Shelbyville  and  the  left  to 
Columbia  from  Pulaski,  with  Federals  encamped  on  both 
roads  for  six  miles.  Deciding  that  it  would  be  too  haz- 
ardous to  attempt  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  camp 
that  night,  they  fell  back  into  the  hills  some  two  or  three 
miles,  where  they  expected  that  they  would  have  to  re- 
main for  some  time  ;  but,  on  learning  from  a  citizen  at 
ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  that  a  heavy  cavalry  force 
was  near  their  camp,  they  immediately  started  again  to 
make  their  way  out.  Fortunately  evading  coming  in 
contact  with  the  enemy  they  drew  rein  about  daylight 
the  next  morning  in  the  vicinity  of  Athens,  Alabama, 
after  a  ride  of  about  ninety  miles.  Here  they  learned 
that  seven  hundred  cavalry  were  in  that  place,  with  a 
picket  at  Decatur,  where  they  had  been  expecting  to  be 
able  to  recross  the  Tennessee.  Deciding  to  make  an 
effort  to  recross  at  some  point  lower  down  the  river — 
perhaps  about  Lamb's  Ferry — they  turned  and  marched 
westward  to  Elk  River,  where  they  halted  and  rested 
the  balance  of  the  day. 


NOYEMBER,  1863.  283 


They  were  now  within  twenty-five  miles  of  Lamb's 
Ferry;  and  how  it  saddened  the  hearts  of  these  daring 
riders  to  learn  that  this  ferry,  too,  was  guarded  by  three 
hundred  Federal  cavalry!  They  now  began,  to  despair 
of  being  able  to  cross  the  river,  and  some  of  them  were 
trying  to  make  up  their  minds  to  go  to  Hickman  County 
and  join  the  guerrillas. 

After  consultation  Captain  Underwood  decided  to  let 
Lieutenant  Lipscomb  and  Allen  L.  Wylie  descend  Elk 
River  after  dark  to  its  mouth,  and  make  an  effort  to  pro- 
cure floats  by  which  the  command  might  be  able  to  cross 
the  Tennessee  at  or  near  that  point.  Soon  after  they 
had  started,  Underwood  learned  from  a  citizen  direct 
from  Lamb's  Ferry  that  the  enemy  had  left  that  ferry, 
and  also  that  the  way  was  open  to  that  point.  At  the 
receipt  of  this  intelligence  a  shout  of  joy  went  up  from 
that  camp.  Procuring  a  guide  and  setting  out  at  once 
(about  nine  p.  m.),  the  Captain  got  to  Lamb's  Ferry  at 
sunup  next  morning,  and  by  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  he  had  all 
his  men  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  except 
Lipscomb  and  Wylie,  whom  he  had  now  about  given  up 
as  lost;  but,  greatly  to  the  joy  of  their  comrades,  these 
gallant  troopers  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river,  and  re- 
joined the  command  late  that  afternoon. 

Being  now  out  of  danger  they  moved  at  their  leisure 
until  they  rejoined  the  regiment,  near  Okolona,  Missis- 
sippi, as  previously  mentioned. 

COMIVIENTARIES. 

I.  As  Brigadier-General  N.  B.  Forrest,  who  is  now 
somewhat  famous  as  a  cavalry  commander,  is  now  at 
Okolona,  perhaps  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  give,  just  here, 
some  explanation  in  reference  to  how  it  so  happened 


284  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


that  he  was  sent,  just  at  this  time,  to  the  North  Missis- 
sippi Department. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh  Forrest  was  transferred 
to  General  Bragg,  and  did  service  under  him  until  he 
was  sent  to  this  department.  A  few  days  after  the  bat- 
tle in  front  of  Chattanooga  (which  was  fought  the  19th 
and  20th  of  September)  General  Forrest  was  ordered  to 
transfer  all  his  command  but  one  brigade  to  General 
Wheeler  for  an  expedition  into  Middle  Tennessee  in 
rear  of  Rosecrans.  He  frankly  presented  to  his  supe- 
rior that  he  regarded  this  reduction  of  his  command  as 
an  injustice  to  himself.  Whereupon,  General  Bragg  as- 
sured him  that  his  old  command  should  be  restored  to 
him  at  the  conclusion  of  Wheeler's  expedition.  With 
this  understanding,  and  there  being  no  service  impend- 
ing of  importance  on  the  immediate  flank  where  his 
present  force  was  posted,  Forrest  now  applied  for  a  leave 
of  absence  for  ten  days  to  go  to  LaGrange,  Georgia,  on 
the  railroad  southward,  to  see  his  wife,  for  the  first  time 
in  eighteen  months. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  however,  when  at  LaGrange, 
he  received  an  order  dated  the  3d,  placing  him  hereafter 
under  the  command  of  General  Wheeler.  In  view  of 
assurances  so  recent  of  a  different  arrangement — remem- 
bering, too,  the  ill-fated  expedition  against  Dover  in 
February,  1863,  in  which  he  took  part  under  the  com- 
mand of  Wheeler,  and  feeling  that  his  usefulness  as  a 
cavalry  soldier,  if  again  placed  under  him,  must  be  de- 
stroyed, he  was,  therefore,  extremely  dissatisfied. 

Many  of  the  prominent  people  of  West  Tennessee 
and  North  Mississippi*  had,  about  a  month  previous  to 

■•■■North  Mississippi  and  Memphis,  Tennessee,  had  been  the  home  of  Forrest 
from  the  age  of  thirteen  to  the  beginning  of  the  war.  Consequently  he  was  well' 
known  to  these  petitioners. 


NovEMBEK,  1863.  285 


this,  made  urgent  appeals  to  him  to  come  to  their  sec- 
tion and  attempt  to  assemble  their  scattered  resources 
for  defensive  as  well  as  offensive  operations. 

Being  confident  that  he  could  soon  be  at  the  head 
of  a  fine  command  here  in  North  Mississippi,  the  main 
elements  of  which  were,  as  yet,  scattered  over  West 
Tennessee,  inside  the  Federal  lines,  and  consequently 
substantially  lost  to  the  service,  he  therefore  sent  his 
resignation  as  Brigadier-General  to  Bragg,  at  the  same 
time  requesting  a  transfer  to  this  department.  Presi- 
dent Davis  was  at  Bragg's  headquarters  when  Forrest's 
resignation  reached  it,  and  wrote  him  a  letter  in  grace- 
ful language,  announcing  that  he  could  not  accept  his 
resignation*  or  dispense  with  his  services;  but,  after  a 
personal  interview  some  days  later,  he  agreed  that  For- 
rest should  be  transferred,  with  such  forces  as  General 
Bragg  could  possibly  spare.  General  Forrest  was  al- 
lowed to  bring  with  him  to  his  new  field  of  command 
and  action,  in  addition  to  his  escort  company,  Mc- 
Donald's Battalion  (Forrest's  old  regiment)  and  John 
W.  Morton's  Battery  of  four  guns — a  force,  all  told,  em- 
bracing three  hundred  and  ten,  rank  and  file.  This  force 
marched  from  Chickamauga,  by  the  way  of  Rome,  Geor- 
gia, Talladega  and  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  and  Colum- 
bus, Mississippi,  to  Okolona,  where  it  arrived  about  the 
1 8th  instant.  General  Forrest,  coming  by  rail,  arrived 
three  days  earlier. 

As  his  first  design  was  to  throw  himself,  through  the 
Federal  line,  into  West  Tennessee,  and  bring  to  bear 
his  personal  influence  upon  the  scattered  fighting  ele- 
inents  abounding  there,  and  thus  to  bring  them  together 

*In  place  of  accepting  his  resignation  as  Brigadier-General,  Forrest  was,  a 
ifew  days  later  (December  4th),  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major-General. 


286  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


in  numbers  sufficient  to  make  an  effective  offensive  force,, 
and  as  he  would  need  help  to  effect  a  passage  across  the 
formidable  barrier  of  the  fortified  line  of  the  Memphis 
and  Charleston  Railroad,  he  therefore,  while  on  his  way 
to  Okolona,  had  called  on  the  commander  of  this  de- 
partment— Joseph  E.  Johnston — at  Meridian,  and  ex- 
plained in  full  his  views  and  the  scope  of  projected  oper- 
ations. That  officer,  giving  him  a  cordial  welcome  within 
his  department,  expressed  his  approbation  of  his  projects, 
and  at  once  caused  the  proper  orders  to  be  issued,  in- 
cludino-  instructions  to  S.  D.  Lee  to  second  his  under- 
takings  in  all  possible  ways. 

2.  Four  small  brigades  and  two  hundred  and  forty 
West  Tennessee  partisans,  under  General  R.  V.  Rich- 
ardson, constituted  the  Confederate  force  in  all  North 
Mississippi,  except  the  veterans  coming  with  General 
Forrest.  General  James  R.  Chalmers'  Division,  which 
is  composed  of  two  demi-brigades,  commanded  by  Mc- 
Culloch  and  Slemmons,  extends  from  Panola,  along  the 
south  bank  of  the  Tallahatchie  River,  to  Rocky  Ford. 
The  other  two  brigades — Ross'  and  Ferguson's — are  at 
Okolona.  There  are  now  no  Federals  in  the  interior  of 
West  Tennessee,  but  they  have  a  strong  force  at  Mem- 
phis and  Corinth,  with  various  posts  along  the  line  of 
the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad,  with  rapid  means 
of  intercommunication  and  mutual  succor. 

Wednesday,  2§th. — As  General  Forrest  was  now  ready 
to  start  on  his  West  Tennessee  expedition.  General 
Lee  commenced  the  movement  of  his  force  for  the  pur- 
pose of  assisting  the  former  in  passing  the  Federal 
lines. 

After  resting  ten  days  at  Okolona  our  brigade  (Fer- 
guson's) took  up  the  line  of  march  again.     Moving  only 


0^        '  tov 


GENERAL  JAMES  R.  CHALMERS. 


PUBUl 


A'"' 


NOYEMBER,  1863.  287 


five  miles,  we  camped  for  the  night  on  the  Pontotoc 
road.  All  of  our  tents  and  a  part  of  our  cooking  ves- 
sels were  left  at  Okolona. 

As  his  superiors  were  absent,  Captain  M.  W.  Mc- 
Knight  was  in  command  of  the  Second  Tennessee^ 
leaving  Lieutenant  H.  L.  W.  Turney  in  command  of 
Company  C. 

Thursday,  26th. — After  marching  some  twenty  miles 
the  brigade  halted  for  the  night  near  Pontotoc.  Ross' 
Brigade  also  moved  from  Okolona  to  Pontotoc.  Both 
brigades  were  now  under  Ferguson. 

Friday,  zjth. — The  division  moved  to  New  Albany, 
eighteen  miles  north.  About  eight  p.  m.  the  command 
drew  six  days'  rations  of  flour,  and  we  were  ordered  to 
cook  it  all  that  night.  About  midnight — just  as  we  had 
finished  cooking  our  rations — we  were  ordered  to  sad- 
dle and  mount  immediately.  It  was  reported  that  six 
hundred  Federals  were  moving  from  Chesterville  (eight- 
een miles  south-east)  to  Ripley  (seventeen  miles  north). 
Ferguson  moved  out  from  New  Albany,  with  his  brig- 
ade, in  the  direction  of  Ripley,  hoping  to  intercept  this 
Federal  scout  at  that  place.  It  was  raining  when  we 
started,  and  it  continued  to  rain.  McKnight's  Com- 
pany, with  Lieutenant  H.  L.  W.  Turney  in  command, 
was  the  advance  guard.  After  a  march  of  about  nine 
miles  we  came  to  a  creek  that  was  too  full  for  the  com- 
mand to  cross,  and  no  hope  of  its  falling  soon,  for  it  was 
still  raining.  Therefore  Ferguson  gave  up  the  Federal 
hunt  and  returned  to  New  Albany.  We  got  back  to 
camps  a  little  after  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  the  28th, 
and  a  set  of  cold,  wet  "  rebs  "  were  we.  It  was  an  aw- 
ful disagreeable  night. 

The  Second  Tennessee  and  Fifty-sixth  Alabama  are 


289.  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

encamped  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  Tallahatchie 
River;  the  rest  of  the  division  has  not  crossed  yet,  but 
encamped  on  the  south-west  side. 

Simday,  zgtJi. — The  Tallahatchie  is  now  so  swollen 
that  it  is  past  fording.  So  we  have  to  stop  and  go  to 
work.  They  first  undertook  to  build  a  raft,  but,  for 
some  cause,  they  have  quit  the  raft  and  are  now  rep^air- 
ing  an  old  bridge  for  the  rest  of  our  division,  as  well  as 
Forrest's  command,  to  cross.  As  we  have  been  de- 
layed by  high  water  more  rations  have  been  issued,  and 
we  are  again  ordered  to  cook  six  days'  rations. 

Monday,  joih. — The  Federals  are  reported  within 
three  miles  of  our  camps.  The  rest  of  our  brigade 
have  crossed  the  river  on  a  foot-log,  as  the  bridge  is  not 
yet  done.  False  alarm— the  Federals  did  not  come. 
Companies  C  and  D  went  to  Lee's  mill,  seven  miles 
above  New  Albany.  No  Federals  had  been  there.  We 
learned  that  they  had  camped  about  two  miles  south  of 
Ripley  the  night  before.  After  feeding  our  horses  we 
returned  to  camps.  That  portion  of  our  brigade  that 
had  crossed  on  the  foot-log  to  our  assistance  returned 
to  their  camps.  , 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton  havingf  arrived,  took  com- 
mand  of  the  Second  Tennessee.  Therefore,  Captain 
McKnight  took  command  of  his  company.  Generals 
Forrest,  Lee,  and  Richardson  are  at  New  Albany.  The 
latter  is  going  through  with  Forrest.  The  bridge  is 
now  finished ;  so  all  things  are  again  ready  for  a  for- 
ward movement. 

Tuesday,  December  ist. — The  whole  command,  includ- 
ing Forrest's,  moved  out  in  the  direction  of  Ripley,  with 
Ferguson's  Brigade  in  front.  When  within  about  six 
miles  of  Ripley  his  advance  guard  met  a  small  Federal 


December,  1803.  289 


scout,  which  turned  and  went  back  in  the  direction  of 
Ripley.  The  advance  guard  fired  a  few  shots  occasion- 
ally, as  they  would  happen  to  get  sight  of  the  Federals. 
From  Ripley  they  lell  back  in  the  direction  of  Poca- 
hontas, Tennessee,  still  followed  by  our  brigade.  Skir^ 
mishing  grew  heavier  after  we  passed  Ripley,  for  the 
Federals  increased  to  perhaps  one  thousand  by  the  time 
they  were  five  miles  north  of  that  place.  Ferguson  con- 
tinued driving  the  Federals  back,  without  meeting  with 
any  heavy  resistance,  to  a  point  about  ten  miles  north  of 
Ripley,  and  within  fifteen  miles  of  Pocahontas.  There, 
giving  up  the  chase,  he  turned  back.  Confederate  loss 
was  one  man  wounded  and  one  horse  killed.  The  Fed- 
eral loss  was  one  man  wounded.  That  is  all  that  I  heard 
of  on  either  side.  Our  brigade  camped  five  miles  north 
of  Ripley  on  the  Middleton  road.  Ross'  Brigade,  as 
well  as  Forrest's  command,  camped  near  Ripley. 

Wed?iesday,  2d. — Saulsbury,  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  Railroad,  twenty-seven  miles  north-west  from 
Ripley,  and  about  seven  miles  east  of  Grand  Junction, 
was  the  place  selected  to  let  Forrest  through  the  Fed- 
eral lines.  Accordingly,  the  command  moved  out  in 
that  direction,  with  our  brigade  in  front  again.  The 
Federal  pickets  (perhaps  thirty  or  forty  of  them,  posted 
some  eight  or  ten  miles  from  Saulsbury)  fired  on  our 
advance  guard,  wounding  two  or  three  horses,  then 
dashed  oft  in  the  direction  of  Saulsbury.  Nor  did  they 
stop  there,  for  when  we  got  to  Saulsbury  we  found  only 
one  white  soldier  and  one  colored.  We  were  agreeably 
surprised,  for  we  had  been  expecting  to  have  hard  fight- 
ing to  do  before  we  got  possession  of  the  place. 

The  way  now  being  opened,   General   Forrest,  here 
parting  with  General   Lee  and   the  convoy,  passed  011 
19 


290  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

into  West  Tennessee  with  five  hundred  officers  and  men, 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  five  ordnance  wagons.  P  or- 
rest  had  left  two  pieces  of  Morton's  Battery  and  fifty 
men  at  Okolona  for  the  want  of  horses,  thus  reducing 
his  force  of  trained  soldiers  to  two  hundred  and  sixty. 
The  West  Tennessee  partisans  under  Richardson  being 
added,  gave  him  a  force  all  told  of  five  hundred. 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  F"ederals  had  set  fire  to 
their  stores  and  the  two  box  cars  at  this  place,  or  Fer- 
guson's advance  guard.  At  any  rate,  this  small  village 
was  burned,  except  a  few  dwellings.  This  affair  of  let- 
ting Forrest  through  the  Federal  lines  has  been  very 
handsomely  accomplished,  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of 
General  Lee.  By  sending  Ferguson's  Brigade  to  make 
a  feint  on  Pocahontas  last  evening  the  Federals  fully 
believed  Lee  was  going  to  attack  that  place  in  force 
this  morning.  Therefore,  the  troops  stationed  here  and 
at  Grand  Junction  all,  except  small  squads,  moved  out 
in  the  direction  of  Pocahontas  early  this  morning,  so  say 
the  citizens  here.  Besides,  we  Can  plainly  see  signs 
of  their  march  along  the  road.  Thus  while  they  were 
concentratinor  their  forces  to  meet  Lee  at  Pocahontas 
Forrest  passed  here  unmolested. 

There  had  been  some  talk  of  our  regiment  going  with 
Forrest,  but  from  some  cause  we  did  not  go. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton  was  ordered  to  take  his 
regiment  and  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  picket  the  Po- 
cahontas road.  Accordingly  we  moved  out  about  one 
mile,  dismounted,  and  formed  in  battle  line  on  an  ele- 
vated portion  of  a  large,  open  field.  It  was  now  about 
nightfall.  We  remained  there  all  night.  However,  we 
were  allowed  to  fall  back  a  few  paces  and  build  fires 
along    the   line   so   as   to    prevent   suffering   with   cold. 


Dfx'EMBKK,  1803.  291 


Every  fourth  man  was  with  the  horses,  some  two  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  rear. 

TImrsday,  jd. — A  httle  after  midnight,  two  regiments 
of  our  brigade.  Twelfth  Mississippi  and  Second  Ala- 
bama, moved  out  east  on  the  Pocahontas  road. 

Going  about  five  miles  and  meeting  the  Federals, 
they  turned  back,  skirmishing  occasionally,  but  avoiding 
a  general  engagement.  A  lieutenant  in  the  Second 
Alabama  was  killed  by  one  of  his  own  men  through 
rnistake.  This  shows  the  double  danger  of  night  fight- 
ing. By  daybreak  the  skirmishing  was  in  sight  of  our 
position  ;  soon  after  which  those  two  regiments  fell  back 
and  formed,  one  to  the  rigrht  and  the  other  to  the  left  of 
Colonel  Morton's  position.  There  was  an  open  field  for 
half  a  mile  to  our  left  and  right,  and  also  in  front,  so  we 
had  a  splendid  view.  It  was  a  beautiful,  clear  morning. 
The  Federals  moved  their  artillery  out  into  the  opposite 
^ide  of  this  old  field,  in  plain  view  of  our  position,  un- 
limbered  and  opened  just  about  sunrise.  We  could  see 
the  smoke  curling  from  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  the 
bursting  of  the  shells  in  mid-air;  it  was  almost  equal  to 
a  display  of  fireworks.  The  scene  was  more  beautiful 
than  pleasant,  though  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  throw- 
ing those  shells  just  for  our  amusement,  for  they  did  not 
come  any  ways  near  us.  We  still  had  the  two  pieces  of 
.artillery  that  we  brought  out  on  picket  with  us  the  even- 
ing before,  so  Colonel  Morton  thought  that  he  would  let 
the  "F"eds"  know  that  we  had  some  artillery,  too;  and 
also  let  our  gunners  try  and  see  if  they  could  do  any 
better  shooting  than  had  been  done  from  the  other  side. 

By  this  time  the  Federals  were  moving  in  columns  to 

our  right  and  left,  through  this  old  field,  as  well  as  ad- 

"  vancing  on  our  center.      Our  artillery  opened,      "  Look! 


292  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

boys,  look!  that  was  a  good  shot."  The  Federal  col- 
umn movine  to  our  ri^ht  was  cut  in  twain.  "  That  beats 
anything  that  the  F"ederal  guns  have  done,  for  they  have 
not  yet  thrown  a  single  ball  to  our  line." 

By  this  time  we  could  plainly  see  that  the  Federals 
were  outflanking  us,  both  right  and  left.  It  was  now 
evident  that,  if  we  remained  there  much  longer,  we 
would  either  have  hard  fighting  to  do,  or  be  made  pris- 
oners on  the  spot.  However,  General  Lee,  taking  in 
the  situation  at  a  glance,  addressing  General  Ferguson, 
said,  "General,  withdraw  your  brigade  immediately!" 
x\ll  the  brigade  moved  off  except  our  regiment.  The 
Federals  were  now  forming  in  gunshot  of  us,  but  we 
had  orders  not  to  fire  a  gun.  The  Federal  artillery, 
having  been  brought  up  within  easy  range  of  us,  threw 
a  few  well-aimed  shots  at  our  regiment,  one  bomb  burst- 
ing nearly  directly  over  McKnight's  Company.  Colonel 
Morton,  now  being  ordered  to  withdraw,  moved  the 
Second  Tennessee  back  to  their  horses,  in  good  order,, 
under  fire  of  the  Federal  artillery,  without  having  a 
siJigle  man  Jmrt.  Mounting  and  moving  back  across  a 
creek,  and  up  a  short  hill,  the  regiment  halted  and 
formed  just  in  rear  of  where  the  Confederate  artillery* 
had  taken  another  position.  The  Federal  artillery  was 
soon  brought  up  and  planted  on  the  hill  that  we  had  just 
moved  from.  The  batteries  now  opened,  being  about 
equal  as  to  position,  and  in  easy  range  of  each  other. 
Right  here  we  had  about  as  nice  an  artillery  duel  as 
some  of  us  had  ever  witnessed.  However,  it  was  ot 
short  duration,  for  the  Federal  guns  were  soon  silenced, 
by  being  dismounted,  or  otherwise  injured,  while  not  a 


*  I  regret   that  I  do  not  know  whose  battery  this  was.     They  deserve  praise 
for  what  they  <lid  here.      I  think,  however,  that  it  was  S.  C.  Waite's  Battery. 


DECEMBEK,    ^Xi')o.  2!>3 


gun,  horse,  or  man  of  the  Confederate  battery  was  hurt; 
but  they  now  played  with  effect  upon  the  Federal  col- 
umn, which,  by  this  time,  was  moving  down  toward  the 
creek. 

As  General  Lee  had  accomplished  all  that  he  had  de- 
signed at  this  place — that  of  tearing  up  the  railroad, 
destroying  the  Federal  supplies,  and  passing  Forrest 
through  their  lines — he  now  moved  out,  nearly  west, 
along  the  south  side  of  the  railroad,  without  having  a 
general  engagement.  He  had  remained  this  long  in 
order  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Federals,  and  thus 
prevent  them  from  following  Forrest,  who,  by  this  time, 
must  have  been  well  on  his  way  toward  Jackson.  Col- 
onel Morton  was  ordered  to  bring  up  the  rear;  there- 
fore, he  was  again  the  last  to  leave  his  position,  though 
the  Federals  were  very  kind  in  allowing  him  to  move  oft 
quietly  unmolested.  After  going  about  five  miles  we 
halted  for  an  hour  or  more.  Here  the  Federal  advance 
came  in  sight  for  the  last  time  during  the  day.  After  a 
march  of  about  seventeen  miles,  Ferguson's  Brigade 
bivouacked  some  five  miles  north-west  of  Salem,  on  the 
LaGrange  road.  We  had  a  slow,  disagreeable  march, 
on  account  of  the  bottoms  of  Wolf  River  being  so  very 
bad.  Ross'  Brigade  bivouacked  a  little  west  of  Fergu- 
son's. 

Meanwhile,  General  Chalmers,  with  a  demi-brigade, 
under  McCulloch,  had  crossed  the  Tallahatchie  at  Rocky 
P^ord  to  co-operate  with  Lee.  He  bivouacked  about 
three  miles  west  of  Ferguson.  Chalmers'  other  brigade, 
under  Colonel  Slemmons,  crossing  at  Ponola,  was  ad- 
vancing to  threaten  the  railroad  west  of  Moscow,  and 
occupy  the  enemy  in  that  quarter.  Moscow  is  eight  or 
ten  miles  west  of  LaGranofe. 


294  R.  K.  Hancocks  Diary. 

FiHday.  ^th. — The  Memphis  and  Charleston  Ra;  ^aa 
crosses  Wolf  River  about  one  mile  west  of  Moscow, 
To  make  an  attempt  to  burn  the  railroad  bridge  that 
spans  Wolf  River,  at  the  above  named  place,  is  the  ob- 
ject for  which  Lee  set  his  command  in  motion  this  morn- 
ing. Moving  out  early,  Chalmers  in  front  and  Fergu- 
son in  rear,  we  crossed  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad 
at  Lama,  thence  north-west  in  the  direction  of  the  above 
named  bridge.  General  Lee,  with  McCulloch's  and 
Ross'  Brigades,  met  and  engaged  the  Federals  in  the 
river  bottom  near  said  bridge.  After  heavy  firing  for 
an  hour  or  more,  from  both  small  arms  and  artillery,* 
Lee  drove  the  F'ederals  back  to  the  river,  capturing 
about  forty  men,  and  several  horses.  He  pressed  them 
so  close  that  they  did  not  all  have  time  to  cross  on  the 
bridge  ;  therefore,  a  number  of  them  plunged  into  the 
river.  But  they  did  not  all  reach  the  opposite  bank;, 
some  were  killed,  some  were  drowned,  while  others 
would  turn  back  and  surrender.  Meanwhile,  the  Fed- 
erals had  collected  such  a  heavy  force  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  that  Lee,  thinking  that  the  damage  in- 
flicted by  his  burning  the  bridge  would  not  compensate 
for  the  men  that  he  would  probably  have  to  sacrifice  in 
burning  it,  withdrew  without  accomplishing  the  full  ob- 
ject for  which  he  made  this  attack. 

As  our  brigade  was  in  the  rear  we  did  not  get  there 
until  the  fighting  was  over.  From  the  best  information 
that  I  can  get,  Lee's  loss  was  about  ten  or  twelve  killed 
and  perhaps  more  wounded.  Ross'  Brigade  suffered 
most.  While  the  Federals  were  concentratingr  their 
forces  to  protect  this  bridge,  Slemmons  dashed  into  La- 
fayette, about  six  miles  west  of  us,  capturing  eight  Fed- 

*  Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground  Lee  used  his  artillery  but  little. 


December,  18G3.  295 


era.  afand  burning  their  supplies  without  having  any- 
fighting  to  do. 

Another  object  that  Lee  had  in  view  was  to  hold  the 
Federals  back  from  following  Forrest  as  long  as  possible. 

The  following,  which  explains  itself,  is  from  "Cam- 
paigns of  General  Forrest,"  page  379  : 

It  is  pro[)er  10  add  that  the  success  of  this  handsome  operation  was 
assisted,  unquestionably,  by  General  Lee's  attack  upon  Moscow  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of  December  with  McCulloch's  and  Ross' 
Brigades.  This  affair,  though  it  failed  to  accomplisli  the  main  pur- 
poses for  which  it  was  ordered — the  destruction  of  the  railroad  bridge 
at  that  point  over  Wolf  River  and  the  capture  of  the  garrison — served 
to  inflict  a  heavy  loss  upon  a  strong  column  of  the  F.-derals,  taken  by 
surprise,  and  doubtless  kept  at  a  stand  subsequently  in  that  quarter  a 
force  that  was  destined  to  [nirsue  Forrest,  a  force  vvhich  otherwise 
might  hive  brought  his  exi)edition  to  a  prem  iture  close,  far  short  of 
the  satisfactory  results  which  we  have  just  enumerated. 

Lee  camped  at  Mount  Pleasant,  some  seven  or  eight 
miles  south-west  of  Moscow. 

Saturday,  ^tli. — -The  division — now  three  brigades — 
moving  by  the  way  of  Holly  Springs,  camped  eight 
miles  west  of  that  place.  The  Federals  had  burned  a 
number  of  corn-houses  through  this  section.  Here  we 
had  the  pleasure  ot  resting  one  beautiful  Sabbath  day. 

Monday,  ylh. — Moving  ten  miles  south  the  division 
camped  at  Tullahoma.  Had  some  rain  that  night,  for 
the  first  time  since  the  28th  of  November. 

Tuesday,  8tk. — In  the  saddle  and  moving  by  daybreak 
— Ferguson's  Brigade  in  front.  The  division  crossed  the 
Tallahatchie  at  Wyatt — that  is,  where  Wyatt  had  been  ; 
every  house  had  been  burned  by  the  Federals.  Here 
Chalmers  was  left  to  occupy  his  old  position  along  the 
south-east  side  of  the  river.  Ross'  Brigade  was  sent 
down  about  Grenada.  Ferguson's  Brigade,  being-  or- 
dered   back   to  the   Mobile  and   Ohio    Raih-oad,   moved 


296  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

on  to  Oxford,  on  the  Mississippi  Central,  and  camped 
for  the  night  near  that  place. 

Wednesday,  gth. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty-two 
miles,  a  little  south  of  east,  the  brigade  camped  near 
Buttermilk  Springs. 

TJiuj^sday,  loth. — Marching  only  about  twelve  miles 
the  brigade  camped  near  Pontotoc.  Well,  we  feel  like 
we  are  getting  back  home  again,  for  we  have  frequently 
camped  on  this  same  spot — one  mile  east  of  Pontotoc. 
Here  we  rested  one  day. 

Saturday,  12th  — The  brigade  moved  from  Pontotoc 
to  Verona,  nineteen  miles.  Here  we  met  our  wasfons 
with  our  tents  and  the  balance  of  our  cookingr  vessels, 
which  we  had  left  at  Okolona.  We  remained  at  that 
place  eight  days. 

Sunday,  20tJi. — Ferguson's  Brigade  moved  from  Ve- 
rona to  Okolona,  and  encamped  about  one  mile  west  of 
town, 

Thursday,  24th. — General  Ferguson,  having  been  or- 
dered to  meet  General  Lee  at  Lama  by  Saturday  night 
to  assist  Forrest  in  his  exit  from  West  Tennessee,  moved 
out  from  Okolona  with  his  'brio^ade  at  two  o'clock  \\  m. 
However,  he  had  gone  only  two  miles  when  the  order 
was  countermanded.  So  we  returned  to  camp  with  or- 
ders to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  move  at  a  mo- 
ment's warnine. 

This  is  Christmas  Eve,  and  plenty  of  whisky  in  camp. 
The  boys  were  cutting  up  at  such  a  terrible  rate,  and 
shooting  so  much  all  through  the  brigade,  that,  awhile 
after  dark,  Ferguson  ordered  the  commanders  of  regi- 
ments to  send  the  next  man  who  shot  a  gun  to  his  head- 
quarters, if  he  could  be  found  ;  but  if  he  could  not  be 
found,  the  whole  regiment  must  be  ordered  into  line  and 


December,  1863.     '  2!)7 


stand  for  one  hour.  There  was  not  much  more  shooting 
after  that. 

Christmas  Day  was  a  noted  day  in  the  history  of  the 
Second  Tennessee.  I  am  sure  that  that  day  is  still  vivid 
in  the  memory  of  quite  a  number  of  the  boys  who  were 
present  on  this  special  occasion,  though,  perhaps,  I  had 
better  not  say  too  much.  Well,  I  shall  not  accuse  any 
of  the  boys  of  being  drunk,  but  I  hope  that  they  will 
excuse  me  for  saying  that  some  of  them  had  either 
smelled  or  tasted  of  something  that  made  them  appear  a 
little  "  funny." 

Tuesday,  2gtJi. — Leaving  all  the  tents  and  cooking 
vessels  at  Okolona,  Ferguson  marched  his  brigade  to 
Pontotoc. 

Wednesday ,  joth. — The  brigade  marched  from  Ponto- 
toc to  New  Albany — eighteen  miles.  We  drew  seven 
days'  rations  of  crackers — hard  tack — at  the  latter  place, 
something  unusual.  Therefore,  we  thought  that  a  con- 
siderable expedition  must  be  on  hand. 

Thursday,  Jist. — The  brigade  moved  out  early  in  the 
morning  on  the  Ripley  road.  It  rained  "in  the  morning, 
but  just  before  we  got  to  Ripley  in  the  evening  there 
was  a  very  sudden  change  in  the  weather,  and  as  we 
passed  through  the  above  named  place  it  began  to  snow  ; 
nor  had  we  gone  far  beyond  before  our  wet  blankets  and 
clothing  were  stiff  frozen.  Our  regiment  was  marching 
in  the  rear,  even  of  the  artillery,  which  was  now  moving 
slowly  on  account  of  so  much  mud.  Seeing  that  we 
could  stop  awhile  and  then  soon  overtake  the  artillery. 
Colonel  Barteau  called  out,  "  Dismount  and  build  fires." 
This  was  a  little  before  sundown.  We  soon  had  several 
good  fires  made  of  fence-rails.  While  the  side  next  to 
the  fire  thawed  the  other  would  freeze.      About  dark  we 


2<J8  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


remounted  and  moved  out  lively  for  about  two  miles  be- 
fore overtaking  the  artillery.  As  their  horses  were  about 
given  out  and  the  men  were  about  frozen  out,  they  had 
halted  for  the  night,  about  two  miles  in  rear  of  the  rest 
of  the  brigade,  when  we  overtook  them.  A  large  pile 
of  wood  that  some  grood  farmer  had  laid  in  for  his  own 
use  was  perhaps  another  inducement  for  their  stopping 
just  at  this  particular  place.  So  the  Second  Tennessee 
halted  here  for  the  night,  and  helped  those  artillerymen 
to  burn  that  pile  ot  wood.  We  were  now  about  eight 
miles  north  of  Ripley,  on  the  Pocahontas  road.  Fortu- 
nately for  us  it  only  snowed  about  enough  to  cover  the 
ground.  The  wind  blew  a  cutting  blast  all  night.  There 
was  not  much  sleeping  done  by  us  that  night.  By  stand- 
ing by  good  fires,  with  our  blankets  around  us,  we  did  not 
freeze,  though  some  were  frost-bitten.  This  memorable 
night,  in  which  the  old  year  (1863)  stepped  out  and  the 
new  stepped  in,  was  the  coldest  night  of  the  war.  I  am 
confident  that  there  is  not  a  member  of  the  Second  Ten- 
nesse  who  is  now  living  and  was  on  this  expedition  but 
will  remember  the  above  named  night. 

Friday,  January  ist,  iS6-f. — Colonel  Barteau  moved 
the  Second  Tennessee  and  the  two  pieces  of  artillery  up 
with  the  rest  of  the  brigade  early  in  the  morning. 
Ferguson  was  now  within  seventeen  miles  of  the  Mem- 
phis and  Charleston  Railroad.  F"orrest  had  passed  out 
of  West  Tennessee,  between  Moscow  and  Memphis,  a 
few  days  previous  to  this.  So,  while  the  Federals  were 
thus  attracted  to  that  section,  I  suppose  that  Ferguson 
had  been  ordered  to  tear  up  the  railroad  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Pocahontas,  and,  if  possible,  destroy  their 
stores  at  that  place.  However,  as  the  weather  was  so- 
awfully  cold,  he  very  prudently  decided  to  take  the  bri- 


January,  1864.  2{)9> 


gade  back  to  camp  as  quick  as  possible.  So,  turning 
his  face  campwarcl  and  passing  back  through  Ripley^ 
Ferguson  bivouacked  six  miles  south-west  of  that  place. 
We  had  to  walk  a  good  portion  of  the  way  during  that 
three  days'  march  on  account  of  the  intense  cold. 

SatiLrday,  2d. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty-two 
miles  the  brigade  bivouacked  six  miles  south-east  of 
New  Albany.  The  roads  are  still  as  solid  as  a  turnpike,, 
though  not  as  smooth  by  a  great  deal. 

SiLuday,  jd. — On  arriving  at  Pontotoc  the  brigade 
scattered  in  order  to  get  forage  for  our  horses.  The 
Second  Tennessee  moved  out  eight  miles  on  the  Houston 
road.     The  weather  began  to  moderate  some  that  day. 

Monday,  ^th. — The  brigade  got  back  to  camp,  near 
Okolona.  Had  some  rain  that  day  and  the  night  before,, 
yet  it  was  still  cold.  The  ground  was  not  thawed  but 
about  one  day  in  twelve. 

I  shall  now  give  a  short  sketch  of  Major-General  N. 
B.  Forrest's  expedition  into  West  Tennessee.  From 
Saulsbury  he  moved  on  by  the  way  of  Bolivar  to  Jack- 
son, where  he  established  his  headquarters  about  the 
4th  of  Decembei*.  The  simple  fact  that  he  increased 
his  command  during  the  twenty  days  he  remained  at 
Jackson  from  five  hundred  to  thirty-five  hundred,  fully 
exhibits  both  the  energy  and  popularity  of  General 
Forrest.      However,  only  about  six  hundred  were  armed. 

Meanwhile  the  Federals  were  not  idle.  Major-Gen- 
eral Hurlbut,  the  Federal  commander  of  the  district,  had 
set  to  work  to  organize  a  large  force — twenty  thousand, 
according  to  his  official  admission — which  he  hoped  so 
to  dispose  as  to  hem  in  the  Confederate  leader  and  cut 
off  his  escape  or  return  to  his  base.  So  Forrest  had  to 
fight  his  way  out.     His  troops  fought  successfully  five 


300  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

combats,  at  Jack's  Creek.  Estenaula,  Summerville,  La- 
fayette, and  Collierville,  losing  during  the  expedition 
not  more  than  thirty  killed,  wounded  and  captured,  and 
inflicting  a  loss  upon  the  enemy  of  fully  fifty  killed  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  wounded  and  captured.  In  com- 
menting upon  this  expedition  the  writer  of  Forrest's 
Campaigns  sums  up  the  results  thus  : 

Forrest,  entering  West  Tennessee  at  Saulsbury  on  the  4th*  of 
December  with  only  some  five  hundred  men,  two  guns,  and  five  ord- 
nance wagons,  quit  it  at  Lafayette  Station  on  the  27th  with  thirty-five 
hundred  men,  well  mounted,  forty  wagons  and  teams  loaded  with 
subsistence,  two  hundred  head  of  beef  cattle,  three  hundred  hogs, 
and  his  artillery  intact. 

A  Federal  writer  puts  it  in  these  terms  : 

Forrest,  with  less  than  four  thousand  men,  has  moved  right  through 
the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  has  passed  within  nine  miles  of  Memphis, 
carried  off  over  one  hundred  wagons,  two  hundred  beef  cattle,  three 
thousand  conscripts,  and  innumerable  stores,  torn  up  railroad  track, 
cut  telegraph  wire,  burned  and  sacked  towns  (?),  run  over  pickets 
with  a  single  Derringer  pistol  ....  And  all  this  in  the  face  of  ten 
thousand  men.  —  Correspondent  Cincinnati  Commercial^  Memphis,  Jan- 
uary i2th,  1864. 

As  S.  D.  Lee  had  assisted  Forrest  in  passing  the 
Federal  line  at  Saulsbury,  I  suppose  that  this  writer,  in 
estimating  Forrest's  force  at  four  thousand,  included 
Lee's  command,  or  he  may  have  thought  that  it  would 
look  too  bad  to  say  that  Forrest  had  effected  all  this 
with  six  hundred  in  the  face  of  twenty  thousand  men. 

Thttrsday,  jtJi. — Ferguson's  Brigade  moved  from 
Okolona  about  nine  miles  south  and  encamped  some 
three  or  four  miles  west  of  the  railroad  near  Pikeville, 
where  the  Second  Tennessee  remained  twenty  days. 

Tuesday,  26th. — There  had  been,  some  time  previous 
to  this,  a  change  of  department  commanders.     General 

'•■•This  is  a  mistake;  he  passed  Saulsbury  on  the  2d  of  December.  —  R.  R.   H. 


Januaky,   lS(i4.  801 


Joseph  E.  Johnston  had  been  reHeved  from  duty  by  the 
President,  and  Lieutenant-General  Polk  placed  in  his 
stead.  During  a  visit  to  Polk's  headquarters  at  Jack- 
son, Mississippi,  on  the  13th  instant,  the  command  of  a 
district  was  formally  assigned  General  Forrest ;  that  is, 
"  P^orrest's  Cavalry  Department,"  embracing  all  cavalry 
commands  in  West  Tennessee  and  North  Mississippi, 
to  the  southern  boundaries  of  the  counties  of  Monroe, 
Calhoun,  Chickasaw,  Yallabusha,  Tallahatchie,  and  that 
part  of  Sunflower  and  Bolivar  'ying  north  of  a  line 
drawn  from  the  south-east  corner  of  Tallahatchie  County 
to  the  town  of  Prentiss,  on  the  Mississippi  River.  At 
the  same  time  he  secured  arms  and  ammunition  for  his 
troops. 

Ferguson  now  had  orders  to  move  his  brigade  further 
south,  perhaps  to  the  neighborhood  of  Jackson.  The 
Second  Tennessee  was,  trom  various  considerations, 
bitterly  opposed  to  going  any  further  south.  In  the  first 
place,  there  was  not  the  best  of  feeling  existing  between 
Ferguson  and  the  Second  Tennessee.  While  he  was 
too  strict  to  suit  them,  they  were  too  independent  to 
suit  him.  And  especially'did  this  state  of  feeling  exist 
between  Ferguson  and  Company  C.  In  the  second 
place,  we  imagined  that  it  would  be  more  unhealthy 
further  south.  In  the  third  place,  we  were  the  only 
Tennesseans  in  Perguson's  Brigade,  while  the  majority 
of  Forrest's  troops  were  Tennesseans,  and  we  much 
preferred  serving  with  troops  from  our  own  State. 
Therefore,  we  very  earnestly  begged  for  a  transfer  to 
Forrest's  command.*  In  the  fourth  place,  if  we  re- 
mained  in   his   department,   which  embraced  a  part  of 

*  Ferguson's  Brigade  was  now  in  Forrest's  department,  though  not  a  part  of 
his  command,  and  hence  it  was  ordered  to  move  South;  or  in  other  words,  For- 
rest had  superseded  Ferguson  in  command  of  this  department. 


-302  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Tennessee,  we  had  some  hope  of  going  back  to  our 
native  State  occasionally,  while,  if  we  went  with  Fergu- 
son, we  had  no  hope  of  seeing  Tennessee  until  the  war 
closed.  What  a  sad  thought  was  this  !  The  all-impor- 
tant question  now  was,  "Will  the  regiment  be  trans- 
ferred?" How  anxiously  did  the  Second  Tennessee 
wait  for  an  answer  to  that  question.  The  brigade  was 
to  start  south  the  next  morning-.  Dark  came,  yet  no 
transfer.  "  What  will  we  do?  "  "  Colonel  Barteau,  can 
you  not  help  us  out  of  this  trouble?"  "Can't  you. 
Colonel  Morton?"  "Is  there  any  hope  of  a  transfer?" 
■*Ts  it  possible  that  we  will  have  to  start  south  in  the 
morning  with  F"erguson?"  "Do. not  despair,  men,  per- 
haps we  will  be  transferred  yet."  Eight,  nine,  and  ten 
o'clock  came,  and  yet  no  transfer.  Some  lay  down  to 
Test,  though,  perhaps,  too  much  troubled  to  sleep. 
Finally,  about  eleven  o'clock  v.  m.,  ''The  Second  Ten- 
nessee is  transferred  to  Forrest, '^  spread  like  lightning 
through  the  camp.  Those  who  had  been  trying  in  vain 
to  while  away  the  time  in  sleep  now  sprang  from  their 
tents  to  unite  with  the  rest  in  yelling,  hallooing,  shout- 
ing, and  such  another  jollification  as  they  had  from  then 
until  daylight  next  morning  had  never  been  witnessed 
in  the  camp  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry  before. 
If  General  Ferguson  is  now  living  I  guess  that  he  has 
not  forgotten  the  serenade  that  a  lot  of  the  boys  gave 
him  that  night  with  tin  pans,  camp  kettles,  etc.  We 
had  no  cannon  by  which  we  could  give  Ferguson  a  part- 
ing salute;  however,  some  of  the  boys  got  up  a  right 
good  substitute  by  boring  holes  in  logs  and  filling  with 
powder.  But  after  all  the  big  guns  and  the  little  guns, 
Ferguson  still  remained  quiet,  and  did  not  order  any  of 
the  Second  Tennessee  to  be  sent  to  his  headquarters. 


jANU.un-,  l<(i4.  303 

Wednesday,  zjth.^ — The  Second  Tennessee  belonged 
to  "  Forrest's  Cavalry"  from  the  above  date  to  the  close 
of  the  war — fifteen  months  and  fourteen  days.  Bidding" 
Ferguson  a  "  final  farewell,"  the  re'^;iment  moved  north 
— not  south — and  camped  for  the  ni  ;ht  near  Okolona. 

Thursday,  2Sth. — After  a  march  oi  about  fifteen  miles 
the  regiment  camped  near  Saltillo. 

General  Forrest's   headquarters  were  now  at  Oxford, 

Mississippi,  on  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad. 

The  first  order  received  from  General  Forrest  seemed  strikingly 
characteristic.  It  was  to  move  up  to  Corinth,  co-operate  with  Gen- 
eral Gholson  (commanding  militia)  in  blowing  up  and  destroying  the 
.abandoned  works  of  that  place;  afterward  destroy  the  railroad  west- 
ward to  Grand  Junction;  then  to  leave  General  Gholson  and  go  into 
West  Tennessee  to  capture  the  notorious  Colonel  Hurst,  or  drive  him 
out  of  that  district.  This  seemed  more  like  work  than  anything  we 
had  been  commanded  to  do  from  the  battle  of  Corinth,  under  Van 
Dorn,  up  to  that  time;  and  the  regiment,  feeling  that  a  more  glorious 
career  was  foreshadowed,  undertook,  with  a  new  vigor,  the  fulfillment 
■of  this  order. t 

Friday,  2gih. — The  regiment, ^till  moving  nearly  par- 
allel with  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  camped  for  the 
night  three  miles  west  of  Guntown, 

Saturday,  joth. — Coming  up  with  General  Gholson, 
Barteau  halted  and  camped  some  three  miles  north-west 
■of  Booneville,  and  within  twenty-two  miles  of  Corinth. 

Su?iday,  J  1st. — General  Gholson,  with  the  Second 
Tennessee  and  one  regiment  and  one  battalion  of  State 
troops,  moved  on  through  Danville,  crossed  Tuscumbia 
River,  and  about  one-half  mile  from  the  river,  on  a  flat 
hill,  he  passed  through  a  Federal  fort  or  stockade  called  * 

*T  was,  and  had  been  since  the  20th,  ar  one  Mr.  Gunn's,  three  miles  from 
camp,  waiting  on  A.  Barrett,  who  was  sick  with  the  fever.  As  W.  F.  Odoms 
horse  was  lame  he  was  sent  to  Mr.  Guan's  to  take  my  place.  So'  I  joined  the 
a-egiment  on  the  night  of  the  28th,  while  encamped  fifteen  miles  above  Okolona- 

t Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau's  Manuscript  Notes. 


o04  \{.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

"  Camp  Davis."  Here  we  found  about  four  acres  of  an 
old  field  inclosed  by  large  posts  some  ten  feet  high  be- 
ing set  in  the  ground,  touching  each  other,  and  the  upper 
ends  oi  these  posts,  or  picketing,  were  sharpened.  A 
large  ditch  was  dug  around  on  the  outside.  The  dirt 
from  this  ditch  made  an  embankment  about  half  a^  high 
as  the  posts.  Port-holes  were  cut  between  the  posts 
just  above  the  embankment.  There  was  a  gate  on  the 
north,  south  and  east  sides.  We  marched  in  at  the 
south  and  out  at  the  north  gate.  It  was  a  splendid  fort 
for  defense  against  small  arms.  From  Camp  Davis 
Gholson  moved  on  through  Corinth,  and  camped  one 
mile  and  a  half  north  of  that  place.  The  Federals, 
after  burning  all  the  buildings  that  they  had  put  up  and 
a  good  many  others,  had  evacuated  Corinth  about  a 
week  previous  to  this. 

Monday,  Febj'iiary  ist. — Leaving  Gholson  at  Cjrinth 
Colonel  Barteau  moved  the  Second  Tennessee  back  to 
Danville ;  there  turning-  west  he  camped  for  the  night 
in  Tippah  County,  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  Big 
Hatchie  River. 

Tuesday,  2d. — As  the  river  could  not  be  forded  the 
regiment  moved  some  two  or  three  miles  up  the  river  to 
a  foot-log.  Making  our  horses  swim  we  carried  our 
saddles  and  other  baoforaae  across  on  this  foot-lop-.  We 
marched  north-west  from  the  river  to  Jonesborough,  Mis- 
sissippi, and  thence  north  to  Pocahontas,  in  Hardeman 
County,  West  Tennessee,  where  Company  C  and  two 
•  others  camped  for  the  night,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  reg- 
iment three  miles  south  of  that  place,  which  is  on  the 
Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad, 

Wednesday,  jd. — Instead,  however,  of  finding  Colonel  Hurst  we 
Avere  brought  to  a  halt  by  the  advance  force  of  General  Smith  (Fed- 


February,  1864.  305 


eral),  who  was  preparing  for  his  great  movement  through  the  heart  of 
Mississippi  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  army  of  General  Sherman  at 
Meridian.  .  .....  .  .  .         . 

A  detached  brigade  (Wilder's,  I  believe)  had  landed  as  infantry 
into  Western  Kentucky,  and  had  thence  come  into  West  Tennessee, 
stripping  the  country  of  horses  and  mules  as  they  went  in  order  to 
mount  themselves  for  the  great  march  to  Meridian.  They  were  all 
mounted  at  Bolivar,  and  well  equipped  with  the  riggings  of  cavalry, 
which  they  had  for  the  purpose  brought  along  in  wagons.  They  were 
soon  joined  by  another  brigade  (Holder's,  I  think,  from  Nashville), 
and  in  three  days  more  were  ready  to  pursue  the  march.* 

It  was  in  this  county  (Hardeman,  of  which  Bohvar  is 
the  county  seat)  that  we  had  expected  to  find  Colonel 
Hurst's  command ;  but,  on  learning  that  we  were  now 
confronted  by  a  heavy  Federal  force,  our  colonel  very 
prudently  decided  to  turn  back.  Therefore,  after  de- 
stroying some  railroad  bridges  in  the  vicinity  of  Poca- 
hontas, the  regiment  moved  eight  miles  south  late  that 
afternoon,  and  bivouacked  near  Jonesboro,  Mississippi. 

Thursday,  4th. — Having  met  a  courier  with  a  dispatch 
from  General  Forrest,  requesting  him  to  ascertain,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  the  strength  of  the  Federal  force 
which  was  now  preparing  to  move  into  North  Missis- 
sippi, and  desiring  more  definite  information  upon  which 
to  found  his  report.  Colonel  Barteau  moved  back  into 
Tennessee  again.  Crossing  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad  some  six  miles  east  of  Saulsbury,  he  halted 
for  the  night  about  four  miles  beyond,  on  the  Jonesboro- 
Bolivar  road. 

Friday,  ^th. — The  regiment  moved  out  early  that 
morning  in  the  direction  of  Bolivar,  When  within  ten 
miles  of  that  place  (south)  Colonel  Barteau  sent  out  a 
detachment  of  twenty  picked  men,  under  Captain  Higgs 

•■•"Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau's  Manuscript  Notes. 
20 


306  E.  B.  Hancock's  Diary. 

(one  of  General  Forrest's  scouting  officers),  with  in- 
structions to  make  a  close  reconnoissance  of  the  Federal 
camp  at  Bolivar,  and  get  all  information  possible  in  ref- 
erence to  their  strength,  movements,  etc.  Moving  on 
about  six  miles  in  a  north-east  direction  our  colonel 
halted,  some  nine  miles  south-east  of  Bolivar  and  within 
one  mile  of  Big  Hatchie  River,  to  feed  his  horses  and 
wait  for  Captain  Higgs  to  report.  Wishing  to  avoid 
coming  in  contact  with  the  enemy,  and  desiring  to  see 
as  much  of  his  camp  as  possible.  Captain  Higgs  turned 
leftward,  went  within  about  two  miles  of  Bolivar,  and 
then  rightward,  crossing  the  main  road  between  the 
Federal  pickets  and  Bolivar,  in  full  view  of  their  camp. 
Then  swinging  around  eastward  he  returned  to  the  main 
road  again  south  of  their  pickets.  While  thus  inspect- 
ing their  camp  he  unfortunately  exposed  the  smallness 
of  his  force  to  the  enemy.  Seeing  that  it  was  only  a 
small  scouting  party  the  Federal  commander  selected 
one  hundred  of  his  best  mounted  men  and  sent  them  forth 
to  capture  Captain  Higgs  and  his  men.*  The  Federals 
were  soon  seen  coming,  almost  at  full  speed,  and  then 
and  there  occurred  one  of  the  hardest  and  lo7igest  races 
that  perhaps  any  of  the  Second  Tennessee  took  part  in 
during  the  war.  The  road  over  which  the  race  was  run 
being  very  rough  some  of  our  horses  fell  and  others 
gave  out,  therefore  about  twelve  of  our  regiment  were 
captured  during  the  eight  mile  race  which  now  ensued. 

In  speaking  of  this  affair  Colonel  Barteau  (in  his  man- 
uscript notes)  says  : 

After  the  first  volleys  were  discharged  they  did  not  stop  to  reload, 
but  both  parties  turned  the  affair  into  a  question  of  speed 

-The  above  was  learned  from  some  of  this  one  hundred,  who  were  captured 
(February  22d)  near  Okolona,  Mississippi.  These  were  the  first  Confederates 
whom  they  had  seen. 


February,  1864.  307 


Twelve  of  my  men  had  been  literally  pulled  ofif  their  horses,  while  the 
balance  having  flanked  to  the  right  and  left,  or  keeping  near  Captain 
Higgs,  would  not  "shtop"  at  the  Duchmen's  orders,  but  came  helter- 
-skelter  into  my  camp  on  the  shortest  notice,  with  the  enemy  right  at 
their  heels. 

John  Byrns,  Sid  Ray,  Dempsy  King,  James  Henley, 
and  John  Tompkins  (all  from  Company  D)  were  among 
the  captured.  The  five  men  from  Company  C  (W.  E. 
Rich,  C.  Garrison,  France  Willard,  J.  M.  A.  Odom,  and 
J.  E.  J.  Hawkins)  all  being  well  mounted  made  good 
their  escape,  though  some  of  their  horses  were  not  of 
much  account  afterward. 

Our  horses  had  about  finished  eating  when  our  boys 
•came  dashing  into  camp.  The  situation  just  at  this 
juncture  appeared  somewhat  alarming — the  enemy  in 
rear  and  the  river  in  front.  Mounting  and  moving  out 
in  a  south-east  direction  we  marched  about  sixteen  miles 
in  a  circuitous  route,  and  after  passing  through  an  awful 
bad  swamp  after  dark  we  bivouacked  within  four  miles 
of  where  we  had  camped  the  night  before. 

Saturday,  6th. — Moving  only  a  few  miles  west  we  biv- 
ouacked about  ten  miles  south  of  Bolivar.  Late  that 
afternoon  Colonel  Barteau  received  a  dispatch  from 
General  Forrest  ordering  him  to  Abbeville,  Mississippi. 

Sunday,  yth. — In  the  saddle  and  moving  by  four 
o'clock  A.  M.,  passing  through  Saulsbury  and  crossing 
Wolf  River,  we  camped  five  miles  north-east  of  Salem, 
in  Tippah  (now  Benton)  County,  Mississippi. 

Monday,  8th. — The  regiment  marched  about  twenty- 
eight  miles  south-west,  the  most  of  the  way  along  by- 
paths, and  camped  in  Marshall  County.  We  got  no 
forage  for  our  horses  that  night,  except,  perhaps,  a  few 
may  have  found  corn  and  bought  it  themselves. 

Tuesday,  gth. — The    regiment    moved    south-west   to 


308  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Waterford,  and  thence  south  along  the  Mississippi  Cen- 
tral Railroad  to  Tallahatchie  River.  Here  we  had  to 
swim  our  horses  and  cross  our  saddles  on  a  hand  car. 
Moving  three  miles  from  the  river  the  regiment  camped 
at  Abbeville,  within  ten  miles  of  Oxford.  Here  we 
rested  one  day. 

Thursday,  nth. — The  regiment  moved  down  to  Ox- 
ford. Here  our  wagon  train,  which  we  had  left  on  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  met  us.  The  Second  Ten- 
nessee was  attached  to  the  Third  Brigade  of  Forrest's 
Cavalry,  commanded  by  Colonel  T.  H.  Bell.  We  now 
for  the  first  time  belong  to  a  brigade  composed  of  Ten- 
nesseans.  We  found  that  Major-General  Forrest  had 
organized  his  command  into  four  brigades,  as  follows : 

The  First,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  R.  V.. 
Richardson,  was  composed  of  five  regiments,  command-^ 
ed  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  U.  Green,  Colonels  F.  M. 
Stewart,  T.  H.  Logwood,  and  J.  J.  Neely,  and  Major 
Marshall ;  and  two  battalions,  commanded  by  Street  and 
Bennett,  all  West  Tennessee  troops,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  rank  and  file. 

The  Second,  Colonel  Robert  McCulloch  (Second  Mis- 
souri) commanding,  was  made  up  of  the  Second  Mis- 
souri Regiment  (commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  R. 
A.  McCulloch),  Leo  Willis'  Texan  Battalion,  Colonel 
W.  W.  Faulkner's  Kentucky  Regiment,  Keizer's  Ten- 
nessee Battalion,  A.  H.  Chalmers'  Mississippi  Battalion^ 
and  a  fragment  of  the  Second  Arkansas  Cavalry  (com- 
manded by  Captain  F.  M.  Cochran). 

The  Third,  under  Colonel  Tyree  H.  Bell,  was  consti- 
tuted of  Colonels  Russell's,  Wilson's,  and  Barteau's 
Tennessee  regiments. 

And  the  Fourth,  commanded  by  Colonel  J.   E.   For- 


February,  1864.  309 


rest,  was  formed  of  McDonald's  Battalion  (General  For- 
rest's old  regiment),  W.  L.  Duckworth's  Tennessee 
Regiment,  John  McGuirk's  Mississippi  Regiment,  the 
Fifth  Mississippi  Regiment  and  Duff's  Mississippi  Bat- 
talion— one  thousand  strong. 

McCulloch's  and  Forrest's  Brigades  were  organized 
into  a  division,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  James 
R.  Chalmers. 

Friday,  12th. — The  disposition  to  leave  camp  without 
permission — especially  among  those  new  levies  that  F'or- 
rest  had  recently  brought  from  West  Tennessee — pre- 
vailed to  such  a  degree  as  to  render  severe  measures 
imperative.  Among  those  who  thus  abandoned  their 
colors  to  return  home  were  nineteen,  who  went  off  in 
a  body.  Promptly  pursued,  captured  and  brought  back 
in  ignominy,  their  commander,  giving  orders  that,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  flagrant,  defiant  desertion,  the  whole 
detachment  should  be  shot,  issued  the  necessary  instruc- 
tions regulating  the  ceremonies  of  an  early  execution. 
Their  coffins  were  made,  their  graves  dug  and  the  cul- 
prits advised  to  make  their  peace  with  their  Maker  and 
the  world.  As  this  was  the  day  and  date  set  for  their 
execution.  Bell's  Brigade,  mounting  and  moving  out  into 
a  large  field,  was  formed  in  line  on  three  sides  of  a 
square,  while  the  culprits,  blindfolded  and  seated  on 
their  coffins,  occupied  the  center  of  the  other  side  of 
the  square.  This  was  quite  a  solemn  and  impressive 
scene.  The  men  who  were  to  do  the  shooting  were 
standing  in  front  of  the  culprits.  All  things  being  now 
ready  the  commanding  officer  said,  "  Present  arms,  make 
ready,  take  aim" — ^just  at  that  moment  (and  before  the 
next  command,  which  would  have  been  "Fire,"  was 
^iven)  a  staff  officer  came  dashing  up  and  said,  address- 


310  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ing  the  cLilprits:  "General  Forrest  has  requested  me  to 
say  to  you  that  it  was  unpleasant  to  him  to  shfed  blood 
in  this  manner,  and  that,  through  the  petitions  of  the 
clergy,  the  prominent  citizens  and  ladies  of  Oxford  and 
your  officers,  if  you  will  now  promise  to  make  good  and 
faithful  soldiers  he  would  pardon  you,"  They  shouted : 
"  We  will!  WE  will!  "  A  loud  cheer  now  went  up  from 
the  whole  brigade.  So,  1  am  glad  to  say,  we  returned 
to  camp  without  seeing  any  one  shot. 

Saturday,  ijth. — About  this  time,  as  spring  was  now 
about  to  open,  it  seemed  that  the  Federals  were  bent  on 
making   heavy   inroads    into    the   State    of  Mississippi. 
Sherman  was  now  afield  with  a  heavy  Federal  column, 
moving  from  Vicksburg  in  the  direction  of  Meridian,  on 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.     A  few  days  previous  to 
this,  Colonel  J.  E.  Forrest,  with  the  fourth  brigade,  had 
been  sent  south  to  Grenada  to  watch  a  Federal  force 
which  had  been  put  on  foot  up  the  Yazoo  River.    About 
the  same  time  a  brigade  of  infantry  (about  sixteen  hun- 
dred men),  with  perhaps  two  hundred  cavalry,  a  battery 
and  supply-train  had  moved  southward  from  Memphis, 
by  way  of  Hernando  toward  Panola,  and  still  another 
force  from  Collierville,  on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad,  toward  Holly  Springs.     To  meet  these  hostile 
movements  Chalmers  had  been  instructed  to  dispose  his- 
troops  so  as  to  guard  the  various  crossings  of  the  Tal- 
lahatchie from  Panola  to  Abbeville.     As  the  Federals 
had  now  made  their  appearance  in  front  of  Chalmers, 
Bell's   Brigade,  leaving  Oxford  early   in   the   morning, 
moved  out  in  the  direction  of  Wyatt,  but  before  we  got 
to  that  place,   being  ordered  up  the  river,   we  turned 
nearly  east,  passing  through  Abbeville,  and  about  six 
miles  beyond  we  turned  and  marched  back  to  Oxford. 


February,  1864.  311 


Some  of  Chalmers'  men  had  a  skirmish  where  the  Mis- 
sissippi Central  Railroad  crosses  the  river  (in  which  four 
Confederates  were  wounded),  and  also  at  Wyatt,  some 
five  miles  below.  Some  cannonading  at  the  latter  place  ; 
however,  I  do  not  think  that  there  was  much  damage 
done  on  either  side.  In  the  meantime  General  Forrest 
had  learned  through  Colonel  Barteau  that  a  heavy  cav- 
alry force*  under  General  Smith  was  afield  from  West 
Tennessee,  moving  in  the  direction  of  Holly  Springs. 
Forrest  at  once  perceived  that  this  Federal  force  in  his 
immediate  front  was  a  mere  feint  to  occupy  his  attention, 
while  Smith  was  expecting  to  move,  by  the  way  of  Oko- 
lona,  through  the  rich  prairies  along  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad  and  finally  form  a  junction  with  Sherman 
at  Meridian.  Now  deciding  that  he  would  pay  no  more 
attention  to  those  Federals  that  were  apparently  trying 
to  force  their  way  across  the  Tallahatchie,  but  look  after 
Smith,  Forrest  therefore  ordered  General  Chalmers  to 
concentrate  all  his  troops  at  Oxford  immediately.  Our 
wagon  train  moved  out  in  the  direction  of  Grenada. 

Sunday,  14th. — Forrest  set  out  early  in  the  morning 
with  Richardson's  and  Bell's  Brigades,  his  escort  and 
the  artillery,  and  after  a  march  of  thirty  miles  he  camped 
on  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad  within  five  miles  of 
Coffeeville,  in  Yallabusha  County.  Chalmers  was  di- 
rected to  move  so  as  to  keep  on  Smith's  right  flank,  to 
which  end  his  command,  McCulloch's  Brigade,  was  in 
movement  for  Houston,  forty-five  miles  south-west  of 
Oxford,  late  in  the  afternoon.  Colonel  Forrest  had 
been  previously  directed  to  move  swiftly  eastward  with 

*It  was  composed  of  the  Sixth,  Seventh  and  Ninth  Illinois,  Ninth  Pennsyl- 
vania, Second,  Fourth,  and  Sixth  Tennessee,  Second  Iowa,  Twenty-second  New 
Jersey,  Third  Michigan,  Seventh  and  Twelfth  Indiana,  and  Second  and  Fourth 
Missouri — about  seven  thousand  strong. 


312  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

his  brigade  from  Grenada  to  West  Point,  on  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  in  the  menaced  region,  and  from 
that  place  to  establish  a  line  of  couriers  to  Houston,  so 
as  to  open  communication  with  Chalmers. 

Monday,  i^tJi. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty  miles, 
overtaking  his  wagon  train,  General  Forrest  camped 
near  Grenada. 

Tuesday,  i6th. — Moving  south  along  the  railroad  for 
about  eigfht  miles,  thence  east.  General  Forrest,  with  the 
above  named  troops,  camped  about  nine  miles  from  the 
railroad.  Chalmers,  notwithstanding  the  rain  and  mud 
had  impeded  his  progress  some,  arrived  at  Houston. 

Wednesday^  lytk. — After  a  short  ride — sixteen  miles 
— Forrest  camped  thirteen  miles  north  of  Greensboro, 
while  Chalmers  moved  to  Palo  Alto. 

Thursday,  i8ih. — After  a  forced  march  of  thirty-five 
miles  our  brigade  (Bell's)  camped  two  miles  south  of 
Starkville,  the  county-seat  of  Oktibbeha  County,  while 
Richardson's  Brigade  stopped  some  five  miles  west. 

General  Forrest,  establishing  his  headquarters  at 
Starkville,  some  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Columbus, 
opened  communication  with  Chalmers,  who  was  by  this 
time  at  Tampico.  He  also  directed  Colonel  Forrest  to 
move  forward  toward  Aberdeen  with  his  brigade  to 
meet,  harrass,  and  delay  the  enemy  as  much  as  practi- 
cable, without  becoming  involved  in  a  serious  engage- 
ment. 

Friday,  igth. — In  the  meanwhile  the  Federal  column, 
under  Smith,  had  been  traversing  the  country  in  a  line 
through  Holly  Springs,  New  Albany,  Pontotoc,  and 
Okolona.  Colonel  Forrest,  meeting  the  Federals  at 
Aberdeen,  was  now  skirmishing  and  falling  back  toward 
West  Point.     Chalmers  joined  General  Forrest  at  Stark- 


February,  1864.  313 

ville.  In  view  of  the  possible  purpose  on  the  part  of 
the  Federal  General  to  throw  his  force  across  at  Aber- 
deen, and  move  down  the  east  bank  of  the  Tombigbee, 
Forrest  detached  Bell's  Brigade,  under  Colonel  Barteau 
(Colonel  Bell  being  sick),  with  orders  to  cross  that 
stream  at  Columbus,  and  moving  up  toward  Aberdeen, 
oppose  any  such  enterprise.  Therefore,  Colonel  Bar- 
teau set  out  early  in  the  morning  with  our  brigade,  and 
crossing-  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  a  few  miles  south 
of  West  Point,  arrived  at  and  commenced  crossinof  the 
river  opposite  Columbus  about  sunset.  All  the  brigade 
crossed  that  night  except  the  Second  Tennessee,  which 
camped  on  the  west  bank. 

Saturday,  20th. — The  Second  Tennessee  began  to 
-cross  about  sunrise,  and  as  we  had  only  two  flat  or  ferry- 
boats, the  crossing  was  somewhat  slow.  Leaving  Co- 
lumbus about  two  p.  M.,  going  up  the  river  seven  miles, 
and  finding  that  the  Federals  were  not  making  any  at- 
tempt to  cross  to  the  east  bank,  Colonel  Barteau  com- 
menced throwing  our  brigade  to  the  west  bank  a  little 
before  sunset.  The  theatre  of  approaching  operations 
was  one  that  called  for  prudence  and  judgment  on  both 
sides.  To  the  eastward  was  the  Tombigbee,  a  naviga- 
ble river,  swollen  with  rains  at  the  time ;  to  the  west, 
and  for  miles  running  nearly  parallel  with  it,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  miles  distant,  was  the  Sakatonchee  River,  a 
considerable  stream,  which,  after  receiving  a  number  of 
prairie  creeks,  is  crossed  by  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road five  miles  south  of  West  Point,  as  it  flows  nearly 
due  east  to  empty  into  the  Tombigbee  not  far  above 
■Columbus.  Into  the  angle  thus  formed  by  these  streams 
Forrest  hoped  to  draw  and  hold  the  Federals  until  Gen- 
<eral  S.  D.  Lee  should  come  upon  the  scene,  and  enable 


314  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 

the  Confederates,  by  taking  the  offensive  vigorously,  to 
cut  off  their  retreat  or  escape. 

General  Forrest  marched  from  Starkville  at  sunrise 
with  McCulloch's  Brigade  and  six  hundred  of  Richard- 
son's (under  Neely),  and  the  artillery,  to  the  support  of 
Colonel  Forrest,  who  was  receding  toward  West  Point 
as  slowly  as  was  practicable,  without  becoming  involved 
in  a  serious  action  with  the  largely  superior  force  press- 
ing him  back.  By  the  road  upon  which  Forrest  moved 
the  Sakatonchee  was  only  to  be  crossed  at  a  bridge 
about  thirty  yards  in  length  some  four  miles  west  of 
West  Point,  the  only  approach  to  which  was  over  a  long, 
narrow,  thrown-up,  dilapidated  causeway,  while  the 
banks  of  the  stream  on  either  side  were  steep  and  miry. 
These  conditions  made  it  hazardous  for  the  Confederates, 
to  advance  beyond  it  in  much  force.  Nevertheless,  on 
reaching  the  position  about  two  p.  m.,  Forrest  pushed 
adventurously  forward  through  and  several  miles  beyond 
West  Point,  until  he  met  Colonel  Jeffrey  Forrest  hold- 
ing the  Federals  at  bay  in  the  prairie.  Their  lines  ex- 
tended in  formidable  proportions  across  the  highway. 
However,  it  was  not  Forrest's  policy  to  fight  as  yet,  but 
merely  to  maneuver  for  delay  until  Lee  came  up  with, 
reinforcements  that  must  be  near  at  hand  ;  therefore, 
after  some  very  light  skirmishing,  he  withdrew  through 
West  Point  and  behind  the  Sakatonchee  again.  Dis- 
posing his  forces  to  hold  the  bridge  that  I  have  above 
mentioned,  Forrest  at  once  led  a  portion  of  McCulloch's 
Brigade  to  a  point  called  Siloam,  some  four  miles  higher 
up  the  river,  where  it  was  reported  that  the  Federals, 
were  making  an  effort  to  cross  and  thus  turn  his  posi- 
tion. It  was  not,  however,  a  serious  movement;  but  a. 
small  party  had  already  crossed  the  stream,  and,  taken. 


February,  1864.  315- 


by  surprise,  some  were  killed,  and  the  rest,  twenty-three 
in  number,  were  captured. 

To  recapitulate :  Nightfall  found  all  of  Forrest's  forces 
(except  Bell's  Brigade)  stationed  along  the  west  bank 
of  the  Sakatonchee,  the  head  of  the  Federal  column  at 
and  around  West  Point,  and  Barteau  throwing  our 
brigade  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombigbee,  near 
Waverly,  some  twelve  miles  east  of  West  Point,  as 
rapidly  as  possible. 

That  night  the  whole  country  northward  was  illumi- 
nated by  burning  homesteads,  cotton-gins,  corn-houses, 
and  stack-yards,  inspiring  the  Confederates  with  a  pas- 
sionate resolution  to  do  all  in  the  power  of  men  to  pun- 
ish such  an  unmanly,  heathenish  method  of  warfare. 

Su?iday,  2ist. — Early  in  the  morning  a  force  was  again 
thrown  to  the  north  side  of  the  bridge,  where  it  was 
quickly  attacked,  but  with  light  loss  to  either  side,  though 
there  was  a  prolonged,  incessant  noise  and  rattle  of  fire- 
arms until  about  noon,  when  the  enemy,  after  several 
attemps  to  force  the  position,  drew  off.  Forrest  followed 
at  once  with  his  ever-staunch  escort  to  satisfy  himself  of 
the  actual  situation;  then,  calling  up  one  hundred  of 
Faulkner's  Kentuckians,  he  discovered,  to  his  chagrin, 
that  the  Federals  were  apparently  in  retreat.  McCul- 
loch's  and  Colonel  Forrest's  Brigades  were  now  ordered 
to  advance ;  and  with  this  force  he  pressed  closely  at 
their  haunches,  leaving  orders  for  General  Chalmers  to 
collect  all  remaining  troops,  and  with  them  guard  the 
bridge  and  the  crossings  northward  of  it  against  any 
possible  hostile  flank  movement  from  the  northwards 
The  Federals  were  soon  found  in  position  in  some  post- 
oak  timber  at  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  four  miles  north- 
ward of  West  Point;  but,  dismounting  and  deployings 


316  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

as  skirmishers,  the  Confederates  quickly  drove  them 
rearward  some  five  miles,  with  the  loss  of  some  fifteen 
killed  and  wounded,  when  they  again  halted,  and  formed 
in  battle  array  across  the  mouth  of  a  lane,  in  which  there 
was  a  narrow,  slippery  bridge  and  causeway  over  a  nar- 
row slash  that  could  not  be  turned.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  Confederates  had  been  thrown  across  it 
when  the  Federals  charged  with  vigor;  but  Forrest, 
seeing  the  peril,  with  characteristic  audacity,  lead  a 
counter-charge,  while  McCulloch,  alive  to  the  exigency, 
threw  forward  on  foot,  at  double-quick,  a  number  of  men, 
who  rushed  across  with  a  loud  shout.  The  Federals, 
however,  again  gave  way  to  their  main  line,  a  short  dis- 
tance northward,  in  a  woods.  For  a  few  moments  the 
situation  was  dangerous,  the  fighting  sharp,  and,  as  was 
his  way.  General  Forrest  was  in  the  heart  of  it,  killing 
with  his  ready  pistol  a  Federal  trooper  who  was  in  the 
act  of  shooting  him.  The  Federals  now  confronted  did 
not  number  less  than  four  thousand  men.  Forrest,  dis- 
mounting the  Confederates — not  more  than  one  thou- 
sand troopers — immediately  threw  them  forward  as  rifle- 
men to  give  battle,  and  a  warm  engagement  began. 
The  Federals,  however,  slowly  fell  back  through  the 
woods  for  a  mile  into  the  prairie  to  a  strong  position 
behind  a  stout  picket-fence,  quite  half  a  mile  long. 
Promptly  detaching  a  regiment  to  move  round  by  the 
right  and  turn  this  formidable  barrier,  he  moved  upon 
it  with  his  men  in  two  lines  as  soon  as  the  regiment  in 
question  became  well  engaged.  The  Federals  giving 
way,  Forrest's  men  rushed  up  to  the  fence,  and  from 
behind  it  delivered  a  galling  fire  upon  their  rear. 

Up  to  this  time  Forrest's  losses  that  day  had  been 
about  eighty  killed  and  wounded,  while  that  of  the  en- 


February,  1864.  317 


emy  may  be  set  down  at  two  hundred,  including  sev- 
enty-five prisoners  taken. 

Remounting  and  pursuing,  Forrest,  notwithstanding 
the  roads  were  now  fearfully  cut  up,  was  able  to  bring 
his  advance  into  more  than  one  sharp  collision  that  aft-_ 
ernoon  with  the  Federal  rear  guard,  which  had  been 
made  heavy,  and  evidently  now  of  their  best  men.  In 
attempting  after  dark  to  traverse  a  field  with  his  escort, 
so  as  to  intercept  a  body  of  the  enemy,  Forrest  became 
entangled  in  some  ditches,  so  that — a  number  of  the 
Confederates  getting  ahead  by  the  road — as  he  came 
up  in  the  darkness  they  mistook  each  other  for  the  en- 
emy they  pursued,  and  both  parties  fired,  killing  one 
man,  and  a  ball  passed  through  the  General's  clothes. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  command  was  ordered 
into  bivouac  on  the  same  ground  from  which  the  Fed- 
erals had  just  retired,  leaving  around  a  good  deal  of 
subsistence  and  forage  and  camp-fires  that  were  greatly 
enjoyed  by  the  weatherbeaten,  jaded,  hungry  Confed- 
erates. 

As  we  have  followed  Forrest  through  the  operations 
of  the  day  and  into  bivouac  some  fourteen  miles  south 
of  Okolona,  we  will  now  go  back  and  come  up  with 
Bell's  Brigade,  which,  as  you  will  remember,  we  left  last 
night  at  dark  crossing  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombig- 
bee.  The  crossing  was  not  completed  until  eight  o'clock 
this  morning.  Had  the  Federal  commander  known  our 
position,  and  thrown  a  portion  of  his  forces  out  toward 
the  river  to  the  north  of  us,  our  brigade — only  about 
one  thousand  two  hundred  strong — would  have  been 
completely  surrounded  by  Federals  and  water;  and  our 
only  means  of  escape,  in  that  case,  would  have  been  to 
fight  our  way  through  the  lines  of  the  former  or  swim 
through  the  latter. 


:318  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

As  soon  as  the  brigade  had  all  crossed  Colonel  Bar- 
teau  set  out  in  a  north-west  direction,  with  the  Second 
Tennessee  in  rear  of  the  brigade.  We  had  not  gone 
far  before  we  heard  artillery  firing  in  the  direction  of 
West  Point.  Our  regiment,  now  being  detached  and 
thrown  forward,  under  Captain  M.  W.  McKnight,*  at  a 
swift  gallop  for  some  three  or  four  miles,  came  in  sight 
of  the  Federal  column,  now  in  full  retreat  along  the 
west  side  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  a  few  miles 
north  of  West  Point.  Throwing  forward  skirmishers, 
McKnight  halted  here  until  Colonel  Barteau  came  up 
with  the  rest  of  the  brigade.  Being  ordered  to  keep  on 
the  Federal  right  flank,  Barteau  now  moved  out  north- 
ward through  the  prairie,  on  the  east  side  of  and  paral- 
lel with  the  railroad,  with  the  Second  Tennessee  again 
in  front.  A  skirmish  was  now  kept  up  and  continued 
the  rest  of  the  day  between  our  and  the  Federal  skir- 
mishers as  they  moved  on  between  and  parallel  with 
the  moving  columns.  When  about  opposite  Egypt  Sta- 
tion McKnight  halted,  and,  deploying  his  men  in  line, 
again  waited  for  the  rear  of  the  brigade  to  come  up. 
While  in  this  position  (about  the  time  the  rear  of  the 
brigade  had  closed  up)  the  Federals  made  their  appear- 
ance in  battle  array  on  an  elevated  portion  of  the  prai- 
rie southward,  driving  our  skirmishers  before  them. 
For  a  few  moments  the  situation  was  fearful.  The  bri- 
gade was  about  to  be  enveloped,  in  its  isolated  position, 
by  the  Federals.  However,  the  movement  was  happily 
discovered  in  time  to  be  met  with  decision  by  Colonel 
Barteau. 


*As  Colonel  Barteau  was  in  command  of  the  brigade,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Morton  on  detached  duty,  and  Major  Parrish  sick,  Captain  McKnight  com- 
ijTianded  the  regiment. 


February,  1864.  319 


I  take  the  following  in  reference  to  the  above  affair 
from  Colonel  Barteaii's  Manuscript  Notes: 

Night  found  us  at  the  intersection  of  the  Aberdeen  and  Egypt 
road.  Here  the  enemy  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  strike  a  blow 
upon  our  comparatively  small  force.  He  had  gained  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  ahead  of  us,  and  attempted  with  a  force  from  the  head  of  his  col. 
umn  to  take  possession  of  this  road  before  we  could  come  up,  while  a 
force  from  the  direction  of  his  rear  was  detached  to  close  rapidly  on 
us.  But  apprehending  this  we  immediately  drove  the  detachment  in 
front  away  from  the  road  with  Colonel  Wilson's  Regiment,  while  my 
own  under  the  gallant  Captain  McKnight  protected  the  flank,  and 
Colonel  Russell  managed  admiirably  well  the  portion  of  the  enemy 
who  attacked  our  rear. 

All  things  being  well  now  we  moved  out  on  the  Aberdeen  road  to  its 
junction  with  the  Okolona  road  and  went  into  camp*  [four  miles 
from  Aberdeen]. 

The  Federals  bivouacked  some  four  miles  south  of 
Okolona,  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad. 

BATTLE  OF  OKOLONA. 

Monday,  22d. — By  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  our 
brigade  was  in  the  saddle  and  moving  toward  Okolona. 

*"An  amusing  little  incident  look  place  that  night  while  we  were  in  camp. 

"The  scouts  were  watching  and  surveying  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  and  in 
doing  so  came  upon  a  big  Dutchman  in  the  back  yard  of  a  farm  house.  He  had 
just  robbed  alien  roost,  and  a  lusty  chanticleer  seemed  to  be  his  only  prize.  He 
was  easily  captured  himself,  but  persisted  in  denying  the  right  of  his  captors  to 
take  from  him  his  lawfully  captured  rooster.  He  was  brought  into  camp  hold- 
ing his  fowl  by  the  neck.  All  efforts  to  get  'plain  English'  out  of  him  or  to  get 
away  his  'bird'  were  equally  fruitless;  but  by  the  aid  of  a  limited  knowledge 
of  his  native  tongue  and  the  assistance  of  a  good  interpreter  whom  I  soon  found, 
1  learned  that  he  belonged  to  the  Second  'New  Zhorky,'  and  that  the  entire 
wagon  train  had  been  ordered  to  be  on  the  Pontotoc  road  by  daylight. 

"  He  had  been  one  of  the  wagon  guard  that  day,  and  understood  that  they 
were  all  going  back  to  Memphis  (as  he  said)  'to  be  dismounted  and  sent  down 
■the  river.' 

"  Whether  all  of  his  information  was  true  or  not,  I  now  considered  it  certain 
that  the  enemy  would  not  attempt  to  cross  the  Tombigbee,  and  I  gave  orders 
immediately  to  move,  that  if  possible  we  might  intercept  the  wagon  train  on  the 
Pontotoc  road,  or  strike  it  at  daylight  just  west  of  Okolona." — Manuscript 
J^Jotes  of  Colonel  Barteau. 


320  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

When  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  that  place  Colonel 
Barteau  ordered  the  brigade  to  halt  and  dismount.  Skir- 
mishers* being  thrown  out  toward  the  railroad,  mounted, 
soon  came  in  contact  with  the  Federal  skirmishers,  when 
a  lively  skirmish  commenced,  and  was  kept  up  for  some 
time,  while  we  were  thus  waiting  for  Forrest  to  move 
on  their  rear.  As  we  had  bivoaucked  a  few  miles  in  ad- 
vance of  Forrest,  and  also  started  about  one  hour  earlier 
that  morning,  we  had  to  wait  here  longer  than  was  pleas- 
ant; for  we  were  in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  Feder- 
als, had  they  been  handled  with  a  resolution  or  skill 
commensurate  with  their  great  numerical  advantage. 
Such  inquiries  as,  "  What  can  Forrest  be  doing  ?  "  "  Why 
does  he  not  attack  the  enemy  in  the  rear?"  could  now 
be  frequently  heard  along  our  line.  Finally,  hearing 
skirmishing  west  of  the  railroad,  a  little  south  of  us, 
we  knew  that  at  least  a  portion  of  Forrest's  men  were 
now  in  supporting  distance;  so  we  then  felt  somewhat 

*D.  B.  Willard  (Company  C)  and  Lieutenant  T.  C.  Atkinson  (Company  A), 
two  daring  riders,  were  among  the  skirmishers  thus  thrown  forward.  Ventur- 
ing a  little  too  far  into  a  field,  they  soon  found  that  their  only  means  of  escape 
was  through  a  hedge  fence.  Nor  did  they  have  any  time  for  parley,  as  the  balls 
were  now  flying  thick  around  them.  "Selecting,"  says  Willard,  "the  thinnest 
and  lowest  place,  I  made  my  horse  leap  that  hedge,  followed  by  Atkinson,  and 
we  thus  made  our  escape."  Soon  after  this,  as  the  brigade  neared  Okolona, 
these  two  troopers,  being  in  advance,  dashed  boldly  into  town.  Just  as  Atkin- 
son had  dismounted  and  entered  a  house  for  some  purpose,  Willard,  seeing  a 
squad  of  Federals  coming  dashing  down  the  street  toward  him,  seeing  that  he 
had  no  time  to  lose,  after  calling  out  to  Atkinson,  he  went  dashing  out  of  town 
with  the  Federals  at  his  heels  with  drawn  sabers,  yelling,  "Halt!  halt!'' 
Willard  replied,  "I  don't  belong  to  that  command;  therefore  I  shall  not  obey 
your  orders."  So  he  soon  made  his  escape.  Before  Atkinson  could  come  out 
and  mount  the  Federals  were  upon  him ;  therefore  he  surrendered.  However, 
the  Federals  in  their  eager  pursuit  after  Willard,  passed  him.  Seeing  at  once 
that  this  was  his  opportunity,  he  leaped  into  the  saddle,  grabbing  the  reins  of  a 
splendid  horse  that  the  Federals  had  been  leading,  and  by  a  circuitous  route 
southward,  making  good  his  escape,  rejoined  his  command  (Second  Tennessee) 
soon  after  with  his  prize. 


February,  1864.  321 


relieved.  About  that  time  Colonel  Barteau  received  a 
dispatch  from  General  Forrest  stating  that  he  had  two 
brigades  at  Egypt  Station,  and  directing  him  to  continue 
flanking  the  enemy  on  the  right,  as  he  had  been  doing. 
The  brigade  then  mounted  and  moved  out  for  Okolona. 
Just  before  we  got  to  that  place  our  column  and  that  of 
the  Federals  came  in  full  view  of  each  other,  moving 
nearly  parallel  with  and  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
each  other.  Thus  the  two  columns  continued  to  move 
until  the  head  of  each  passed  to  a  point  a  few  hundred 
yards  north  of  town,  when  both  halted,  and,  by  facing — 
the  Confederates  to  the  left  and  the  Federals  to  the 
right — the  two  lines  now  stood  in  battle  array  in  full 
view  of  and  fronting  each  other,  each  on  an  elevated 
portion  of  the  prairie,  with  the  railroad  midway  in  a  de- 
pression between  the  lines.  The  Confederate  left  ex- 
tended to  a  point  east  of  Okolona,  and  the  Federal  right 
to  a  point  west.  Our  brigade  dismounted,  while  the  Fed- 
erals remained  mounted.  Soon  after  we  had  thus  formed 
some  Federals  came  dashing  down  through  the  town  as 
though  they  were  going  to  try  to  move  us  from  our  po- 
sition. However,  a  few  volleys  from  the  left  of  the  brig- 
ade sent  them  back  the  other  way.  By  this  time  the 
head  of  the  main  Federal  column  must  have  been  two  or 
three  miles  from  Okolona  on  the  Pontotoc  road. 

Meanwhile,  General  Forrest,  dashing  ahead  with  his 
staff  and  escort  to  acquaint  himself  as  soon  as  possible 
with  the  state  of  affairs  in  front,  had  overtaken  and  har- 
assed the  Federal  rear  guard  for  a  few  miles  southward 
of  Okolona,  and  pressed  them  into  the  place,  soon  after 
we  had  taken  the  position  as  above  indicated.  Seeing 
the  Federals  drawn  up  in  strong  force  in  several  lines, 
as  if  for  battle,  and  discovering  our  brigade  at  the  same 
21 


322  E  R..  Hancock's  Diary. 

time,  he  left  his  staff  and  escort  south  of  town  and  im- 
mediately hastened,  alone,  to  our  position ;  and  as  he 
made  his  appearance  on  our  front  the  effect  was  pro- 
found. Every  countenance  irradiated  with  confidence, 
couraofe,  and  enthusiasm,  which  found  immediate  ex- 
pression  in  loud  cheers  and  prolonged  shouts  of  mingled 
joy  and  defiance,  in  recognition  of  which  Forrest  lifted 
his  hat  and  politely  bowed  to  us  as  he  passed  our  front, 
from  left  to  right,  at  a  gallop,  saying,  mildly,  "  Mount 
your  horses;"  and,  on  reaching  our  right,  he  gave  im- 
mediate orders  for  the  brigade  to  charge.*  He,  at  the 
head  of  Russell's  Regiment,  dashed  across  the  railroad 
north  of  town,  and  Barteau  and  McKnight,  at  the  head 
of  the  Second  Tennessee,  went  through  town,  while 
Wilson's  divided,  a  part  going  to  the  support  of  each 
of  the  other  regiments.  The  Confederates  began  to 
fire,  with  their  long  rifles,  as  they  came  within  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  of  the  enemy  ;  but  the  short  breech- 
loading  firearms  of  the  Federals  gave  the  latter  an  ad- 
vantage which  told  perceptibly,  and  the  Confederates 
were  staggered  for  some  moments,  which  Forrest,  ob- 
serving, ordered  to  be  cured  by  an  immediate  charge  of 
Wilson's  and  Russell's  Regimentsf  on  foot,  while  he,  with 
the  Second  Tennessee,  mounted  (now  drawing  his  sword 


•:•:■  "Forrest's  only  question  is,  'Where  is  the  enemy's  whole  position?'  My 
answer,  'You  see  it,  General,  and  they  are  preparing  to  charge.'  'Then  we  will 
charge  them,'  was  his  reply,  and  in  a  moment  the  three  regiments  were  wheeled 
into  columns  of  platoons.  .......... 

"We  dashed  into  the  town  by  two  different  streets,  and  struck  the  enemy  in 
his  very  face  just  as  he  was  preparing  to  execute  the  same  movement  on  us.  He 
seemed  astonished  and  confounded,  and  his  partially  executed  movements  were 
turned  into  confusion  and  disorder." — Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  B. 

t  Here  the  writer  of  Forrest's  Campaigns  adds  Newsom's  Regiment,  which 
is  a  mistake,  for  that  regiment  was  not  attached  to  Bell's  Brigade  until  about  the 
first  of  May  following. 


February,  1864.  323 


and  brandishing  the  glittering  steel  over  head,  said, 
"Come  on,  boys"),*  swept  around  to  attack  the  Fed- 
eral right  flank,  an  attack  which  was  made  with  excel- 
lent spirit,  while  the  dismounted  men  pressed  with  equal 
spirit  upon  their  front.  The  enemy,  now  giving  way, 
fled  in  confusion  alongr  the  Pontotoc  road.  The  Fed- 
eral  loss  in  this  affair  was  light,  only  about  thirty  killed, 
wounded,  and  captured  ;  that  of  the  Confederates  trivial, 
notwithstanding  the  superior  character  of  arms  used  by 
the  enemy.  Colonel  Barteau  was  knocked  from  his 
horse  by  a  spent  ball  striking  the  clasp  of  his  pistol  belt; 
however,  not  being  seriously  wounded,  he  was  soon  in 
the  saddle  and  at  the  head  of  the  brigade  again. f 

The  chase  now  became  general  and  eager,  Forrest 
leading  with  his  escort  and  the  Second  Tennessee,  but 
swiftly  followed  by  the  other  regiments  as  fast  as  they 
could  mount.  For  the  next  four  miles  Forrest's  best 
mounted  men  were  constantly  up  and  in  conflict  with 
the  worst  mounted  fugitives,  and  many  of  the  latter,  in 
that  distance,  were  either  killed  or  captured.  Mean- 
while, in  the  keenness  of  the  pursuit,  we  became  greatly 
scattered,  and  the  men  of  the  several  regiments  were 
necessarily  so  intermingled  that,  for  the  time,  there  was 
no  distinct  regimental  organization,  which  Forrest  ob- 
served and  ordered  the  brigade  to  halt  and  organize. 

*In  this  "Come  on,  boys,"  lay  one  of  the  secrets  of  Forrest's  unparalleled 
success  as  a  cavalry  leader. 

t "  On  seeing  our  gallant  Colonel  fall  I  immediately  dashed  to  his  assistance 
and  to  examine  the  nature  of  his  wound.  As  he  was  for  a  few  moments  speech- 
less, he  made  no  reply  when  I  asked,  'Colonel,  are  you  seriously  wounded? ' 
His  first  words  (at  the  same  time  taking  hold  of  me  and  attempting  to  rise 
to  his  feet)  were,  ^Forward,  Second  Tennessee  !^ 

"He  had  received  a  severe  shock,  though  not  a  serious  wound,  and  a  few 
moments  later  he  was  in  the  saddle  and  in  the  lead  again." — Verbal  report  of 
Assistant  Surgeon.  Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison. 


324  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

After  which,  moving  about  one  mile  and  a  half  further, 
we  came  up  with  the  Federal  rear  again.  The  Second 
Tennessee  was  ordered  to  dismount  and  charge  on  foot, 
being  led  by  Captain  M.  W.  McKnight.  The  enemy, 
however,  making  only  a  feeble  stand  here,  were  soon 
'driven  to  a  point  one  mile  and  a  half  beyond.  Being 
so  nearly  exhausted  by  this  time,  we  were  ordered  to 
halt  until  our  horses  were  brought  up,* 

In  the  chase  from  Okolona  to  this  point,  some  seven 
miles,  Forrest,  with  our  brigade  and  his  escort,  had  cap- 
tured seven  pieces  of  artillery  and  their  caissons.  Only 
a  few  hundred  yards  from  where  we  thus  halted  there 
was  a  high  ridge,  covered  with  small  post-oaks  and  a 
dense  undergrowth,  which  sloped  down  steeply  into 
marshy  valleys  on  either  hand,  that  covered  both  flanks^ 
This  being  a  very  favorable  position  for  defense,  the 
Federals  rallied  and  made  a  stubborn  stand. 

Colonel  Forrest's  and  McCulloch's  Brigades  coming 
up  only  a  few  moments  after  we  had  halted,  were  or- 
dered, the  first  to  move  to  the  right,  the  second  to  the 
left  of  the  highway,  and  assail  the  enemy's  position. 
(Colonel  Russell's  Regiment  being  detached  from  Bell's 
Brigade  moved  forward  with  Forrest's  Brigade.)  Both 
brigades  swept  forward  at  an  equal  pace  and  quickly 
carried  the  first  line  of  cover  in  the  face  of  a  withering 
fire ;  but  behind  was  a  second  position,  strongly  fur- 
nished, from  which  streamed  a  hissing  torrent  from  the 
Federal  breech-loaders,  that  cut  down  many  of  the 
dauntless  men  who  breasted  it.     Among  others,  Colonel 

*McKnight's  Company  halted  near  a  pond,  some  fifteen  feet  in  diameter, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  Federal  cavalry  horses  had  just  been  passing  through 
and  thus  stirred  it  until  the  v/ater  was  thick  with  mud,  some  of  the  boys  were 
so  nearly  famished  for  water  that  they  ran  and  drank  of  it  as  though  it  had  beea 
clear  spring  water. 


February,  1864.  325 


J.  E.  Forrest  (the  youngest  of  four  brothers,  the  General 
being  the  eldest)  fell  mortally  wounded,  shot  through 
the  neck.  General  Forrest  being  informed  of  his  broth- 
er's fall,  rushed  to  the  spot  and  dismounted.  The  Col- 
onel was  not  yet  dead,  and  his  mortal  existence  ter- 
minated in  the  arms  of  the  General,  whose  soul  at  that 
supreme  instant  was  moved  by  such  an  excess  of  sorrow 
that  it  served  even  to  hush,  for  some  ten  minutes,  the 
storm  of  battle.  Says  Colonel  Russell,  who  was  pres- 
^ent : 

The  moment  was  too  sacred  for  angry  passion  to  have  sway,  and 
•catching  its  inspiration  I  ordered  the  men  to  cease  firing,  that  all 
might  join  in  sympathy  with  our  suffering  General.  After  nature  had 
triumphed  for  awhile,  continues  Colonel  Russell,  he  rose  up,  and  cast- 
ing aside  those  reflections  which  had  unmanned  him  for  a  few  moments, 
by  a  strong  mental  effort  Forrest  was  himself  again. 

Remounting  in  stern  silence,  Forrest,  taking  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance,  ordered  his  staff  and  escort  to  fol- 
low, and  shouting  in  a  loud,  passionate  voice,  "  Gaus, 
sound  the  charge!"*  dashed  with  great  fury  upon  the 
enemy  in  front  just  as  they  were  remounting  to  retreat, 
and  for  some  moments  there  was  sore  havoc  in  the  Fed- 
eral mass  as  it  flowed  rearward,  heavily  packed  in  the 
narrow  road,  for  a  mile  to  another  position  even  stronger 
and  better  prepared  for  defense,  behind  rail  and  log 
breastworks.  The  Forrest  Brigade,  now  under  Colonel 
Duckworth,  was  dismounted  on  the  right  of  the  road 
.and  thrown  forward  to  storm  the  cover.  The  defense 
was  stubborn  and  bloody,  and  the  assault  equally  stren- 
uous;  however,  the  Federals  were  forced  back,  but  only 
for  a  half  mile,  where  the  around  afforded  another  favor- 
able  position,  with  abundance  of  rails  available  for  an- 
other temporary  breastwork.     Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  A. 

•■■■Jacob  Gaus  ■was  the  name  of  his  favorite  orderly  bugler. 


326 


R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Barksdale  fell  mortally  wounded  while  gallantly  leading 
the  Fifth  Mississippi,  during  the  above  onset. 
^  McCulloch  was  now  up  with  his  Texans  and  Missou- 
rians,  who  charged  forward,  shouting  that  their  colors 
should    not   lag   behind  any  on   that   field;   the   Forrest 
Brigade   dashed   forward   also,    with  a   similar  resolve. 
Therefore,   the  conflict  for  the  position  was  short,  but 
very  bloody.     The  Federals  yielded  the  ground,  suffer- 
mg  a  great  deal  as  they  retired,  especially  the  Fourth 
Regulars  and  Sixth  and    Ninth    Illinois   Cavalry.     The 
Confederate  losses  also  were  severe  before  the  position 
was  carried.      A  mile  beyond  the  enemy  stood  at   bay 
agam  behind  a  cluster  of  log  cabins  and  some  out-build- 
ings and  strong  fencing.     Forrest  and  his  escort  were 
with   the  advance,  and  active  in  the  onslaught.*     The 
musketry  was  again  deadly  to  both  sides,  and  Forrest's 
horse   fell   under   him,  pierced  with   five   balls,  besides 
which    his    saddle,   struck    three    times,    was    shattered 
under  him.     A  trooper,  observing  the  situation  of  our 
leader,  dismounted  and  gave  up  his  horse,  which  was 
taken  as  promptly  as  it  was  offered,  but  was  likewise 
killed  before  Forrest  had  ridden  it  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards,  but,  fortunately,  just  as  one  of  his  own  horses,  a. 
favorite  iron  gray  gelding,  was  brought  to  him  from  the 
rear.     It  was  about  this  juncture,  too,  that  Colonel  Mc- 
Culloch was  painfully  wounded  in  the  hand,  and  had  to 
quit^field,  and,  consequently,  his  brigade  was  brought 

*The  writer  of  Forrest's  Campaigns  says:  "  Disposing  the  Second  and  Sev- 
enth Tennessee  on  the  right,  and  McCulloch's  Brigade  on  the  left,  an  attack 
followed  with  little  delay."  (Page  398.)  Hence  this  writer  gives  the  Second 
lennessee  the  honor  of  taking  part  in  this  onset-an  honor  which  we  do  not 
claim,  for  according  to  what  I  wrote  then,  which  corresponds  with  my  memory 
now  (1886),  the  Second  Tennessee  was  not  ordered  to  the  front  until  the  Feder- 
als had  taken  the  next  and  last  position,  as  nightfall  closed  the  operations  of  the 
day  at  the  next  stand.      This  is  correct.— Q.  R.  B. 


Februaky,  1864.  327 


to  a  stand  for  a  while  by  this  mishap,  and  Forrest  found 
himself  in  advance,  with  scarcely  three  hundred  officers 
and  men  from  all  the  different  regiments  engaged ;  but 
with  this  small  force  he  nevertheless  hung  close  upon 
the  enemy's  rear,  and  just  at  sunset  came  upon  them, 
drawn  up  in  four  strong  lines  upon  an  elevated  ridge, 
in  the  western  skirt  of  a  field  of  the  area  of  about  one 
hundred  acres,  ready  to  descend  upon  this  small  band 
of  dismounted  Confederates.  Forrest  threw  his  men 
into  line  as  quickly  as  possible  behind  a  gully  which 
furrowed  the  field,  to  meet  the  approaching  onset. 

We  will  here  pause  to  describe  more  fully  the  Federal 
position  at  this  place.  The  Pontotoc  road  approaching 
the  north-east  corner  of  the  above  named  field,  passing 
alono-  the  north-east  side,  with  woods  on  the  right, 
turning  the  north-west  corner  in  a  curve,  a  short  distance 
from  which,  at  a  farm-house  in  the  north-west  side  of 
said  field,  turned  square  to  the  right,  leading  off  through 
a  lane.  The  Federal  lines  extended  from  this  house 
along  the  north-west  side  of  said  field,  to  and  along  the 
south-west  side.  Two  pieces  of  artillery  were  planted 
near  said  house  in  the  yard. 

To  return  now  to  Forrest's  position.  The  first  line 
of  Federals  dashed  down  the  slope  in  excellent  order  to 
within  sixty  yards  of  the  Confederates,  who,  at  that 
distance,  poured  into  it  a  scorching  volley  which  sent  it 
reelino-  rearward,  and  strewed  the  ground  in  front  with 
a  number  of  dead  and  wounded  horses  and  men.  The 
second  line  was  buffeted  back  in  like  manner,  and  also 
the  third,  after  making  a  still  nearer  approach.  The 
remaining  line,  the  largest  and  most  menacing,  was  now 
put  in  action,  with  such  persistence  that,  notwithstand- 
ing it  was  met  by  a  warm  fire,  the  mass  of  it  pressed  up 


328  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

to  the  gully  we  have  mentioned,  and  many  even  sprang 
across  and  broke  through  the  Confederate  ranks.  The 
Confederates,  throwing  down  their  guns,  betook  them- 
selves to  their  revolvers,  in  the  desperate  hand-to-hand 
struggle  that  now  came  to  pass.*  Just  at  this  juncture 
Lieutenant-Colonel  McCulloch  opportunely  brought  up 
McCuUoch's  Brigade,  and  meeting  the  portion  of  the 
enemy  that  had  broken  through  and  passed  to  the  rear 
of  Forrest's  position,  killed  and  wounded  a  number, 
among  others  an  aid-de-camp  of  General  Grierson. 

About  this  time  Colonel  Barteau  came  to  the  front 
with  the  Second  Tennessee  and  Wilder's  Regiment 
(Russell's  having  been  detached,  as  previously  men- 
tioned). The  Federal  artillery  now  opened  for  the  first 
time  during  the  day.  Colonel  Barteau,  being  ordered 
to  attack  the  Federal  left  fiank,  and,  if  possible,  take 
the  section  of  artillery  that  was  playing  upon  us,  moved 
his  demi-brigade  along  the  north-east  side  of  the  field  I 
have  mentioned  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  then  he 
ordered  us  to  halt  and  dismount.  The  two  regiments 
(with  the  Second  Tennessee  in  front)',  led  by  the  gal- 
lant Barteau,  moving  on  to  the  north-west  corner  of  said 
field,  there  emerging  from  the  woods  that  had  afforded 
us  some  protection  to  that  point  from  the  continued 
stream  of  grape-shot  that  the  Federal  artillery  had  been 
pouring  among  us  all  the  while,  and  dashing  forward 
with  spirit,  began  to  fire  when  within  one  hundred  yards 
of  the  Federal  position,  around  the  farm-house  we  have 
mentioned,  and,  soon  brushing  back  the  enemy, f  cap- 

*  Seeing  a  Federal  officer  in  the  act  of  shooting  one  of  his  staft  (Major  T.  S. 
Tate),  who  had  no  weapon  save  an  empty  carbine,  Forrest,  with  one  sweep  of 
his  saber,  nearly  severed  the  Federal  officer's  head  from  his  shoulders.  The  man 
toppled  to  the  ground,  and  as  he  did  so  Tate,  taking  the  revolver  from  his  hand, 
swung  himself  into  the  vacated  saddle. 

tThe  Federal  Second  Tennessee  was  among  the  supporters  of  this  section  of 
artillery,  so  here,  for  once,  the  Confederate  Second  Tennessee  met  and  engaged 
the  Federal  Second  Tennessee. 


February,  1804.  329 


tured  one  piece  of  artillery,  with  the  horses  hitched  to 
it,  and  one  flag".  After  dashing  along  the  lane  for  some 
distance  beyond  the  house,  close  after  the  other  piece  of 
artillery,  we  were  ordered  to  cease  hring,  iall  back  and 
form  inside  the  yard  fence. 

While  Barteaii  was  thus  driving  back  the  Federal  left 
flank,  their  right  dashed  down  upon  his  horse-holders, 
who,  turning  the  horses  loose,  betook  themselves  to 
their  guns  and  very  gallantly  repelled  the  enemy,  not- 
withstanding they  were  "few  and  far  between."* 

As  it  was  now  dark  Forrest,  ordering  his  men  to  halt, 
did  not  pursue  the  enemy  any  further.  We  thus  came 
to  a  halt  some  fifteen  miles  north-west  of  Okolona,  on 
the  Pontotoc  road ;  and  it  had  been  almost  one  continu- 
ous rattle  of  fire-arms  for  the  whole  of  that  fifteen  miles. 
The  Federal  losses  were  not  less  than  six  hundred 
killed  and  woundec|  and  three  hundred  prisoners.  The 
Confederate  losses  were  some  fifty  killed  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  wounded.  The  Second  Tennessee  was 
very  fortunate — none  killed  and  only  about  five  slightly 
wounded.  The  losses  of  McKnight's  Company  were : 
W.  W.  Hawkins,  slightly  wounded;  Jim  Dougherty, 
somewhat  jarred  by  a  spent  grape-shot  striking  his 
shoulder ;  and  two  horses  killed  and  another's  leg  broken. 

Barteau,  with  Bell's  Brigade,  moved  back  about  two 
miles  and  bivouacked.     About  eight  p.  m.  General  Ghol- 

*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  learned  that  it  was  the  Fourth  Regulars, 
under  Captain  Allen,  that  dashed  down  upon  our  horse-holders.  In  the  hand- 
to-hand  conflict  that  now  ensued,  H.  C.  (Red)  Odom  (Company  C)  shot  and 
killed  Captain  Allen,  who  at  that  moment  was  making  an  attempt  to  kill  Jim 
Petway  (Company  G)  with  his  saber.  So  grateful  did  Petway  feel  toward  Odom 
for  thus  saving  his  life  that  he  off"ered  to  make  Odom  a  present  of  a  fine  horse  ; 
■but  as  Odom  had  captured  four  horses  during  the  day,  and  consequently  did  not 
need  Petway's  horse,  he  very  prudently  declined  to  accept  the  offer.  Three  of 
the  four  horses  that  S.  C.  Odom  was  holding  were  shot  in  the  above  affair. 


330  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

son  arrived   upon  the  field  with  a  brigade — seven  hun- 
dred strong — of  State  troops. 

Tuesday,  2jd. — General  Gholson  was  directed  to  take 
up  the  pursuit  with  his  fresh  troops  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, which  he  did  as  far  as  Cherry  Creek,  capturing 
some  fifty  stragglers.  At  Tippah  River,  where  the  boat 
was  destroyed,  and  a  halt  became  necessary  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  temporary  bridge,  some  scouts  having 
fired  upon  the  demoralized  enemy  from  the  surrounding 
bushes,  a  rush  was  made  into  the  stream  in  so  frantic  a 
manner  that  many  horses  and  some  men  were  drowned^ 
and  thenceforward  to  Memphis  there  was  little  organi- 
zation in  this  command,  which,  scarcely  a  fortnight  be- 
fore, had  left  West  Tennessee  seven  thousand  strong,, 
and  as  splendidly  equipped  a  corps  of  cavalry  as  ever 
took  the  field.  Had  Smith  been  successful  in  forming 
a  junction  with  Sherman  at  Meridian,  it  was  no  doubt 
the  intention  of  the  latter  to  move  on  to  Mobile,  Ala- 
bama. Sherman  arrived  at  Meridian  the  15th  of  Feb- 
ruary, and  began  his  retreat  from  Meridian  to  Vicks- 
burg  a  few  days  after  Smith  had  been  driven  back  to 
Memphis. 

^  In  A.  H.  Stephens'  "  War  Between  the  States"  (Vol. 
II,  page  582)  I  find  the  following: 

A  little  before  this  General  William  T.  Sherman  had  set  out  on  his 
grand  projected  expedition  to  Mobile  through  Mississippi  and  Ala- 
bama. This  most  formidable  and  threatening  movement  was  com- 
pletely checked  by  several  brilliant  cavalry  exploits  of  Major-General 
N.  B.  Forrest,  particularly  the  one  at  Okolona  on  the  22d  of  Febru- 
ary, the  opening  day  of  the  fourth  year  of  the  war.  Sherman's  army, 
estimated  at  fifty  thousand,  was  thus  stopped  at  Meridian,  Mississippi. 
From  this  point  he  retraced  his  steps  to  Vicksburg,  and  by  Grant  was 
put  at  the  head  of  a  new  army  to  make  another  '■'■  omvard^^  upon  At- 
lanta and  through  Georgia. 

Having  set  parties  to  burying  the  dead,  both  Confed- 


February,  1864.  331 


erate  and  Federal,  and  pressed  wagons  to  remove  the 
wounded  of  both  sides  ahke  to  the  hospital  at  Okolona^ 
Forrest  left  the  field  with  his  staff  and  escort,  and  re- 
established his  headquarters  at  Starkville  on  the  24th. 

Meanwhile  Lee,  on  the  morning  of  the  2 2d,  had  ar- 
rived, with  Jackson's  Division,  at  Chalmers'  headquar- 
ters, behind  the  Sakatonchee  ;  and,  hearing  that  the 
Federals  were  on  the  retreat  northward,  he  fell  back  as 
far  as  Starkville,  county  seat  of  Oktibbeha  County, 
where  he  waited  Forrest's  arrival.  After  moving  a  few 
miles  from  the  main  road  to  feed  our  horses  our  regi- 
ment moved  on  to  Okolona.  There  we  learned  that  the 
rest  of  our  brigade  had  passed,  going  south.  We 
camped  for  the  night  near  town. 

Wednesday,  24th. — The  regiment  moved  down  to  their 
old  camp  near  Pikeville,  nine  miles  south  of  Okolona. 
It  had  been  twenty-nine  days  since  we  left  this  camp, 
and  we  had  been  in  the  saddle  twenty-seven  days  out 
of  that  twenty-nine. 

TJmrsday,  2^th. — After  a  march  of  some  twenty  miles 
our  regiment  camped  for  the  night  within  thirteen  miles 
of  Starkville. 

Friday,  26th. — Moving  on  to  Starkville,  we  found  our 
wagon  train  one  mile  and  a  half  south  of  town,  and 
there  we  went  into  camps.  The  rest  of  our  brigade 
(Bell's)  and  Chalmers'  Division  arrived  also. 

Sunday,  28th. — Bell's  Brigade  moved  from  Starkville 
to  Tibbee  Station — thirteen  miles — which  is  the  first  sta- 
tion south  of  West  Point.  We  remained  here  for  two 
weeks  to  rest  and  recruit  our  horses,  and  they  had,  per- 
haps, never  needed  rest  before  as  they  did  just  at  this 
time. 

In   the  first  week  of  March  Forrest's  command  was 


332  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

augmented  by  Colonels  A.  P.  Thompson's  (Third),  Ed. 
Crossland's  (Seventh),  and  H.  B.  Lyons'  (Eighth)  Ken- 
tucky Regiments,  who,  having  served  hitherto  as  infantry, 
were  now  sent  into  his  department  to  be  mounted  and 
transferred  to  the  cavalry  arm.  They  were  so  greatly 
reduced,  however,  all  three  together  did  not  number 
more  than  seven  hundred  effectives,  about  one  third  of 
whom  had  received  horses  already  ;  the  remainder  were, 
as  yet,  to  be  horsed.  Brigadier-General  A,  Buford 
came  with  them.  W.  W.  Faulkner's  Regiment  (Ken- 
tuckians  from  McCuUoch's  Brigade)  and  Jeffrey  E.  For- 
rest's Regiment  (now  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Wisdom)  were  added  to  this  Kentucky  Brigade,  which, 
together  with  Bell's  Brigade,  constituted  the  Second 
Division  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  with  A.  Buford  as  divi- 
sion commander;  thus  leaving  Colonel  A.  P.  Thompson 
in  command  of  the  (Third)*  Kentucky  Brigade,  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  A.  C,  Holt  in  command  of  the 
Third  Kentucky  Regiment.  Buford  assumed  command 
on  the  8th  of  March,  with  headquarters  at  Tibbee  Sta- 
tion. Chalmers  commanded  the  other,  or  First  Division, 
with  headquarters  at  Mayhew  Station  (four  miles  south 
of  Tibbee),  where  the  Second  Brigade,  McCulloch  com- 
manding, was  established  on  the  6th  ;  also  the  Seventh 
Tennessee  Cavalry  (Colonel  Duckworth),  of  the  First, 
or  Richardson's  Brigade,  the  other  three  regiments  of 
which  had  been  previously  detached  in  the  direction  of 
Grenada. 

In  this  reorganization  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  the  brig- 
ade which  had  been  commanded  by  the  lamented  Colo- 
nel J.  E.  Forrest  was  divided  up  among  the  other  brig- 
ades ;  so  the  four  brigades  above  named  contained  all 
of  Forrest's  command. 

*  Bell's  was  now  the  Fourth  Brigade. 


Febkuart,  1864.  333 


As  the  Second  Tennessee  had  as  yet  only  seven  com- 
panies, three  splendid  companies  of  West  Tennesseans 
were  added  about  this  time  in  order  to  fill  out  the  regiment 
to  ten  companies.  These  three  companies  were  well 
officered,  and  the  men  were  gentlemen  as  well  as  good 
soldiers.  These  three  companies  had  been  raised  in 
Obion  and  Weakley  counties  in  the  latter  part  of  1863 
and  the  beginning  of  1864,  and  when  attached  to  our 
regiment  became  Companies  H,  I,  and  K.  The  two 
first  named  were  transferred  from  Russell's  Regiment. 
The  following  rolls  of  said  companies  have  been  copied 
from  the  muster  rolls  which  were  made  out  at  Tupelo, 
Mississippi,  May  loth,  1864,  and  are  now  in  the  Con- 
federate archives  at  Washington  City:* 

MUSTER  ROLL  OF  COMPANY  H. 

B.  Edwards,  Captain, 

J.  Bedford,  First  Lieutenant. 

E.  Lasiter,  Second  Lieutenant. 

J.  L.  Stubblefield,  Third  Lieutenant. 

R.  Woody,  First  Sergeant. 

J.  D.  W.  Barton,  Second  Sergeant. 

C.  S.  Brown,  Third  Sergeant. 

J.  J.  Dreemon,  Fourth  Sergeant. 

A.  Miller,  Fifth  Sergeant. 

J.  W.  C.  Harmon,  First  Corporal. 

F.  M.  Smelledge,  Second  Corporal. 
F.  H.  Edwards,  Third  Corporal. 
Q.  C.  King,  Fourth  Corporal. 

Bedford,  A.  A.  Carter,  J.  L. 

Brown,  J.  R.  Crocket,  E.  B. 

Burton,  Wesley.  Climar,  J.  A. 

Brown,  James.  Cummings,  V.  B. 

Barnett,  F.  •  Cummings,  John. 

Baird,  R.  H.  Crutchfield,  F. 

Baird,  James.  Cardell,  W.  A. 

*  I  am  under  obligations  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  Hon.  Wni.  C.  Endicott^ 
for  copies  of  the  above  named  rolls. 


334 


R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Carter,  M.  E. 
Collier,  D. 
Callicoat,  J-  H. 
Crutchfield,  1. 
Coachran,  O.  A. 
Davis,  P.  M. 
Davis,  J.  C. 
Freeman,  R.  W. 
Caloway,  H.  B. 
Grisham,  A.  A. 
■Granger,  John  E. 
Harriss,  Van. 
Hoosier,  A. 
Holloway,  R. 
Hazlerigg,  A.  J. 
Harrison,  J.  B. 
Hallen,  J.  A. 
Inpian,  Tho.  B. 
Jacobs,  Hugh. 
Jacobs,  Robert. 
Jeffress,  P.  D. 
King,  P.  C. 
Kindell,  W. 


Miller,  W.  M. 
Mangrum,  J.  E. 
McAdams,  I.  K. 
Noah,  P.  D. 
Porter,  J.  W. 
Porch,  S.  M. 
Rodman,  T.  W. 
Robinson,  B.  B. 
Reed,  G.  W. 
Rine,  G.  C. 
Stacy,  D.  B. 
Shore,  J.  J. 
Smith,  P.  H. 
Summers,  B.  F. 
Tomlinson,  F.  M. 
Vardell,  R.  B. 
Vaughn,  A.  J. 
Wilson,  S.  H. 
Wade,  H.  I. 
Wade,  S.  M. 
Wright,  John. 
Young,  J.  M. 


The  following  names,  not  on  the  above  named  muster 
roll,  I  find  on  the  roll  made  out  June  30,  1864: 

Canady,  John.  Fields,  N.  W. 

Cook,  John.  Osburn,  William. 

MUSTER  ROLL  OF  COMPANY  I. 

S.  H.  Reeves,  Captain. 
William  Lattimer,  First  Lieutenant. 
J.  H.  Bittick,  Second  Lieutenant. 
W.  C.  Roberts,  Third  Lieutenant. 
A.  L.  Boyett,  First  Sergeant. 
M.  Rosson,  Second  Sergeant. 
J.  C.  Hamilton,  Third  Sergeant. 
N.  K.  Moore,  Fourth  Sergeant. 
S.  A.  Williamson,  Fifth  Sergeant. 


February,  1864. 


335 


G.  T. 

C.  B. 

W.  B. 

J.  W. 
Alexander,  J.  H. 
Bittick,  N.  D. 
Bittick,  John. 
Boyett,  G.  T. 
Boyett,  T.  F. 
Branham,  W.  G. 
Coatney,  J.  H. 
Carter,  J.  L. 
Clark,  A.  S. 
Clark,  L.  P. 
•Cary,  P.  S. 
Culberson,  W.  M. 
Cloar,  William. 
Cloar,  J.  A. 
Cloar,  T.  C. 
Cloar,  J.  E. 
Cowsert,  I.  W. 
Cowsert,  W.  S. 
Dozier,  I.  N. 
Dozier,  J.  J. 
Dozier,  W.  A. 
Dillon,  H. 
Fullerton,  R.  B. 
Fentress,  G.  W. 
Fletcher,  T.  J. 
Glover,  J.  T. 
-Glover,  P.  T. 
Glover,  G.  W. 
Gallaway,  H.  B. 
Glisson,  T.  H. 
Grey,  J. 

Glover,  Thomas. 
Hudson,  B.  W. 
Howell,  J.  W. 
.  Harrison,  J.  W. 
Hargett,  J.  A. 
Howard,  G.  G. 


Brownlow,  First  Corporal. 
Howell,  Second  Corporal. 
Molett,  Third  Corporal. 
McDaniel,  Fourth  Corporal. 

Johnson,  D.  C. 

Johnson,  Sol. 

Jones,  R.  T. 

Kerr,  E.  B. 

Kerr,  William, 

Lassiter,  R.  A. 

Lattimer,  T.  J. 

Lattimer,  D.  A. 

Lattimer,  J.  S. 

Lattimer,  Alex. 

Lasley,  J.  T. 

Moffatt,  J.  F. 

Moppin,  J.  A. 

Morrow,  W.  L. 

Macksey,  C. 

Masters,  W.  H. 

Owen,  A.  I. 

Powell,  R.  W. 

Pickard,  L.  P. 

Reeves,  J.  H. 

Rust,  J.  A. 

Rust,  S.  A. 

Rosson,  Samuel. 

Smith,  C.  W. 

Smith,  S.  R. 

Teaton,  H.  C. 

Tilghman,  E.  C. 

Watts,  C.  H. 

West,  A.  G. 

West,  J.  W. 

Williams,  J.  G. 

WilHams,  F. 

Williams,  B.  F. 

Williams,  J.  S. 

Walker,  E. 

Wright,  H.  W. 


336  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

I  learn  from  muster  roll  of  Company  I,  made  out  June 
30th,  1.864,  th^-t  William  Lattimer  (First  Lieutenant), 
J.  H.  Bittick  (Second  Lieutenant),  A.  L.  Boyett  (First 
Sergeant),  M.  Rosson  (Second  Sergeant),  and  C.  B. 
Howell  (Second  Corporal)  were  transferred  to  infantry 
on  the  23d  of  May,  1864.  The  vacancies  thus  made 
were  filled  as  follows:  J.  C.  Hamilton  was  made  First 
Lieutenant;  J.  W.  Howell,  First  Sergeant;  P.  T.  Glover, 
Second  Sergeant;  and  N.  B.  Molett,  Second  Corporal. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  found  on  mus- 
ter roll  of  June  30th,  not  on  roll  of  May  loth,  1864: 

Carter,  G.  L.  Howell,  J.  B. 

Clendenning,  W.  Moody,  West. 

Cook,  Frank.  Wright,  Y. 
Hamilton,  A.  B. 

MUSTER  ROLL  OF  COMPANY  K. 

O.  B.  Farris,  Captain. 

J.  W.  Neel,  First  Lieutenant. 

F.  M.  McRee,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Henry  Prior,  Third  Lieutenant. 

H.  D.  Fox,  First  Sergeant. 

Wellington  Scearce,  Second  Sergeant. 

T.  H.  N.  Adams,  Third  Sergeant, 

C.  P.  Edwards,  Fourth  Sergeant. 

W.  J.  F.  Ragan,  Fifth  Sergeant. 

William  Polk,  First  Corporal. 

A.  M.  Perry,  Second  Corporal. 

Henry  Walker,  Third  Corporal. 

Henry  Killion,  Fourth  Corporal. 
Adams,  R.  F.  Curry,  Samuel. 

Allison,  R.  William.  Collin,  Robert. 

Benton,  W.  E.  Campbell,  T.  J. 

Baker,  S.  A.  Carroll,  C.  H. 

Bartlett,  William.  Caruthers,  S.  L. 

Bradford,  C.  G.  Calhoon,  J.  W. 

Buckhanan,  J.  M.  Darbin,  J.  A. 


February,  1864. 


337 


Edwards,  William.        » 
Everett,  W.  T. 
Fuzzell,  J.  H. 
Fuzzell,  Green. 
Flemming,  J.  R. 
Flemming,  B.  W. 
Farris,  B.  F. 
Green,  Obed. 
Haily,  J-  W. 
Head,  F.  S. 
Head,  J.  W. 
Hill,  S.  J. 
Hill,  A.  N. 
Hughes,  J.  W. 
Hutchinson,  J.  M. 
Hickman,  J.  S. 
Hubbard,  John. 
Hays,  Jacob. 
Inman,  I.  F. 
Inman,  F. 
Johnson,  T.   H. 
Kisterson,  J.  H. 
Killion,  J.  D. 
Killion,  Robert. 

I  learn  from  muster  roll  made  out  June  30th,  1864, 
that  the  following  promotions  were  made  June  ist:  F. 
McRee  was  promoted  from  Second  Lieutenant  to  First 
Lieutenant;  W.  H.  Farris  Company  C,  Seventh  Tennes- 
see Cavalry,  to  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  above  compa- 
ny ;  Wellington  Scearce,  from  Second  Sergeant  to  Third 
Lieutenant ;  John  Pryor,  from  private  to  First  Sergeant; 
and  Henry  Killion  from  Fourth  Corporal  to  Second 
Sergeant. 

Company  K  was  recruited  as  follows  in  May,  1864. 

Anthony,  John.  Brown,  J.  R. 

Baker,  J.  S.  Blankenship,  H.  E. 

Brown,  H.  R.  Bennett,  W.  H. 
32 


McRee,  T.  F. 
Mooring,  J.  W. 
Mooring,  C.  T. 
Miller,  R.  W. 
Moffatt,  J.  C. 
McKay,  R.  F. 
McKay,  W.  J. 
Polk,  James. 
Parks,  H.  B. 
Phillips,  Robert. 
Phillips,  Samuel. 
Peacock,  CM. 
Riley,  J.  H. 
Roach,  S.  M. 
Reeves,  J.  J. 
Raynolds,  Saylor. 
Sinclair,  J.  S. 
Smith,  John. 
Singleton,  Green. 
Tliompson,  Thomas. 
Thompson,  Samuel. 
Wells,  G.  W. 
Youree,  William. 


338  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Bolton,  H.  C.  Inman,  T.  B. 

Cunningham,  E.  F.  Jackson,  R.  H. 

Cage,  J.  E.  Lawson,  S.  P. 

Crockett,  R.  Moultrie,  L. 

Dougherty,  Sam.  Prior,  John. 

Davis,  P.  Smith,  William. 

Davidson,  O.  J.  W.  Sandling,  John. 

Farris,  W.  H.  Tucker,  G.  L. 

Glasscock,  L.  O.  Tucker,  J.  W. 

Grisham,   George  A.  Wilson,  W.  A. 

Garrison,  O.  J.  Walker,  W. 
Hunter,  J.  S. 

Szmday,  March  i^th. — Chalmers'  Division,  at  this  time 
commanded  by  Colonel  McCulloch,  was  ordered  by  Gen- 
eral Forrest  to  return  to  Panola.  Colonel  Duckworth's 
Regiment,  from  Richardson's  Brigade,  and  McDonald's 
Battalion,  from  McCulloch's  Brigade,  remained  on  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  to  accompany  General  Forrest 
on  another  expedition  into  West  Tennessee  and,  if  pos- 
sible, into  Western  Kentucky ;  to  which  he  was  incited 
by  several  motives : 

First — Buford's  Kentuckians  were  in  pressing  need 
of  clothing  and  horses ;  he  therefore  desired  to  give 
that  command  an  opportunity  to  refit  in  their  own  State. 

Second — The  Tennesseans  brought  out  in  December 
were  also,  for  the  most  part,  in  great  need  of  clothing, 
and  had  left  their  homes  so  suddenly  as  to  make  it  im- 
portant that  they  likewise  should  be  indulged  in  a  brief 
visit  to  that  region. 

Third — He  wished  to  do  all  that  he  could  to  distract, 
harass  and  hurt  the  enemy  in  his  field  of  command. 

Forrest's  headquarters  were  now,  and  had  been  since 
the  27th  of  February,  at  Columbus. 

Monday,  14th. — All  needful  preparations  for  the  con- 
templated expedition   northward  being  now   completed 


March,  1864.  339 


Bell's  Brigade  took  up  the  line  of  march  from  their 
camp  near  Tibbee  Station.  Moving-  west  some  seven 
miles  to  a  bridge  across  Tibbee  Creek,  and  thence  about 
thirteen  miles  along  the  Okolona  road,  the  brigade 
camped  for  the  night  west  of  the  railroad. 

Tuesday,  i^th. — General  F'orrest  and  his  staff  and  es- 
cort set  out  northward  from  Columbus  this  morning. 
Thompson's  Brigade,  Duckworth's  Regiment  (Seventh) 
and  McDonald's  Battalion  were  also  put  in  motion  along 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.  Continuing  its  march 
along  the  Okolona  road,  Bell's  Brigade  camped  five 
miles  south  of  that  place. 

Wednesday,  /d///.— Bell's  Brigade  marched  on  through 
and  camped  eight  miles  north  of  Okolona. 

Thursday^,  ijth. — Our  brigade  moved  on  to  Tupelo, 
where  we  found  General  Buiord  with  the  rest  of  our 
division.  General  Forrest  set  out  with  his  escort Sev- 
enth Tennessee  and  McDonald's  Battalion — that  morn- 
ing from  Tupelo,  with  two  days'  rations  of  corn,  on  their 
horses,  for  Jackson,  Tennessee.  Going  by  the  way  of 
Corinth  he  arrived  at  the  former  place  the  20th. 

Friday,  /c?///.— Faulkner's  Regiment,  being  detached 
from  Thompson's  Brigade  and  thrown  out  on  the  left 
flank,  crossed  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  at 
Pocahontas,  and  thence,  through  Bolivar,  on  to  Den- 
mark, west  of  Jackson.  The  rest  of  Buford's  Division 
went  by  the  way  of  Corinth.  However,  as  the  Second 
Tennessee  moved  detached  from  the  division,  though 
on  the  same  general  line  of  march,  we  will  follow  it  only 
through  its  daily  marches  until  it  meets  "with  the  divis- 
ion again. 

After  a  march  of  about  twenty -five  miles  our  regi- 
ment camped  seven  miles  west  of  Baldwin.      We  carried 


340  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

no  corn  on  our  horses,  but  foraged  off  of  the  country 
through  which  we  passed.  I  suppose  that  that  is  the 
main  reason  why  we  moved  detached. 

Saturday,  igth. — In  the  saddle  early.  Marching  some 
thirty-five  miles  we  camped  within  five  miles  of  Corinth. 

Sunday,  20th. — Crossing  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad  at  Corinth,  and  the  State  line  a  little  north  of 
that  place,  thence  continuing  our  course  nearly  north, 
our  regiment  bivouacked  three  miles  east  of  Purdy,  the 
county  seat  of  McNairy  County,  Tennessee.  Marched 
some  twenty-five  miles. 

Monday,  21st. — Our  regiment  passed  through  and 
camped  four  miles  north  of  Mifflin,  in  the  western  part 
of  Henderson  County. 

Tuesday,  22d. — After  h.e  had  marched  at)Out  fifteen 
miles  Colonel  Barteau  came  up  with  the  rest  of  Buford's 
Division  at  a  country  village  called  Spring  Creek,  in  the 
northern  portion  of  Madison  County,  south  of  Middle 
Forked  Deer  River,  twelve  miles  north-east  of  Jackson. 
After  directing  General  Buford  to  send  Colonel  Wilson, 
with  five  companies  of  his  regiment  and  all  the  dis- 
mounted Kentuckians  who  were  unable  to  make  the 
march  northward,  to  Jackson  to  occupy  that  place  dur- 
ing the  expedition,  Forrest  repaired  to  Trenton  with  his 
staff,  escort — the  Seventh  Tennessee — and  Faulkner's 
Regiment. 

Wednesday ,  2jd. — Detaching  the  Seventh  Tennessee, 
McDonald's  Battalion  and  Faulkner's  Regiment,  under 
Colonel  Duckworth,  to  move  upon  Union  City  and  cap- 
ture any  Federal  force  there,  Forrest  set  out  for  Padu- 
cah  with  his  escort  and  the  rest  of  Buford's  Division, 
which,  after  a  march  of  some  thirty-seven  miles,  camped 
(half  after  ten  p.  m.)  fifteen  miles  north-east  of  Trenton, 
on  the  Dresden  road. 


March,  1864.  341 


Thursday,  z^^th  — Passing  through  Dresden  and  Duke- 
dom we  bivouacked  about  four  miles  south  of  Mayfield 
(near  midnight),  in  Graves  County,  Kentucky.  Marched 
forty- two  miles. 

Friday,  2^th. — -We  only  had  about  twenty-six  miles 
to  ride  before  reaching  our  point  of  destination — Padu- 
cah.  Thompson's  Brigade  marched  in  front  and  Bell's 
in  the  rear,  with  four  pieces  of  artillery  between.  As 
Colonel  Thompson  was  goi?ig  home  he  moved  at  quite  a 
lively  gait.  The  artillery  had  to  move  very  rapidly  down 
grade  and  on  level  road  in  order  to  make  up  time  lost  in 
going  up  grade.  Therefore,  our  brigade  moved  at  a 
gallop  the  greater  portion  of  that  twenty-six  miles.  We 
had,  perhaps,  never  done  as  hard  riding,  for  the  same 
distance,  as  we  did  that  day.  A  gentle  shower  of  rain 
that  was  falling  at  the  time  was  a  great  advantage  in 
keeping  our  horses  cooled  off.  We  arrived  before  Padu- 
cah  about  two  p.  m. 

Forrest  dashed  into  town  with  his  advance  guard, 
forcing  the  Federals  to  betake  themselves,  in  hot  haste, 
to  their  stronghold — Fort  Anderson — a  large  inclosed 
earthwork  in  the  western  suburbs  of  town,  about  one 
hundred  yards  from  the  river  bank,  and  surrounded  by 
a  broad,  deep  ditch,  fringed  with  a  strong  abatis.  This 
formidable  work  was  garnished  with-  at  least  six  pieces 
of  artillery,  and  all  the  Federal  troops  at  Paducah  took 
refuo-e  in  it — from  seven  hundred  to  one  thousand  in 
number.  Buford,  dismounting  his  men  in  an  open  space 
a  little  south  of  west  from  town,  threw  Thompson's  Bri- 
o-ade  forward  and  leftward,  in  the  direction  of  the  fort, 
while  Bell's,  being  on  the  right,  moved  into  town.  How- 
ever, it  was  not  Forrest's  purpose  to  attack  the  fort,  and 
he  gave  no  orders  looking  to  such   a  step.     But  speed- 


342  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ily  was  heard  the  sound  of  rapid,  heavy  firing  of  small 
arms  and  artillery  in  that  direction,  and,  on  sending 
Captain  Anderson,  his  aid,  to  ascertain  the  cause,  that 
officer,  returning  in  a  few  moments,  reported  that  an 
attack  had  been  made  by  Colonel  Thompson  with  about 
four  hundred  men  of  the  Third  and  Seventh  Kentucky, 
which,  though  gallantly  led  and  made,  had  been  repulsed 
with  the  loss  of  that  distinguished  officer.  The  fire  con- 
centrated upon  this  band  of  Kentuckians  was  too  con- 
suming to  be  endured,  and  Colonel  Crossland,  who  sue- 
ceeded  to  the  command,  promptly  distributed  his  men 
among  the  numerous  houses,  from  the  upper  stories  and 
roofs  of  which  they  poured  a  deadly  fire  over  the  para- 
pets of  the  works.  Colonel  Albert  P.  Thompson  was 
killed  in  sight  of  the  place  of  his  birth,  the  house  of  his 
father,  the  home  of  his  proud,  useful  manhood,  the  field 
of  his  professional  distinction. 

Made  aware  of  the  situation,  Forrest  sent  a  positive  or- 
der to  Buford  not  to  attempt  to  storm  the  Federal  posi- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  causing  a  bugle  to  be  sounded 
in  indication  of  his  wish  for  a  parley,  presented  a  formal 
demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  place.  Colonel  Hicks, 
the  Federal  commander,  flushed  with  his  recent  ad- 
vantage, promptly  answered  the  demand  for  his  capitu- 
lation with  a  defiant  refusal.  Meanwhile  the  Confeder- 
ates had  complete  possession  of  the  town  itself,  the 
streets  of  which  the  guns  of  the  fort  and  the  two  gun- 
boats were  sweeping  with  incessant  discharges  of  solid 
shot,  shell,  and  grape,  doing  a  great  deal  of  damage  to 
the  buildings.  Scattered  in  detachments,  Bulurd's  men, 
nevertheless,  began  to  collect  in  the  various  stores,  ware- 
houses, and  stables  the  clothing,  supplies,  and  horses, 
for  which  the  operations  had  been  chiefly  undertaken ; 


March,  1864.  343 

and  other  parties  were  set  to  destroy  such  public  prop- 
erty and  war  material  as  could  not  be  removed,  includ- 
ing- the  quartermaster's  stores,  railroad  depot  with  all 
the  rolling  stock,  and  the  Marine  Way  with  the  steamer 
Dacotah,  on  the  stocks  for  repairs. 

Forrest,  having  closely  reconnoitered  the  work,  be- 
came fully  satisfied  that  to  storm  it  would  involve  a 
greater  sacrifice  of  valuable  life  than  would  be  justified 
by  the  capture  of  the  force  that  defended  it,  withdrew 
all  his  troop  without  making  any  other  effort  to  assault 
the  work  than  that  which  had  so  unfortunately  resulted 
in  the  loss  of  Colonel  Thompson.  The  withdrawing 
did  not  commence,  however,  until  after  dark,  and  then 
it  was  effected  by  small  detachments  falling  back  to  their 
horses,  one  after  another,  so  that  the  enemy  would  not 
know  when  the  place  was  evacuated.  Paducah  was  in 
possession  of  the  Confederates  from  a  little  after  two 
until  eleven  p.  m.  Then  Forrest  moved  his  main  force 
some  four  miles  southward  and  camped,  taking  with 
him  some  fifty  prisoners,  about  four  hundred  horses  and 
mules,  and  a  very  large  supply  of  clothing  and  quarter- 
master's subsistence,  and  military  supplies,  including 
saddles  and  other  horse  equipments,  for  the  procure- 
ment of  which,  as  I  have  said,  the  expedition  had  been 
mainly  made.  The  Federals  continued  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  town  for  some  time  after  we  had  thus  gone 
into  carnp. 

I  have  seen  no  official  reports  of  this  affair  at  Paducah, 
and  I  reo^ret  to  find  that  the  writer  of  "Forrest's  Cam- 
paigns "  is  silent  in  reference  to  the  loss  of  Forrest's 
command. 

I  take  the  following  from  J.  C.  Ridpath's  "  History  of 
the  United  States,"  page  523  : 


344  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

He  [Forrest]  reached  Paducah,  Kentucky,  made  an  assault  on  Fort 
Anderson  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town,  but  was  repulsed  with  a  loss  of 
three  hundred  men.* 

The  loss  of  the  Second  Tennessee  in  this  affair  was 
two  men  (B.  F.  Odoni.  Company  C,  and  Wm.  Ayers. 
Company  D)  killed  and  twelve  wounded ;  among  the 
latter  was  our  Lieutenant-Colonel,  G.  H.  Morton,  who 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  shoulder.  Nute  Carr, 
Company  E,  S.  W.  Love,  Company  D,  and  Nat.  C. 
Pope,  Company  G,  were  also  among  the  wounded. 

Company  C  was  very  unfortunate.  B.  F.  Odom  (as 
before  stated)  was  killed,  a  cannon-ball  taking  off  the 
top  of  his  head.  He  was  a  noble,  kind-hearted  young 
man  as  well  as  a  good  soldier,  and  consequently  highly 
esteemed,  much  beloved,  and  greatly  missed  by  all  his 
comrades.  A  brick  chimney,  attached  to  a  house  in 
which  Captain  McKnight  and  several  of  his  company 
had  taken  refuge,  was  struck  by  a  cannon-ball,  knock- 
ing the  inmates  around  at  a  fearful  rate  by  the  flying 
and  falling  bricks.  Captain  McKnight  was  taken  from 
the  debris  in  a  lifeless  condition  ;  however,  he  soon  suffi- 
ciently recovered  from  the  terrible  shock  (his  head  was 
fearfully  bruised  and  mashed)  to  be  brought  off  in  a 
buggy.  Two  others — S.  C.  Odom  and  T.  D,  Elkins — 
were  considerably  hurt.  Another  chimney  was  knocked 
down,  falling  on  several  of  one  company,  though  with- 

*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  received  through  the  politeness  of  General 
M.  J.  Wright,  General  Forrest's  official  report,  dated  "Dresden,  Tenn.,  March 
27,  1S&4,"  and  addressed  to  "  Lieutenant-General  Polk,  Demopolis  "  [Alabama], 
from  which  I  take  the  following: 

■'H-eld  the  town  for  ten  hours,  and  could  have  held  it  longer,  but 
found  the  small-pox  was  raging,  and  evacuated  the  place.  .  .  .  My  loss  at 
Union  City  and  Paducah,  as  lar  as  known,  is  twenty-h\e,  killed  and  wounded. 
I  hold  possession  of  all  this  country  except  posts  on  the  river.  Think 
if  I  can  remain  unmolested  here  fifteen  days  I  will  be  able  to  add  two  thousand 
men  to  my  command." 


March,  1864.  345 


out  serious  injury  to  any.  John  N.  McKnight  was 
wounded  in  the  arm  by  a  small  ball.  L.  VV.  McKnight's 
leg"  was  broken  at  the  knee,  and  consequently  had  to  be 
amputated  just  above  the  knee.  He  was  the  only  man, 
except  the  two  killed,  that  our  company  or  the  regiment 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  died  soon  after  at 
Paducah.  So  our  company  (C)  lost  another  excellent 
soldier  by  this  Paducah  affair.  In  fact,  the  company 
had  never  suffered  so  great  a  loss  in  any  previous  en- 
gagement. 

Saturday,  zdtli. — The  Federal  commander,  apprehen- 
sive of  another  attack,  threw  out  detachments  from  his 
fortress,  and  set  fire  to  a  large  number  of  buildings,  in- 
cluding some  of  the  best  dwellings  and  business  houses 
of  the  place,  which,  in  that  event,  might  be  occupied  by 
hostile  sharp-shooters  to  his  annoyance.  However,  this 
waste  of  property  was  the  fruit  of  an  idle  apprehension. 

At  nine  a.  m.  Forrest  sent,  imder  a  flag  of  truce,  a 
proposition  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  but  this  was 
declined,  for  alleged  want  of  authority. 

Moving"  fourteen  miles  southward  Forrest  bivouacked 
some  four  miles  north  of  Mayfield.  The  Third  and 
Seventh  Kentucky  Regiments  were  detached  by  squads 
to  repair  to  the  several  neighborhoods  in  South-west 
Kentucky,  in  which  they  had  been  enrolled,  to  visit  their 
kindred,  from  whom  they  had  been  long  separated. 
They  were  ordered  to  reassemble  by  the  end  of  tfie 
month  at  or  near  Mayfield,  Kentucky. 

Sunday,  2yth. — The  rest  of  our  division  moved  down 
to  Mayfield,  where  Buford,  with  six  companies  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  and  the  Eighth  Kentucky  remained 
to  await  the  return  of  the  two  disbanded  regiments, 
while  Forrest,  with  his  escort,  Russell's  Regiment,  five 


346  E  R..  Hancock's  Diary. 

companies  of  Wilson's,  and  four  (including  the  three 
companies  from  West  Tennessee)  of  the  Second  Ten- 
nessee, proceeded  southward  to  Trenton,  Tennessee. 
As  Wilson's  and  Russell's  men  belonged  in  that  vicinity, 
they  were  allowed  to  visit  their  families  and  friends,  and 
to  procure  summer  clothing.  So  Forrest's  command 
was  now  well  scattered  over  West  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky and  Northern  Mississippi. 

Colonel  Duckworth,  who  was  detached  at  Trenton  on 
the  23d  to  move  upon  Union  City  with  less  than  five 
hundred  men,  appeared  in  front  of  that  place  before 
daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  and  discovered  by 
the  light  of  some  burning  buildings  that  the  Federals 
were  strongly  entrenched  in  a  square  redoubt.  A  close 
and  vigorous  investment  ensued,  however,  and  for  sev- 
eral hours  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sharp-shooting, 
while  Faulkner's  Kentuckians  made  a  charge  to  within 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  the  work.  Without  artillery, 
and  the  force  within  the  works  being  equal  in  numbers 
to  his  own.  Colonel  Duckworth  now  resorted  to  the  7'use 
of  presenting  a  peremptory  demand  for  the  surrender  of 
the  position  in  the  name  of  General  Forrest.  The  Fed- 
eral commander.  General  Hawkins,  who  had  surrendered 
to  Forrest  in  December,  1862,  asked  time  to  consider, 
and  besought,  moreover,  a  personal  interview  with  For- 
rest, which,  of  course,  was  impracticable.  Duckworth, 
therefore,  cleverly  answered  in  the  name  of  his  chief, 
that  other  important  military  movements  would  not 
allow  any  time  for  deliberation ;  that  the  answer  must 
be,  therefore,  immediate  and  conclusive;  that  he  (For- 
rest) was  not  in  the  habit  of  meeting  officers  inferior  in 
rank  to  himself  under  fiagf  of  truce,  but  would  send 
Colonel   Duckworth,  an   officer   of  equal   rank,  clothed 


April,  1864.  347 

with  power  to  arrange  torms,  and  any  arrangement 
made  by  him  would  be  strictly  observed.  The  inter- 
view took  place,  and  the  capitulation  was  therefore 
made  at  eleven  a.  m.,  and  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
men,  with  their  arms  and  ammunition,  camp  and  garri- 
son equipage,  and  three  hundred  horses  were  the  results 
of  this  adroitly-managed  stratagem. 

Tuesday,  2gth. — General  Buford,  with  the  Eighth 
Kentucky  (perhaps  a  part  of  them  had  been  disbanded 
to  visit  relatives  and  friends)  and  six  companies  of  the 
Second  Tennessee,  moved  out  about  seven  miles  south- 
west of  Mayfield. 

Wednesday,  jo//^.— Moving  southward  he  camped 
within  some  two  and  a  half  miles  of  Dukedom,  which 
is  on  or  near  the  line  between  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Thursday,  Jist. — After  a  short  march,  about  three 
miles,  we  camped  half  a  mile  south  of  Dukedom. 

Friday,  April  ist. — The  most  of  the  Kentuckians 
having  returned  to  their  colors  by  this  time,  Buford  now 
took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Trenton,  halting  for  the 
nitrht  at  Dresden,  fifteen  miles  south  of  Dukedom,  in 
Weakley  County,  Tennessee. 

Saturday,  2d. — Marching  about  twenty-three  miles  a 
little  west  of  south,  crossino-  the  south  fork  of  the  Obion 
River,  Buford  camped  within  three  or  four  miles  of 
Trenton,  in  Gibson  County. 

Sunday,  jd. — Buford  established  the  headquarters  of 
his  division  at  Trenton,  while  Colonel  Barteau,  with  six 
companies  of  his  regiment,  went  thirteen  miles  further 
west  and  encamped  near  Eaton,  where  he  remained  one 
week.  While  here  he  was  rejoined  by  the  four  com- 
panies that  had  been  detached  at  Mayfield,  Kentucky. 
And  also  Wilson's  and  Russell's  Regiments  reassembled 
at  this  camp  near  Eaton. 


348  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Faulkner's  Regiment  rejoined  the  Kentucky  Brigade 
at  Trenton,  and  also  the  dismounted  Kentuckians,  who, 
being  unable  to  accompany  the  expedition  to  Paducah, 
had  been  left  nieanwhile  at  Jackson. 

While  at  Trenton,  Butord  having  noticed  in  a  northern 
newspaper  the  statement  that  the  horses  which  had  been 
recently  carried  off  from  Paducah  belonged  exclusively 
to  the  citizens,  while  those  of  the  United  States  had  es- 
caped by  their  adroit  concealment  in  an  old  foundry  or 
rolling-mill  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  acquainted  For- 
rest with  the  circumstances,  and  requested  and  obtained 
authority  to  return  at  once  with  the  Kentucky  Brigade, 
or  some  eight  hundred  of  them,  and  complete  his  re- 
mounts. 

Setting  out  on  the  8th  Buford  was  in  the  vicinity  of 
Columbus  on  the  1 2th,  when  he  detached  two  companies 
to  make  a  vigorous  demonstration  on  the  Federal  posi- 
tion at  that  place,  with  the  hope  of  thus  drawing  thither 
reinforcements  and  distracting  the  movements  of  the 
Federal  forces.  Other  detachments  were  also  thrown 
out,  especially  at  points  on  the  Tennessee  River,  and  on 
the  14th  Buford,  with  his  main  force,  suddenly  appeared 
at  Paducah  about  one  p.  m.  Boldly  entering  the  town, 
he  sent  a  detachment  to  the  rolling-mill  to  search  for 
horses,  and  another  to  investigate  the  quartermaster 
and  subsistence  store-houses.  Some  one  hundred  and 
forty  excellent  horses  were  soon  found  concealed,  as  had 
been  anticipated,  but,  for  the  most  part,  the  subsistence 
and  other  supplies  had  been  removed  across  the  river 
that  day  in  anticipation  of  an  attack.  Meanwhile  a 
furious  bombardment  had  been  opened  on  the  town 
from  the  fort  and  four  gunboats,  but  no  movement  was 
made  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  commander  to  throw 


April,  1864.  349 

his  troops  from  their  cover.  Buforcl's  next  measure  was 
now  to  beguile,  his  adversary  with  the  apprehension  of 
a  serious  attack.  So  he  formally  notified  the  Federal 
commander  of  his  intention  to  attack  him,  and  granted 
a  truce  for  one  hour  for  the  purpose  of  moving  the 
women  and  children.  This  was  accepted,  and  the  navy 
officers  begran  to  remove  the  women  and  children  to  the 
Illinois  shore.  Meanwhile  Buford  began  to  withdraw 
southward  with  his  main  force  and  spoils,  leaving  Faulk- 
ner to  threaten  the  place  for  some  hours  longer,  and 
then  retire  westward  on  the  road  to  Blandville,  to  con- 
tinue the  deception  as  to  the  objects  and  the  strength 
of  these  Confederate  movements.  Buford  himself  fell 
back  slowly  to  Dresden  on  the  i8th,  and  established  his 
headquarters  there  until  the  30th,  under  orders  from 
General  Forrest,  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  and  pro- 
curing additional  artillery  and  cavalry  horses. 

While  on  his  way  to  Paducah- about  the  time  he  was 
leaving  Jackson — Forrest  ordered  Chalmers,  who  was  at 
Panola,  Mississippi,  to  send  the  First  Brigade  (now  un- 
der Colonel  J.  J.  Neely,  Richardson  having  been  re- 
lieved from  command)  into  West  Tennessee,  with  in- 
structions to  take  post  at  or  about  Brownsville.  Accord- 
ingly Neely,  getting  in  motion  on  the  25th  of  March, 
was  at  Bolivar  on  the  29th,  and  there  met,  engaged, 
and  completely  routed  a  Federal  force  under  Hurst, 
killing  about  twenty  and  capturing  some  thirty  and  their 
wagon  train  (five  wagons  and  teams)  and  two  ambu- 
lances, with  their  contents,  including  fifty  thousand 
rounds  of  ammunition,  much  needed,  as  it  happened,  by 
the  Confederates  at  the  time. 

Hearing  that  Grierson  had  been  detached  with  a  heavy 
cavaky  force  from  Memphis  to  operate  upon  Forrest's 
rear,  General  Chalmers,  leaving  two  battalions  to  guard 


350  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

the  crossing  of  the  Tallahatchie,  crossed  into  West  Ten- 
nessee with  the  remainder  of  McCulloch's  Brigade,  at 
or  near  LaGrange,  on  the  29th  of  March,  and  was  at 
Bolivar  early  on  the  next  day.  Meanwhile  the  prison- 
ers accumulated  in  the  course  of  the  expedition  at  Jack- 
son, some  six  hundred  in  number,  were  detached  en  route 
for  Demopolis,  Alabama,  under  a  strong  escort,  in  the 
direction  of  Corinth.  Hearing  of  large  bodies  of  Fed- 
eral troops  in  that  quarter,  the  officer  in  command  turned 
riirhtward,  toward  Pocahontas,  and  Chalmers'  Division 
was  likewise  detached,  to  insure  their  safe  conveyance 
beyond  the  dangerous  ground  of  the  line  of  the  Mem- 
phis and  Charleston  Railroad.  After  safely  conveying 
the  prisoners  across  the  border  Chalmers'  Division  re- 
turned northward — McCulloch's  Brigade  to  Jackson,  and 
Neely's  to  Brownsville  and  Sommerville. 

General  Grierson  was  sent  forth  from  Memphis  with 
perhaps  two  thousand  cavalry  to  feel,  attack  and  crip- 
ple Forrest  as  much  as  possible.  On  the  3d  of  April 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Crews,  with  sixty  of  McDonald's 
Battalion,  came  in  contact  with  a  part  of  this  force  some 
twenty-five  miles  from  Memphis,  on  the  Sommerville 
road,  and  by  adroitly  displaying  his  colors  and  men,  as 
well  as  by  bold  attacks,  he  so  completely  deceived  the 
enemy  as  to  make  him  believe  that  Forrest's  whole  com- 
mand was  upon  him,  and  a  hasty  retreat  back  to  Mem- 
phis was  the  result,  with  the  destruction  of  all  the  bridges 
behind  him,  leaving  Crews  in  possession  of  the  field. 
Grierson  reported  to  General  Hurlbut  that  "  Forrest  was 
a  little  too  strong  for  him,"  when,  as  incredible  as  it 
may  seem,  he  had  come  in  conflict  with  no  part  of  For- 
rest's command  but  Crews  and  his  sixty  men.* 

*A  full  account  of  this  affair  may  be  found  in  "Campaigns  of  General  For- 
rest," pages  420-22. 


April,  1864.  351 

SiLuday,  loth. — Ever  since  his  advent  into  West  Ten- 
nessee Forrest  had  been  distressed  by  well-authenticated 
instances,  repeatedly  brought  to  his  notice,  of  rapine 
and  atrocious  outrage  upon  non-combatants  of  the  coun- 
try by  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pillow.  According  to  the 
information  received  the  garrison  in  question  consisted 
of  a  battalion  of  whites  commanded  by  Major  Bradford 
(a  Tennessean),  and  a  negro  battalion  under  Major 
Booth,  who  likewise  commanded  the  post.  Many  of 
Bradford's  men  (West  Tennesseans)  were  known  to  be 
deserters  from  the  Confederate  army.  The  families  of 
many  of  Forrest's  men  had  been  grievously  wronged, 
despoiled  and  insulted  by  detachments  of  Bradford's 
men,  and  many  of  his  (Forrest's)  officers,  uniting  with 
the  citizens  of  the  country,  in  a  petition  beggeci  to  be 
permitted  to  remain  to  shield  their  families  from  further 
molestation.  This  was  impossible,  of  course ;  but  P  or- 
rest  determined  to  break  up  their  lair,  and  capture  or 
destroy  them  before  leaving  that  section  of  the  country 
for  other  operations ;  and  the  orders  necessary  to  that 
end  were  issued  on  the  above  date  from  his  headquar- 
ters at  Jackson,  Bell's  Brigade  of  Buford's  Division  and 
McCulloch's  Brigade  of  Chalmers'  Division,  with  Wal- 
ton's Battery — four  mountain-howitzers — being  selected 
for  the  operation,  Chalmers  with  McCulloch's  Brigade 
set  out  at  once  from  Jackson  by  way  of  Brownsville; 
but  as  Bell's  Brigade  was  camped  near  Eaton,  in  Gibson 
County,  some  thirty  miles  from  Jackson,  and  as  a  courier 
had  to  be  sent  from  the  latter  place  to  notify  Bell  of  the 
move,  he  did  not  get  his  brigade  in  motion  until  about 
nine  p.  m.,  and  then  only  to  mount  and  move  out  into 
the  road  and  wait  until  about  midnight  for  the  artillery, 
which  had  to  come  through  a  very  bad  bottom.     Then, 


352  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

moving  about  ten  miles  south,  Bell  halted,  about  one 
hour  before  day,  and  allowed  his  men  to  take  a  short 
nap.  (They  had  the  pleasure  of  only  about  one  hour's 
sleep  out  of  sixty.) 

Monday,  nth. — In  motion  early  Bell  halted  to  feed 
about  ten  a.  m.,  after  which  he  pressed  on  in  rear  of 
McCulloch's  Brigade. 

Forrest,  leaving  Jackson  that  morning,  overtook  Chal- 
mers at  Brownsville  at  two  v.  m.,  and  ordered  that  officer 
to  push  ahead  with  the  troops  by  a  forced  march,  so 
that  they  might  be  in  close  proximity  to  Fort  Pillow  by 
daylight  the  next  morning.  The  distance  was  thirty- 
eight  miles.  It  was  raining,  and  so  dense  was  the  dark- 
ness after  midnight  that  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish 
the  road  or  "to  see  a  file-leader."  Nevertheless,  onward 
and  onward  pushed  Chalmers — with  McCulloch's  Bri- 
gade still  in  advance — and  just  before  dawn  on  Tues- 
day, Ap'ril  1 2th,  his  advance  guard  surprised  the  Federal 
pickets  and  captured  all  except  one  or  two,  who,  escap- 
ing to  the  fort  just  at  sunrise,  gave  the  first  warning  of 
the  danger  impending.  Thus  Bell's  Brigade  had  made 
the  trip  from  Eaton  to  F'ort  Pillow — about  seventy 
miles — in  thirty  hours.  McCulloch's  men  had  decidedly 
the  advantage  of  Bell's,  from  the  fact  that  by  getting 
well  on  their  way  Sunday  they  got  to  rest  Sunday  night, 
while,  as  we  have  seen,  Bell's  men  were  in  the  saddle 
nearly  all  night,  and  then  also  Monday  and  Monday 
night,  resulting  in  many  of  Bell's  men  being  made  sick. 

Fort  Pillow,  first  established  in  1861  by  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  and  still  better  fortified  by  the  Confederate 
States  Engineers,  under  the  orders  of  General  Beaure- 
gard, in  March  and  April,  1862,  is  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  in  Lauderdale  County,  some  three 


April,  1864.  353 

and  a  half  miles  above  Fulton,  and  just  below  the  mouth 
of  Coal  Creek.  The  lines  of  works  erected  by  the  Con- 
federates were  upon  a  very  extended  scale — far  too  large 
to  be  of  the  least  use  or  value  to  a  garrison  so  small  as 
that  which  the  Federals  habitually  kept  there,  there- 
fore they  had  freshly  thrown  up  breastworks  upon  the 
highest  part — perhaps  fifty  feet  above  the  water  level — - 
of  a  bank  or  bluff  which  extended  for  several  hundred 
yards  nearly  parallel  with  the  river,  leaving  a  space, 
comparatively  level,  between  its  base  and  the  river  bank 
proper,  perhaps  thirty  to  fifty  yards  wide.  The  fort  was 
near  the  southern  extremity  of  this  bluff,  it  being  the 
hiighest,  and  about  seventy-five  yards  from  the  river. 
About  one  acre  of  land  was  inclosed  by  earth  works 
thrown  up  on  three  sides — north,  south,  and  east.  The 
wall  was  about  eight  feet  high,  exterior  to  which  there 
was  a  ditch  six  feet  deep  and  twelve  feet  broad.*  East- 
ward there  was  a  gradual  slope  from  the  fort  for  from 
forty  to  fifty  yards,  when  the  descent  became  sudden 
into  a  narrow  gorge  which,  extending  northward  four 
or  five  hundred  yards,  thence  westward  to  Coal  Creek, 
thus  separated  the  bluff  upon  which  the  fort  stood  from 
a  labyrinth  of  hills  and  ridges,  divided  from  each  other 
by  a  net-work  of  interlacing,  narrow  ravines,  and  this 
slope  was  broken  by  several  crooked  and  deep  gullies, 
affording  well-covered  approaches  for  an  enemy  to  within 
thirty  to  one  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  Southward, 
this  eminence  also  fell  off  gently  for  about  two  hundred 
yards,  and  then  rapidly  into  a  narrow  valley,  the  course 
of  which  was  perpendicular  to  the  river,  and  in  which 
were  a  number  of  trading  houses  and  other  buildings 

■■As  I  failed  to  take  these  measurements  while  at  the  work,  I  have  adopted 
the  above  from  "Campaigns  of  General  Forrest." 

23 


354  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 

known  as  the  town.  This  slope  was  seamed  by  a  ravine 
which  gave  hostile  access  to  within  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  of  the  southern  face  of  the  works.  •  Between 
this  ravine  and  the  fort  were  three  or  four  rows  of  tents 
and  cabins,  and  rightward  from  these,  stretched  around 
to  the  north  for  some  two  hundred  yards  a  rifle-pit  along 
the  eastern  verge  of  the  acclivity.  The  armament  con- 
sisted of  two  ten-pounder  Parrott  rifled  guns,  two  twelve- 
pounder  howitzers,  and  two  six-pounder  rifled-bore  field, 
pieces,  and  the  whole  garrison  did  not  exceed  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men.  One  gunboat — New  Era — was 
present  and  took  part  in  the  defense.  The  timber  was 
cut  down  for  several  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  fort. 
Upon  the  capture  of  the  pickets,  McCulloch's  Brigade 
was  pressed  rapidly  on  with  instructions  to  take  up  a 
position  southward  of  the  fort,  and  as  near  as  possible 
to  the  river  bank  and  work;  therefore,  McCulloch  soon 
seized  a  position  with  his  left  flank  on  the  river  bank, 
about  half  a  mile  southward  of  the  fort,  the  remainder 
of  his  line  disposed  in  the  ravines  extending  around  and 
toward  the  north-east,  in  close  proximity  to  a  high  ridge 
upon  which  were  the  old  Confederate  works,  the  most 
elevated  point  of  which  was  occupied  at  the  time  by  a 
Federal  detachment.  He  then  and  there  came  to  a  halt 
to  wait  for  Bell's  Brigade  (which  was  about  two  miles 
from  the  fort  when  the  Federal  guns  first  opened,  a  little 
after  sunrise)  to  come  up  and  take  position.  As  soon 
as  up  Wilson's  Regiment  of  Bell's  Brigade  was  deployed 
directly  in  front  to  occupy  the  close  attention  of  the 
garrison  by  an  immediate,  vigorous  skirmish,  while  Col- 
onel Barteau  led  the  Second  Tennessee  rightward,  wind- 
ing his  way  as  best  he  could  through  the  woods  to  Coal 
Creek  bottom,  and  there   dismounting  threw  his   men 


April,  1864.  355 

forward  to  a  good  position  a  few  hundred  yards  north  of 
the  fort  along  the  north-east  face  of  a  hill.  From  this 
position  skirmishers  were  thrown  forward  to  brush  the 
small  force  of  Federal  sharp-shooters  back  from  their 
advanced  positions  ;  this  drew  the  Federal  guns  from 
both  fort  and  gunboat  upon  our  position.  Meanwhile 
Colonel  Russell  threw  his  regiment  forward  to  a  position 
between  Barteau  and  Wilson.  The  investment  was  now 
complete,  though  it  was  at  long  range ;  and  about  this 
time,  too  (nine  a.  m.).  General  Forrest  came  upon  the 
field,  and  about  the  same  hour  Major  Booth,  the  Federal 
commander,  and  his  adjutant  by  his  side,  were  killed. 
Coming  immediately  to  our  position,*  thence  along  the 
top  of  the  bluff  upon  which  the  fort  stood.  General  For- 
rest made  as  close  an  inspection  of  the  fort  and  its  sur- 
roundings as  he  possibly  could,  thus  ascertaining  that 
the  conformation  of  the  ground  around  the  Federal  works 
(as  previously  described)  was  such  as  to  afford  protection 
to  his  troops,  while  two  ridges,  from  four  to  five  hundred 
yards  distant,  eastward  and  north-eastward  from  the 
enemy's  position,  gave  the  Confederate  sharp-shooters 
excellent  cover,  from  which  they  completely  commanded 
the  interior  of  the  Federal  works,  and  might  effectually 
silence  their  fire.  He  therefore  decided  at  once  to  make 
a  close  investment,  returned  to  our  position  and  ordered 
Colonel  Barteau  to  "  move  up."  Accordingly  the  Second 
Tennessee  "moved  up"  to  the  top  of  the  bluff  and 
opened  fire  upon  the  Federal  garrison.  By  dropping 
over  a  little  to  the  right  and  moving  along  the  side  of 
the  bluff  facing  the"  river,  it  gave  us  some  protection 
from  the  garrison,  while  at   the  same  time  this  move 

■■■The  writer  heard  Forrest  remark  as  he  passed  :   "  There  are  not  many — we 
must  take  them." 


350  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

placed  us  in  easy  range  and  plain  view  of  the  gunboat, 
which  moved  up  as  we  moved  down,  and  when  about 
opposite  to  us  she  turned  broadside  as  though  she  was 
going  to  give  us  "Hail  Columbia;"  however,  after 
maneuvering  around  for  a  while,  as  though  she  was  try- 
ing to  scare  us  off  of  that  bluff  without  firing  a  gun,  she 
finally  came  to  a  halt  several  hundred  yards  above  the 
fort,  and  (to  our  great  relief)  remained  a  "  i-z7^/2/ spec- 
tator'' during  the  rest  of  the  engagement.*  Moving 
along  this  bluff  to  within  about  one  hundred  yards  ot 
the  north  side  of  the  fort — perhaps  some  were  nearer — 
Colonel  Barteau  halted  and  waited  for  the  rest  of  the 
command  to  close  up. 

After  advancing  a  short  distance  with  our  regiment, 
Forrest  turned  and  went  round  leftward  to  move  up  the 
rest  of  Bell's  Brigade  as  well  as  McCulloch's.  Accord- 
ingly Russell's  and  Wilson's  Regiments  were  thrown 
forward,  to  the  left  of  Barteau's,  to  a  position  in  which 
their  men  were  well  sheltered  by  the  conformation  of 
the  ground.  McCulloch,  advancing  about  the  same 
time,  soon  brushed  the  Federals  back  from  the  old  Con- 
federate intrenchments,  on  the  highest  part  of  the  ridge 
immediately  in  front  of  the  south-eastern  face  of  the 
work.  The  Federals  fell  back  without  further  stand  to 
their  main  work  and  the  rifle-pit  in  its  front,  closely 
pressed  by  McCulloch,  who  seized  and  occupied  the 
cluster  of  cabins  on  the  southern  face  of  the  work,  which 
were  only  about  sixty  yards  from  it,  foiling  an  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  burn  the  buildings.  He 
also  carried  and  occupied  the  rrfle-pit  rightward,  thus 

*I  do  not  know  why  Captain  Marshall,  the  commander  of  the  gunboat, 
ceased  firing  when  he  could  have  used  his  guns  with  such  telling  effect  upon  our 
regiment,  unless  it  was  because  he  was  scarce  of  ammunition  or  afraid  to  open 
his  port-holes,  fearing  we  would  kill  his  gunners. 


April,  1804.  357 

completing   the   investment   at  short   range,   extending 
from  the  river  banlv  north  of  the  fort  to  the  river  bank 
south.     These  positions  thus  secured  were  fatal  to  the 
defense,  for  the  Confederates  were  now  so  placed  that 
artillery  could  not  be  brought   to  bear  upon  them  with 
much  effect,  except  at  a  mortal  exposure  of  the  gun- 
ners, while  rearward  of  the  advance  line  were  numer- 
ous sharp-shooters,   favorably   posted   on   several   com- 
manding  ridges,  ready  to  pick  off  any  of  the  garrison 
showing  their  heads  above,  or,  indeed,  any  men  moving 
about  within  the  circuit  of,  the  parapets.      Fully  satisfied 
of  his  ability  to  carry  the  position  without  difficulty  or 
delay,  but  desiring  to  avoid  the  loss  of  life  that  must 
occur  in  storming  the  works,  Forrest  determined  to  de- 
mand the  surrender  of  the  place.      Accordingly,   caus- 
ing the  signal  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities  to  be  given, 
he  deputed  Captain  W.  A.  Goodman,  Adjutant-General 
on  the  staff  of  General  Chalmers,  to  bear  a  flag  of  truce 
with  a  formal  demand  in  writing,*  addressed  to  "Major 
L.  F.  Booth,  commanding  United   States  forces,"  as  he 
was  thought  to  be  still   in  command.      However,  as  we 
have  seen,  he  had  been  dead  for  several  hours,  and  the 
command   had    fallen    into   the   feeble    hands   of  W.   F. 
Bradford,  the  commander  of  the  odious  Thirteenth  Ten- 
nessee Battalion  of  Cavalry.     Nevertheless,  the  answer 
received,  after  some  delay,  bore  the  name  of  Major  L. 
F.   Booth,  and  required  an  hour  for  consultation  with 
his  officers   and  those  of  the  gunboat  in  regard  to  the 
demand  for  the   surrender   of  his  post  and  the  vessel. 
On  receiving  this  communication   Forrest  immediately 

*After  some  discussion  among  the  officers  present  it  was  agreed  by  both  For- 
rest and  Chalmers,  "that  if  the  port  was  surrendered  the  whole  garrison, 
white  and  black,  should  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war." — "Campaigns  of  Gen- 
eral Forrest,"  page  431. 


358  li.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

replied,  in  writing,  that  he  had  not  asked  for,  and  did 
not  expect,  the  surrender  of  the  gunboat,  but  that  of 
the  fort  and  garrison,  and  that  he  would  give  twenty 
minutes  for  a  decision.  Moreover,  so  great  was  the  an- 
imosity existing  between  the  Tennesseans  of  the  two 
commands,  he  added,  that  he  could  not  be  respo7isible  for 
the  conseque?ices  if  obliged  to  storm  the  place. 

During  the  period  of  the  truce  the  smoke  of  several 
steamers*  were  discovered  ascending  the  river;  and 
speedily  one  crowded  with  troops,  and  her  lower  guards 
filled  with  artillery,  was  distinctly  seen  approaching,  near 
at  hand,  and  manifestly  bearing  directly  for  the  be- 
leaguered fortress.  Apprehensive  that  an  attempt  would 
be  made  to  land  reinforcements  from  these  steamers, 
Forrest  promptly  dispatched  his  aid-de-camp.  Captain 
Anderson,  with  a  squadron  of  McCulloch's  Brigade, 
down  to  the  river  bank  under  the  bluff  and  just  below 
the  southern  face  of  the  invested  work.  And  the  Olive 
Branch,  in  her  course,  soon  came  so  near  that  by  open- 
ing with  a  volley  on  the  mass  of  men  with  whom  she 
was  laden  a  heavy  loss  of  life  must  have  been  inflicted ; 
but  Captain  Anderson,  limiting  himself  strictly  to  pre- 
venting the  landing  of  any  reinforcements  during  the 
truce,  caused  two  or  three  admonitory  shots  to  be  fired 
at  the  pilot-house,  with  the  immediate  effect  of  making 
her  sheer  off  to  the  opposite  shore,  and  pass  on  up  the 
river. 

Some  minutes  later  the  answer  to  the  second  demand 
was  brought  out  of  the  fort  and  handed  to  Forrest  by 
Captain  Goodman.  It  ran  as  follows:  "Your  demand 
does  not  produce  the  desired  effect."     The  Confederate 

*  These  were  the  Olive  Branch,  with  General  Shipley  and  troops  on  board, 
the  Hope,  and  the  M.  R.  Cheek. 


April,  18G4.  359 


General  exclaimed:  "This  will  not  do;  send  it  back, 
and  say  to  Major  Booth  " — whose  name  was  attached — 
^'that  I  must  have  an  answer  in  plain  English — yes  or 
no!"  Captain  Goodman  returned  not  long  after  with 
the  Federal  answer,  a  brief  but  positive  refusal  to  sur- 
render the  post.  As  soon  as  he  had  read  this  communi- 
cation, turning  to  his  staff  and  some  officers  around  him, 
Forrest  ordered  that  his  whole  force  should  be  put  in 
readiness  for  an  immediate  and  simultaneous  assault. 
After  stimulating  his  troops  with  a  few  energetic  words 
he,  with  a  single  bugler,  rode  to  a  commanding  emi- 
nence, some  four  or  five  hundred  yards  east  of  the  fort, 
from  which  he  had  a  complete  view  of  the  field  of  oper- 
ations, and,  scanning  the  field,  and  observing  that  all 
was  ready,  caused  the  signal  to  be  given  for  the  resump- 
tion of  hostilities ;  and  at  the  first  blare  of  the  bugle 
the  Confederate  sharp-shooters,  at  all  points,  opened 
a  galling  fire  upon  the  hostile  parapet,  to  which  the  gar- 
rison replied  for  a  few  moments  with  great  spirit.  But 
so  deadly  was  the  aim  of  the  Confederates  from  their 
enfilading  positions  that  their  enemies  could  not  rise 
high  enough  from  their  scanty  cover  to  fire  over  at  their 
foes,  nor  use  their  artillery  on  the  southern  face  without 
being  shot  down.  Consequently  there  was  practically 
little  resistance,  when,  a  few  moments  later,  the  bugle 
still  sounding  the  charge,  the  main  Confederate  force, 
surging  onward  as  with  a  single  impulse,  leaped  head- 
long into  the  ditch,  and,  helping  each  other,  they  clam- 
bered nimbly,  swiftly  and  simultaneously  over  the  breast- 
works beyond,  opening  from  its  crest  a  fearful,  converg- 
ing fire,  from  all  its  forces,  upon  its  garrison  within. 

In  anticipation  of  this  contingency  Major  Bradford, 
it  appears,  had  arranged  with  the  captain  of  the  gun- 


360  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

boat  that,  if  beaten  at  the  breastworks,  the  garrison 
would  drop  down  under  the  bank  and  the  gunboat  would 
come  to  their  succor  and  shelter  them  with  its  canister. 
The  prearranged  signal  was  now  given,  and  the  whole 
garrison,  white  and  black,  for  the  most  part  with  arms 
in  their  hands,  broke  for  the  place  of  refuge  and  naval 
aid  there  expected,  leaving  the  Federal  flag  still  aloft 
on  its  staff.*  The  gunboat,  however,  was  recreant  at 
this  critical  moment,  and  failed  to  give  the  least  assist- 
ance;  and  no  timely  shower  of  canister  came  from  its 
ports  to  drive  back  the  Confederates,  who  swiftly  and 
hotly  followed  after  the  escaping  negroes  and  Tennes- 
seans.  As  soon  as  we  entered  the  fort  two  of  the  cap- 
tured gunsf  were  turned  upon  the  gunboat,  which 
caused  her  to  move  further  up  the  river  in  place  of  com- 
ing to  the  relief  of  the  garrison,  as  her  commander  had 
distinctly  agreed  to  do.  The  left  of  the  Second  Ten- 
nessee entered  the  fort  at  the  north-west  corner,  while 
the  right  extended  westward  down  the  bluff  toward  the 
river;  and  while  they  were  pouring  a  volley  into  the 
right  flank  of  the  retreating  Federals,  the  troops  that 
had  been  stationed  below  the  fort  to  watch  the  steam- 
ers did  likewise  for  the  enemy's  left  flank.  Thus  being 
exposed  to  a  fire  from  both  flanks,  as  well  as  rear,  their 
ranks  were  fearfully  thinned  as  they  fled  down  that  blufl 
toward  the  river.  Finding  that  the  succor  which  they 
had  been  promised  from  the  gunboat  was  not  rendered, 

*  Doak  Can-  (Company  D,  Second  Tennessee)  took  down  the  Federal  flag. 

tSo  well  was  one  of  these  guns  handled  by  B.  A.  High  (who  was  afterward 
made  Orderly  Sergeant,  Company  G,  Second  Tennessee)  that  Forrest  offered  to 
promote  him  to  the  rank  of  Captain  and  allow  him  to  go  with  the  captured  guns 
to  Mobile,  Alabama.  He  declined  to  take  the  command  of  the  battery  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  willing  to  leave  his  comrades.  He  would  have  accepted  if 
Forrest  had  kept  the  battery  with  his  own  command. 


April,  18G4.  361 

nor  at  hand,  they  were  greatly  bewildered.  Many  threw 
themselves  into  the  river  and  were  drowned  in  their  mad 
attempt  to  swim  away  from  the  direful  danger  which, 
they  apprehended ;  while  others  sought  to  escape  along 
the  river  bank  southward,  as  well  as  northward,  and, 
still  persisting  in  their  efforts  to  get  away,  were  shot  or 
driven  back.  In  the  meantime,  or  as  soon  as  he  could 
reach  the  scene,  Forrest,  as  well  as  Chalmers  and  other 
officers,  interfered  so  energetically  to  stop  the  firing 
that  it  ceased  speedily — ceased,  in  fact,  within  fifteen 
minutes  from  the  time  the  bugle  first  sounded  the  charge. 
The  earrison,  as  a  whole,  be  it  remembered,  did  ?ioi  sur- 
render  at  all.  When  we  poured  over,  on  all  sides,  into 
the  work  they  did  not  yield — did  not  lay  down  their 
arms  nor  draw  dov^n  their  fiag,  but  fied  (some  returning 
the  fire  of  their  pursuers)  toward  another  position  in 
which  they  were  promised  relief.  Such  was  the  animos- 
ity between  the  Tennesseans  of  the  two  commands,  and 
as  such  is  frequently  the  case  in  places  taken  by  storm, 
some,  no  doubt,  were  shot  after  they  had  thrown  down 
their  arms  and  besought  quarter;  no  such  cases,  how- 
ever, happened  to  come  under  the  immediate  observa- 
tion of  the  writer.  The  first  order  now  issued  by  For- 
rest was  to  collect  and  secure  the  prisoners  from  possi- 
ble injury,  while  details  were  made  from  them  for  the 
burial  of  the  Federal  dead.  Among  the  prisoners  taken 
unhurt  was  Major  Bradford,  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  post  since  nine  in  the  morning,  and  at  his  special 
request  Forrest  ordered  the  Federal  dead  to  be  buried 
in  the  trenches  of  the  work,  the  officers  to  be  interred 
separately  from  their  men.*     Bradford  was  then  tempo- 

*  Captain  O.  B.  Farris  (Company  K,   Second  Tennessee)  superintended  the- 
burial  of  the  dead. 


302  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


rarily  paroled  to  supervise  the  burial  of  his  brother, 
Captain  Bradford,  after  which,  under  a  pledge  not  to 
attempt  to  escape,  he  was  placed  for  the  night  in  the 
custody  of  Colonel  McCulloch,  who  gave  him  a  bed  in 
his  own  quarters,  and  shared  with  him  his  supper.  This 
pledge  Major  Bradford  violated ;  taking  advantage  of 
the  darkness  and  his  knowledge  of  the  locality,  when 
his  host  was  asleep,  he  effected  his  escape  through  the 
careless  line  of  sentinels,  and,  in  disguise,  sought  to 
reach  Memphis.* 

Among  the  prisoners  taken  was  Captain  Young,  who 
with  Captain  Anderson,  was  sent  up  the  river-side  with 
a  white  flag  to  endeavor  to  open  communication  with 
the  gunboat  New  Era,  but  every  signal  was  obdurately 
ignored  or  disregarded,  and  keeping  on  her  course  she 
soon  disappeared  up  the  river.  The  object  was  to  de- 
liver into  the  hands  of  Captain  Marshall,  the  commander 
of  the  New  Era,  as  soon  as  possible,  all  the  Federal 
wounded.  As  fast  as  possible,  meanwhile,  the  wounded 
of  both  sides  were  gleaned  from  the  bloody  field  and 
placed  under  shelter  and  the  professional  care  of  Con- 
federate surgeons  of  the  several  regiments  present. 

This  brilliant  success  was  not  achieved  without  severe 
loss  on  our  part — the  loss  of  some  of  our  best  soldiers. 
The  whole  command  lost  fourteen  officers  and  men 
killed,    and    eighty-six    wounded.     Lieutenant    George 

*'•  Major  Bradford  .  .  .  was,  several  days  afterward,  recaptured  in  dis 
guise.  At  first  he  affected  to  be  a  conscript,  but  being  recognized  was  remanded 
to  custody  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  He  was  then  sent  in  charge  of  a  party — a 
subaltern  and  some  five  or  six  men — to  Brownsville.  On  the  way  he  again  at- 
tempted to  escape,  soon  after  which  one  of  the  men  shot  him.  It  was  an  act  in 
which  no  officer  was  concerned,  mainly  due,  we  are  satisfied,  after  the  most 
rigid  inquiry,  to  private  vengeance  for  well  authenticated  outrages  committed 
by  Bradford  and  his  band  upon  the  defenseless  families  of  the  men  of  Forrest's 
Cavalry."- — "Campaigns  of  General  Forrest,"  page  455. 


April,  1864.  363 


Leave*  (Company  D,  Second  Tennessee),  who  was 
Icind  and  generous  as  well  as  gallant  and  brave,  fell 
mortally  wounded  by  a  canister-shot.  Twelve  more  of 
our  regiment  besides  Leave  were  wounded,  four  of  them 
from  Company  C,  as  follows :  W.  L.  Womack  and  Lieu- 
tenant H.  L.  W.  Turney  were  slightly  wounded,  and 
C.  E.  Thomas  and  W.  W.  Hawkins  severely.  J.  K. 
Dodd  (Company  D),  William  Duke  and  Nute  Carr 
(Company  E),  John  K,  Brinkley  and  James  Link  (Com- 
pany E),  were  among  the  wounded.  William  Duke's 
leg  was  broken  near  the  ankle  joint  by  a  rifle-ball,  and 
after  examination  and  consultation  our  surgeons  decided 
to  amputate  his  foot.  As  soon  as  Duke  learned  their 
decision  he  called  on  D.  B.  Willard  (a  member  of  Com- 
pany C  who  had  carried  him  from  the  field)  to  hand  him 
his  pistol,  and  said,  "I'll  shoot  the  first  man  who  at- 
tempts to  cut  off  my  foot."  'Tf  you  don't  want  it  cut 
off  it  will  not  be  done,"  said  Willard.  By  request  of 
Duke,  Willard  made  some  splinters,  and  finally  the  sur- 
geons assisted  in  bandaging  his  leg,  and  the  result  was 
he  soon  got  well,  and  thus  saved  his  foot. 

Turning  over  the  command  of  the  troops  to  General 
'Chalmers,  with  instructions  to  complete  the  burial  of 
the  dead,  collect  the  arms  and  other  portable  property, 
transfer,  if  possible,  the  Eederal  wounded  to  the  first 
steamer  that  might  be  passing,  and  then  follow,  as  soon 
as  practicable,  with  the  division  and  unwounded  pris- 
oners to  Brownsville,  Eorrestf  set  out  about  sunset  to 

*  See  Appendix  A  for  sketch. 

tjust  after  the  firing  had  ceased  (about  three  P.  M.),  and  while  standing  in- 
side the  fort,  the  writer  heard  Forrest  say,  pointing  to  the  eminence  from  which 
he  had  caused  the  signal  for  the  assault  to  be  given:  "When  from  my  position 
on  that  hill  I  saw  my  men  pouring  over  these  breastworks,  it  seemed" — now 
placing  his  right-hand  upon  his  left  breast — ''  that  my  heart  would  burst  within 


364  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

return  with  his  escort  and  staff  to  Jackson,  Tennessee, 
encamping  that  night  at  a  farm-house  some  six  or  seven 
miles  eastward.  Bell  withdrew  his  brigrade  about  one 
mile  and  a  half  east  and  encamped,  while  McCulloch's 
Brigade  camped  nearer  the  fort. 

Wednesday,  ijth. — A  detail  was  sent  back  to  the  fort 
to  collect  and  remove  the  remaining  arms  and  to  finish 
burying  the  dead.  They  had  been  at  work  but  a  short 
time  when  a  gunboat  (the  Silver  Cloud)  came  up  and 
began  to  shell  them.  A  flag  of  truce  and  parley  was 
hoisted,  which  being  accepted  by  the  Master  of  the  Sil- 
ver Cloud,  Captain  Ferguson,  an  arrangement  soon  re- 
sulted for  a  truce  until  five  p.  m.  It  was  agreed  that 
during  that  time  the  Federals  might  send  parties  ashore 
to  visit  all  parts  of  the  scene  and  look  after  their  dead 
and  wounded.  During  the  day  several  transports  came 
to  the  landing,  and  before  the  hour  when  the  truce  was 
to  expire  the  wounded  prisoners  had  all  been  tansferred 
to  the  cabin  of  the  steamer  Platte  Valley,  numbering 
about  seventy,  officers  and  men.  Seven  officers  and  two 
hundred  and  nineteen  enlisted  men  (fifty-six  negroes 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  whites),  unwounded,*!* 
were  brought  off  as  prisoners  of  war,  which,  with  the 
wounded,  make  an  aggregate  of  those  who  survived, 
exclusive  of  all  who  may  have  escaped  (it  was  said  that 
about  twenty-five  escaped  in  a  skiff),  two  hundred  and 
ninety-six,  or  a  little  over  half  of  the  garrison. 

;«(?."  "Men,"  continued  he,  ''if  you  will  do  as  I  say  I  will  always  lead  you  to- 
victory.  I  have  taken  every  place  that  the  Federals  occupied  in  West  Tennessee- 
and  North  Mississippi  except  Memphis,  and  if  they  don't  mind  I'll  have  that 
place  too  in  less  than  six  weeks.  They  killed  two  horses  from  under  me  to-day" 
— a  third  was  wounded — "and  knocked  me   to  my  knees  a   time  or  two,   so   I 

thought  by they  were  going  to  get  me  any  way." 

tA  list  of  the  names  of  the  wounded  (two  hundred  and  twenty-six)  may  be: 
found  in  "Campaigns  of  General  Forrest,"'  page  704. 


April,  1864.  365 

Having,  several  hours  previous,  put  his  main  force  in 
motion  toward  Brownsville,  General  Chalmers  withdrew, 
about  four  p.  m.,  with  his  staff  and  escort,  in  the  same 
direction,  and  there  remained  at  Fort  Pillow  none  save 
the  dead  who  had  fallen  in  storming  it,  and  the  dead  of 
the  late  garrison,  victims,  not  of  unlawful  acts  of  war, 
as  has  been  so  virulently  alleged  and  generally  believed 
at  the  North,  but  of  an  insensate  endeavor,  as  foolishly 
resolved  as  feebly  executed,  to  hold  a  position  naturally 
untenable  and  badly  fortified ;  victims,  we  may  add,  of 
the  imbecility  and  grievous  mismanagement  of  those 
weak,  incapable  officers  whom  the  fortunes  of  war  un- 
happilyhad  placed  over  them.  The  two  brigades  camped 
some  twelve  miles  east  of  the  fort. 

At  Brownsville,  that  afternoon,  the  citizens  of  all 
classes — men,  women,  and  children — received  the  Con- 
federate General  with  tokens  of  deep-felt  gratitude. 
The  ladies  of  the  vicinage,  assembling  at  the  court- 
house, received  him  publicly,  and  testified  their  profound 
personal  appreciation  of  his  recent  operations,  by  which 
they  had  been  delivered  from  the  apprehensions  of  fur- 
ther outrages,  insults,  and  distressing  annoyances  from 
that  pestilent  band  of  ruffians  and  marauders  which  had 
been  so  thoroughly  uprooted.  The  next  day  headquar- 
ters were  re-established  at  Jackson,  where  Forrest  re- 
mained until  the  2d  of  May. 

COMMENTARIES. 

I.  In  answer  to  an  inquiry  in  reference  to  what  com- 
mand first  entered  the  works  at  Fort  Pillow,  Colonel 
Barteau  says : 

Colonel  McCulloch  and  I  met  in  the  middle  of  the  fort.  He  com- 
manded the  Second  Missouri  Cavalry  as  I  did  the  Second  Tennessee, 
and  he  came  in  from  the  extreme  left  next  to  the  river  as  most  of  my 


300  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

regiment  did  from  the  extreme  right  next  to  the  river.  He  and  I 
talked  the  matter  over,  and  we  both  concluded  that  we  entered  the  fort 
just  about  the  same  time.  I  could  not  say  for  myself  which  was  first, 
but  Captain  Farris  thinks  the  Second  Teanessee  was  first. 

B.  A.  High  and  others  agree  with  Captain  Farris  in 
thinking  that  the  Second  Tennessee  was  first  to  mount 
the  parapet.  As  will  be  remembered,  it  was  also  the 
first  to  move  up  in  close  range  of  the  fort.  B.  A.  High 
was  among-  the  first  to  mount  the  works.  Another  man 
(whose  name  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn),  in  attempt- 
ing to  ascend  rather  in  advance  of  High,  was  shot,  and 
rolled  back  into  the  ditch  a  corpse,  while  High  suc- 
ceeded in  going  to  the  top,  and  captured  a  cannoneer, 
whose  gun  he  soon  after  turned  upon  the  Federal  gun- 
boat, as  previously  mentioned.  Several  of  Company  C 
were  close  after  High.  Among  the  number  was  J.  C. 
McAdoo,  who  was  /on^  enough  to  jump  into  the  ditch 
but  ^00  short  to  leap  out  until  Colonel  Bell  came  to  his 
assistance. 

In  the  manuscript  notes  of  Colonel  Barteau  (which  I 
have  before  me)  I  find  the  following : 

In  this  action  the  courage  and  self-reliance  of  the  troops  were  par- 
ticularly exhibited,  and  I  think  a  satisfactory  proof  given  to  the  com- 
manding General  that  he  could  rely  on  his  men  in  any  emergency. 

Among  my  own  soldiers  who  particularly  distinguished  themselves 
that  day  was  Perry  Marks,  private  of  Company  D,  one  of  the  first 
men  on  the  fort,  and  also  Lieutenant  A.  H.  French,  who  was  foremost 
with  his  men  over  the  works,  and  Captain  W.  A.  DeBow,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  regiment  a  part  of  the  day.* 

2.  A  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  demanding  the  surrender.  The  an- 
swer received  was  one  of  defiance  and  insult,  for  the  same  reply  that 
was  given  to  General  Forrest  seemed  to  be  the  one  heralded  from  the 
negroes  on  the  works  to  our  men  on  the  outside.  "If  you  want  the 
fort  come  and   take  it,"  and  "D — n  you,  what  are  you  here  for?" 

*Our  Lieutenant-Colonel  (Morton)  was  absent  on  account  of  a  wound  re- 
ceived at  Paducah. 


Lieutenant  GEORGE  LOVE,  Co.  D. 


MOATiOHt. 


April,  1864.  36T 

These  were  the  taunts  thrown  out  to  our  men  who  were  during  the 
truce  in  speaking  distance.  Moreover,  several  shots  were  fired  during 
the  truce  at  our  men,  who  did  not  return  them.  No  sooner  had  the 
flag  retired  than  a  defiant  shout  went  up  from  the  fort,  and  an  active 
fire  commenced.  Our  men,  as  by  one  impulse,  seem  to  have  deter- 
mined they  would  take  the  fort,  and  that  too  independendy  of  officers 
or  orders,  and  had  no  command  been  given  to  "  charge"  I  verily  be- 
lieve that  after  the  insults  given  them  during  the  truce  they  would  have 
taken  the  fort  by  storm  any  way. 

3.  The  troops  in  the  fort  had  evidently  been  made  drunk,  for  those 
we  took  were  more  or  less  intoxicated,  and  we  found  barrels  of  whisky 
and  ale  and  bottles  of  brandy  open,  and  tin  cups  in  the  barrels  out  of 
which  they  had  been  drinking. 

We  also  found  water-buckets  sitting  around  n  the 
fort  with  whisky  and  dippers  in  them,  which  showed 
very  clearly  that  the  whisky  had  been  thus  passed  around 
to  the  Federal  troops. 

The  following,  from  the  Detroit  Free  Press  of  Decem- 
ber I  St,  1884,  explains  itself: 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press  : 

Bartlett,  Tenn.  : — In  the  account  given  by  "M  Quad"  of  the 
Confederate  capture  of  Fort  Pillow  he  speaks  of  "Barton's  Regiment." 
There  was  no  such  regiment  in  Forrest's  Cavalry,  but  it  was  Barteau^s 
Regiment,  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  and  as  Colonel  Barteau  is 
still  living,  and  is  a  convenient  witness  to  all  the  particulars  of  that  af- 
fair, I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  ask  of  him  an  expression  upon  "  M 
Quad's"  account  of  it. 

Admitting  "M  Quad's"  article  to  be  an  exceedingly  forcible  and 
succinct  statement  and  a  vivid  description  of  the  investment,  assault, 
and  capture  of  Fort  Pillow  in  its  general  view,  he  yet  differs  from  "  M 
Quad  "  in  his  view  of  some  features  of  the  case. 

Colonel  Barteau  says  :  "  For  days  before  the  capture  of  Fort  Pillow 
citizens  fleeing  to  us  from  its  vicinity  brought  doleful  tales  of  outrages 
committed  by  the  Federal  forces  in  that  stronghold.  The  helpless 
families  of  some  of  our  soldiers  had  been  victims  of  their  raiding 
parties.  A  strong  feeling  prevailed  in  favor  of  capturing  the  fort,  but 
it  was  not  expected  to  be  done  without  fighting  and  loss  of  life.  If 
the  commander  of  that  garrison  was  taken  by  surprise  it  was  gross 


368  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

negligence  on  his  part ;  we  surely  did  not  expect  to  surprise  him. 
But  it  seems  that  the  Federals  believed  we  would  never  storm  their 
■works,  and  this  was  their  idea  even  up  to  the  very  moment  of  the  as- 
sault, for  during  the  truce,  when  our  lines  were  in  close  speaking  dis- 
tance, a  position  we  had  gained  by  several  hours'  hard  fighting,  the 
negroes  of  the  fort  called  to  us  with  opprobious  names  and  dared  us  to 
the  attempt.  We  did  not  move  our  position  during  the  truce.  We 
had  gained  it  not  without  sacrifice ;  it  was  all  we  wanted  then,  for  it 
was  what  we  knew  Forrest  must  have  before  he  could  be  in  a  position 
to  demand  a  surrender. 

"It  was  the  plain  duty  of  the  Federal  commander,  in  view  of  the 
situation,  to  yield  to  the  demand  and  thus  save  human  life.  But  he 
■did  not,  and  his  men  did  not  at  all  believe  evidently  that  we  would 
jiiake  the  assault,  and  now  foolhardy  and  unwise  as  they  had  been, 
when  they  saw  us  making  for  the  ditch  and  climbing  the  parapet  they 
were  totally  confounded  with  surprise. 

Nor  did  they  surrender.  They  made  a  wild,  crazy,  scat- 
tering fight.  They  acted  like  a  crowd  of  drunken  men.  They  would 
at  one  moment  yield  and  throw  down  their  guns,  and  then  would  rush 
again  to  arms,  seize  their  guns  and  renew  the  fire.  If  one  squad  was 
left  as  prisoners  ...  it  was  soon  discovered  that  they  could  not 
be  trusted  as  having  surrendered,  for  taking  the  first  opportunity  they 
would  break  loose  again  and  engage  in  the  contest.  Some  of  our  men 
-were  killed  by  negroes  who  had  once  surrendered. 

"They  would  not,  or  at  least  did  not,  take  down  their  flag.  I 
•ordered  this  done  myself  by  my  own  men  in  order  to  stop  the  fight. 
If  barbarities  were  committed,  as  '  M  Quad '  says,  after  the  flag  was 
1:aken  down,  it  must  have  been  under  the  circumstances  of  the  contest 
as  just  stated.  General  Forrest  came  into  the  fort  about  this  time,  and 
all  agree  that  he  did  not  sanction  them,  nor  could  they  have  taken 
place  in  his  presence.  '  M  Quad'  says,  referring  to  the  two  brigades, 
Bell's  and  McCuUoch's:  'The  best  fighting  men  in  those  two  Confed- 
erate brigades  had  no  hand  in  the  barbarities;'  and  concludes  by  say- 
ing: 'Only  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  out  of  the  two  brigades  had  any 
hand  in  it,  and  their  atrocities  disgraced  them  in  the  eyes  of  the  bet- 
ter soldiery.'  As  I  was  immediately  with  Bell's  Brigade,  and  in  com- 
mand of  it  a  part  of  the  time,  I  will  say  that  no  men  at  all  of  this 
-command,  and  certainly  none  of  my  own  regiment,  engaged  in  any 
atrocities. 

"I  saw  McCuUoch,    and  we  conversed  about  the  affair  the   same 


April,  18G4.  360 

evening  after  the  capture.  He  was  earnest  in  his  expressions  of  the 
good  conduct,  forbearance,  and  obedience  of  his  men  after  the  fool- 
hardy and  strange  manner  in  which  the  Federals  had  acted,  causing 
unnecessary  sacrifice  of  life.  ....... 

"The  third  day  after  the  surrender  all  the  prisoners  were  placed  in 
my  charge,  and  I  was  ordered  to  take  them  from  Sommerville  with  my 
regiment  to  Tupelo.  On  the  way,  which  was  several  days'  march, 
they  freely  expressed  themselves  as  to  the  conduct  of  many  of  their 
white  officers,  and  many  of  them  admitted  with  expressions  of  con- 
demnation the  great  error  into  which  they  had  been  led  as  to  the  de- 
fense of  the  fort,  their  drunkenness  and  folly  of  conduct,  putting  the 
blame  upon  their  officers." 

Colonel  Barteau  thinks  that  true  history  should  place  the  blame 
upon  the  Federal  side  and  not  the  Confederate. 

«      John  F.  Cochran. 

T/nu'sday,  i^tli. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty-five 
miles,  passing'  through  Durhamville,  Chahiiers  camped 
near  Brownsville,  in  Haywood  County, 

Friday,  i^ik* — While  on  the  way  from  Fort  Pillow 
to  Jackson,  having  received  instructions  to  detach  a  por- 
tion of  his  command  to  repel  a  raid  understood  to  be 
immediately  impending  from  the  direction  of  Decatur, 
through  the  interior  of  North-western  Alabama,  Forrest 
ordered  Chalmers  to  repair  at  once,  by  way  of  Okolona, 
to  the  menaced  border  with  the  two  brigades  (McCul- 

■  *I  had  been  unwell  for  several  clays,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  above  date 
I  had  a  hard  chill.  Thinking  that  pethaps  Forrest's  whole  command  was  going 
out  of  West  Tennessee,  and  unwilling  to  remain  and  run  the  risk  of  being  made 
prisoner,  I  mounted  my  horse,  folded  my  arms  and  shut  my  eyes  while  my 
brother  led  my  horse,  and  thus  we  followed  the  command.  So  sick  was  I  that  I 
actually  fainted  while  riding  along,  though  I  did  not  fall  from  my  horse.  As 
we  did  not  move  with  but  in  advance  of  the  command  for  the  next  two  days,  we 
did  not  learn  until  after  we  had  put  up  for  the  night  tive  miles  south  of  Holly 
Springs,  on  the  eve  of  the  17th,  that  our  regiment  was  not  with  the  brigade,  but 
had  been  detached  at  Sommerville  and  was  going  through  toward  Verona  with 
the  prisoners.  Turning  eastward  on  the  i8th  we  met  with  the  regiment  at  Pop- 
lar Springs  on  the  19th.  There  my  brother  (W.  C.  Hancock)  fell  in  with  the 
regiment,  while  I,  after  remaining  with  one  Mr.  Price  six  miles  south-west  of. 
Tupelo  for  a  few  days,  rejoined  the  regiment  at  Verona  the  24th. 

24 


370  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

loch's  and  Bell's)  which  he  then  had  with  him.  There- 
fore, turning  southward  at  Brownsville,  and  crossing  the 
Big  Hatchie  River,  Chalmers  camped  for  the  night  near 
Sommerville,  in  Fayette  County. 

Saturday,  i6th. — Colonel  Barteau,  with  the  Second 
Tennessee,  being  detached  to  convey  the  prisoners  to 
Demopolis,  Alabama,  set  out  from  Sommerville  early  in 
the  morning,  crossing  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad  at  Saulsbury,  and  thence  by  the  way  of  Ripley, 
New  Albany,  Poplar  Springs  and  Chesterville,  arrived  at 
Verona,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  the  20th.  A 
detail  from  the  Second  Tennessee  went  through  by  rail 
from  Verona  to  Demopolis  with  the  prisoners.  The  rest 
of  the  regiment  went  into  camp  at  the  former  place, 
where  they  remained  until  the  25th. 

Being  rejoined  at  Sommerville  by  Neely's  Brigade, 
Chalmers,  with  the  three  brigades,  arrived  at  Holly 
Springs,  Mississippi,  on  the  17th.  Here  on  the  i8th 
information  was  received  from  General  Polk  by  tele- 
crraph  that  the  presence  of  Forrest's  troops  under  his 
previous  requisition  was  not  needed,  and  accordingly 
the  movement  of  Chalmers  was  halted,  and  Bell's  Bri- 
gade— except  the  Second  Tennessee — and  Neely's  also, 
were  ordered  to  return  to  West  Tennessee,  while  Mc- 
Culloch  resumed  his  old  pos't  behind  the  Tallahatchie 
River,  about  Panola,  and  Chalmers  took  up  his  head- 
quarters at  Oxford  until  the  2d  of  May.  Then,  accord- 
incr  to  orders  from  his  superior,  he  set  out  for  Tupelo, 
on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  with  McCulloch's 
Brio-ade,  except  the  Eighteenth  Mississippi  Battalion, 
which  was  left  to  guard  the  crossing  of  the  Tallahatchie, 

Monday,  2§th. — The  Second  Tennessee  moved  from 
Verona   to  Tupelo   (five   miles  north),  Vvdiere  they  had 


May,  1804.  371 

heavy  duty  to  do — unloading  and  guarding  forage,  which 
was  now  being  brought  up  by  rail  in  large  quantities 
for  Forrest's  command,  that  was  expected  to  be  concen- 
trated at  that  point  in  a  (ew  days. 

Mojiday,  May  2d. — ^Gholson's  Brigade,  now  at  Tupelo, 
was  transferred  from  the  State  to  the  Confederate  serv- 
ice. The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Mississippi  (Clark), 
being  present,  made  a  short  talk  to  Gholson's  men,  com- 
plimenting them  for  past  services,  and  telling  them  to 
act  well  their  part  in  this,  the  "last  hour  of  the  strug- 
gle." "I  think,"  continued  Governor  Clark,  "that  the 
war  will  close  this  year."  This  brigade  remained  at 
Tupelo  until  about  the  26th,  when,  pursuant  to  orders 
from  Major-General  Lee,  it  was  detached  and  placed 
under  command  of  General  Wirt  Adams,  at  Canton, 
Mississippi,  some  thirty  miles  north  of  Jackson,  on  the 
Mississippi  Central  Railroad. 

You  will  remember  that  after  Buford's  second  expedi- 
tion to  Paducah  he  established  his  headquarters  at  Dres- 
den, Tennessee,  on  the  i8th  of  April.  By  the  28th  he 
had  assembled  his  Vv^hole  division,  including  Bell's  Bri- 
gade (except  the  Second  Tennessee)  at  Jackson,  and 
on  the  30th  received  orders  to  move  on  the  2d  of  May 
with  it  and  Neely's  Brigade  to  Tupelo,  conveying  a  large 
and  heavy  ox  train,  freighted  with  subsistence  and  a 
large  amount  of  liquor  (for  hospital  purposes)  and 
leather,  and  some  three  hundred  prisoners.  The  Ken- 
tucky Brigade,  which  had  entered  on  the  campaign  with 
an  effective  total  of  one  thousand  and  four  men,  now 
numbered  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventeen 
fighting  men  ;  and  Bell's,  which  took  the  field  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  strong,  now  mustered 
over  one  thousand  seven  hundred  well-mounted  horse- 


372  E.  1\.  Hancock's  Diary. 

men.  Moving  by  way  of  Purdy  and  Corinth  Buford 
accomplished  the  distance  —  seventy-eight  miles  —  to 
Rienzi  by  the  4th  of  May,  and  there,  having  transferred 
the  supplies  and  prisoners  for  further  transportation 
southward  to  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  was  able 
to  reach  Tupelo  on  the  6th. 

General  Forrest,  breaking  up  his  headquarters  at  Jack- 
son on  the  2d  of  May,  set  out  also  for  Tupelo  with  his  staff 
and  escort,  taking  the  road  through  Bolivar,  Learning 
that  afternoon  that  a  heavy  cavalry  force,  quite  two  thou- 
sand strong,  under  General  Sturgis,  was  then  engaged  in  a 
sharp  skirmish  with  McDonald's  Battalion,  under  Crews, 
some  two  miles  west  of  Bolivar,  Forrest,  with  his  escort, 
repaired  at  once  to  the  point  where  Crews  still  held  the 
enemy  at  bay.  Placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
Confederates,  he  presently  drove  back  their  skirmish 
line  for  three-fourths  of  a  mile  upon  their  main  force, 
inflicting  a  loss  of  some  forty  killed  and  wounded. 
Unable,  however,  to  pursue  this  advantage  further 
ap-ainst  such  odds,  Forrest  now  withdrew  a  short  dis- 
tance  and  took  post,  with  Crews'  men  dismounted,  in 
the  outer  line  of  fortifications  which  had  been  thrown  up 
some  time  previous  by  the  Federals  in  the  western 
suburbs  of  Bolivar.  The  enemy  advanced  vigorously 
upon  his  position,  but  on  being  met  by  a  hot  fire  at  short 
rano-e  from  the  steadv  rifles  of  the  dismounted  Confed- 
erates,  they,  breaking  in  disorder,  immediately  quit  the 
field  and  disappeared.  Then  resuming  his  march  For  | 
rest  caught  up  with-  his  train,  encamped  five  miles  south 
of  Bolivar.  Flurrying  on,  without  further  incident,  by 
the  way  of  Ripley,  Mississippi,  he  arrived  at  Tupelo, 
early  on  the  5th,  a  day  in  advance  of  Buford,  and  about 
one  day  after  Chalmers  had  arrived  with  a  part  of  Mc- 
Culloch's  Brigade. 


May,  18G4,.  373 

Fi'iday,  6tk. — The  Second  Tennessee  moved  out  and 
encamped  three  miles  west  of  Tupelo,  on  the  Pontotoc 
road,  where  it  was  joined  by  the  rest  of  Bell's  Brigade. 
On  his  arrival  at  Tupelo,  Buford  returned  Neely's 
Brigade  to  Chalmers. 

Monday,  gth. — Our  Major,  William  Parrish,  died,  after 
a  long  spell  of  sickness,  at  Mr.  Sam  Word's,  six  miles 
south-east  of  Okolona,  Mississippi. 

Tuesday^  loth. — All  of  the  seven  original  companies 
of  the  Second  Tennessee  were  allowed  to  attend  the 
burial  of  our  beloved  Major.  He  was  buried  by  the 
Masonic  Fraternity,  and  also  with  the  honors  of  war,  in 
Mr.  Word's  family  graveyard.  William  Parrish  was 
the  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company  C  when  the  First 
Battalion  was  organized  in  July,  1861,  and  he  was  made 
Captain  of  said  company  in  October,  1861,  and  Major 
of  the  Second  Tennessee  in  June,  1863.  Owing  to  ill 
health  he  did  but  little  more  service  after  he  was  made 
Major.  He  had  all  the  attributes  of  a  good  soldier,  as  well 
as  a  true  o-entleman,  and  hence  was  much  admired  and 
greatly  lamented  by  all  of  his  comrades.  I  have  learned, 
through  J.  L.  McGan  (Company  B),  that  the  Major's 
family  are  all  dead,  and  therefore  I  have  not  been  able 
to  procure  either  biographical  sketch  or  portrait  of  this 
noble  and  gallant  officer,  though  I  have  made  every 
effort  to  gfet  both. 

Thursday,  iztJi. — Colonel  John  F.  Newsom's  Regi- 
ment was  reorganized,  certain  Alabama  companies  being 
transferred  to  Roddy's  conimand.  Their  places  were 
filled  by  independent  companies  from  Tennessee,  and 
attached  to  Bell's  Brigade,  Buford's  Division.  Colonel 
Ed.  Crossland  (Seventh  Kentucky)  was  still  in  command 
of  the  Kentucky  Brigade. 


374  R  E..  Hancock's  Diaky. 

Satur'day,  i^th. — We,  the  Second  Division  of  Forrest's 
Cavalry,  had  the  honor  of  being  reviewed  by  Generals 
Forrest  and  Buford. 

Monday,  i6tli. — Buford,  with  his  division,  moved 
northward  to  Baldwin,  by  the  way  of  Birmingham — dis- 
tance, twenty-three  miles.  Chalmers'  Division  remained 
at  Tupelo. 

Tuesday,  ijth. — Continuing  his  march  northward 
about  thirty  miles,  Buford  camped  some  two  miles  south 
of  Corinth,  It  was  generally  thought  that  Buford  had 
started  to  Middle  Tennessee,  but  owing  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy  at  other  points,  he  was  brought  to 
a  halt  at  Corinth  until  the  23d,  when,  turning  southward, 
and  camping  that  night  near  Booneville,  he  returned  to 
Tupelo  the  24th,  leaving  Newsom  at  Corinth. 

Forrest  had  been  closely  occupied,  since  his  recent 
campaign  into  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  with  means 
and  measures  for  increasing  the  efficiency  of  his  force. 
Now  well  mounted,  and  materially  recruited,  he  sought 
by  every  means  in  his  power  to  consolidate  his  organi- 
zations and  perfect  their  equipments.  His  artillery  was 
formed  into  a  battalion  of  four  batteries,  of  four  guns 
each,  under  Captain  John  W.  Morton,  as  Chief  of  Ar- 
tillery. About  this  time  a  new  brigade  was  organized 
of  the  Seventh  Tennessee  and  Eighteenth  and  Nine- 
teenth Mississippi,  with  Colonel  E.  W.  Rucker  as  bri- 
gade commander.  It  was  about  this  time,  too,  that 
Colonel  H.  B,  Lyon  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  Kentucky  Brigade  in  place  of  Ed.  Crossland.  For- 
rest's force,  as  now  constituted,  was  as  follows : 

Four  batteries — Morton's,  Thrall's,  Rice's,  and  Wal- 
ton's. 

Chalmers'  Division — McCulloch's,  Neely's,  and  Ruck- 
er's  Brigades. 


May,  18G4.  375 

Buford's  Division — Bell's  and  Lyon's  Brigades. 

In  all,  twenty  regiments,  four  battalions,  five  independ- 
ent companies,  and  sixteen  guns. 

Wednesday,  2^th. — Our  brigade  moved  out  three  miles 
north-west  of  Tupelo  to  a  better  camping  ground.  It 
was  about  this  time  that  Chalmers  was  detached  with 
McCulloch's  and  Neely's  Brigades  and  Walton's  Bat- 
tery on  an  expedition  to  Montevallo,  Alabama,  some 
fifty  miles  north  of  Selma  and  forty  eastward  of  Tusca- 
loosa, for  the  purpose  of  meeting  a  hostile  raid  against 
the  iron  works  of  that  region,  anticipated  from  the  di- 
rection of  Decatur  and  Huntsville,  Alabama. 

Sunday,  2gtJi. — Information  having  been  received  that 
the  Federals  were  pressing  General  Roddy  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Decatur,  Alabama,  Buford's  Division  was  placed 
in  readiness  to  start  the  next  morning  to  that  officer's 
succor  with  five  days'  rations  for  the  men  and  two  for 
the  horsey. 

Monday,  ^oth. — That  morning,  before  he  had  put  Bu- 
ford's Division  in  motion,  Forrest  received  a  dispatch 
from  Roddy  to  the  effect  that  the  Federal  force  had 
fallen  back  to  Decatur,  and  apparently  was  projecting 
an  expedition  in  the  direction  of  Kingston,  Georgia. 
Forrest,  therefore,  decided  to  await  further  develop- 
ments of  the  enemy's  purposes  before  moving,  and  no- 
tified General,  Roddy  of  his  conclusions. 

•  Tuesday,  31st, — Forrest,  having  determined  that  the 
time  had  now  come  to  effect  a  junction  with  Roddy, 
transmitted  a  notification  of  his  purpose  in  these  terms : 

Your  dispatch  of  the  29th  just  received.  I  will  start  from  this 
place  to-morrow  morning  with  two  thousand  four  hundred  men  and  six 
pieces  of  artillery  to  join  you.  I  wish  you  to  ascertain  which  direc- 
tion the  enemy  has  taken  and  keep  me  posted.  I  will  move  by  Ful- 
ton and  on  tlie  road  to  Russellville  unless  you  should  advise  differently. 


376  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

If  the  enemy  goes  in  the  direction  of  Rome  I  think  they  will  join  the 
main  army.  If  they  turn  south  you  will  let  me  know  at  once;  if  they 
go  to  Rome  I  will  move  in  another  direction  and  will  meet  you.  Be 
certain  to  have  with  you  one  thousand  of  your  best  men  and  horses. 
I  have  sent  my  aid  de-camp,  Captain  Charles  W.  Anderson,  to  see  and 
confer  with  you  as  regards  our  future  movements.  You  will  send 
couriers  and  scouts  on  the  enemy's  right  flank  and  keep  General 
Chalmers  posted.  You  will  find  him  at  Montevallo,^  Alabama, 
whence  he  was  sent  to  find  which  road  the  enemy  took  from  Sommer- 
ville.  Send  courier  also  to  General  Johnston  at  Marietta,  Georgia, 
giving  him  the  facts. 

Wednesday,  Jitne  ist. — General  Biiford,  with  Lyons' 
Brigade,  Barteau's  and  Wilson's  Regiments,  of  Bell's 
Brigade  (Newsom's  Regiment  was  left  at  Corinth  and 
Russell's  at  Tupelo),  and  Morton's  and  Rice's  Batteries, 
moved  out  from  Tupelo  early  in  the  morning,  and  For- 
rest followed,  somewhat  later  in  the  day,  with  his  escort. 
The  whole  force,  numbering  some  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred, rank  and  file,  camped  that  night  six  miles  beyond 
Fulton,  on  the  Russellville  road.  ' 

T/mrsday,  2d. — After  a  march  of  about  twenty  miles 
Bell's  Brigade  camped  on  Big  Bear  Creek,  in  Franklin 
County,  Alabama,  while  Lyon's  Brigade  moved  six  miles 
further  and  camped  on  Little  Bear  Creek,  some  eight 
miles  west  of  Russellville. 

Friday,  jd. — Several  days  previous  Captain  J.  G. 
Mann,  Chief  Engineer,  had  been  sent  ahead  with  his 
Engineer  Company  to  the  Tennessee  River,  about  the 
mouth  of  Town  Creek,  to  build  or  repair  a  sufficient 
number  of  boats  for  the  prompt  ferriage  of  that  stream. 
At  Russellville  Forrest  was  met  by  a  dispatch  from  his 
Aid-de-Camp,  Captain  Anderson,  acquainting  him  that 

*  Chalmers  arrived  at  Montevallo  the  same  day  (31st)  that  Forrest  wrote  this 
dispatch,  and  on  the  following  day  Neely's  Brigade  was  detached  to  Blue 
Mountain  to  report  to  General  Pillow. 


JUXE,  18G4.  377 

the  requisite  number  of  boats  would  be  ready  to  begin 
the  passage  of  the  Tennessee  River  at  four  o'clock  that 
afternoon. 

Thus  affairs  stood  about  midday,  when  a  dispatch 
was  received  from  General  S.  D.  Lee  recalling  the  force 
to  Tupelo  to  meet  a  heavy  column  of  mixed  arms,  pen- 
etrating the  country  in  that  direction  from  Memphis. 
Therefore,  Forrest,  after  ordering  Roddy  to  send  John- 
son's Brigade  from  Cherokee,  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston,  across  to  Rienzi,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Railroad,  turned  the  head  of  his  column  westward.  Our 
brigade,  turning  at  Little  Bear  Creek,  marched  back  to 
within  six  miles  of  Fulton,  camping  on  the  same  ground 
that  we  occupied  on  the  night  of  the  ist,  while  Lyons' 
Brigade  camped  several  miles  east  of  us.  That  morn- 
ing we  of  the  Second  Tennessee  were  in  fine  spirits 
•and  high  glee  at  the  idea  of  going  to  Middle  Tennessee. 
We  had  made  several  starts,  as  we  thought,  previous  to 
this,  but  from  some  cause  or  other  we  had  always  been 
disappointed  in  our  expectations  ;  however,  this  time  the 
way  appeared  to  be  open  and  all  things  ready,  therefore 
we  were  sure  that  there  would  be  no  disappointment 
this  time.  But  alas!  how  little  a  soldier  knows  one  day 
where  he  will  be  the  next.  So  here  we  are  within  six 
miles  of  F'ulton  to-nigrht,  notwithstandinor  our  exoecta- 
tion,  this  morning,  of  being  at  the  Tennessee  River,  ere 
this,  either  crossing  or  ready  to  cross. 

There  was  another — J.  E.  Johnston — who  was  sadly 
disappointed  by  this  turn-back,  for  he  had  been  very 
anxious  for  Forrest's  Cavalry  to  operate  in  Sherman's 
rear,  either  in  North  Georgia  or  Middle  Tennessee. 
Though  while  Johnston  gi'ieved  Sherman  rejoiced. 

SatM7^day,   ^th. — Bell's   Brigade   returned  to   Tupelo, 


378  K.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

while  Forrest,  Buford,  Lyon's  Brigade,  the  artillery  and 
wagons  did  not  arrive  until  the  next  day.  The  first  day 
we  had  plenty  of  dust,  and  mud  in  abundance  the  other 
three,  as  it  rained  each  day. 

Monday,  6tJi. — Dispatches  from  trusty  scouts  were 
received,  reporting  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  some 
thirteen  thousand  strong,  at  or  near  Salem  at  midday 
on  the  4th.  General  Lee  came  up  to  Tupelo  by  rail  in 
the  afternoon.  He  and  Forrest  had  an  immediate  con- 
ference touching  the  situation  and  their  means  for  meet- 
ing the  emergency. 

Tuesday,  ytk. — The  enemy,  meanwhile,  was  reported 
as  still  moving  eastward,  in  the  general  direction  of  the 
Memphis  and  Charleston  road ;  and  it  was  supposed, 
from  this  state  of  affairs,  that  the  ultimate  purpose  of 
the  enemy  was  a  junction  with  Sherman,  then  pressing 
Johnston  backward  to  Atlanta.  It  was,  therefore,  de- 
termined to  concentrate  all  disposable  forces  to  follow 
and  harass  the  movement  to  the  utmost;  and  to  that 
end  comprehensive  orders  to  the  several  officers  were 
promptly  distributed.  Buford's  Division,  with  Morton's- 
and  Rice's  Batteries,  moved  twenty-five  miles  north, 
and  camped  near  Baldwin.  Rucker,  who  had  been  or- 
dered several  days  previous  to  this  to  move  from  Ox- 
ford upon  the  Federal  flank,  crossed  the  Tallahatchie  at 
New  Albany  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  above  date, 
and  soon  after  struck  a  brigade  of  Federal  cavalry,  un- 
der Colonel  Winslow.  Attacking  vigorously  with  the 
Seventh  Tennessee  and  a  squadron  of  Eighteenth  Mis- 
sissippi, he  drove  the  enemy  for  two  miles,  when  dark- 
ness put  an  end  to  the  conflict.  The  main  Federal  force 
was  reported  by  scouts  to  be  at  Ruckerville,  ten  miles 
north-east  of  Ripley,  on  the  road  to  Pocahontas. 


June,  18G4.  379 

Wednesday,  8tJi. — The  headquarters  of  both  Lee  and 
Forrest  were  now  at  Baldwin.  Continuing  his  march 
northward  Buford  was  soon  brought  to  a  halt  at  Twenty- 
mile  Creek,  which  was  so  swollen  at  the  time  from  recent 
heavy  rains  as  to  be  unfordable,  especially  for  wagons 
and  artillery.  Therefore,  Companies  A  and  C  of  Bar- 
teau's  Regiment  were  detailed  to  build  a  bridge  across 
that  stream,  while  a  detail  from  Wilson's  Regiment  was 
sent  two  miles  ahead  to  build  a  bridge  across  Wolf 
Creek.  Captain  McKnight  was  in  command  of  the  de- 
tail from  Barteau's  Regiment.  However,  General  Bu- 
ford *  went  with  us  and  superintended  the  building  of 
the  first  bridg-e.  Trees  were  soon  felled,  out  of  which 
a  temporary  bridge  was  constructed.  Captain  Mc- 
Knight, ordering  his  detail  to  mount,  proceeded  to  the 
next  bridge,  which  was  not  yet  completed,  and  the  water 
by  this  time  was  out  in  Wolf  Creek  bottom  so  that  it 
would  be  over  axle  deep  to  wagons  before  reaching  the 
bridge.  Under  these  circumstances — besides  it  was  now 
growing  late  in  the  afternoon — Forrest  told  McKnight 
to  go  back  and  say  to  Buford  that  he  had  better  not 
attempt  to  cross  Wolf  Creek  that  evening.  Buford  had 
crossed  the  command  over  the  first  bridge  and  was  pro- 

'•■•The  command  halted  perhaps  three  hundred  yards  from  the  creek.  As 
soon  as  Buford  got  to  the  creek  he  sent  a  runner  back  to  the  command  to  order 
his  staff  officers  to  report  to  him  immediately.  Some  of  them  soon  came  dash- 
ing down  to  the  creek,  wishing  to  know  the  will  of  their  superior  (thinking,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  that  he  wanted  them  to  attend  to  some  of  the  duties  of  their 
office,  such  as  procuring  forage,  rations,  etc.),  when,  to  their  great  surprise  and 
chagrin,  he  said:  "Dismount,  I  want  you  to  help  build  this  bridge — I  want  to 
see yott  get  wet.''''  It  was  really  amusing  to  us  to  see  how  completely  they  were 
taken  down  as  Buford  would  take  them  by  the  arm  with  one  hand  while  he 
pointed  out  what  he  wanted  them  to  do  with  the  other.  And  it  had  the  desired 
effect,  too,  for  we  did  not  mind  what  we  had  to  do  after  he  put  those  officers  to 
work.  However,  some  of  his  staff  finding  out  by  some  means  what  was  up, 
failed  to  report.  After  the  bridge  was  completed  we  decided  that  we  had  seen 
fun  enough  to  pay  us  very  well  for  all  we  had  done. 


380  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ceeding  to  the  next,  when,  on  being  met  by  McKnight 
and  receiving  Forrest's  message,  he  remarked,  ''Forrest 
don  t  know''  and  went  right  on  to  the  second  bridge  in 
spite  of  the  mud  and  water  in  his  way.  On  arriving  at 
this  last  bridgre  McKnig^ht's  detail  was  ordered  to  dis- 
mount  (except  every  fourth  man  to  hold  horses)  and 
assist  in  roiling  the  wagons  and  artillery  through  a  place 
of  mud  and  water  about  knee  deep,  and  then  upon  the 
bridge.*  By  the  untiring  energy  and  perseverance  of 
General  Buford  the  whole  division,  including  the  wagons 
and  artillery,  was  on  the  north  bank  of  Wolf  Creek  be- 
fore sunset.  Then  moving  on  to  Booneville  Buford  es- 
tablished his  headquarters  at  that  place.  After  halting 
long  enough  to  draw  rations  and  forage,  Bell's  Brigade, 
setting  out  from  Booneville  about  midnight,  moved  out 
eight  miles  north-west  to  Blackland,  and  there,  dis- 
mounting, took  a  short  nap  before  day. 

Thursday,  gth. — In  the  saddle  by  daylight.  Colonel 
Barteau,  with  the  Second  Tennessee,  moved  northward 
about  seven  miles  to  the  Rienzi-Ripley  road,  where  he 
halted  until  about  noon ;  then  turning  eastward  and 
marching  some  nine  miles,  he  met  with  the  rest  of  the 
brigade  at  Rienzi,  a  station  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Road,  where  the  brigade  camped  for  the  night. 

Newsom's  Regiment,  which  was  left  at  Corinth  on  the 
23d  of  May,  and  had  not  been  with  the  brigade  since, 
had  met  at  Rienzi  a  few  days  previous  to  this  and  drove 
back  westward  a  Federal  scout. 

■•■■Buford  allowed  the  boys  to  have  some  fun  here  too.  A  neg-fo  who  evidently 
feared  that  Buford  would  order  him  to  help  roll  the  wagons  through  "  that  mud- 
hole,"  was  lying  in  a  wagon  to  keep  the  General  from  seeing  him.  Some  of  the 
boys  seeing  him  remarked,  "Here  is  a  negro  in  this  wagon."  Buford  said: 
"Take  him  out!  take  him  out  and  duck  him!"  No  quicker  said  than  done, 
the  boys  lifted  him  out  of  the  wagon  into  the  creek. 


June,  1804.  381 

Lyon's  and  Rucker's  Brigades  were  now  at  Booneville, 
and  Johnson's,  from  North  Alabama,  was  at  Baldwin. 
Confederate  headquarters  were  at  Booneville,  ten  miles 
north  of  Baldwin  and  eight  south  of  Rienzi.  Thus 
stood  affairs  on  the  eve  before  the  memorable 

BATTLE  OF  BRICE'S  CROSS-ROADS. 

Information  was  brought  to  the  Confederate  Generals 
that  General  Sturgis  (the  Federal  commander j,  having 
broken  up  his  encampment  at  Ruckerville,  was  moving 
toward  Ripley,  and  later,  that  having  passed  that  place, 
he  was  marching  south-eastward  toward  Guntown. 
General  Lee  now  determined  to  fall  back  with  the  whole 
force  toward  Okolona,  so  as  to  form  a  junction  with 
Chalmers,  and  such  other  forces  as  he  hoped  to  be  able 
to  glean  from  Mobile,  before  grappling  with  the  enemy. 
Accordingly  Lee  proceeded  southward  by  rail  that  night, 
while  Forrest  was  ordered  to  follow  next  mornine  with 
the  whole  force,  and  get  between  the  Federal  column 
and  Tupelo. 

Brice's  Cross-Roads,  four  miles  due  west  from  the 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  at  Baldwin,  and  six  miles 
north-west  of  Guntown,  is  at  the  intersection  of  the  road 
from  Ripley  through  Guntown  to  Fulton  with  that  from 
Carrollville  through  EUistown  to  Pontotoc.  Carrollville 
is  five  miles  north-east  of  the  cross-roads,  and  about 
two  miles  west  of  the  railroad,  on  the  road  leading  from 
Booneville  to  the  cross-roads. 

The  Federals  camped  on  Stubbs'  farm,  about  ten 
miles  north-west  of  the  cross-roads,  and  about  twelve 
south-east  of  Ripley.  To  recapitulate:  Johnson's  Bri- 
gade had  to  march  about  seven  miles  (by  the  way  of 
Carrollville),  Rucker's  and  Lyon's  fourteen,  and  Bell's 
twenty-two  to  reach  the  battle-field  next  morning. 


282  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Friday,  loth. — Leaving  Rienzi  by  daylight,  Bell's 
Brigade  (except  Newsom's  Regiment,  which  was  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  Corinth)  marched  south 
to  Booneville,  where  it  halted  to  draw  t*wo  days'  rations 
for  both  men  and  horses.  Here  we  learned  that  Forrest 
had  left  that  place  before  dawn  with  Lyon's  and  Rocker's 
Brigades,  hoping  to  get  between  the  Federal  column 
and  Tupelo.  Buford,  who  had  been  left  at  Booneville  to 
bring  up  the  rear,  now  followed  with  Bell's  Brigade. 
The  night  had  been  rainy,  but  the  sun  rose  brightly, 
and  dispelling  the  morning  mist,  became  warm  and 
somewhat  oppressive  to  the  men  and  jaded  horses ;  and 
the  roads,  saturated  with  water  from  recent  continuous 
heavy  rains,  were  so  much  cut  up  as  to  retard  the  prog- 
ress of  the  artillery. 

At  CarroUville  scouts  reported  to  Forrest  that  the 
advance  of  the  Federal  cavalry  had  been  seen  within  a 
mile  of  Brice's  Cross-Roads,  and  hence  it  was  now  evi- 
dent that  the  Federals  were  about  to  intercept  the  line 
of  his  march.  Taking  into  consideration  the  advantage 
of  striking  the  enemy  while  in  line  of  march,  and  conse- 
quently not  prepared  for  battle,  besides,  seeing  no  way 
of  avoiding  this  contingency,  and  Johnson's  Brigade 
having  come  up  meanwhile,  Forrest  promptly  resolved 
upon  the  offensive  and  an  immediate  encounter,  and  thus 
force  General  Sturgis  to  bring  his  men  into  action  by 
detail.  Forrest's  force  (three  brigades)  immediately  in 
hand  at  the  moment  numbered  about  two  thousand  rank 
and  file.  Lyon  was  ordered  to  move  rapidly  forward 
with  his  brigade  and  feel  the  enemy  while  Rucker's  and 
Johnson's  men  were  replenishing  their  exhausted  car- 
tridge boxes.  A  courier  was  also  dispatched  with  in- 
structions to  Buford  to  detach  a  regiment  at  CarroUville 


June,  ISG-i.  383 

to  o-ain  the  Federal  rear,  and,  if  possible,  destroy  their 
train,  and  to  hurry  forward  the  artillery  at  a  gallop,  as 
well  as  the  other  regiments  of  Bell's  Brigade.  On 
meeting  this  courier,  within  four  miles  of  Carrollville, 
Buford  moved  out  at  a  gallop,  and  "close  up"  soon 
passed  from  front  to  rear  of  Bell's  Brigade.  Colonel 
Barteau  being  detached  at  the  above  named  place,  with 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Second  Tennessee,* 
turned  westward  to  gain  the  Federal  rear,  while  Buford 
pressed  on  with  the  other  two  regiments  (Russell's  and 
Wilson's)  and  Morton's  and  Rice's  Batteries  at  a  gallop. 
Meanwhile  Colonel  Lyon,  having  gained  the  enemy's 
front,  on  the  road  leading  toward  Tupelo,  through 
Brice's  Cross-Roads,  ordered  Captain  Randle  to  dis- 
mount his  company  and  advance  on  foot  to  develop  the 
Federal  position.  This  done  with  spirit,  speedily  the 
enemy's  cavalry  were  found  strongly  posted  in  heavy 
force  in  front.  The  Third  Kentucky,  dismounting,  was 
thrown  forward  at  a  double-quick  in  support  of  Randle, 
and  brought  at  once  into  action.  The  Federal  position 
was  strong;  Lyon,  therefore,  dismounting  the  Seventh 
Kentucky  and  Faulkner's  Regiment — except  two  com- 
panies held  as  cavalry  to  guard  his  flanks — immediately 
advanced,  the  former  on  the  right  and  the  latter  on  the 
left,  in  line  with  the  Third  Kentucky,  while  the  Eighth 
Kentucky  was  held  as  a  reserve  in  rear  of  the  center 
within     supporting    distance.        Thus     disposed,    Lyon 

■•■■'A  heavy  detail  had  been  taken  from  our  regiment  to  guard  a  wagon  train  ; 
and  two  of  the  companies  from  West  Tennessee  (Captains  S.  W.  Reeves  and  O. 
B.  Farris)  that  were  sent  on  picket  last  night  at  Rienzi  and  had  not  caught  up 
when  the  regiment  was  detached  this  morning,  fell  in  with  the  rest  of  the  bri- 
gade and  remained  with  it  throughout  the  battle  and  chase.  Captain  Farris  be- 
ing on  detached  duty  his  company  was  commanded  by  his  gallant  First  Lieuten- 
ant, F.  M.  McRee,  who  made  a  daring  charge  with  Company  K  upon  the  Fed- 
eral rear  guard,  capturing  a  whole  company  of  negroes. 


384  R.  1?.  Hancock's  Diary. 

pressed  steadily  up  through  a  skirt  of  woods,  brushing" 
the  enemy  back  as  he  advanced.  But  discovering  that 
the  Federals  were  being  heavily  massed  in  his  front,  as 
if  for  an  attack,  Lyon  halted  his  line,  reconnoitered  the 
position,  and  directed  his  men  to  throw  up  such  cover 
as  could  be  quickly  made  of  rails  and  fallen  timber  at 
hand.  The  enemy,  already  having  several  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery in  position,  opened  a  hot  fire  with  shell  and  can- 
ister, while  a  large  force  menaced  an  onset  upon  Lyon's 
left. 

Informed  of  the  state  of  affairs  on  the  field,  Forrest 
ordered  Colonel  Lyon  to  take  the  offensive  with  the 
Third  Kentucky  and  F'aulkner's  Regiment.  This  gal- 
lantly performed,  the  enemy  was  presently  driven  back 
for  three  hundred  yards  to  the  edge  of  an  old  field. 
Forrest  had  moved  up  meanwhile  the  Seventh  and 
Eighth  Kentucky  to  a  position  somewhat  in  advance 
and  rightward  of  the  road.  Lyon  then  brought  up  the 
Third  Kentucky  and  Faulkner's  Regiment  to  the  same 
line.  Rucker,  at  the  same  time,  was  dismounted  and 
ordered  also  to  form  in  line  of  battle  on  the  left,  which 
being  done  with  alacrity  and  characteristic  dasJi,  he  soon 
became  warmly  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who  opened 
upon  him  with  a  sharp  musketry  fire  from  the  shelter  of 
a  fence  and  dense  thicket  of  dwarf  oaks.  Hearing  the 
sounds  of  this  brisk  engagement  the  Confederate  Gen- 
eral next  dispatched  Johnson's  Brigade,  mounted,  at  a 
rapid  pace  to  gain  and  guard  Lyon's  right.  Meanwhile 
Morton's  and  Rice's  Batteries,  having  been  brought  up 
at  a  gallop  for  some  eight  miles,  were  immediately 
thrown  forward  into  position  in  an  open  field  on  a  hill, 
in  rear  of  Lyon,  and  opened  with  spirit  and  execution, 
especially  upon  the  Federal  infantry  confronting  Rucker. 


JUx\E,  1804.  385 

Duff's  Mississippians  being  detached  leftward  half  a 
mile  to  guard  that  flank  from  being  turned,  Rucker  now 
charged  with  the  Seventh  Tennessee  and  Chalmers' 
Battalion  (Eighteenth  Mississippi)  across  an  open  field 
in  the  face  of  a  heavy  hostile  force  of  infantry,  Chal- 
mer's  Battalion,  unsupported  on  its  left  flank  at  the  time, 
being  overlapped  by  the  enemy,  was  thrown  into  con- 
fusion by  a  terrific  enfilading  fire,  and  receded  to  the 
shelter  of  the  woods  in  its  rear;  but,  though  warmly 
pressed  back  to  that  position,  it  was  speedily  rallied, 
and  handsomely  resumed  the  onset.  Led  with  note- 
worthy courage  and  vigor  by  Colonel  Rucker  and  Lieu- 
tenant Colonels  Taylor  (Seventh  Tennessee)  and  Chal- 
mers, they  intrepidly  breasted  the  fire  of  rifles  and 
artillery  that  swept  the  ground  over  which  they  ad- 
vanced, and  carried  the  position.  The  loss  was  serious 
among  those  brave  Mississippians  and  Tennesseans. 
At  the  same  time  Lyon,  advancing  with  his  brigade  in 
the  face  of  an  actively-plied  artillery  and  warm  fusilade 
of  small  arms,  drove  back  the  force  opposed  in  his  front, 
after  some  obstinate  fighting  and  several  efforts  to  charge 
him  with  a  superior  force.  And  Buford  having  come  up 
at  half-past  eleven  a,  m.  with  Bell's  Brigade,  or  rather 
Russell's  and  Wilson's  Regiments,  Forrest  had  placed 
them,  dismounted,  immediately  in  line  on  the  left  of 
Rucker,  about  the  time  that  bricjade  had  faltered,  as  we 
have  mentioned. 

The  enemy  now  occupied  the  arc  of  a  circle  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  at  least  in  extent,  and  about  half  a 
mile  from  Brice's  house,  the  right  of  which  lay  across 
the  Ripley-Guntown  road.  They  were  also  in  heavy 
force  of  infantry  as  well  as  cavalry  ;  but  a  large  portion 
of  the  infantry  had  been  brought  up  at  a  double  quick 
25 


386  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

for  some  six  or  eight  miles,  and  of  course  were  much 
blown  and  flurried,  and  not  in  good  fighting  condition 
Lyon's  Brigade,  confronting  them  on  both  sides  of  the 
Baldwin  road,  was  formed  in  line  in  the  edgre  of  a  thick 
wood;  Rucker,  as  we  have  stated,  was  next  on  the  left, 
and  Bell  next,  with  Duff's  Mississippians  on  his  and  the 
extreme  Confederate  left ;  while  Johnson's  Brigade  was 
on  Lyon's  and  the  extreme  Confederate  right.  Mean- 
while, Buford  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
right  and  center,  embracing  Lyon's  and  Johnson's  Bri- 
gades, and  the  artillery  (eight  guns),  with  instructions 
to  attack  strenuously  as  soon  as  Bell  was  heard  in  ac- 
tion. And  this  was  the  posture  of  the  combat  about 
midday. 

The  ground  held  by  the  enemy,  somewhat  more  ele- 
vated than  that  occupied  by  the  Confederates,  was  un- 
dulating, and  thickly  clad  with  stunted  trees  and  tan- 
gled undergrowth,  which,  veiling  their  presence,  fur- 
nished excellent  cover  in  addition  to  the  breastwork  of 
rails  and  logs  that  they  had  erected.  Nevertheless,  Bell 
advanced  to  the  onset  about  half-past  one  p.  m.,  and 
speedily  a  prolonged  musketry  fire  blazed  and  gushed 
in  the  face  of  his  line,  and  many  of  his  bravest  officers 
and  men  went  down  before  it.  Right  gallantly  and 
staunchly  did  these  regiments  endeavor  to  stem  the 
adverse  tide,  but  finally  they  wavered.  Wilson's  Reg- 
iment, flanked  and  enfiladed,  gave  back,  and  the  issue 
seemed  inevitably  unfavorable  for  a  time.  But,  ani- 
mated by  their  officers,  the  men  regained  a  footing,  and, 
happily,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wisdom  reached  the  ground 
at  the  same  juncture  with  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men  of  Newsom's  Regiment.  These  were  quickly  dis- 
mounted and  advanced  to  a  position  on  Wilson's  left. 


June,  1864.  387 

.The  offensive  was  now  vehemently  resumed  by  the  Con- 
federates on  all  parts  of  their  line.  The  Federals  fought 
;well.  and  made  several  persistent  charges,  in  heavy  force, 
upon  Johnson's,  Lyon's,  Rucker's,  Bell's  and  Duft's  po- 
sitions, and  more  than  once  defeat  seemed  unavoidable. 
Two  strong  lines  of  Federal  infantry  pressed  upon 
Rucker,  Bell  and  Duff  through  an  open  field,  their  front 
line  coming  within  thirty  paces  of  the  Confederates,  who 
then  drew  their  revolvers  and  drove  the  enemy  back 
with  great  slaughter.  At  the  same  time  Lyon  and  John- 
son repulsed  those  who  had  assailed  them ;  while  the 
escort,  under  Captain  Jackson,  with  characteristic  dar- 
ing, had  dashed  down  upon  some  negro  infantry  on  the 
Federal  rigfht  and  thrown  them  into  great  confusion. 
Urged  forward  by  their  officers  the  Confederates  pressed 
the  enemy  back  by  the  sheer  valor  and  tenacity  with 
which  they  were  handled.  Nevertheless,  the  Federals, 
constantly  reinforced  by  fresh  regiments,  brought  up  one 
after  another,  were  so  greatly  superior  in  numbers  that 
the  result  was  still  extremely  doubtful.  Forrest  there- 
upon repaired  in  person  to  where  his  artillery  was  in 
position  in  front  of  Lyon.  Ordering  the  pieces  to  be 
double-shotted  with  canister — a  favorite  practice — and 
limbered  up,  he  moved  with  them  down  a  gentle  wooded 
slope  to  within  sixty  yards  of  the  Federal  lines,  to  the 
edge  of  a  field  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north-east  of 
Brice's  house,  just  at  the  moment  a  strong  Federal  line, 
resuming  the  offensive,  was  emerging  from  the  woods 
into  the  open  ground.  In  this  position  the  Confederate 
artillery  (eight  pieces)  were  opened  with  signal  execu- 
tion ;  and,  after  two  or  three  discharges,  Lyon  and  John- 
son charged  upon  the  Federal  left.  Hotly  engaged  at 
all  points,  about  two  p.  m.,  the  conflict  had  now  become 


388  Pt.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

general  and  desperate.  There  was  no  faltering  at  the 
juncture  anywhere  in  the  Confederate  ranks.  Buford 
was  steadily  pressing  the  Federals  back  upon  Brice's 
house,  with  Lyon's  and  Johnson's  Bridgades  ;  Bell's  and 
Rucker's  Brigades  moving  across  the  fields  and  over  the 
fences  in  their  front,  using  their  revolvers  freely,  bore 
backward  all  before  them  in  the  same  direction.  The 
Confederate  fire  of  small  arms  and  artillery  was  rapid, 
incessant,  desolating.*  Forrest's  line  was  now  short- 
ened, and  hence  strengthened,  as  it  converged  upon  the 
cross-roads,  and  the  Federals  were  driven  back  at  all 
points  into  a  broad  ravine,  westward  of  Brice's  house, 
leading  to  Tishamingo  Creek — infantry,  cavalry,  artil- 
lery, wagons  and  ambulances  huddled  together  in  an 
almost  inextricable  coil ;  and  upon  this  mass  Morton's 
and  Rice's  Batteries  were  brought  to  bear  with  fearful 
carnage. 

By  this  time  six  guns  had  been  captured  at  Brice's 
house,  and  several  of  these,  manned  by  the  Confederate 
artillerists,  were  turned  upon  the  Federals,  disabling  the 
horses  of  another  Federal  battery  some  three  hundred 
yards  westward  of  the  Ripley  road.  Seeing  this.  Cap- 
tains Morton  and  Rice  moved  their  batteries  forward  at 
a  gallop  up  to  the  obstructed  mass  of  the  enemy,  and 
poured  upon  it  a  deadly  tide  of  canister.  The  havoc 
was  ghastly,  and  the  second  battery  was  abandoned  as 
the  enemy  crowded  back  along  the  Ripley  road  toward 
Tishamingo  Creek,  the  bridge  over  which,  still  standing, 
was  blocked  up  with  wagons,  some  of  whose  teams  had 
been  killed,  and  more  than  one  hundred  of  the  Feder- 
als were  killed  or  wounded  in  attempting  to  pass  across 

*About  eight  hundred  Federals  lay  dead  around  Brice's  house  and  on  the 
field  to  the  east  and  south  of  it. 


June,  18G4.  389 

the  bridge  thus  obstructed.  Finding  their  way  thus 
barred  the  enemy  rushed  into  the  creek  on  both  sides 
of  the  bridge ;  but  as  they  emerged  from  the  water  on 
the  west  bank  in  an  open  field  the  Confederates'  artil- 
lery played  upon  them  for  half  a  mile,  killing  or  dis- 
abling a  large  number. 

In  the  interim  the  wagons  left  on  the  bridge  had  to 
be  thrown  into  the  stream  before  the  Confederates,  in 
any  effective  numbers,  could  pass  over;  otherwise,  the 
captures  must  have  been  much  more  numerous.  A  sec- 
tion of  Rice's  Battery,  however,  was  worked  across, 
and,  supported  by  the  escort,  overtook  and  opened  upon 
the  negro  brigade,  with  double-shotted  canister,  with 
appalling  effect.  The  rest  of  the  artillery  followed 
swiffly  the  advance  section,  ahead,  for  the  moment,  of 
any  support,  and,  securing  favorable  positions,  joined 
in  the  havoc. 

The  order  was  now  given  for  the  cavalry  to  halt,  re- 
organize, remount  as  fast  as  possible,  and  pursue.  The 
road  was  narrow,  with  dense  woods  on  either  side,  so 
that  it  was  impossible  to  use  more  than  four  pieces  at  a 
time ;  but  that  number  were  kept  close  upon  the  heels 
of  the  retreating  enemy,  and  in  murderous  play,  pre- 
venting them  from  making  a  stand.  Nothing  could  ex- 
ceed the  daring  spirit,  energy  and  execution  with  which 
the  Confederate  Artillery*  was  handled  by  its  officers. 

■■■■As  Captain  JoJin  W.  Morton  was  in  chief  command,  -with  R.  M.  Blakemore 
as  adjutant,  his  battery  (four  three-inch  rifle  guns)  was  commanded  by  the  gal- 
lant Lieutenant  T.  S.  Sale,  assisted  by  Lieutenants  Mayson  and  Brown. 

The  spirit  that  animated  the  men  may  be  illustrated  by  the  behavior  of  one 
— Jimmie  Moran,  of  Morton's  Battery — who,  when  shot  through  the  arm,  on 
being  told  by  his  officers  to  go  to  the  rear  invariably  replied :  "No,  sir;  I'll  stay 
with  you  as  long  as  I  can  stand  up,"  and  continued  to  drive  his  gun  team  with 
his  arm  in  a  sling  tlirough  the  entire  fight.  Rice's  Battery  consisted  of  two 
twelve-pounder  howitzers,  and  two  sixpounder  smooth-bore  guns. 


390  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

About  two  miles  from  the  cross-roads  the  enemy  ral- 
lied at  length  in  strong  force,  and  again  made  stout  bat- 
tle for  about  half  an  hour,  in  the  course  of  which,  con- 
centrating, they  made  a  spirited  charge  upon  their  eager 
pursuers,  and  drove  them  back  upon  Rice's  Battery ;  but 
that,  opening  with  double  charges  of  canister,  and  Ly- 
on's Brigade  springing  forward  with  loud  cheers,  hurled 
them  back  with  so  stormful  an  onset  that  the  Federal 
array  dissolved  before  it  into  a  molten  mass  of  frag- 
ments and  stragglers,  and  their  defeat  was  consummate. 
The  largest  portion  of  their  wagon  train  was  left  on  the 
ground,  with  many  caissons,  and  the  road  was  so  thickly 
strewn  as  to  be  encumbered  with  the  dead,  the  dying, 
and  wounded,  with  cast-away  arms,  harness,  accoutre- 
ments, baggage,  dead  animals,  and  other  v/reck  of  a 
routed  army.  It  was  now  sunset,  but  the  pursuit  was 
maintained,  weary  and  overspent  as  the  Confederates 
were,  for  some  five  or  six  miles  beyond,  and  until  it  be- 
came quite  too  dark  to  go  further.  As  the  negro  sol- 
diery broke,  after  their  last  stand,  they  were  seen  gen- 
erally to  tear  something  from  their  uniform  and  throw 
it  away,  which  subsequently  proved  to  have  been  a 
badge  on  which  was  printed,  "  Remember  Fort  Pillow," 
while  at  the  same  time  their  officers  (whites)  threw  off 
their  shoulder  straps,  or  insignia  of  rank. 

After  being  detached  at  Carrollville,  as  previously 
mentioned,  Colonel  Barteau,  with  a  part  of  his  regiment, 
moving  westward,  struck  the  Ripley-Guntown  road  some 
four  or  five  miles  north-west  of  Brice's  Cross-Roads  ; 
and  thence,  moving  in  that  direction,  he  struck  the  Fed- 
eral rear  within  about  three  miles  of  said  cross-roads. 
Deploying  his  little  band  in  line,  in  the  woods  on  the 
east  side  of  the  road,  he  threw  forward  a  lengthy,  though 


June,  1864.  391 

thin,  line  of  skirmishers  in  close  proximity  to  the  Fed- 
erals. As  Barteau  wished  to  make  a  feint  of  a  heavy 
attack,  without  revealing  his  real  strength,  the  position 
that  he  now  occupied  was  a  good  one  for  that  purpose. 
The  stunted  trees  and  tangled  undergrowth  not  only 
furnished  excellent  cover  for  his  men,  but  completely 
veiled  his  weakness  from  the  enemy.* 

In  speaking  of  Barteau's  attack  upon  the  Federal 
rear,  the  writer  of  "Forrest's  Campaigns"  (page  476) 
says : 

Deploying  his  men  as  skirmishers,  on  a  line  nearly  three-quarters 
of  a  mile,  and  with  other  admirable  and  daring  dispositions  of  his 
force,  well  calculated  to  conceal  his  weakness,  Barteau  contributed 
materially  to  disturb  and  disorder  the  enemy,  and  prevent  the  escape 
of  their  train.  This  drew  to  that  quarter  a  large  part  of  their  cavalry, 
while  the  battle  was  raging  with  greatest  fury  at  the  cross-roads. 

I  take  the  following  from  the  manuscript  notes  of 
Colonel  Barteau : 

Seeing  the  great  heat  of  the  engagement  had  now  come,  and  the 
result  doubtful,  I  thought  it  best,  as  I  had  thus  far  gotten  to  the  ene- 
my's rear  without  his  knowledge,  to  deceive  him  in  regard  to  my  num- 
bers. For  this  purpose,  after  detaching  one  company  to  picket  still  in 
my  rear,  I  deployed  the  regiment  into  a  line  nearly  as  long  as  that  of 
the  line  of  battle,  and  at  once  begun  an  attack  by  scattering  shots. 
This  led  him  to  believe  that  my  force  was  large,  and  to  continue  the  im- 

*A  negro,  a  cook  for  some  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Federals  about  this  juncture.  On  making  his  escape  and  returning  to  the 
regiment  that  night  or  the  next  day,  he  reported  the  following  dialogue  which 
took  place  between  himself  and  a  Federal  officer  when  he  was  first  captured: 

Federal  Officer — How  many  men  in  those  woods? 

y^egro — A  regiment. 

Federal  Officer— Yo\x  can't  fool  me,  there  is  a  brigade  in  there. 

"T'hen,"  continued  the  negro  in  relating  the  story  to  us,  "the  Federal  officer 
wrote  something  on  a  piece  of  paper  and  sent  it  in  haste  toward  the  front.'' 

No  doubt  but  that  dispatch  addressed  to  General  Sturgis  ran  somewhat  thus 
"  We  are  attacked  in  the  rear  by  a  brigade  or  more." 


392  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


pression  I  instructed  my  bugler*  to  gallop  along  the  whole  line  and  at 
various  points  to  sound  the  charge. 

I  thought  then,  and  I  think  now  [April,  1865],  that  the  deception 
was  a  complete  one,  and  at  least  had  a  good  effect,  for  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  ten  times  larger  in  force  than  my  own,  came  back  to  attack 
us,  which  must  have  considerably  weakened  their  own  line  in  front. 

Referring  to  this  occasion  in  commenting  on  our  war, 

a  European  journal  compliments  our  colonel  thus: 

Barteau's  maneuver  in  rear  of  the  enemy  on  that  occasion  was  not 
equaled  by  the  strategy  of  Napoleon  or  Caesar. 

As  soon  as  Colonel  Barteau  was  fully  satisfied  that 
"the  day  was  ours,"  and  that  the  Federals  were  in  full 
retreat  back  toward  Ripley,  and,  consequently,  he  was 
in  front  and  Forrest  in  rear,  he  collected  his  men  to- 
gether as  quickly  as  possible,  and  after  moving  along 
their  right  flank  for  some  five  or  six  miles  and  coming 
to  a  road  (a  little  after  dark)  leading  westward  across 
the  Ripley  road,  he  decided  to  dismount  his  men,  in 
order  to  move  more  quietly,  and  attack  the  Federal 
column,  which  could  now  be  distinctly  heard  moving 
along  the  latter  road,  hoping  thus  to  cut  off,  and  perhaps 
capture,  a  portion  of  the  Federal  rear.  However,  the 
Colonel  had  moved  only  a  few  hundred  yards  when  he 
met  Lieutenant  John  E.  Denning  (Company  F),  who 
had  been  out  as  far  as  the  first  house  on  the  road,  and 
there  learned  that  we  would  have  to  cross  a  creek  and 
a  bad  bottom  before  reaching  the  road  along  which  the 
Federals  were  moving.  Meanwhile  the  enemy  appeared 
to  be  halting,  perhaps  to  bivouac  for  the  night;  there- 
fore, after  a  consultation  with  commanders  of  companies, 
Barteau  decided  that  he  would  not  attempt  to  cross  that 

■•■  Our  bugler  (Jimmie  R.  Bradford)  who  greatly  alarmed  the  enemy  on  this 
occasion  by  making  it  appear  that  so  many  different  buglers  were  sounding  the 
charge,  died  near  New  Middleton,  Tenn.,  in  1882. 


JUXE,  1804.  393 

^  bottom  'mid  the  darkness  of  the  night.  We  bivouacked 
perhaps  one  and  a  half  or  two  miles  in  advance  of  where 
Forrest,  soon  after,  stopped  the  chase.* 

Saturday,  nth. — On  reaching  the  Ripley  road  a  little 
after  daylight,  Colonel  Barteau  learned  that  General 
Forrest  was  in  advance  with  the  Seventh  Tennessee, 
from  Rucker's  Brigade.  Moving  out  at  a  gallop,  the 
former  soon  overtook  the  latter. 

Meanwhile,  Forrest  had  struck  the  Federal  rear  about 
daylight  at  Stubbs'  farm.  A  slight  skirmish  ensued, 
when  the  enemy  broke,  abandoning  the  remainder  of 
their  wagon-train,  nine  pieces  of  artillery,  and  some 
twenty-five  ambulances,  with  a  number  of  wounded,  at 
the  crossing  of  a  small  fork  of  the  Hatchie.  It  was 
apparent  that  the  enemy  were  now  greatly  scattered 
through  the  surrounding  country.  Therefore  Forrest 
threw  that  portion  of  the  Second  Tennessee  that  was 
yet  with  Colonel  Barteau  on  the  left  flank,  and  another 
regiment  on  the  right,  to  sweep  for  some  distance  on 
either  side  of  the  highway,  and  all  the  morning  the  din 
of  firearms  was  to  be  heard  at  the  harsh,  stern  work  of 
war.  Bell's  Brigade  (including  the  other  portion  of  the 
Second  Tennessee)  having  come  up,  relieved  Rucker 
soon  after  sunrise.  About  four  miles  eastward  of  Ripley 
the  Federals  were  found  rallied  and  in  position  for  an- 
other stand  at  the  crossing  of  Hatchie  Creek,  where  the 
bottom  was  almost  impracticable,  except  by  the  road 
over  a  causeway,  which  was  about  three  hundred  yards 
long.  They  had  already  effected  the  passage  of  the 
stream,  and  were  drawn  up  on  a  ridge  some  seven  hun- 
dred  yards   from  its  west  bank,  with  a  strong   line  of 

*The  Federals  bivouacked  on  Stubbs'  farm,  some  three  miles  in  advance  of 
Forrest.  v 


394  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

skirmishers  thrown  forward  to  the  woods  near  the  water's 
edge  to  dispute  the  Confederate  advance.  No  artillery 
being  visible,  Forrest,  quickly  dismounting  two  regi- 
ments of  Bell's  Brigade,  moved  with  them  and  his  es- 
cort  (the  latter  mounted)  up  the  creek  leftward,  and 
crossed  without  any  resistance,  taking  the  Federals  on 
their  right  fiank.  At  this  moment  they  again  broke, 
after  a  very  slight  skirmish,  and  the  whole  Confederate 
force,  crossing  the  stream,  resumed  the  pursuit. 

As  the  advance  of  Bell's  Brigade — Wilson's  Regi- 
ment— approached  Ripley,  about  eight  a.  m.,  the  enemy 
were  found  drawn  up  in  two  strong  battle  lines  just  in 
the  outskirts,  north-west  of  the  place,  stretching  across 
the  roads  leading  to  LaGrange  and  Salem.  Forrest, 
coming  up  with  his  escort,  immediately  dismounted 
them  and  Wilson's  men,  and  without  waiting  for  any 
-additional  force  advanced  to  the  attack ;  but  sending 
orders,  however,  to  General  Buford  to  throw  Rucker 
around  to  gain  their  rear  on  the  LaGrange  road,  and  to 
hurry  up  with  the  other  regiments.  Wilson's  Regiment 
and  the  escort,  advancing  under  cover  of  the  houses  and 
fences  of  Ripley,  opened  with  an  effective  fire  upon  the 
Federal  lines,  inflicting  so  sharp  a  loss  that,  after  a  few 
moments,  they  broke,  leaving  upon  the  field  thirty  of 
their  dead  and  sixty  wounded. 

Buford,  having  now  brought  up  the  other  troops,  was 
directed  to  pursue  with  Lyon's  and  Rucker's  Brigades, 
and  hang  closely  upon  the  Federal  rear  on  the  road 
toward  Salem,  through  Davenport,  while  Forrest,*  with 

*  Several  miles  before  reaching  Salem  the  Confederate  General  fell  from  hij 
liorse  from  sheer  exhaustion,  and  for  more  than  an  hour  lay  in  a  state  of  stupor 
by  the  roadside.  This,  perhaps,  is  another  reason  why  he  failed  to  intercept 
the  enemy  at  Salem.  It  is  about  fifty  miles  from  Brice's  Cross  Roads  to  Salem, 
and  Ripley  is  about  midway  between. 


June,  1864.  395 

Bell's  Brigade,  would  endeavor  to  reach  Salem  sooner 
by  a  left-hand  way,  somewhat  more  direct,  with  the  hope 
of  thus  intercepting-  the  main  body  of  the  retreating 
enemy  at  this  point.  Buford,  however,  took  up  the 
pursuit  with  such  vigor  that  this  expectation  was  disap- 
pointed, ■  Directed  to  lead  and  charge  without  dismount- 
ing, Rucker  made  several  spirited  onsets  upon  the  Fed- 
eral rear  guard.  Sweeping  it  rapidly  ahead  of  him, 
capturing  several  hundred  prisoners,  Rucker's  horses 
became  finally  so  jaded  that  Buford  relieved  that  brigade 
with  Lyon's.  Meanwhile  Colonel  Barteau,  having  been 
detached,  as  previously  mentioned,  with  a  part  of  the 
Second  Tennessee,  dashing  ahead — sometimes  along 
country  roads,  and  at  other  times  through  the  woods, 
leaving  Ripley  about  two  miles  to  the  right — finally 
struck  the  Federal  column  some  eigfht  miles  from  that 
place  on  the  Salem  road.  The  enemy  were  now  moving 
along  a  ridge  four  deep — infantry  in  the  center  and  cav- 
alry on  each  side  of  the  road — with  a  beautiful  open 
woods  between  them  and  Barteau's  men.  Taking  in 
the  situation  at  a  g-lance,  and  deciding:  that  this  was  the 
time  and  place  to  strike  a  blow,  the  Colonel,  quickly 
dismounting  his  small  band,  gallantly  led  them  to  the 
onset.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  Federals  did  not 
seem  to  observe  the  approach  of  the  Confederates  until 
the  latter  turned  loose  a  volley  within  sixty  or  seventy 
yards  of  the  former.  The  road  in  our  immediate  front 
was  cleared  in  an  instant,  and  the  enemy  fired  but  few 
shots  at  us.  As  he  had  heard  no  firing  in  the  rear  for 
some  time  previous  to  this,  and  thinking  that  perhaps 
Forrest  had  stopped  the  chase,  Barteau  decided  that  it 
would  be  prudent  for  him  to  fall  back  a  short  distance  in 
order  to  ascertain  what  was  oroina  on  in  the  rear.     Doak 


396  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Carr  (Company  D)  and  B.  A,  High  (Company  G),  twa 
daring  riders,  remained  and  skirmished  with  the  enemy 
a  short  time,  when  General  Buford,  closing  up  on  their 
rear  with  Lyon's  Brigade,  captured  about  eight  hundred 
Federals  that  Barteau  had  cut  off  as  above  named.  As 
soon  as  he  learned  that  the  Confederates  were  still  in 
pursuit,  Barteau,  turning  westward  again,  arrived  at 
Salem  about  sunset,  and  went  into  camp.*  By  the 
time  Salem  was  reached,  however,  it  was  apparent  that 
no  body  of  the  Federal  force  was  retreating  on  that 
road,  but  only  widely  dispersed  stragglers.  Buford,  turn- 
ing northward,  with  Lyon's  Brigade  and  Russell's  Reg- 
iment, resumed  the  chase  in  the  direction  of  LaGrancre, 
while  a  detachment  under  Lieutenant- Colonel  Holt 
(Third  Kentucky)  followed  toward  Lamar.  So  ex- 
hausted had  the  horses  now  become  generally  that  few 
were  able  to  keep  up  and  reach  the  extreme  points  of 
pursuit  on  the  iith,  which,  on  the  way  to  LaGrange, 
was  Davis'  Mi^ll,  where  Buford  halted  after  dark,  and 
gave  his  men  and  animals  several  hours'  rest. 

Meanwhile,   Forrest,  having   led  Bell's  Brigade  (ex- 

*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  received  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  A.  H. 
French  (Company  A)  from  which  I  take  the  following: 

"Only  for  the  action  of  Colonel  Dawson,  of  General  Forrest's  staff,  our  reg- 
iment would  have  captured  half  of  the  enemy's  forces  at  a  point  west  of  Ripley, 
Mississippi,  on  the' Salem  road,  wheie  we  intercepted  and  attacked  the  advance 
of  the  retreating  enemy;  and  right  here  tliey  turned  due  north,  through  woods 
and  fields,  and  fled  to  a  post  on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  (Poca- 
hontas, I  think). 

"As  we  were  in  the  act  of  pursuit  Colonel  Dawson  came  up  and  informed  us. 
that  we  were  being  surrounded  and  would  soon  be  cut  off  and  captured.  Colo- 
nel Barteau  acting  on  this  ordered  a  retreat — thus  losing  to  us  one  of  the  best 
opportunities  of  winning  a  name  that  would  have  gone  down  to  coming  gener- 
ations in  flames  of  glory. 

"  But  few  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment  who  knew  of  Colonel  Dawson's  re- 
port believed  it,  and  many  were  quite  loth  to  obey  the  command  to  halt  and 
retreat." 


June,  18G4.  397 

cept  a  part  of  the  Second  Tennessee),  as  I  have  related, 
by  a  shorter  route,  nevertheless,  on  reaching  Salem, 
found  that  Buford  was  in  his  advance.  Thereupon,  per- 
mittinof  Colonel  Bell  to  return  to  the  battlefield  to  look 
after  the  dead  and  wounded,  he  directed  Colonel  Wil- 
son to  proceed  with  a  part  of  the  brigade,  including  a 
detachment  of  the  Second  Tennessee  (previously  men- 
tioned), on  the  route  taken  by  Buford,  and  sweep  the 
country  for  prisoners  and  arms,  but  not  long  after  dis- 
patched orders  to  Buford  recalling  the  pursuit.  How- 
ever, Colonel  Wilson,  with  his  regiment  and  Companies 
I  and  K  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  foUowing  two  days 
longer  and  capturing  a  few  more  prisoners,  turned  back 
six  miles  west  of  Moscow,  in  W^est  Tennessee.  Ruck- 
er's  and  Johnson's  Brigades  turned  back  at  Salem. 

Having  directed  his  command  to  scour  the  country  for 
Federal  stragglers  and  property  (the  road  was  profusely 
strewn  with  harness,  small  arms,  ammunition  and  other 
accoutrements  of  a  routed  army)  as  they  returned  to 
the  battlefield.  General  Forrest,  still  greatly  fatigued 
and  exhausted  by  the  extreme  mental  exertion  he  had 
undergone,  now  set  out  on  his  return,  and  slept  that 
night  (nth)  with  his  staff  and  escort,  at  the  house  of 
a  paternal  uncle — Orrin  Beck — three  or  four  miles  from 
Salem,  and  almost  within  sight  of  the  little  farm  upon 
which  had  been  passed  the  years  of  his  youth,  for  the 
most  part  in  a  hard,  resolute  struggle  for  the  means  of 
support  for  a  widowed  mother  and  her  family  of  eleven 
children.* 

COMMENTARIES. 

I.  The  Federal  force  engaged,  says  their  Official  Re- 
port, consisted  of   Warren's   and  Winslow's  Brigades, 

*  Forrest's  Campaigns,  page  481. 


398  1\.  It.  Hancock's  Diakv. 

three  thousand  three  hundred  cavalry ;  Wilkins'  and 
Hoge's  (white)  and  Benton's  (negro)  Brigades  of  in- 
fantry, five  thousand  four  hundred  strong — total  eight 
thousand  seven  hundred.  The  Confederate  force  at  no 
time  exceeded  three  thousand  two  hundred  men ;  and 
of  this  number  one-fourth,  or  eight  hundred,  were  de- 
tached to  hold  the  horses,  thus  reducing  the  fighting  men 
actually  to  about  two  thousand  four  hundred,  less  (by 
five  hundred)  than  one-third  of  the  Federal  army.  Not- 
withstanding the  great  odds  against  the  Confederates, 
"seldom,"  says  the  writer  of  "Forrest's  Campaigns" 
— "almost  never — was  an  army  more  completely  beaten 
and  dispersed  than  that  of  Sturgis'  on  this  occasion." 
In  speaking  of  the  Confederates  the  same  writer  says : 
"The  courage  manifested  throughout,  rarely  equaled  in 
the  aggregate  on  any  field,  has  never  been  surpassed." 
2.  The  enemy  began  to  retreat  about  four  p.  m.  on 
the  loth,  and  by  nightfall  on  the  iith  they  had  been 
driven  some  sixty  miles,  with  the  loss  of  nineteen  pieces 
of  artillery,  twenty-one  caissons,  over  two  hundred  wag- 
ons and  thirty  ambulances,*  with  parts  of  their  teams 
and  large  quantities  of  subsistence,  small  arms,  ammu- 
nition, and  other  material  of  war.  More  than  two  thou- 
sand officers  and  men,  including  the  wounded,  were 
taken  prisoners,  and  one  thousand  nine  hundred  of  their 
dead  were  left  on  the  field  or  by  the  wayside  between 
the  battlefield  and  Ripley.  The  Confederate  losses 
were  at  least  one  hundred  and  forty  officers  and  men 

■•■■"One  very  large  ambulance,  which  was  constructed  for  the  purpose,  might 
be  termed  a  portable  drug  store.  It  was  well  filled  with  both  drugs  and  sur- 
gical instruments.  Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison  (our  Assistant  Surgeon,  who,  I  think, 
was  the  first  to  discover  its  contents)  fortunately  procured  a  good  supply  of 
medicine  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Second  Tenneasee;  and,  to  use  the  Doc- 
tor's own  language,  "I  [he]  got  from  that  ambulance  a  case  of  the  finest  sur- 
gical instruments  that  I  ever  saw." 


June,  1804.  399 

killed,  and  nearly  five  hundred  were  wounded.  Bell's 
Brigade  lost  twenty-six  killed  and  one  hundred  and  six 
wounded. 

3.  The  action  was  far  bloodier  than  it  would  have 
been  had  not  the  negroes  entered  upon  the  campaign 
inspired  by  their  ofiicers  with  the  conviction  that  no 
quarter  would  be  given  them;  inspired,  too,  with  the 
resolution  to  give  no  quarter.  In  fact,  General  Wash- 
burne  confesses,  in  his  letter  to  General  Forrest  (printed 

hereafter,  page )  that  these  negro  troops  had,  while 

on  their  knees  before  leaving  Memphis,  taken  an  oath 
to  avenge  Fort  Pillow,  and  that  they  would  show  For- 
rest's troops  no  quarter.  Impressed  with'  this  notion, 
and  animated  by  the  apprehension  engendered,  they  per- 
versely refused  to  halt  and  surrender.  Consequently 
many  of  them  were  shot  down  while  thus  wildly  persist- 
ing in  seeking  safety  in  flight.  They  got  rid  of  every 
thing  that  impeded  their  progress.  Some  of  them  even 
went  so  far  as  to  cut  off  the  legs  of  their  pants  at  the 
knees. 

The  above  facts  show  why  so  many  were  killed  and 
so  few  captured.  Had  they  (both  white  and  black) 
known  how  kindly  they  would  have  been  treated  by 
Forrest  and  his  men,  I  am  sure  that  many  more  of  them, 
if  not  all,  would  have  surrendered  in  place  of  taking  to 
the  woods  and  swamps  as  they  did  after  becoming  ex- 
hausted. I  am  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  foregoing,  or 
any  true  account  of  this  action  and  pursuit,  will  appear 
exaggerated  to  any  one  who  was  not  an  eye-witness. 

Smiday,  iztJi. — Forrest's  command  all  turned  back, 
except  (as  previously  mentioned)  Wilson's  Regiment 
and  a  part  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  scouring  the  coun- 
try for  some  distance   on  either  side  of  the  highway  for 


400  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Federal  stragglers  and  property  as  they  returned.  Col- 
onel Barteau  ordered  his  squadron  to  move,  in  small 
detachments,  through  the  country  on  the  left  or  north- 
east side  of  the  main  road,  take  up  all  the  Federal 
stragglers  that  could  be  found,  and  report  at  Ripley  by 
eight  o'clock  next  morning. 

The  followingr  incidents  will  illustrate  the  manner  in 
which  the  enemy  were  "  hunted  down,"  both  in  the  chase 
and  on  the  return :  Four  of  Company  C  (including  the 
writer)  were  riding  along  together  when  a  lady  standing 
by  the  road  remarked  to  us,  "I  saw  a  negro  passing 
through  those  bushes  only  a  few  moments  ago."  Dash- 
ing out  in  the  direction  the  lady  pointed  we  soon  found 
three  negroes,  who  had  concealed  themselves  as  best 
they  could  among  some  logs  in  the  bushes.  We  were 
more  humane  to  them,  however,  than  they  had  sworn  to 
be  to  us.  We  did  not  kill  them  on  the  spot,  as  the  poor, 
misguided  wretches  had  been  made  to  believe,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  we  treated  them  as  kindly  as  we  would 
have  done  had  no  threats  been  made,  and  marching 
them  to  Ripley  turned  them  over  to  the  Confederates 
who  had  charge  of  the  other  prisoners.  Sometimes 
they  were  made  prisoners  thus :  As  the  Confederates 
would  be  passing  a  place  where  the  undergrowth  was 
so  dense  that  one  could  not  be  seen  five  steps,  they, 
without  seeing  any  one,  would  halt  and  call  out :  "  Come 
out  of  there,  you  grand  rascals,  or  I  will  kill  you." 
Perhaps  two  or  three,  thinking  that  they  had  been  dis- 
covered, would  come  crawling  out  and  surrender. 

Monday,  13th. — Barteau's  Squadron  having,  accord- 
ing to  previous  orders,  reassembled  at  Ripley  by  eight 
A.  M.,  moved  down  and  camped  near  the  battlefield, 
within  five  miles  of  Guntown.  General  Forrest  estab- 
lished his  headquarters  at  that  place  in  the  afternoon. 


June,  18C4.  401 

Tuesday,  i^th. — Johnson's  Brigade  of  Roddy's  Divis- 
ion was  ordered  to  Baldwin,  and  from  there  to  Corinth. 
Buford's  Division  moved  to  Guntown  on  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad.  Forrest's  command  was  now  all  very 
busy  collecting  and  burying  the  dead,  removing  the 
wounded  of  both  sides  to  hospitals  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad,  and  gleaning  and  hauling  the  spoils  from  the 
battlefield  to  Guntown ;  *  from  there  they  were  being 
shipped  south  by  rail. 

Wednesday,  i^th. — General  Forrest  repairing  to  Tu- 
pelo with  his  staff  and  escort,  established  his  headquarters 
at  that  central  position.  General  Chalmers,  having  been 
previously  ordered  from  Montevallo,  Alabama,  was  now 
at  Columbus,  Mississippi,  with  McCuUoch's  Brigade 
and  Walton's  Battery,  and  after  a  few  days  Rucker's 
Brigade  was  directed  to  take  post  at  the  same  place. 
Mabry's  Brigade,  which  had  been  previously  doing  ser- 
vice in  the  western  part  of  Mississippi,  along  the  Yazoo 
River,  likewise  had  come  within  the  limits  of  Forrest's 
command,  and  was  now  posted  at  Okolona.  This  bri- 
gade, which  was  attached  to  Buford's  Division,  was 
composed  of  the  Fourth,  Sixth,  and  Thirty-eighth 
Mississippi,  and  the  Fourteenth  Confederate  Regi- 
mients. 

Saturday,  i8tJi. — General  Buford,  with  Lyon's  Brigade^ 
moved  from  Guntown  to  Baldwin. 

Sunday,  igtJi. — Bell's  Brigade  moved  from  Guntown 
(south)  to  Saltillo. 

The  following  congratulatory  order  explains  itself: 

*A  good  citizen  who  lived  in  that  vicinity  on  being  informed  that  Forrest 
wanted  to  borrow  some  of  his  mules  to  assist  in  hauling  p'under  from  the  bat- 
tlefield, replied:  "Yes,  sir,  General  Forrest  can  get  anything  that  I  have  except 
viy  ivife.''^ 

26 


402  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Headquarters  Second  Division,  Forrest's  Cavalry. 

Baldwin,  Miss.,  June  19th,  1864. 
Soldiers  of  the  Second  Division  : 

Your  action  on  the  loth  and  nth  instant  marks  an  era  in  the  history 
of  war.  No  parallel  can  be  found  in  history  of  such  a  battle  fought 
and  won  by  cavalry.  No  battle  was  more  decisive,  no  victory  more 
full,  no  defeat  more  complete,  no  pursuit  more  rapid  and  exciting. 

Contending  with  the  enemy  in  infantry  (twice  your  number)  fully 
and  splendidly  equipped  and  protected  by  cavalry  superior  to  the 
whole  force  engaged,  you  demolished  his  army,  captured  his  artillery 
and  wagon  train,  obtained  his  supplies,  and  rescued  a  helpless  popula- 
tion from  the  insolent  domination  of  a  ruthless  foe. 

Kentuckians  and  Tennesseans  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  Brigades, 
you  have  placed  your  names  conspicuously  on  glory's  most  honorable- 
roll.  Veterans  and  recruits,  you  emulated  each  the  other  in  coolness, 
bravery  and  determination.  Your  immediate  commanders.  Colonels 
Lyon  and  Bell,  may  well  congratulate  themselves  in  commanding 
troops  so  vigorous  in  action,  so  unflinching  in  endurance,  so  prompt 
in  obedience,  and  so  irresistible  in  battle. 

To  the  brave  ones  who  fell  we  drop  a  soldier's  tear.  We  feel  their 
loss.  The  memory  of  their  noble  deeds  will  be  emulated  by  the  liv- 
ing and  their  blood  avenged  on  the  dastard  foe. 

Where  all  officers  and  privates  displayed  such  high  courage  and  such 
noted  gallantry  it  would  be  invidious  to  draw  distinctions.  Let  us 
rather  return  thanks  to  an  allwise  Providence  for  the  signal  exhibition 
of  his  power  vouchsafed  us,  and  press  forward  with  renewed  zeal  to 
secure  our  independence,  determined  that  no  act  shall  tarnish  the 
luster  of  the  glory  you  so  proudly  have  won.  You  merit  and  will  re- 
ceive a  country's  benediction.  A.  Buford, 

Brigadier-  General  Commanding. 

Thomas  N.  Crowder, 

A.  A.  A.  General. 

Monday,  20tJi. — Buford,  with  Lyon's  Brigade,  moved 
from  Baldwin  about  twenty  miles  south  to  Tupelo,  where 
he  was  joined  the  next  day  by  Bell's  Brigade.  The 
Second  Tennessee  camped  on  the  same  ground  that  it 
had  frequentl)^  occupied  before,  three  miles  north-west 
of  town.  Here  our  division  took  a  much  needed  rest 
of  sixteen  days. 


June,  18G4.  403 

The  following  correspondence  between  General  For- 
rest and  the  Federal  commander  at  Memphis  is  taken 
from  "Forrest's  Campaigns,"  page  485: 

Headquarters  Forrest's  Cavalry, 

In  the  Field,  June  14,  1864. 
■General  Washburne,  Commanding  U.  S.  Forces,  Memphis,  Tenn.  ; 

General:  It  has  been  reported  to  me  that  all  your  colored  troops 
stationed  at  Memphis  took  on  their  knees,  in  the  presence  of  Major- 
General  Hurlbut  and  other  officers  of  your  army,  an  oath  to  avenge 
Fort  Pillow,  and  that  they  would  show  my  troops  no  quarter.  x\gain, 
I  have  it  from  indisputable  authority  that  the  troops  under  Brigadier- 
General  Sturgis,  on  their  recent  march  from  Memphis,  publicly  and 
in  many  places  proclaimed  that  no  quarter  would  be  shown  my  men. 
As  they  were  moved  into  action  on  the  loth  they  were  exhorted  to  re- 
member Fort  Pillow.  The  prisoners  we  have  captured  from  that  com- 
mand, or  a  large  majority  of  them,  have  voluntarily  stated  that  they 
expected  us  to  murder  them,  otherwise  they  would  have  surrendered 
in  a  body  rather  than  take  to  the  bushes  after  being  run  down  and  ex- 
hausted. The  recent  battle  of  Tishamingo  Creek*  was  far  more 
bloody  than  it  would  otherwise  have  been  but  for  the  fact  that  your 
men  evidently  expected  to  be  slaughtered  when  captured,  and  both 
sides  acted  as  though  neither  felt  safe  in  surrendering,  even  when  fur- 
ther resistance  was  useless.  The  prisoners  captured  by  us  say  they 
felt  condemned  by  the  announcements,  etc.,  of  their  own  command- 
ers, and  expected  no  quarter. 

In  all  my  operations  since  it  began,  I  have  conducted  the  war  on 
civilized  principles,  and  desire  still  to  do  so;  but  it  is  due  to  my  com- 
mand that  they  should  know  the  position  they  occupy  and  the  policy 
you  intend  to  pursue.  I  therefore  respectfully  ask  whether  my  men 
now  in  your  hands  are  treated  as  other  Confederate  prisoners  of  war, 
also  the  course  intended  to  be  pursued  in  regard  to  those  who  may 
hereafter  fall  into  your  hands. 

I  have  in  my  possession  quite  a  number  of  wounded  officers  and 
men  of  General  Sturgis'  command,  all  of  whom  have  been  treated  as 
well  as  we  are  able  to  treat  them,  and  are  mostly  in  charge  of  a  sur- 
geon left  at  Ripley  by  General  Sturgis  to  look  after  the  wounded. 
Some  of  them  are  too  severely  wounded  to  be  removed  at  present.     I 

*0r  Brice's  Cross-Roads. 


404  L".  K.  IIaxcock's  Diaky. 

am  willing  to  exchange  them  for  any  men  of  my  command  you  have^ 
and  as  soon  as  able  to  be  removed  will  give  them  safe  escort  through 
our  lines  in  charge  of  the  surgeon  left  with  them.  I  made  such  an 
arrangement  once  with  Major-General  Hurlbut,  and  am  willing  to  re- 
new it,  provided  it  is  desired,  as  it  would  be  better  than  to  subject 
them  to  the  long  and  fatiguing  trip  necessary  to  a  regular  exchange  at 
City  Point,  Va.     I  am,  General,  etc.,  N.  B.  Forrest, 

Major-  General. 

The  above  communication,  dispatched  under  flag  of 
truce,  drew  an  answer  as  follows : 

Headquarters  District  of  West  Tennessee, 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  19,  1864. 
Major-  General  N.  B.  Forrest,  Commanding  Confederate  Forces : 

General:  Your  communication  of  the  14th  instant  is  received. 

In  regard  to  that  part  of  your  letter  which  relates  to  colored  troops. 
I  beg  to  say  that  I  have  already  sent  a  communication  on  the  same 
subject  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Confederate  forces  at  Tupelo. 
Having  understood  that  Major-General  S.  D.  Lee  was  in  command 
there,  I  directed  my  letter  to  him.     A  copy  of  it  I  inclose. 

You  say  in  your  letter  that  it  has  been  reported  to  you  "that  all  the 
negro  troops  stationed  in  Memphis  took  an  oath  on  their  knees  in  the 
presence  of  Major-General  Hurlbut  and  other  officers  of  our  army,  to- 
avenge  Fort  Pillow,  and  that  they  would  show  your  troops  no  quarter." 
I  believe  it  is  true  that  the  colored  troops  did  take  such  an  oath,  but 
not  in  the  presence  of  General  Hurlbut.  From  what  I  can  learn  this 
act  of  theirs  was  not  influenced  by  any  white  officer,  but  was  the  re- 
sult of  their  own  sense  of  what  was  due  to  themselves  and  their  fel- 
lows who  had  been  mercilessly  slaughtered.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
they  went  into  the  field,  as  you  allege,  in  the  full  belief  that  they 
would  be  murdered  in  case  they  fell  into  your  hands.  The  affair  at 
Fort  Pillow  fully  justified  that  belief.  I  am  not  aware  as  to  what  they: 
proclaimed  on  their  late  march,  and  it  may  be,  as  you  say,  that  they 
declared  that  no  quarter  would  be  given  to  any  of  your  men  that 
might  fall  into  their  hands. 

Your  declaration  that  you  have  conducted  the  war  on  all  occasions 
on  civilized  principles  cannot  be  accepted;  but  I  receive  with  satisfac- 
tion the  intimation  in  your  letter  that  the  recent  slaughter  of  colored 
troops  at  the  battle  of  Tishamingo  Creek  resulted  rather  from  the  des- 
peration with  which  they  fought  than  a  predetermined  intention  to. 


June,  1804.  405 

give  them  no  quarter.  You  must  have  learned  by  this  time  that  the 
attempt  to  intimidate  the  colored  troops  by  indiscriminate  slaughter 
has  signally  failed,  and  that  instead  of  a  feeling  of  terror  you  have 
aroused  a  spirit  of  courage  and  desperation  that  will  not  down  at  your 
bidding. 

I  am  left  in  doubt  by  your  letter  as  to  the  course  you  and  the  Con- 
federate Government  intend  to  pursue  hereafter  in  regard  to  colored 
troops,  and  I  beg  you  to  advise  me  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  as 
to  your  intention.  If  you  intend  to  treat  such  of  them  as  fall  into 
your  hands  as  prisoners  of  war,  please  so  state.  If  you  do  not  so  in- 
tend, but  contemplate  either  their  slaughter  or  their  return  to  slavery, 
please  state  that^  so  that  we  may  have  no  misunderstanding  hereafter. 
If  the  former  is  your  intention  I  shall  receive  the  announcement  with 
pleasure,  and  shall  explain  the  fact  to  the  colored  troops  at  once  and 
desire  that  they  recall  the  oath  that  they  have  taken.  If  the  latter  is 
the  case,  then  let  the  oath  stand,  and  upon  those  who  have  aroused 
this  spirit  by  their  atrocities,  and  upon  the  Government  and  people 
who  sanction  it  be  the  consequences. 

In  regard  to  your  incjuiry  relating  to  prisoners  of  your  command  in 
our  hands,  I  state  that  they  have  always  received  the  treatment  which 
a  great  and  humane  Government  extends  to  its  prisoners.  What  course 
will  be  pursued  hereafter  toward  them  must,  of  course,  depend  on  cir- 
cumstances that  may  arise.  If  your  command  hereafter  do  nothing 
which  should  properly  exclude  them  from  being  treated  as  prisoners  of 
war,  they  will  be  so  treated. 

I  thank  you  for  your  offer  to  exchange  wounded  officers  and  men 
in  your  hands.  If  you  will  send  them  in  I  will  exchange  man  for 
man,  so  far  as  I  have  the  ability  to  do  so. 

Before  closing  this  letter  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  one  case 
of  unparalleled  outrage  and  murder  that  has  been  brought  to  my 
notice,  and  in  regard  to  which  the  evidence  is  overwhelming. 

Among  the  prisoners  captured  at  Fort  Pillow  was  Major  Bradford, 
who  had  charge  of  the  fort  after  the  fall  of  Major  Booth.  After  being 
taken  a  prisoner  he  was  started  with  other  prisoners  in  charge  of  Colo- 
nel Duckworth  foi;  Jackson.  At  Brownsville  they  rested  overnight. 
The  following  morning  two  companies  were  detailed  by  Colonel  Duck- 
worth to  proceed  to  Jackson  with  the  prisoners.  After  they  had  started 
and  proceeded  a  very  short  distance  five  soldiers  were  recalled  by  Colo- 
nel Duckworth  and  were  conferred  with  by  him.     They  then  rejoined 


406  K.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

the  column,  and  after  proceeding  about  five  miles  from  Brownsville 
the  column  was  halted  and  Major  Bradford  taken  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  roadside  and  deliberately  shot  by  the  five  men  who  had  been 
recalled  by  Colonel  Duckworth,  and  his  body  left  unburied  upon  the 
ground  where  he  fell.  He  now  lies  buried  near  the  spot,  and  if  you 
desire  you  can  easily  satisfy  yourself  of  the  truth  of  what  I  assert. 

I  beg  leave  to  say  to  you  that  this  transaction  hardly  justifies  your 
remark  that  your  operations  have  been  conducted  on  civilized  princi- 
ples, and  until  you  take  some  steps  to  bring  the  perpetrators  of  this 
outrage  to  justice  the  world  will  not  fail  to  believe  that  it  has  your 
sanction.      I  am,  General,  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

C.  C.  Washburne, 

Major-  General. 

It  seems  that  while  P'orrest's  letter  of  the  14th  of  Jtine 
was  on  its  way  to  the  Federal  headquarters,  the  follow- 
ing touching  the  same  subject  had  been  written  by  Gen- 
eral Washburne  and  dispatched  on  the  17th  to  Major- 
General  Lee : 

Headquarters  District  of  West  Tennessee, 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  17th,  1864. 
Major-General  S.  D.  Lee,  Commanding  Confederate  Forces,  near  Tupelo, 

Mississippi : 

General — When  I  heard  that  the  forces  of  Brigadier-General  Stur- 
gis  had  been  driven  back  and  a  portion  of  them  probably  captured,  I 
felt  considerable  solicitude  for  the  fate  of  two  colored  regiments  that 
formed  a  part  of  the  command  until  I  was  informed  that  the  Confed- 
erate forces  were  commanded  by  you.  When  I  heard  that  I  became 
satisfied  that  no  atrocities  would  be  committed  upon  those  troops,  but 
that  they  would  receive  the  treatment  which  humanity,  as  well  as  their 
gallant  conduct,  demanded.  I  regret  to  say  that  the  hope  that  I  en- 
tertained has  been  dispelled  by  facts  which  have  recently  come  to  my 
knowledge. 

From  statements  that  have  been  made  to  me  by  colored  soldiers 
who  were  eye  witnesses,  it  would  seem  that  the  massacre  of  Fort  Pil- 
low had  been  reproduced  at  the  late  affair  at  Brice's  Cross-Roads. 
The  details  of  the  atrocities  there  committed  I  will  not  trouble  you 
with.  If  true,  and  not  disavowed,  they  must  lead  to  consequences 
hereafter  fearful  to  contemplate.     It  is  best  that  we  should  now  have 


June,  18G4.  407 

a  fair  understanding  upon  the  question  of  treatment  of  this  class  of 
soldiers. 

If  it  is  contemplated  by  the  Confederate  Government  to  murder  all 
colored  troops  that  may  by  the  chances  of  war  fall  into  their  hands,  as 
was  the  case  at  Fort  Pillow,*  it  is  but  fair  that  it  should  be  truly  and 
openly  avowed.  Within  the  last  six  weeks  I  have,  on  two  occasions, 
sent  colored  troops  into  the  field  from  this  point.  In  the  expectation 
that  the  Confederate  Government  would  disavow  the  action  of  their 
commanding  general  at  the  Fort  Pillow  massacre,  I  have  forborne  to 
issue  any  instructions  to  the  colored  troops  as  to  the  course  they  should 
pursue  toward  Confederate  soldiers  that  might  fall  into  their  hands, f 
but  seeing  no  disavowal  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate  Government, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  laudations  from  the  entire  Southern  press  of  the 
perpetrators  of  the  massacre,  I  may  safely  presume  that  indiscriminate 
slaughter  is  to  be  the  fate  of  colored  troops  that  fall  into  your  hands. 
But  I  am  not  willing  to  leave  a  matter  of  such  grave  import,  and 
involving  consequences  so  fearful,  to  inference,  and  I  have,  therefore, 
thought  it  proper  to  address  you  this,  believing  that  you  would  be  able 
to  indicate  the  policy  that  the  Confederate  Government  intended  to 
pursue  hereafter  in  this  question.  If  it  is  intended  to  raise  the  black 
flag  against  that  unfortunate  race,  they  will  cheerfully  accept  the  issue. 
Up  to  this  time  no  troops  have  fought  more  gallantly,  and  none  have 
conducted  themselves  with  greater  propriety.  They  have  fully  vindi- 
cated their  right  (so  long  denied)  to  be  treated  as  men.  I  hope  that  I 
have  been  misinformed  in  regard  to  the  treatment  they  have  received 
at  the  batde  of  Price's  Cross-Roads,  and  that  the  accounts  received 
result  rather  from  the  excited  imaginations  of  the  fugitives  than  from 
actual  facts. 

For  the  government  of  the  colored  troops  under  my  command,  I 
would  thank  you  to  inform  me,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  if  it  is 

*I  saw  tlie  colored  prisoners  as  they  were  marched  oft  from  Fort  Pillow,  and 
consequently  I  kno7v  that  they  were  not  murdered  as  above  stated. 

tBut  admits  in  his  letter  to  Forrest  (ante,  page  701)  that  he  knew  at  the  same 
time  those  troops  had  gone  into  the  field  breathing  vengeance  and  sworn  to  give 
no  quarter  to  Confederates  who  might  fall  into  their  hands.  Knowing  as  he  did 
that  those  colored  troops  had  gone  into  the  field  sworn  to  give  no  quarter,  how 
could  Washburne,  in  the  face  of  these  facts,  complain  of  "atrocities"  having 
been  committed  upon  them?  In  the  language  of  another:  "Assuredly  the 
drums  around  the  Federal  General  must  have  driven  thought  from  his  head." 
See  Forrest's  reply  to  the  above  on  next  page. 


408  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

your  intention,  or  the  intention  of  the  Confederate  Government,  to 
murder  colored  soldiers  that  may  fall  into  your  hands,  or  treat  them 
as  prisoners  of  war,  and  subject  to  be  exchanged  as  other  prisoners? 
I  am,  General,  respectfully,  etc.,  C.   C.   Washburne, 

Major-  General. 

As  this  communication  passed  through  Forrest's  liands 

he  repHed  as  follows : 

Headquarters  Forrest's  Cavalry, 

Tupelo,  June  23d,  1864. 
Major-General  C.  C.    Washburne,  Conmiandi7ig  U.  S.  Forces,  Meniphis : 

General — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  (per  flag 
of  truce)  of  your  letter  of  the  17th  instant,  addressed  to  Major-Gen- 
eral  S.  D.  Lee,  or  officer  commanding  Confederate  forces  near  Tupelo. 
I  have  forwarded  it  to  General  Lee  with  a  copy  of  this  letter. 

I  regard  your  letter  as  discourteous  to  the  commanding  officer  of 
this  department,  and  grossly  insulting  to  myself.  You  seek,  by  implied 
threats,  to  intimidate  him,  and  assume  the  privilege  of  denouncing  me 
as  a  murderer,  and  as  guilty  of  wholesale  slaughter  of  the  garrison  at 
Fort  Pillow,  and  found  your  assertion  upon  the  ex  parte  testimony  of 
(your  friends)  the  enemies  of  myself  and  country. 

I  shall  not  enter  into  the  discussion,  therefore,  of  any  of  the  ques- 
tions involved,  nor  undertake  any  refutation  of  the  charges  madeJjy 
you  against  myself.  Nevertheless,  as  a  matter  of  personal  privilege 
alone,  I  unhesitatmgly  say  that  they  are  unfounded,  and  unwarranted 
by  the  facts.  But  whether  these  charges  are  true  or  false,  they,  with 
the  question  you  ask,  as  to  whether  negro  troops,  when  captured,  will 
be  recognized  and  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  subject  to  exchange, 
etc.,  are  matters  which  the  Governments  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Confederate  States  are  to  decide  and  adjust — not  their  subordinate 
officers.  I  regard  captured  negroes  as  I  do  other  captured  property, 
and  not  as  captured  soldiers;  but  as  to  how  regarded  by  my  Govern- 
ment, and  the  disposition  which  has  been  and  will  hereafter  be  made  of 
them,  I  respectfully  refer  you,  through  the  proper  channel,  to  the 
authorities  at  Richmond. 

It  is  not  the  policy  or  the  interest  of  the  South  to  destroy  the  negro; 
on  the  contrary,  to  preserve  and  protect  him;  and  all  wlio  have  sur- 
rendered to  us  have  received  kind  and  humane  treatment. 

Since  the  war  began  I  have  captured  many  thousand  Federal  pris- 
oners, and  they,  including  the  survivors  of  the  "Fort  Pillow  massacre," 
black  and  white,  are  living  witnesses  of  the  fact  that,  with  my  knowl- 


June,  1864.  400 

•edge  or  consent,  or  by  my  orders,   not  one  of  them  has  ever  been 
insulted  or  maltreated  in  any  way. 

You  speak  of  your  forbearance  in  "not  giving  to  your  negro  troops 
instructions  and  orders  as  to  the  course  they  should  pursue  in  regard 
to  Confederate  soldiers  that  might  fall  into  (your)  their  hands,"  which 
clearly  conveys  to  my  mind  two  very  distinct  impressions.  The  first 
is,  that  in  not  giving  them  instructions  and  orders,  you  have  left  the 
matter  entirely  to  tlie  discretion  of  the  negroes  as  to  how  they  should 
dispose  of  prisoners;  second,  an  implied  threat,  to  give  such  orders 
as  will  lead  to  "consequences  too  fearful"  for  contemplation.  In 
confirmation  of  the  correctness  of  the  first  impression  (which  your 
,  language  now  fully  develops)  I  refer  you  most  respectfully  to  my  letter 
from  the  battlefield  of  Tishamingo  Creek,  and  forwarded  to  you  by 
flag  of  truce  on  the  14th  instant.  As  to  the  second  impression,  you 
seem  disposed  to  take  into  your  own  hands  the  settlement  which 
belongs  to,  and  can  only  be  settled  by,  your  Government.  But  if  you 
are  prepared  to  take  upon  yourself  the  responsibility  of  inaugurating 
a  system  of  warfare  contrary  to  civilized  usages,  the  onus,  as  well  as 
the  consequences,  will  be  chargeable  to  yourself. 

Depreciating,  as  I  should  do,  such  a  state  of  affairs;  determined,  as 
I  am,  not  to  be  instrumental  in  bringing  it  about;  feeling  and  know- 
ing, as  I  do,  that  I  have  the  approval  of  my  Government,  my  people, 
and  my  own  conscience,  as  to  the  past,  and  with  the  firm  belief  that 
I  will  be  sustained  by  them  in  my  future  policy,  it  is  left  with  you  to 
determine  what  that  policy  shall  be — whether  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  civilized  nations  or  in  violation  of  them. 

Very  respectfully,  etc., 

N.  B.  Forrest, 

Major-  General. 

Wednesday,  22d* — General  Roddy's  Division — John- 

•■■About  this  time  we,  of  McKnight's  Company,  were  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  another  one  of  our  comrades.  C.  E.  Hancock  (son  of  Alfred  Han- 
cock and  cousin  to  the  writer)  died,  after  a  long  spell  of  sickness,  on  the  4th  of 
June,  1864,  at  his  uncle's,  in  Franklin  County,  Alabama.  He  was  mustered 
into  service,  with  Captain  T.  M.  Allison's  Company,  June  28th,  1861.  He  was 
slightly  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Denmark,  in  West  Tennessee,  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1862.  He  made  a  splendid  soldier,  never  shrinking  from  duty, 
whether  the  call  was  to  go  on  picket,  on  a  scout,  or  to  meet  the  enemy  upon 
the  battlefield.  He  was  greatly  lamented  and  missed  by  all  of  his  comrades, 
as  well  as  his  brother,  R.  M.  Hancock,  who  was  also  a  member  of  McKnight's 
'Company. 


410  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

son's  and  Patterson's  Brigades — having  been  placed  un- 
der Forrest,  was  now  stationed  at  Corinth,  except  three 
hundred  men  left  in  North  Alabama  to  meet  any  raids 
from  Decatur.  By  this  time  information  was  received 
from  sources  so  reliable  as  to  satisfy  General  Forrest, 
that  a  Federal  force  was  preparing  to  march  from  Mem- 
phis against  him  larger  than  either  of  the  columns  which 
he  had  discomfited.  Informing  his  superior  of  the  fact, 
he  made  new  and  additional  dispositions  to  keep  the 
impending  Federal  movement  under  the  closest  observa- 
tion. 

Thursday,  2jd. — A  detachment  of  some  four  hundred 
men,  drawn  from  Bell's  and  Lyon's  Brigades  at  Tupelo, 
was  thrown  forward,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jesse 
Forrest,  to  Ripley,  to  hold  in  observation  the  many  roads 
converging  upon  that  important  strategic  position. 

The  Federal  force,  now  under  Major-General  A.  J. 
Smith,  concentrated  at  LaGrange,  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  Railroad,  east  of  Memphis,  where  it  remained 
for  several  days. 

The  first  week  in  July  the  work  of  preparation  for  the 
menaced  conflict  was  pressed  with  unabated  activity  and 
attention  to  detail.  Chalmers'  Division,  having  been 
previously  ordered  up  from  Columbus,  was  now  at  Ve- 
rona, and  Mabry's  Brigade  had  moved  from  Okolona  to 
Saltillo.  The  outpost  at  Ripley  was  strengthened  by 
the  First  Mississippi,  from  McCulloch's  Brigade,  and 
the  command  of  the  post  now  devolved  upon  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel S,  M,  Hyams, 

Thursday,  July  yth. — General  A.  J.  Smith,  having 
broken  up  camps  at  LaGrange  on  the  5th,  was  now 
moving  south-east  toward  Ripley.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Hvams  had  a  skirmish  with  a  stronof  Federal  column  a 


July,  1864.  411 

few  miles  in  advance  of  Ripley,  and  was  forced,  by  the 
weight  of  greatly  superior  numbers,  to  fall  back  to 
Ripley. 

Friday,  8th. — Bell's  Brigade,  breaking  up  camps  three 
miles  north-west  of  Tupelo,  moved  out  twenty-five  rniles 
in  the  direction  of  Ripley,  By  this  time  the  Federal 
advance  had  passed  Ripley,  and  was  pressing  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Hyams  back  in  the  direction  of  Ellistown. 
Colonel  Bell,  with  Russell's  and  Newsom's  Regiments, 
moved  on  to  picket  the  Tallahatchie  River,  while  Bar- 
teau's*  and  Wilson's  Regiments,  turning  back,  camped 
at  Ellistown,  eighteen  miles  north-west  of  Tupelo. 

While  Smith  was  pressing  Hyams  back  toward  Ellis- 
town with  his  cavalry,  he  was  moving  his  main  force 
southward  toward  New  Albany. 

General  S,  D.  Lee  came  up  to  Tupelo  by  rail  with 
some  eight  or  nine  hundred  infantry  from  Mobile.  All 
tents  and  superfluous  baggage  were  ordered  to  be  sent 
south  by  rail. 

*D.  B.  Willard  (Company  C)  having  been  ordered  to  the  head  of  the  column. 
Colonel  Barteau  said:  "Willard,  the  Federals,  for  the  last  two  or  three  da3's, 
have  been  reported  to  be  '■just  over  yonder.''  I  want  you  to  take  two  men  with 
you,  go  till  you  find  them,  and  then  report  back  to  me  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles 
per  hour."  John  Barkley  (Company  C)  and  John  M.  Crow  (Company  B)  went 
with  Willard.  Captain  O.  B.  Farris  (Company  K)  volunteered  to  go  with  them, 
but  had  to  turn  back  on  account  of  his  horse  becoming  lame.  After  riding  all 
night  they  met  the  enemy  at  New  Albany  about  one  hour  by  sun  the  next 
morning.  Taking  a  position  in  a  lane,  where  they  could  see  the  Federals  march- 
ing into  town,  they  soon  found  that  their  cavalry  had  swung  round  to  the  Ellis- 
town road  only  a  short  distance  in  rear  of  our  boys.  As  the  enemy  now  closed 
on  them  from  both  ends  of  the  lane,  they  narrowly  escaped  capture  by  dashing 
ofT  through  an  old  field  southward,  forcing  their  horses  to  leap  fences  and 
ditches  in  their  pathway.  As  soon  as  out  of  danger  Barkley  and  Crow  checked 
up  and  rode  at  their  leisure,  while  Willard,  ever  prompt  to  obey  orders,  pressed 
on  until  he  found  Colonel  Barteau  and  reported  the  whereabouts  of  the  enemy. 
Willard's  horse— a  fine,  large,  bay  charger,  the  one,  too,  upon  which  he  had 
first  entered  the  service,  in  June,  1861 — died  a  few  days  after  from  the  effect  of 
this  hard  ride.  Perhaps  there  was  not  a  horse  in  the  regiment  that  was  better 
known  than  "Old  George." 


-412  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 

Satiu'day,  gth. — The  Second  Tennessee,  being  de- 
tached from  the  brig-ade  at  ElHstown,  was  led  westward 
by  Colonel  Barteau  to  the  New  Albany-Pontotoc  road 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  that  quarter. 
On  reaching  the  above-named  road,  six  miles  south  of 
New  Albany,  Colonel  Barteau  deployed  his  men  in  bat- 
tle line  and  awaited  the  Federal  advance.  The  enemy 
•crossed  the  Tallahatchie  River  at  New  Albany  and 
•encamped  on  its  southern  bank,  therefore  they  did 
not  trouble  us  that  evening-.  Colonel  Barteau  fell  back 
three  or  four  miles  east  and  encamped  on  a  small 
•creek. 

McCulloch's  Brigade  was  thrown  out  to  Pontotoc,  and 
-General  Buford,  with  Lyon's  and  Mabry's  Brigades,  to 
Ellistown,  where  he  was  joined  by  Bell's  Brigade — ex- 
cept the  Second  Tennessee  detached — and  thence,  by  a 
forced  march  that  night,  to  the  vicinity  of  Pontotoc. 
Roddy  was,  likewise,  ordered  to  hasten,  by  forced  marches 
night  and  day,  from  Corinth  to  Okolona. 

Siuiday,  lotJi. — In  the  saddle  before  daybreak.  Colo- 
nel Barteau,  with  his  regiment,  was  soon  on  the  main 
highway  leading  from  New  Albany  to  Pontotoc,  ready 
to  observe  and  report  any  movement  of  the  enemy  along 
that  road.  Nor  was  it  long  before  the  Federal  advance 
made  its  appearance,  and  skirmishing  commenced.  The 
Colonel  now  divided  his  regiment  into  detachments  of 
one  or  two  companies  each.  These  detachments  were 
quickly  thrown  into  line  two  or  three  hundred  yards 
apart,  extending  back  in  the  direction  of  Pontotoc.  As 
the  enemy  advanced  the  first  line  would  fire,  fall  back, 
and  form  in  rear,  then  the  second  would  do  likewise,  and 
so  on.  Thus  Colonel  Barteau  was  pressed  back  to 
within  four  miles  of  Pontotoc. 


July,  18G4.  413 

I  take  the  following,  in  reference  to  the  above  affair,, 
from  Colonel  Barteau's  manuscript  notes : 

The  enemy  did  not  move  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
then  in  three  columns,  each  preceded  by  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  in  front 
of  the  middle  and  main  one  of  which  was  my  regiment,  unaided  by 
any  other  command.  His  first  movement  in  the  morning  was  a  charge 
upon  my  little  command,  which  we  very  successfully  checked  by  hav- 
ing a  good  position  behind  a  bridge,  which  we  destroyed,  and  thus 
impeded  his  progress  for  two  hours  and  a  half. 

The  conduct  of  Lieutenant  T.  C.  Atkinson  with  Company  A  was 
particularly  noticeable  here — coming  in  hand-to-hand  contact  with  the 
advance  of  the  enemy's  charge  and  emptying  their  saddles  with  his- 
own  pistol.  His  conduct  seemed  to  be  much  admired  and  applauded 
even  by  the  Yankee  troops,  and  served  as  an  incentive  to  my  own 
men. 

We  continued  to  annoy  the  enemy's  progress,  contesting  as  best  we 
could  every  inch  of  the  ground  until  we  reached  Cherry  Creek,  where 
they  camped  again  for  the  night,  having  advanced  that  day  but  seven 
miles. 

The  enemy  moved  very  cautiously.  Their  advance 
guard  did  not  move  far  in  advance  of  the  main  column. 
They  camped  eight  miles  north  of  Pontotoc,  on  Cherry 
Creek.  Barteau  allowed  his  men  to  dismount  and  rest 
for  some  time  when  within  one  mile  of  town.  After 
being  relieved  by  a  part  of  McCulloch's  Brigade,  Bar- 
teau, moving  through  Pontotoc,  camped  six  miles  east 
on  the  Tupelo  road,  while  Buford,  with  the  rest  of  our 
division,  moved  out  and  encamped  on  the  Okolona  road. 
Generals  Lee  and  Forrest  established  their  headquar- 
ters at  Okolona,  and  the  former,  as  senior,  took  the 
general  direction  of  affairs.  General  Chalmers,  arriv- 
ing at  Pontotoc  with  Rucker's  Brigade,  assumed  com- 
mand of  all  the  Confederates  in  that  vicinity. 

The  Confederates  were  further  reinforced  at  Okolona 
by  Neely's  and  Gholson's   Brigades,  which   had   beerk 


414  E.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

brought  up  dismounted,  the  former  from  Alabama  and 
the  latter  from  South  Mississippi. 

Monday,  i ith. — The  enemy,  quitting  their  camp  on 
Cherry  Creek  at  sunrise,  pushed  McCulloch  slowly 
before  them  until  he  was  relieved  by  Lyon  with  his  bri- 
gade at  Pinson's  Hill,  a  strong  position  on  the  Oko- 
lona  road  two  miles  from  Pontotoc,  which  Lyon  strength- 
ened by  infantry  cover  of  rails  and  logs.  The  Federals, 
however,  moving  cautiously  and  slowly,  after  feeling 
Lyon's  pickets,  disappeared  from  his  front  about  sunset. 

Quitting  his  picket  post  on  the  Tupelo  road  a  little 
before  sunset,  Barteau  moved  east  and  encamped  within 
three  miles  of  Verona,  leaving  the  Confederates  around 
Pontotoc  posted  as  follows  :  Rucker's  Brigade — the  Con- 
federate right — occupied  the  Tupelo  road,  Mabry  sup- 
ported Lyon  on  the  Okolona  road  and  McCulloch  held 
the  Houston  road,  to  the  leftward  of  Lyon,  with  a  small 
force  thrown  out  on  the  extreme  left  and  south-west  of 
Pontotoc,  to  watch  the  road  from  that  place  to  Oxford, 
while  numerous  scouts  were  to  encircle  the  Federal 
army.  With  his  forces  thus  disposed,  Chalmers  was 
now  ordered  to  skirmish  obstinately  with  the  enemy, 
and,  if  practicable,  to  detain  them  from  reaching  Oko- 
lona for  two  days  longer,  so  that  the  preparations  might 
be  completed  for  their  reception.  Bell's  Brigade  was 
withdrawn  to  the  vicinity  of  Okolona,  twenty-five  miles 
from  Pontotoc. 

Ttiesday,  iztJi. — The  enemy,  after  some  preliminary 
skirmishing,  attacked  Lyon's  position  vigorously,  but 
were  foiled  without  difficulty.  Simultaneously,  Federal 
columns  had  moved  out  respectively  on  the  Tupelo  and 
Houston  roads,  encountering  and  being  checked  by 
Duff's  Reofiment  on  the  former  and  Willis'  Texas  Bat- 


July,  1864.  415 

talion  on  the  latter.  And  thus  stood  affairs  around  Pon- 
totoc at  sunset. 

We  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  quittuig  our  camp 
three  miles  west  of  Verona  early  in  the  morning,  moved 
south-westward  to  the  Okolona-Pontotoc  road ;  thence 
north-west  to  within  nine  miles  of  the  latter  place,  when 
we  were  ordered  to  turn  back  and  rejoin  our  brigade 
near  Okolona. 

Meanwhile,  after  a  consultation  with  General  Forrest 
and  other  superior  officers  of  his  command,  General  Lee 
determined  to  draw  the  enemy  into  an  immediate  en- 
gagement. And  with  that  object  in  view  he  put  all  his 
forces  of  every  sort  in  motion  late  in  the  afternoon  for 
the  position  occupied  by  Chalmers  near  Pontotoc. 
Therefore,  we  met  Lee  and  Forrest  within  four  miles  ot 
Okolona  at  the  head  of  a  Confederate  column.  Turn- 
ing again,  we  halted  and  fed  at  Prairie  Mound,  seven 
miles  from  Okolona.  By  this  time  it  was  dark.  We 
remained  there  until  our  brigade,  and  in  fact  the  most 
of  the  command,  had  passed.  Swinging  ourselves  into 
the  saddle  again,  a  little  after  midnight,  we  moved  out 
to  overtake  our  brigade. 

Wednesday,  ijih. — The  Second  Tennessee  overtook 
the  rest  of  Bell's  Brigade  about  daybreak  within  six 
miles  of  Pontotoc.  Pending  the  coming  up  of  the 
infantry  and  Neely's  and  Gholson's  dismounted  bri- 
gades, the  Federals  having  shown  no  disposition  to  ad- 
vance, General  Forrest,  with  Mabry's  Brigade,  Walton's 
Battery  and  his  escort,  went  forward  to  reconnoiter  the 
enemy's  position.  Within  two  miles  of  Pontotoc  a  P'ed- 
eral  outpost  was  encountered,  which  retired,  skirmish- 
ing, however,  at  all  favorable  positions,  until  finally 
driven  by  Mabry  through  Pontotoc  and  to  the  Tupelo 


41G  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

road.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Forrest  learned  that  the 
main  Federal  force  had  been  in  motion  toward  Tupelo 
for  several  hours.  Informing  General  Lee  of  this  fact, 
and  taking  the  same  direction,  he  followed  with  his 
escort  and  Mabry's  Brigade  for  four  miles  at  a  gallop, 
when,  coming  up  with,  he  drove  their  rear  guard  rapidly 
back  to  their  main  column,  and  this  brought  about  some 
sharp  fighting.  When  within  three  miles  of  Pontotoc 
General  Lee  turned  the  head  of  the  Confederate  col- 
umn eastward,  hoping  that  Forrest  would  be  able  to 
hold  the  enemy  at  bay  until  he  (Lee)  could  come  upon 
their  flank  with  the  main  Confederate  force  across  from 
the  Okolona  road.  But  in  this  expectation  he  was  dis- 
appointed. The  Federals  continued  their  movement, 
without  halting  to  make  any  serious  combat,  as  far  as  a 
creek  about  ten  miles  eastward  of  Pontotoc,  and  even 
there,  after  a  short  skirmish,  they  crossed  to  the  east 
bank,  and  resumed  their  march  toward  Tupelo.  More- 
over, the  roads  upon  which  Chalmers'  and  Buford's 
Divisions  had  to  advance  were  narrow  ways  through 
dense  woods,  in  large  part  very  unfavorable  for  the  rapid 
movement  of  cavalry.  Therefore,  General  Lee  was 
unable  to  throw  his  forces  upon  the  Federal  fiank  while 
in  movement  as  soon  as  or  in  the  manner  that  had  been 
anticipated. 

Meanwhile,  Chalmers,  moving  across  to  the  Tupelo 
road  with  Rucker's  Brigade,  struck  it  about  three  p.  m., 
at  Barrow's  Shop,  twelve  miles  from  Pontotoc.  Select- 
ing a  favorable  position  he  succeeded  in  driving  the 
Federals  from  a  portion  of  their  artillery  and  wagons ; 
but  this  was  a  transient  success,  for  the  devastating 
fire  instantaneously  poured  into  Rucker's  small  brigade 
from   flank   and  front  could   not  be  withstood,  and  the 


July,  1804.  417 

Confederates  were  forced  to  withdraw,  with  severe  loss. 
Eitrht  waeons,  two  ambulances  and  one  caisson,  the 
teams  of  which  having  been  killed  in  Rucker's  attack, 
were  here  burned  and  abandoned  by  the  Federals. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  General  Buford  struck  the  Fed- 
eral column  with  Bell's  Brigade  and  Morton's  Battery  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Pontotoc-Tupelo  with  the  Ches- 
terville-Okolona  road,  some  four  miles  east  of  Tupelo. 
As  the  Second  Tennessee  was  somewhat  in  advance  of 
the  rest  of  Bell's  Brigade,  General  Buford  ordered  Col- 
onel Barteau  to  dismount  his  men  at  Coonemar  Creek, 
nearly  one  mile  south  of  the  cross-roads  above  named, 
move  forward  quickly,  and  capture  some  wagons  that 
were  then  passing.  It  would  seem  that  Buford  must 
have  thoup'ht  that  the  Federal  commander  was  not  ex- 
pecting  an  attack  at  that  time  and  place,  and  that  the 
wagons  were  moving  with  a  light  guard,  as  he  threw 
forward  only  one  regiment  to  capture  them.  However, 
A.  J.  Smith  was  a  general  of  too  much  experience  and 
cautio7i  to  allow  himself  to  be  taken  unaware ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  he  moved  thoroughly  prepared  for  an  at- 
tack, and  his  wagon  train  fully  protected.  So  sure  was 
Buford  of  capturing  at  least  a  part  of  the  wagons  that 
he  remarked,  as  the  Second  Tennessee  moved  off, 
*'  Boys,  do  not  kill  the  mules,  but  turn  them  down  this 
way." 

Colonel  Barteau  was  pressing  on  and  on  toward  the 
cross-roads,  driving  the  Federal  skirmishers  before  him, 
when  a  galling  fire  was  suddenly  poured  into  the  Second 
Tennessee  from  flank  and  front.  Barteau  saw  at  once 
that  the  Federals  were  not  only  strongly  posted  in  his 
front,  but  that  he  was  also  overlapped  on  both  flanks  by 
a,  heavy  force,  and  as  the  rest  of  the  brigade  was  not 
27 


418  E.  E.  Haxcock's  Diakt. 

yet  in  supporting  distance,  he  saw  that  the  only  alterna- 
tive to  avoid  having-  all  his  men  either  killed  or  captured 
was  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  Therefore  he  withdrew  his 
men  as  quickly  as  possible. to  the  rest  of  the  brigade. 
About  this  time,  too,  the  Kentucky  Brigade,  now  under 
Colonel  Crossland,*  came  up.  The  two  brigades  were 
then  thrown  forward,  dismounted,  to  a  favorable  position 
to  repel  attack.  Skirmishers  were  then  thrown  forward 
and  firing  was  kept  up  until  about  dark. 

Forrest,  now  reinforced  by  Rucker's  Brigade,  still 
hung  upon  the  Federal  rear  up  to  within  about  three 
miles  of  Tupelo.  A  thin  line  of  pickets  was  then  left, 
and  the  rest  of  the  Confederate  forces  went  into  camp,, 
Chalmers'  Division  at  the  cross-roads  above  mentioned, 
Buford's.  including  Mabry's  Brigade,  lay  in  his  front 
about  one  mile  west  of  Harrisburg,  and  Roddy  to  his 
right.  The  day  had  been  so  excessively  warm  and  op- 
pressive that  the  infantry  and  dismounted  cavalry  under 
General  Lyon  were  not  yet  up.  The  Second  Tennessee 
was  ordered  southward  to  picket  the  road  leading  from 
Verona  to  Pontotoc. 

I  take  the  following,  in  reference  to  our  engagement 
at  the  cross-roads  on  the  eve  of  the  13th,  from  Colonel 
Barteau's  manuscript  notes: 

My  regiment  was  thrown  in  first,  unsupported,  and  for  fifteen 
minutes  against  two  batteries  and  two  divisions  of  the  enemy.  The 
result  was,  we  were  encompassed  and  cut  to  pieces.  I  lost  some  of 
my  best  officers  and  thirty  men. 

The  other  regiments  that  came  to  our  support  too  late  were  unable 
to  stand,  and  likewise  fell  back. 

Had  the  attack  been  made  by  all  of  Buford's  Division  at  once  at 
this  place,  as  Forrest  was  then  on  the  rear,  I  have  reason  to  believe 
the  enemy  would  have  been  thrown  into  great  confusion,  and  would 

*  General  Lyon  was  commanding  the  dismounted  division. 


Lieutenant  A.   11.   FRENCH,  Co.   A. 


July,  18G4.  419 

probably  have  retreated  during  the  night.      As  it  was,  he  took  courage, 
and  we  had  the  battle  of  Harrisburg  to  fight  the  next  day. 

The  next  morning  our  colonel  wrote  to  his  wife,  who 
was  then  at  Captain  F"ie!d's,  Okolona,  Mississippi,  as 
follows : 

One  o'clock  a.  m.,  July  14th,  1864. 

ZoRA — The  enemy  moved  from  Pontotoc  to  Tupelo  [HarrisburgJ 
late  yesterday  evening.  We  had  an  engagement  near  Calhoun's,  in 
which  my  regiment  was  put  in  first,  and  for  some  time  being  unsup- 
ported was  badly  injured  and  compelled  to  fall  back,  as  did  all  the 
other  troops. 

I  lost  thirty  or  more  killed  and  wounded;  six  officers  badly  wounded. 
Lieutenant  French  and  Captain  Eastes,  I  think,  Avilldie  in  a  few  hours. 

If  the  enemy  retreats  to-day,  which  is  the  supposition,  of  course, 
we  will  pursue.  Barteau. 

Lieutenant  A.  H.  French  (Company  A)  was  thought 
to  be  mortally  wounded,  but  he  recovered.  Captain  M. 
W.  McKnight  was  again  severely  wounded  while  gal- 
lantly leading  his  company  (C)  to  the  onset.  W,  E. 
Rich  (Company  C)  was  severely  wounded.  Captain 
W.  T.  Rickman  and  James  Ryan  (Company  D)  were 
wounded.  Captain  J.  M.  Eastes  (Company  G)  was 
mortally  wounded,  dying  the  next  day.*  James  Drury 
(Company  G)  was  killed,  M.  F.  M.  Paschal  (Company 
G)  ran  through  the  Federal  line,  and  in  attempting  to 
return  was  captured.  William  Thompson  (Company 
G)  was  carried  from  the  field,  and  died  that  night  from 
the  effect  of  sunstroke.  Lieutenant  J.  J.  Lawrence 
(Company  G)  did  but  little  more  service  on  account  of 
an  injury  received  here  by  sunstroke.  Lieutenant  F. 
M.  McRee  (Company  H)  was  knocked  down  by  a  shell 
and  so  stunned  that  he  was  carried  from  the  field  to  the 
hospital. 

*  See  Appendix  A. 


420  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Lieutenant  George  F.  Hager  (Company  G)  says  : 

It  was  this  engagement  in  wliich  one  of  tho«e  singular  premonitions 
of  death  occurred. 

Private  James  Drury,  a  noble  and  brave  soldier,  always  at  his  post, 
and  ever  ready  to  face  danger,  told  several  of  his  friends  that  he  ex- 
pected to  be  killed  in  the  next  engagement,  and  gave  directions  to  his 
Captain  (Eastes,  Company  G)  for  disposal  of  his  horse  and  other  lit'le 
possessions,  the  proceeds  to  be  returned  to  that  faithful  and  loving 
wife  in  her  lonely  home  in  Tennessee. 

The  writer  urged  upon  him  not  to  enter  the  fight,  but  to  let  one  of 
the  boys  who  volunteered  to  do  so  take  his  place.  In  a  calm  and 
resolute  manner  he  replied,  "No;  and  tell  my  wife  I  died  for  my 
country."  He  fell  with  the  first  volley,  in  the  front  rank,  and  so  did 
his  captain,  to  whom  he  intrusted  the  carrying  out  of  his  wishes.-'' 

I  suppose  that  our  colonel  is  about  right  in  his  esti- 
mate of  our  loss,  and  I  regfret  that  I  am  not  able  to  g-ive 
the  names  of  all. 

In  his  official  report  Colonel  T.  H.  Bell  (commanding 
Fourth  Brigade)  says : 

The  Second  Tennessee  (Colonel  Barteau)  being  in  advance,  was 
ordered  by  General  Buford  to  form  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  road 
on  which  the  enemy  was  moving.  The  Fifteenth  (Colonel  Russell), 
just  in  rear  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  was  ordered  to  form  on  the  left 
of  it,  two  companies  of  whicli  were  hardly  formed  before  the  firing 
commenced. 

Newsom's  and  Wilson's  Regiments  were  ordered  up  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  but  not  in  time  to  enable  the  advanced  regiments  to  hold 
their  positions.  No  blame  can  certainly  be  attached  to  the  men  for 
falling  back,  as  they  were  completely  overpowered  and  forced  to 
retire."!" 

BATTLE  OF  HARRISBURG. 

Tlnn^sday,  ijf.th. — The  Confederate  force  confronting 
their  adversary  on  that  memorable  morning  scarcely  ex- 

*  Military  Annais  of  Tennessee,  p.  6iS. 
t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XVIII,  p.  487. 


July,  1804.  421 

ceeded  nine  thousand  officers  and  men.*  The  Federal 
Army  consisted  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps, f  and  fell 
little  short  of  thirteen  thousand  infantry,  three  thousand 
cavalry  and  twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery. 

The  position  held  by  the  enemy  was  a  cross-road 
hamlet  of  a  few  houses  called  Harrisburcr.+  scattered  at 
wide  intervals  over  a  somewhat  commanding  ridge.  It 
was  well  chosen  for  defense,  and  those  strong,  natural 
advantages  Major-General  A.  ].  Smith  immediately  set 
his  troops  to  improving,  as  far  as  practicable,  during  the 
preceding  night  and  that  morning  by  breastworks  made 
of  logs  and  rails  and  materials  of  cabins  and  outhouses 
torn  down  for  that  purpose  and  covered  with  earth. 
Their  breastworks  commanded  all  the  approaches, 
especially  toward  the  west  and  south.  A  skirt  of  woods 
south  of  the  Tupelo  road  extended  up  to  within  two  or 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  Federal  works.  At  all  other 
points  the  ground  of  approach  was  open  fields  for  a  mile 
or  more.  And  thus,  as  may  be  seen,  the  advantages  of 
position  were  clearly  and  formidably  with  the  Federals, 
who,  besides,  had  a  decided  numerical  superiority.      The 

*Chalmers'  Division:  McCullocli's  Brit^ade,  1,400;    Ruckei's  Brigade,  900. 

Buford's  Division:  Bell's  Brigade,  1,300;  Crossland's  Brigade,  900;  Mabry's 
Brigade,  1,000. 

Roddy's  Division:   Patterson's  Brigade,  700;  Jolmson's  Brigade,  800. 

Lyon's  Infantry  Division:  Beltzhoover's  Battalion,  900:  Gholson's  (dis- 
mounted) Brigatle,  600;   Neely's  (dismouiited)  Brigade,  600.      Total,  9,100. 

Artillery:  Morton's  Battery,  4  guns ;  Rice's  Battery,  4  guns ;  Wahon's  Bat- 
tery, 4  guns;  Thrall's  Battery,  4 guns:  Ferrell's  Battery,  4  guns.     Total,  20  guns. 

'[■Subdivided  as  follows:  First  Division  of  Infantry,  under  Brigadier-General 
Mower;  Third  Division,  under  Colonel  Moore,  and  a  brigade  of  negro  infantry 
under  Colonel  Benton,  with  Grierson's  Division  (four  brigades)  of  Cavalry. 

The  above  estimates  are  from  "  Forrest's  Campaigns,"  page  506. 

The  cavalry  being  fought  as  infantry,  one-fourth  (or  1,750)  were  detached  as 
horse  holders  and  took  no  part,  thus  reducing  the  Confederate  force  to  7,350 — 
less  than  half  of  the  Federal  army. 

.jTvvo  mile-;  west  of  Tupelo. 


422  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Federal  line,  somewhat  less  than  two  miles  from  right 
to  left,  rested,  the  left  on  the  railroad  south  of  Tupelo 
and  the  rig-ht  extended  about  half  a  mile  northward  of 
Harrisburg.  Their  line  was  circular  in  form,  convex  to- 
ward the  southwest.  By  daylight  a  portion  of  Lyon's 
dismounted  division  had  come  upon  the  scene,  but 
greatly  exhausted  by  their  long  march  under  the  hot  sun 
of  the  season. 

The  Second  Tennessee,  havino-  been  called  from 
picket  duty,  rejoined  their  brigade  about  sunrise,  near 
the  spot  where  they  had  been  engaged  the  evening  be- 
fore. 

General  Buford  dismounted  his  division  some  two  and 
a  half  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  and,  after  moving  one 
mile  in  column,  he  deployed  his  men  in  line  across  the 
Tupelo-Pontotoc  road  on  the  left  of  Roddy's  Division, 
as  follows  :* 

Bell's  Brigadef  was  formed  in  rear  of  Mabry's  and  on 
the  left  of  Crossland's.  By  7  o'clock  a.  m.,  having  seen 
that  the  Federal  commander  gave  no  evidence  of  a  pur- 
pose to  come  forth  from  his  stronghold  and  give  battle, 

■■James  Hancock,  an  officer  (perhaps  Regimental  Quartermaster)  in  Roddy's 
Division,  being  present,  heard  the  followingconversation  bet'^veen  Lee  and  For- 
res!;, which  he  afterward  reported  to  the  writer: 

General  Lee — Let  Roddy's  Division  form  on  the  left  and  Buford's  on  the 
right. 

General  Forrest — No,  I  want  Buford's  Division  on  the  left  and  Roddy's  on 
the  right; 

G.  L. — As  Roddy  is  here,  why  not  let  him  form  on  the  left,  and  Buford  can 
fall  in  on  the  right  as  he  comes  up  ? 

G.  F.—No,  I  want  Buford  on  the  left. 

G.  L. — Very  well,  have  your  own  way  then. 

About  the  middle  of  the  preceding  night  General  Forrest,  advancing  with 
one  of  his  staff  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  Federal  position,  rode  along  and 
reconnoitered  their  lines  for  nearly  a  mile. 

tWith  Russell's  Regiment  on  the  righ%  Barteau's  on  the  left,  and  Wilson's 
and  Newsom's  in  the  center. 


July,  1804.  423 

General  Lee  felt  obliged  to  take  the  offensive  immedi- 
ately, even  though  he  were  forced  to  attack  him  upon 
ground  of  his  own  choosing.  Accordingly,  Forrest  was 
ordered  to  prepare  the  command  for  battle.  Buford 
and  Roddy  advanced  about  one  mile  further,  and  Mor- 
ton's Battery  began  an  active  fire  from  a  hill  half  a  mile 
from  the  Federal  line,  and  for  some  moments  a  fruitless 
effort  was  made  in  this  way  to  provoke  the  F"ederal 
commander  to  take  the  offensive. 

The  Confederate  order  of  battle  being  somewhat  mod- 
ified now  stood  as  follows  :  The  extreme  right  was  held 
by  Roddy's  Division,  leftward  of  which  Crossland's 
Brigade  was  next  in  line,  with  Rice's  Battery.  Bell's 
Brigade,  which  was  next  on  Crossland's  left,  was  in  an 
open  field  north  of  the  Tupelo-Pontotoc  road,  with 
Mabry  on  his  and  the  extreme  left,  and  Morton's 
Battery,  under  Lieutenant  Sale,  was  attached  to  this 
flank.  Chalmer's  Division  and  Lyon's  Infantry  Divis- 
ion, with  Thrall's  and  Ferrell's  Batteries,  constituted  a 
second  line,  or  reserve,  posted  behind  slight  intrench- 
ments  of  rails  and  logs  across  and  perpendicular  to  the 
highway  above  named. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  entice  the  enemy  from  his 
cover  or  to  assume  the  offensive,  General  Lee  gave 
■orders,  about  eight  o'clock,  for  the  simultaneous  ad- 
vance of  his  first  line  upon  the  Federal  position.  A  ter- 
rific cannonade  now  burst  forth  from  the  Federal  oruns 
as  General  Buford  threw  forward  his  division  at  a 
double-quick.  Notwithstanding  Bell's  Brigade  were  un- 
protected, right  gallantly  did  they  breast  the  storm  of 
grape  and  canister  as  they  pressed  onward  and  onward 
through  that  open  field,  somewhat  up  grade,  toward  the 
Federal  position.     When  the  division  reached  a  point 


424  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  enemy's 
trenches  the  crash  of  small  arms  was  added  to  the  roar 
of  the  cannons.  Never  had  such  an  appalling  fire  of 
musketry  and  artillery  blazed  and  gushed  in  the  face  of 
the  Second  Tennessee  before,  and  notwithstandinof  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  their  ranks  had  never  been  so  fear- 
fully thinned  on  any  previous  field,  yet  they  had  never 
more  coolly  and  deliberately  faced  the  missiles  of  death 
than  on  this  memorable  occasion.  Not  a  man  wavered 
save  some  that  peradventure  fell  by  the  way  from  sheer 
exhaustion.*     Colonel   C.   R.    Barteauf    was    wounded 

•■■B;  it  rememliered  tliat  Buford's  Dh'ision  had  marched  two  and  a  half  miles 
on  foot,  and  a  good  portion  of  that  distance  at  a  doublequick,  beneath  a  scorch- 
ing July  sun,  and  hence  the  men  were  very  much  fatigued  before  the  baitle- 
moment  had  come. 

■["His  wound  (in  the  wrist)  was  not  dangerous,  though  it  was  very  painful 
and  bled  j^rofusely,  on  account  of  which,  together  with  heat,  thirst,  and  fatigue^ 
he  was  forced  to  quit  the  held.  However,  he  was  disabled  only  for  a  few  days 
by  his  wound,  but  sickness  kept  him  from  the  regiment  still  longer. 

Notwithstanding  the  din  and  roar  of  battle,  I  heard  some  one  call  my  name.. 
Going  a  few  paces  rightward  1  found  my  brother,  W.  C.  Hancock,  with  his  right 
leg  shivered  to  pieces  between  the  knee  and  ankle  by  a  cannon  ball.  I  now  very 
earnestly  begged  for  help  to  convey  him  from  the  battlefield.  After  some  mo- 
ments France  M.  Willard  (Company  C)  and  another  man  whose  name.  I  regret 
to  say,  I  did  not  learn,  came  to  my  assistance.  [The  writer  is  yet  under  many, 
many  o/'ligations  to  those  two  comrades  for  the  help  thus  renilered.]  As  we  !iad 
to  carry  him  in  our  arms  for  some  distance  we  could  not  go  far  at  a  time  before 
we  would  have  to  stop  and  rest.  However,  we  had  to  take  short  rests,  as  it  was 
about  the  time  that  our  division  commenced  falling  back.  Using  a  cord  from  a 
hat  we  stopped  the  bleeding  as  best  we  coukl.  After  carrying  my  brother  as 
above  stated  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  then  on  horseback  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, we  finally  came  up  with  an  ambulance  (about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from 
the  enemy's  position)  in  which  he  was  soon  conveyed  to  the  hospital,  some  one 
mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  battlefield,  under  some  beautiful  shade  trees  in  a 
yard  on  the  Tupelo-Pontotoe  road.  Here  we  found  that  Buford's  sui-geins  were 
already  very  busily  engaged  amputating  arms  and  legs,  as  well  as  dressing  other 
wounds.  The  amputated  limbs  that  lay  in  heaps  over  that  yard  spoke  some- 
thing of  the  evils  and  horrors  of  war.  As  soon  as  we  had  an  opportunity  we 
laid  my  brother  upon  a  table  to  have  his  leg  amputated.  After  cording  his  leg 
better  and  giving  him  some  stimulants,  one  of  the  doctors  remarked  that  he 
was  too  much  fatigued  to  stand  an  amputation    just   then.     So  we  removed  hun 


Private  W.   C.   HANCOCK,  Co.  C. 

(Killed  July  t4th,  1864.) 


RARY 


July,  1804.  425 

within  twenty  yards  of  the  Federal  works  while  gallantly 
leading  his  regiment  to  the  onset. 

In  speaking  of  Buford's  attack  on  this  occasion  the 
writer  of  "  Forrest's  Campaigns  "  has  this  to  say  : 

As  stoutly  0.S  ever  brave  men  affronted  death  did  these  brigades 
fa'-e  the  terrific  torrent  of  fire  thus  let  loose  upon  their  thin,  exposed 
ranks,  and  no  battlefield  was  ever  illustrated  by  more  general  and 
shining  courage  than  was  displayed  in  this  onset.  Urged  and  led  by 
their  officers  with  conspicuous  gallantry,  the  men  were  pressed  up  close 
to  the  coveted  position. 

The  Confederate  order  of  battle,  however,  had  not 
been  made  to  conform  in  outline  to  that  of  the  enemy, 
and  Buford  moving  on  the  Federal  center  struck  it 
before  Roddy  had  come  in  collision  with  the  enemy  in 
his  quarter  of  the  field.  Consequently,  not  only  was  a 
heavy  force  of  infantry  massed  to  meet  Buford's  attack 

from  the  table  to  a  blanket  spread  upon  the  ground  in  the  shade  of  a  tree. 
Perhaps  he  had  not  been  lying  on  that  blanket  over  furty-five  minutes  when  he 
fainted,  as  I  thought.  I  called  the  attention  of  a  doctor,  who,  on  feeling  his- 
]:)ulsc,  remarked,  ",He  is  dead."  Those  words  were  "like  a  clap  of  thunder  in 
a  clear  sky''  to  me.  I  had  no  thought  of  his  dying  thus  suddenly;  in  fact,  I 
thought  that  he  would  get  well.  The  very  great  fatigue  and  loss  of  blood  added 
to  the  suffering  from  the  wound  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  I  know  of  no 
language  by  which  to  express  what  I  felt  while  kneeling  by  the  side  of  a  dying- 
brother.  He  was  not  only  the  youngest  of  three  brothers,  but  also  the  young- 
est of  the  family.  He  was  just  in  the  bloom  of  youth.  Having  entered  the 
service  at  eighteen,  lie  was  now  twenty-one. 

Having  learned  that  Buford's  Division  had  remounted  and  was  moving  off, 
and  thinking  that  perhaps  the  enemy  would  get  possession  of  the  hospital  before 
we  would  have  time  to  bury  the  remains  of  brother  Will,  we  wrapped  a  blanket 
around  him,  laid  him  in  an  out-house  in  one  corner  of  the  yard,  requested  a  cit- 
izen to  see  that  he  was  buried  if  we  did  net  have  an  opportunity  to  bury  him 
ourselves,  and  then  rejoined  our  command.  About  8:30  v.  M.  J.  R.  Dougherty 
(Company  C)  and  I  returning  to  the  hospital,  remained  there  the  rest  of  the 
night.  Next  morning  we  buried  the  remains  of  my  brother  hastily,  without  any 
coffin,  in  a  garden  adjoining  the  yard  in  which  he  died.  We  rejoined  our  regi- 
ment between  sunset  and  dark,  just  after  the  engagement  at  Town  Creek.  We 
met  General  Forrest  as  he  was  going  from  the  field  wounded.  After  the  enemy 
had  fallen  back  and  all  was  quiet  again  I  had  my  brother's  remains  taken  up- 
and  buried  more  decently  in  a  cofifin,  on  the  17th. 


42G  Iv.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

with  a  scorching  fire  of  small  arms,  but  almost  their 
whole  artillery  was  concentrated  upon  Bell's  Tennes- 
seans,  Mabry's  Mississippians,  and  Crossland's  Ken- 
tuckians.  The  latter  brigade  was  the  first  engaged, 
and,  being  uncovered  on  its  right,  was  exposed  to  an 
oblique  or  enfilading  fire,  under  which  it  staggered,  and 
finally  gave  vv^ay,  but  not  until  some  of  the  intrepid 
Kentuckians  had  penetrated  the  Federal  intrenchments 
where  they  were  either  .killed  or  captured.  General 
Buford  now  saw  that  the  enemy  had  too  greatly  the 
advantage,  both  in  numbers  and  position,  for  him  to 
make  any  further  attempt  to  carry  their  works  by  storm  ; 
and,  moreover,  seeing  that  his  men  were  being  mowed 
down  at  a  fearful  rate,  he,  therefore,  very  prudently 
commenced  the  withdrawal  of  his  division.  Rice's  Bat- 
tery moved  forward  with  the  Kentuckians,  and  kept 
well  in  advance  with  them  was  handled  with  signal 
daring  and  skill.  And  when  the  stress  of  the  F"ederal 
fire  was  greatest.  Thrall's  Battery  was  thrown  forward 
to  close  quarters  in  support  of  Rice.  These  two  bat- 
teries, served  with  equal  spirit  and  efficiency,  rendered 
invaluable  aid  in  covering  the  withdrawal  of  Buford's 
Division  from  under  fire.  Morton's  Battery,  which,  as 
will  be  remembered,  had  moved  forward  with  the  left 
flank,  suffered  severely.  Five  out  of  the  seven  gun- 
ners, and  six  out  of  the  eight  horses  of  one  piece  were 
disabled,  and  its  commander,  Seroreant  Brown,  three 
times  wounded ;  nevertheless,  he  remained  with  his  gun 
until  it  was  carried  safely  to  the  rear  by  hand  by  Cap- 
tain Titus'  company  of  sharp-shooters.  Another  piece 
was  brought  off  by  Sergeant  C.  T.  Brady,  after  a  wheel 
had  been  shot  from  it.  The  remaining  pieces  were  re- 
tired slowly,  halting  and  firing  with  the  utmost  resolu- 


July,  18G4.  427 

tion  and  effect,  and  thus  materially  assisted  in  covering 
the  retreat  in  that  quarter  of  the  field. 

General  Chalmers,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  ordered 
to  throw  forward  Rucker's  Brigade  as  a  support  to 
Mabry,  leaving  McCulloch  to  support  the  center,  and 
cover  the  retreat  in  the  event  of  disaster.  It  was  in 
an  opportune  moment,  too,  that  Chalmers  came  to  the 
assistance  of  Buford;  for  about  this  juncture  the  Fed- 
eral commander  threw  forward  his  cavalry,  to  swoop 
clown  upon  the  shattered  remains  of  Buford's  Division. 
However,  a  volley  from  the  steady  rifles  of  Rucker's 
men — who  had  taken  a  position  under  cover  of  a  fence 
— not  only  checked  the  Federal  cavalry,  but  sent  them 
reeling  rearward.  Now  leaping  over  the  fence,  and 
moving  forward  at  a  double-quick,  w^ith  a  loud  shout, 
Rucker's  men  struggled  onward  and  onward  with  re- 
splendent courage  for  some  moments.  Twice  wounded 
Rucker  had  to  leave  the  field  after  leading  his  men  to 
within  sixty  yards  of  the  Federal  trenches  ;  and  many 
of  his  bravest  officers  and  men  were  added  to  the  num- 
ber of  dead  and  wounded  that  lay  on  the  field  already, 
belonorino-  to  the  brigades  of  Buford's  Division  which 
had  preceded  in  the  onset.  At  least  a  third  of  Ruck- 
er's Brigade  were  stricken  down,  either  by  the  enemy, 
or  by  the  heat,  and  the  attack  was  repulsed. 

Chalmers  now  withdrew  Rucker's  Brigade  to  the 
position  held  by  McCulloch  ;  and  Buford,  not  being- 
troubled  any  further  by  the  enemy,  after  the  cavalry 
charge  mentioned  above,  withdrew  his  division  to  their 
horses  in  the  rear  of  McCulloch. 

During  this  time  General  Forrest  had  been  on  the 
right  flank  with  Roddy's  Division,  which,  when  Cross- 
land's  Brigade  was  repulsed,  was  moved  rapidly  by  the 


428  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

left  flank  to  the  position  occupied  by  that  brigade  at  the 
commencement  of  the  action,  and  where  the  division 
was  held  to  meet  any  counter  or  offensive  movement  of 
the  enemy. 

The  Confederate  attack  had  now  failed  at  all  points,. 
as  might  have  been  foreseen,*  and  no  further  attempt 
to  carry  the  Federal  works  by  storm  was  made.  Gen- 
eral Roddy's  Division  was  also  ordered  to  retire  from 
the  held  to  a  position  in  rear  of  McCulloch.  About 
noon,  or  a  little  after.  Bell's  Brigade  moved  back  two  or 
three  miles  to  the  wagon  train  to  get  forage  and  rations. 

General  Lee  now  decided  to  await  the  movements  of 
his  adversary. f  But  General  Smith  appears  to  have 
been  satisfied  with  being  able  to  foil  the  attack  of  his 
daring  assailants,  and  adventured  no  offensive  move- 
ment at  all.  Therefore,  McCulloch's  Brigade  remained 
unmolested  in  its  advance  position  until  about  half-past 
six  o'clock  p.  M.,  when  it  was  noticed  that  the  enemy 
were  burning  Harrisburg.  General  Chalmers  was  then 
directed  to  reconnoiter  as  closely  as  possible  with  that 
brigade,  the  First  Mississippi  Infantry,  and  a  piece  oi 
artillery.  Some  Federal  skirmishers,  soon  encountered, 
were  driven  back  by  McCulloch  far  enough  for  him  to 
ascertain  that  the  main  Federal  force  still  remained  in 
position  at  Harrisburg,  and  the  reconnoissance  was  con- 
cluded. About  this  time,  or  at  sunset,  taking  Rucker's 
Brigade,  under  Colonel  Duckworth,  General  Forrest  let 
it  around  the  Federal  left  flank,  on  the  road  to  Verona, 
some  two  miles  southward  of  Tupelo,  where  he  soon 
found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  Federal  pickets, 
who  opened  a  scattering  fire.      Dismounting  the  brigade, 

*And  was  foreseen  by  Buford.      See  ComnieiUaries  under  July  i6th. 
fWhat  lie  should  have  done  at  first. 


Lieutenant  GEO.  E.  SEAV. 


July,  1804.  429 

and  taking  post  across  the  road,  Duckworth  threw  one- 
tenth  of  the  brigade  promptly  forward,  and  the  Federal 
skirmishers  were  brushed  back  upon  their  main  force. 
This  was  presently  followed  by  the  advance  of  the  whole 
brigade,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  who 
receded  slowl)'  for  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  until  about 
nine  r.  u.,  when  the  Confederates  encountered  a  stormy 
fire  from  a  heavy  force  drawn  up  to  receive  them.  This 
checked  the  movement,  and  in  turn  the  Federals  essayed 
the  offensive ;  but  their  onset  was  speedily  brought  to 
a  halt  by  a  well-directed  fire  from  Duff's  Regiment.  Of 
this  affair,  in  his  official  report.  General  Forrest  says : 

I  ordered  my  men  lo  open  fire  upon  him  [the  enemy],  when  the 
first  line  fell  back  to  the  main  body  and  opened  upon  me  one  of  the 
heaviest  fires  I  have  heard  daring  the  war.  .  .  .  Not  a  man  was 
killed,  however,  as  the  enemy  overshot  us,  but  he  is  reported  as  hav- 
ing suffered  much  from  the  fire  of  my  men,  and  still  more  from  their 
own,  who  fired  into  each  other  in  the  darkness  of  the  night.* 

Directino-  a  small  force  to  be  left  well  in  advance,  to 
watch  that  road,  Forrest  withdrew  the  brigrade  for  the 
night  to  a  position  three  miles  south  of  Tupelo,  where 
it  bivouacked.  About  dark  our  brigade  (Bell's)  was 
ordered  to  the  front.  However,  after  going  about  one 
mile  and  a  half,  the  order  vv^as  countermanded,  and  we 
returned  to,  and  bivouacked  with,  our  wagon  train. 

The  gallant  Lieutenant  George  E.  Seay  (Company 
E)  is  now  in  command  of  our  regiment,  all  of  his  supe- 
riors present  having  been  killed  or  w^ounded  during  the 
engagements  of  last  evening  and  to-day. 

In  reference  to  this  enpaofement,  Lieutenant  G.  F. 
Flager  says : 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  scathing  fire  we  breasted  at  and  near  the 
works.  Never  was  more  shining  courage  displayed  by  both  officers 
and  men  than  here. 

-Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XXVIII,  p.  463. 


430  I'.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

It  was  here  we  lost  our  gallant  Lieutenant  Lipscomb  [Company  G] 
and  our  heroic  Lieutenant  Denning  [Company  FJ,  killed  on  or  inside 
the  works.  Colonel  Barteau  was  also  again  wounded  while  endeavor- 
ing to  lead  our  already  shattered  regiment  into  the  enemy's  strong- 
hold. 

Our  loss  was  extremely  heavy.      We  went  into  the  engagement  fully 
officered  (save  the  losses  we  had  sustained  from  tlie  enemy  before) 
and  at  the  close,  or  rather  after  the  first  assault  on  the  works,  Lieuten- 
ant George  E.   Seay  [Company  E]  found  himself  in  command  of  the 
regiment,  his  superiors  having  been  killed,  wounded,  or  disabled. -i^ 

I  do  not  know  the  exact  loss  of  our  regiment  in  this 
action,  though,  as  Lieutenant  Hager  says,  it  was  "ex- 
tremely heavy." 

One  hundred  and  eighty  of  the  Second  Tennessee  moved  into 
action  under  Colonel  Barteau,  and  sixty-two,  by  actual  count,  came  out 
under  Lieutenant  G.  E.  Seay,  and  they  looked  like  they  were  marching 
to  a  funeral.^ 

Remember,  it  took  quite  a  number  of  the  unhurt  to 
bring  off  the  wounded ;  the  dead,  and  perhaps  some  of 
the  wounded,  were  left  on  the  field. 

Except  my  brother  and  the  two  previously  mentioned 
by  Lieutenant  Hager,  the  following  list  contains  the 
names  of  all  the  killed  and  wounded  (Second  Tennessee) 
which  I  now  have  before  me  : 

Company  B — James  Orum  (mortally)  and  N.  N.  Pol- 
lard (severely)  wounded. 

Company  C — O.  N.  Grisham  (from  Franklin  County, 
Alabama),  killed;  and  Lieutenants  S.  Dennis  and  J.  S. 
Harrison,  and  privates  A.  J.  Thomas,  Mat.  Francis, 
Mike  Larance,  J.  J.  Francis,  John  H.  Odom,  James  H, 
Odom,  and  J.  W.  Herndon,  wounded. 

Company  D — William  Brown  (mortally),  wounded, 
and  Eli  Locket,  captured. 

■'■Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  6i8. 
t  Verbal  report  of   Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison. 


July,  1804.  431 

Company  E — Captain  W.  A.  DeBow  and  private 
William  Stalcup,  wounded. 

Company  F — William  Bond,  wounded. 

Company  G — W.  Clabe  West,  severely  wounded. 

Company  K — Captain  O.  B.  Farris,  wounded. 

Friday,  i^tJi. — Apprehensive  that  the  Federal  com- 
mander, emboldened  by  the  results  of  yesterday's  suc- 
cess, would  now  attempt  to  press  forward  into  the 
prairie  country  to  the  southward,  to  lay  waste  the  grow- 
ing crops  of  that  fertile  region.  General  Lee  resolved  to 
interpose  every  possible  obstacle,  and  accordingly,  before 
sunrise,  the  whole  Confederate  force  was  concentrated 
across  the  anticipated  route  of  march,  and  drawn  up  in 
line  of  battle,  fronting  the  north,  directly  across  the 
Tupelo-Verona  road,  about  three  miles  from  the  former 
place.  There  being,  however,  no  indication  of  any 
offensive  movement  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  Buford 
was  thrown  forward  (dismounted)  on  the  Confederate 
ricrht,  with  our  brig-ade  and  Crossland's,  to  feel  the  Fed- 
erals  in  that  direction,  and  comino-  in  contact  with  their 
pickets  bore  them  back  for  quite  a  mile  upon  the  left 
flank  of  their  main  force,  in  some  timber,  where  he 
halted,  and  throwing  out  skirmishers  to  cover  his  own 
position  stood  on  the  defensive.  Meanwhile,  so  intense 
was  the  heat  that  as  many  as  eighty  officers  and  men 
were  carried  from  the  field  exhausted,  and  some  of  them 
insensible,  from  the  effects  of  the  sun. 

This  was  the  posture  of  affairs  at  eleven  a.  m.,  when 
the  authentic  and  pleasing  intelligence  was  received 
that  the  enemy  were  in  full  retreat.  Chalmers  was  im- 
mediately ordered  to  move  forward  rapidly  with  McCul- 
loch's  Brigade  (mounted)  to  ascertain  their  line  of  retreat 
and  apparent  purposes.     Overtaking  their  rear  guard, 


432  r;.  Vx.  Ha-VCOCk's  Diaky. 

some  skirmishing  ensued  for  an  hour,  during  which  a 
moving  cloud  ot  dust  was  visible  along  the  Tupelo- 
Elllstown  road,  marking  manifestly  the  line  of  march  of 
a  large  force. 

In  the  meantime,  Buford  had  remounted  his  division 
and  moved  it  forward  to  the  highway  a  little  east  of 
Harrisburg,  while  Lee  had  moved  up  to  that  place  with 
the  rest  of  the  Confederate  force,  and  Forrest,  with  his 
staff  and  escort,  had  gone  immediately  to  Tupelo,  some 
of  the  few  houses  of  which  were  found  in  ashes,  the 
others  filled  with  wounded,  including  two  hundred  and 
fifty  Federals,  too  severely  hurt  to  be  removed,  and  few 
of  whose  wounds  had  been  dressed.  In  consequence 
of  this  neglect,  many  of  the  w^ounds,  both  of  the  Con- 
federates and  Federals,  found  at  Tupelo  were  fiy-blown 
and  already  in  a  maggoted  condition,  from  which  the 
men  suffered  fearfully. 

While  Chalmers  was  directed  to  press  on  with  Mc- 
Culloch's  Brigade,  and  attempt  to  get  on  the  Federal 
leff  flank,  westward  of  the  Ellistown  road,  Buford,  about 
two  P.  M.,  was  ordered  to  move  upon  their  rear  with  his 
division,  now  dwindled  down,  howbeit,  to  not  more  than 
one  thousand  effectives.  Following  vigorously,  and  mov- 
inpf  at  the  head  of  his  column  with  a  section  of  Rice's 
guns,  just  as  Buford  approached  Town  Creek,  four  miles 
beyond  Tupelo,  a  warm  volley  was  suddenly  poured 
into  the  head  of  his  column  from  a  heavy  ambuscade 
in  a  cornfield,  while  his  own  force  was  moving  along  a 
narrow  road  through  a  dense  black-jack  thicket.  Dis- 
mounting and  deploying  his  men  into  line  as  quickly  as 
possible,  he  moved  forward,*  driving  the  first  line   of 

*With  Bell's  Brigade  on  the  right  and  the  Second  Tennessee  on  the  extreme 
right. 


July,  1864.  433 

Federals  before  him;  when,  on  nearing  Town  Creek 
bottom,  the  enemy,  in  overwhelming  numbers,  spring- 
ing from  the  cover  of  the  bushes  with  a  yell  drove  our 
division  back  for  some  distance  in  confusion,  and  with 
■considerable  loss.  Here  fell  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Ed. 
Bullock  mortally  wounded,  and  John  Lee  killed — both 
of  Company  D,  Second  Tennessee.  The  road  was 
blocked  up  at  the  same  time  with  led  horses  and  artil- 
lery, and  for  a  short  while,  had  the  enemy  pressed  their 
advantage  with  vigor,  the  situation  was  critically  peril- 
ous. McCulloch's  Brigade,  having  been  pressed  up  at 
a  gallop,  was  dismounted  and  thrown  into  action  on  the 
left  of  Buford's  Division.  That  veteran  force,  makino- 
a  characteristic  charge,  pushed  the  enemy  back  in  its 
front.  This  was  not  done,  however,  without  consider- 
able loss,  and  Forrest,  who  rode  with  it  in  the  onset, 
was  painfully  wounded  in  the  right  foot,  and  its  gallant 
leader,  Colonel  McCulloch,  was  struck  in  the  shoulder. 
Buford  was  materially  assisted  by  McCulloch's  move- 
ment in  saving  his  horses  and  artillery.  Forrest's 
wound  was  now  so  painful  that  he  was  obliged  to  quit 
the  field  and  repair  to  Tupelo  to  have  his  wound  dressed, 
Chalmers,  who  was  left  in  command,  retired  safely,  just 
about  nightfall,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy,  who, 
fortunately,  was  not  disposed  to  follow  up  his  advantage 
with  any  energy.  McCulloch's  Brigade  bivouacked  in 
observation  for  the  night  within  half  a  mile  of  the  cross- 
ing of  Town  Creek ;  while  Buford's  Division  moved 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  southward,  to  a  small  creek, 
and  the  rest  of  the  Confederate  force  slept  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Tupelo. 

Satui'day,  i6ih.—\s  the  horses  and  men  were  nearly 
all  broken  down  by  this  time.  General   Lee  very  prop- 

28 


434  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

erly  decided  not  to  follow  the  enemy  any  further  in 
force.  However,  Chalmers  was  directed  to  pursue  with 
Roddy's  Division  and  Rucker's  Brigade.  After  some 
little  skirmishing,  he  turned  back  the  next  day,  a  few 
miles  beyond  EUistown,  leaving  some  two  hundred  and 
fifty  men  to  follow  in  observation.  The  Federals  re- 
treated rapidly  in  the  direction  of  Memphis,  by  the  way 
of  New  Albany  and  Holly  Springs. 

Our  division  was  now  busily  engaged  in  burying  the 
dead  and  looking  after  the  wounded.  A  good  many  of 
the  latter,  including  the  Federal,  were  sent  by  rail  to 
Forrest's  Hospital  at  Lauderdale  Springs,  near  Merid- 
ian, Mississippi. 

According  to  the  official  report,*  the  Second  Tennes- 
see lost  during  the  last  three  days'  fighting  two  officers, 
and  six  enlisted  men  killed,  and  fifteen  officers  and  for- 
ty-three enlisted  men  wounded — aggregate,  sixty-six. 
I  know  that  the  aggregate  loss  of  Company  C  was 
thirteen,  which  if  taken  from  sixty-six  leaves  fifty-three, 
which  lacks  one  man  of  being  an  average  of  six  to  each 
of  the  other  nine  companies.  Therefore,  the  above 
either  falls  short  of  our  actual  loss,  or  the  loss  of  Com- 
pany C  was  more  than  dotible  the  average  loss  of  the 
other  nine  companies.  The  writer  is  of  the  opinion 
that  our  aggregate  loss  did  not  fall  much  (if  any)  short 
of  one  hundred. 

COMMENTARIES. 

I.  Our  division,  including  Mabry's  Brigade,  lost 
twenty-two  officers  killed  and  one  hundred  and  four 
wounded ;  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  enlisted  men 
were  killed,  six  hundred  and  ninety-four  wounded,  and 
forty-nine  missing ;   total,  one  thousand.      Our  brigade 

*"  See  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XVIII,  page  475.  , 


July,  18G4.  435 

lost  forty-seven  killed  and  three  hundred  and  fifty-five 
wounded  ;  First  Division  lost  fifty-seven  killed  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty-five  wounded.  General  Forrest  esti- 
mates the  Federal  loss  to  be  equal  to  his  own,  which  he 
puts  at  two  hundred  and  ten  killed,  and  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  wounded,  while  General  Bu- 
ford  puts  the  enemy's  loss  at  two  thousand. 

2.  It  is  said  that  the  following  conversation  took  place 
between  Generals  Forrest  and  Buford  just  after  the  un- 
fortunate affair  at  Town  Creek  last  evening : 

General  Forrest — General  Buford,  move  your  division. 
General  Buford — I  have  no  division,  General  Forrest. 
G.  F. — Where  is  your  division? 

G.  B. — [The  tears  trickled  down  the  cheeks  of  that  noble  soldier 
as  he  replied]  They  are  killed  and  wounded. 

Well  may  our  gallant  leader  weep  when  07ie  thousand 
of  his  bravest  and  best  officers  and  men  have  been  killed 
or  wounded.  He  is  not  the  only  one  who  weeps  over 
the  results  of  the  last  three  days'  fighting.  Perhaps 
there  are  but  few  of  our  division  who  are  not  called 
upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  some  relative  or  dear  friend. 

3.  Be  it  said  to  the  honor  of  General  Buford  that,, 
knowing  as  he  did  that  the  enemy  had  greatly  the  ad- 
vantage in  both  position  and  numbers,  and  therefore 
fully  believing — almost  knowing — that  an  attempt  to 
carry  the  Federal  works  by  storm,  as  he  was  ordered  to 
do  on  the  14th,  would  result  in  a  repulse  and  fearful 
loss,  he  therefore  p7'otested  i?i  person  against  makiiig  the 
attack  in  that  zvay*  However,  as  his  superior  would 
not  revoke  the  order,  he  therefore,  like  a  true  and  obe- 
dient soldier,  led  his   division  to  the  onset,  which  re- 

*  Manuscript  notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau ;  also,  Buford's  official  report. 
See  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XVIII,  page  471. 


436  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

suited  as  he  had  foreseen,  and  as  has  been  previously 
mentioned.  Was  either  Buford  or  the  men  he  led  to 
blame  for  failing  to  carry  the  Federal  position  on  the 
14th?  If  I  were  allowed  to  answer  the  above  question 
I  should  say,  emphatically,  neither.  (Men  cannot  ac- 
complish impossibilities,)  However,  I  shall  let  the 
writer  of  "Forrest's  Campaigns"  (p.  519)  answer  the 
above  question  thus : 

It  must  be  regarded  as  an  error  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate 
General  to  deliver  battle  at  Harrisburg  upon  a  field  chosen  by  his  ad- 
A'ersary,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  peculiarly  favorable  for  that  adversary. 
Furthermore,  victory,  under  all  the  circumstances,  never  within  the 
scope  of  reasonable  probabilities  for  the  Confederates,  was  made  even 
less  possible  by  the  adoption  of  the  parallel  order  of  battle  rather  than 
the  oblique,  and  the  massing  of  the  Confederates  upon  either  win;^, 
and  subsequently  also  by  throwing  the  troops  into  battle  by  fragments, 
so  that  brigades  were  worsted,  sadly  cut  to  pieces  in  detail. 

General  Lee  should  have  thrown  his  force  across  the 
highways  leading  southward — selecting  favorable  posi- 
tions and  throwing  up  temporary  breastworks  — and  thus 
stood  on  the  defensive,  from  the  fact  (which  he  well 
knew)  that  his  adversary  was  compelled  to  either  take 
the  offensive  or  retreat,  as  there  was  nothiiig  in  the 
vicinity  of  Tupelo  upon  which  his  army  could  subsist. 

4.  The  Federal  commander  assuredly  displayed  much  watchful- 
ness in  his  movements,  but  the  least  ]iossible  vigor  or  enterprise.  .  .  . 
Had  he  pressed  the  advantage  gained  on  the  afternoon  of  the  i4tl'.  uf 
July  with  resolution  and  with  his  whole  force  as  the  Confederates  fell 
back  repulsed  and  badly  cut  up,  as  he  could  plainly  see,  the  conse- 
quences for  the  Confederates  must  have  been  ruinous.  .  .  .  And 
when  he  began  the  retrogade,  as  is  alleged,  for  want  of  subsistence 
and  ammunition,  it  was  made  with  all  celerity  and  other  appearances 
of  a  retreat;  for  leaving  one  division  under  Brigadier-General  Mower 
to  cover  his  rear  by  making  a  stand  at  the  extremely  favorable  position 
of  Town  Creek,  he  pushed  his  train  on  toward  Memphis  with  all  haste, 
escorted  by  the  remainder  of  his  force.      Indeed,    in  view  of  General 


July,  18G4.  437 

Smith's  mere  military  movements,  it  is  difficult  to  comprehend  with 
what  objective  the  campaign  was  undertaken.-'^ 

5.  In  his  official  report  Colonel  T.  H.  Bell  (command- 
ing Fourth  Brigade)  says  : 

Colonels  Barteau,  Russell,  Wilson,  Newsom,  and  Major  Parham 
were  all  wounded.  Special  praise  is  due  them  for  their  conduct  in  the 
several  engagements.  ......... 

My  acting  aid-de-camp  (R.  P.  Caldwell),  acting  Assistant  Inspector- 
General  (P.  A.  Smith),  .  .  .  were  prompt  in  carrying  orders 
to  the  different  portions  of  my  brigade,  and  were  with  me,  except 
when  ordered  off  on  duty,  in  the  hottest  of  the  fights,  and  discharged 
their  duties  Avell.t 

The  following  are  extracts  from  General  Abraham 
Buford's  official  report : 

The  record  of  this  action  shows  that  the  Second  Division  performed 
with  alacrity  and  spirit  every  duty  required  of  them,  whether  in  attack- 
ing the  enemy  in  front,  on  the  flank,  or  on  the  pursuit,  and  few  troops 
have  ever  borne  themselves  on  a  field  with  more  distinguished  cour- 
age, with  more  patient  endurance,  or  with  the  loss  of  so  many  field 
officers — there  being  seven  regiments  which  were  deprived  of  every 
field  officer  by  the  casualties  of  action.  ..... 

Words  are  inadequate  to  express  the  daring  action,  imperturbable 
bravery,  the  indomitable  endurance  exhibited  by  both  officers  and 
men.         ............ 

To  the  privates  no  flattering  words  can  add  to  their  deeds.  If  we 
desire  to  look  for  deeds  of  noble  daring  and  worthy  of  imitation  we 
must  go  to  the  ranks.  ......... 

The  long  list  of  dead  and  wounded  echo  the  history  of  their 
action.  I 

6.  I  find  the  following — "General  Order  No.  96" — 
in  my  old  diary,  under  July  29th;  however,  as  it  has 
direct  reference  to  the  battle  of  Harrisburg  I  shall  intro- 
duce it  just  here  : 

■'■"Forrest's  Campaigns,"  page  518. 

t  Rebellion  Records,  Vol.  XVIII,  page  489. 

X  Rebellion   Records,  Vol.  XVIII,  pp.  473,  474. 


438  11.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Headquarters  Department  of  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and 
East  Louisiana.     Meridian,  Miss.,  Jul}^  20th,  1864. 

The  Lieutenant-General  expresses  his  thanks  to  the  officers  and  sol- 
diers engaged  in  the  recent  active  operations  in  North  Mississippi  for 
'their  cheerfiUness,  gallantry,  and  endurance.  All  did  their  duty  and 
are  entitled  to  praise. 

The  result  is  that  a  well-equipped  army  of  sixteen  thousand  veteran 
troops,  under  the  command  of  a  general  of  experience,  carefully 
organized  to  overwhelm  the  gallant  Forrest  and  desolate  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  has  been  discomfitled  and  compelled  to  retreat  before  your 
impetuous  attack,  well  knowing  the  futility  of  an  advance  in  the  face 
of  so  gallant  and  determined  a  foe. 

Though  all  performed  their  duty  well,  the  General  nevertheless 
thkiks  special  praise  should  be  given  to  the  Kentucky  Brigade  and 
Bell's  Tennessee  Brigade  of  Buford's  Division,  Rucker's  Brigade  of 
Chalmers'  Division,  Mabry's  Mississippi  Brigade,  and  the  artillery 
under  Captain  John  W.  Morton. 

To  the  desperate  gallantry  of  these  troops  on  the  14th  and  their 
tenacity  under  a  galling  fire  is  to  be  attributed  the  discomfiture  of  the 
enemy  more  than  any  other  cause. 

Many  of  your  comrades  have  sunk  to  honorable  graves  sacrifices 
to  our  sacred  cause.  Peace  be  with  them  I  To  you,  their  former 
companions,  they  have  left  the  legacy  of  their  brave  deeds,  which  must 
ever  command  your  admiration  and  that  of  the  army,  and  gratitude  of 
the  country.  Stephen  D.  Lee, 

Official:   P.  Ellis,  Jr.,  Lieutenant- General. 

A.  A.  General. 

Monday,  i8th. — Having  completed  the  burial  of  the 
dead,  gleaned  from  all  the  battlefields,  Lkiford's  Division, 
moving  eighteen  miles  southward,  camped  for  the  night 
three  miles  south-east  of  Shannon  Station.  The  in- 
fantry have  been  dispatched  by  rail  to  Mobile. 

General  Lee  left  Tupelo  yesterday  by  rail  to  repair 
elsewhere  within  the  limits  of  his  command  where  his 
presence  was  required. 

About  this  time  privates  George  F.  Hager  and  Gil- 
bert Siddons  were  made  Lieutenants  in  Company  G, 
Second  Tennessee. 


July,  1864.  439 

Tuesday,  igth. — Moving  on  through  Okolona,  thence 
nine  miles  south,  our  division  encamped  at  Pikeville 
(near  Egypt  Station),  where  we  remained  eight  days. 

Brigadier-General  Chalmers,  who  has  been  in  com- 
mand since  Forrest  was  wounded,  has  established  his 
headquarters  at  Okolona.  His  division  is  encamped  in 
the  vicinity  of  Oakland  Church,  eight  miles  west  of 
Egypt  Station. 

Gholson's  Brigfade,  relieved  on  the  20th  from  further 
service  with  Forrest,  was  ordered  to  return  to  their 
horses  at  Jackson,  Mississippi. 

The  following  changes  of  department  commanders 
took  place  about  this  time : 

General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  (a  second  Hannibal),  who 
had  been  commandinof  the  Confederate  Armv  at  At- 
lanta,  Georgia,  was  superseded  by  General  J.  B.  Hood 
(a  second  Varro).  S.  D.  Lee,  from  our  department, 
took  command  of  Hood's  Corps;  Major-General  Maury 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  our  department,  leaving 
General  Gardner  in  command  at  Mobile,  x^labama. 

Thursday ,  28tJi. — Our  division  moved  back  to  where 
we  camped  on  the  night  of  the  i8th,  three  miles  south- 
east of  Shannon  Station. 

Roddy,  detached  with  his  division,  proceeded  by  rail 
to  Montgomery  to  meet  a  hostile  expedition  menacing 
the  interior  of  Alabama,  while  his  horses  and  wagon 
train  were  sent  across  the  country  to  the  same  point ; 
and  Mabry's  Brigade,  likewise  detached  to-day,  started 
(mounted)  for  Canton,  Mississippi,  to  assist  in  repelling 
a  Federal  movement  from  the  southward. 

Friday,  zgtJi. — The  Second  Tennessee,  being  de- 
tached, moved  up  to  Verona  and  encamped  one  mile 
north-west  of  that  place.      We  were  kept  busy  here  for 


440  E.  R.  Haivcouk's  Diary. 


several  days  guarding  some  negroes  who  were  at  work 
on  the  raih-oad  between  Verona  and  Tupelo,  where  the 
Federals  had  torn  it  up  about  two  weeks  previous. 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  General  Maury,  the  Depart- 
ment Commander,  under  date  ot  Augrust  ist,  General 
Chalmers  says : 

Our  scouts  report  that  the  enemy  is  makuig  preparations  to  move 
from  Memphis,  Vicksburg,  and  North  Alabama  at  the  same  time^ 
and  if  successful  to  concentrate  at  Selma. 

There  are  now  fourteen  thousand  infantry  and  cavalry  assembled 
at  LaGrange,  and  they  are  reported  repairing  the  Mississippi  Central 
Railroad.  Three  regiments  of  infantry  and  two  of  cavalry  are  re- 
ported moving  from  Decatur  to  Moulton,  Alabama.  .  .  .  Some 
troops,  number  unknown,  have  been  sent  down  the  river  toward 
Vicksburg.  If  the  enemy  moves  in  three  columns  as  expected,  it 
will  be  impossible  for  us  to  meet  him ;  and  after  consultation  Major- 
General  Forrest  and  I  have  concluded  to  recommend  a  consolidation 
of  the  troops  in  this  department  to  meet  one  column. 

The  northern  column  will  be  the  largest;  if  we  can  defeat  it  the 
others  may  be  easily  overtaken  and  crushed. 

Our  effective  force  is  five  thousand  three  liundred  and 
fifty-seven,  but  we  are  very  much  crippled  in  officers.* 

On  the  3d  General  Forrest  resumed  command,  and 
Chalmers  set  out  with  his  staff,  escort,  and  Thrall's  Bat- 
tery, to  repair  with  McCulloch's  Brigade  to  Oxford. 
On  the  4th  Neely's  Brigade  was  thrown  forward  to  Pon- 
totoc, On  the  5th  Forrest  wrote  to  General  Maury 
thus : * 

I  regret  very  much  that  recent  engagements  in  North  Mississippi 
(Tishamingo  and  Harrisburg)  have  reduced  my  command  so  much  in 
numbers.  But  especially  am  I  deficient  in  field  officers  and  brigade 
commanders.  General  Lyon  having  left  the  department,"]"  Colonels 
McCulloch  and  Rucker  wounded,  leaves  me,  aside  from  Colonel  Bell, 
without  experienced  brigade  commanders,  and  in  Bell's  Brigade  the 

■•■■"Forrest's  Campaigns,"  pp.  522,  525. 

t Colonel  Crossland  succeeded  to  llie  conmiaud  of  the  Kentucky  Brigade. 


August,  1864.  441 

greater  number  of  field  officers  are  killed  or  wounded.     Nevertheless,. 
all  that  can  shall  be  done  in  North  Mississippi  to  drive  the  enemy  back. 
At  the  same  time  I  have  not  the  force  to  risk  a  general  engagement, 
and  will  resort  to  all  other  means  in  my  power  to  harrass,  annoy,  and 
force  the  enemy  back.      I  have  ordered  the  impressment  of  negroes- 
for  the  purpose  of  fortifying  positions,  blockading  roads  and  fords, 
and  shall  strike  him  in  flank  and  rear,  and  oppose  him  in  front  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  and  fight  him  at  all  favorable  positions  along  his- 
Ime  of  march.  .  ......... 

My  artillery  in  all  numbers  si.xteen  pieces,  and  my  effec- 
tive force  as  formerly  reported,  with  Mabry  added.  You  may  rest 
assured.  General,  of  my  hearty  co-operation  in  all  things  and  at  all 
times.  1  can  take  the  saddle  with  one  foot  in  the  stirrup,  and  if  I 
succeed  in  forcing  this  column  back,  will  be  ready  to  move  to  your 
assistance  at  short  notice,  mounted  or  by  rail. 

Satiu'day,  August  6th. — According  to  orders  our  regi- 
ment, breaking  up  our  camp  at  Verona,  rejoined  the 
brigade  near  Shannon  Station. 

Sunday,  yth. — By  this  time  the  Federals,  who  were 
still  under  General  A.  J.  Smith,  had  advanced  from  La- 
Grange  to  the  vicinity  of  Waterford,  with  outposts  and 
heavy  picket  force  thrown  forward  to  the  north  bank  of 
the  Tallahatchie.  Having  repaired  the  Mississippi  Cen- 
tral Railroad  as  far  as  Waterford  (eight  miles  south  of 
Holly  Springs),  they  were  running  trains  to  that  point. 
The  route,  or  direction,  of  the  march  of  the  Federal 
column  being  now  somewhat  developed.  General  For- 
rest decided  to  move  the  rest  of  his  command  westward. 
Accordingly,  Buford's  Division  and  the  artillery  moved 
from  Shannon  to  Pontotoc,  twenty-two  miles. 

Tuesday,  gth. — General  Chalmers  had  only  McCul- 
loch's  Brigade  and  a  section  of  artillery  to  guard  and 
hold  a  line  of  some  six  or  eight  miles  along  the  south 
bank  of  the  Tallahatchie  in  front  of  Abbeville.  Neely's 
Brigade  and  a  battery  left  Pontotoc  this  morning  to  join 
Chalmers. 


442  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Leaving  Pontotoc  about  five  ,p.  m.,  Bell's  Brigade  and 
Morton's  Battery  marched  some  twelve  miles  westward 
and  camped  for  the  rest  of  the  night  at  Buttermilk 
Springs.  General  Buford  was  left  at  Pontotoc  with 
Crossland's  Brigade  and  a  battery  to  guard  against  any 
flank  movement  in  that  direction. 

Wednesday,  loth. — Moving  out  early  we  overtook 
Neely's  Brigade  at  LaFayette  Springs,  in  LaFayette 
County,  some  seventeen  miles  east  of  Oxford.  Here 
we  halted  and  fed. 

General  Hatch,  having  crossed  the  Tallahatchie  with 
about  six  thousand  Federal  cavalry,  pressed  General 
Chalmers  back  from  Abbeville  to  Oxford  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  latter  place  about  five  p.  m.  yesterday. 
Leaving  the  Second  Missouri  two  miles  south  of  Oxford 
Chalmers  led  the  rest  of  his  command  to  Taylor's  Sta- 
tion, seven  miles  further  south. 

Swinging  ourselves  into  the  saddle  again,  after  a  short 
rest,  we  resumed  the  march,  with  General  Forrest  at 
the  head  of  the  column.  By  a  forced  march,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Oxford  by  ten  o'clock  p.  m.  The 
place,  however,  had  been  evacuated  (just  before  we  got 
there)  by  the  Federal  cavalry,  whose  commander,  evi- 
dently having  no  stomach  for  a  rencounter  with  the  re- 
doubtable Confederate  cavalry  leader,  rapidly  retreated 
back  to  Abbeville  upon  hearing  of  Forrest's  approach, 
and  our  horses  were  fed  on  the  forage  that  had  been  dis- 
tributed to  those  of  our  adversary. 

Thursday,  nth. — When  many  of  the  citizens  of  Ox- 
ford went  to  sleep  last  night  the  town  was  full  of  Fed- 
eral soldiers,  but  to  their  joy  and  astonishment  this 
morning  they  found  the  pavements  and  public  square 
covered   with    "gray    coats,"    still   holding   their  jaded 


August,  1804.  443 

horses  by  the  reins  as  they  slept  soundly  after  their 
lonof  ride. 

Moving  some  eic^ht  miles  northward  along  the  Missis- 
sippi Central  railroad  our  brigade  took  a  position  along 
the  south  bank  of  Hurricane  Creek,  within  five  miles  of 
Abbeville,  with  Neely's  Brigade  on  our  right.  Here  we 
built  a  line  of  breastworks  of  rails  and  logs,  behind  which 
we  remained  during  the  rest  of  the  day  and  that  night 
unmolested  by  the  enemy.  Meanwhile,  Chalmers,  who 
had  been  reinforced  by  Mabry's  brigade,  moved  back  to 
Oxford. 

Friday,  12th. — McCulloch's  Brigade  moved  up  and 
took  a  position  on  the  right  of  Neely's,  while  Mabry's 
Brigade  was  thrown  out  on  the  road  leading  to  Wyatt. 
some  two  miles  leftward  of  our  brigade. 

Between  one  and  two  v.  m.  the  enemy  made  their  ap- 
pearance on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek.  After  a 
slight  skirmish  with  small  arms  our  artillery  opened, 
which  caused  the  Federals  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  Four 
or  five  Confederates  were  wounded  in  this  little  affair. 

Saturday,  13th. — A  squad  of  our  men  went  out  on  a 
scout  and  captured  about  twenty-five  Federals  near 
Abbeville. 

About  three  p.  m.  the  enemy  again  made  their  appear- 
ance, this  time  in  heavy  force.  Their  artillery  opened 
from  a  position  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  being  im- 
mediately replied  to  by  our  guns.  Mabry's  Brigade, 
being  overmatched,  was  pressed  back,  thus  leaving  the 
left  of  our  brigade  uncovered.  Only  the  extreme  left 
of  our  brigade  had  come  in  contact  with  the  enemy, 
when  the  whole  Confederate  line  fell  back  without  being 
pressed  to  another  position  about  two  miles  rearward. 
By  this  time  it  was  dark,  and  we  were  not  molested  any 


444  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

more  by  the  enemy  that  night.  Our  brigade  fell  back 
to  Oxford,  and  went  into  camp  about  ten  p.  m. 

Sunday,  ijf.th. — A  scout  was  sent  back  to  Hurricane 
Creek  early  in  the  morning,  but  found  no  enemy.  Late 
in  the  evening  the  Second  Tennessee  went  out  to  said 
creek  on  picket. 

Monday,  i^th. — We  could  occasionally  see  the  Fed- 
eral pickets  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek.  Shots  were 
exchanged  every  now  and  then  through  the  day.  On 
being  relieved  late  in  the  afternoon  we  returned  to  camp 
at  Oxford.  We  now  had  the  pleasure  of  a  three  days' 
rest  before  starting  on 

THE  MEMPHIS  EXPEDITION. 

TJnn-sday,  iStJi. — From  reports  of  scouts,  it  now  be- 
came evident  that,  having  rebuilt  the  railroad  to  Abbe- 
ville,  collected  supplies  of  subsistence  and  forage  and 
laid  a  pontoon  bridge  across  the  Tallahatchie,  the  Fed- 
eral commander  designed  to  concentrate  his  whole  force 
at  Abbeville  with  the  view  to  serious  offensive  move- 
ments beyond.  Knowing  his  inability  to  contend  suc- 
cessfully with  the  force  of  his  opponent,  Forrest  rapidly 
reviewed  the  situation  and  happily  resolved  upon  a 
counter  movement.  That  is  to  say,  he  determined  to 
lead,  by  forced  marches,  a  picked  detachment  of  his 
command  and  threaten,  if  not  capture,  the  city  of  Mem- 
phis, with  the  effect,  as  he  hoped,  of  forcing  General 
Smith  to  return  to  the  relief  of  that  place.  Therefore, 
the  necessary  orders  for  the  expedition  were  immedi- 
ately issued,  and  detachments  of  Bell's  and  Neely's 
Brigades  and  Morton's  Battery  were  directed  to  be  got 
ready  to  move  that  afternoon.  After  their  ranks  had 
been  carefully  culled  of  those  whose  horses,  on  inspec- 
tion, did  not  promise  ability  for  the  forced  marches  be- 


August,  1864.  44; 


fore  them,  the  detachments  selected  for  the  expedition 
constituted  a  force  of  about  1,500  officers  and  men  and 
four  ofuns. 

Buford  was  now  ordered  to  repair  with  the  Kentucky- 
Brigade  to  Oxford.      Our  Colonel  and  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel  being   absent,  wounded,   Captain    W.   A.    DeBow 
■commanded  our  regiment  during  the  Memphis  expedi- 
tion.* 

About  five  r.  m.,  General  Forrest,  with  the  above 
named  force,  went  forth  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy,  pelting 
rain,  which  had  been  falling  without  intermission  all  day. 
as,  indeed,  for  much  of  the  time  during  several  previous 
days,  in  consequence  of  which  the  streams  were  all  brim- 
full.  After  a  march  of  about  twenty- five  miles  westward 
throucrh  rain  and  mud  and  dense  darkness,  swimminir 
many  streams,  we  halted  about  two  hours  before  day 
-and  allowed  our  jaded  horses  to  rest  until  daylight. 
Not  much  sleep  for  us,  as  it  was  still  raining. 

Fidday,  igtJi. — In  the  saddle  again  by  daybreak,  the 
'command  reached  Panola  about  seven  o'clock  a.  m. 
Here  we  halted,  fed,  and  drew  rations.  The  artillery 
horses  were  now  found  to  be  so  tagged  as  to  make  it 
imprudent  to  take  more  than  two  guns  beyond  that 
point.  Accordingly,  a  selection  being  made  of  the 
most  serviceable  horses,  all  unfit  were  sent  rearward  to 
Grenada.  One  hundred  men  were  also  left  with  their 
horses,  who  were  found  unable  to  endure  the  fatigue 
of  the  expedition.  Resuming  the  march  about  ten  a. 
M.,  over  roads  knee-deep  in  mud  and  water,  by  the  time 
the  command  reached  Senatobia,  twenty-three  miles 
north  of  Panola,  Forrest  saw  that  our  horses  were  so 
fagged  that  it  was  prudent  to  go  no  further  that  day. 

'••■■Qur  Colonel,  C.  R.  Barteau,  reported  for  duty  two  days  after  we  started  to 
Memphis. 


446  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 


Saturday,  20th. — Learning,  before  leaving  Senatobia, 
that  it  would  be  necessary  to  bridge  Hickahala  Creek, 
a  deep  stream,  running  sixty  feet  broad,  with  full  banks, 
General  Forrest  spread  detachments  over  the  interme- 
diate country  to  collect  the  lumber  from  cotton-gin-house 
floors,  and  carry  it  on  their  shoulders  to  the  crossing, 
about  four  miles  north  of  Senatobia.  Out  of  the  abun- 
dant, luxuriant  grape-vines  of  the  country  a  strong, 
twisted  cable  was  made  ;  this,  quickly  stretched  across 
the  stream,  was  firmly  fastened  to  a  tree  on  either  bank. 
At  the  same  time  some  dry  cedar  telegraph-poles  were 
cut  down  and  tied  together,  with  grape-vines  also,  into 
large,  but  comparatively  light,  rafts,  and  rolled  into  the 
creek  to  serve  as  pontoons.  Floated  into  position,  two 
of  these  were  attached  to  the  cable,  likewise  with  grape- 
vines, and  a  small  flatboat  (about  twenty  feet  long)  was 
placed  and  fastened  intermediately  in  the  same  manner 
as  a  central  pontoon.  Other  telegraph-poles  were  then 
laid  across  the  pontoons,  and  over  these  the  flooring  was 
spread,  and  a  pontoon  bridge  was  thus  constructed  ii\ 
little  more  than  one  hour.  The  command  began  the 
crossing  at  once,  in  columns  of  two,  the  men  leading 
their  horses,  and  the  artillery,  unlimbered,  was  safely 
carried  over  by  hand. 

Cold  Water  River,  some  seven  miles  beyond,  was  also 
found  beyond  fording,  with  only  a  small  ferryboat,  capa- 
ble of  transporting  four  horses  at  a  time ;  and  here, 
again,  a  bridge  was  absolutely  requisite,  and  one,  too, 
double  the  length  of  that  at  Hickahala.  Another  grape- 
vine cable  was  quickly  prepared,  and,  happily,  some  dry 
cypress  logs  were  found  at  hand,  with  which  pontoon 
rafts  were  m.ade  and  disposed  as  at  Hickahala,  while  the 
ferryboat  constituted  the  midway  pontoon.     Telegraph- 


August,  1864.  447 


poles  furnished  the  necessary  material,  and  neighboring 
lujin-houses  the  requisite  flooring.  In  less  than  three 
hours,  the  second  bridge  being  ready  for  service,  the 
command  began  the  passage,  which,  as  before,  was 
effected  without  casualty.  Our  regiment  being  in  the 
rear,  crossed  a  little  before  sunset,  and  by  a  little  after 
nightfall  we  closed  up  the  rear  at  Hernando,  ten  miles 
beyond  Cold  Water  River,  and  within  twenty-five  miles 
of  Memphis. 

Forrest  was  here  met  by  some  of  his  scouts,  who  had 
left  Memphis  that  day  with  accurate  information  touch- 
ing the^  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy's  troops  in 
and  around  the  city,  where  all  was  quiet,  and  without 
the  least  expectation  of  the  danger  impending.  Halt- 
ing at  Hernando  but  a  few  moments,  we  now  took  the 
direct  road  to  Memphis. 

ACTION  AT  MEMPHIS. 

Sunday,  2ist. — In  spite  of  the  mud,  fog,  darkness,  and 
the  great  fatigue  of  our  horses.  General  Forrest  drew 
rein  about  three  o'clock  this  morning  at  Cane  Creek, 
only  four  miles  from  Memphis.  By  this  time  he  was 
well  informed  in  regard  to  the  numbers  and  positions  of 
the  Federal  troops,  and  the  location  of  their  prominent 
officers,  as  well  as  the  exact  position  of  the  pickets  on 
that  particular  road.  There  were  fully  five  thousand 
troops,  of  all  arms,  in  and  around  the  city,  for  the  most 
part  negroes  and  one  hundred  days'  men. 

Directing  his  force  to  be  closed  up,  and  summoning 
the  commanders  of  his  brigades  and  detachments  to  the 
front,  Forrest  gave  to  each  definite  and  comprehensive 
instructions  as  to  the  part  assigned  their  respective 
commands  in  the  approaching  drama,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  necessary  guides  were  distributed. 


448  R.  E.  Haxcogk's  Diaky. 

To  a  company  commanded  by  Captain  William  H. 
Forrest  was  given  the  advance,  with  the  ciiity  of  sur- 
prising, if  possible,  the  pickets;  after  which,  without 
being  diverted  by  any  other  purpose,  it  was  to  dash 
forward  into  the  city,  by  the  most  direct  route,  to  the 
Gayoso  House  to  capture  Major-General  Hurlbut  and 
some  staff  officers  who  were  known  to  be  quartered  at 
that  hotel.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Logwood  was  to  press 
rapidly  after  Captain  P^orrest  to  the  Gayoso  House, 
with  the  Twelfth  (Green's)  and  Fifteenth  (Stewart's) 
Tennessee  Regiments,  placing,  however,  detachments 
to  hold  the  junction  respectively  of  Main  and  Beal,  and 
Shelby  and  Beal  streets,  and  to  establish  another  de- 
tachment at  the  steamboat  landing  at  the  foot  of  Union 
street.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jesse  A.  Forrest  (with  Wil- 
son's Regiment  from  Bell's  Brigade)  was  ordered  to 
move  rapidly  down  DeSoto  to  Union,  and  thence  left- 
ward, along  that  street,  to  the  headquarters  of  General 
Washburne,  the  Federal  commander,  whose  capture  it 
was  his  special  duty  to  make.  Colonel  Neely  was  di- 
rected to  attack,  by  an  impetuous  charge,  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  one  hundred  days'  men,  across  the  road  in 
the  outskirts  of  Memphis,  with  a  command  composed 
-of  his  own  regiment  (Fourteenth  Tennessee),  the  Sec- 
•ond  Missouri,  and  the  Eighteenth  Mississippi.  Colonel 
Bell,  being  held  in  reserve,  with  Newsom's,  Russell's, 
and  Barteau's  Regiments  —  the  latter  under  Captain 
DeBow — with  Sale's  section  of  artillery,  was  to  cover 
the  movement.  And  upon  all  commands  the  most  rigid 
silence  was  enjoined,  until  the  heart  of  the  city  was 
reached,  and  the  surprise  had  been  secured.  These 
•dispositions  and  orders  having  been  made,  the  several 
•detachment  commanders  rejoined  their  troops,   formed 


August,  1864.  449 

them  immediately  into  column  of  fours,  and,  at  about  a 
quarter  past  three  a.  im.,  the  whole  command  was  again 
put  in  motion  at  a  slow  walk. 

Captain  Forrest  preceded  the  rest  of  his  company 
some  sixty  paces  with  ten  picked  men.  When  within 
two  miles  of  Court  Square,  the  sharp  challenge  of  the 
picket,  "Who  comes  there?"  was  suddenly  heard  to 
break  the  stillness  of  the  morning  hour,  also  the  Con- 
federate Captain's  cool  and  prompt  reply:  "A  detach- 
ment of  the  Twelfth  Missouri  Cavalry*  with  rebel  pris- 
oners." 

The  customary  rejoinder  quickly  followed,  "Advance 
one." 

Captain  Forrest  rode  forward  in  person,  having  pre- 
viously, in  a  low  tone,  directed  his  men  to  move  slowly 
but  closely  behind  him.  As  soon  as  he  was  in  reach  of 
the  unsuspecting  picket,  mounted,  in  the  middle  of  the 
highway,  the  Confederate  officer  felled  his  adversary  to 
the  ground  by  one  blow  with  his  heavy  revolver,  while, 
at  the  same  instant,  his  men  sprang  forward  and  cap- 
tured the  picket-post  of  some  ten  or  twelve  men — dis- 
mounted at  the  moment — a  few  paces  rearward,  to  the 
left  of  the  highway,  without  any  noise  or  tumult,  except 
the  discharge  of  a  single  gun,  which,  with  no  little  anx- 
iety, was  heard  by  General  Forrest,  who  was  moving 
with  the  head  of  the  main  column  only  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  rearward.  Sending  the  prisoners  immedi- 
ately to  the  rear  Captain  Forrest  pressed  on  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  when  he  encountered  another  out- 
post, which  greeted  him  with  a  volley.  The  daring 
Confederates  dashed  forward,  however,  and  scattered 
the   enemy  in   every  direction.      But,  unhappily,  forget- 

*This  regiment  was  known  to  be  absent  from  Memphis  with  A.  J.  Smith. 

29 


450  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


ting  the  strict  orders  to  be  as  silent  as  swift  in  their 
operations,  Captain  Forrest's  men  shouted  lustily,  and 
the  contagion  spreading,  the  cheer  was  taken  up  and 
resounded  rearward  throug-h  the  whole  column,  now 
roused  to  a  state  of  irrepressible  eagerness  for  the  fray. 

By  this  time  the  head  of  the  column  was  in  a  few 
paces  of  the  Federal  camp,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  cit\- ; 
day  was  breaking,  and  a  long  line  of  tents  was  visible, 
stretching  across  the  country  to  the  eastward  and  west- 
ward of  the  highway  nearly  a  mile.  The  alarm  having 
been  given,  and  the  orders  prescribing  silence  generally 
forgotten  by  his  men.  General  Forrest  directed  his 
bugler  (Gaus)  to  sound  the  charge,  and  all  the  bugles 
of  several  regiments  took  up  and  repeated  the  inspir- 
ing notes.  Another  cheer  burst  forth  spontaneously 
from  the  whole  line,  and  all  broke  ardently  forward  in  a 
swift,  impetuous  charge. 

Captain  Forrest,  dashing  rapidly  by  the  infantry  en- 
campment with  his  little  band  (some  forty  strong)  en- 
countered an  artillery  encampment  (six  guns)  eight  or 
nine  hundred  yards  beyond.  Sweeping  down  with  a 
shout  and  a  volley  from  their  pistols  the  Confederates, 
drove  the  F^ederals  from  their  guns,  after  killing  or 
wounding  some  twenty  of  the  gunners.  This  effected 
they  pressed  forward  into  the  city,  and  did  not  halt  until 
they  drew  rein  before  the  Gayoso  Hotel,  into  the  office 
of  which  Captain  Forrest  and  several  of  his  companions 
entered  without  dismounting,*  and  in  a  moment  his  men, 
spreading  through  the  corridors  of  that  spacious  estab- 
lishment, were  busily  searching  for  General  Hurlbut  and 
other  Federal  officers,  to  the  great  consternation  of  the 

»Allen  Wylie  and  Claib  We3t  (Second  Tennessee)  being  with  Captain  For- 
rest, were  the  first  to  enter  the  Gayoso  Hotel. 


August,  1864.  451 

startled  o-uests  of  the  house.  Some  of  the  Federal  offi- 
cers,  roused  by  the  tumult,  rushing  forth  from  their 
rooms,  misapprehending  the  gravity  of  the  occasion, 
offered  resistance,  and  one  of  their  number  was  killed 
and  some  others  captured,  but  General  Hurlbut  was  not 
to  be  found.  Happily  for  that  officer,  his  social  habits 
having  led  him  out  of  his  quarters  the  evening  before, 
they  had  also  held  him  in  thrall  and  absent  from  his 
lodging  throughout  the  night. 

Unfortunately,  Logwood  was  moving  in  rear  of  Neely, 
and,  in  attempting  to  pass,  his  men  became  so  inter- 
mingled with  Neely's  that  he  was  unable  to  push  on  and 
enter  the  city  as  soon  as  had  been  expected.  The  time 
thus  lost  proved  to  be  precious  moments,  for  the  Fed- 
erals, having  been  aroused  by  Captain  Forrest,  were 
flying  to  arms  and  into  line  and  the  artillery  was  being 
remanned.  Ordered  to  push  on  into  the  heart  of  the 
city  without  halting  to  give  battle  on  the  wayside,  Log- 
wood, placing  himself  at  the  head  of  his  men,  pressed 
ohward  for  some  distance,  running  a  gauntlet  of  small- 
arm  volleys  from  the  right,  until  a  turn  of  the  road 
brought  him  in  the  presence  of  a  line  of  infantry  directly 
across  the  way  and  sweeping  it  with  their  fire.  Un- 
swerved,  on  rushed  the  Confederates  with  their  well- 
known  yell,  and  burst  through  the  opposing  ranks. 
Hastening  onward,  a  battery*  was  seen  to  the  leftward, 
but  commanding  a  straight  reach  of  the  road  ahead,  and 
the  gunners  of  which  were  busily  charging  the  pieces. 
In  view  of  the  danger  his  command  incurred  from  this 
battery.  Logwood  was  obliged  to  charge  and  disperse 
those  who  manned  it ;  and,  giving  the  command  to 
charge,   his    men    swooped    down    upon    their  luckless 

■•'■Supposed  to  be  the  same  battery  that  Captain  Forrest  had  encountered. 


452  E.  R.  Haxcogk's  Diary. 

enemy,  a  number  of  whom  were  knocked  down  at  the 
pieces,  while  the  rest  were  driven  off  before  they  were 
able  to  fire  a  gun.  Resuming  his  charge  toward  the 
city,  Logwood  in  a  few  minutes  entered  and  galloped 
down  Hernando  street  to  the  market-house  and  up 
Beal,  across  Maine  to  the  Gayoso  House,  and  his  men 
were  soon  busily  engaged  in  completing  the  search  of 
that  hotel  for  Federal  officers.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren and  some  men  were  screaming  or  crying  with 
affright,  or  shouting  and  clapping  their  hands  and  wav- 
ing their  handkerchiefs  with  joy  as  they  recognized  the 
mud-bespattered,  gray  uniforms  of  the  Confederate 
soldiery  in  their  streets  once  more.  Soon,  indeed,  the 
scene  was  one  of  memorable  excitement.  Memphis  was 
the  home  of  many  of  those  gray-coated  young  riders  who 
thus  suddenly  burst  into  the  heart  of  their  city  that  Aug- 
ust morning,  and  the  women,  young  and  old,  forgetting 
the  costume  of  the  hour,  throwing  open  their  window- 
blinds  and  doors,  welcomed  their  dear  countrymen  by 
voice  and  smiles  and  every  possible  manifestation  of  the 
delight  inspired  by  such  an  advent. 

During  the  same  time,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Forrest, 
speeding  with  his  regiment  toward  the  headquarters  of 
Major-General  Washburne,  on  Union  street,  reached 
that  point  without  serious  resistance  to  find,  however, 
the  Federal  commander  had  already  flown,  but  several 
of  his  staff  were  captured  before  they  could  dress  and 
follow  their  fleet-footed  leader. 

Colonel  Neely  dashed  into  the  Federal  encampment 
on  the  right  of  the  road,  while  Captain  DeBow  threw 
the  Second  Tennessee  into  position  (mounted)  on  the 
left,  in  support  of  Lieutenant  Sale's  section  of  artillery, 
which  was  thrown  into  position  and  opened  upon  the 
enemy  about  daybreak. 


August,  18C4.  453 

Meanwhile  Neely  had  met  serious  resistance  in  the 
execution  of  his  orders.  The  infantry — at  least  a  thou- 
sand strong — which  it  was  his  part  to  attack,  had  been 
formed  in  line  in  time  to  receive  his  force  with  a  w-arm 
fire  of  small  arms.  Seeing  this  check,  General  Forrest, 
who  had  remained  with  the  reserves  under  Colonel  Bell, 
led  them  rapidly  by  the  right  flank  to  reinforce  Neely, 
but  on  the  way  developed  a  cavalry  encampment  just 
eastward  of  the  infantry,  from  which  the  Confederates 
received  a  heavy  fire.  Being  in  advance,  Forrest 
charged  promptly  with  his  escort  (mounted)  over  inter- 
vening fences  and  through  some  gardens,  dispersing  the 
dismounted  occupants  of  the  encampment,  and  captur- 
ing nearly  all  their  horses,  with  a  number  of  prisoners. 
Neely,  at  the  same  time  making  a  vigorous  onset  upon 
the  infantry,  succeeded  in  driving  them,  with  some  loss, 
from  their  position ;  whereupon  they  and  the  dispersed 
dismounted  cavalry  took  refuge  in  the  extensive  brick 
buildings  of  the  "State  Female  College,"  several  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  a  strong  defensive  position.  Fol- 
lowed by  the  Confederates,  the  enemy  poured  a  noisy 
and  annoying  fire  from  behind  the  cover  afforded  by  the 
college.  At  this  Forrest  ordered  up  Captain  DeBow 
with  the  Second  Tennessee  (dismounted),  and  also 
Lieutenant  Sale  with  the  artillery,  and  dismounting 
some  other  troops,  made  an  effort  to  dislodge  the  Fed- 
erals, and  an  animated  skirmish  ensued.  A  number  of 
shells  were  thrown  and  exploded  in  the  main  building, 
but  it  soon  became  apparent  the  position  was  only  to  be 
gained  at  a  loss  far  greater  than  was  required  for  the 
success  of  the  expedition,  therefore,  the  troops  were 
withdrawn ;  not,  however,  until  after  we  had  suffered 
some  loss,  for  the  Federals  had  decidedly  the  advantage 


454  E.  K,  Haxcock's  Diaky. 

— they  behind  brick  walls,  while  we  had  no  protection. 
The  Second  Tennessee,  being  directly  in  front  of  the 
college,  suffered  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  portion 
of  the  command.  W.  W.  Harrison*  (Company  C), 
Perry  Marks  (Company  B),  who  had  distinguished  him- 
self in  storming  the  w^orks  at  Fort  Pillow,  and  about 
four  others,  were  killed.  Lieutenant  H.  L.  W.  Turney, 
who  was  in  command  of  Company  C,  our  color-bearer, 
H.  C.  Odomf  (Company  C),  and  some  others,  were 
wounded.  All  the  commissioned  officers  of  our  com- 
pany (C)  now  being  wounded,  the  Second  Sergeant,  A. 
B.  McKnight  (brother  to  our  captain),  took  command 
of  our  company. 

Finding  that  the  enemy  were  rapidly  rallying  and  as- 
sembling, Forrest  had  previously  ordered  the  troops  to 
evacuate  the  city  and  concentrate  at  the  Federal  infantry 
camp,  which   I   have  mentioned.     This  order  found  the 

■*Than  whom  Company  C  could  boast  of  no  better  a  soldier.  He  was  brother 
to  Lieutenant  J.  S.  Harrison. 

tThe  gallantry  displayed  here  by  the  color-bearer  of  the  Second  Tennessee 
deserves  special  mention.  Pressing  on  in  advance  with  our  colors,  Odom  entered 
the  college  yard,  and  when  within  about  fifteen  steps  of  that  building  he  and  a 
Federal  who  was  standing  in  the  door  opened  fire  at  each  other.  One  ball  cut 
the  flagstaff  in  two  and  grazed  Odom's  face.  After  Odom's  third  shot  the  door 
was  closed,  when  on  looking  back  he  found  that  he  was  the  only  man  inside  the 
college  yard,  the  rest  of  the  regiment  having  very  prudently  halted  at  the  yard 
fence,  it  being  the  only  cover  at  hand.  A  stream  of  fire  was  now  pouring  from 
all  the  windows  of  that  large  building.  Turning  and  passing  out  at  the  gate 
Odom  was  soon  after  shot  down  by  a  ball  wiiich  passed  through  his  left  arm  and 
left  lung,  and  lodged  just  under  the  left  shoulder  blade.  Lieutenant  Turney 
now  sprang  to  the  rescue  of  our  colors  and  the  assistance  of  Odom,  but  just  as 
he  slooped  to  raise  Odom  his  [Turney's]  right  arm  was  shivered  above  the 
elbow.  About  this  time  the  command  commenced  falling  back.  Odom  suc- 
ceeded in  rising  to  his  feet  and  ran  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  jards,  and  by 
this  time  he  was  completely  exhausted  and  had  to  stop.  Luckily,  Wallace  Wil- 
son and  Billie  Watt  came  to  his  assistance,  and  soon  after  coming  up  with  Allen 
Wylie  mounted,  the  latter  took  Odom  up  heiiind  and  carried  him  about  half  a 
mile  back,  where  the  ball  was  cut  out.  B.  F.  S.  Odom  now  took  him  in  a  buggy 
to  where  the  command   halted,   near  Cane  Creek,  about  four  miles  from  Mem- 


Lieutenant  H.   L.   W.  TURNEV,  Co.  C. 


August,  1804.  455 


Confederates  greatly  dispersed  and  widely  spread  over 
the  city,  many  with  the  hope  and  object  of  meeting  and 
greeting  friends  and  kindred,  but  for  the  most  part  in- 
tent upon  the  discovery  and  appropriation  of  horses. 
Few,  indeed,  retained  their  regimental  or,  in  fact,  com- 
pany organizations.  As  soon,  however,  as  they  could 
be  collected,  and  Lieutenant-Colonels  Logwood  and  For- 
rest having  effected  a  junction  on  DeSoto  Street,  they 
moved  out  together,  but  encountered  a  strong  body  of 
infantry  formed  across  the  road  near  Provine's  house  as 
a  support  to  the  battery  there— the  gunners  of  which 
were  twice  dispersed  previously—  which  was  remanned 
once  more,  and  commanded  the  road,  A  warm  colli- 
sion occurred,  in  the  course  of  which  the  Confederates 
captured  this  battery  the  third  time.  Colonels  Logwood 
and  Forrest  then  hastened  to  rejoin  their  commander, 
as  directed  ;  and  as  all  the  Confederates  were  now  with- 
drawn from  the  city  except  some  stragglers  and  those 
who  had  been  captured  or  killed.  General  Forrest  gave 
orders  (about  nine  a.  m.)  for  the  whole  force  to  withdraw. 
The  object  of  the  expedition  having  been  in  the  main 

jihis;  here  our  surgeons  dressed  liis  wound  and  pronounced  him  mortally 
wounded.  The  comninnd  was  moving  off,  and  it  appears  that  Odom  was  about 
to  lie  left  here  tiy  the  roadside  to  die  alone.  In  the  meantime  General  Forrest 
liad  stepped  off  to  a  farm  house  near  by,  and  on  returning  to  the  road  to  mount 
and  follow  the  command  and  seeing  that  Odom  had  been  left,  he  said  to  him 
[Odom],  ''I  \\'ill  see  that  you  are  taken  care  of."  Now  kindly  taking  him  by 
the  hand,  the  General  bade  him  farewell  and  was  proceeding  to  mount  when 
Odom  asked,  "Mow  far  are  you  going  to-night,  General?"  "To  Hernando," 
was  the  reply.  ''  I,"  said  Odom,  "think  that  lean  stand  it  to  go  that  far;  I  don^( 
-iVanl  to  In'  left  here.''''  Forrest  then  ordered  four  of  his  escort  company  to  take 
charge  of  Odom.  An  ambulance  was  soon  brought  back,  and  he  and  Lieutenant 
Turney,  who  was  at  a  house  near  by,  were  taken  to  Doctor  Love's,  two  miles 
from  Hernando,  where  Turney  remained  one  week  and  Odom  three  months  and 
a  half;  the  latter  was  then  taken  to  Charlie  Brock's,  near  Aberdeen,  where  he 
remained  until  the  war  closed.  He  is  yet  (1887)  suffering  from  that  wound. 
He  stdl  remembers  with  gratitude  the  kindness  thus  shown  him  by  our  nolde 
General. 


456  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

attained  by  the  confusion  and  consternation  into  which 
the  garrison  had  been  thrown  by  his  operations  of  that 
morning,  it  only  remained,  to  secure  the  entire  success 
of  Forrest's  plans,  that  General  Smith  should  receive  as 
early  intelligence  of  the  occurrence  as  possible,  and 
therefore  he  retired  to  give  General  Washburne  leisure 
and  opportunity  to  telegraph  the  menacing  situation  at 
Memphis  and  ask  for  succor,  which  it  was  felt  assured 
he  would  do. 

Meanwhile,  some  of  the  Confederates  who  had  ling- 
ered in  the  city,  or  had  lost  their  way  in  the  general 
dispersion  which  occurred,  were  chased  out  by  a  body 
of  several  hundred  Federal  cavalry,  a  strong  detach- 
ment of  which  made  a  dash  at  some  of  Forrest's  men 
still  in  the  infantry  camp,  and  just  in  the  act  of  mount- 
ing. Seeing  their  jeopardy,  Forrest  sprang  forward 
with  a  small  detachment  of  the  ever-reliable  Second 
Missouri,  that  happened  to  be  most  convenient,  and  a 
close,  sanguinary  collision  took  place.  Among  the  slain 
on  this  occasion  was  a  Federal  field  officer  (Colonel 
Starr),  who,  while  urging  his  men  forward,  was  mortally 
wounded  by  the  hand  of  General  Forrest.  With  this 
affair  the  contest  terminated,  and  the  Confederates 
moved  back  southward  on  the  Hernando  road  for  about 
a  mile,  when  they  were  halted  and  directed  to  exchange 
their  jaded  horses  for  those  captured  in  the  city,  some 
four  hundred  in  number. 

Company  C,  Second  Tennessee,  under  the  gallant  A. 
B.  McKni^ht,  stood  on  ouard  in  the  rear  while  the 
command  was  halted  here.  It  was  now  found  that  some 
six  hundred  prisoners  had  been  brought  away,  including 
some  citizens,  and  many  convalescent  soldiers,  who, 
when  the  alarm  was   pfiven,  havinof  fied  from  their  hos- 


August,  18G4.  457 


pitals  into  the  streets,  had  been  captured.  Nearly  all 
were  bareheaded,  and  numbers  were  without  shoes  or 
clothing,  except  that  in  which  they  slept.  After  some 
delay  at  this  point  the  march  was  resumed  about  noon, 
but  on  reaching  Cane  Creek  it  was  apparent  that  few 
of  the  prisoners  were  able  to  walk  in  their  shoeless 
condition,  while  the  convalescents  were  utterly  unable 
to  make  such  a  march  as  was  impending.  General 
Forrest  therefore  dispatched  a  flag  of  truce  by  Captain 
Anderson,  accompanied  by  a  captured  staff  officer,  to 
propose,  as  an  act  of  humanity,  that  the  prisoners  in  his 
possession  be  exchanged  for  those  of  his  own  command 
taken  that  morning,  and  that  the  rest  would  be  turned 
loose  on  parole,  provided  General  Washburne  would 
accept  the  arrangement  as  binding;  but  in  the  event 
that  this  proposition  was  rejected,  he  would  wait  at 
Nonconnah  Creek  for  the  necessary  clothing  to  be  sent 
out.  A  little  after  two  r.  m.  Captain  Anderson  returned 
w^ith  General  Washburne's  reply,  to  the  effect  that,  hav- 
ing no  authority  to  recognize  the  proposed  parole  of  the 
prisoners,  he  could  not  do  so,  but  thanking  Forrest  for 
the  proffered  privilege  of  supplying  them  with  clothing, 
that  should  be  done  as  speedily  as  possible.  After  some 
delay.  Colonel  W.  P.  Hepburne  and  Captain  H.  S.  Lee, 
two  officers  of  the  F'ederal  army,  appeared  with  a  flag 
of  truce  and  clothincr  for  both  officers  and  men,  which 
were  promptly  and  properly  distributed.  This  done, 
the  prisoners  were  drawn  up,  and  after  examination  by 
surgeons,  the  able-bodied  were  selected,  some  four  hun- 
dred in  number,  and  mounted  upon  the  led  horses  to 
accompany  the  command.  The  others — that  is,  the 
sick  or  disabled  and  all  citizens — were  then  marched 
back  across  the  Nonconnah  and  turned  adrift  to  return 


458  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

to  Memphis,  but  with  the  promise  exacted  not  to  bear- 
arms,  or  otherwise  injure  the  Confederate  cause,  until, 
they  should  be  regularly  exchanged. 

Another  difficulty  now  presented  itself  in  connection' 
with  the  remaining  prisoners.  Exposed  since  leaving; 
Oxford  to  the  continuous  heavy  rains,  and  in  the  swim- 
ming of  streams,  the  rations  of  the  command,  it  was; 
found,  had  been  almost  all  destroyed,  and  there  were- 
consequently  none  for  issue  to  the  prisoners.  In  this 
dilemma,  with  that  readiness  which  ever  served  him, 
General  Forrest,  before  leaving  Nonconnah,  wrote  to- 
General  Washburne,  and  setting  forth  in  emphatic  terms, 
this  inability  to  feed  his  prisoners,  suggested,  as  he 
would  not  receive  them  on  parole,  that  he  should  at 
least  send  something  that  night  for  them  to  eat  on  the 
road  to  Hernando,  where  he  would  be  found.  This 
communication  having  been  dispatched,  Forrest  resumed 
his  movement  toward  Hernando,  at  which  place — seven- 
teen miles  distant — he  arrived  in  four  hours,  and  then 
halted  for  the  night.  The  Second  Tennessee  camped 
about  three  miles  north  of  Hernando,  in  DeSoto  Count)-. 

Monday,  22d. — About  daylight.  Colonel  Hepburne, 
Captain  Lee,  and  several  Federal  officers,  overtook  the 
Confederate  command  with  two  wagon-loads  of  supplies,, 
of  the  contents  of  which,  after  issuing  two  days'  rations 
to  the  prisoners,  enough  was  left  for  the  whole  command 
for  a  day. 

Remaining  at  Hernando,  as  if  intending  to  retire  no- 
further,  Forrest  gave  his  men  rest  until  the  Federal 
officers  with  the  subsistence  wagons  had  left  to  return 
to  Memphis,  when,  about  eight  a.  m.,  he  rapidly  resumed 
his  march  to  Panola,  which  place  he  reached  by  ten 
o'clock  that  night ;  however,  some  of  the  command  did' 
not  arrive  until  after  midnight. 


August,  ]S04.  450 


Tuesday,  2jd. — General  Forrest,  with  his  staff,  escort, 
and  the  section  of  Morton's  Battery  that  liad  been  with 
him  on  the  expedition,  went  by  rail  to,  and  fixed  his 
headquarters  at,  Grenada,  leaving  orders  for  the  several 
commands  that  had  accompanied  him  to  Memphis  to 
rejoin  their  respective  divisions,  still  under  General 
Chalmers,  along  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad. 

Wed7tesday,  2^th. — Our  brigade,  having  set  out  from 
Panola  to  rejoin  the  division,  marched  sixteen  miles 
south-west  and  camped  for  the  night  on  Zacona  River. 

TJuirsday,  2^tJi. — Crossing  to  the  south  side  of  the 
Zacona  and  moving  some  twenty  miles  eastward,  we 
struck  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad  at  Water  Val- 
ley ;  thence  moving  northward  along  the  railroad  about 
six  miles,  we  found  the  rest  of  our  division  and  encamped 
with  it  near  Springdale,  some  twelve  miles  south  of  Ox- 
ford. 

Our  Colonel — C.  R.  Barteau — took  command  of  the 
regiment  again  for  the  first  time  since  being  wounded 
at  Harrisburg.  Having  reported  for  duty  (the  20th) 
too  late  to  go  with  us  to  Memphis,  he  was  assigned  to 
duty  on  General  Buford's  staff  until  his  regiment  re- 
turned.* 

Reverting  to  affairs  at  Oxford,  we  find  that  General 
Chalmers  skillfully  disposed  and  handled  his  small  com- 
mand (about  two  thousand  effectives)  to  conceal  the  ab- 
sence of  his  superior  with  so  important  a  part  of  the 
Confederate  force.  With  this  view,  during  the  19th,  he 
made  several  sharp  attacks  upon  the  outposts  on  all  the 
roads  occupied  by  the  Federals.  Nevertheless,  the  en- 
emy pressed  forward  heavily,  and,  by  a  flank  movement 
of  the  enemy,  Chalmers  was  forced  to  evacuate  Oxford 

*  Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 


460  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

and  fall  back  south  of  the  Zacona  on  the  21st.  The 
Federal  advance,  however,  did  not  enter  Oxford  until 
about  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2 2d,  but  a 
column  of  infantry  soon  followed.  The  railroad  depot 
was  burned  in  the  morning,  but  no  private  buildings 
were  sebon  fire.  About  midday,*  however,  orders  were 
given  by  the  Federal  commander  for  the  burning  of  the 
public  buildings  and  unoccupied  houses.  In  this  con- 
flagration were  consumed  all  the  principal  business 
houses,  with  an  accidental  exception,  the  two  brick 
hotels  of  the  place,  and  of  course  the  flames  spread 
rapidly  to  several  dwellings  occupied  by  women  and 
children  and  sick  persons,  happily  rescued,  however, 
from  destruction  by  the  exertions  of  the  inhabitants  ot 
Oxford. 

By  the  22d  dispatches  were  received  of  Forrest's  movement  upon 
Memphis,  and  the  Federal  commander,  exasperated  by  the  manner  in 
which  he  had  been  outwitted,  wantonly  destroyed  the  town  of  O.Kford, 
under  pretence  of  retaliation  for  exaggerated  wrongs  done  by  our  men 
(as  they  said)  in  Memphis. 

A  more  shameful  and  unwarranted  act  can  hardly  be  found  in  the 
history  of  the  war.f 

About  five  p.  M..  on  the  2  2cl,  the  Federals  were  sud- 
denly withdrawn  from  Oxford,  and  they  began  their  re- 
treat as  rapidly  as  practicably  back  toward  Memphis,  by 
the  way  of  Holly  Springs. 

Sunday,  28th. — Our  division  (Buford's)  moved  up  to 
where  Oxford  had  been,  and  there  we  rested  about  nine 
days. 

Chalmers'  Division  was  quartered  for  a  time  ten  miles 
west  of  Water  \'ailey,  and  subsequently  at  Oakland,  a 

■•■■'It  is  supposed  that  General  Smith  received  a  dispatch  from  Washburne  at 
at  that  time. 

t  Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 


Skptemuer,  1804.  401 


station  midway  between  Panola  and  Grenada,  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Tennessee  Railroad.  About  the  end  of 
the  month,  however,  under  a  requisition  from  Major- 
General  Maury,  Chalmers'  Division  was  detached  to 
proceed  to  West  Point,  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, 671  route  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  Mobile.  Ma- 
bry's  Brigade  had  likewise  been  ordered  away  to  co- 
operate with  General  Wirt  Adams  in  the  direction  of 
the  Yazoo.  It  was  about  this  time,  too,  that  Brigadier- 
General  Lyon  (formerly  Colonel  of  the  Eight  Kentucky) 
rejoined  Buford's  Division,  and  was  again  placed  in 
command  of  the  Kentucky  Brigade  ;  and  also  Colonel 
McCulloch  returned,  sufficiently  recovered  from  his 
wound  to  be  put  at  the  head  of  his  brigade.  And  on 
the  4th  of  September  Forrest,  directing  Buford  to  hold 
his  division  in  readiness  to  follow  at  a  moment's  notice, 
left  Grenada  with  his  staff  and  escort  to  proceed,  by 
way  of  Jackson  and  Meridian,  to  take  part  in  the  de- 
fense of  Mobile. 

McCulloch's  Brigade — except  the  Fifth  Mississippi, 
which  was  on  detached  service — the  advance  of  Chal- 
mers' Division,  having  reached  West  Point  on  the  3d, 
was  at  once  dispatched  by  rail  to  Mobile,  and  remained 
there,  detached  from  Forrest's  Cavalry,  for  six  months ; 
but  just  as  Rucker's  Brigade  (now  under  Colonel  Kel- 
ley)  was  about  to  set  out,  on  the  4th,  for  the  same  point, 
a  telegram  was  received  from  General  Maury  dispens- 
ing with  further  aid  from  Forrest's  command.  There- 
fore, arriving  at  Meridian  on  the  5th,  General  Forrest 
proceeded  by  rail  to  and  fixed  his  headquarters  at  Ve- 
rona, on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad.  Orders  were 
given  at  the  same  time  to  impress  negroes  and  employ 
them,  guarded  by  details  of  dismounted  men,  to  repair 


462  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  as  speedily  as  possible  to 
Corinth,  as  Forrest  had  now  conceived  the  plan  of  throw- 
ing his  force,  with  that  of  Roddy,  across  the  Tennessee 
River  upon  the  line  of  Sherman's  communications  in 
Middle  Tennessee,  and  cuttino"  him  off  from  his  base  of 
supplies. 

Buford's  Division,  Rucker's  Brigade,  and  two  batter- 
ies—  Morton's  and  Walton's  —  were  now  ordered  to 
concentrate  at  Verona.  With  his  command  in  North 
Alabama,  General  Roddy  was  instructed  to  repair  the 
Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  east  of  Corinth,  as 
well  as  to  prepare  boats  for  the  ferriage  of  the  Tennes- 
see River  in  the  vicinity  of  Cherokee  Station.  General 
Chalmers  was  directed  to  take  post  at  Grenada,  in  com- 
mand of  all  the  troops  (Mabry's  Brigade,  brought  up 
froni  Lexington,  the  Fifth  Mississippi,  of  McCulloch's 
Brigade,  and  the  State  Reserves,  or  militia)  not  to  be 
carried  upon  the  expedition  impending. 

Wedgies  day,  September  yih. — General  Buford  set  out 
from  Oxford  with  Lyon's  and  Bell's*  Brigades,  and, 
after  marching  seventeen  miles  eastward,  camped  for 
the  night  at  LaFayette  Springs. 

Thursday,  8th. — Moving  about  twenty  miles  east  our 
division  camped  at  Pontotoc,  and  on  the  9th  we 
marched  through  and  encamped  four  miles  south-east  of 
Verona.  [About  twenty  miles  from  Pontotoc  to  Ver- 
ona.] 

The  Second  Tennessee  was  now  in  fine  spirits  and 
high  glee,  from  the  fact  that  Forrest's  command  was 
now  actively  occupied  in  making  preparations  for 

THE  MIDDLE  TENNESSEE  EXPEDITION. 

Friday,  i6th. — All  things  being  now  ready,  General 
Forrest  left  Verona  this  mornings  with  four  hundred  and 

'^■"  Stitl  composed  of  Barteau's,  Wilson's,  Russell's,  and  Newsoni's  Regiments. 


September,  1804.  463 


fifty  dismounted  men.  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bar- 
nett,  and  the  c^uns  and  caissons  of  his  batteries  to  pro- 
ceed, by  rail,  to  Cherokee  Station,  sixteen  miles  west  of 
Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  by  the  way  of  Corinth.  Four 
trains  followed  freighted  with  subsistence  and  quarter- 
master's stores  for  his  command. 

General  Buforcl,  setting  out  also  from  Verona  this 
morning  for  the  same  destination  with  his  division, 
Rucker's  Brigade,  and  the  horses  of  Morton's  and  Wal- 
ton's Batteries,  marched  to  (about  twenty-one  miles) 
•and  encamped  on  Tombigbee  river,  near  Fulton. 

Saturday,  ijth. — After  a  march  of  about  thirty- five 
miles  we  bivouacked  on  Little  Bear  Creek. 

Sunday,  i8tJi. — We  marched  to  and  camped  at  Cher- 
okee. As  General  Forrest  had  to  repair  the  railroad  in 
many  places  and  all  the  wood  used  by  the  locomotives 
had  to  be  cut  by  the  wayside  by  his  troops,  who  like- 
wise, in  the  absence  of  tanks,  kept  the  boilers  filled  with 
water  brought  in  buckets  from  the  streams  that  bor- 
dered or  intersected  the  road,  he  did  not  arrive  at  Cher- 
okee until  the  19th. 

Roddy's  Division  was  reported  to  be  in  readiness  for 
the  field,  but  during  the  20th  the  whole  command  re- 
mained at  Cherokee,  actively  occupied  in  cooking  their 
rations,  or  other  preparations,  especially  the  shoeing  ot 
their  horses. 

Wednesday,  21st. — General  Roddy  had  collected  the 
requisite  means  of  ferriage  for  the  artillery  at  Colbert's 
Ferry,  just  above  the  head  of  Colbert  Shoals,  about 
seven  miles  from  Cherokee,  and  to  that  point  the  dis- 
mounted men  and  batteries  repaired,  while  the  cavalry 
moved  to  the  ford  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  shoals. 
Placing  a  guide  at  the  head  of  the  column,  Forrest  di- 


464  It.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

rected  it  to  make  the  crossing  in  a  column  formed  by 
twos  and  kept  well  closed  up,  so  as  not  to  lose  the  de- 
vious and  obscure  pathway  through  the  breakers.  Thus 
disposed,  our  cavalry,  venturing  into  the  river,  boldly 
dared  the  perils  of  a  ford,  to  stray  from  which  a  short 
distance,  either  to  the  right  or  left,  was  almost  certain 
destruction,  for  falling  into  some  pit  the  luckless  trooper* 
would  have  been  drawn  down  stream  f  by  the  current 
and  dashed  against  the  jagged  rocks  which  crowded  the 
rapids  on  all  sides  with  almost  certain  hazard  of  being 
disabled  and  drowned.  At  one  time  the  whole  ford  from 
side  to  side  was  filled  with  horsemen,  presenting  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  huge,  sinuous,  tawny  serpent  stretched 
across  the  river  amono-  the  breakers.  The  river  at  this 
point  was  about  2,000  yards  broad  in  a  straight  line  ; 
but  the  ford,  winding  along  the  shallows  on  the  ledges 
of  the  shoals,  was  quite  two  miles  in  length.  This  dan- 
gerous feat  having  been  happily  accomplished,  the  com- 
mand pressed  on  in  the  direction  of  Florence,  and  biv- 
ouacked for  the  night  within  two  miles  of  that  place. 

Thursday,  22d. — Roddy's  command,  having  crossed 
the  river  the  day  before- at  Bainbridge  and  in  that  vicin- 
ity, effected  a  junction  at  Shoal  Creek  with  the  troops 
from  Mississippi,  and  Forrest's  whole  force  was  now  as- 
sembled, about  4,500  strong  of  all  arms. 

Only  making  a  short  march  the  command  bivouacked 
ten  miles  north-east  of  Florence,  Alabama. 

"One  horse  fell,  but  the  rider  succeeded  in  gaining  a  footing  on  a  rock  a 
little  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  where  he  remained  until  some  one  went  to 
his  rescue. 

IB.  A.  High  says:  "I  saw  a  trooper  who,  getting  a  little  too  low  down, 
floated  off  down  the  river;  however,  I  think  that  the  horse  swam  to  shore  with 
the  rider." 

If  a  single  ii(e  was  lost  I  did  not  hear  of  it. 


SKPTEMF5EK,    18(54.  105 


Friday,  2^d. — The  line  of  march  taken  led  eastward 
through  Rogersville,  across  Elk  river  to  Athens,  Ala- 
bama (about  forty-five  miles  east  of  Florence),  an  im- 
portant point  on  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad, 
known  to  be  occupied  in  force  by  the  enemy,  and  in  that 
immediate  vicinity  the  head  of  our  column  arrived  about 
sunset. 

A  considerable  Federal  encampment  was  visible  in 
the  north-eastern  suburbs  of  the  place.  Pressing  for- 
ward his  command,  mounted,  Forrest  soon  iorced  the 
Federals,  who  were  very  much  surprised  by  this  sudden 
onset,  to  take  refuge  in  a  strong  fort  about  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  distant,  south-west  of  Athens,  leaving  the 
horses  and  equipments  of  their  cavalry  in  the  hands  of 
Forrest's  men. 

About  dark  the  Second  Tennessee,  under  Colonel 
Barteau,  was  detached  to  tear  up  the  railroad  northward 
of  Athens.  Barteau  deployed  his  men  in  line  (with 
about  two  men  to  a  cross-tie)  along  the  railroad,  and 
when  the  command  "All  together"  was  given,  a  portion 
of  the  road  the  length  of  the  regiment  was  lilted  from 
its  bed.*  Then  moving  to  another  place  the  same  pro- 
cess was  repeated,  and  so  on.  After  thus  "  swapping 
sides  "  with  a  considerable  portion  of  the  track.  Colonel 
Barteau  rejoined  our  brigade  at  Athens.  Forrest  de- 
ployed his  force  so  as  to  encompass  the  town  and  three 
sides  of  the  fort,  and  thus  awaited  daylight  before 
undertaking  further  operations. 

Saturday,  2^th. — Having  to  bivouac  without  shelter 
last  night  some  of  our  ammunition  was  injured  by  a 
heavy  rainfall. 

■•■■'While  thus  engaged  William  F.  Odotu  (Cumiuiny  C)  was  seriously  hurt  by 
a  railroid  iron  flying  back  and  striking  him. 

30 


466  E.  R.  Haxcociv's  Diart. 

Fully  three  hours  of  the  morning  were  necessarily 
occupied  in  preparation  for  the  attack.  The  dismounted 
men  were  established  meanwhile  as  supports  to  the 
artillery,  which  occupied  four  commanding  positions 
around  the  redoubt,  and  about  eight  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant from  it.  Our  regiment  was  placed  in  line,  along 
the  embankment  of  the  railroad,  about  the  same  dis- 
tance east,  while  the  rest  of  our  brigade  extended  (left- 
ward) around  to  the  south-east  of  the  work;  Lyon 
about  six  hundred  yards  immediately  southward  ;  and 
Rucker's  Brigade,  as  far  from  the  Federal  position,  to 
the  westward  of  it,  while  Johnson  occupied  the  town 
with  Roddy's  men,*  so  extended  in  three  lines  through 
the  streets  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  enemy  to 
estimate  their  actual  strength.  Detachments  from  each 
brigade  were  held,  mounted,  and  thrown  out  to  cover 
all  the  approaches,  and  the  rest,  or  greater  part  of  the 
command,  were  dismounted,  with  the  usual  horse-hold- 
ers, who  were  concentrated  in  one  body.  Thus,  by 
half-past  ten  a.  m.,  the  Federal  position  was  thoroughly 
invested  with  a  double  line  of  riflemen,  the  foremost 
circle  (skirmishers)  being  within  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  the  Federal  trenches.  Being  now  ready  for 
the  attack,  Forrest  determined  to  test  the  efficacy  of  a 
flag  of  truce,  and  accordingly  ordered  the  signal  for  a 
parley  to  be  sounded. 

A  few  moments  later  Major  Strange,  a  staff  officer, 
accompanied  by  Captain  Pointer,  bearing  the  usual  flag 
of  truce,  presented  a  formal  demand  for  the  uncondi- 
tional surrender  of  the  Federal  garrison.  The  answer, 
an  absolute  refusal  to  capitulate,  was  not  long  delayed. 
General  Forrest  immediately  sent  forward  another  com- 

*  General  Roddy  was  sick  and  left  at  Tuscumbia,  Alabama. 


September,  18G4.  467 


munication  requesting  a  personal  interview  with  his  ad- 
versary, which  soon  took  place. 

Our  leader,  at  once  approaching  the  business  of  the 
interview,  earnestly  expressed  his  desire  to  avoid  the 
unnecessary  shedding  of  blood  ;  declared  that  his  means, 
including  artillery,  were  so  ample  that  he  could  carry 
the  position  by  storm,  without  any  hazard  or  failure ; 
and  so  assured  did  he  feel — he  observed — of  this  fact, 
that  he  was  quite  willing  to  exhibit  his  forces  to  the 
Federal  Commander,  Colonel  Campbell,  who  would  find 
it  to  be  fully  eight  thousand  strong,  of  all  arms.  In 
reply,  Campbell  remarked  that,  of  course,  if  he  could 
be  satisfied  such  a  force  actually  surrounded  him,  he 
would  not  feel  authorized  to  maintain  so  useless  a  de- 
fense. His  dispositions  being  favorable  for  his  purpose 
Forrest  proposed  that  his  adversary  should  at  once  re- 
view his  lines,  and  they  rode  together  for  that  purpose. 

The  first  troops  displayed  were  the  dismounted  cav- 
alry, w^ho  were  deployed  as  infantry,  which  they  were 
represented  to  be.  Some  six  hundred  yards  rearward 
the  horse-holders  were  drawn  up,  mounted,  the  horses 
in  their  charge  so  disposed  as  to  be  mistaken  for  a  body 
of  at  least  four  thousand  cavalry,  the  number  indicated 
by  the  wily  Confederate.  The  batteries  were  exhibited 
in  turn,  and  adroitly  shifted  from  position  to  position, 
•  so  as  to  do  double  duty  in  the  display.  By  the  time  the 
inspection  was  concluded  Colonel  Campbell  declared 
that  what  he  saw  far  exceeded  his  conception  of  the 
force  that  confronted  him,  a  force  which,  he  added,  ap- 
peared indeed  to  be  fully  ten  thousand  strong,  and 
made  defense  on  his  part  fruitless  and  unwarranted. 
He  therefore  proposed  to  capitulate,  asking  only  that 
his  officers  might  be  allowed  to  retain  their  private  prop- 


468  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

erty  and  side-arms.  Of  course  this  proposition  was  ac- 
cepted without  discussion  ;  and  Major  Strange  and  Cap- 
tain Anderson,  of  Forrest's  staft,  returned  with  Colonel 
Campbell,  in  order  that  the  surrender  should  take  place 
as  speedily  as  practicable.  Accordingly,  the  garrison 
was  soon  marched  forth  without  arms,  some  fourteen 
hundred,  rank  and  file,  and  the  capitulation  was  effected 
by  one  i^  m. 

"The  work  thus  surrendered  was  a  strong,  square 
redoubt,  built  upon  a  high  hill,  with  parapets  from  eight 
to  ten  feet  high,  encompassed  by  a  ditch  ten  feet  deep, 
and  fifteen  feet  broad,  also  with  a  line  of  abatis;  and 
the  ditch  was  lined  with  sharp  palisades."* 

About  the  time  the  Federal  Colonel  was  reviewing 
our  lines  a  train  came  up  from  the  direction  of  Decatur 
filled  with  Federal  infantry,  who  disembarked  about 
one  mile  from  the  work,  and  were  moved  forward  with 
the  evident  purpose  of  forcing  their  way  to  a  junction 
with  the  invested  garrison.  The  Seventh  Tennessee, 
having  been  already  posted  in  observation  in  that 
quarter,  became  immediately  engaged  in  a  lively  skir- 
mish with  these  troops,  as,  soon  after,  did  a  detachment 
of  Wilson's  and  Russell's  Regiments,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Jesse  F'orrest  (from  Wilson's  Regiment),  de- 
tached for  that  purpose  by  Colonel  Bell  from  his  brigade. 
After  passing  through  or  by  the  detachments  above , 
named — still  pressing  on  toward  the  fort,  along  a  flat 
ridge  west  of  the  railroad — The  Second  Tennessee 
opened  upon  their  right  flank,  while  a  detachment  of 
the  Fifteenth  Tennessee  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Log^- 
wood,  also  fell  upon  their  left.  The  enemy  fought,  and 
were    handled    with    decided    courage    and    resolution; 

*"  Forrest's  Campaigns,"  page  563. 


Septemher,  1864.  469 


many  of  their  number  were  killed  or  wounded.  On 
coming-  in  sight  of  the  fort,  and  seeing  that  it  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  Confederates,  they  quickly  threw 
down  their  arms  and  surrendered  to  the  number  of  four 
hundred,  after  having  struggled  hard  for  nearly  an  hour 
to  eain  the  fort,  during-  which  time  they  had  inflicted 
a  considerable  loss  upon  our  side.* 

Fortunately,  the  garrison  in  the  fort  had  surrendered 
just  in  time  for  us  to  take  in  this  reinforcement. 

Two  block-houses — one  half  a  mile  and  the  other  one 
mile  and  a  half  distant  from  Athens,  on  the  line  of  the 
railroad  to  Decatur — still  remained  to  be  reduced.  Both 
were  immediately  summoned  to  capitulate.  The  one 
most  remote  succumbed  at  once,  and  the  garrison 
(eighty-five  officers  and  men)  laid  down  their  arms  on 
the  like  terms  to  those  granted  Colonel  Campbell.  But 
a  stouter  soldier,  apparently,  held  the  other  fortalice,  for, 
upon  being  approached  by  Claib  West  (Company  G, 
Second  Tennessee)  with  his  handkerchief  tied  to  a  stick 
for  a  white  flag,  the  enemy  at  first  fired  upon  the  flag,t 
but  finally  respected  it.  West  advanced  and  demanded 
his  surrender,  whereupon  the  Federal  officer  in  charge 
haughtily  replied  that,  having-  been  placed  in  command 
by  his  Government,  he  would  forfeit  his  life  rather  than 
yield. 

Captain  Morton,  Chief  of  Artillery,  having  closely 
observed  the  block-house,  formed  and  expressed  to 
General  Forrest  the  opinion  that,  notwithstanding  the 
great  thickness  of  its  walls  of  hewn  oak  timber,  by  firing 
at  the  joints — somewhat  wide  from  shrinkage — ^he  might 

•■Lieutenant-Colonel  Jesse  Forrest  was  severely  wounclei!  through  the  thigh. 
tWest  afterward  remarked  that  his  handkerchief  was  so  dirty  that   perhaps 
the  enemy  mistook  it  for  a  black  flag. 


470  E.  R.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

penetrate  within  the  work  with  his  projectiles.  There- 
upon Morton  was  ordered  to  turn  four  of  his  three-inch 
rifled  pieces  upon  it.  This  done  at  a  range  of  not  ex- 
ceeding three  hundred  yards,  the  first  shot  striking  the 
roof,  scattered  earth  and  plank  in  every  direction,  while 
two  other  shells,  penetrating,  exploded  and  killed  six 
and  wounded  three  of  the  garrison.  The  effect  was 
instantaneous;  the  wicket  was  thrown  hurriedly  open, 
and  an  officer,  rushing  forth  with  a  white  flag,  exclaimed 
in  accents  of  great  excitement,  as  General  Forrest  rode 
forward  in  person  to  meet  him:  "You  have  killed  and 
wounded  nearly  all  my  men ;  your  shells,  sir,  bore 
through  my  block-house  like  an  auger  !  "  This  garrison 
numbered  thirty-five,  making  the  aggregate  of  prisoners 
now  taken  around  Athens  about  nineteen  hundred. 

General  Buford  was  able  to  improve  materially  the 
armament  of  his  division,  and  to  provide  about  two 
hundred  of  his  dismounted  men  with  excellent  mounts. 
Colonel  Wheeler,  of  the  First  Tennessee  Cavalry,  came 
up  about  this  time  with  some  two  hundred  men  belong- 
ing to  General  Wheeler's  Cavalry,  left  in  the  country 
during  that  officer's  recent  expedition.  His  men,  too, 
were  furnished  with  arms  and  equipments.  Four  pieces 
of  artillery,  five  or  six  ambulances,  and  some  twenty 
wagons  and  teams  were  among  the  spoils.  The  cap- 
tured wagons  were  loaded  with  such  supplies,  medical 
stores  and  instruments,  and  ammunition,  as  were  se- 
lected by  the  proper  staff"  officers.  The  rest  of  the 
stores,  to  a  considerable  amount,  were  then  set  on  fire 
and  consumed,  together  with  the  two  block-houses,  the 
adjacent  trestle-work  of  the  railroad,  which  they  com- 
manded, and  all  the  buildings  in  and  around  the  redoubt 
that  had  been  used  by  the  enemy.      Meanwhile  the  dead 


Septej[bek.   1864.  471 


were  buried,  and  the  wounded  of  both  sides  collected 
and  properly  disposed  of  in  Athens  for  treatment. 
Some  forty  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and  about  one 
hundred  wounded.  The  Confederate  loss  was  not  over 
twenty  killed  and  sixty  wounded.  Our  regiment  lost 
but  one  man  (Bob  Fullcrton,  from  West  Tennessee) 
killed.  "We  wrapped  him  in  a  blanket  and  buried  him 
where  he  fell."* 

The  prisoners  and  captured  artillery  and  wagons, 
properly  guarded,  were  dispatched  rearward  in  the  di- 
rection of  Florence  about  five  p.  m.  ;  and  at  the  same 
hour  Forrest  put  his  main  command  in  motion  again, 
along  the  line  of  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad  to 
the  northward,  for  what  is  known  as  the  "Sulphur  Tres- 
tle," about  eleven  miles  from  Athens.  On  the  way  two 
other  block-houses  were  encountered  and  captured  with 
their  garrisons  (seventy)  without  firing  a  gun.  This  was 
effected  by  a  detachment  of  Roddy's  Division,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Windes.  Both  these  block-houses 
and  the  bridges  which  they  guarded  were  destroyed. 
The  command  bivouacked  some  eig-ht  miles  north  of 
Athens. 

Sufiday  2^th. — Having  only  three  miles  to  march, 
Forrest  was  in  front  of  Sulphur  Trestle  early  in  the 
morning.  The  trestle  was  a  costly  structure  which 
spanned  a  deep  ravine,  with  precipitous  sides,  some 
four  hundred  feet  broad.  It  was  sixty  feet  high,  and, 
as  may  be  seen,  formed  a  most  vulnerable  link  in  the 
chain  of  communication  and  supply  between  the  Fed- 
eral forces  in  North  Alabama  and  their  base  at  Nash- 
ville. Hence,  its  protection  was  a  matter  of  vital  mili- 
tary   importance    to    the    former,    and    accordingly  the 

*  Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 


472  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

position  had  been  fortified.  A  square  redoubt,  with 
faces  of  about  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  had  been 
thrown  up  on  an  eminence  to  the  southward  so  as  to 
command  the  trestle  and  all  approaches.  This  was 
furnished  with  two  twelve-pounder  howitzers,  arranged 
so  as  to  sweep  all  possible  avenues  to  the  trestle,  while, 
some  two  hundred  yards  in  advance,  on  three  sides,  it 
was  surrounded  by  a  line  of  rifle-pits.  And  two  for- 
midable block-houses  were  built  in  the  ravine,  at  each 
extremity,  so  as  to  command  the  ravine  and  prevent 
hostile  approach  to  the  trestle  by  that  way.  These 
block-houses  and  the  fort  were  garrisoned  by  about  one 
thousand  men.*    ^ 

Rucker's  Brigade  being  in  advance,  supported  by 
Roddy's  command,  and  dashing  across  an  open  field, 
charged  the  rifle-pits  and  made  the  enemy  seek  shelter 
in  the  fort  after  a  short  skirmish,  but  not  without  the 
loss  of  several  Confederates.  Making  a  close  recon- 
noissance,  P'orrest  saw  that  the  works  made  the  position 
almost  impregnable  to  his  resources,  especially  since 
the  block-houses  were  sheltered  from  his  artillery.  He 
spent  several  hours  in  unimportant  light  skirmishes,  in 
the  course  of  which  he  succeeded,  with  slight  loss,  in 
establishing  a  considerable  portion  of  his  force  within 
one  hundred  yards  of  the  breastworks  of  the  fort,  under 
cover  of  the  acclivity  of  the  ridge  upon  which  it  was 
built,  and  some  ravines  which  seamed  it.  In  the  mean- 
time, also.  Captain  Morton  had  found  and  reported  four 
positions  for  his  artillery  severally  within  eight  hundred 
yards  of  and  commanding  the  fort,  from  which  he  might 
easily  explode  his  shells  in  it.     At  this  stage  of  opera- 

*  Third  Tennessee  (Federal)  cavalry,  four  hundred  strong,  and  about  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty  negro  infantry. 


September,  1864.  473 


tions  Forrest  determined  to  resort  aorain  to  the  artifice 
of  demanding  a  surrender,  and,  accordingly,  Major 
Strange  was  sent  forward,  under  tiag  of  truce,  with  the 
summons.  Fully  an  hour  elapsed  before  he  returned 
with  the  answer — a  positive  refusal. 

Captain  Morton  was  now  ordered  to  establish  his  bat- 
teries in  the  positions  which  he  had  selected,  and  to 
open  with  them  without  delay.  Walton's  guns  were 
soon  in  position  at  two  points,  from  which  he  enfiladed 
a  large  portion  of  the  southern  and  western  faces  of  the 
work,  while  Morton's  own  battery,  to  an  equal  extent, 
raked  its  other  two  faces,  and  Perrell's  guns  were 
brought  to  bear  from  a  somewhat  more  exposed  posi- 
tion in  a  cornfield  within  short  range  of  the  fort.  From 
these  hurtful  positions  the  Confederate  artillery  was 
speedily  plying  with  perceptible  effect. 

Meanwhile,  our  regiment,  under  Colonel  Barteau,  had 
been  thrown  round  to  an  elevated  position  in  an  open 
field  north-west  of  the  fort.  From  this  position  we  had 
a  splendid  view  of  the  interior  of  the  Federal  works.* 

For  a  time  the  enemy  responded  vigorously  with  their 
two  guns,  but  a  shell  from  Lieutenant  Sale's  section  of 
Morton's  Battery  striking  the  lower  lip  of  one  of  them, 
glanced,  and,  striking  the  axle,  exploded,  killing,  it  is 
said,  five  men  and  overturning  the  piece,  and  soon  the 
other  was  dismounted  by  a  shot  planted  squarely  in  its 
mouth  by  Lieutenant  Brown  of  the  same  battery.  The 
Confederate  practice  was  excellent ;  every  shell  fell  and 

*A  somewhat  amusing  incident  happened  about  this  time.  A  negro  who 
had  come  out  of  the  fort  and  was  trying  to  make  good  his  escape,  was  captured 
by  some  of  our  boys.  As  soon  as  his  fright  was  somewhat  over  he  said:  "When 
dat  letter  come  in  dar  wid  Mr.  Forrest's  name  to  it  I  node  dat  was  no  place  for 
dis  nigger — I  node  Mr.  Forrest  before  the  wah — I  node  him  as  well  as  I  node 
Mas  Jim — lie  was  hard  on  niggers  before  the  wah." 


474  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

exploded  within  the  fort,  whose  faces,  swept  in  great 
part  by  an  enfilading  fire,  gave  little  or  no  shelter  to  the 
garrison,  who  were  to  be  seen  fleeing  alternately  from 
side  to  side,  vainly  seeking  cover.  Many  found  it,  as 
they  hoped,  within  some  wooden  buildings  in  the  fort, 
but  shot  and  shell  crashing-  and  tearino-  through  these 
feeble  barriers  either  set  them  on  fire  or  leveled  them  to 
the  ground,  killing  and  wounding  their  inmates  and  ad- 
ding to  the  wild  helplessness  and  confusion  of  the 
enemy  who,  though  making,  meanwhile,  no  proffer  to 
surrender,  had,  nevertheless,  become  utterly  impotent 
for  defense.  Seeing  their  situation,  and  desiring  to  put 
a  stop  to  the  slaughter,  Forrest,  ordering  a  cessation  of 
hostilities,  again  demanded  a  capitulation.  This  time 
the  demand  was  promptly  acceded  to  and  the  surrender 
of  the  block-houses,  as  well  as  the  fort,  was  speedily  ac- 
complished through  the  proper  staff  ofiicers. 

The  interior  of  the  work  presented  a  sanguinary,  sick- 
ening spectacle,  another  shocking  illustration  of  the  lit- 
tle capacity  for  command  and  deficiency  of  military 
knowledge  of  those  appointed  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment over  their  negro  troops,  rather  than  an  example 
of  a  stout,  loyal  maintenance  of  a  soldier's  post  on  the 
part  of  the  garrison.  Eight  hundred  rounds  of  ammu- 
nition had  been  expended  by  our  artillery  in  this  affair, 
and  at  least  two  hundred  Federal  officers  and  men  lay 
slain  within  the  narrow  area  of  that  redoubt,  giving  it 
the  aspect  of  a  slaughter-pen.  Among  the  dead  were 
Colonel  Lathrop,  the  commander,  and  a  number  of  offi- 
cers. Comparatively  few  of  the  garrison  (about  thirty) 
had  been  wounded.  The  bursting  shells  had  done  their 
work  effectively  upon  this  poor,  misofficered  force, 
whose  defense,  manifestly,  from  its  feebleness,  had  been 


September,  18i;4.  475 


thus  prolonged,  because  the  officers,  paralyzed  under 
the  tempest  of  iron  showered  upon  them,  knew  not  what 
to  do  in  the  exigency.  Eight  hundred  and  twenty  offi- 
cers and  men  capitulated  ;  the  other  results  were  two 
pieces  of  artillery,  twenty  wagons  and  teams,  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  cavalry  horses,  with  their  equipments, 
complete,  and  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition  and  com- 
missary stores.  This  was  not  achieved,  however,  with- 
out some  loss  on  the  Confederate  side.  Captain  J.  J. 
Kirkman,  of  Florence,  Alabama,  in  command  of  Colonel 
Johnson's  escort,  was  among  the  killed.  Major  J.  H. 
Doan  and  Captain  Carter,  of  Roddy's  command,  were 
severely  wounded. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  Buford  was  detached  with 
Lyon's  Brigade  to  push  forward  and  destroy  the  rail- 
road bridge  over  Elk  River,  some  seven  miles  north- 
ward. Still  later  our  brigade  (Bell's),  being  dispatched 
to  follow  and  rejoin  Buford,  camped  for  the  night  within 
one  mile  and  a  half  of  Elk  River.  The  other  troops 
were  busily  occupied  during  the  rest  of  the  evening  and 
that  night  in  burying  the  dead,  collecting  and  providing 
for  the  wounded  of  both  sides  and  destroying  the  trestle 
and  block-houses. 

Having  already  expended  so  large  a  portion  of  his 
artillery  ammunition,  Forrest  now  determined  to  send 
back  to  Florence,  and  across  the  Tennessee,  four  pieces 
of  his  own  artillery,  the  captured  guns  and  wagons  and 
prisoners,  with  a  suitable  escort,  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Logwood. 

Monday,  26th. — Setting  out  from  Sulphur  Trestle 
early  in  the  morning,  Colonel  Johnson,  with  Roddy's 
Division,  swung  round  eastward  by  the  way  of  Upper 
Elkton,  while  Forrest,  with  Rucker's  Brigade,  moved  by 


476  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

a  way  nearer  the  line  of  the  railroad,  so  as  to  be  in 
supporting  distance  of  Buford,  who  was  ordered  to  ad- 
vance along  that  line  as  far  as  Richland  Creek,  seven 
miles  south  of  Pulaski,  and  there  Johnson  also  was  in- 
structed to  join  him. 

In  the  saddle  early  our  brigade  rejoined  Buford  at 
Elk  River.  The  Federals  had  evacuated  their  fort  and 
block-houses  at  this  point  during  the  preceding  night. 
After  destroying  the  large  railroad  bridge,  the  block- 
houses and  some  trestle,  Buford  set  out  with  his  divis- 
ion in  the  direction  of  the  railroad  bridge  which  spans 
Richland  Creek,  some  eight  miles  northward.  On  the 
way  he  destroyed  another  deserted  block-house  and 
about  10,000  cords  of  wood,  collected  for  the  operation 
of  the  road,  in  the  burning  of  which  he  likewise  effect- 
ually impaired  at  least  a  mile  of  the  track.  The  com- 
mand was  then  concentrated,  and  moved  on  to  Richland 
Creek,  over  which  there  was  a  truss  railroad  bridgfe  two 
hundred  feet  long,  defended  by  a  heavy  block-house,  the 
garrison  of  which  (forty-live  strong)  surrendered  after  a 
few  shells  had  been  burst  against  it.  The  bridge  and 
block-house  were  then  consigned  to  the  torch,  and  the 
command  (includinor  Roddv's  Division  and  Rucker's 
Brigade)  camped  for  the  night. 

General  Forrest  has  now  redeemed  the  promise  which 
he  made  to  the  Second  Tennessee  while  standing  inside 
the  Federal  works  at  Fort  Pillow.  He,  then  and  there, 
promised  to  take  our  regiment  home  to  Middle  Tennes- 
see.* It  will  be  remembered  that  he  would  have  re- 
deemed that  promise  soon  after  it  was  made  had  it  not 
been   for  the   Sturgis  raid.     We  left  our  native  State 

*  It  will  be  lemembeied  that  all  of  our  regiment  except  three  companies 
were  from  Middle   Tennessee.  • 


SEPTEilBEK,    18(54.  477 


about  two  years  and  a  half  ago,  and  many  of  us  have 
not  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting-  our  section  of  the  State 
since  until  to-day.  How  even  a  very  slight  prospect  of 
seeing  home  and  kindred  cheers  the  heart  of  a  poor 
soldier  who  has  been  absent  so  long ! 

Tiiesday,  2^/111. — Forrest  put  his  command  in  motion 
early  that  morning  toward  Pulaski  in  the  following  order : 

Buford  still  moved  along  the  railroad,  Johnson  to  the 
right  of  it,  deployed  across  the  turnpike,  followed  by 
Rucker's  Brigade.  In  this  order  the  Federal  pickets 
were  encountered  a  mile  beyond  Richland  Creek,  and 
were  borne  back  for  another  mile,  when  a  heavy  Fed- 
eral force  was  developed  in  line  of  battle,  stretched 
across  the  turnpike  and  railroad,  here  about  four  hun- 
dred yards  apart,  and  on  a  range  of  hills  affording  an 
excellent  position.  It  was  a  mixed  force  of  cavalry, 
artillery,  and  infantry,  apparently  not  less  than  six 
thousand  strong,  while  our  force  was  now  reduced  to 
about  thirty-three  hundred  men  and  four  guns.  Never- 
theless, our  leader,  resolving  on  the  offensive,  dis- 
mounted Buford's  and  Johnson's  small  divisions  and 
deployed  them  across  the  roads,  as  Rucker's  Brigade, 
still  mounted,  was  boldly  launched  to  make  a  detour  to 
the  eastward  and  gain  the  Federal  rear.       ^ 

General  Forrest  threw  forward  his  escort,  on  foot,  as 
skirmishers  in  front  of  Johnson  and  to  the  rightward  ot 
the  turnpike.  Charging  up  a  hill  held  by  the  enemy  in 
that  part  of  the  fielci,  they  brough  on  the  engagement 
and  gained  the  position,  with  a  loss  of  some  seven  or 
eight  of  their  number  killed  or  wounded.  Meanwhile, 
Buford  and  Johnson  pressed  up  with  vigor,  and  an  ani- 
mated    musketry    and     artillery    affair     ensued.*      The 

•■''Here  Colonel  Johnson  wa^  -.eveiely  wouiuieJ,  and  the  command  of  Roddy's 
force  devolved  for  the  rest  of  the  expedition  upon  Colonel  J.  R.  B.  Burtwell. 


478  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

enemy,  however,  did  not  stand  their  ground,  and  soon 
were  observed  retiring  toward  Pulaski.  At  this,  order- 
ing his  men  to  remount  and  follow,  Forrest  led  the  way 
with  his  staff  and  escort,  and  a  running  skirmish  was 
kept  up  until,  finally,  about  three  p.  m.,  the  Federals 
filed  into  position  behind  their  works  at  Pulaski.*  These 
consisted  of  a  chain  of  detached  redoubts  of  command- 
ing positions,  interlinked  by  rifle-pits,  the  whole  fur- 
nished with  artillery,  and  bristling  with  abatis. 

Seeing  that  the  enemy  were  well  fortified  at  this  point, 
and  fully  believing  that  their  force  was  far  superior  to 
his  own,  Forrest  only  made  a  menace  of  an  attack  upon 
the  southern  and  eastern  faces  by  pushing  forward, 
slowly  but  steadily,  a  strong  skirmish  line  up  to  within 
four  hundred  yards  of  the  Federal  intrenchments  by 
nightfall. f  And  after  dark  a  broad,  long  belt  of  camp- 
fires,  by  his  orders,  blazed  on  a  ridge  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  threatened  part  of  the  Federal  works. 
Maintaining  his  pickets  close  up  to  the  enemy,  and  re- 
newing the  camp-fires  about  nine  o'clock,  the  Confed- 
erates were  quietly  formed,  and  at  ten  o'clock  drew  off 
by  the  road  to  the  eastward,  in  the  direction  of  Fayette- 
ville,  with  the  purpose  of  striking  the  Nashville  and 
Chattanooga  Railroad  at,  and  in  the  vicinity  of,  Tulla- 
homa.;]:  The  rain,  however,  began  to  pour  down,  and 
the  night  soon  became  so  dark  that  the  artillery  and 
wagon  train  could  not  be  forced  along  over  the  miry, 
rugged   roads    of  the   country,  and   the   command  was 

*  Gaus,  Forrest's  favorite  bugler,  had  his  bugle  disabled  by  three  balls  in 
this  ride. 

tElisha  Briley  (Company  F,  Second  Tennessee)  was  here  mortally  wounded. 

J  Forrest  also  sent  back  to  Florence  from  in  front  of  Pulaski  all  unnecessary 
wagons  and  teams,  some  two  hundred  prisoners,  and  forty  wounded  men,  under 
a  suitable  escort. 


September,  1804.  479 


halted  for  the  night  after  a  short  march  of  six  or  seven 
miles. 

Wednesday,  28th.  —  In  the  saddle  by  daybreak  the 
movement  was  resumed,  and  though  the  route  was  by 
narrow  cross-ways,  through  a  broken,  extremely  rough 
country,  made  boggy  by  recent  hard  rains,  nevertheless 
the  command,  much  of  the  time  at  a  sharp  trot,  marched 
thirty  miles  and  bivouacked  at  dark  five  miles  beyond 
Fayetteville,*  on  the  Tullahoma  road. 

TJmrsday,  2gth. — Still  pressing  on  toward  Tullahoma, 
till  within  fifteen  miles  of  that  place,  Forrest  was  there 
met  by  scouts  with  the  tidings  that  a  heavy  column  of 
Federal  infantry  was  advancing  from  Chattanooga  to 
meet  him,  and  that  the  forces  which  he  had  left  in  the 
lurch  intrenched  at  Pulaski  were  now  on  the  way  by 
rail,  through  Nashville,  to  confront  him  at  Tullahoma. 
Thus  anticipated,  Forrest  found  it  expedient  to  make  a 
radical  change  in  his  plan  of  operations.  It  was  still 
raining,  and  the  Tennessee  River  was  rising  rapidly, 
while  there  were  no  means  of  ferriage  available,  except 
a  few  old  flats  at  or  near  Florence.  And  besides,  the 
enemy  in  the  country  were  greatly  his  superior  in  num- 
ber, even  in  cavalry.  The  situation  was  extremely  pre- 
carious, and  one  indeed  that  required  a  large  measure 
of  coolness  and  judgment  for  extrication.  Our  leader 
therefore  resolved  to  subdivide  his  command.  General 
Buford,  with  Roddy's  Division  and  a  part  of  his  own, 
the  artillery  and  wagon  train  (about  one  thousand  five 
hundred  men),  was  ordered  to  move  swiftly  upon  Hunts- 
ville,  Alabama,  seize  that  place  if  practicable,  and  after- 
ward, destroying  as  much  of  the  railroad  thence  to  De- 

*  Fayetteville  is  about  thirty  miles  east  of  Pulaski  and  thirty  south-west  of 
Tullahoma. 


480  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

catur  as  he  could,  throw  his  command  south  of  the  Ten- 
nessee at  that  point,  if  the  means  were  found  there. 
Putting  himself  at  the  head  of  the  other  detachment, 
likewise  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  strong,  For- 
rest proposed  to  move  rapidly  across  the  country  to 
Spring  Hill,  strike  the  railroad  there,  and  break  it  up 
between  that  point  and  Columbia,  and  at  the  same  time 
drawing  after  him  hostile  forces  that  otherwise  would  be 
sure  to  follow  Buford,  and  prevent,  most  probably,  the 
escape  of  our  wagon  train  and  artillery  across  the  Ten- 
nessee River. 

Our  regiment  moved  with  General  Forrest.  This 
suited  some  of  our  boys,  especially  Company  B,  for  a 
number  of  that  company  lived  in  Williamson  County. 

Both  subdivisions  were  put  in  motion  that  afternoon. 
Turning  north-west  and  crossing  the  Fayetteville  and 
Shelbyville  turnpike,  we  encamped  some  fifteen  miles 
south-west  of  the  latter  place  at  a  hamlet  called  Peters- 
burg. Here  Forrest  learned  through  scouts  that  a  strong 
Federal  cavalry  force,  on  the  march  from  Pulaski  to  Tul- 
lahoma,  was  only  eight  miles  distant  to  the  north  at  the 
time.  Nevertheless,  as  our  weary  animals  needed  rest, 
Forrest  allowed  us  to  remain  encamped  all  night. 

Friday,  joth. — Resuming  our  march  across  the  coun- 
tr) ,  passing  through  Lewisburg  and  crossing  Duck 
River  at  Hardison's  ford,  to  the  eastward  of  Columbia, 
we  camped  for  the  night  on  the  north  bank  of  that  river. 

Saha-dav,  October  ist. — After  marching  a  few  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Franklin  we  turned  westward  and  struck 
the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad  at  Spring  Hill  about 
noon. 

Here,  seizing  the  telegraph  office  by  surprise,  Forrest 
found  the  line  in  operation   from  Pulaski  to  Nashville, 


October,  186-t.  481 


and  most  opportunely  intercepted  several  official  dis- 
patches, which  gave  precise  information  with  regard  to 
the  location  at  the  time  of  the  principal  bodies  of  troops 
which  were  afield  in  pursuit  of  him.  From  one  of  these 
he  was  particularly  annoyed  to  learn  that  General  Steed- 
man  was  marching  with  a  heavy  column  toward  Hunts- 
ville.  Alabama,  with  the  evident  object  of  cutting  off  his 
retreat  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee  River.  Hav- 
ing thus  acquired  as  much  information  as  possible  touch- 
ing the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  sent  several  mis- 
leading, spurious  dispatches  to  General  Rousseau  at 
Nashville  in  regard  to  the  Confederate  movements,  For- 
rest broke  up  the  telegraph  line  around  Spring  Hill, 
and  at  two  v.  m.  turned  the  head  of  his  column  toward 
Columbia,  having  previously  detached  a  force  to  destroy 
the  small  trestles  on  the  railroad  as  far  northward  as 
Franklin. 

Large  piles  of  wood  collected  for  the  locomotives  were 
burned,  as  also  an  extensive  Government  savv^mill  and  a 
large  quantity  of  public  lumber,  about  three  miles  south- 
ward of  Spring  Hill ;  and  here  were  captured  thirty  fat 
oxen,  six  wagons,  and  some  forty  mules.  Near  by  were 
several  stronof  block-houses,  but  being"  now  without 
artillery  Forrest  was  perplexed  as  to  the  speediest 
method  for  their  reduction.  Howbeit,  promptly  display- 
ing his  force  so  as  to  make  a  formidable  show,  the  oft- 
tried  device  of  a  peremptory  demand  tor  a  surrender 
was  again  adventured.  Meeting  with  an  equally  prompt 
refusal  he  next  requested  a  personal  interview  with  the 
Federal  commander,  which  being  assented  to,  they  met. 
Proposing  to  show  to  his  adversary  the  forces  at  his  dis- 
position, so  that  it  might  be  seen  there  was  no  decep- 
tion on  the  Confederate  side,  and  furnishing  a  horse  to 
31 


482  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

the  Federal  officer,  they  actually  made  tog^ether  a  rapid 
survey  of  the  investing  force.  Moreover,  Forrest,  as- 
suring his  antagonist  as  he  was  approaching  his  ambu- 
lance that  he  had  the  means  to  destroy  the  block-houses 
without  artillery,  called  upon  the  driver  of  that  vehicle 
to  bring  him  a  vial  of  "  Greek  fire."  This  being  done, 
it  was  thrown  and  broken  against  a  fresh  oak  stump,  and 
the  fluid  spreading  the  blaze  immediately  covered  the 
still  green  bark.  The  men  cheering  lustily  at  this  for 
the  "Greek  fire,"  Forrest,  taking  advantage  of  the  tu- 
mult, remarked  that  as  his  men  were  growing  excited  it 
were  best  for  them  to  retire  toward  the  block-house, 
whither  they  galloped  immediately  before  the  officer  was 
able  to  scan  the  positive  effects  of  the  Greek  fire.  The 
Federal  officer  now  expressing  himself  satisfied  as  to 
the  hopelessness  of  any  defense  under  the  circumstances, 
capitulated  both  block-houses  at  five  p.  m.,  with  sixty- 
five  officers  and  men.  Both  structures  and  the  truss 
bridge,  one  hundred  and  fiity  feet  long,  which  they 
guarded,  were  now  thoroughly  fired  and  destroyed. 
Major  Strange  was  next  dispatched  with  a  flag  of  truce 
to  demand  the  surrender  of  another  block-house  half  a 
mile  distant.  The  commander  was  a  German,  who, 
greatly  excited  by  the  demand,  refused  not  only  to  yield, 
but  to  hold  any  conference,  swearing  roundly  that  he 
had  heard  of  Forrest  before ;  that  he  was  a  d — d  rebel, 
with  whom  he  would  have  nothing  to  do.  The  man 
went  so  far  as  to  threaten  to  fire  on  the  flag.  Hearing 
this,  Forrest  set  men  to  collecting  and  filling  sacks  with 
dry  chips  and  other  light  combustibles,  which  were  then 
saturated  with  turpentine  and  oil,  carried  for  the  con- 
tingency. It  was  now  nine  o'clock,  and  very  dark. 
Colonel  Russell  was  ordered  to  dismount  his  reo-iment 


October,  18G4.  4Sc 


and  make  an  effort  to  burn  the  bridge  which  was  guarded 
by  this  block-house,  in  spite  of  its  haughty  commander. 
Russell  at  once  pressed  some  of  his  men  close  up  to  the 
work,  under  cover  of  the  railroad  embankment,  and 
while  they  opened  a  noisy  fire  upon  the  block-house, 
others — picked  men,  provided  with  the  bags  of  combust- 
ibles— crept  to  the  bridge,  and  placing  these  under  its 
braces,  at  the  signal  ignited  them  with  the  Greek  fire,  a 
small  vial  of  which  each  man  carried  also.  In  a  moment 
the  bridge  was  effectually  in  flames,  and  the  men  who 
had  applied  the  fire  rejoined  their  companies  without 
hurt.  The  Confederates,  now  cheering  heartily,  ban- 
tered their  adversary,  while  the  Dutchman  swore  pro- 
fusely as  the  Confederates  rode  away. 

While  this  was  going  On,  Colonel  Wheeler,  whose 
command  was  now  increased  to  five  hundred  men,  had 
been  detached  and  directed  to  menace  Columbia.  Meet- 
ing a  stage  with  several  Federal  officers,  these  were 
captured  and  the  horses  appropriated.  Coming  pres- 
ently, however,  across  a  force  of  three  hundred  Federal 
cavalry  moving  after  the  stage,  a  sharp  collision  occurred, 
in  which  the  Confederates  were  worsted  to  the  verge  of 
disaster.  But,  happily,  a  detachment  of  the  old  Forrest 
Regiment,  under  Captain  Forrest,  came  up  opportunely, 
and  Wheeler,  thus  reinforced,  charged  in  turn,  and 
drove  the  enemy  rapidly  back  into  Columbia,  capturing 
some  twenty-five  prisoners  and  fifty  horses.  He  re- 
mained for  several  hours  menacing  the  passage  of  Duck 
River  and  an  attack  upon  Columbia,  but  after  eight  p. 
M.,  quietly  withdrawing,  rejoined  Forrest  two  hours 
later,  encamped  on  the  road  leading  down  the  north 
bank  of  Duck  River,  toward  W^illiamsport. 

Four  block-houses  and  as  many  large  truss  railroad 


484  K.  II.  Hancock's  Diaky 


bridges  had  been  burned,  and  so  eftectually  was  the 
railroad  impaired  that  it  would  be  useless  to  the  enemy 
for  weeks, 

The  following  letter  will  explain  how  Company  C, 
Second  Tennessee,  lost  (on  the  above  date)  a  gallant 
soldier  (E.  L.  Ewing)  by  mere  carelessness: 

Greenville,  Hunt  County,  Texas,  May  8th,  1887. 
Mr.  R.  R.  Hancock: 

My  Dear  Friend —  ....  I  was  placed  on  picket  near  the 
turnpike,  between  Spring  Hill  and  Columbia,  with  instructions  to 
come  in  at  the  sound  of  the  bugle,  but  the  bugle  never  sounded,  and 
I  never  went  in;  and  thus  I  was  left  on  post.  While  there  the  Yankees 
came  upon  me,  and  one  of  theni  shot  and  wounded  me  in  the  shoulder, 
but  did  not  knock  me  off  my  horse.  The  Yankees  did  not  pursue.  I 
rode  about  one  mile  and  a  half  to  Mr.  James  T.  Moore's,  where  I  had 
to  give  it  up.  I  dismounted  and  walked  right  into  the  house,  without 
leave  or  license,  threw  myself  upon  the  carpet,  and  began  to  feel  about 
for  my  checks,  because  I  thought  that  the  time  had  come  for  me  to 
hand  them  over;  but  I  was  mistaken,  for  I  am  here  yet. 

The  Yankees  got  everything  that  1  had,  but  I  fell  in  the  best  place 
in  the  world.  I  remained  at  Mr.  Moore's  under  the  treatment  of  Dr. 
S  larber — a  man  I  never  shall  forget — until  the  Hood  campaign. 

When  Hood  retreated  from  Nashville  I  fell  back  across  the  Ten- 
nessee River,  where  I  remained  until  the  war  closed;  but  I  was  never 
able  to  take  up  arms  any  more  after  I  was  wounded — in  fact,  I  am  a 
cripple  to  this  day.  ......... 

Yours  truly,  E.    L.   Ewing. 

Sunday,  2d. — Throwing  his  command  to  the  south 
bank  of  Duck  River,  and  spreading  details  over  the 
country  to  collect  beef  cattle  and  bread  rations.  Forrest 
meanwhile  halted  his  main  force  about  six  miles  from 
Columbia,  which  he  next  proceeded  to  threaten  with  an 
attack  by  a  detachment  under  his  own  immediate  com- 
mand. Colonel  Barteau  was  ordered  to  threaten  an 
attack  upon  the  west  side  of  town,  while  Forrest,  turn- 
ing rightward,  was  to  strike  the  railro id  south  of  town. 
In  speaking  of  this  affair,  Colonel  Barteau  says  : 


October,  1864.  485 


Two  of  my  best  companies  were  detached  and  many  men  detailed 
for  various  purposes,  being  familiar  with  the  country.  I  had,  there- 
fore, but  fractions  of  companies,  and  about  seventy-five  men  in  all. 

With  these  I  was  ordered  to  go  down  the  turnpike  to  Columbia, 
while  all  the  other  troops  made  a  detour  to  the  railroad  to  capture 
stockades,  etc.  Within  a  mile  of  the  town  we  encountered  a  picket 
of  fifty  men,  which  we  drove  rapidly  in.  Remaining  near  the  place 
some  two  hours  the  enemy  had  fall  opportunity  of  viewing  our  whole 
strength,  and  came  out  in  force,  to  all  appearances,  and  according  to 
the  best  judgment  of  some  of  my  men,  about  eight  hundred  strong. 

Knowing  that  there  would  be  great  danger  of  having 
his  men  all  captured  if  he  attempted  to  make  a  stand 
before  passing  through  a  deep  cut  on  the  west  side  of 
Caruthers'  Creek,  Colonel  Barteau  now  withdrew  rap- 
idly behind  that  stream,  where  he  succeeded  in  checking 
the  enemy,  who  had  in  the  meantime  pressed  hotly  after 
him.  Thomas  Barnes  (Company  D)  was  captured  in 
this  affair  at  Columbia.  After  he  had  surrendered  a 
I'ederal  struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  gun.  He  died 
soon  after  in  prison,  and  it  was  thought  that  his  death 
was  caused  by  the  severe  blow  mentioned  above.  E. 
L.  Ewing  (Compan)-  C)  was  so  severely  wounded  that 
he  had  to  be  left. 

While  Colonel  Barteau  was  thus  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  enemy  on  the  west  side  of  town.  General 
Forrest  swung  round  to  the  south  side ;  but,  finding  the 
position  to  be  well  fortified,  he  nevertheless  remained  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  place  until  late  that  evening,  harass- 
ing the  garrison  and  burning  some  short  trestles  in  the 
direction  of  Pulaski.  Meanwhile  his  main  force,  after 
his  commissary  details  had  discharged  their  duties,  had 
moved  across  to  Mount  Pleasant  and  bivouacked,  and 
there  he  and  Barteau  joined  them  that  night. 

Monday,  jd. — Scouts  now  reported  the  rapid  rising  of 
the  Tennessee    River;  that   Buford,  unable  to  capture 


486  li.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Huntsville,  had  likewise  failed  to  destroy  the  Memphis 
and  Charleston  Railroad ;  that  General  Steedman  was 
moving  with  a  column  of  infantry,  reported  to  be  8,000 
strong,  with  the  evident  object  of  intercepting  the  Con- 
federates, in  their  retreat,  at  Decatur;  that  a  heavy  cav- 
alry force  was  pressing  across  from  Tullahoma  toward 
Florence,  and  a  column  of  infantry  and  cavalry  under 
Rousseau,  from  the  direction  of  Nashville.*  Thus  fully 
15,000  P'ederal  troops  were  now  afield  after  Forrest, 
who  determined  to  effect  a  junction  with  Buford  without 
delay,  for  in  that  event  he  would  be  able,  he  hoped,  to 
beat  off  any  cavalry  force  that  he  might  meet,  and  by 
maneuver  he  would  elude  any  infantry  column  if  unable 
to  effect  the  passage  to  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 
But  for  some  cause  (unknown  to  the  writer)  we  marched 
only  seven  or  eight  miles,  and  bivouacked  on  the  road 
leading  through  Lawrenceburg. 

Tuesday,  ^Ih. — Passing  through  Lawrenceburg,  thence 
in  the  direction  of  Florence,  Alabama,  we  camped  for 
the  night,  after  a  march  of  about  thirty-six  miles. 

Wednesday,  ^th. — After  a  short  march  Forrest  halted 
within  seven  miles  of  Florence  until  after  midnipfht. 
We  suppose  that  he  made  this  halt  in  order  to  give  his 
scouts  time  to  report. 

Buford  had  passed  through.  Florence,  and  was  now 
ferrying  the  wagons  and  artillery  at  the  mouth  of  Cy- 
press Creek  and  Newport. 

Thursday,  6th. — Detaching  Company  B  of  the  Sev- 
enth Tennessee  to  push  on  with  the  beef  cattle  by  the 
direct  road  to  Colbert's  Ferry,  at  the  head  of  Colbert 
Shoals,  Forrest  led  the  rest  of  his  command,  before  day- 

■•■■  Rousseau's  infantry  mainl)-  moved  in  wagons,  to  secure  rapid  transporta- 
tion. 


October,  1864.  487 


light,  to  Florence.  The  rapid  approach  of  Steedman, 
from  the  direction  of  Huntsville,  and  Rousseau,  from 
Nashville,  made  the  situation  urgent,  and  our  leader 
now  gave  his  special  attention  to  every  possible  means 
for  increasing  the  facilities  for  ferriage  by  distributing 
his  command  at  all  practicable  points  of  crossing  from 
the  mouth  of  Cypress  Creek  to  Colbert  Shoals. 

The  Fourth  Alabama,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Windes — from  ^loddy's  command — was  left  to  guard  the 
Huntsville  road,  while  Colonel  Barteau  was  ordered  to 
move  the  Second  Tennessee  out  a  lew  miles  from  Flor- 
ence to  picket  the  "Old  Military,"  or  Nashville  road. 

The  following  is  from  the  manuscript  notes  of  Colonel 
Barteau : 

About  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  yth.  in  obedience  to 
instructions  I  withdrew  from  the  military  road  to  join  Colonel  Windes 
who  had  been  pressed  back  on  the  Huntsville  road.  We  both  passed 
through  Florence  and  took  a  position  some  two  and  a  half  miles  west 
on  Cypress  Creek,  at  Martin's  Mills,  on  what  is  called  Martin's  Bluff, 
commanding  the  main  road  to  the  various  points  at  which  Forrest  was 
crossing  his  troops. 

The  enemy  came  into  Florence,  and  remaining  perhaps  an  hour, 
fell  back  to  their  camps  on  the  Huntsville  road  to  await,  as  I  now 
suppose,  the  arrival  of  the  force  from  Nashville.  This  was  so  dis- 
patched to  General  Forrest,  thinking,  as  I  did,  that  the  enemy  would 
not  further  pursue  or  annoy  us.  At  the  same  time  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Windes  left  with  his  regiment  to  make  an  effort  to  cross  the  river* 
while  I  waited  for  instructions  and  in  the  meantime  was  joined  by  a 
part  of  the  Seventh  Tennessee,  which^kindly  consented  to  remain. 
We  camped  on  the  bluff  that  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  I  received  a  dispatch  from  Forrest  to 
follow  the  enemy  if  they  retired  toward  Huntsville,  and  to  cross  the 
river  at  some  point  above.  Information,  however,  reached  us  through 
scouts  at  once  that  the  Federals  were  moving  toward  the  mills  in  con- 
siderable force,  and  that  troops  had  reached  Florence  from  Nashville. 
We  therefore  determined  to  hold  the  position  at  all  hazards,  knowing 
it  the  only  safety  for  the  troops  that  were  then  engaged  in  crossing  the 
river. 


488  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

The  river,  already  very  high,  was  still  rising,  and  so 
full  of  driftwood  as  to  be  e.xtremely  dangerous  to  the 
swimming  horses,  while  three  small  flatboats  and  not 
more  than  ten  skiffs  were  the  means  of  ferriage  at  For- 
rest's commiand.  Nevertheless,  by  this  time  all  the  ar- 
tillery, the  wagon-train,  and  the  larger  portion  of  the 
troops,  had  been  safely  landed  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Tennessee,  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  horses. 
However,  at  least  one  thousand  of  Forrest's  men,  with 
their  horses,  were  still  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river, 
besides  those  under  Colonel  Barteau,  who  was  still  hold- 
ing the  Federals  in  check  at  Cypress  Creek.  As  he 
(Barteau)  was  in  command  of  all  the  troops  now  con- 
frontingf  the  Federals,  our  Lieutenant-Colonel,  G.  H. 
Morton,  was  in  command  of  the  resfinient. 

So  well  had  nature  fortified  the  crossing  of  Cypress 
Creek  at  Martin's  Bluff  that  Barteau,  with  only  a  few 
men,  held  the  heavy  F"ederal  force  which  now  confronted 
him  at  bay  until,  finally,  about  three  p.  m.,  General 
Steedman,  finding  himself  unable  to  force  the  position, 
sent  a  brigade  of  his  cavalry  around,  by  a  crossing  three 
miles  above,  while,  soon  after,  another  detachment  was 
sent  around  by  the  way  of  a  ford  below.  Barteau  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  place  guards  at  the  crossing 
above  as  well  as  below;  but,  however,  the  Federals  did 
not  give  our  guards  time  to  report — pressing  after  them 
at  a  swift  gallop  along  the  roads  which  concentrated  at 
a  point  in  the  Colbert  Ferry  road  only  a  short  distance 
in  rear  of  our  position  at  Martin's  Bluff.  Anticipating 
these  movements,  Barteau  had  sent  a  detachment  of  the 
Second  Tennessee,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton, 
to  reinforce  the  picket  at  the  upper  ford.  The  Federals 
had  crossed,  as  above  stated,  and  after  a  warm  collision, 


October,  1804.  489 


in  the  course  of  which  he  found  that  he  was  over- 
matched, Morton  fell  back,  as  he  thought,  on  Colonel 
Barteau,  who  had  learned,  in  the  mean  time,  that  he  was 
surrounded,  and,  with  the  balance  of  the  Second  Ten- 
nessee and  a  part  of  the  Seventh,  Barteau  was  now  cut- 
ting his  way  through  the  Federal  brigade  that  had 
swung-  round  to  his  rear  from  the  other  crossing.  See- 
ing  no  other  way  of  escape,  Morton,  with  his  little  band, 
now  dashed  boldly  out  between  two  lines*  of  Federals, 
capturing  and  bringing  off  two  prisoners. f 

In  speaking  of  this  affair  Colonel  Barteau  says  : 

Being  now  surrounded  by  the  enemy  on  all  sides,  we  were  com- 
pelled to  charge  and  break  through  their  lines  in  order  to  rescue  the  men 
from  capture.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton,  who  led  a  portion  of  the 
Second  Tennessee,  deserves  especial  credit  for  the  manner  in  which  he 
performed  this  duty,  while  I,  with  apart  of  the  Seventh  Tennessee  and 
the  balance  of  the  Second,  turned  back  the  flank  of  the  enemy  which 
were  on  their  rear,  and  put  them  [the  enemyj  in  temporary  disorder. 

I  did  not  have  here  exceeding  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  while 
the  Federals  were  not  less  than  three  thousand. 

After  this  I  was  joined  the  same  evening  by  Colonel  Wilson,  with 
a  hundred  men,  while  the  Seventh  Tennessee  went  to  the  river  to 
cross.     We  spent  the  night  in  clese  proximity  to  the  enemy. 


•■•After  Morton  had  thus  passed  out  it  was  <-aid  that   those  two  lines  opened 
a  heavy  fire  upon  each  other,  eacli  taking  the  other  to  be  tlie  enemy. 

tOn  reaching  the  point  on  the  road   leading  westward   from  Morton's  Bluff, 
wliere  the  roads  from  the  upper  and  lower  crossing  came  into  it,  J.  W.  Kennedy 

and  I  halted  to  watch  the  road  leading  back  to   the  upper  crossing,  while 

Dotson  (Company  B)  dismounted  from  his  iiiule  to  lay  down  a  fence  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road  for  the  command  to  pass  through.  As  they  dashed  through 
the  gap,  whicli  was  about  two  hundred  yards  from  us  back  on  ihe  road  leading 
toward  the  lower  crossing,  the  boys  called  out  that  the  Federals  were  upon  them 
from  below.  Putting  spurs  to  my  horse  I  passed  through  the  gap  just  hi  time, 
while  Kennedy,  who  did  not  understand  the  boys,  as  I  thought  he  did,  was  too 
late  to  pass  through  the  gap;  he  made  his  escape,  however,  by  forcing  his  horse 
to  leap  two  or  three  fences.  By  the  time  Dotson  had  remounted  the  Federals 
were  upon  him  and  he  surrendered,  after  which  his  mule,  not  being  willing  to 
surrender,  turned  and  followed  the  command  in  spite  of  his  rider,  and  thus 
Dotson  was  lirought  safely  out. 


490  E.  R.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

I  do  not  know  our  exact  loss  in  the  above  affair ; 
however,  I  suppose  that  the  loss  of  our  regiment  in 
killed  and  wounded  and  captured  did  not  exceed  ten 
men.  Jared  (Mars)  Averett  was  killed  and  Thomas 
Nixon  and  R.  B.  Dobbins  (Company  E)  were  among 
the  captured.  Some  of  our  men  lay  concealed  in  the 
woods  all  night,  so  close  to  the  enemy,  that  they  could 
be  heard  talking,  but  making  their  escape  next  morning  ' 
they  rejoined  us. 

Sunday,  ()th. — The  way  being  now  opened  to  the  river 
for  the  Federals,  General  Forrest  was  forced  to  aban- 
don the  upper  ferries  and  to  complete  the  ferriage  ot 
his  cattle  from  an  island  at  the  head  of  Colbert  Shoals 
and  to  throw  the  rest  of  his  horses  and  men  to  the  south 
bank,  except  those  under  Colonel  Barteau,  who  was 
now  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  Forrest's  command,  as  well 
as  from  an  opportunity  to  cross  the  river,  and  was  left 
with  his  little  band  (a  part  of  his  own  regiment  and 
about  one  hundred  of  Wilson's)  to  take  care  of  himself 
and  men  as  best  he  could.  Our  colonel  had  quite  a 
small  force  with  which  to  compete  with  about  12.000 
Federals.  He  fell  back  into  the  hills  north-west  of 
Florence,  moving  his  camp  daily  from  five  to  ten  miles 
until 

Wednesday,  /i"///.*— Finding  that  the  way  was  now 
clear,  Barteau  moved  his  men  to  the  river  (about  fifteen 
miles),  and  the  command  was  all  on  Coga's  Island  a 
little  before  sunset  by  fording  that  portion  of  the  Ten- 
nessee which  runs  around  the  north  side  of  that  island. 
The   command    immediately  commenced  crossing  from 

*  Rations  were  very  scarce,  and  besides  we  had  no  cooking  vessels.  Some  of 
the  boys  managed  to  get  some  flour  which  we  made  up  on  an  oilcloth,  and  then 
rolling  the  dough  around  sticks  we  baked  it  before  the  fire. 


OCTOBER,  18G4.  491 


the  south  side  of  the  island  by  means  of  two  flat-boats* 
and  one  skiff,  and  by  nine  a.  m.,  on  the  13th,  we  had  all 
landed  safe  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river.  We 
then  moved  down  to  luka,  Mississippi,  where  we  re- 
mained for  the  night. 

Friday.  14th. — We  rejoined  our  division  at  Corinth. 

In  the  course  of  the  expedition  into  Middle  Tennessee  General 
Forrest  placed  hors  dc  combat  fully  three  thousand  five  hundred  Federal 
officers  and  men,  including  those  taken  prisoners.  He  also  captured 
eight  pieces  of  artillery  with  their  caissons  and  ammunition,  nine  hun- 
dred head  of  horses  and  mules,  more  than  one  hundred  head  of  beef 
cattle,  about  one  hundred  wagons,  the  most  of  which  were  destroyed, 
three  thousand  stands  of  arms  and  accoutrements,  with  large  stores  of 
commissary,  ordnance,  and  medical  supplies. 

He  destroyed  six  large  truss  railroad  bridges,  nearly  one  hundred 
miles  of  railroad,  two  locomotives  and  some  fifty  freight  cars,  several 
thousand  feet  of  heavy  railroad  trestling,  a  Government  sawmill,  with 
a  large  amount  of  lumber,  at  least  five  thousand  cords  of  wood,  and 
finally  captured  and  destroyed  ten  of  their  best  block-houses,  which, 
Avith  one  exception,  be  it  noted,  were  actually  impregnable  to  ordinary 
light  field  artillery. 

He  also  brought  out  of  Middle  Tennessee  a  thousand  men  added 
to  his  own  immediate  command,  as  well  as  six  or  eight  hundred  who 
had  straggled  from  Major-General  Wheeler  in  the  course  of  his  recent 
•expedition  in  that  region. 

All  this  was  achieved  at  the  expenditure  of  about  three  hundred 
officers  and  men  killed  and  wounded.  ...  It  was  accomplished, 
moreover,  in  twenty-three  days,  in  the  course  of  which,  from  Corinth 
back  to  Cherokee  Station,  the  Confederate  troops  marched  over  five 
hundred  miles,  f 

Roddy's  Division  was  left  in  North  Alabama,  while 
the  men  belonging  to  General  Wheeler's  command  were 
-detached,  with  orders  to  repair  to  Gadsden,  Alabama, 
and  rejoin  their  division. 

*  B.  A.  High  and  Claih  West  found  the  boats  and  reported  that  the  way  was 
open  to  the  river,  for  which  they  deserve  special  praise. 
t"  Forrest's  Campaigns,"  p.  588. 


492  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

I  shall 'here  mention  a  little  affair  that  happened  a 
day  or  two  before  our  arrival  at  Corinth.  In  the  dispo- 
sitions made  to  meet  any  attempt  to  throw  a  force 
against  Forrest  by  the  river,  Colonel  Kelly  was  dis- 
patched to  Eastport,  where  he  arrived  with  less  than 
three  hundred  men  and  two  guns,  just  as  a  fleet  of 
three  Federal  transports  heavily  laden  with  infantry  and 
artillery,  and  conveyed  by  two  gunboats,  came  in  sight. 
He  threw  his  men  and  guns  in  position  without  being 
observed.  Fully  twelve  hundred  Federals,  three  six- 
pounder  rifle  guns  and  about  sixty  horses  were  ashore 
and  the  infantry  formed  in  line  along  the  river  bank  be- 
fore Kelly  suffered  his  riflemen  and  artillery  to  open 
upon  them  at  a  moment  when  the  staging  was  still  filled 
with  troops.  As  soon  as  Kelly  opened  the  action  with 
both  artillery  and  small  arms,  the  Federals  broke  ranks 
beyond  the  control  of  their  officers  and  rushed  toward 
the  transports.  Shell  after  shell  was  sent  plowing 
through  the  flying  throng ;  others  crashed  and  splint- 
ered through  the  sides  of  the  transports,  and  at  least 
two  were  exploded  in  a  gunboat.  At  this  juncture 
the  cables  of  the  transports  being  cut  loose,  drifting  off 
from  the  bank,  their  stagings  were  dropped  into  the 
water  when  crowded  with  men,  who  were  plunged  head- 
lonor  into  the  stream,  as  well  as  another  ofun  and  caisson. 
In  their  panic  some  of  the  Federals,  springing  into  the 
river,  attempted  to  swim  to  and  clamber  upon  the 
steamers,  while  others,  throwing  down  their  guns, 
blankets  and  haversacks  and  runninof  down  the  river 
bank,  effected  their  embarkation  about  half  a  mile  be- 
low upon  one  of  the  steamers  which  ventured  to  touch 
the  bank  for  that  purpose.  The  results  of  this  brilliant 
little  affair  were  the  capture  of  seventy-five  officers  and 


October,  1804.  493 


men,  three  pieces  of  rilied  field  artillery  and  sixty 
horses,  one  gun  and  two  caissons  sunk  in  the  river  and 
the  drowning  and  killing  of  at  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  Federal  officers  and  men,  including  those  hurt  on 
the  transports  and  gunboats.  Meeting  with  such  a  sum- 
mary hostile  reception  the  Federal  fleet  left  that  portion 
of  the  river  as  rapidly  as  possible,  reporting,  it  is  said, 
that  they  had  been  attacked  and  beaten  off  by  all  of 
Forrest's  cavalry. 

Forrest,  reporting  to  Lieutenant-General  Taylor,  his 
superior,  the  results  of  his  expedition  into  Middle  Ten- 
nessee, asked  that  General  Chalmers,  who  had  been  de- 
tached from  his  command  during  his  absence  should  be 
restored  to  it,  to  enable  him  to  make  another  expedition 
into  the  northern  part  of  West  Tennessee  with  a  special 
view  toward  the  destruction  of  the  Federal  depot  at 
Johnsonville. 

All  were  now  astir,  shoeing  horses  and  making  other 
necessary  preparations  for  the 

JOHNSONVILLE  EXPEDITION. 

Our  brigade  (Bell's),  setting  out  from  Corinth  early 
on  the  1 6th,  camped  the  first  night  at  Purdy,  the  second 
a  few  miles  north  of  Mifflin,  the  third  near  Lavinia,  and 
the  fourth  .( 19th)  eiglit  miles  further  north,  where  ew 
halted  two  days. 

Meanwhile,  Buford,  having  left  Corinth  on  the  17th, 
with  Lyon's  Brigade  and  Morton's  and  Walton's  Batter- 
ies, arrived  at  Lexington  the  20th.  Our  brigade,  hav- 
ing been  ordered  to  join  Buford  at  that  place,  was  again 
put  in  motion  about  one  a.  .m.  on  the  2 2d.  After  march- 
ing back  through  Spring  Creek,  thence  six  miles  in  the 
direction  of  Lexington,  the  order  was  countermanded, 
and  we   again   turned  back  and  camped  for  the  night 


494  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

within  four  miles  of  Spring  Creek.  Continuing  our 
march  north-east  on  the  23d,  our  brigade  rejoined  Bu- 
ford  at  Huntingdon  on  the  24th,  where  we  again  halted 
for  three  days. 

Setting  out  from  Corinth  on  the  i8th,  General  For- 
rest followed  with  his  escort  and  Rucker's  Brigade, 
under  Colonel  Kelly,  en  route  for  Jackson,  by  way  of 
Purdy  and  Henderson  Station,  effecting  a  junction  at 
the  latter  place  on  the  20th  with  Chalmers,  who  had 
about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  Mabry's  Brigade. 
The  next  day  Forrest  established  his  headquarters  at 
Jackson,  where  Colonel  Rucker,  haying  reported  for 
duty,  was  reassigned  to  the  command  of  his  brigade,* 
which  thereupon  was  reported  again  to  General  Chal- 
mers as  divisional  commander ;  whereupon,  he  was 
directed  to  move  his  division  to  McLemoresville,  some 
ten  miles  west  of  Huntingdon. 

Thursday,  2jth. — Buford's  Division,  with  Morton's 
Battery  and  two  twenty-pounder  Parrott  guns  which 
had  been  brought  up  from  Mobile  for  this  expedition, 
moved  from  Huntingdon  to  Paris — twenty-four  miles. 

Friday,  28th. — Continuing  his  march  Buford  arrived 
at  Paris  Landing,  on  the  west  bank  of  Tennessee  River, 
just  below  the  mouth  of  Big  Sandy  River,  late  that 
afternoon.  After  a  careful  reconnoissance,  he  estab- 
lished Bell's  Brigade,  with  a,  section  of  Morton's  Bat- 
tery, at  Paris  Landing;  while  Lyon,  with  his  brigade 
and  the  twenty-pounder  Parrotts,  was  put  in  position  at 
Fort  Heiman,  some  five  miles  below,  and  the  other  sec- 
tion of  Morton's  Battery,  under  Lieutenant  Brown,  was 
posted   some   six    hundred   yards   north   of  Lyon,   with 

■•■■Which  had'  been  commanded  by  Colonel  Kelley  during  Rucker's  absence. 
The  latter  -was  wounded  at  Harrisburijr. 


OCTOBEE,  1864.  495 


orders  not  to  disturb  any  transports  or  gunboats  until 
the  batteries  were  thoroughly  prepared  for  action,  nor 
then  to  fire  until  such  steamer  or  steamers  should  have 
passed  into  the  reach  of  the  river  between  the  batteries. 
The  batteries  were  in  position  and  ready  for  action 
by  a  little  after  nightfall.  How  anxious  were  the  gun- 
ners to  see  a  steamer  pass,  in  order  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  try  their  skill.  By  and  by,  four  transports 
were  seen  coming  down  the  river.  Each  man  was  now 
at  his  place  ready  for  the  fray,  when  General  Buford, 
coming  up,  said : 

Keep  quiet,  men^  keep  quiet,  don't  fire  a  gun.  These  are  empty 
boats  going  down  after  more  supplies  for  Sherman's  army.  I  want  a 
loaded  boat,  a  richer  prize.  Just  wait  until  one  comes  up  the  river  and 
then  you  may  take  her  in  if  you  can. 

On  sped  the  steamers,  unmolested,  and  soon  passed 
out  of  sight,  without  knowing  any  thing  about  the  lurk- 
ing danger.  All  was  now  quiet,  and  remained  so  for 
the  rest  of  the  night. 

Satia-day,  zgth. — Daylight  found  Buford's  Batteries 
well  masked,  and  his  men  still  lying  in  wait  for  the  up- 
coming steamer.  Finally,  about  half-past  eight  a.  m., 
the  long-looked-for  hove  in  sight.  It  was  the  transport 
steamer  Mazeppa,  No.  55,  heavily  laden — with  a  barge 
in  tow.  "See  how  beautifully  the  blue  smoke  curls  as 
she  rounds  the  bend."  At  nine  she  passed  the  lower 
battery  at  Fort  Heiman.  Brown's  section  of  Morton's 
guns  was  immediately  opened  upon  her,  followed 
promptly  by  the  heavy  Parrotts,  commanded  by  Lieuten- 
ant W.  O.  Hunter,  and  with  such  effect  that,  her  ma- 
chinery being  speedily  disabled,  she  became  unmanage- 
able., and  drifting  to  the  opposite  shore,  was  deserted  by 
her  crew. 


490  IJ.    II.    Ha.XCOCK's    DlAKY. 

A  daring  feat  was  here  performed  by  Claib  West,  of 
Company  G,  Second  Tennessee.  Getting  on  a  slab, 
and  usinof  a  chunk  for  a  seat,  he  crossed  the  Tennessee 
by  the  aid  of  a  paddle  which  he  had  made  with  his 
knife  (in  anticipation  of  this  trip),  and  was  lifted  on 
board  by  the  captain,  who  had  remained  with  his  boat; 
and' thus  West  was  the  first  Confederate  who  boarded 
the  Mazeppa.  The  captain,  by  order  of  West,  imme- 
diately crossed  to  the  west  bank  in  a  yawl,  in  which 
General  Buford,*  with  a  party  of  men,  at  once  repaired 
to  the  Mazeppa,  and  taking  possession,  she  was  soon 
broueht  across  to  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  She 
proved  to  be  heavily  freighted  with  flour,  hard  bread, 
blankets,  shoes,  clothing,  axes,  and  other  military  stores, 
and  by  five  p.  m.  the  greater  part  of  these  were  safely 
discharged  upon  the  bank  of  the  river. 

At  this  juncture,  however,  three  Federal  gunboats 
came  upon  the  scene,  and  taking  position  out  of  range 
of  our  guns,  shelled  the  landing  and  the  Mazeppa  with 
such  vigor  and  precision  that  Buford  found  it  expedient 
to  burn  the  steamer,  and  address  himself  at  once  to  the 
security  and  removal  of  the  stores  already  landed.  Set- 
ting the  Mazeppa  on  fire,  she  was  soon  consumed,  and 
shortly  after  sundown  the  gunboats  withdrew  down  the 
Tennessee.  Thus  left  in  possession  ot  the  field,  our 
division  worked  all  that  night  in  hauling  the  captured 
supplies  to  a  place  of  safety,  with  wagons  and  teams 
mainly  impressed  for  the  service  from  the  neighborhood. 

On  hoar.lin;,^  the  steamer  and  seeing  thai  West  had  a  demijohn,  Buford 
called  nut,  "  fhe  supplies  for  the  soldiers  but  the  brandy  for  the  Geiwral.''^  At 
this  away  went  Claib  with  tlie  demijoha  and  I3urord  after  him.  The  former, 
however,  soon  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  sight  of  the  latter  by  dodging  among 
the  cabins,  and  as  soon  as  he  iiad  iilled  his  canteen  he  handed  the  demijohn  over 
to   the  General. 


October,  1804.  497 


Siniday,  jof/i. — The  Second  Tennessee  was  camped 
in  a  very  nice  wood,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  or  two 
miles  from  the  river,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Paris 
road.  Our  men  were  still  hauling  the  supplies,  which 
had  been  taken  from  the  Mazeppa  the  day  before,  back 
to  our  camp. 

"Now,  boys,  if  you  will  look  at  the  good  shoes,  blankets,  and 
clothing  lying  in  heajos  over  our  camp  this  morning,  I  think  that  you 
will  decide  that  Buford's  head  was  level  when  he  would  not  allow  our 
artillery  to  open  on  those  empty  boats  which  passed  clown  night  before 
last,  for  at  least  one  of  them  might  have  passed  our  batteries  and 
stopped  the  loaded  boat  from  coming  into  danger." 

"We  are  much  obliged  to  Uncle  Abe  for  the  supplies  that  he  sent 
to  us  by  the  Mazeppa." 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  return  thanks  to  General  Buford  for  mak- 
ing the  requisition,  and  to  Captain  Morton  for  enforcing  it." 

"  Well,  well,  so  2ve  get  the  supplies  we  will  have  no  quarrel  about 
7vho  gets  the  thanks." 

Early  in  the  morning  another  transport,  the  Anna, 
from  above,  passing  Paris  Landing,  unaware  of  the 
snare  in  her  path,  drew  the  fire  of  Morton's  section  of 
three-inch  rifles  there;  the  heavy  Parrotts  next  opened; 
but  Buford.  anxious  to  capture  the  boat  uninjured,  if 
possible,  galloping  to  the  bank,  ordered  her  to  come  to. 
Promptly  replying  that  he  would  do  so,  the  pilot  ringing 
his  siornal-bell  to  that  effect,  Buford  directed  the  firing- 
to  cease.  The  pilot  then  cried  out  that  he  would  round 
to  at  the  lower  landing,  but  really  kept  on  his  course. 
Speedily  apprehending  perfidy,  Buford  ordered  the  bat- 
teries to  reopen ;  nevertheless,  the  i\nna  made  good 
her  escape  from  under  fire,  though  well  riddled  and 
badly  damaged. 

Several  hours  later  the  gunboat  Undine  came  in  sight, 
also  from  above,  conveying  the  transport  Venus,  with 
two  barges  attached.  Permitted  to  pass  by  a  short  dis- 
32 


498  E.  R.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

tance,  the  upper  battery  was  turned  upon  the  gunboat, 
which  then  engaged  the  Confederates  with  spirit  lor 
nearly  an  hour,  during  which  Bell's  sharp-shooters  were 
so  actively  employed  that,  under  the  effect  of  the  three- 
inch  artillery  and  Confederate  riflemen,  presently  dropped 
down  the  river  in  contact  with  the  battery  at  Fort  Heiman, 
which  was  speedily  found  too  formidable  to  attempt  to 
pass. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this.  Colonel  Barteau  had 
received  orders  to  move  his  regiment  from  camp  to 
Paris  Landing.  On  arriving  at  that  place  a  portion  of 
our  regiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton,  was 
sent  down  the  river.  Reaching  a  point  some  eight  hun- 
dred yards  below  the  landing,  and  throwing  his  men 
into  line,  Morton  gave  the  famous  command,  "  Dismount, 
and  prepare,  on  foot,  to  fight  a  gunboat."  He  then 
deployed  his  men  into  line,  several  paces  apart,  along 
the  bank  of  the  river,  to  watch  the  maneuvering  of  the 
gunboat,  which  had  withdrawn,  with  the*  Venus,  above 
and  behind  the  bend  of  the  river,  from  which  position  it 
began  a  noisy  shelling  of  the  upper  battery,  and  also 
the  wood  in  which  the  Second  Tennessee  was  posted,* 
while  at  the  same  time  repairing  damages  in  the  hull 

"•'■  You  have  now  arrived  at  the  time  and  place,  my  dear  reader,  where  the 
career  of  the  writer  as  a  soldier  was  brought  to  a  close.  As  the  gunboat  at  the 
time  of  the  shelling  above  named  was  about  one  mile  below  us,  and  consequently 
out  of  range,  we  were  now  engaged  with  small  arms  just  at  that  time.  In  order 
to  protect  myself,  as  I  thought,  from  the  shells  that  were  flying  through  the  tim- 
ber, I  took  a  seat  on  the  ground  (facing  the  river)  just  above  a  large  tree.  Soon 
after  which  a  shell,  passing  only  a  few  paces  in  front  of  me,  fell  and  exploded 
some  thirty  or  forty  yards  above,  a  piece  of  which,  flying  back,  struck  me  just 
at  the  upper  extremity  of  my  right  thigh,  cut  oft'  the  end  of  my  backbone  and 
lodged  below  my  left  hip,  producing  a  severe,  and  our  surgeon  thought,  a  mor- 
tal wound.  By  my  request  B.  A.  High  went  after  Dr.  J.  M.  Hughes,  our  sur- 
geon, while  some  of  the  boys  carried  me  back  toward  our  horses.  After  being 
examined  by  our  surgeon  I  was  carried  on  a  blanket  by  six  of  my  comrades  back 
to  meet  an  ambulance,  which   Burt  Willard  had  been   sent   to  order  up.     The 


t 

October,  1864.  499 


and  steam-pipe.  During  this  time,  another  transport, 
the  J.  W.  Cheeseman,  coming  down  stream,  was  speedily- 
brought  to,  disabled  in  her  machinery  by  the  artillery  at 
Paris  Landing. 

It  was  now  about  noon,  and  General  Chalmers  had 
just  arrived  with  Rucker's  Brigade  and  four  guns  (two 
of  Rice's  and  two  of  Walton's),  leaving  Mabry's  Bri- 
gade and  Thrall's  Battery  at  Paris. 

Being  informed  of  the  situation  of  affairs  by  Colonel 
Bell  and  Captain  Morton,  Chalmers  ordered  Colonel 
Rucker,  who  had,  meanwhile,  made  a  personal  recon- 
noissance  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Undine  and 
Venus,  and  returning,  reported  the  way  practicable  for 
artillery,  to  take  the  section  of  Walton's  ten-pounder 
Parrot  guns,    supported  by  the  old   Forrest   Regiment, 

boys  bowed  to  the  passing  shells  many  times  as  they  were  carrying  me  oft, 
though  none  of  them  were  hurt. 

Willard  found  an  ambulance  perhaps  over  a  mile  from  the  river,  but  the 
driver  refused  to  go  any  nearer.  Drawing  his  revolver,  Willard  soon  made  that 
driver  believe  that  he  was  in  more  danger  standing  there  than  in  driving  toward 
those  shells  coming  from  the  gunboat,  therefore  he  made  those  mules  move  at  a 
lively  gait  until  he  met  the  boys  who  were  carrying  me.  I  was  then  placed  in 
the  ambulance  and  taken  to  a  house  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  river,  where 
our  surgeons  cut  out  the  piece  of  shell  (it  weighs  eight  and  a  half  ounces)  late 
that  afternoon. 

On  November  ist  I  was  sent  to  Mr.  E.  J.  McFarland's,  on  the  Paris  road, 
ten  miles  from  Paris  Landing,  where  I  remained  seven  months.  B.  D.  Ewing 
(Company  C)  remained  with  me.  He  proved  to  be  a  good  and  faithful  nurse, 
for  which  I  am  yet  under  many,  many  obligations  to  him. 

I  thus  fell  in  the  hands  of  strangers,  though  they  proved  to  be  good  friends. 
I  could  not  have  asked  better  treatment  of  a  brother  than  I  received  from  Mr. 
McFarland,  or  from  sisters  than  from  Mrs.  McFarland  and  her  sister  (the 
Widow  McCormack)  who  was  living  with  her  at  the  time.  I  regret  to  say  that 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  are  both  dead.  Mrs.  McCormack  was  happily  mar- 
ried to  one  Mr.  Gus  Sidebottom  in  1867  or  '68,  and  when  last  heard  from  was 
living  in  Paris,  West  Tennessee.  How  oft  did  she  cheer  me  up  during  my 
lonely  hours  of  suffering,  not  only  by  her  presence  and  good  company  but  also 
by  her  sweet  music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental!  I  am  under  many  obliga- 
tions, also,  to  Dr.  Weldon  for  treating  my  case  as  best  he  could  free  of  charge. 
Notwithstanding  I  was  not  able  to  sit   up  when  the  war  closed,  though   believ- 


500  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

under  Colonel  Kelly,  and  Fifteenth  Tennessee,  and 
attack  as  quickly  as  possible.  Dismounting",  and  taking 
a  position  under  cover  of  the  bushes,  below  the  gun- 
boat. Colonel  Kelly,  opening  a  rapid  fire,  both  upon  the 
Venus  and  at  the  port-holes  of  the  Undine  with  his 
rifles,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  enemy,  while  the 
artillery  was  moved  up  by  hand  into  position,  from 
which  a  vigorous  fire  was  promptly  opened,  and  main- 
tained with  such  precision  that  the  Venus  soon  surren- 
dered to  Colonel  Kelly,  while  the  Undine  was  driven 
to  the  opposite  shore,  in  spite  of  her  eight  twenty-four- 
pounder  Howitzers.  One  shot  striking  the  bow,  passed 
throuorh  from  stem  to  stern,  and  she  had  been  forced  to 
close  her  port-holes  from  the  effects  of  sharp-shooters. 
Her  officers  and  men  not  killed  or  wounded  then  es- 
caped ashore.  Colonel  Kelly,  boarding  the  Venus  with 
two  companies,  and  crossing  over,  took  possession  of 
the  Undine,  raised  steam,  and  carried  both  gunboat  and 
transport  to  Paris  Landing. 

ing  that  I  could  be  moved  home  without  serious  injury,  and  having  no  money 
to  pay  my  way,  I  requested  Ewing  to  go  liome  and  inform  my  brother,  B.  A. 
Hancoclc,  that  I  was  still  living,  and  request  him  to  come  after  me.  Accord- 
ingly, Ewing  went  home,  and  soon  after  my  brother  came  for  me.  Leaving 
Mr.  McFarland's  on  the  28th  of  May,  1865,  I  was  hauled  on  a  cot  in  a  wagon 
to  the  river,  thence  up  the  Tennessee  by  boat  to  Johnsonville,  thence  by  rail  to 
Nashville,  and  thence  by  wagon  again  until  met  by  Mr.  John  F.  Weedan,  with 
a  bed  in  his  carriage,  in  which  I  was  brought  to  my  brother's,  near  Auburn, 
Cannon  County,  Tennesssee,  arriving  on  the  3d  day  of  June. 

Believing  that  there  were  loose  pieces  of  bone  in  my  wound  that  ought  to  be 
and  would  have  to  be  taken  out  before  I  could  ever  recover  I  sent  for  Doctor 
Avant,  of  Murfreesboro.  On  the  2d  of  August,  1865,  he  took  out  nine  pieces 
of  my 'backbone,  ranging  in  size  from  a  grain  of  wheat  to  a  grain  of  corn.  On 
the  2d  of  November  he  took  out  three  more  pieces  and  on  the  ilth  of  April, 
1S66,  one,  and  the  last.  After  I  had  been  confined  to  my  bed  for  eighteen  long- 
months  my  friends,  for  the  first  time,  began  to  have  some  hope  of  my  recovery. 
I  was  sufficiently  recovered  by  the  30th  of  August,  1866,  to  start  to  school  to 
Professor  L.  D.  Stroud,  at  the  Auburn  Academy;  and,  contrary  to  the  expecta- 
tions of  all  who  saw  me,  I  finally  fully  recovered  from  my  wound. 


October,  18G4.  501 


During  this  time  another  gunboat,  descending  the 
stream  at  the  sound  of  the  conflict,  came  to  anchor  about 
a  mile  and  a  haH'  abov^e  Brigro-s'  section  of  Rice's  Bat- 
tery,  which  Chalmers  had  established  several  hundred 
yards  south  of  the  position  that  Morton's  guns  had  held, 
and  began  a  vigorous  shelling  of  the  Confederate  posi- 
tion. Briggs'  pieces  being  too  far  from  the  gunboat  for 
execution,  Chalmers  directed  them  to  be  moved  up  to 
shorter  range.  Securing  a  good  position,  Lieutenant 
Briggs  forced  his  adversary  to  weigh  anchor  and  with- 
draw up  the  river. 

The  Cheeseman  had  a  small  freight  of  commissary 
stores,  including  coffee,  candies,  and  nuts,  and  a  quan- 
tity of  furniture.*  Finding  that  she  was  too  badly 
damaged  for  use,  she  was  burned,  after  being  unloaded. 
Finding  that  the  Undine  and  Venus  were  not  injured 
materially,  either  in  hull  or  machinery,  mechanics, 
gleaned  from  the  command,  as  well  as  those  on  ihe 
Venus,  were  set  to  v/ork  to  place  them  in  serviceable 
condition.  A  detachment  of  infantry  had  been  on  the 
Venus,  ten  of  whom  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  an 
officer  and  ten  men  captured.  The  barges,  being  emp- 
ty, were  destroyed. 

The  day's  work  now  being  closed,  Colonel  Barteau 
moved  the  Second  Tennessee  back  to  their  camp. 

■•■■The  furniture,  together  will)  such  supplies  as  could  not  be  carried  away  by- 
Forrest's  command,  for  want  of  transportation,  was  distributed  among  the  citi- 
zens of  the  vicinity. 


Volume  II 


The  following  account  of  the  movements  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  as 
well  as  the  Second  Tennessee,  from  Paris  Landing  (where  I  was 
wounded)  to  Florence,  Alabama,  I  take  from  Manuscript  Notes  of 
Colonel  Barteau  and  "Campaigns  of  General  Forrest" — 

General  Forrest,  coming  upon  the  ground  on  the  morning  of  the 
31st,  with  his  habitual  energy  urged  forward  the  pre])arations  for  mov- 
ing upon  Johnsonville.  Crews  and  officers  were  detailed  from  the 
command  for  the  LTndine  and  Venus,  upon  both  of  which  the  Confed- 
erate flag  was  now  floating,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  men. 

Captain  Gracy,  of  the  Third  Kentucky,  commanded  the  Undine, 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  A.  Dawson  the  Venus,  while  upon  the 
latter  the  two  twenty-pounder  Parrotts  were  placed  as  armament;  and 
that  afternoon  General  Forrest  made  a  "trial  trip"  with  his  fleet  as  far 
as  Fort  Heiman,  to  see  that  all  was  in  efficient  service;  and  stopping 
there  long  enough  to  take  on  board  the  Venus  a  quantity  of  shoes, 
blankets  and  hard  bread,  which  had  been  secured  from  the  Mazeppa, 
he  moved  back  to  Paris  Landing,  satisfied  that  both  boats  were  in  ser- 
viceable condition,  and  orders  were  given  for  a  general  movement  on 
the  following  morning.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dawson,  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  fleet,  was  instructed  to  move  slowly  up  the  river,  as  soon 
as  the  cavalry  and  artillery  had  taken  up  their  line  of  march  along  the 
bank,  so  that  he  might  keep  his  steamers  under  cover  of  the  batteries. 
Chalmers'  Division,  being  in  advance,  was  to  be  kept  as  close  to  the 
river  as  possible,  to  shield  the  steamers  from  an  attack  from  above, 
while  Buford,  following  Chalmers,  was  to  cover  them  from  any  gun- 
boats which  might  come  from  the  direction  of  Paducah. 

At  noon  on  the  ist  of  November,  all  were  in  motion,  as  directed, 
but  a  steady  rain  began  to  fall,  and  the  roads,  naturally  rough  and 
through  a  rugged  country,  became  slippery  and  difficult.  That  night 
the  Confederates  encamped  just  south  of  the  ruins  of  the  railroad 
bridge  over  the  Tennessee  River,  and  the  steamers  were  anchored 
(503) 


504  Iv.  R.  Haxcouk's  Diary. 

under  the  shelter  of  the  field  batteries  ashore.  A  hard  rain  through 
the  night,  making  the  roads  v.orse  even  than  before,  caused  the  troops 
to  move  slowly,  and  the  fleet  unfortunately  steamed  ahead  of  the  sup- 
porting land  batteries  until  at  a  sudden  bend  in  the  river,  above  Da- 
vidson's Ferry,  they  were  brought  into  the  immediate  presence  of 
three  Federal  gunboats,  when  an  immediate  animated  collision  ensued. 
The  Venus,  soon  receiving  a  shot  among  her  machinery  and  her  tillei- 
rope  being  cut,  became  unmanageable,  so  that  Colonel  Dawson  was 
obliged  to  run  her  ashore,  and  as  the  Undine,  overmatched,  fell  back, 
he,  with  his  crew,  abandoned  the  Venus  under  a  hot  fire.  She  was 
then  recaptured  by  the  enemy  with  her  armament  (the  two  twenty- 
pounder  Parrotts)  and  the  stores  that  had  been  taken  from  the  A'la- 
zeppa.  In  tlie  meantime  Chalmers  threw  his  artillery  into  position  at 
Davidson's  Ferry  in  time  to  make  an  effective  diversion  in  favor  of  the 
Undine,  and  the  enemy,  forced  to  forego  their  prey,  bore  off,  taking 
the  Venus  in  tow.  After  this  untoward  affair,  resuming  the  march, 
the  head  of  the  Confederate  column  encamped  that  evening  a  mile 
below  Reynoldsburg. 

Mabry,  who  had  been  directed  several  days  previously  to  establish 
himself  with  Thrall's  Battery  and  his  brigade  on  the  river  above  John- 
sonville,  was  now  ordered  to  take  position  as  nearly  opposite  to  John, 
sonville  as  possible  the  next  morning,  keeping  carefully  out  of  sight  of 
the  enemy.  Meanwhile,  some  light  skirmishing  occurred  with  several 
gunboats  that  were  now  hemmed  in  between  Mabry  on  the  south  and 
Buford  on  the  north,  though  without  substantial  results,  and  thus 
stood  matters  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  when  five  heavily-armed  gun- 
boats appearing  from  below  engaged  in  a  sharp  skirmish  with  our 
batteries,  in  the  course  of  which  shells  were  thrown  quite  three  miles, 
from  thirty-two-pounders,  among  the  Confederates  and  their  horses, 
with  great  din  and  uproar  as  they  crashed  through  the  dense,  lofty 
forest  trees  of   the  country,  but  happily  without  harm.*     For  a  time 

•'■  "  Before  day  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  November,  an  amusing  incident 
occurred  with  the  regiment  as  we  were  encamped  on  tlie  l)ank  of  the  river. 
Five  gunlioats  came  up  and  seeing  our  camp-fire  commenced  a  furious  shelling, 
which  entirely  took  us  by  surprise.  A  regiment,  being  mostly  new  recruits, 
all  'stampeded'  in  hot  haste,  while  my  men  engaged  themselves  in  picking  up 
the  blankets,  saddles,  wearing  apparel,  etc.,  wliich  they  Left.  The  next  day 
the  new  recruits  claimed  their  property,  but  were  soon  put  to  shame  by  jeers 
and  laughter.  They  snou  were  unwilling  even  to  own  that  anything  we  had 
belonged  to  them." — Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 

"A  good   maay   of   our  boys  laid  down   their  long  guns  and  picked  up  the 


The  Johnsonyille  Expedition.  505 


the  Undine  took  part  in  tlie  conflict,  and  also  two  of  the  gunboats  from 
Johnsonville,  but  the  former  having  been  struck  as  many  as  three 
times  and  being  in  close  range  of  the  gunboats,  both  from  above  and 
below,  her  crevi^  hurriedly  turning  the  bow  of  their  vessel  to  the  bank, 
set  her  on  fire  and  made  off  for  their  horses  as  fast  as  they  could 
scamper,  fonder  of  the  trooper's  saddle  than  ever  before.  And  thus 
terminated  the  short-lived  operations  of  "Forrest's  Cavalry  Afloat." 

By  nightfall  Forrest  had  concentrated  his  forces  along  the  west 
bank  of  the  Tennessee,  opposite  johnsonville.  This  bank,  from  which 
he  expected  to  operate,  is  abrupt  near  the  river  about  twenty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  water,  and  descends  as  it  recedes  toward  the  west. 
It  was  thickly  covered  with  heavy  timber  except  immediately  in  front 
of  t!ie  depot,  where  the  trees  had  been  felled  for  some  distance  rear- 
ward to  give  range  for  their  guns  and  prevent  any  hostile  approach 
under  their  cover.  Forrest  was  satisfied,  after  having  made  a  close 
reconnoissance,  that  if  he  could  get  his  guns  in  certain  positions  which 
he  had  selected  he  might  readily  destroy  not  only  the  depot  and  vast 
accumulation  of  supplies  there  collected,  but  also  the  gunboats  and 
transports  then  at  the  landing. 

General  Lyon  was  ordered  to  take  Thrall's  Battery  (twelve-pounder 
howitzers),  then  near  at  hand,  and  establish  it  as  near  to  the  river  bank 
as  practicable,  immediately  opposite  to  the  upper  or  southern  part  of 
the  landing.  Losing  no  time  moving  Thrall's  guns  as  near  to  the  de- 
sired point  with  horses  as  he  might  without  risk  of  discovery,  Lyon 
then  pushed  his  pieces  some  three  hundred  yards  nearer  the  river  by 
hand  and  to  within  easy  range  of  the  steamers  and  gunboats.  At  the 
pomt  thus  secured  the  river  bank  fell  off  rapidly  westward  and  formed 
a  natural  rampart,  behind  which  Lyon  sunk  chambers  for  his  guns  and 
cut  embrasures  through  the  solid  natural  parapet  in  his  front.     The 

short  Enfield  rifles  that  this  new  regiment  had  left.  A  few  days  after  tliis  an 
order  came  from  headquarters  demanding  the  Second  Tennessee  to  give  up  tlie 
guns  belonging  to  this  regiment.  However,  when  tlie  matter  was  explained  to 
General  Buford  as  to  how  we  came  in  possession  of  the  guns  which  had  be- 
longed to  these  men,  he  would  not  allow  the  order  to  be  enforced,  but  allowed 
our  boys  to  keep  the  guns." — B.  A.  High's  \'erbal  Report. 

"A  beef  had  been  slaughtered  but  not  issued  to  the  men  when  the  shelling 
commenced.  It  had  been  left  not  far  from  the  camp.  When  this  beef  was  re- 
vealed to  one  of  the  stampeders  by  a  flash  of  lightning,  he  exclaimed,  "There, 
by  G — d,  a  shell  has  split  a  horse  ivide  open.''  He  must  have  thought  that  that 
^vas  a  wonderful  shell — to  split  a  horse  open  and  skin  him  at  the  same  time." — 
D.  B.  Willard's  Verbal  Report. 


5  06  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


men  worked  all  night  and  with  such  alacrity  that  the  battery  was  ready 
by  eight  a.  m.  on  the  4th,  completely  shielded  from  the  gunboats,  but 
to  some  extent  open  to  a  plunging  fire  from  the  redoubt. 

Colonel  Rucker  was  likewise  directed  to  establish  Morton's  Battery 
just  opposite  Johnsonville,  and  to  place  Brigg's  section  of  Rice's  Bat- 
tery in  position  four  hundred  yards  to  the  northward  and  the  other  one 
mile  and  a  half  below  to  protect  the  crossing  of  a  shallow  bar.  Mor- 
ton's guns  were  sunk,  like  Thrall's,  but  the  other  sections  were  not  so 
that  they  might  be  able  to  give  chase  to  any  steamer  which  should 
attempt  to  pass  below  or  get  by.  Morton's  guns  had  to  be  lifted  and 
carried  over  the  fallen  timber  for  some  distance  before  placing  them 
in  their  assigned  positions.  Seeing  that  daylight  would  be  upon  them> 
before  their  work  could  be  completed,  Lyon  and  Rucker  had  con- 
trived artificial  screens  of  beech  bushes  which  skillfully  intermingled 
with  those  already  growing  along  the  river  bank,  effectually  masked 
their  working  parties.  Meanwhile,  Buford  on  the  left^  or  northward, 
and  Chalmers  on  the  right,  held  their  men  carefully  concealed  in  the 
timber  or  behind  logs  and  in  the  ravines,  in  supporting  distance  of  the 
batteries. 

By  noon  all  was  ready  on  the  Confederate  side.  Forrest  then  hav- 
ing the  watches  of  his  several  subordinate  commanders  compared  and 
set  uniformly,  ordered  that  his  batteries  should  open  fire  simultaneously 
and  precisely  at  2  p.  m. 

In  the  interval  the  gunboats  from  below  had  withdrawn  out  of 
sight;  the  three  at  Johnsonville  were  quietly  moored  at  the  landing,  but 
with  steam  up  and  their  upper  decks  covered  with  their  officers  and 
crew,  the  latter  either  busy  scrubbing  or  washing  their  clothes.  Strag- 
gling troops  were  sauntering  about  over  the  hillside  or  pacing  the 
parapet  of  the  redoubt;  laborers  were  at  work  landing  stores  from 
transports  and  barges;  passengers  lounged  upon  the  decks  of  the- 
transports,  smoking  or  chatting,  and  some  ladies  were  to  be  seen  com' 
ing  down  the  bank,  evidently  in  anticipation  of  an  early  departure  oni 

*"The  Second  Tennessee  was  not  only  with  Buforcl  here,  but  moved  with 
his  (our)  division  from  here — by  the  way  of  Corintli,  Iul<a  and  Cherokee  to 
Florence.  So  let  it  be  understood  that  when  I  mention  Buford's  Division  I  in- 
clude the  Second  Tennessee.  At  Johnsonville  and  all  along  the  expedition  the 
regiment  (Second  Tennessee)  did  its  usual  duty  and  aided  as  far  as  directed  in 
capturing  gunboats  and  transports.  The  greatest  service  was  of  course  ren- 
dered by  the  artillery,  and  in  many  cases  the  cavalry  had  but  little  to  do." — Man- 
uscript Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 


The  Johnsonville  Expedition.  507 

some  of  the  steamers,  several  of  which  were  getting  up  steam.  It 
Avas  apparent  that  there  was  not  the  least  suspicion  of  the  impend- 
ing tempest,  and  that  the  Federals  must  imagine  the  Confederates  had 
withdrawn  from  thei-r  neighborhood  without  the  ability  of  doing  them 
any  harm.  Meanwhile,  General  Forrest  anxiously  surveyed  the  scene 
with  his  glasses  until  the  moment  for  action  had  come.  Then  aiming 
with  his  own  eye  and  hand  a  piece  in  Morton's  Battery,  at  the  ap- 
pointed instant  ten  pieces  carefully  trained  upon  the  gunboats  at  the 
landing  were  discharged  with  such  harmony  that  it  could  not  be  dis- 
cerned there  was  more  than  one  report — one  heavy  gun.  At  the  mo- 
ment several  gunboats  were  just  beginning  to  swing  out  into  the  stream 
as  if  for  a  cruise.  Immediately  steam  and  smoke  poured  forth  from 
the  boats  and  at  every  aperture  from  one  of  them,  while  her  crew  were 
seen  jumping  into  the  river  nearest  the  shore  and  svrimming  for  the 
landing,  showing  that  her  steam  apparatus  was  mortally  hurt.  Another 
of  the  gunboats  turned  toward  the  landing,  and  the  ladies  just  ap- 
proaching the  transports  rushed  wildly  up  the  hillside  toward  the  fort. 
Only  one  of  the  gunboats  returned  the  fire,  but  the  redoubt  burst 
forth  with  a  storm  of  shell,  thrown  with  much  precision.  At  the  third 
discharge,  however,  of  the  Confederates'  battery,  the  boiler  of  one  of 
the  gunboats  not  in  action  was  evidently  perforated,  for  the  agonizing 
screams  of  the  wounded  and  scalded  were  plainly  heard  across  the 
broad  river,  but  the  Confederates  plied  their  artillery  with  unabated 
energy,  and  the  sharp-shooters  joining  in,  their  unerring  rifles  kept  up  a 
fierce,  deadly  fire  at  the  ports  of  the  gunboats,  especially  the  one  that 
gave  battle.  The  conflict  had  now  been  maintained  for  an  hour,  and 
the  guns  of  the  redoubt,  soon  getting  the  range,  threw  their  shells  so 
accurately  that  several  were  dropped  into  the  sunken  gun-chambers, 
but  without  further  harm  than  breaking  the  rammers  in  the  hands  of 
the  gunners  in  two  instances,  for  they  sunk  so  deep  before  they  ex- 
ploded that  they  did  no  injury.  The  two  disabled  gunboats  were  now 
wrapped  in  flames,  and  the  commander  of  the  third,  after  a  stout  con- 
test, unable  to  endure  it  any  longer,  ran  her  ashore,  when  she  was  im- 
mediately deserted  by  her  crew,  as  the  other  two  had  been. 

Orders  were  now  given  to  turn  Morton's  guns  upon  the  redoubt  and 
right  speedily  they  were  exploding  their  shells  within  its  precincts, 
though  a  mile  distant  and  elevated  at  least  eighty  feet  above  their  level. 
By  this  time  the  burning  gunboats  having  drifted  against  some  loaded 
barges,  these  were  quickly  in  flames,  and  Thrall's  guns  being  turned 
upon  two  transports  and  some  barges  lying  somewhat  above  the  land- 
ing, soon  succeeded  in  setting  them  ablaze;  then  their  cables  burning, 


508  R.  R.  Ha^s^cock's  Diary. 

they  went  adrift  and  were  carried  by  the  current  down  stream  in  con- 
tact with  another  transport  to  which  the  fire  was  communicated,  and 
thence  spread  in  a  little  while  under  the  influence  of  a  brisk  down- 
stream breeze  to  the  other  transports  and  barges  at  the  landing.  It 
was  four  p.  m.,  and  every  gunboat,  transport  and  barge  was  on  fire. 

Thus  far,  as  successful  as  could  be  hoped,  Forrest  directed  his  bat- 
teries to  the  main  work  in  hand — the  destruction  of  the  warehouses 
and  supplies  ashore.  Discovering  a  large  pile  of  hay,  a  few  det^tly- 
exploded  shells  kindled  it  into  a  consuming  fire  that  soon  spread  to  vast 
heaps  of  corn  and  bacon  adjoining.  And  descrying  farther  up  the 
slope  a  large  pile  of  barrels  under  tarpaulins,  suspecting  that  they  con- 
tained spirits,  Briggs'  section,  armed  with  James  rifles,  was  directed  to 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  using  percussion  primers  (captured 
from  the  Federals  at  Brice's  Cross  Roads).  A  few  well-aimed  shells 
were  thrown  with  the  happiest  effect,  for  a  blue  blaze,  unmistakably 
alcoholic,  was  quickly  seen  to  dart  from  under  the  tarpaulins.  At 
this  a  loud  shout  burst  from  the  Confederates,  though  many  doubtless 
were  athirst  for  that  which  they  saw  swallowed  up  by  the  ravening  fire. 
Soon  the  barrels  began  to  burst  with  loud  explosions,  and  the  burning 
liquid  ran  in  torrents  of  livid  flame  down  the  hillside,  spreading  a 
flame  in  its  course  toward  the  river  and  filling  the  air  with  the  blended 
yet  distinct  fumes  of  burning  spirits,  sugar,  coffee  and  meat.  Mean- 
wliile,  all  the  warehouses  and  buildings  were  ignited  and  the  work  of 
destruction  efl'ectually  accomplished;  therefore,  stopping  the  fire  of  his 
artillery,  Forrest  directed  the  main  part  of  the  cavalry  to  move  rear- 
ward several  miles  to  where  his  train  was  established  and  feed  their 
horses.  And  after  dark  all  the  artillery  except  Briggs'  section  were 
likewise  withdrawn  to  the  same  point — Rucker's  Brigade  being  left  as 
a  support  to  the  artillery  section  and  to  picket  the  river.  The  night 
was  made  almost  as  luminous  by  the  conflagration  as  the  day. 

Riding  back  to  the  river  early  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  Forrest 
had  the  satisfaction  to  see  that  naught  remained  opposite  of  the  opu- 
lent depot  of  yesterday  but  the  redoubt,  gloomily  surmounting  and 
guarding  with  its  wide-mouthed  guns  broad  heaps  of  ashes  and  charred, 
smoking  debris.  Nothing  was  left  unconsumed;  neither  gunboat, 
transport  nor  barge  had  escaped,  and  naught  now  remained  of  the  large 
piles  of  stores  that  at  noon  of  the  day  before  had  covered  several 
acres  of  the  surrounding  slope. 

Briggs'  guns  were  now  ordered  to  be  withdrawn,  but  as  this  was 
being  done  a  regiment  of  negroes  emerging  from  their  covert,  dis- 
played themselves  upon  the  opposite  bank  in  amusing,  irate  antics. 


The  Johnsonvjlle  Expeditiox  509 

Thereupon  the  section  was  halted  and  turned  upon  the  absurdly  frantic 
negroes,  while  Rucker's  veterans,  bringing  their  far-reaching  rifles 
down  upon  them,  one  volley  and  a  salvo  speedily  dispersed  the  howl- 
ing, capering  crowd,  who  scampered  away  in  the  wildest  confusion, 
but  a  number  were  left  dead  or  wounded  upon  the  river  bank.  This 
dreAv  a  few  shells  from  the  redoubt,  but  the  Confederates  moving  off 
unharmed  rejoined  their  companions. 

As  results  of  this  happily-conceived  and  well-executed  operation, 
it  remains  to  recount  the  destruction  at  Johnsonville  of  three  gunboats, 
eleven  transports  and  some  eighteen  barges,  and  of  buildings,  quarter- 
master's and  commissary's  supplies,  according  to  the  Federal  estimate, 
to  the  value  of  over  eight  millions  of  dollars.  Two  transports,  one 
gunboat  and  three  barges  had  been  captured  and  destroyed  previously. 
This  had  been  accomplished  with  the  loss  of  the  two  twenty-pounder 
Parrotts,  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  with  the  transport 
Venus  upon  her  recapture,  and  two  men  were  killed  and  four  wounded. 

General  Forrest  had  just  received  orders  from  General  Beauregard, 
directing  him  to  repair  with  his  entire  command  to  Middle  Tennessee 
and  form  a  junction  with  General  Hood,  between  Florence  and  Co- 
lumbia, and  with  that  object  he  now  took  the  field,  marching  under  a 
hard,  chilly  rain*  some  twenty  miles  that  afternoon  in  the  direction  of 
Perryville,  where  he  hoped  to  effect  the  passage  of  the  Tennessee 
River.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  roads  were  extremely  deep  with 
mud,  the  command  reached  Perryville  by  the  afternoon  of  the  6th. 
Two  yawls  were  brought  up  on  wagons  from  the  Undine,  and  with 
these  the  crossing  began  that  night  and  continued  during  the  yth,  until 
about  four  hundred  of  Rucker's  Brigade  had  been  crossed. 

Meanwhile,  some  pontoons  came  up,  and  an  effort  was  made  to 
construct  a  raft  with  them  that  would  carry  the  wagons;  a  srnall,  frail 
flat  also  had  been  built ;  but  this  and  the  raft  proved  to  be  unable  to 
stand  the  driftwood  with  which  the  rapid  current  of  the  stream  was 
flooded;  and  the  river  was  still  rising  at  the  rate  of  two  feet  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  Therefore,  directing  Rucker  to  move  forward  to  Mount 
Pleasant  to  effect  a  junction  with  General  Hood,  Forrest,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  8th,  determined  to  abandon  the  effort  to  cross  the  river  at 
Perryville,  and  push  forward  to  Florence.  Chalmers  was  directed  to 
move  directly  upon  luka  by  the  river  roads  in  that  direction,  which 

■'•■"Severe  cold  weather  was  now  upon  us,  yet,  thanks  to  our  General,  we  had 
drawn  from  the  Federal  stores  an  abundant  supply  of  warm  clothing." — Manu- 
script Notes  of  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 


510  K.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

were  found  as  bad  as  possible.  Buford  marched  with  his  division  by- 
way of  Corinth.      Artillery  moved  with  both  divisions. 

The  rain  still  poured  down  in  torrents  as  the  Confederates  pressed 
on  over  the  clay  hills  of  the  country,  and  through  the  deep  mud  and 
mire,  all  weary  and  constantly  wet  to  the  skin;  and  one  day  so  nearly 
impassable  were  the  roads  that,  working  from  sunrise  until  after  night, 
Morton's  Battery  was  only  transported  two  miles  and  a  half.  Unable 
to  get  fresh  horses,  the  artillery  teams  were  increased  from  twelve  to 
sixteen  horses  to  a  gun  ;  and  oxen  being  mipressed,  eight  of  them 
were  attached  to  a  piece,  after  which  there  was  less  difficulty.  Chal- 
mers finally  reached  luka  with  a  part  of  Rucker's  Brigade  and  the 
Fifth  Mississippi,  on  the  13th;  Mabry's  Brigade  having  been  detached, 
imder  order  from  General  Forrest  the  day  before,  to  garrison  the  de|>ot 
at  Corinth.  Buford's  Division  arrived  at  luka  the  14th.*  On  the 
1 6th,  both  divisions  were  ordered  to  move  up  to  Florence,  where 
Chalmers  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  the  17th,  having  crossed  the 
Tennessee  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  constructed  for  General  Hood's  army; 
and  his  command,  moving  out,  encamped  two  miles  north  of  the  town. 
Buford's  Division  did  not  cross  until  the  morning  of  the  iSth.f 

General  Flood's  army  was  found  encamped  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  and  now  busily  engaged  preparing  for  an  advance  movement. 

"The  Army  of  the  Tennessee"  was  divided  into  three  corps 
(Stewart's,  Cheatham's,  and  Lee's),  consisting  of 

An  eft'eclive  total  of  infantry 25,000 

An  effective  total  of  artillery 2,000 

Jackson's  Division  of  cavalry 2,000 

Total 29,000 

*  Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  Barteau. 

t  By  my  request,  Lieutenant  Geo.  F.  Hager  (Company  G)  very  kindly  agreed 
to  write  up  the  history  of  the  Second  Tennessee  from  here  to  the  close  of  the  war ; 
but  he  has  been  so  pressed  with  his  own  business  that  he  has  not  had  time  to 
comply  with  said  request.  This  I  exceedingly  regret.  He  is  so  much  better 
prepared  to  do  the  work,  from  the  fact  that  he  was  with  the  regiment  up  to  the 
surrender.  Unfortunately,  neither  our  Colonel  nor  Lieutenant-Colonel  made 
any  official  report  of  the  Hood  Campaign. 

I  have  learned,  moreover,  through  General  Marcus  J.  Wright,  that  if  Gen- 
eral Bell  made  any  official  report  of  the  movements  of  our  brigade,  during  said 
campaign,  it  cannot  be  found  in  the  Confederate  Archives  at  Washington.  I 
shall  proceed,  however,  and  do  the  best  that  I  can  with  the  data  which  I  have 
before  me— depending  upon  Forrest's  Campaigns  for  the  movements  of  Forrest's 
Cavalry  in  general,  and  upon  my  surviving  comrades  for  the  part  taken  by  the 
Second  Tennessee,  from  this  to  the  close  of  the  war. 


Tke  Hood  Campaign.  Ml 

To  this  force  was  now  added  Forrest's  Cavalry,  about  three  thou- 
■sand  effectives,  swelling  the  Confederate  army  about  to  take  the  field 
in  Middle  Tennessee  to  thirty-two  thousand  men,  of  which  five  thou- 
sand were  cavalry;  and  over  these  General  Forrest  was  placed  in  chief 
command,  on  the  17th.     He  now  had  six  small  brigades,  as  follows: 

Biffle's  Demi-brigade  (transferred  from  Jackson's  Division)  and 
Hacker's  Brigade,  under  Chalmers  ;  Bell's  and  Crossland's  Brigades, 
under  Buford ;  and  Armstrong's  and  Ross'  Brigades,  under  Jackson. 
Huey's  Battalion,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  recently  recruited 
in  Kentucky,  was,  about  this  time,  added  to  Crossland's  Kentucky 
Brigade. 

Meanwhile,  Jackson's  Division  was  in  advance  on  the  Lawrence- 
burg  road,  about  twelve  miles  from  Florence;  and,  in  order  to  procure 
forage  for  their  horses,  Chalmers  and  Buford  moved  in  the  same 
direction  on  the  19th.  On  reaching  Butler's  Creek,  Buford  found  that 
a  brigade  of  Federal  foragers  was  also  in  that  vicinity.  Throwing  out 
Crossland's  Brigade,  he  soon  came  in  collision  with  the  enemy,  who 
made  spirited  contest ;  but  it  so  happened  that  General  Armstrong,  of 
Jackson's  Division,  was  in  the  same  field,  in  quest  of  forage  likewise, 
and,  hearing  the  firing  and  making  for  the  scene,  suddenly  fell  upon 
the  Federal  right  flank.  Thus  brought  between  two  fires,  the  enemy 
fled  precipitately  across  Shoal  Creek,  but  the  gallant  Colonel  Cross- 
land  was  once  more  severely  wounded.  Tom  Sadler  (Second  Tennes- 
see) was  also  wounded.  Chalmers  and  Buford  camped  near  Prewett's 
Mill,  where  they  rested  on  the  20th. 

The  general  advance  having  commenced,  on  the  21st,  Bififle's  Bri- 
gade moving  on  the  left  flank,  took  the  Waynesboro  road;  while  Chal- 
mers, with  Rucker's  Brigade,  moved  in  front  of  Hood's  infantry,  on 
■what  is  known  as  the  Middle  or  Henryville  road.  Buford  and  Jack- 
son moving  on  the  right  flank,  in  the  direction  of  Pulaski,  bivouacked 
near  Lawrenceburg ;  at  which  place  they  were  confronted,  on  the 
morning  of  the  2 2d,  by  a  Federal  calvary  force,  estimated  by  scouts 
at  four  thousand  strong.  Driving  in  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  Buford 
and  Jackson  arranged  for  an  attack,  that  afternoon,  upon  the  place. 

Immediately  deploying  their  men  in  battle  array — with  Russell's 
Regiment  and  the  Second  Tennessee  held  in  reserve — Buford  moved 
upon  the  west  and  north  of  Lawrenceburg,  while  Jackson,  at  the  same 
time,  approached  the  town  from  the  south,  and  an  animated  skirmish 
began  with  the  enemy,  found  in  line  of  battle  on  the  road  to  Pulaski. 
However,   the  Federals,   soon  giving  way,   rapidly  withdrew  toward 


512  K.  i;.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

Pulaski,  leaving  their  forage  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates,  wha 
bivouacked  near  by. 

Pursuing  in  the  direction  of  Pulaski,  Jackson  bivouacked  within 
eight  miles  of  that  place  on  the  night  of  the  23d,  while  Buford  was  on 
another  road  to  the  left  of  Jackson.  On  learning  that  the  Federals 
were  falling  back  toward  Columbia.  Buford  and  Jackson,  turning 
nearly  northward,  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  moved  in  the  direction 
of  Campbellville. 

After  halting  during  the  2  2d,  at  West  Point,  to  await  the  arrival  of 
the  infantry,  Chalmers,  moving  on  the  23d  toward  Mount  Pleasant, 
struck  a  Federal  calvary  force  about  three  p.  m.,  which,  being  put  to 
flight,  retreated  upon  a  Federal  brigade  of  cavalry  encamped  a  few 
miles  to  the  rear  on  the  Mount  Pleasant  road.  Chalmers  soon  found 
himself  confronted  by  a  force  greatly  his  superior  in  number.  Gen- 
eral Forrest,  coming  upon  the  scene,  ordered  Chalmers  to  advance  and 
engage  the  enemy,  sending  Kelly  with  the  old  Forrest  Regiment 
around  the  Federal  left  flank  to  gain  their  rear,  if  possible,  while  he 
[Forrest],  leading  his  escort,  some  eighty  strong,  rapidly  around  the 
Federal  flank,  struck  the  enemy's  rear,  put  a  portion  of  the  brigade  to- 
flight,  killed  and  wounded  about  thirty,  captured  sixty,  and  then  fired 
upon  other  detachments  from  ambush  as  Chalmers  drove  them  by  his 
position.  It  was  now  after  nightfall,  and  Forrest  moved  his  whole 
force  (his  escort  and  Rucker's  Brigade)  back  to  the  Federal  encamp- 
ment, where  he  found  an  abundant  supply  of  forage  and  rations  aban- 
doned by  the  enemy.  In  the  engagements  of  this  afternoon  Rucker's 
losses  and  those  of  the  escort  were  five  killed  and  thirty  wounded ; 
that  of  the  enemy  quite  four  times  that  number,  exclusive  of  some 
sixty  prisoners. 

About  two  o'clock  a.  m.  on  the  24th,  Rucker  was  again  in  the  sad- 
dle with  his  brigade,  and  moving  rapidly  by  way  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
about  daylight  he  overtook  the  Federal  rear  near  the  house  of  Gen- 
eral L.  Polk,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Columbia.  Without  making  a 
stout  stand  they  were  presently  borne  back  upon  their  fortifications 
and  a  large  infantry  force.  This  pursuit  closed,  however,  with  a  gal- 
lant charge  upon  the  infantry  pickets  that  cost  the  life  of  the  gallant 
Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  A.  Dawson. 

In  the  meantime,  on  reaching  Campbellville,  about  noon  on  the 
24th,  Buford  found  in  his  front  about  four  thousand  Federal  cavalry 
under  General  Hatch.  Our  General  immediately  attacked  the  enemy 
with  Bell's  Brigade  and  Huey's  Kentuckians,  or  less  than  one  thou- 


The  Hood  Campaign.  513 


sand  men,  and  maintained  a  vigorous  combat  until  Jackson  came  up, 
when  both  divisions,  with  a  common  aim  though  separate  impulsion, 
were  thrown  upon  their  enemy.  The  effect  was  the  complete  rout  of 
their  adversary.  In  Buford's  quarter  of  the  field  Newsom,  charging 
with  the  Nineteenth  Tennessee,  dispersed  several  regiments  and  cap- 
tured more  than  one  hundred  prisoners;  and  Jackson's  troops,  press- 
ing the  advantage,  captured  as  many  more,  with  their  horses  and 
equipments,  four  stands  of  colors,  and  sixty-five  head  of  beef  cattle. 

It  was  now  late,  and  Buford  and  Jackson  bivouacked,  Armstrong 
at  Lynnville,  on  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad,  about  fifteen 
miles  south  of  Columbia,  and  the  other  brigades  somewhat  short  of 
that  place.  They  moved  out  early  on  the  25th  in  the  direction  of  Co- 
lumbia. D.  B.  Willard  (Company  C,  Second  Tennessee),  who  was 
riding  along  a  ridge  in  advance  of  Buford's  Division,  saw  a  line  of 
Federal  cavalry  drawn  up  in  battle  array  across  a  hollow  to  his  right. 
He  had,  in  fact,  gone  beyond  the  line  before  he  discovered  it.  Turn- 
ing, he  moved  quietly  for  a  short  distance,  and  then  rapidly  until  he 
met  Buford.  As  soon  as  Willard  reported  what  he  had  seen  our  Gen- 
eral threw  forward  a  heavy  line  of  skirmishers,  dismounted,  with  Wil- 
lard to  guide  them  to  the  enemy's  position.  At  the  first  volley  from 
our  boys  the  Federals  gave  way  and  fled  in  the  wildest  confusion. 
The  two  divisions,  then  moving  on,  took  position  in  the  vicinity  of 
Columbia,  Buford's  right  (Bell's  Brigade)  resting  upon  Duck  River 
and  his  left  upon  the  Pulaski  turnpike,  and  Jackson  upon  the  Chapel 
Hill  turnpike.  Having  thus  invested  the  place,  Forrest  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  infantry. 

Columbia  was  now  occupied  with  the  Fourth  (12,000  strong)  and' 
the  Twenty-third  (10,000)  Federal  Army  Corps  and  Wilson's  Cavalry 
(7,700),  with  heavy  bodies  of  skirmishers  in  position  behind  a  heavy 
line  of  rifle  pits  stretching  around  the  town,  about  one  mile  and  a. 
half  from  it.  From  an  elevated  position,  in  rear  of  Chalmers,  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy  were  to  be  plainly  seen,  drawn  up  in  three 
lines  of  battle.  Nevertheless,  though  Buford  and  Jackson  pressed 
their  skirmishers  back  at  several  pomts  on  numerous  occasions  during 
the  26th  and  27th,  and  had  seized  and  held  portions  of  their  advance 
line,  from  which  they  had  been  expelled,  yet  there  was  no  disposition 
manifested  by  the  enemy  to  come  to  any  serious  engagement. 

A  line  of  sharp-shooters,  who  were   posted  in  holes   dug   in   the 
ground  for  the  purpose,  was  stretched  across  an  old  field  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  in  front  of  Bell's  Brigade.     When  any  of  our  boys  would 
33 


514  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

go  in  range  of  this  line  of  sharp-shooters  a  volley  would  be  poured 
forth  from  behind  small  mounds  {made  of  dirt  taken  from  the  holes), 
though  not  a  Federal  could  be  seen.  While  going  around  and  inspect- 
ing his  line,  General  Forrest  came  to  the  position  occupied  by  the 
Second  Tennessee  (on  the  right  of  Bell's  Brigade),  and  inquired  of 
Colonel  Barteau,  somewhat  abruptly,  why  he  had  not  moved  up  nearer 
the  enemy's  position.  " /'l^/^^;-6',"  continued  Forrest,  "/>  the  enemy  V 
Our  colonel  mildly  replied,  "Ride  with  me,  General,  and  I  will  show 
you  where  they  are."  General  Buford  rode  with  them.  They  had 
not  gone,  far,  however,  before  a  volley  from  the  Federal  sharp- shoot- 
ers, which  luckily  did  no  other  harm  only  that  of  killing  General  Bu- 
ford's  horse,  convinced  Forrest  that  the  enemy  was  not  as  i'ar  oft'  as 
he  had  supposed. 

Biffle  came  up  with  his  demibrigade  and  reported  to  Chalmers  on 
the  evening  of  the  26th. 

Meanwhile,  all  of  General  Hood's  infantry  having  come  up  by  the 
afternoon  of  the  27th,  they  relieved  Forrest's  Cavalry,  which  was  then 
redisposed — Chalmers  at  Webster's  Mills,  about  ten  miles  south-west 
of  Columbia,  Jackson  at  Fountain  Creek,  and  Buford  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Berlin,  on  the  Lewisburg  turnpike. 

On  the  night  of  the  27th  Forrest  was  ordered  to  attempt  to  throw 
the  cavalary  to  the  north  bank  of  Duck  River,  early  the  next  morn- 
ing, to  cover  the  construction  of  the  pontoon  bridge  for  the  passage 
of  the  infantry.  Accordingly,  Buford  was  instructed  to  pass  the 
stream  on  the  Lewisburg-Franklin  turnpike,  Jackson  at  Hall's  Mill, 
nine  miles  east  of  Columbia  (and  west  of  Buford),  Chalmers  at  Hol- 
land's Ford,  two  miles  west  of  Jackson,  while  Forrest,  with  his  escort 
and  Bififle's  force,  vvas  to  attempt  a  ford  two  miles  west  of  Chalmers. 

The  enemy,  however,  had  evacuated  Columbia  during  the  night 
and  taken  up  a  strong  position  on  the  north  side  of  Duck  River.  The 
weather  was  cold  and  disagreeably  wet.  The  fords  of  Duck  River, 
all  greatly  swollen  and  swift,  their  passage  was  not  only  tedious  but 
hazardous,  for  only  the  tallest  horses  could  effect  it  without  swimming. 
Notwithstanding  the  enemy  had  disputed  their  passage,  Forrest,  Chal- 
mers, and  Jackson  stood  upon  the  north  bank  late  that  afternoon. 
Buford,  however,  found  that  while  a  strong  Federal  cavalry  force  stood 
upon  a  ridge  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  river,  about  twenty  men 
were  posted  in  a  small  temporary  fort  on  the  immediate  north  bank, 
so  as  to  command  the  ford  at  which  he  had  been  instructed  to  cross. 
Therefore  it  was  necessary  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  that  fort  before 


The  Ho<»d  Campaign.  515 

be  could  effect  a  crossing.  Accordingly  Barteau  was  ordered  to  throw 
a  portion  of  the  Second  Tennessee  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river  for 
that  purpose.  Logs  were  fastened  together  by  means  of  ropes  and 
halter-reins,  and  thus  a  raft  was  soon  constructed,  upon  which  the 
men  were  to  cross.  The  Second  Tennessee  was  now  called  upon  to 
perform  a  daring  feat — to  face  a  double  danger — that  of  being  drowned 
while  attempting  to  cross  that  swollen,  rapid  stream  upon  such  a  frail 
craft,  as  well  as  being  killed  by  the  enemy.  It  was  thought  that  about 
twelve  would  be  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to  cross,  from  the  fact 
that  they  could  be  supported  by  those  on  the  south  bank.  Not  wish- 
ing to  make  a  detail  in  a  case  of  this  kind,  our  colonel  called  for  vol- 
unteers. Seeing  that  the  boys  were  rather  slow  to  volunteer,  and  not 
teing  willing  to  call  upon  his  men  to  go  where  he  was  not  willing  to 
share  equally  the  danger  with  them,  our  noble  and  daring  colonel 
said,  "I  will  go,  for  one."  More  than  the  requisite  number,  imme- 
diately stepping  forward,  replied,  "Colonel,  you  can  remain  on  this 
side;  we  will  go."  The  raft  was  soon  after  shoved  from  the  bank 
with  about  twelve  men  upon  it.*  One  rope  broke,  and  it  appeared 
that  the  raft  was  about  to  part  asunder  in  the  midst  of  the  stream. 
Captain  Sam  Barkley  ran  down  the  river  with  a  long  pole,  hoping  to 
be  able  to  reach  our  boys  with  it  and  thus  float  the  raft  back  to  the 
south  bank.  But.  luckily,  he  found  a  canoe,  into  which  he  immedi- 
ately got,  and  was  soon  in  front  of  the  raft,  which  was  then  fastened 
to  one  end  of  the  canoe,  while  Captain  Barkley  soon  after  chained 
the  other  end  to  the  north  bank;  and  thus  they  were  all  safely  landed, 
some  distance  below  the  fort.  By  passing  back  up  the  river  near  the 
water's  edge  our  boys  were  protected  from  the  enemy's  fire  by  the 
river  bank,  which  they  began  to  ascend  on  reaching  a  point  near  the 
fort,  when,  at  the  same  moment,  those  on  the  south  bank  raised  a  yell 
and  the  Federals  broke.  Then  leaping  into  their  saddles  the  Second 
Tennessee  swam  the  river  and  gave  chase,  led  by  Colonel  Barteau. 
One  of  the  Federals  was  killed  and  two  or  three  captured,  and  thus 
the  way  was  opened  for  the  division  to  cross  without  the  loss  of  a  man 
on  our  side;  though  several  of  the  boys  got  a  ducking,  and  one  of 
Company  C — Coon  Elkins — was  thrown  from  his  horse,  and,  perhaps, 
would  have  been  drowned  had  he  not  been  helped  out. 

As  it  was  now  dark,  and  Buford  had  not  yet  learnedjthat  the  rest 
of  our  cavalry  had  crossed,  he  decided  that  he  would  not  cross  his 

*  Bransford  Evving  and  Mike  Lorance  went  from  Company  C.      Wish  I  could 
give  the  names  of  ail  that  gallant  band. 


516  E.  Ii.  Hancock's  Diary. 


division  that  night.  Therefore  Barteau  was  ordered  to  recross  and 
bivouac  on  the  south  bank  of  Duck  River.  Had  our  colonel  kr.ovvn 
when  he  first  crossed  the  river  that  aid  was  so  near  at  hand,  he  could 
have  had  quite  a  lively  time;  for,  while  Armstrong  pressed  on  after 
the  enemy  northward,  Jackson,  turning  eastward  with  Ross'  Brigade, 
struck  the  Federals,  whom  Barteau  had  driven  from  Buford's  front, 
capturing  their  field  train,  including  ordnance  wagons,  a  stand  of  reg- 
irnental  colors,  and  about  eighty  men  with  their  horses.  Meanwhile, 
Chalmers,  having  moved  toward  the  the  north-east  for  some  hours 
after  dark,  was  directed  by  General  Forrest  to  halt  and  bivouac  about 
four  miles  from  the  river.  Buford  threw  his  division  across  by  day- 
light on  the  29th,  and  followed  the  other  divisions  toward  Franklin. 
Chalmers  and  Jackson  resumed  the  pressure  upon  the  Federal  cavalry 
toward  Hurt's  Cross-Roads,  before  dawn,  the  first  by  a  narrow  country 
road  through  the  cedar  thickets  of  that  region,  and  the  latter  by  the 
Lewisburg-Franklin  turnpike. 

Meanwhile,  the  Federal  commander,  Schofield,  had  put  his 
infantry  in  motion  toward  Franklin  by  the  way  of  Spring  Hill. 

Having  thrown  a  pontoon  bridge  across  Duck  River  last  night, 
about  three  miles  east  of  Columbia,*  Hood  was  now  moving,  with 
Cheatham's  and  Stewart's  Corps  and  one  division  of  Lee's  Corps,  to 
intercept  the  Federal  column  at  Spring  Hill.  The  remainder  of  Lee's 
Corps  was  left  to  threaten  an  attack,  and  follow  Schofield  if  he  should 
retire.* 

In  the  meantime,  Jackson,  having  come  up  with  the  Federal  rear 
near  Rally  Hill,  engaged  with  animation  and  drove  the  enemy  stead- 
ily back  in  a  series  of  well-contested  combats.  At  the  same  time 
Chalmers  had  V:)een  engaged  in  some  sharp  brushes  with  the  Federals 
in  his  path.  Buford  havmg  come  up  with  his  division,  the  whole  Con- 
federate cavalry  were  now  assembled  near  Hurt's  Cross-Roads,  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  a  superior  hostile  force. 

An  immediate  attack  was  then  ordered  and  a  sharp  encounter  re- 
sulted, in  which  the  enemy  were  borne  steadily  but  doggedly  rearward 
as  far  as  Mount  Carmel,  on  the  Lewisburg-Franklin  road.  The  coun- 
try, rocky  and  rugged,  was  thickly  clad  with  cedars  and  difficult,  of 
course,  for  cavalry  movements,  so  that  for  the  most  part  the  fighting 
was  on  foot,  which,  however,  was  now  Forrest's  habitual  tactics. 
Armstrong's    Brigade,   all  fighting  admirably,   had  here  an  obstinate 

*  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  105. 


The  Hood  Campaign.  517 

combat,  and  Buford's  men,  including  the  Second  Tennessee,  were 
thrown  into  action  with  their  accustomed  vigor.  Pressed  back  by 
their  eager,  indomitqJ)le  enemy,  now  mounted,  the  Federal  cavalry 
turned  and  stood  at  bay  at  several  favoring  positions,  from  which  they 
were  driven  only  after  most  obstinate  contests  up  to  within  five  or  six 
miles  of  Franklin.  Here,  leaving  several  regiments  in  observation, 
Forrest  turned  off  abruptly  and  moved  swiftly  across  the  country 
toward  Spring  Hill  with  the  rest  of  his  force. 

Meeting  a  small  cavalry  force,  it  was  at  once  brushed  back  upon  a 
large  infantry  command  found  in  occupation  of  a  long  line  of  breast- 
works extending  around  east  and  south  of  Spring  Hill,  while  another 
infantry  column  was  known  to  be  en  route  between  that  place  and  Co- 
lumbia, on  the  turnpike.  Every  disposition  was  now  made  to  attack 
and  check  the  infantry  in  movement,  and  some  sharp  skirmishing  had 
taken  place  when  General  Forrest  received  a  dispatch  from  General 
Hood  directing  him  to  attempt  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  at  that 
point  until  Cheatham's  and  Stewart's  Corps,  then  near  at  hand,  should 
come  up.  The  skirmishing,  therefore,  was  continued  with  such  effect 
that  the  enemy  withdrew  all  their  pickets  and  outposts  behind  their 
fortification,  and  about  four  o'clock  p.  i\i. ,  Forrest,  dismounting  his 
whole  force,  disposed  of  it  as  if  in  menace  of  a  general  attack. 

At  length  Cheatham's  Corps  of  infantry  came  up,  and  Cleburne's 
Division  being  advanced  and  formed  in  line  on  the  left  of  Chalmers 
and  Buford,  it  was  arranged  that  a  serious  joint  attack  should  be  made 
upon  the  Federal  position.  Chalmers  and  Buford,  however,  were 
nearly  out  of  ammunition  and  the  plan  of  attack  was  that  after  the  onset 
Cleburne  should  hold  the  ground  gained  until  the  rest  of  the  troops 
should  come  up.  The  attack  was  handsomely  and  successfully  made, 
for  after  a  sliort  though  stubborn  stand  the  enemy  yielded  the  position 
and  fel!  back  upon  a  second  line,  which,  however,  was  not  a  strong 
■one. 

The  Second  Tennessee,  led  by  Colonel  Barteau,  assisted  by  Lieu- 
tenanant-Colonel  Morton,  did  their  full  duty  here  as  well  as  at  all 
other  places  where  they  had  met  the  enemy  since  they  had  been  mov- 
ing in  advance  of  Hood's  army.  Our  colonel  was  slightly  wounded 
at  Spring  Hill,  though  not  disabled.  I  regret  that  I  am  not  able  to 
give  the  loss  of  the  Second  Tennessee  during  this  day's  fighting, 
though  Tump  Polk  (Company  A,  I  believe)  was  among  the  number 
killed.  Captain  B.  H.  Moore  (Company  G)  was  knocked  down, 
though  not  seriouslv  hurt. 


518  E.  R.  Hakcock's  Diary. 

It  was  now  dark;  Forrest's  men,  engaged  in  action  since  sunrise^, 
had  exhausted  their  ammunition  and  were  worn  down  from  hard  work, 
without  intermission  for  the  past  week ;  therefore  they  were  withdrawn 
to  feed  their  horses  and  bivouac  out  of  immediate  contact  with  the  en- 
emy's pickets,  the  infantry  being  left  to  hold  the  ground  acquired. 

About  nine  that  night  General  Stewart's  Corps  came  up  to  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  Forrest's  headquarters  and  these  two  officers  rode 
together  to  General  Hood's  headquarters,  a  mile  distant.  On  the  way 
thither,  however,  Forrest  was  surprised  to  find  that  Cleburne's  Division 
had  been  withdrawn  from  the  position  in  which  he  had  supposed  it 
was  to  remain  through  the  night  and  had  gone  into  bivouac  somewhat 
remote  from  it,  leaving  no  Confederate  soldiers  interposed  across  the 
highway  south  of  Spring  Hill,  and  therefore  throwing  that  road  open 
to  the  rear  divisions  of  the  Federal  army.  At  the  same  time,  also,  a 
dispatch  overtook  him  from  Jackson,  who  had  been  thrown  round  with 
his  division  across  the  turnpike  northward  of  Spring  Hill,  reporting 
that  being  overmatched  and  pressed  back  upon  the  road,  he  stood  in 
need  of  immediate  aid.  Buford  and  Chalmers  having  already  ex- 
pended sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  during,  the  day,  were  without  a 
cartridge.  Forrest,  therefore,  hurried  on  to  report  the  situation  to  the 
General-in-Chief.  General  Hood  seemed  surprised  that  Cheatham's 
Corps  had  not  been  held  in  position  across  the  turnpike,  declaring  that 
he  had  so  ordered  it  expressly.  Turning  to  General  Stewart,  he  in- 
quired whether  he  could  not  establish  his  corps  in  that  position.  There 
was  some  immediate  obstacle,  and  the  Confederate  General  now  asked 
Forrest  if  he  could  not  throw  his  cavalry  upon  the  turnpike  in  time  to 
check  the  Federal  retreat.  The  cavalry  general  replied:  "That  as 
Chalmers  and  Buford  were  without  ammunition  their  commands  would 
be  inefficient,  leaving  him  only  Jackson's  Division  for  the  service.  That, 
luckily,  had  captured  enough  ammunition  in  its  operations  of  the  day 
for  present  purposes.  But  he  would  do  the  best  he  could  in  the  emer- 
gency." General  Hood  then  remarked  that  he  would  order  his  corps 
commanders  to  furnish  the  requisite  ammunition.  But  upon  applica- 
tion, it  was  found  that  neither  Stewart  nor  Cheatham  was  able  to  sup- 
ply it;  their  ammunition  trains,  as  well  as  Forrest's,  had  failed  to  come 
up.  Returning  to  his  own  headquarters,  Forrest  found  Jackson  await- 
ing him.  After  a  short  consultation,  Jackson,  engaging  to  establish 
his  division  upon  the  road  at  Thom[)son's  Station  (about  four  miles 
north  of  Spring  Hill),  and  endeavor  to  hold  the  rearward  column  of 
the  enemy  in  check  at  that  point,  left  at  once  with  that  object.       Byr 


The  Hood  Campaign.  519 

midnight  Jackson's  guns  began  to  be  heard  in  an  animated  engage- 
ment in  the  north,  and  a  continuous  uproar  of  musketry  resounded 
from  that  direction  throughout  the  night,  and  never  did  so  small  a 
force  (less  than  2,000)  fight  more  tenaciously  or  stoutly  than  Jackson's 
Division  on  this  occasion.  The  force  encountered  (a  heavy  column  of 
infantry  pressing  on  toward  Franklin)  was  too  powerful,  however,  for 
Jackson's  slender  force.  He  was  unable  to  do  more  than  harass  the 
masses  that  forced  their  way  by  him  during  the  night  and  to  oblige 
them  to  abandon  a  number  of  wagons,  which  he  burned,  while  a  con- 
siderable number  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and  captured,  and  one  oj 
his  brigades  (Ross')  came  upon  and  destroyed  a  train  of  cars  near 
Thompson's  Station. 

In  his  official  report  General  Hood  says  that  General  Stewart  was 
furnished  with  a  guide,  and  ordered  to  place  his  corps  across  the  road 
north  of  Spring  Hill.  In  the  dark  and  confusion  he  did  not  succeed 
in  getting  the  position  desired.  About  midnight,  ascertaining  that 
the  enemy  was  moving  in  disorder,  with  artillery,  wagons,  and  troops 
intermixed,  Hood  sent  instructions  to  General  Cheatham  to  advance 
a  heavy  line  of  skirmishers,  still  further  to  impede  the  retreat. 
"This,"  continues  Hood,  "was  not  accomplished. 

"The  enemy  continued  to  move  along  the  road  in  hurry  and  con- 
fusion nearly  all  the  night.  Thus  was  lost  a  great  opportunity  tor 
striking  him  for  which  we  had  labored  so  long — the  greatest  this  cam- 
paign had  offered,  and  one  of  the  greatest  during  the  war. 

"Lieutenant-General  S.  D.  Lee,  left  m  front  of  the  enemy  at  Co- 
lumbia, was  instructed  to  press  him  the  moment  he  abandoned  his  po- 
sition at  that  point.  He  did  hot  abandon  his  work  until  dark,  show- 
ing that  his  trains  obstructed  the  road  for  fifteen  miles  during  the  day 
and  a  great  part  of  the  night."  * 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th,  after  procuring  ammunition  from  Wal- 
thall's Division,  Chalmers  was  at  once  detached  across  west  of  Spring 
Hill  to  the  Carter's  Creek  turnpike  to  cover  the  left  flank  of  the  Con- 
federate army,  while  the  Kentucky  Brigade  of  Buford's  Division  was 
likewise  detached  to  move  with  a  similar  object  in  connection  with 
Hood's  right  flank,  on  the  Lewisburg-Franklin  turnpike.  At  the  same 
time  Forrest,  with  his  escort  and  Bell's  Brigade,  moved  directly  in 
front  of  the  infantry  toward  Franklin.  About  six  miles  in  advance  of 
Spring  Hill  he  came  up  with  Jackson,  still  hanging  closely  upon  and 

*See  "Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Confederate  Government,"  by  ex-President 
Davis,  page  575. 


020  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 


harassing  the  Federal  rear  guard.  Bell  was  then  thrown  forward  to 
take  part,  and  a  continuous  skirmish  resulted  for  some  four  miles,  un- 
til the  enemy  had  withdrawn  behind  their  lines  in  front,  or  south  of 
Franklin.  After  a  careful  reconnoisance,  Forrest  returned  to  meet 
General  Hood,  whom  he  found  at  the  head  of  his  army  three  miles 
south  of  Franklin  about  one  p.  m.  The  whole  army  halted,  and  no 
movement  occurred  for  at  least  one  hour. 

Franklin  lies  in  a  bend  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  Harpeth  River, 
on  a  gentle  plateau.  Immediately  in  front,  or  south  of  the  town,  a 
strong  line  of  breastworks  extended  across  the  throat  of  the  horseshoe- 
shaped  bend  in  which  Franklin  is  built. 

General  Hood  was  of  the  belief  that  the  main  Federal  force  was 
already  in  rapid  retreat,  and  that  the  apparent  defensive  preparations 
were  merely  counterfeit,  with  the  view  of  gaining  time  to  secure  that 
retreat. 'i-  His  determination,  therefore,  was  to  defeat  it  by  immedi- 
ately storming  the  place  rather  than  to  turn  it.  Accordingly,  by  four 
p.  M.,  the  preparations  for  that  ill-starred  operation  were  completed. 
As  ordered,  Forrest  had  formed  Buford's  Division,  dismounted  imme- 
diately on  the  right  of  Stewart's  Corps  of  infantry,  filling  the  space  be- 
tween the  Lewisburg  turnpike  and  the  Harpeth  River,  while  Jackson's 
Division  was  thrown  across  that  stream  to  engage  the  Federal  cavalry 
on  Buford's  right.  At  the  same  time  Chalmers'  Division,  including 
Biffle's  Demi-brigade,  was  on  the  extreme  Confederate  left. 

Moving  in  line  with  the  infantry,  Buford  soon  came  in  collision  with 
a  heavy  cavalry  force,  but  advancing  steadily  after  an  engagement  of 
more  than  half  an  hour,  in  which  his  men  fought  with  their  wonted 
steadiness,  their  immediate  adversary  withdrew  across  the  Harpeth. 
While  our  division  was  advancing,  as  above  named,  the  Second  Ten- 
nessee, fighting  admirably  and  ever  well  led,  made  several  successful 
charges,  in  the  last  of  which  Colonel  Barteau  was  slightly  wounded  in 
the  temple.  The  ball  cut  a  piece  from  his  hat,  a  thick  felt  hat,  that 
probably  saved  him  from  being  killed  or  severely  wounded.  Captain 
B.  H.  Moore  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg.  Of  the  part  taken  by 
the  Second  Tennessee  in  the  above  action.  Colonel  Barteau  says: 

•■■"Schofield  was  withdrawing.  He  had  sent  a  part  of  his  troops  and  a  large 
part  of  his  train  to  the  north  side  of  the  Harpeth,  but  discovering  that  Hood 
was  going  to  attack  him,  the  Federal  commander  threw  his  men  back  into  the 
fortifications  just  in  time  to  meet  the  onset.  This  the  writer  has  recently  learned 
through  a  gentleman  who  had  talketi  with  General  Schofield  about  this  affair 
since  the  war  closed. 


The  Hood  Campaign.  '  521 


"At  Franklin  we  were  on  the  right,*  and  Armstrong  was  on  the 
right  of  us.  We  took  part,  on  foot,  in  several  charges,  with  Arm- 
strong, mounted,  on  our  right,  in  the  commencement  of  the  engage 
ment  in  front  of  the  works." 

Jackson  having  called  for  aid,  Buford  was  ordered  to  oblique  to  the 
right  to  his  support.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Jackson  had  gained 
a  footing  which  he  was  able  to  hold,  and  Buford  withdrew  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  up  the  river,  where  he  fed  his  horses  and  remained  for  the 
rest  of  the  night. 

Meanwhile,  Chahners,  on  the  left  flank,  drove  in  the  skirmishers  in 
his  front,  and  charging,  forced  a  detachment  to  give  up  a  stone  wall 
in  advance  and  retire  behind  the  breastworks.  Pressing  them  hotly 
to  within  sixty  yards  of  their  line  he  was  not  strong  enough  to  attempt 
to  storm  their  present  cover.  He  therefore  established  his  own  men 
under  convenient  shelter,  from  which  he  maintained  an  incessant 
skirmish  in  that  part  of  the  field. 

I  take  the  following  from  the  pen  of  Lieutenant-General  A.  P. 
Stewart : 

"The  enemy  were  found  in  line  around  the  place,  strongly  in- 
trenched, with  open  ground  in  front,  and  at  some  points  an  abatis  of 
-osage  orange  or  locust.  The  two  corps  and  the  odd  division  that  had 
made  the  flank  movement  from  Columbia  the  day  before  were  dis- 
posed around  the  place  in  order  of  battle.  The  remainder  of  the 
third  corps  was  held  in  reserve.  About  four  o'clock  the  order  was 
given  by  General  Hood  to  advance,  and  the  most  furious  and  des- 
perate battle  of  the  war  in  the  West  ensued.  The  enemy's  first  line 
was  swept  away,  and  the  main  line  broken  at  one  or  more  points,  but 
restored  by  a  most  determined  charge.  Nothing  but  the  line  of  in- 
trenchments  separated  the  combatants,  and  of  course  retreat  in  this 
situation  was  impossible. 

"The  struggle  continued  with  more  or  less  violence  until  nine 
o'clock,  after  which  the  fire  slackened  and  ceased,  and  about  three  in 
the  morning  the  enemy  quietly  withdrew,  leaving  his  dead  and  wounded 
on  the  field. 

"  Never  was  any  field  fought  with  more  desperate  courage  on  both 
■sides  than  this  ill-fated  one  of  Franklin. 

"Both  armies  lost  heavily.     On  the  Confederate  side,  among  the 

■•■'I  suppose  that  our  colonel  here  means  on  the  right  of  Buford's  Division. 
I  find  that  some  of  our  boys  think  that  the  Second  Tennessee  was  on  the  left 
•of  our  division. 


522  E.  E.  HajStcock's  Diary. 

killed  were  Major-General  Cleburne  and  Brigadier-Generals  Gist^ 
Adams,  Strahl,  and  Granbury.  Among  the  wounded,  Major-Genera^ 
Brown,  Brigadier-Generals  Carter  (mortally),  Manigault,  Quarles, 
Cockrill,  and  Scott;  Brigadier-General  Gordon,  captured."* 

The  loss  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  in  this  mortal  battle  was  light  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  infantry,  which,  including  some  seven  hundred - 
prisoners,  was  over  six  thousand.  The  enemy,  fighting  from  behind 
excellent  cover,  suffered  lightly,  according  to  their  reports,  having  lost 
not  more  than  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-six,  of  which 
eleven  hundred  and  four  were  prisoners. 

"  We  cannot  give  the  exact  losses  of  Forrest's  Divisions  at  Frank- 
lin. Chalmers'  Division,  however,  had  lost  (killed  and  wounded) 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  officers  and  men ;  and  Buford's,  ninety-one, 
in  the  several  affairs  in  which  they  had  been  engaged  in  the  past 
week."t 

It  having  been  discovered  (December  ist)  that  the  enemy  had 
evacuated  the  position,  the  cavalry  were  at  once  ordered  to  move  in 
vigorous  pursuit.  Accordingly,  Chalmers,  still  holding  the  left  flank, 
was  directed  to  bear  leftward  to  the  Hillsboro-Nashville  turnpike,  and 
follow  it  to  the  latter  place;  Buford,  thrown  across  the  Harpeth  right- 
ward  of  Franklin,  in  conjunction  with  Jackson,  at  the  same  time  hung 
close  upon  the  Federal  cavalry  on  that  flank  east  of  the  Franklin 
highway.  Forrest  moved  with  this  force.  Coming  up  with  their 
adversary  within  four  or  five  miles,  several  sharp  bits  of  fighting  re., 
suited,  as  the  hostile  cavalry  was  forced  back  toward  Brentwood,  and 
in  that  vicinity  Buford  and  Jackson,  co-operating,  made  several  dash- 
ing charges.  The  Second  Tennessee,  led  by  our  daring  colonel, 
making  a  dashing  charge,  mounted,  completely  routed  the  enemy  in 
their  quarter  of  the  field.  +  These  threw  the  Federal  column  into  a 
good  deal  of  disorder,  while  as  many  as  three  stands  of  colors  and  a 
hundred  prisoners,  with  their  horses,  were  won  on   these  occasions. 

*  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  105. 

t  Campaigns  of  General  Forrest,  page  629. 

t  D.  B.  Willard,  who  was  a  skirmisher  on  the  extreme  right,  captured  one 
man  and  five  horses.  As  he  was  taking  his  prisoner  back  to  the  guards  another 
Confederate  wanted  to  "prowl  him."  "No,"  said  Willard,  '■'■  you  cannot proivj 
this  prisoner  while  he  is  in  f>iy  possession."  After  he  had  been  turned  over  to  the 
guards  this  prisoner  shewed  how  highly  he  appreciated  the  above  remark  by 
making  Willard  a  present  of  seventy  dollars  in  ''greenbacks,''  saying  at  the- 
same  time,  "  I  had  rather  ior  you  to  have  this  money  than  any  other  living  man,''''' 


The  Hood  Campaign.  523^ 


On  Chalmers'  flank,  slight  or  no  impediment  was  encountered.  When 
within  six  miles  of  Nashville,  however,  the  cavalry  divisions  were 
halted  and  thrown  into  position  for  the  night,  directly  in  advance  of 
the  infantry,  on  a  line  stretching  from  the  Nolansville  turnpike  on  the 
right  across  a  distance  of  six  miles  to  the  Granny  White  turnpike. 

On  the  next  morning  (December  2d),  Chalmers,  including  Bififle, 
moved  up  early  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Nashville,  on  the  Hills- 
boro  and  Harding  turnpikes,  wjiile  Forrest  advanced  with  Buford  and 
Jackson,  by  the  Nolansville  road,  to  within  three  miles,  but  in  full 
view  of  the  State-house. 

Having  been  relieved  by  the  infantry  about  midday,  Buford's 
Division  (now  reduced  to  about  one  thousand  effectives)  was  directed 
to  destroy  the  stockades  on  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad, 
while  maintaining  a  chain  of  pickets  on  the  right  of  the  Confederate 
army  across  to  the  Lebanon  turnpike.  Intrusting  this  service  to  Bell's 
Brigade,  Buford  moved  promptly  with  his  Kentuckians  to  attack  the 
block-houses.  In  disposing  his  pickets,  Colonel  Bell  ordered  the 
Second  Tennessee  to  take  post  on  the  Murfreesboro  turnpike  five 
miles  from  Nashville  and  one  mile  north  of  the  Insane  Asylum.  As 
General  Buford  was  then  moving  with  the  Kentucky  Brigade  to  attack 
the  block-house  known  as  No.  i,  five  miles  from  Nashville,  the  Second 
Tennessee  moved  with  him.  He  crossed  the  railroad  a  little  south  of 
the  block-house,  and  thence  turning  northward  he  deployed  his  men  in 
line  behmd  a  ridge  only  a  few  hundred  yards  east  of  the  block-house. 
Buford  ordered  Barteau  to  halt  and  aid  in  the  attack  upon  block-house 
No.  I  before  moving  to  his  picket  post,  which  was  then  less  than  a 
mile  distant.  This  block-house  proved  to  be  capable  of  a  prolonged^ 
formidable  defense.  Cruciform  in  figure,  its  walls  were  built  of  un- 
seasoned oak  timber  at  least  three  feet  thick,  upon  which  field  artillery 
made  little  impression,  and  as  the  roof  of  the  structure  was  well  covered 
with  earth,  it  would  have  been  a  difficult  matter  to  set  it  on  fire.  It 
appears  that  General  Buford  had  unthoughtedly  neglected  to  tear  up 
the  railroad  as  he  crossed  it,  for  soon  after  he  had  crossed  a  train  of 
cars  came  up  from  the  direction  of  Murfreesboro  with  negro  troops, 
who,  leaping  from  the  cars,  ran  into  the  block-house.  General  For- 
rest, who  had  halted  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad,  seeing  this, 
came  dashing  around  to  where  Buford  was,  evidently  in  a  bad  humor 
because  the  latter  had  thus  allowed  the  block-house  to  be  reinforced. 
On  reaching  the  scene  he  ordered  Buford  to  take  the  block-house  with 
his  Kentucky  Brigade,  or  both  if  necessary.      "How  do  you  expect  me 


524  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


to  take  it,  General?"  inquired  Buford.  '■'Stop  the  port-holes  with  rails 
and  burn  it"  was  the  prompt  and  emphatic  reply.  Barteau  was  then 
ordered  to  throw  forward  one-fourth  of  his  men  as  skirmishers,  who, 
advancing  steadily  and  taking  advantage  of  the  best  cover  at  hand, 
opened  fire  at  the  port-holes.*  The  men  now  evidently  expected  to 
be  called  upon  to  at  least  make  an  attempt  to  carry  out  Forrest's  order, 
though  the  operation  was  regarded  by  all  present  as  very  dangerous, 
if  not  impossible,  and  therefore  the  or.der  was  received  with  a  great 
deal  of  dissatisfaction.  But  in  place  of  ordering  his  men  to  storm  the 
fortalice,  Buford  ordered  Captain  Morton  to  pound  it  with  his  battery, 
which  was  immediately  thrown  forward  upon  the  ridge,  supported  by 
the  Second  Tennessee.  Thus  invested  and  battered  by  Morton's  guns, 
on  the  morning  of  the  3d  the  garrison  capitulated — some  eighty  officers 
and  men. 

The  Second  Tennessee  received  the  surrender,  and  it  was  then 
learned  that  about  ten  of  the  garrison  had  been  killed  and  twenty 
wounded.  So  far  as  I  know  there  was  not  a  man  of  our  regiment 
hurt,  though  perhaps  one  of  Captain  Morton's  men  was  killed  and 
one  wounded. 

While  Buford  moved  southward  with  the  Kentucky  Brigade  the 
Second  Tennessee  moved  over  to  picket  the  Murfreesboro  turnpike, 
where  thev  remained  until  called  off  to  go  with  Forrest  to  Murfrees- 
boro on  the  morning  of  the  5th.  They  were  not  molested  by  the  en- 
emy during  these  two  days  and  nights.  Notwithstanding  they  were 
on  picket  duty,  it  was  rest  compared  with  what  they  had  been  doing 
for  the  last  ten  days. 

No.  3  was  next  essayed  by  Buford,  as  also  No.  2 — the  block-house 
on  Mill  Creek — and  both  succumbed,  after  some  delay  and  parley,  on 
the  morning  of  the  4th.  All  three  were  destroyed.  Two  hundred 
and  fifty  officers  and  men  had  been  taken  from  the  three  block-houses. 
Leaving  a  detachment  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  Colonel 
Nixon,  to  guard  and  picket  from  the  Murfreesboro  road  to  the  Cum- 
berland River,  Forrest  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  with  Jack- 
son and  Buford,  for  Murfreesboro.  At  Lavergne  Jackson  was  ordered 
to  move  around  to  the  south-east  of  town  and  reduce  a  redoubt  in  that 
quarter,  while  Forrest  himself,  with  Buford,  beset  block-house  No.  4, 
which  guarded  a  trestle-bridge  over  a  creek  near  that  place.     At  the 

*"I,"  says  J.  W.  Hays,  Company  C,  "happened  to  be  No.  4,  and  as  I 
started  off  with  that  skirmish  line  I  said  to  one  of  our  company,  'Please  see 
that  my  horse  is  sent  home,  for  I  never  expect  to  have  any  more  use  for  liini.''  " 


The  Hood  Campaign.  525 


usual  formal  demand  to  surrender  the  work  was  yieWed,  with  forty 
officers  and  men;  and  in  the  same  way  the  redoubt  surrendered  to 
Jackson,  with  eighty  prisoners,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  several  wagons 
and  teams,  and  a  considerable  store  of  military  supplies.  The  block- 
house and  a  number  of  barrack  buildings  having  been  burned,  the  ex- 
pedition was  resumed,  but  the  force  was  strengthened  by  General 
Wm.  B.  Bate's  Division,  ordered  toco-operate.  Another  block-house, 
at  Smyrna  Station,  was  captured  and  destroyed  by  a  cavalry  detach- 
ment, and  thirty-five  more  prisoners  were  added  to  those  already  taken 
that  day.  That  evening  the  cavalry  approached  within  four  miles  of 
Murfreesboro,  but  the  infantry  was  unable  to  reach  the  scene  until  the 
next  morning. 

Soon  after  the  infantry  came  up  in  front  of  Murfreesboro,  on  the 
morning  of  the  6th,  it  was  formed  in  line,  and  promptly  throwing  for- 
ward skirmishers,  offered  battle,  which,  after  some  feeble  skirmishing 
for  two  hours,  the  enemy  refused  unless  attacked  in  position,  and  ac- 
cordingly suspended  firing.  Meanwhile,  after  making  a  careful,  close 
reconnoissance,  Forrest  de'cided  that  the  works  were  really  impregna- 
ble to  the  force  at  his  disposition,  occupied,  as  they  were  known  to  be, 
with  full  eight  thousand  men,  under  General  Rousseau. 

In  reference  to  the  operations  of  the  Second  Tennessee  during  the 
6th,  Colonel  Barteau  says: 

"We  were  skirmishing  most  of  the  day  around  Murfreesboro,  our 
position  being  at  first  near  the  center.  General  Bell  and  myself  were 
together  a  great  deal,  and  moving  wherever  it  seemed  necessary,  en- 
gaging the  enemy  at  different  points.  Toward  evening  the  Second 
Tennessee  was  placed  on  the  extreme  left.  Mv  orders  were  to  watch 
and  checkmate  any  movement  of  the  enemy  to  flank  around  in  that 
direction,  or  get  to  our  rear. 

"At  nightfall,  while  the  balance  of  the  troops  were  withdrawing  to 
go  into  camp,  I  was  ordered  to  reconnoiter  and  see  what  the  enemy 
were  doing,  apd  report.  I  took  a  detachment  of  men  with  me  and 
stationed  them  along,  two  or  three  at  a  place,  on  the  route  we  would 
follow  back.  One  of  my  men,  going  ahead,  soon  returned  and  re- 
ported a  scout  of  Federals  or  other  force  approaching  a  field  of  open 
timber  ahead  of  us.  After  waiting  some  little  time  I  concluded  to  go 
forward  and  '  sec  for  myself .^  I  only  asked  this  one  man  to  volunteer 
to  go  with  me  (and  wish  now  I  could  recall  his  name).  We  had  pro- 
ceeded some  distance  when  my  horse,  jumping  a  ditch,  made  one  of 
those  peculiar  snorts  that  'Old  Selim'  was  noted  for.     Simultaneously 


520  11.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

a  shot  from  ariiong  the  timber  struck  me.  I  had  my  pistol  in  hand, 
but  the  violent  jump  across  the  ditch  and  the  shot  had  disarmed  me, 
and  wheeling  around  1  recrossed  quietly  at  another  place  and  rode  to 
camp  with  considerable  pain.     This  ended  my  service  in  the  war.'' 

So  it  was  in  front  of  Murfreesboro,  on  the  6th  of  December,  that 
our  dear  colonel  led  the  Second  Tennessee  for  the  last  time ;  "yet  we 
did  not  think  so  at  the  time,  not  anticipating  that  the  struggle  was  so 
near  its  end,  but  all  fondly  hoping  to  see  him  again  at  the  head  of  the 
reo-iment.  He  did  not  fully  recover  until  some  time  after  the  close 
of  the  war. 

"The  command  of  the  regiment  during  the  retreat  devolved  on 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Morton,  who  always  commanded  the  highest  re- 
spect and  utmost  confidence  of  General  Forrest,  perhaps  receiving 
more  complimentary  notices  from  his  superiors  than  any  other  lieu- 
tenant-colonel on  the  line."* 

After  nightfall,  General  Buford,  with  the  Kentucky  Brigade  and  a 
part  of  Bell's  Brigade,  including  the  Second  Tennessee,  moved  around 
to  the  Double  Springs  on  the  Woodbury  turnpike,  three  miles  east  of 

town. 

That  evening  Forrest  was  slightly  reinforced  by  two  small  infantry 
brigades  (Sear's  and  Palmer's),  about  one  thousand  six  hundred  men, 
■making  his  force  now  about  six  thousand  five  hundred  strong,  of  all 
arms.  It  was  late,  however,  and  no  further  operations  were  attempted 
that  afternoon. 

Taking  post  early  on  the  morning  of  the  yth,  with  Palmer's  Brig- 
ade (infantry)  on  a  hill  southward  of  the  Wilkerson  turnpike,  two 
miles  from  Murfreesboro,  General  Forrest  presently  observed  a  heavy 
hostile  column  swiftly  emerging  from  Murfreesboro  by  the  Salem  road. 
At  the  moment  the  Confederates  were  s])read  over  a  crescent  reaching 
from  the  Woodbury  turnpike  (Buford's  position  on  the  east)  to  Palmer's 
position.  A  new  disposition  was  necessary  to  meet  the  menaced  at- 
tack. Retiring  Palmer  rapidly  to  the  north  side  of»the  Wilkerson 
road,  Forrest  threw  forward  a  line  of  battle  extending  from  Overall's 
Creek  in  the  direction  of  Murfreesboro.  It  was  formed  of  Bate's  Di- 
vision and  Sear's  and  Palmer's  Brigades,  with  Jackson's  Division  of 
cavalry,  a  brigade  disposed  on  each  flank  of  the  infantry. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemy  moving  handsomely  forward,  drove  in  the 
Confederate  pickets  and  pressed  vigorously  forward  to  grapple  with 

*See  sketch  of  Second  Tennessee  hy  Lieutenant  Geo.  F.  Hager  in  Military- 
Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  622. 


The  Hood  Campaign.  527 


the  main  line.  From  some  inexplicable  cause  the  Confederate  in- 
fantry, except  Smith's  Brigade  (though  veterans  of  every  hard-fought 
field  in  the  West),  fell  into  disorder,  and  did  not  stand  to  meet  the 
■oncoming  charge.  In  this  emergency  Forrest  dispatched  Major 
Strange  to  General  Jackson,*  to  acquaint  him  with  the  critical  situa- 
tion, and  to  say  that  all  depended  upon  the  staunchness  and  gallantry 
of  his  division.  With  admirable  spirit  was  the  responsibility  accepted. 
Ross'  Brigade  was  instantly  thrown  forward  in  front,  while  Armstrong 
attacked  vigorously  on  the  right  flank  and  rear,  and  such  was  the  res- 
olution and  vehemence  of  these  charges  that,  first  checking,  they  pres- 
ently forced  the  enemy  to  give  back  and  yield  the  field. 

While  this  was  going  on  Buford,  about  midday,  moving  down  the 
Woodbury  turnpike  with  some  five  hundred  men  and  Morton's  Bat- 
tery, halted  and  dismounted  his  men  within  about  four  hundred  yards 
•of  College  Hill.  Then  deploying  Bell's  Brigade  on  the  right  and  the 
Kentuckians  on  the  left  of  the  turnpike,  he  drove  the  enemy  steadilv 
back,  until  his  skirmishers  penetrated  to  the  heart  of  the  town. 
Meanwhile,  Morton's  Battery  had  been  thrown  into  position  at  the 
■college  in  the  eastern  verge  of  the  place,  supported  by  the  Second 
Tennessee.  A  heavy  infantry  force  was  now  thrown  against  Buford's 
position,  and  a  hot  engagement  ensued  until  about  two  p.  m.,  when 
the  order  from  Forrest  reached  Buford  to  withdraw  imu:ediately  and 
form  on  the  Confederate  left,  north  of  town.  As  nearly  every  horse 
of  one  of  Morton's  guns  had  by  this  time  been  killed,  it  appeared 
that  that  piece  would  have  to  be  left  on  the  field;  but  the  gallant  caj)- 
tain  said,  "  I  will  take  off  my  gun  or  die  in  the  attempt."  The  Second 
Tennessee  never  had  deserted  Morton,  nor  did  they  desert  him  now. 
A  part  of  the  regiment  held  the  enemy  in  check,  while  others  helped 
Captain  Morton  to  take  off  his  gun  by  hand.  Billie  Nichol  was 
among  the  killed  of  our  regiment,  and  Coon  Huddleston  (both  from 
'Company  G)  was  among  the  wounded.  J.  W.  Hays  and  R.  M.  Han- 
cock (Company  C),  being  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  skirmish  line, 
where  the  Liberty  turnpike  enters  town,  narrowly  escaped  c.ipture. 
As  soon  as  Morton's  Battery  was  out  of  danger,  Buford  ordered  his 
men  to  fall  back  to  their  horses  and  mount.  Being  ordered  to  cover 
the  retreat,  the  Second  Tennessee  made  a  handsome  charge,  mounted, 
led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton,  driving  back  the  Federal  advance. 

■•■■At   the  same  time  General   Buford  was  ordered   to  withdraw  from   the  east 
and  join  the  Confederate  left  flank  north  of  town. 


528  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Falling  back  a  short  distance,  Morton  deployed  his  men  into  line, 
gave  the  enemy  another  volley,  and  then  withdrew  again.  These 
evolutions  of  the  regiment  were  performed  in  superb  order  and  style.* 
The  enemy  now  withdrawing  pursuit,  Buford,  according  to  Forrest's 
orders,  crossed  the  Liberty  turnpike  and  joined  the  Confederate  left 
north  of  town.  He  did  not  reach  the  scene,  however,  until  after 
Jackson's  Division  had  so  handsomely  repulsed  Milroy  and  brought 
his  daring  sortie  to  a  baffled  close.  The  infantry  were  withdrawn  to 
Stewart's  Creek,  eight  miles  north  of  Murfreesboro,  but  the  cavalry  biv- 
ouacked in  their  former  position  before  that  place. 

For  several  days  following  the  cavalry  remained  in  position  before 
Murfreesboro,  but  without  noteworthy  collision  with  the  enemy.  In 
the  meantime.  Bate's  Division  was  recalled  to  its  corps  at  Nashville, 
and  a  small  brigade  under  Colonel  Olmstead  was  substituted.  Forrest 
now  had  three  small  brigades  of  infantry.  On  the  loth,  Buford  was- 
detached  with  his  Kentuckians  to  take  post  at  the  Hermitage  and 
establish  pickets  along  the  Cumberland,  above  the  mouth  of  Stone 
River,  so  as  to  obstruct  the  navigation  of  the  former  stream  above 
Nashville. 

As  a  part  of  Company  C,  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  had  not  had 
the  pleasure  of  visiting  home  and  friends  for  nearly  three  years,  and 
as  they  were  now  within  from  fourteen  to  twenty-two  miles  of  that 
dear  spot,  home,  the  temptation  was  too  great;  all,  except  Lieutenant 
J.  S.  Harrison,  went  home,  notwithstanding  they  were  in  great  danger 
of  being  killed  or  captured  at  any  time  after  leaving  the  command. 
As  Lieutenant  Harrison's  home  was  more  remote,  and  hence  more 
dangerous  to  reach,  therefore,  he  did  not  wish  to  make  the  attempt. 
He  was  left  alone,  however,  only  two  days  and  one  night,  for  true  to 
their  colors,  as  well  as  their  promise,  our  boys  began  to  return  to  camp 
the  next  evening,  though  two  failed  to  return — J.  E.  J.  Hawkins  was 
killed  near  Auburn  and  J.  W.  Stevens  was  captured  and  sent  to  prison. 

Jackson  having  been  thrown  south  of  Murfreesboro  with  his  divis- 
ion, Ross'  Brigade,  on  the  15th,  surprised  and  captured  a  train  of 
cars  en  route  from  Stephenson,  freighted  with  subsistence  for  the  garri- 
son at  Murfreesboro.  It  was  gallantly  defended  by  the  Sixty-first 
Illinois  Infantry  for  a  time  but  overcome  :  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
their  number  were  captured,  while  the  rest  secured  refuge  in  a  strong 
block-house  near  by.       About  200,000  rations  fell  into  the  hands  of 

*Miss  Joe  Eaton,  of  Murfreesboro,  and  Miss  Tennie  Bethel,  of  Woodbury,, 
braved  the  danger  of  shot  and  shell  and  came  off  with  the  Second  Tennessee. 


TnE  Hood  Campaign.  529 


the  Confederates,  who  had,  however,  to  destroy  the  greater  part,  as 
well  as  seventeen  cars  and  the  locomotive. 

On  the  evening  of  the  15th  General  Forrest  received  an  order  from 
General  Hood  to  hold  his  force  in  hand  ready  for  the  emergencies  of 
a  general  engagement  which  had  then  commenced  at  Nashville. 
Whereupon  the  immediate  concentration  of  his  command  was  directed 
to  take  place  at  Wilkerson's  Cross-Roads,  six  miles  distant ;  and  that  was 
effected,  with  the  exception  of  the  Kentuckians  absent  with  Buford,  dur- 
ing the  next  day.  And  happily  so,  for  that  night  a  staff  officer  brought 
intelligence  of  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  battle  for  the  Confederates,  and 
orders  for  Forrest  to  fall  back  by  way  of  Shelbyville  and  Pulaski. 

Buford  was  now  ordered  to  retire  through  Lavergne,  and  cover  For- 
rest's rear  until  the  artillery  and  wagon  train  were  well  in  motion. 
But  as  his  sick  and  baggage  train  were  at  Triune,  about  fifteen  miles 
west  of  Murfreesboro,  Forrest  fortunately  did  not  take  up  his  line  of 
retreat  through  Shelbyville,  but  by  way  of  Lillard's  Mills,  on  Duck 
River,  while  Armstrong's  Brigade  was  detached  to  push  across  at  once 
to  Hood's  rear.  The  three  brigades  of  infantry  (many  of  them  were 
barefooted)  and  Ross'  Brigade  of  Cavalry  moved  with  Forrest.  He 
was  encumbered  with  four  hundred  prisoners,  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle  and  four  hundred  hogs.  Reaching  Lillard's  Mills,  Duck  River 
was  found  to  be  rising  rapidly.  Pressing  the  passage  at  once  and 
vehemently,  after  the  prisoners,  cattle  and  about  half  the  wagons  had 
been  thrown  over,  the  stream  became  unfordable  and  Forrest  was 
obliged  to  move  westward  to  Columbia  to  secure  a  crossing  for  his 
other  baggage  and  ordnance  trains  and  artillery. 

While  these  detached  operations  were  taking  place  under  the  imme- 
diate direction  of  General  Forrest,  Chalmers  had  remained  with  his 
division  distributed  upon  the  right  and  left  flanks  of  the  Confederate 
army,  in  front  of  Nashville,  his  headquarters  on  the  Harding  turnpike, 
about  four  miles  from  the  city. 

About  the  3d  of  December,  with  three  hundred  men  of  Rucker's 
Brigade  and  Briggs'  section  of  artillery,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kelly  cap- 
tured two  transports  about  tweh'e  miles  below  Nashville,  from  which 
he  secured  fifty-six  prisoners  and  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  horses 
and  mules  before  the  steamers  were  wrested  from  his  hands  by  four 
gunboats. 

The  battle  in  front  of  Nashville  was  fought  on  the  15th  and  i6th  of 
December.  When  Hood's  left  gave  way,  Rucker's  Brigade  narrowly 
escaped  capture.  While  covering  Hood's  left  flank,  north  of  Brent- 
34 


530  R.  K.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

wood,  Colonel  Rucker  was  wounded,  his  horse  fell,  and  he  was  cap- 
tured a  little  after  nightfall  on  the  i6th.  Fortunately  the  Federal 
cavalry  were  not  handled  with  resolution,  and  bivouacked  after  being 
driven  back  for  a  mile  by  the  Seventh  Alabama.  Had  they  been 
pressed  forward  with  all  their  redoubtable  numbers  (nine  thousand), 
they  must  have  inflicted  irremediable  damage  that  night  upon  General 
Hood's  army.  Doubtless  the  impression  adroitly  given  by  Rucker  of 
Forrest's  presence  had  a  material  effect  in  staying  the  movement,  for 
Forrest  was  not  a  soldier  whom  they  were  willing  to  meet  in  the  dark 
or  with  unlaced  harness. 

Of  the  battle  in  front  of  Nashville,  General  A.  T.  Stewart,  who 
commanded  one  corps  of  Hood's  army,  says : 

"The  Federal  commander  at  Nashville  had  in  his  department  an 
effective  strength  of  eighty  thousand,  while  the  army  of  Tennessee 
was  now  reduced  to  twenty-three  thousand  and  fifty-three 

"On  the  15th  the  enemy,  in  greatly  superior  numbers,  moved  out 
from  their  'elaborate  fortifications'  and  attacked  Hood's  line  on  both 
flanks,  the  main  assault  being  directed  against  his  left.  Toward  even- 
ing the  infantry  outposts  and  unfinished  works  on  the  left  were  carried. 

"During  the  night  a  new  position  was  selected  and  occupied.  The 
following  morning  a  general  attack  was  made  along  the  Confederate 
front,  which  was  repulsed.  In  the  afternoon  the  enemy  concentrated 
a  number  of  guns  on  an  exposed  point,  and  massed  a  body  of  infantry 
against  it.  Under  cover  of  the  artillery  fire  this  body  charged  and 
broke  through  the  Confederate  line,  which  soon  afterward  gave  way 
at  all  points.-'^  ^ 

"At  first,  of  course,  there  was  more  or  less  confusion,  but  order 
was  soon  restored. f 

"Confidence  in  the  ability  to  hold  the  line  had  caused  the  artillery 
horses  to  be  sent  to  the  rear  for  safety,  and  the  abandonment  of  the 
position  was  so  unexpected  and  sudden  that  it  was  not  possible  to 
bring  forward  the  horses  to  remove  the  guns  which  had  been  placed 
in  position,  and  fifty-four  of  them  were  lost.  Our  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  was  small. 

"At  Brentwood,  about  four  miles  from  the  field  of  battle,  the 
troops  were  partially  rallied,  and  Lieutenant-General  S.  D.  Lee  took 
command  of  the  rear  guard  and  encamped."  J 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  the  loss  on  either  side  during  the  two 


*About  3.30  F.  M.       t  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  106. 
I  "  Rise  and   Fall  of  the   Confederate  Government,"  by  ex-President  Davis, 
page  578. 


Thk  Hood  Campaigx.  531 


days  fighting  around  Nashville,  as  given  by  any  Southern  writer,  but 
a  Northern  writer  puts  our  loss  as  follows : 

"Thomas,  on  the  15th  of  December,  moved  from  his  works,  fell  upon 
the  Confederate  army  and  routed  it  with  a  loss,  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners,  of  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  men."* 

At  Murfreesboro,  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th.  Colonel  Wilson's 
regiment  was  detached  from  Bell's  Brigade  with  instructions  to  go  into 
the  south-eastern  portion  of  Wilson  County  in  search  of  a  Federal 
Tennessee  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Blackburn.  J.  W.  Ken- 
nedy (Company  C,  Second  Tennessee),  who  lived  in  that  portion  of 
Wilson,  went  with  Colonel  Wilson  as  guide.  They  bivouacked  that 
night  at  the  Widow  Jarman's,  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Murfreesboro 
and  within  two  miles  of  Cainsville.  Soon  after  starting  the  next  morn- 
ing, Wilson  learned  that  Blackburn  was  in  Cainsville,  but  before  the 
former  reached  that  place  the  latter  had  withdrawn  in  the  direction  of 
Statesville.  About  one  mile  and  a  half  beyond  Cainsville,  Wilson  was 
overtaken  by  a  dispatch  from  Forrest  announcing  the  defeat  of  Hood 
at  Nashville,  and  ordering  him  to  return  to  the  command  immediately. 
Sending  a  man  to  recall  his  advance  guard,  Wilson  there  turned  back. 
Before  being  recalled,  however,  the  advance  guard  had  seen  Black- 
burn's men  (estimated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty)  busily  engaged  feeding 
their  horses  in  Rev.  A.  Ivey's  lot,  about  one  mile  beyond  where  Wjlson 
had  turned  back.  Without  raising  any  alarm  or  being  observed  by  the 
enemy,  they  were  hurrying  back  to  report  the  situation  to  Colonel 
Wilson  when  they  met  the  sad  news  that  the  regiment  had  turned 
back.  When  they  overtook  Wilson  and  informed  him  of  the  above 
facts,  that  gallant  officer  said:  "Had  I  known  that,  I  would  have  at- 
tacked them,  even  at  the  risk  of  having  to  disband  my  regiment  to  get 
out  of  here."  But  it  was  then  too  late,  for  he  had  ridden  several  miles 
before  those  who  had  been  in  advance  overtook  him.  Crossing  the 
Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad  north  of  Murfreesboro  and  then 
pressing  on  nearly  all  that  night  in  the  direction  of  Columbia,  Wilson 
struck  Hood's  army  the  next  day  (iSth)  between  Rutherford's  Creek 
and  Duck  River,  where  he  halted  and  fell  in  with  the  rear  guard,  f 

*See  History  of  the  United  States,  by  John  C.  Ridpath,  page  527.  Capitals 
mine.  We  have  to  use  algebra  to  find  how  many  men  Hood  had  left,  thus; 
23,053 — 25,000=1,947.      In  other  words,  he  lost  1,947  more  than  he  had. 

tThe  writer  is  under  obligations  to  J.  R.  Mathes  for  the  above  account  of 
Wilson's  movements.  He  was  with  Wilson's  Regiment  during  the  movement, 
and  it  was  he  who  saw  Blackburn's  men  in  Ivey's  lot.  Soon  after  this  he  joined 
Company  C,  Setond  Tennessee. 


532  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

For  the  last  several  days  before  leaving  Murfreesboro,  the  Second 
Tennessee  had  been  encamped  in  Baird's  lot,  between  the  Liberty  and 
Lebanon  turnpikes,  northeast  of  town. 

According  to  orders  from  Forrest,  Colonel  Bell  set  out  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  1 6th  from  his  camp  north  of  Murfreesboro,  with  Bar- 
teau's,  Russell's  and  Newsom's  regiments,  to  report  to  Hood  in  front 
of  Nashville,  t  Bell  struck  the  Nashville  turnpike  about  six  and  a  half 
miles  from  Murfreesboro,  and  thence  moving  in  the  direction  of  tlie 
former  place,  he  halted  at  Lavergne  about  two  hours  awaiting  the  ar- 
rival of  General  Buford  with  the  Kentucky  Brigade.  That  officer  not 
making  his  appearance,  however.  Bell  resumed  his  march.  Turning 
westward  about  two  miles  beyond  Lavergne,  Bell  struck  the  Nashville- 
Franklin  turnpike  a  little  north  of  the  latter  place,  and  thence  turning 
toward  Nashville,  he  found  Hood's  rear  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  five 
miles  north  of  Franklin,  a  little  before  day  the  next  morning.  Here 
he  also  found  Nixon's  Regiment,  which,  as  previously  mentioned,  had 
been  doing  picket  duty  on  Hood's  right,  from  Dogtown  to  the  Cum- 
berland River.  Russell  and  Nixon  were  posted  at  the  gap,  and  the 
Second  Tennessee  halted  five  or  six  hundred  yards  beyond,  while 
Newsom  was  thrown  still  further  north  on  picket. 

Hood's  infantry  were  put  in  motion,  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
17th,  along  the  Lewisburg  and  Franklin  turnpikes;  and  by  three 
o'clock  A.  M.  Chalmers'  cavalry  were  in  their  saddles,  following  and 
covering  the  rear  on  both  roads. 

It  being  a  favorable  position.  General  S.  D.  Lee,  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  rear  guard,  decided  to  make  a  stand  at  Holly  Tree  Gap, 
on  the  Franklin  road,  in  order  to  gain  time  for  Hood  to  throw  his 
train  and  main  force  south  of  the  Harpeth  River.  A  section  of  artil- 
lery was  favorably  posted,  and  Lee  deployed  a  portion  of  his  infantry 
along  the  ridge  on  each  side  of  the  gap. 

As  it  had  rained  a  good  portion  of  the  preceding  night,  our  boys 
had  asked  permission  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton  to  fire  off  and 
clean  up  their  guns;  and  while  thus  engaged,  Newsom's  Regiment 
(Bell's  Brigade)  came  dashing  by,  without  saying  anything  about  the 
near  proximity  of  the  enemy.  Li  a  moment  more  the  Federal  cavalry 
.(Nineteenth  Pennsylvania  in  advance)  were  upon  the  Second  Tennes- 

tFrom  the  best  information  I  can  get  Bell  left  Murfreesboro  about  the  same 
liour  (3.30  p.  M.)  that  Hood  was  defeated  at  Nashville.  Therefore,  I  suppose 
that  the  former  had  reached  Lavergne,  or  passed  that  place,  before  he  heard  o' 
ihe  defeat  of  the  latter. 


Lieutenant  F.   M.  McREE,  Co.   K. 


The  Hood  Campaign.  533 

see  with  drawn  sabers,  yelling,  "-Halt,  and  surrender !''  And  it  ap- 
peared at  the  moment  that  that  summons  would  have  to  be  obeyed; 
for,  while  the  Federals  pressed  our  boys  in  front,  a  broad,  deep  ditch 
was  across  their  pathway  to  the  rear.  Determined,  however,  to  make 
their  escape  from  among  the  Federals,  if  possible,  they  (our  boys)  put 
spurs  to  their  horses — some  passed  around,  a  number  made  their 
horses  leap  over,  and  a  few  fell  into  the  ditch.  Wm.  Davenport's 
horse  (Company  C)  fell  into  the  ditch,  but  the  rider  made  his  escape 
afoot.  Colonel  Morton's  horse  was  shot  from  under  him,  but  he  made 
good  his  escape.  After  making  a  gallant  defense — emptying  both  his 
revolvers — Lieutenant  F.  M.  McRee,  who  was  in  command  of  Com- 
pany K,  surrendered,  and  was  afterward  shot  through  the  right 
shoulder  by  a  drunken  coward.  T.  F.  McRee  (brother  to  the  lieu- 
tenant) was  knocked  from  his  horse  with  a  carbine  and  captured. 
Frank  Farris  (Company  K)  surrendered,  but  made  his  escape  soon 
after.  Tom  Knott  (Company  B)  was  captured.  C.  C.  (Dick)  Fran- 
cis' horse  was  shot  from  under  him,  and  he  was  the  only  member  of 
Company  C  who  was  captured.  D.  B.  Willard  (Company  C)  and 
Jesse  Thurman  (Company  E)  turned  upon  their  pursuer,  and  leaving 
him  mortally  wounded,  they  secured  his  horse  and  pistols.  A  Fed- 
eral officer  and  Sam.  Barkley — each  demanded  the  surrender  of  the 
other,  but  neither  agreed  to  comply  with  the  demand  of  the  other;  so 
after  exchanging  about  five  shots  the  Federal  was  a  corpse,  and  Bark- 
ley  was  unhurt.  Be  it  remembered  that  the  Second  Tennessee  did 
not  have  time  to  form,  so  as  to  make  an  organized  defense,  but  each 
man  had  to  take  care  of  himself  as  best  he  could.  Knowing  that 
Newsom's  Regiment  was  on  picket,  and  thinking  that  they  would  give 
warning  in  nmple  time,  Morton  did  not  apprehend  any  immediate 
danger.  "What  is  the  matter?"  was  repeatedly  asked  by  our  boys 
as  Newsom's  men  came  dashing  by;  yet  they  invariably  refused  io  give 
any  warning  of  the  impending  danger.  But  apprehending  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  the  most  of  our  boys  had  mounted  by  the  time  the 
enemy  were  upon  them,  as  previously  named.  I  do  not  know  the 
exact  loss  of  our  regiment  in  this  affair,  though  I  do  not  suppose  that 
our  aggregate  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  captured,  exceeded  ten 
men.  Many  of  the  Federal  officers  and  men  were  drunk.  Had  they 
all  been  sober,  perhaps  they  would  have  captured  more  of  our  regi- 
ment. The  Federals  pressed  the  Second  Tennessee  back  to  the  gap 
almost  at  full  speed,  but  there  they  were  met  by  such  a  terrific  fire  of 
both  small  arms  and  artillery,  that  they  were  swept  back  with  a  loss 


534  E.  R.  Haxcock's  Diaky. 

of  about  eighty  killed,   and  as  many  more  captured.      So  they  were 
thus  severely  chastised  for  their  rashness. 

Lee  was  soon  after  flanked  out  of  his  position  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap, 
and  he  then  moved  on  in  the  direction  of  Franklin.  On  reaching 
that  place  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morton  dismounted  his  men  and  placed 
them  in  the  ditches,  where  our  regiment  again  narrowly  escaped  cap- 
ture by  being  outflanked  on  the  left.  Chalmers,  who  was  in  command 
of  all  the  Confederate  cavalry  present,  crossed  the  Harpeth  River 
immediately  after  Lee's  Corps.  It  was  here  that  General  Buford 
joined  the  rear  guard  with  his  Kentuckians. 

Moving  on  to  a  favorable  position  six  miles  south  of  Franklin, 
Chalmers  threw  his  men  astride  the  highway  and  awaited  the  pnset. 
Right  speedily  this  ensued,  and  a  succession  of  weighty  charges  were 
beaten  back.  But  the  Federals  persisted,  and,  gathering  volume, 
poured  down  with  such  a  tide  that  the  Confederates  were  swept  back 
about  dark  to  a  second  position,  where  they  happily  gained  another 
foothold — one,  moreover,  of  great  strength,  which  was  held.  In  ihis 
affair  tliere  were  numerous  hand-to-hand  conflicts,  and  quite  a  mixing 
and  mingling  of  Federals  and  Confederates.  General  Chalmers  iiim- 
self  shot  one  Federal  and  captured  another;  and  General  Buford  also 
became  involved  in  a  personal  combat.  A  member  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  sprang  to  the  assistance  of  Buford,  and,  by  a  dexterous 
movement  of  his  empty  gun,  it  caught  the  sabre-blow  intended  for 
our  General's  head.  Then  taking  his  antagonist  in  his  arms,*  Buford 
lifted  him  from  his  horse  and  thus  made  him  prisoner.  Chalmers' 
Adjutant-General,  Captain  Goodman,  becoming  entangled  in  the 
mP/c-e  with  the  enemy,  narrowly  escaped.  That  night  some  of  the 
Federals  drew  ammunition  from  our  ordnance  wagons  through  mistake. 
Some  three  or  four  of  the  Seventh  Indiana  fell  in  with  Company  C, 
Second  Tennessee,  and  were  made  prisoners,  handing  over  their  arms, 
without  resistance,  to  Captain  Sam  Barkley  and  Frank  Thomas. 

That  night  (17th)  the  infantry  rear  guard  bivouacked  at  Thomp- 
son's Station,  while  the  cavalry  rested  souliiward  at  Spring  Hill,  and 
were  there  remforced  by  Armstrong's  Brigade,  which  had  left  Mur- 
freesboro  that  morning. 

The  weather,  still  wet,  was  very  cold,  the  roads  desperately  muddy, 
horses  and  men  so  hungry  and  jaded  that  despondency  was  now 
stamped  upon  the  somber  features  of  the  hardiest. 

"•■•This  prisoner  remarked  afterward  that  he  ^^  had  as  iojn  l>(;eii  /iiig^^ed  by  a 
bear.'''' 


The  Hood  Campaigx.  535 


The  infantry  passing  southward  on  the  morning  of  the  iSth,  the 
cavah-y  were  again  disposed  to  cover  their  retreat,  and  Cheatham's 
corps  relieved  Lee's  as  infantry  rear  guard.  Thereupon,  Cheatham, 
to  secure  the  passage  of  the  trains  across  Rutherford's  Creek,  then 
greatly  swollen  by  the  rainfall,  halted  his  corps  two  miles  south  of 
Spring  Hill  and  intrenched.  He  was  thus  able  to  hold  the  enemy  at 
bay,  while  the  train  was  safely  thrown  south  of  that  dangerous  stream. 
Then,  late  that  afternoon,  he  withdrew  slowly  across  it,  his  rear  and 
flanks  covered  by  cavalry,  but  as  the  Federal  cavalry  continued  to  be 
handled  with  singular  languor,  there  was  no  collision.  By  this  time 
the  main  Confederate  forces  were  passing  Duck  River,  six  miles  rear- 
ward, and  Cheatham  and  the  cavalry  held  the  line  of  Rutherford's 
Creek  that  night.  It  was  here  during  the  night  that  General  Forrest 
reappeared  among  his  men  with  the  rear  guard  and  relieved  General 
Cheatham,  who  then  moved  his  infantry  on  to  Columbia. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  the  enemy's  cavalry  were  early  afield, 
and  in  formidable  numbers  displayed  a  resolute  purpose  to  force  the 
passage  of  Rutherford's  Creek,  while  a  considerable  column  was  ob- 
served in  movement,  as  if  aiming  to  cross  Duck  River  below  the 
junction  of  the  creek  with  it.  Holding  his  position  along  the  creek 
until  three  p.  m.,  Forrest  then  withdrew  his  cavalry  without  hinder- 
ance  and  bivouacked  on  the  south  bank  of  Duck  River. 

"  Hood  reports  that  when  he  left  the  field  before  Nashville  he  had 
hoped  to  be  able  to  remain  in  Tennessee,  on  the  line  of  Duck  River; 
but,  after  arriving  at  Columbia,  he  became  convinced  that  the  condi- 
tion of  the  army  made  it  necessary  to  recross  the  Tennessee  without 
delay."* 

Durmg  a  conference  on  the  night  of  the  19th,  General  Hood  ex- 
pressed to  General  Forrest  the  belief  that  he  could  not  escape  in 
such  weather  with  unfavorable  roads  and  broken-down  teams.  For- 
rest replied  that  to  remain  there  would  certainly  result  in  the  capture 
of  the  whole  force,  but  that  if  reinforced  with  four  thousand  infantry 
he  would  undertake  to  secure  time  and  opportunity  for  the  escape  of 
all  across  the  Tennessee.  General  Hood  rejoined  that  he  should  have 
the  infantry. t 

However,  only  one  theusand  nine  hundred  of  Stewart's  corps  (Wal- 
thall's Division)  were  furnished,  and  at  least  three  hundred  of  them 

*  Ex-President  Davis'  "Rise  and  Fsll  of  the  Confederate  Government," 
page  579. 

t  Forrest's  Campaigns,  page  646. 


5oG  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

were  shoeless,  and  so  footsore  as  to  be  unable  to  march  and  bear 
arms,  and  were  therefore  detached  on  the  wagon  train. 

After  a  careful  examination  into  his  resources,  Forrest  found  that 
he  had  only  three  thousand  officers  and  effectively  mounted  men,  with 
one  thousand  six  hundred  infantry  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery.  With 
this  force  he  was  expected  to  confront  and  keep  off  a  hostile  army  of 
ten  thousand  cavalry  and  possibly  thirty  thousand  infantry.  Seldom 
or  never  has  a  soldier  been  placed  in  a  graver  situation,  or  one  from 
which  extrication  seemed  so  little  probable.  We  are  assured,  how- 
ever, "that  at  no  time  in  his  whole  career  was  the  fortitude  of  Gen- 
eral Forrest  in  adversity,  and  his  power  of  infusing  his  own  cheerful- 
ness inio  those  under  his  command,  more  strikingly  exhibited  than  at 
this  crisis.  ....  But  he  alone,  whatever  he  may 

have  felt  (and  he  was  not  blind  to  the  dangers  of  our  position),  spoke 
in  his  usual  cheerful  and  defiant  tones,  and  talked  of  meeting  the 
enemy  with  as  much  assurance  of  success  as  he  did  when  driving  them 
before  him  a  month  before.  Such  a  spirit  is  sympathetic,  and  not  a 
man  was  brought  in  contact  with  him  who  did  not  feel  strengthened 
and  invigorated  as  if  he  had  heard  of  a  reinforcement  coming  to  our 
relief."* 

For  some  reason  the  enemy  did  not  appear  in  force  until  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  20th,  when  they  opened  upon  Columbia  a  furious 
cannonade  of  shot  and  shell.  Hoisting  a  flag  of  truce,  Forrest  had 
an  interview — the  river  between — with  General  Hatch,  whom  he 
formally  assured  that  Columbia  was  only  occupied  by  non-combatants 
and  the  wounded  of  both  armies.  He  also  proposed  the  exchange  of 
some  two  thousand  prisoners,  the  fruits  of  the  campaign,  who  were, 
as  he  acquainted  him,  without  blankets  or  proper  clothing  for  the 
inclement  season,  and  must  therefore  perish,  in  many  cases,  from 
cold  if  not  exchanged.  After  a  delay  of  two  hours  the  answer,  in  the 
name  of  General  Thomas,  was  a  refusal  either  to  exchange  prisoners 
or  to  receive  those  Forrest  had  on  parole.  The  shelling,  however, 
was  discontinued. 

On  the  2ist  Hood  resumed  his  march  toward  Pulaski,  leaving 
Forrest  to  hold  the  line  of  Duck  River  to  the  last  possible  moment, 
retiring,  when  forced  to  do  so,  upon  Florence  by  way  of  Pulaski, 
doing  what  was  possible  meanwhile  to  gain  time  for  the  safety  of  the 
remains  of  the  Confederate  army. 

During   the  night  of  the   21st  the  enemy  effected  the  passage  of 

■-■■Notes  of  Captain  Goodman  in  Forrest's  Campaigns,  page  647. 


The  Hood  Campaign.  537 


Duck  River  above  the  town  with  their  cavalry,  and  by  morning  (2  2d) 
their  infantry  began  to  cross,  whereupon  Forrest  put  his  forces  in 
retreat,  the  infantry  moving  by  the  Pulaski  road.  Jackson's  and 
Buford's  Divisions  covered  the  rear,  and  Chalmers  the  right  flank, 
moving  by  the  road  through  Bigbyville,  while  the  left  was  carefully 
guarded  by  detachments  of  scouts.  A  strong  defensive  position  was 
found  in  a  gorge  between  two  high  ridges,  six  miles  south  of  Columbia. 
Here  Forrest  determined  to  make  a  stoiit  stand  with  his  cavalry.  As 
the  Federals  had  not  yet  come  in  sight,  thirty  picked  men  from  the 
Second  Tennessee  were  sent  back  toward  Columbia,  with  instructions 
from  General  Buford  to  go  until  they  met  the  enemy.  This  scout 
went  back  about  three  or  four  miles  before  they  met  the  Federal 
advance,*  which  was  driven  back  upon  the  main  force.  Seeing, 
meanwhile,  that  it  was  only  a  small  scouting  party,  the  Federals,  in 
turn,  drove  our  boys,  almost  at  full  speed,  from  there  to  where  Forrest 
had  prepared  to  give  the  enemy  a  warm  reception.  Meanwhile, 
Buford's  men  had  been  busily  engaged  throwing  up  temporary  cover 
of  rail  and  log  breastworks.  Notwithstanding  the  Federal  infantry 
and  artillery  were  soon  brought  up,  Forrest  was  not  moved  from  his 
position  during  that  afternoon.  Being  forced  back  about  nine  miles 
on  the  23d,  the  Confederate  cavalry  bivouacked  that  night  just  north 
of  Lynnville. 

Resuming  the  retreat  early  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  the  Fed- 
erals were  pressing  Forrest's  rear  by  the  time  Lynnville  was  reached. 
Just  after  passing  through  that  place.  General  Armstrong  very  gal- 
lantly led  a  counter  charge  and  drove  the  enemy  back  some  distance 
with  his  brigade.  Walthall's  infantry  being  brought  into  action  about 
two  or  three  miles  further  south,  a  severe  engagement  ensued  for  sev- 
eral hours,  after  which  the  Confederates  fell  back  in  good  order  two 
miles,  to  a  favorable  position  just  in  advance  of  the  east  branch  of 
Richland  Creek,  where  dispositions  were  made  for  another  combat. 
Armstrong's  Brigade  was  here  placed  in  support  of  six  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, established  upon  and  sweeping  the  turnpike,  with  Ross'  Brigade 
to  the  right.  Chalmers'  Division  was  drawn  up  in  line  with,  and  to 
the  left  of,  the  artillery,  with  Buford's  on  the  extreme  left,  while  the 
infantry  held  the  crossing  of  the  creek.  A  vigorous  artillery  conflict 
then  resulted,  in  the  course  of  which  two  Federal  guns  were  dis- 
mounted.    While  the  enemy's  right  wing  pressed  Buford  and  Chal- 

■■■Tliis  I  learn  from  Burt  Willard  and  Amzi  B.  McKnight  (Company  C),  who 
rode  with  that  scout,  as  did  also  Frank  Thomas  and  Mike  Lorance. 


538  li.  E.  HA^x•ocK's  Diary 


mers  heavily  with  superior  masses  of  cavalry,  his  left  forced  the 
crossing  of  the  creek  to  the  right  of  Jackson,  who  was  sent  with  his 
division  to  meet  this  flank  movement,  and  for  several  hours  a  warm 
conflict  was  maintained,  in  which  the  enemy  lost  heavily  and  the 
Confederates  lightly,  but  among  the  wounded  was  General  Buford, 
whose  division  was  then  temporarily  consolidated  with  Chalmers' 
forces. 

The  Second  Tennessee,  posted  on  the  extreme  left,  very  gallantly 
contended  against  great  odds;  nor  did  they  yield  their  position  until 
the  enemy  had  gained  the  bridge  to  their  right,  and  being  thus  cut  off 
they  had  to  swing  round  leftward  and  cross  the  creek  about  two  miles 
below  the  bridge.  Our  ever-daring  Lieutenant-Colonel,  G.  H.  Mor- 
ton, had  his  horse  shot  from  under  him  again  during  this  action ;  and 
also  Granville  McKnight  and  Monroe  Hancock  (Company  C)  met 
with  a  like  misfortune.  From  further  investigation  it  appears  tliat  a 
part  of  our  regiment  gained  the  bridge  in  time  to  cross  it. 

Forrest  now  withdrew  toward  Pulaski  without  further  molestation 
that  day.  During  the  past  forty-eight  hours,  however,  the  fighting 
had  been  with  little  intermission.  The  Federal  cavalry  had  been  con- 
stantly making  strenuous  efforts  to  flank  Forrest's  force,  while  their 
infantry  had  pressed  vigorously  onward  by  the  highway;  but  each 
Confederate  officer  and  man  appeared  to  act  and  fight  as  if  the  fate  of 
the  army  depended  on  his  individual  conduct.  And  never  were  there 
manifested  higher  soldierly  virtues  than  by  Forrest's  heroic  band — in- 
cluding the  infantry — the  virtues  of  fortitude,  unflinching  valor,  and 
unconquerable  cheerfulness  and  alacrity  under  orders. 

The  roads  now,  grown  even  worse  than  before,  were  nearly  im- 
practicable for  wheels,  hence  it  became  necessary  to  destroy  at  Pu- 
laski a  quantity  of  the  ammunition  of  the  army,  which  could  not  be 
carried  off,  also  several  locomotives  and  two  trains  of  cars. 

Jackson  left  at  Pulaski,  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  with  orders  to 
make  an  obstinate  stand,  while  the  other  divisions  of  the  rear  guard 
retired;  and  well  did  that  division  discharge  that  service,  retiring  only 
when  about  to  be  overwhelmed. 

No  further  stand  was  now  attempted  until  the  Confederates  reached 
and  took  post  upon  Anthony's  Hill,  seven  miles  beyond  Pulaski.  It 
was  now  only  forty-two  miles  to  Bainbridge,  the  point  on  the  Ten- 
nessee River  where  Hood's  army  was  to  cross,  but  as  yet  many  of  his 
infantry  had  not  reached  the  river  bank.  To  prevent  the  annihilation 
of  his  army,  it  was  necessary  to  make  a   yet  more  obstinate  eflbrt  to 


The  Hood  Campaign.  539 


delay  the  approaching  enemy  as  long  as  i)ossible,  and  fortunately  the 
ground  was  highly  favorable  to  that  end.  The  approacb  to  Anthony's 
Hill,  for  two  miles,  was  through  a  defile  formed  by  two  steep,  high 
ridges,  which,  uniting  at  their  southern  extremity,  formed  the  hill,  the 
ascent  of  which  was  sudden,  and  both  the  ridges  and  hill  were  thickly 
wooded. 

Morton's  Battery  was  established  upon  the  immediate  summit  of 
the  hill,  so  as  to  sweep  the  hollow  below  and  the  road  through  it. 
Along  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  around  on  the  ridges  were  grouped 
Featherston's  and  Palmer's  Brigades  of  Walthall's  Division,  reinforced 
by  four  hundred  of  Ross'  Texans  and  as  many  of  Armstrong's  Missis- 
sippians,  dismounted.  The  rest  of  Jackson's  Division  were  disposed 
as  cavalry  on  cither  flank,  with  Reynolds'  and  Field's  Brigades  of  in- 
fantry formed  in  a  second  line  as  a  reserve.  The  infantry  had  further 
strengthened  their  position  by  breastworks  of  rails  and  timber,  and  a 
line  of  skirmishers  was  posted  under  cover  on  the  hillside.  At  the 
same  time  Chalmers  (with  whom  Buford's  Division  now  moved)  was 
halted  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  right,  on  the  road  by  which  he 
was  moving,  to  guard  that  flank  from  being  turned.  So  broken  and 
densely  timbered  was  the  ground  that  the  concealment  of  the  Confed- 
erate forces  was  complete. 

Scarcely,  however,  were  these  dispositions  made  when,  about  one 
p.  M.,  the  Federal  cavalry,  driving  the  Confederate  rear  guard  into 
the  mouth  of  the  glen,  followed  hotly.  But  the  place  at  length  began 
to  look  so  dangerous  that  their  commander  apparently  thought  it 
requisite  to  dismount  several  of  his  regiments  before  undertaking  the 
ascent  of  the  hill.  These  he  pushed  forward  on  foot  with  a  piece  of 
artillery.  The  Confederates,  meanwhile,  had  ridden  rapidly  through 
the  hollow,  and  up  and  over  the  hill,  as  if  left  unsupported,  as  the 
enemy  was  suffered  to  ascend  within  fifty  paces  of  the  skirmishers 
without  hinderance.  Then  John  W.  Morton,  breaking  the  grim 
silence  with  canister,  the  skirmishers  enveloped  them  with  a  hot,  gall- 
ing fire  of  musketry  from  front  and  flank,  followed  quickly  by  a 
heavier  fire  from  the  main  line  of  infantry  and  dismounted  cavalry. 
The  enemy,  thoroughly  surprised,  returning  but  a  scattering,  feeble 
fire,  gave  way  in  disorder,  as  our  men  sprang  forward  with  a  shout 
and  charged  down  the  hill  after  them  through  the  horses  of  the  dis- 
mounted men,  only  halting  once  to  deliver  another  fire.  Thus  the 
enemy  were  driven  back  in  great  confusion  out  of  the  hollow,  when 
Forrest  recalled  his  men  from  their  eager  pursuit,  to  avoid  becoming 


540  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

entangled  with  the  Federal  infantry,  the  advance  of  which,  he  appre- 
hended, was  near  at  hand.  The  enemy  left  behind  one  hundred  and 
fifty  killed  and  wounded,  some  fifty  prisoners,  about  three  hundred 
cavalry  horses,  as  many  overcoats,  and  a  twelve-pounder  Napoleon 
gun,  with  its  team  of  eight  horses  intact.  The  Confederate  losses  did 
not  exceed  fifteen  killed  and  forty  wounded. 

It  was  now  nearly  four  p.  m.,  and  heavy  Federal  cavalry  columns 
having  made  the  detour  both  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  road  through 
the  ravine,  were  beginning  to  press  both  Ross'  and  Armstrong's 
mounted  men,  and  Chalmers  reported  the  near  approach  in  his  quar- 
ter of  a  heavy  force.  All  the  advantages  of  the  situation  had  been  ex- 
hausted; its  further  defense  was  therefore  inexpedient,  and  Forrest  at 
once  gave  orders  to  retire,  which  was  done  in  good  order,  carrying  off 
his  prisoners  and  captured  gun.  The  roads  were  now  as  bad  as  ever 
an  army  encountered,  and  the  horses  had  to  be  pushed  through  mud 
and  slush  every  step  of  the  way,  often  belly  deep  and  seldom  less  than 
up  to  their  knees.  The  infantry  marched,  barefooted  in  many  cases, 
often  waist  deep  in  ice  cold  water,  while  sleet  beat  upon  their  heads 
and  shoulders;  nevertheless,  by  one  o'clock  that  night  they  had 
reached  Sugar  Creek,  fourteen  miles  from  Anthony's  Hill.  There  the 
stream  was  clear,  with  a  pebbly  bottom,  and  the  men  were  brought  to 
a  halt  in  order  to  wash  the  mire  from  their  ragged  clothing,  and, 
building  iires,  were  suffered  to  remain  at  rest  until  daylight. -^^ 

But  at  dawn  the  Federal  cavalry  was  up  again  and  in  heavy  mass, 
now  manifestly  bent  on  a  vigorous  attempt  to  press  forward  over  all 
obstacles,  so  as  to  strike  Hood's  force  before  it  might  escape  across 
the  Tennessee.  Hood's  ordnance-train  was  still  at  Sugar  Creek,  while 
the  mules  had  been  used  to  assist  in  drawing  the  pontoon-train  to  the 
river;  but  having  been  returned,  the  ordnance-train  was  just  on  the 
point  of  moving.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  make  another  reso- 
lute stand  to  secure  that  movement.  Accordingly,  about  sunrise 
(26th)  Reynolds'  and  Field's  Brigades  of  Walthall's  Division  were 
put  in  position  some  two  hundred  yards  south  of  the  ford,  across  a 
narrow  ravine,  and  upon  a  high  ridge  to  the  north  of  the  ravine,  where 
they  threw  up  cover  with  rails  and  other  material  at  hand,  while  two 
other  brigades  (Featherston's  and  Palmer's)  were  established  in  a  strong 

*V.  D.  ("Tobe")  Thompson,  Company  G,  Second  Tennessee,  who  was 
quite  feeble  and  had  taken  shelter  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  in  a  farm 
house  (thinking  that  he  was  out  of  danger),  was  captured  that  night  (25th)  by 
a  squad  of  Federal  cavalry. 


The  Hood  Campaign,  541 


■position  half  a  mile  further  to  the  rear.  Ross'  Brigade  was  posted 
■on  the  right  and  Armstrong's  on  the  left  of  the  first  line  of  infantry, 
and  Chalmejs  (with  whom  the  Second  Tennessee  now  moved)  was 
halted  in  a  strong  position,  where  the  parallel  road  which  he  pursued 
crossed  Sugar  Creek.  Fortunately  a  dense  fog  enveloped  the  position, 
and  enabled  the  Confederates  to  remain  concealed. 

About  half-past  eight  a.  m.  the  enemy's  cavalry  were  to  be  heard 
fording  the  creek,  until  several  regiments  crossed  over  and  formed  in 
line  in  the  immediate  front  of  our  infantry.  The  fog  veiled  their 
movements,  but  it  was  apparent  that,  apprehensive  of  a  lurking  dan- 
ger, the  enemy  had  dismounted  and  were  advancing  with  a  part  of 
their  force  on  foot  in  front  of  their  cavalry.  Thus  disposed,  the  Fed- 
erals came  within  thirty  paces  of  the  breastworks  across  their  path, 
when  from  behind  it  a  broad  stream  of  rifle-balls  cleaving  through  the 
thick  fog  spread  confusion  instantly  through  the  Federal  ranks,  and 
springing  forward  the  infantry  pressed  their  advantage  with  such  vigor 
that  the  enemy,  unable  to  recover  and  rally,  were  driven  back  through 
their  horse-holders  and  among  their  cavalry,  thus  increasing  the  dis- 
order. The  creek  was  about  saddle-skirt  deep,  and  through  it  the 
cavalry  dashed  rearward  without  regard  to  any  ford,  and  after  them 
followed  Walthall's  dauntless  men,  charging  waist  deep  through  the 
icy  water.  At  the  same  time  a  portion  of  Ross'  and  Armstrong's  cav- 
alry crossing  the  creek — the  former  below  and  the  latter  above — struck 
the  enemy  on  either  flank,  driving  them  pell-mell  up  the  defile  for  a 
mile,  killing  and  wounding  many  and  taking  about  one  hundred  pris- 
oners, while  our  loss  was  light.  The  pursuit  was  now  recalled.  The 
other  fruits  of  this  handsome  affair  were  the  capture  of  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  horses  and  many  overcoats,  of  great  value  to  our 
men  in  weather  so  inclement.  But  the  most  valuable  effect  was  that 
it  checked  further  close  pressure  upon  the  rear  of  Hood's  army  by  the 
Federal  cavalry,  who  had  now  been  punished  so  severely  in  men  and 
horses  here  and  at  Anthony's  Hill  as  to  be  altogether  unwilling  to  ven- 
ture another  collision  with  their  formidable  adversary.  In  the  mean- 
time Chalmers,  having  been  attacked  in  his  position,  repulsed  his 
enemy  handsomely,  and  charging  in  turn,  captured  some  prisoners, 
thus  checking  the  hostile  movements  in  that  direction  also.  Remain- 
ing unmolested  at  Sugar  Creek  until  twelve  o'clock,  Walthall's  Division 
was  again  put  in  movement  for  the  river,  and  Forrest  withdrew  his 
cavalry  about  an  hour  later.  After  a  march  of  about  twelve  miles  the 
infantry  bivouacked  with  the  cavalry  to  their  rear.       The  rear  guard 


542  R.  Ii.  Hancock's  Diary. 

was  now  within  sixteen  miles  of  Bainbridge,  where  Hood  was  crossing 
the  shattered  remains  of  his  army  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee. 
On  reaching  the  river  in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th,  Walthall's  Di- 
vision was  again  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Stewart,  who 
was  then  ordered  to  hold  the  north  bank  of  the  Tennessee  with  his 
corps,  while  the  cavalry,  relieved  from  further  rear-guard  duty,  were 
ordered  to  cross  to  the  south  bank  of  that  stream  on  the  pontoon 
bridge.  Chalmers'  command,  including  the  gallant  remains  of  his 
own  and  Buford's  Divisions,  brought  up  the  rear  after  night,  and  there 
was  not  a  man  of  all  that  battle  and  weather-tempered  band  who  did 
not  feel  a  sense  of  supreme  relief  at  the  moment. 

COMMENTARIES. 

1.  "The  campaign,  with  its  eventful  disasters,  lasted  thirty-five 
days,  during  which  Forrest's  Cavalry  were  incessantly  in  sharp  con- 
flict with  the  enemy  at  a  season  of  singular  inclemency.  With  this 
force  he  captured  and  destroyed  sixteen  block-houses,  twenty  consid- 
erable railroad  bridges,  more  than  thirty  miles  of  railroad, 

four  locomotives,  at  least  one  hundred  cars,  and  one 
hundred  wagons. 

"He  captured  as  many  as  eighteen  hundred  of  the  enemy,  one 
hundred  thousand  rounds  of  ammunition,  two  hundred  thousand  ra- 
tions, nine  pieces  of  artillery,  and  brought  away  three  pieces  of  artil- 
lery and  ten  wagons  and  teams  more  than  he  carried  in,  besides  many 
horses,  while  the  aggregate  of  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the  enemy 
may  be  set  down  at  two  thousand. 

"At  the  same  time,  nothing  in  the  annals  of  war  exceeds  in  sol- 
dierly excellence  the  conduct  of  the  Confederate  rear-guard  from  Co- 
lumbia to  Sugar  Creek,  and  the  results  signally  illustrate  how  true  it 
is  in  war,  as  the  Latin  poet  says,  'They  can,  because  they  think  they 
can.'"* 

2.  "While  riding  alone  one  cold  day  on  the  Hood  retreat,  I  came 
up  with  one  of  his  infantry,  who  was  barefooted  and  otherwise  poorly 
clad,  but  he  still  had  his  gun  on  his  shoulder  and  a  large  piece  of  pork 
stuck  on  his  bayonet.  As  I  rode  up  by  the  side  of  him  he  asked  to 
what  command  did  I  belong.  I  told  him  that  I  belonged  to  Forrest's 
Cavalry.  'He  quickly  and  enthusiastically  replied,  '  How  I  do  love 
Forrest's  Cavalry.  I  love  the  very  ground  that  they  walk  on.  Had  it 
not  been  for  Forrest's  Cavalry,  Hood  would  not  have  got  out  of  Ten- 
nessee with  a  single  man.' 

*  Forrest's  Campaigns,  page  654. 


The  Hood  Campaigx.  543 

"Notwithstanding  I  was  well  mounted  and  had  on  a  good  pair  of 
boots,  I  believe  that  man  was  in  better  spirits  than  I  was. 

"As  I  rode  away  he  gleefully  remarked,  'If  you  have  not  plenty 
of  rations,  call  around  to-night  and  I  will  divide  with  you.'"* 

3.  At  the  time  Hood  was  advancing  on  Nashville,  the  Second 
Tennessee  was  one  day  driving  the  Federals  at  a  rapid  rate,  when 
Captain  Sam  Barkley  remarked  that  "These  Yankees  must  think  we 
eat  folks."  One  day  during  the  retreat,  while  the  Federals  were  driv- 
ing the  Second  Tennessee  back  over  very  nearly  the  same  ground  and 
at  about  the  same  rate,  thinking  of  the  above  remark,  John  H.  Sneed 
(Company  C)  called  out,  "Captain  Sam."  "What  now,  John?"  re- 
plied the  captain.      "Do  you  reckon  that  'these  Yankees  think  we  eat 

folks  now?'"      "Dry  up,  you  d d  rascal," 

4.  I  again  quote  from  Lieutenant-General  A.  P.  Stewart: 

"The  army  recrossed  the  Tennessee  at  Bainbridge  during  the  26th 
and  27th  of  December  and  by  the  loth  of  January,  1865,  ^^s  m  camp 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tupelo,  Mississippi. 

"Soon  afterward  General  Hood,  at  his  own  request,  was  relieved 
from  further  duty  with  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  and  General  Beaure- 
gard assumed  command. 

"The  effective  strength  of  the  army  at  Tupelo  was  found  to  be 
eighteen  thousand  five  hundred  infantry  and  artillery,  and  twenty- 
three  hundred  and  six  of  Forrest's  cavalry. 

"The  disastrous  campaign  into  Tennessee,  which  virtually  closed 
the  war  in  the  West,  had  cost  at  least  ten  thousand  men.  The  army 
had  marched  and  fought  in  the  severest  mid-winter  weather,  often  suf- 
fering from  want  of  food  and  clothing.  Yet,  amid  all  the  hardships 
and  discouragements  of  the  campaign,  the  troops  from  Tennessee  re- 
mained in  great  part  true  to  the  cause  they  had  espoused,  and  a  third 
time  left  their  State  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  to  follow  the  fortunes  of 
the  'Southern  Cross.'         ........ 

"The  Army  of  Tennessee,  a/ter  resting  a  fcAV  weeks  at  Tupelo, 
where  a  large  proportion  of  the  men  were  furloughed  by  General  Hood, 
had  been  ordered  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  and  thence  to  North  Carolina. "f 

■•■•"Verbal  report  of  D.  B.  Willard,  Company  C,  Second  Tennessee, 
t  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  pp.  lo6  and  107. 


544  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 


THE  FINAL  CAMPAIGN. 

After  resting  one  day  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  at  Biin- 
bridge,  Forrest  put  his  whole  corps  in  movement  on  the  29th  of  De- 
cember, for  Corinth,  leaving  to  General  Roddy's  small  cavalry  force 
the  duty  of  covering  Hood's  rear.  This  soon  brought  Roddy  in  sharp 
collision  with  a  largely  superior  Federal  force  that  had  been  thrown 
south  of  the  Tennessee  at  Decatur,  and  which  pressed  him  actively  back 
toward  Tuscumbia.  Armstrong's  Brigade  was  therefore  recalled  and 
directed  to  remain  in  rear  of  Hood's  infantry  until  they  had  passed 
westward  of  Cherokee  Station.  Reaching  Corinth  on  the  30th,  For- 
rest established  headquarters  there  and  reported  to  Lieutenant  General 
Taylor,  to  whose  command  he  had  now  returned.  Bell's  West  Ten- 
nesseans  were  now  furloughed  to  proceed  to  their  homes  for  fresh 
horses  and  clothing.  The  Second  Tennessee  were  also  furloughed  for 
thirty  days,  with  instructions  to  get  up  as  many  absentees  as  possible 
and  report  again  at  Verona,  Mississippi.*  Some  went  to  West  Ten- 
nessee, while  others  remained  in  Mississippi.  Nearly  all  of  Company 
C  went  to  the  former  place.  This  is  quite  a  noted  event  in  our  his- 
tory, as  the  like  was  not  done  at  any  other  time  during  the  war.  And, 
moreover,  rest  had  never  been  so  badly  needed  by  both  men  and 
horses  as  at  the  close  of  the  Hood  Campaign.  Though  both  had  so 
recruited  by  the  time  the  regiment  reassembled  at  Verona,  about  the 
rst  of  February,  that  the  Second  Tennessee  was  herself  again,  except 
in  point  of  numbers. 

About  this  time  the  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee  (Barteau's 
-and  Wilson's)  Regiments  were  consolidated  and  afterward  known  as 
the  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee  Regiment.  As  Colonel  C.  R. 
Barteau  was  absent,  wounded,  A.  N.  Wilson  was  Colonel  and  G.  H. 
Morton  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  consolidated  regiment,  and  Captain 
W.  A.  DeBow  (Con^pany  E)  was  made  Major.  By  promotion  Lieu- 
tenant Geo.  E.  Seay  became  Captain  of  Company  E. 

The  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee  was  now  armed  with  short 
guns  and  sabers  (the  only  regiment  in  Forrest's  command  that  had 
sabers),  and  hence  they  were  the  cavalry  of  Forrest's  command — that 

*In  fact  all  the  cavalry  whose  homes  were  not  either  too  remote  or  beyond 
the  Confederate  lines  were  furlousfhed. 


The  Final  Campaign.  545 

is  to  say,  they  were  to  fight  altogether  mounted;  and,  therefore,  they 
were  not  dismounted  at  another  engagement  during  the  rest  of  the  war. 

All  the  cavalry  not  on  furlough  were  ordered  to  Okolona  to  recu- 
perate in  that  country  so  rich  in  forage;  and  about  the  12th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  Forrest  established  his  headquarters  at  Verona,  some  fifty- 
five  miles  south  of  Corinth,  leaving  Ross'  Brigade  to  garrison  the 
latter  place.  General  Bell  was  recalled  by  the  25th,  with  orders,  as 
he  returned,  to  glean  West  Tennessee  for  absentees  from  military 
service.  Occupied  assiduously  with  measures  looking  to  the  recruit- 
ment of  his  gaunt  ranks,  the  rehorsing  of  cavalry  and  artillery,  and 
to  the  close,  stringent  search  of  the  country  for  absentees  from  his 
regiments,  Forrest  remained  at  Verona  until  about  the  ist  of  March. 

Meanwhile,  about  the  24th  of  February,  he  received  an  order  as- 
signing him  to  the  command  of  all  the  cavalry  of  the  Department  of 
Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  East  Louisiana.  It  embraced  about  ten 
thousand  men,  widely  dispersed  over  three  States,  and  to  combine 
these  as  speedily  as  possible  for  the  most  part  into  one  coherent,  effect- 
ive body,  became  his  immediate  aim. 

One  of  his  early  measures  was  to  group  the  troops  of  the  several 
States  into  State  divisional  organizations  as  far  as  practicable.  Gen- 
eral Chalmers  was  placed  over  the  division  embracing  the  brigades 
made  up  of  Mississippians;  General  Buford,  one  constituted  of  the 
Alabama  cavalry  and  the  gallant  remains  of  his  Kentucky  Brigade, 
with  orders  to  proceed  to  Montevallo,  Alabama  (fifty  miles  north  of 
Selma),  and  there  organize  his  new  division.  The  Tennessee  troops, 
with  Ross'  Texans,  were  assigned  to  the  command  of  General  Jack- 
son. By  this  arrangement  the  famous  Second  Missouri  Cavalry  was 
excluded  from  either  brigade  or  divisional  association  and  constituted 
a  special  scouting  force,  receiving  orders  direct  from  Forrest's  head- 
quarters. 

Before  the  middle  of  March  Chalmers'  Division  was  organized  at 
Columbus,  Mississippi,  with  an  effective  aggregate  of  four  thousand 
five  hundred,  divided  into  three  brigades,  commanded  respectively 
by  Brigadier-Generals  F.  C.  Armstrong,  Wirt  Adams,  and  P.  B.  Starke. 
Jackson's  Division,  composed  of  the  Tennessee  brigades  of  Generals 
T.  H.  Bell  and  A.  W.  Campbell,  three  thousand  two  hundred  strong, 
and  six  hundred  Texans,  under  Ross,  was  also  in  shape  at  West  Point. 
The  Second  Tennessee  was  still  attached  to  Bell's  Brigade,  but  Jack- 
son, in  place  of  Buford,  was  our  divisional  commander  from  this  to 
the  close  of  the  war.  As  yet  Buford  had  not  been  able  to  organize 
35 


546  E.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

his  division.  Roddy's  force,  which  was  to  constitute  an  important 
part  of  it,  was  necessarily  detached  and  actively  on  duty  in  North 
Alabama,  watching  the  movements  of  a  heavy  Federal  cavalry  force, 
accumulated  just  across  the  Tennessee  River  at  Gravelly  Springs, 
under  Wilson.  The  other  two  brigades  (Alabamians),  Clanton's  and 
Armstead's,  constituting  his  command,  were  likewise  detached,  guard- 
ing one  of  the  then  threatened  flanks  or  approaches  to  Mobile.  Mean- 
while Forrest  had,  on  the  ist  of  March,  transferred  his  headquarters 
from  Verona  to  West  Point,  on  the  line  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, forty-two  miles  south. 

In  the  interval  the  Federal  authorities  had  not  been  inactive.  The 
cavalry  from  Middle  Tennessee  had  been  collected  in  the  north-west 
corner  of  Alabama,  in  the  vicinity  of  Gravelly  Springs  and  Waterloo, 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Tennessee  River,  near  favorable  points  for 
the  passage  of  that  stream  for  piercing  either  the  heart  of  Alabama  or 
Mississippi.  This  force,  organized  into  three  divisions,  under  McCook, 
Long,  and  Upton,  was  commanded  by  Major-General  James  Wilson, 
a  distinguished  graduate  of  the  West  Point  Military  Academy,  and 
standing  very  high  as  a  cavalry  officer  with  his  superiors. 

Meanwhile,  Canby  had  commenced  his  operations  for  the  reduction 
of  Mobile.  And  on  the  i8th  of  March  Wilson  threw  his  three  cav- 
alry divisions  (13,000  strong)  and  about  fifteen  hundred  infantry  to 
the  south  side  of  the  Tennessee  at  Chickasaw,  with  the  immediate 
object  of  making  a  diversion  in  behalf  of  the  operations  against  Mo- 
bile by  penetrating  deep  into  Alabama.  Four  days  later,  accordingly, 
he  set  out  from  Chickasaw  upon  his  expedition,  invested  by  General 
Grant  with  the  widest  range  of  discretion  in  his  operations,  his 
equipage  including  a  pontoon  train  of  fifty  wagons;  otherwise  he 
moved  with  not  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  supply  and  baggage 
wagons.  But  each  man  carried  five  days'  "light  rations"  in  his 
haversack,  and  on  his  horse  twenty- four  pounds  of  grain,  one  hundred 
rounds  of  ammunition,  and  a  pair  of  extra  horse  shoes.  Five  days' 
rations  of  hard  bread  and  ten  severally  of  sugar,  coffee,  and  salt  were 
carried,  moreover,  on  pack  animals.  Forrest  was  promptly  informed 
of  Wilson's  movement  by  Roddy.  Having  duly  communicated  to 
General  Taylor  tidings  of  the  dangerous  expedition  afield  in  his  de- 
partment, that  officer,  on  the  24th,  telegraphed  orders  to  Forrest  to 
concentrate  his  available  forces  upon  Selma,  the  supposed  objective 
of  the  enemy. 

Four  brigades,  or  six  thousand  four  hundred  men,  with  such  force 


The  Fjxal  Campakjx.  54' 


as  Buford  might  assemble,  were  all  that  Forrest  could  rely  on  to  con- 
front his  adversary,  as  it  was  thought  essential  to  leave  Adams'  Brig- 
ade to  guard  the  line  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  Ross' 
Brigade  to  garrison  Corinth. 

Meanwhile,  both  Chalmers  and  Jackson  had  for  some  days  been 
held  in  readiness  to  move  at  "six  hours  notice,"  and  on  the  25th 
Armstrong's  Brigade  and  a  battery  were  put  in  motion  for  Selma,  and 
Chalmers'  other  brigade,  Starke's,  followed  on  the  27th — both  starting 
from  Columbus,  Mississippi.  Armstrong,  having  been  detained  in  the 
passage  of  the  Black  Warrior,  was  overtaken  by  Chalmers  and  staff  at 
Greensboro,  Alabama,  on  the  28th.  In  consequence  of  an  order  from 
General  Forrest  prescribing  concentration,  Armstrong  was  halted  at 
]\Iarion,  at  which  place  Starke  also  arrived,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
30th.  Marion  is  about  twenty-six  miles  north-west  of  Selma,  and  the 
latter  place  is  a  little  south  and  west  of  the  center  of  the  State,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Alabama  River,  and  stands  upon  a  bluff  nearly  one 
hundred  feet  above  high  water  level. 

On  the  27th,  General  Forrest  set  out  from  West  Point  for  the  thea- 
ter of  impending  operations.  At  Columbus  he  learned,  through  scouts, 
that  it  was  manifest  that  the  Federal  column  was  aiming  for  Monte- 
vallo,  about  fifty  miles  north  of  Selma  and  forty  east  of  Tuscaloosa, 
important  as  a  center  of  a  number  of  iron  mines  and  foundries,  worked 
for  the  Confederate  Ordnance  Department.  Fie  at  once  reported 
Wilson's  movement  to  his  superior.  General  Ta}dor,  by  telegraph,  and 
urged  the  concentration  of  all  possible  resources  for  the  defense  of 
Selma.  Setting  out  from  Columbus,  Mississippi,  with  his  staff  and  es- 
cort, on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  Forrest  reached  Tuscaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, after  a  ride  of  thirty  hours;  and  there,  learning  definitely  of 
the  movement  toward  Montevallo,  he  again  communicated  with  Gen- 
eral Taylor. 

On  the  28th,  Jackson  moved  Bell's  and  Campbell's  Brigades  from 
West  Point  to  Columbus.  Montevallo,  to  which  place  Jackson  was- 
now  ordered  to  move  as  rapidly  as  possible,  is  about  one  hundred 
miles  east  of  Columbus.  Jackson  moved  from  Columbus  to  Pickens- 
ville,  Alabama,  on  the  29th,  and  to  Tuscaloosa  the  next  day. 

In  the  meantim.e,  the  enemy,  with  13,000  horse,  1,500  infantry, 
and  three  batteries,  had  taken  two  lines  of  march;  Upton's  Division 
the  most  eastern,  through  Russell ville  to  Saunders'  Ferry  on  the  west 
fork  of  the  Black  Warrior  River;  the  other  two — with  the  pontoon 
train — followed  the  road  toward  Tuscaloosa.     General  Wilson,  on  the 


548  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

27th,  was  at  Jasper,  and  there  hearing  of  Chalmers'  movement,  appre- 
hending that  it  portended  a  concentration  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  to  meet 
him,  he  at  once  stripped  to  his  pack-train  and  artillery,  and  ordered 
his  three  divisions  to  move  in  light  order,  with  all  haste,  by  the  way  of 
Elyton  to  Montevallo,  leaving  the  wagon  trains  to  follow.  He  was  at 
the  former  place  on  the  30th,  and  there  detached  Croxton's  Brigade — 
McCook's  Division — to  hasten  to  Tuscaloosa  to  burn  the  University 
and  military  stores  accumtilated  there. 

In  the  meantime  Forrest  was  pressing  on,  hoping  to  be  able  to  in- 
tercept Wilson  and  hold  him  in  check  with  what  forces  he  might  be 
able  to  find  in  the  vicinity  of  Montevallo,  until  Jackson's  Division 
arrived. 

It  was  Upton's  Division  that,  flooring  the  railroad  bridge  near  Hills- 
boro,  crossed  the  Cahaba  River,  and  then  pushing  on,  approached 
Montevallo  late  on  the  evening  of  the  30th,  where  he  encountered 
Generals  Dan  Adams  and  Roddy.  Several  days  previous.  General 
Roddy,  having  been  ordered  by  General  Taylor  to  hasten  southward 
with  his  command  to  meet  a  hostile  force  moving  northward  from 
Pensacola  against  Montgomery,  had  already  been  thrown  across  the 
Alabama  River  at  Selma,  when  the  order  was  countermanded,  and  his 
destination  changed  to  Montevallo,  to  report  to  General  Adams.  Re- 
crossing  the  river,  and  making  a  forced  march  of  fifty  miles,  he 
reached  the  scene  just  in  time  to  meet  Upton's  Division,  with  his  small 
force,  a  little  north  of  Montevallo.  Overborne  by  numbers,  after  a 
sharp  rencounter,  Adams  and  Roddy  were  driven  back  through  the 
place,  and  the  Federal  commander  was  enabled  to  execute  the  purpose 
which  had  led  him  thither  —  the  destruction  of  four  iron  furnaces,  a 
rolling  mill  and  five  collieries  in  the  neighborhood.  On  the  31st  the 
other  two  Federal  divisions  arrived,  and  also  General  Wilson  in  per- 
son. The  Confederates,  meanwhile,  having  rallied,  had  reappeared 
before  the  place  as  the  Federal  commander  reached  the  scene.  Up- 
ton's Division  was  at  once  thrown  out  to  engage  them,  and  a  keen 
collision  ensued.  Greatly  inferior  in  numbers,  the  Confederates  were 
soon  worsted,  and  driven  southward,  toward  Randolph  (Bibb  County), 
to  the  "Six  Mile  Creek,"  where  Roddy,  being  reinforced  by  Cross- 
land's  small  brigade  of  Kentuckians,  and  the  ground  being  rather  fa- 
vorable, a  stand  was  made.  As  Crossland  came  up,  he  threw  his 
little  force  gallantly  across  the  road  down  which  the  Federals  were 
pressing  strenuously,  and  presently,  taking  the  offensive,  he  charged, 
in  turn,  half  a  mile,  thus  gaining  a  good  position  at  a  bridge,  which 


The  Final  Campaign.  549^ 

he  was  able  to  hold  against  several  vigorous  attempts  to  dislodge  him, 
and  until  at  length  he  was  about  to  be  turned  on  both  flanks.  Then, 
sending  his  horses  rearward,  Crossland  fell  back  slowly  on  foot,  as  the 
enemy  pressed  hotly  after,  receiving,  however,  at  least  one  galling  fire 
from  Crossland's  deadly  rifles.  The  situation  was  one  of  extreme 
peril,  but  as  the  ground — a  thick  pine  woods — was  favorable,  he,  with 
equal  skill  and  resolution,  kept  a  steady  front  to  the  enemy  of  half  his 
men  at  a  time  for  several  miles,  while  the  other  half  would  fall  back, 
reform  and  await  the  enemy  in  its  turn.  The  Federals  charged,  by 
regiments,  with  much-  spirit  and  vigor,  but  were  met  with  a  courage 
and  tenacity  that  has  never  been  exceeded.  Crossland,  originally  re- 
duced to  about  six  hundred  rank  and  file,  now  finding  that  he  was 
rapidly  dwindling  away  by  the  casualties  of  the  conflict,  attempted  to 
remount;  this  being  observed,  the  enemy  charged  upon  the  Kentuck- 
ians  while  thus  engaged,  and  some  captures  resulted,  making  his  losses 
in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  a  little  over  one  hundred  men. 
The  rest  of  his  command  he  was  able  to  lead  safely  away  from  the 
field,  and  joined  Roddy  a  short  distance  north  of  Randolph. 

During  this  time  Forrest  was  rapidly  riding  across  the  country  from 
Centerville  toward  Montevallo  Avith  his  staff  and  escort,  some  seventy- 
five  in  number,  and  it  so  happened  he  came  within  sight  of  this  road, 
just  where  the  conflict  I  have  related  had  been  fought,  and  he  observed 
that  it  was  filled  with  Federal  cavalry,  at  a  rapid  trot  moving  south- 
ward. Ever  swift  and  daring  in  his  measures,  he  determined  to  avail 
himself  of  a  favorable  conformation  of  the  ground  to  make  a  dash  at 
the  hostile  column,  great  as  was  the  disparity.  Accordingly,  forming 
his  little  following,  upon  each  man  of  whom  he  could  rely,  into  a 
column  of  fours,  when  within  fifty  yards  of  the  road  he  charged  boldly 
from  his  covert  into  the  moving  mass,  and  broke  through.  Turning, 
he  now  dashed  upon  the  fragment  northward  of  him,  and  drove  it 
rearward  for  half  a  mile;  but  there  his  adversary  stood  drawn  up  in  a 
heavy  line  of  battle  to  receive  them.  Changing  his  direction  at  once 
to  the  southward  at  a  charging  pace,  he  now  found  the  road  strewn 
with  signs  of  a  recent  battle,  including  some  fifteen  or  twenty  dead 
Federals  and  some  ten  or  twelve  of  Crossland's  Kentuckians;  more- 
over, having  also  captured  several  prisoners,  he  learned  that  there  had 
been  a  good  deal  of  fighting  in  that  quarter,  and  that  General  Wilson 
was  already  southward  of  him,  pressing  Roddy  and  Crossland  back 
toward  Selma.  In  his  own  little  affair  he  had  lost  three  men,  and 
being  in  the  very  midst  of  the  whole  Federal  force,  with  now  less  than 


550  R,  R.  Hancock's  Diaey. 

seventy-five  men,  it  was  incumberit  upon  him  to  withdraw  and  find 
his  way  speedily  to  the  main  body  of  his  force  southward.  Making 
a  slight  detour  from  the  line  of  the  road,  after  a  rapid  ride  of  six  or 
eight  miles,  he  succeeded  in  finding  Roddy  and  Crossland,  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  confronting  the  enemy  near  Randolph,  about  fifteen 
miles  south  of  Montevallo. 

It  appears  that  while  the  main  portion  of  Jackson's  Division  was 
moving  eastward  from  Tuscaloosa  on  the  31st,  a  detachment  from 
Campbell's  Brigade  moving  north-east  had  a  skirmish  with  Croxton's 
Brigade  about  eighteen  miles  from  Tuscaloosa,  on  the  Elyton  road, 
late  that  afternoon.  Having  been  promptly  informed  of  Croxton's 
movement,  General  Jackson  ordered  General  Bell  to  turn  back  with 
his  brigade  and  make  an  effort  to  find  the  locality  of  Croxton's  camp, 
so  as  to  take  him  by  surprise  at  dawn  the  next  morning.  Ten  men 
were  now  detached,  under  Lieutenant  G.  F.  Hager,  to  take  the  ad- 
vance, with  instructions  to  find  the  enemy,  if  possible, -and  watch  his 
movements.  After  qiarching  and  countermarching,  and  sometimes 
halting  for  an  hour  or  more  at  a  time,  awaiting  reports  from  Hager, 
Bell  learned  a  little  before  day  on  the  ist  of  April  that  Croxton  had 
halted  and  encamped  within  about  fifteen  miles  of  Tuscaloosa,  and 
only  about  four  miles  north-west  of  where  he  (Bell)  had  turned  back 
the  evening  before.  After  the  enemy's  camp  had  been  found.  Lieu- 
tenant Hager  first  went  round  it  mounted,  and  then  dismounting  and 
taking  only  one  man  with  him,  that  daring  officer  passed  around  it 
again,  so  as  to  make  a  still  closer  inspection  of  their  camp  and  ground 
around  it.  Being  informed  by  Lieutenant  Hager  that  the  ground  was 
favorable  for  a  cavalry  charge,  General  Bell  ordered  Colonel  Wilson 
to  make  the  attack  with  his  regiment,  mounted. 

Moving  on  the  enemy's  camp  from  the  direction  of  Tuscaloosa, 
the  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee,  gallantly  led  by  Colonel  Wil- 
son and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton,  dashed  into  Croxton's  camp,  with 
revolver  in  hand,  just  as  day  dawned,  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners, 
several  stands  of  colors,  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses,  and  Croxton's 
papers,  and  also  a  good  supply  of  rations,  including  sweet  potatoes, 
sugar,  coffee,  and-  hams,  besides  a  warm  breakfast,  which  was  very 
much  appreciated  by  our  boys  after  being  in  the  saddle  all  night.  So 
complete  was  the  rout*  that  the  enemy  did  not  make  another  stand 

*-When  Colonel  Wi!soa'<  revolvers  were  pLiyint,'  upon  the  enemy  in  rapid 
succession  General  Bell  was  heard  to  remark,  "That  is  the  sweetest  music  I 
«ver  heard." 


Lieutenant  GKO.    F.    IIAGER,  Co.   G. 


The  Final  Campaign.  551 

during  the  day,  though  followed  for  some  fifteen  miles  back  up  the 
mountain  road.  John  Bass  (Company  E),  T.  W.  Petway  (Company 
G),  and  about  five  others  were  wounded  in  the  above  affair. 

In  the  meantime,  Chalmers,  at  Marion,  had  received  an  order  from 
General  Taylor,  at  eleven  p.  m.,  on  the  30th  of  March,  to  move  upon 
Plantersville,  some  nineteen  miles  north  of  Selma,  and  in  the  line  of 
Wilson's  march.  The  Cahaba  River,  after  some  unavoidable  delay 
in  the  construction  of  the  pontoon  bridge,  was  crossed  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  31st.  But  swamps  and  wretched  roads  made  Gen- 
eral Chalmers  diverge  from  his  projected  line  of  march  toward  Ran- 
dolph (about  twenty  miles  north  of  Plantersville),  and  seek  practica- 
ble roads  for  his  artillery  and  trains,  escorted  by  Starke's  Brigade, 
while  Armstrong's  Brigade  moved  on  toward  Plantersville. 

Informed  of  the  situation  and  of  the  occurrences  of  the  day,  on 
finding  Roddy  and  Crossland  near  Randolph,  on  the  night  of  the  31st, 
as  previously  mentioned,  Forrest  dispatched  an  order  to  Jackson — 
supposed  to  be  at  Scottsville — to  move  swiftly  across  to  Centerville, 
and,  throwing  his  division  upon  Wilson's  right  flank,  harass  him  as 
much  as  possible,  after  which  to  effect  a  junction  before  they  were 
forced  back  into  Selma.  Again  reporting  the  situation  to  General 
Taylor  at  Selma,  Forrest  repeated  his  recommendation  of  a  general 
concentration  for  the  defense  of  Selma,  and  inquired  the  present  local- 
ity of  Chalmers'  Division.  The  answer  being  that  Chalmers  was  then 
at  Plantersville,  Forrest  requested — by  telegraph — that  the  division 
should  at  once  be  dispatched  to  his  aid  in  the  direction  of  Randolph, 
so  that  he  might  delay  the  enemy  as  long  as  possible,  and  secure  time, 
both  for  the  concentration  of  troops  for  the  final  defense  of  Selma 
and  the  removal  of  stores  from  that  depot. 

During  the  night  of  the  31st  the  enemy  remained  quietly  in  front 
of  Randolph;  but  they  had  intercepted  dispatches  both  from  Jackson 
and  Captain  Anderson,  of  Forrest's  staff,  which  divulged  to  General 
Wilson  the  plans  of  his  adversary,  the  scattered  dispositions,  at  the 
moment,  of  the  Confederate  forces,  and  the  weakness  of  Forrest's 
command,  then  immediately  in  his  front.  Jackson,  as  he  ascertained 
from  these  dispatches,  was  still  westward  of  the  Cahaba,  moving 
toward  Centerville.  Already  he  had  come  in  collision  with  Croxton, 
and  was  expecting  another  conflict.  Wilson,  therefore,  cognizant  of 
the  small  available  force  in  his  path,  detached  McCook,  with  another 
brigade,  to  seek  to  form  a  junction  with  Croxton  and  occupy  Jackson, 
while  he  would  press  directly  for  Selma  with  his  other  divisions,  still 


552  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

at  least  nine'  thousand  strong.  To  meet  this  force,  Forrest  had  now 
a  little  over  fifteen  hundred  men,  portions  of  Roddy's  and  Crossland's 
Brigades,  and  some  raw  militia  that  had  been  in  garrison  at  Monte- 
vallo  under  General  Dean  Adams. 

At  sunrise,  on  the  ist  of  April,  the  enemy  were  promptly  in  their 
saddles,  Wilson  now,  as  I  have  said,  fully  conscious  of  the  extreme 
weakness  of  any  enemy  he  could  possibly  encounter.  The  Confed- 
erates, of  course,  retired,  but  in  the  course  of  the  next  eight  or  ten 
miles  there  was  some  spirited  skirmishing  with  the  Federal  advance, 
which  several  times  was  checked  by  Forrest  and  his  escort,  and  por- 
tions of  Roddy's  and  Crossland's  commands.  Giving  General  Taylor 
telegraphic  intelligence  of  his  inability  to  make  substantial  head  against 
Wilson  with  his  present  force,  about  noon  Forrest  learned,  to  his 
chagrin,  from  Captain  Goodman,  of  Chalmers'  staff,  near  Mapleville 
Station,  that  that  officer  was  not  southward,  on  the  Plantersville  road, 
as  had  been  reported,  but  was  really  northward,  moving  by  another 
road  to  the  left  hand.  Couriers  were  accordingly  dispatched  hurriedly 
in  all  probable  directions  to  find  Chalmers  and  guide  him  to  a  junc- 
tion in  front  of  Selma,  at  the  expense,  if  needful,  of  his  train  and 
artillery.  Several  hours  later  a  dispatch  from  Chalmers  himself  an- 
nounced his  exertion  to  reach  a  point  southward  (Dixie  Station)  as 
soon  as  his  horses  would  enable  him.  Having  learned,  meanwhile, 
from  General  Adams,  that  there  was  a  strong  defensive  position  some 
four  miles  southward,  that  officer  was  directed  to  fall  back  and  occupy 
it  with  the  artillery  and  the  main  body  of  Roddy's,  Crossland's,  and 
his  own  men.  Forrest  then  threw  himself  across  the  path  of  the  en- 
emy with  his  escort  and  one  hundred  of  the  Kentuckians,  resolved  to 
dispute  every  mch  of  the  ground  to  gain  time  for  Adams  to  get  into 
position  and  arrange  for  its  defense.  For  several  miles  did  he  boldly 
grapple  with  the  Federal  advance,  constantly  checking  it  by  a  series 
of  charges  of  characteristic  audacity,  and  only  falling  back  when  the 
numbers  brought  up  were  overpowering;  but  by  four  p.  m.  he  had 
been  forced  to  fall  back  upon  Adams,  where  he  hoped  for  a  junction 
also  with  Chalmers. 

The  position  was,  in  fact,  very  favorable  for  defense.  Bogler's 
Creek,  with  rugged  banks,  intersected  the  railroad  and  highway,  form- 
ing a  narrow  valley  rightward  of  the  former,  with  steep,  wooded  hills 
commanding  the  several  approaches  from  Randolph  and  Maplesville. 
On  these  ridges  the  Confederates  were  drawn  up — Roddy's  Brigade 
immediately  astride  the  highway,  supporting  the  artillery,  which  swept 


The  Final  Campaign.  553 


both  the  road  from  Randolph  and  the  one  from  Maplesville ;  on  his 
left  lay  Crossland,  and  on  his  right  Adams  with  the  remains  of  the 
State  troops,  and  a  small  infantry  battalion  from  Selma,  resting  right- 
ward  on  Mulberry  Creek.  They  did  not  exceed  in  all  1350  men,  and 
to  these  now  Forrest  added  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and 
men,  making  a  force  of  scarcely  1500  men  and  six  guns. 

About  four  p.  M.,  the  enemy — Long's  Division — came  up,  and 
promptly  and  resolutely  assailed  the  right  of  Roddy's  position  with  a 
mounted  battalion  (Seventeenth  Indiana)  with  drawn  sabers.  It  was 
handsomely  done,  and  the  Confederates  were  thrown  into  a  great  deal 
of  confusion,  giving  way  in  disorder.  Forrest,  observing  the  disaster, 
dashed  upon  the  scene  with  his  staff,  and,  assisting  Generals  Roddy 
and  Adams,  succeeded  in  re-establishing  their  lines,  while  a  number  of 
the  enemy  were  left  on  the  ground  either  killed  or  wounded.  Having 
thus  restored  the  integrity  of  his  lines  in  that  quarter,  Forrest  returned 
to  where  his  artillery  was  posted. 

During  this  time  the  other  Federal  division — Upton's — guided  by 
the  sound  of  batttle,  had  been  rapidly  approaching  by  the  Maplesville 
road.  Previously  Forrest  had  thrown  forward  that  indomitable,  hard 
fighter.  Lieutenant  Nathan  Boon,  of  his  escort,  with  ten  men,  to  rec- 
onnoiter,  and  presently  the  shrill  clangor  of  a  bugle  was  heard  beyond 
an  old  field  in  front  of  the  Confederate  position,  and,  soon  after.  Boon 
and  his  little  band  dashed  into  sight,  closely  pressed  by  the  enemy, 
who  charged  across  the  field  in  right  gallant  fashion  in  Ime.  The 
Confederates  now  opened  upon  them  with  a  destructive  fire,  both  of 
canister  and  rifles,  emptying  a  number  of  saddles.  In  the  meantime, 
Upton,  having  come  upon  the  scene  rightward,  dismounted  his  divis- 
ion and  pressed  up  to  the  attack  upon  the  Confederate  right.  There 
were  the  militia,  and  they  could  not  be  made  to  stand,  but  fell  back 
in  confusion.  The  left  had  held  their  position  successfully,  but  there 
Avas  now  imminent  risk  of  being  turned  and  cut  off  from  the  ford  of 
Dixie  Creek;  Forrest  therefore  ordered  his  line  withdrawn  to  secure 
that  crossing.  This  being  observed,  doubtless,  by  the  enemy,  a  vig- 
orous charge  by  platoons  were  made,  to  meet  which  Forrest  had  at 
the  moment  available  only  his  escort  and  staff  and  the  section  of 
Adams'  artillery.  From  the  latter  one  discharge  was  secured,  but, 
seeing  that  the  infantry  support  had  gone,  the  artillerists  abandoned 
their  guns  in  position  and  retreated  abruptly.  On  came  the  Federal 
cavalry,  with  their  sabers  drawn,  when  Forrest  sprang  to  meet  them 
with  his  escort;    but  he  was  swept  back  into  the  woods  about  fifty 


554  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

yards  by  the  overwhelming  stress  of  numbers;  and  such  was  the 
momentum  of  the  Federal  charge  that  one  of  their  horses,  striking 
squarely  against  the  wheel  of  a  piece,  broke  every  spoke,  and  split  his 
own  breast  open.  A  single  artillerist  had  remained  staunchly  at  that 
piece;  gathering  a  handspike  from  the  trail,  with  one  blow  he  dashed 
out  the  brains  of  the  overthrown  trooper  and  knocked  another  from 
his  seat,  after  which  feat,  shouldering  his  handspike,  he  deliberately 
made  his  way  rearward. 

By  this  time,  five  p.  M.,  General  Forrest,  his  staff  and  escort,  were 
engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  melee  with  the  enemy,  and  the  General  be- 
came involved  in  one  of  those  personal  rencounters  that  have  marked 
his  life  and  his  escape  from  which  appear  incredible.  He  was  set 
upon  by  four  troopers  in  the  road  at  one  moment.  Shooting  one,  the 
others  dashed  down  upon  him  with  uplifted  sabers,  which  he  at- 
tempted to  parry  with  his  revolver;  he  received  several  slight  wounds 
and  bruises,  both  on  his  head  and  arms.  Three  others  came  up, 
meanwhile,  and  took  part,  so  that  actually  as  many  as  six  troopers 
were  either  attempting  to  saber  or  shoot  him.  By  this  time  the  ham- 
mer of  his  pistol  had  been  hacked  away,  so  that  the  weapon  was  use- 
less, while  his  right  arm  was  sorely  weakened  by  the  many  blows 
which  had  fallen  upon  it.  His  staff  and  escort  could  not  help  him, 
for  all,  at  the  moment,  were  strenuously  engaged  in  the  like  personal 
combats.  On  either  hand  the  roadway  was  hedged  by  a  dense,  im- 
penetrable thicket  and  rearward  was  choked  by  a  two-horse  wagon, 
which  barred  his  escape  in  that  direction,  while  his  enemies  filled  the 
road  frontward,  fiercely  cutting  and  shooting  at  him.  Escape,  indeed, 
seemed  hopeless;  but  it  was  not  the  habit  of  the  man  to  look  upon 
aught  as  hopeless.  Wheeling, his  horse  toward  the  wagon,  giving  him 
the  spur  fiercely  and  lifting  him  with  the  bridle,  the  brave  animal  rose 
in  the  air  and  surmounted  the  obstacle  at  the  bound,  going  some 
thirty  steps  before  he  was  halted  and  Forrest  turned  to  survey  the 
field.  Scarcely  had  he  done  so  when  he  was  charged  by  a  Federal 
officer  (Captain  Taylor),  who  lunged  at  him  with  his  saber;  but  For- 
rest parried  the  thrust  with  his  other  pistol,  which  he  had  been  able 
to  draw,  and,  firing,  killed  his  resolute  adversary.  By  this  time,  how- 
ever, those  whom  he  had  eluded  by  his  desperate  leap  over  the  wagon 
had  contrived  to  pass  it,  and  were  again  upon  him;  but  Colonel  M. 
C.  Galloway,  of  Memphis,  and  Dr.  Jones,  of  his  staff,  by  this  time 
had  come  to  the  aid  of  their  imperiled  chief,  and,  firing,  had  each  put 
an  adversary  hors  de  combat.      Forrest   killed  yet  another,  and  Gallo- 


The  Final  CAiiPAiGN.  555 


way,  wounding  still  another,  took  him  prisoner.  Meanwhile,  the  es- 
cort, fighting  with  their  usual  fearless  prowess,  had  first  checked  and 
then  driven  their  enemy  back,  which  discovered  by  the  few  who  sur- 
vived, they  retreated  precipitately,  leaving  him  and  his  intrepid  party 
masters  of  the  field.  The  enemy  had  used  the  saber  almost  exclu- 
sively. Forrest  and  his  staff  were  armed,  each  with  two  navy  revol- 
vers and  the  men  with  Spencer  rifles  as  well  as  pistols.  It  was  a  con- 
test of  sabers  with  firearms,  in  a  thick  woods,  with  the  odds  of  four 
to  one  against  the  Confederates.  Forrest,  Lieutenant  Boon  and  five 
of  his  men  only  were  wounded,  while  some  thirty  of  the  enemy  were 
killed  and  as  many  as  sixty  were  left  in  hospital  near  by  badly 
wounded.  The  caissons  had  been  carried  off,  but  it  was  necessary  to 
abandon  the  section  of  artillery  to  the  enemy,  as  Forrest 'fell  back 
across  the  creek.  Previously,  likewise,  some  two  hundred  of  the 
State  troops  and  infantry  had  also  fallen  into  their  possession.  This 
stand  and  combat  v/hich  I  have  related  would  not  have  been  under- 
taken but  for  the  supposition  that  General  Chalmers,  from  his  re- 
ported short  distance  from  the  ground,  would  be  able  to  bring  his  di- 
vision up  in  time  to  enable  Forrest  to  profit  by  the  favorable  character 
of  the  position  to  make  a  prolonged,  effective  resistance  there.  But 
Chalmers,  untowardly  diverted  and  retarded  by  conflicting  orders  and 
bad  roads  and  swamps  across  his  route,  failed  to  reach  the  scene  with 
his  splendid  division. 

Adams'  men  were  now  utterly  demoralized,  and  many,  too,  of 
Roddy's  were  dashing  rearward  toward  Selma  with  little  or  no  organi- 
zation; meanwhile,  the  enemy  were  persistently  pressing  after.  But 
Forrest  still  interposed  his  staff  and  escort  across  their  path,  and  again 
a  squadron,  apparently,  was  launched  upon  him;  but  standing  at  bay, 
they  were  repelled  and  driven  back  across  a  creek.  Roddy,  mean- 
while, having  gathered  some  three  or  four  hundred  of  his  best  men, 
was  ordered  to  cover  the  rear  as  long  as  practicable.  By  this  time 
Forrest's  wounds  had  become  very  painful,  and  he  rode  with  his  staft" 
and  escort  rapidly  to  Plantersville.  General  Adams  was  there,  and 
had  succeeded  in  again  embodying  the  mass  of  the  Confederates. 
But,  unluckily,  Chalmers  was  not  there.  Scarcely  had  General  For- 
rest had  time  to  telegraph  General  Taylor  the  present  state  of  affairs 
before  the  eager  enemy  appeared,  and,  without  halting,  dashed  down 
upon  the  Confederates,  who,  at  the  instant,  for  the  most  part,  were 
occupied  drawing  forage  and  subsistence  from  the  stores  accumulated 
there.      Straightway  the   panic  was  general ;   they   were  mounting  in 


556  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diart. 

hot  haste,  and  the  larger  portion  made  off  as  fast  as  their  horses  could 
carry  them  to  Selma,  about  nineteen  miles  south.  But  around  Forrest 
rallied  his  matchless  escort,  and  with  them  he  quickly  sallied  forward. 
Presently  a  short  but  most  spirited  engagement  took  place,  which, 
thanks  to  the  virtue  of  the  Spencer  (repeater)  rifle  in  the  sure,  steady 
hands  of  that  sturdy  band,  resulted  in  forcing  the  Federals  to  retire 
upon  their  main  force  about  sunset. 

Apprehensive  that  Roddy  and  the  rear  guard  had  been  captured, 
after  a  brief  conference  with  Adams,  Forrest  directed  that  officer  to 
fall  back  that  night  to  Selma  with  such  forces  as  could  be  collected, 
while  he  would  go  in  quest  of  Chalmers  with  his  escort,  now  reduced 
to  not  more  than  forty  men,  by  carrier  and  other  detached  service  and' 
casualties. 

Taking  the  road  toward  Marion  (about  twenty  miles  west),  some 
five  miles  from  Plantersville,  Forrest  was  relieved  somewhat  by  com- 
ing upon  Roddy  and  his  detachment  seeking  their  way  toward  Selma, 
after  having  been  pressed  off  the  road  by  the  enemy.  Late,  about 
eleven  p.  m.,  he  also  met  Armstrong,  with  his  brigade  at  a  halt,  await- 
ing Chalmers,  who,  he  reported,  was  still  six  or  eight  miles  distant  im- 
peded by  a  swamp  and  some  bad  streams  across  his  road.  Armstrong 
was  now  ordered  to  hasten  to  Selma,  and  Colonel  Thomas  W.  White 
was  dispatched  to  find  Chalmers,  with  orders  to  press  in  the  same  di- 
rection with  Starke's  Brigade,  even  though  he  had  to  leave  his  artillery 
behind.  These  measures  having  been  taken  at  two  a.  m.,  the  2d  of 
April,  the  Confederate  general  suffering  acutely  from  his  hurts,  and 
worn  down  with  fatigue,  halted  and  gave  his  escort  opportunity  for 
several  hours  of  rest  and  to  feed  their  hungry  horses. 

After  the  route  and  chase  of  Croxton's  Brigade,  on  the  morning  of 
the  ist  of  April,  as  previously  mentioned,  Jackson's  Division  moved 
across  the  country  from  the  Tuscaloosa-Elyton  road,  in  the  direction 
of  Scottsville,  which  is  between  Tuscaloosa  and  Centerville — twenty- 
three  miles  from  the  former  place  and  ten  from  the  latter.  Campbell's 
Brigade  encountered,  late  that  afternoon,  some  eight  miles  north  of 
Scottsville,  the  Federal  Brigade,  which  Wilson  had  detached  at  Ran- 
dolph early  that  morning  under  McCook  to  form  a  junction  with 
Croxton,  and  considerable  skirmishing  ensued  until  after  nightfall. 
Bell's  Brigade  bivouacked  near  where  it  had  turned  back  the  evening 
before  to  go  in  search  of  Croxton.  If  Jackson  had  pressed  ahead  on 
the  night  of  the  31st  of  March,  in  place  of  turning  back  to  attack 
Croxton,    Wilson   would   have     felt    the    weight   of    his    (Jackson's) 


Sergeant  A.   B.   McKNIGHT. 


The  Final  Campaign.  557 


splendid  division  before  reaching  Selma.  Then  (March  31st)  Jackson 
was  only  fourteen  miles  further  from  Selma  than  Wilson,  but  now 
(April  I  St)  the  former  was  fifty-three  miles  from  Selma  and  the  latter 
only  nineteen. 

In  the  saddle  early  in  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  April,  Jackson 
overtook  the  Federal  brigade  under  McCook,  near  Scottsville.  The 
enemy  were  soon  found  drawn  up  across  the  highway  in  battle  array, 
mounted,  and  General  Bell  was  ordered  to  make  the  attack  with  his 
brigade.  Accordingly,  Russell's  and  Newsom's  Regiments  were  im- 
mediately thrown  into  position  on  the  right  of  the  road,  dismounted, 
while  the  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee  was  deployed  into  line 
■on  the  left  mounted.* 

Being  very  gallantly  led  by  Colonel  Wilson,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Morton  and  Major  DeBow,  our  regiment  dashed  down  upon  the  enemy 
with  such  fury,  that,  giving  way,  they  fled  in  confusion;  and  thus, 
the  LAST  icHARGE  of  our  regiment  was  most  admirably  and  success- 
fully made.  Sergeant  A.  B.  McKnightf  (Company  C),  Captain  John 
A.  Brinkley  (Company  F)  and  J.  D.  Carr  (Company  D)  were  among 
the  wounded  in  this  affair.  Our  boys  report  that  four  or  five  others 
(whose  names  they  can  not  give)  were  wounded.  But  few,  if  any, 
were  killed.  One  of  Russell's  Regiment  was  killed.  Jackson  pressed 
McCook  back  through  Scottsville  and  across  the  Cahaba  River,  near 
Centerville  (about  ten  miles  from  the  former  place),  where  the  enemy 
burned  the  bridge  and  thus  stopped  further  pursuit. 

On  reaching  Selma  with  his  faithful  escort;  about  ten  a.  m.  on  the 
2d  of  April,  General  Forrest  found  the  place  in  wild  confusion,  not 
unnatural,  perhaps,  in  view  of  the  serious  danger  impending.  Long 
trains  of  cars,  freighted  with  stores  and  prisoners,  were  being  dis- 
patched toward  Demopolis.  Steamers  at  the  landing  were  being 
loaded  with  other  stores  and  freight  of  all  descriptions,  to  be  sent  up 
the  river  to  Montgomery;  the  streets  were  thronged  with  wagons  and 
drays  laden  with  boxes,  barrels,  and  parts  of  machinery,  and  rapidly 
driven  in  different  directions.  General  Taylor,  the  department  com- 
mander, was  still  there,  but  on  the  eve  of  departure,  by  rail,  with  a 

*  Nixon's  Regiment  now  belongd  to  Campbell's  Brigade. 

t  A.  B.  McKnight's  left  leg  was  broken  and  afterward  amputated  above  the 
knee.  He  recovered,  however,  from  this,  a  second  severe  wound,  and  is  now 
(1887)  a  successful  farmer  and  merchant  fourteen  miles  east  of  Murfreesboro, 
Tennessee.  He  was  at  the  reunion  of  our  regiment  six  miles  south  of  Nash- 
ville (at  P.  A.  Smith's)  in  September,  1885. 


558  K.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

train  of  ordnance  and  subsistence  supplies,  for  Demopolis.  One  of 
the  chief  arsenals  of  construction  and  depots  of  the  Confederate 
States  embracing  ordnance  foundries  for  the  army  and  navy,  were  es- 
tablished at  Selma.  Therefore  the  place  was  extensively  fortified  by  a 
double  line  of  works,  the  exterior  of  which  was  upon  a  trace  of  nearly 
four  miles,  which  enveloped  the  town  upon  all  sides  save  the  river 
front.  These  works  required  for  their  defense  a  very  large  garrison — 
one  far  larger  than  was  now  available,  as  Forrest  v/as  satisfied,  after 
taking  a  careful  survey  of  the  works  and  the  resources  at  hand  for 
holding  them.  One  brigade  (Armstrong's)  of  Chalmers'  Division,  one 
(Roddy's)  of  Buford's,  and  a  few  State  troops,  constituted  the  avail- 
able force  for  the  defense  of  Selma.  Having  opened  telegraphic  com- 
munication with  General  Buford,  Forrest  found  that  that  officer  had 
not  been  ordered  thither  with  his  disposable  forces,  and  therefore  gave 
the  order.  Nevertheless,  as  the  chief  command  devolved  upon  For- 
rest by  the  departure  of  General  Taylor  at  two  p.  m  ,  he  made  his  dis- 
positions for  the  attempt,  hopeless  as  it  seemed. 

Armstrong's  Brigade,  about  fourteen  hundred  strong,  was  stationed 
to  hold  the  lines  on  the  left  and  west,  his  men  being  deployed  at  in- 
tervals of  ten  feet,  in  order  to  cover  the  whole  ground  assigned  the 
brigade.  Roddy's  men,  and  such  other  forces  as  were  in  the  place, 
in  all  some  seventeen  hundred,  rank  and  file,  were  disposed  in  the 
same  extended  manner  to  the  right  of  Armstrong,  filling  the  center 
and  eastern  portion  of  the  line. 

Setting  out  from  Plantersville  at  daylight,  Wilson  began  to  skirmish 
with  the  Confederates  as  early  as  two  p.  m.,  and  kept  it  up  until  four, 
when  he  had  completely  invested  the  position. 

About  five  p.  M.  a  piece  of  artillery  on  the  extreme  (Armstrong's) 
left  opened  upon  the  Federals,  who  were  forming  for  an  assault  in 
that  quarter.  Soon,  too,  all  of  Armstrong's  artillery  opened  upon 
similar  forces  in  their  front,  and  presently  the  enemy,  bringing  up  a 
battery  to  a  favorable  ridge,  replied  with  spirit,  but  their  projectiles, 
flying  high,  did  no  harm.  For  awhile  they  appeared  little  disposed  to 
come  to  close  quarters,  but  at  half-past  five  three  strong  lines  of  battle 
were  pushed  forward  to  the  assault,  not  only  of  Armstrong's  position, 
but  of  the  Confederates  on  his  right,  and  from  their  massive  lines 
poured  out  an  unceasing  stream  of  leaden  hail,  to  which  the  return 
fire  of  the  attenuated  Confederate  line  was  as  that  of  a  skirmish  de- 
tachment to  the  uproar  of  a  battle  at  its  climax.  Meanwhile  the 
militia  began  to  falter  and  gradually  quit  their  places  behind  the  breast- 


The  Final  Campaign.  559 

works,  leaving  broad  gaps,  and  Armstrong's  right  exposed.  Roddy- 
was,  therefore,  directed  to  move  over  and  fill  the  breach;  but  be- 
fore it  could  be  effected  the  enemy  had  reached  the  exposed,  deserted 
section  of  the  lines  and  surmounted  it,  cutting  Roddy  and  Armstrong 
in  sunder.  Turning  leftward,  they  opened  an  enfilading  fire  upon 
Armstrong,  who  had  repulsed  three  attacks  upon  his  front,  with  severe 
loss  to  his  immediate  assailants.  At  this,  however,  Armstrong  was 
forced  to  withdraAV  his  brigade,  which  having  to  do  under  a  heavy 
fire,  his  loss,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  captured,  was  very  heavy.  In 
the  meantime  the  militia  had  thrown  away  their  arms,  and  were  swiftly 
seeking  their  horses,  and  divesting  themselves,  as  they  fled,  of  all  that 
would  betray  their  late  connection  with  the  defense  of  Selnia.  The 
scene  generally  was  one  of  the  wildest  confusion.  The  Confederates, 
beaten  from  the  breastworks,  were  rushing  toward  their  horses;  in  the 
town  the  streets  were  choked  with  horses,  with  soldiers,  and  citizens 
hurrying  wildly  to  and  fro.  Clouds  of  dust  rose  and  so  filled  the  air 
that  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  The  Federals  were 
still  firing  upon  their  routed,  fleeing  adversary. 

Further  resistance  upon  a  field  so  utterly  lost,  indeed  as  soon  as 
the  enemy  appeared  in  such  overpowering  force  before  it,  was  now 
worse  than  useless.  But  what  avenue  of  escape  was  there  left  open? 
For  the  broad  Alabama  River  as  effectually  closed  the  way  in  that 
quarter  as  the  enemy  did  apparently  on  all  other  sides.  Forrest, 
assembling  his  staff  and  escort,  sallied  forth  from  Selma  by  the  Mont- 
gomery road,  upon  which,  happily  as  yet,  there  was  no  hostile  force 
to  bar  his  egress.  Armstrong  soon  followed  with  a  like  sturdy  band 
around  him,  but  mistaking  the  road,  became  involved  in  a  bend  of 
the  river,  where,  having  been  closely  pursued,  he  effected  his  escape 
by  cutting  his  way  out  with  forty  or  fifty  followers. 

Thus  Selma  fell,  and  with  it  the  last  importani  arsenal  of  construc- 
tion belonging  to  the  Southern  people  remained  in  the  possession  of 
General  Wilson,  and  the  main  purpose  for  which  that  general  had 
taken  the  field  was  accomplished.  E.  A.  Pollard  (in  his  "Southern 
History  of  tlie  War,"  A"ol.  II,  page  518)  sums  up  our  losses  at  Selma 
thus: 

"Over  two  thousand  prisoners,  one  hundred  cannon,  large  num- 
bers of  horses  and  mules,  ....  immense  quantities  of  sup- 
plies, ....  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  cotton,  a  large  arsenal, 
naval  iron-works,  and  other  manufactories.  Montgomery,"  continues 
Pollard,'  "was  peaceably  surrendered  on  the   T2th.     Columbus,  Geor- 


560  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


gia,  was  captured  on  the  i6th.  Macon  was  approached  on  the  21st. 
Here  Wilson  was  met  by  a  flag  of  truce  from  Howell  Cobb,  announc- 
ing an  armistice  between  Sherman  and  Johnston." 

I  shall  here  state  that  General  Croxton,  after  having  destroyed  the 
factories  at  Tuscaloosa,  moving  westward  sought  to  strike  and  break 
up  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad  from  Columbus  to  Meridian.  But 
General  Wirt  Adams,  left  at  West  Point  by  Forrest  to  guard  that  road, 
threw  himself  with  about  the  same  force  across  Croxton  s  path  near 
Sipsey  River,  and  after  a  warm  combat  of  about  one  hour  the  Federals 
were  beaten  back  with  the  loss  of  about  one  hundred  killed,  wounded, 
and  captured.  Adams  pursued  for  some  thirty  or  forty  miles,  but 
without  securing  any  other  material  advantage.  TJiis  ivas  the  last  en- 
gagoiicnt  of  the  war  east  of  the  Mississippi. 

Making  his  escape  from  Selma  eastward,  as  previously  mentioned, 
then  turning  northward,  Forrest  struck  the  Plantersville  road — by 
which  the  enemy  had  approached — some  three  miles  north  of  Selma. 
Suddenly  hearing  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  the  cries  of  women  in 
distress,  he  and  some  of  his  men  dashed  thither  to  find  a  neighboring 
house  in  the  possession  of  four  Federal  "bummers,"  who,  after  hav- 
ing rifled  it  of  all  jewelry  and  other  portable  valuables,  were  engaged 
in  the  effort  to  outrage  the  women  who  lived  there.  These  wretches 
speedily  met  with  the  fate  which  their  crime  justified.  The  escort 
were  now  greatly  excited  and  provoked  by  the  incident,  and  those  in 
the  advance  guard,  meeting  a  number  of  these  fellows  loaded  down 
with  plunder,  did  not  hesitate  to  slay  them  on  the  spot.  Hearing  the 
sounds  of  what  was  happening  ahead,  Forrest,  to  check  it,  took  the 
conduct  of  the  advance  himself.  Presently  capturing  a  picket  party, 
he  learned  that  it  belonged  to  a  small  squadron  of  the  Fourth  Regu- 
lars, encamped  near  by,  rearward,  which  he  determined  to  surprise 
and  capture  also,  small  as  was  his  own  force.  Meanwhile  learning 
from  the  pickets,  also,  that  there  was  a  scouting  party  in  the  neigh- 
borhood detached  from  the  same  squadron,  he  dispatched  a  part  of 
the  escort  in  their  quest  with  speedy  success,  for  they  were  soon  found 
a  little  distance  from  the  road,  and  taken  without  resistance,  burdened 
with  articles  of  jewelry,  plate,  and  the  like,  from  neighboring  houses. 
Encumbered  with  prisoners,  who  had  to  be  guarded,  he  had  only 
about  thirty  men  left  disposable  for  the  surprise  of  the  squadron  I 
have  mentioned,  reported  over  fifty  strong.  Nevertheless  he  was  not 
diverted  from  his  purpose;  but  as  they  approached  its  immediate 
vicinity.  Captain  Jackson,  the  commander  of  his  escort,  stated  to  him 


The  Final  Campaign.  561 

that  he  was  requested  on  the  part  of  the  men  to  say  they  would  not 
attack  the  enemy  if  their  general  led  them,  for  in  a  night  attack  he 
would  be  exposed  to  danger  which  they  were  altogether  unwilling  he 
should  incur  at  that  time;  that  if  he  would  remain  where  he  was  they 
would  cheerfully  execute  his  orders.  Acceding  to  this  wish,  Forrest, 
halting  by  the  wayside,  directed  Captain  Jackson  to  do  the  work  in 
hand,  their  prey  being  less  than,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Presently 
Jackson  was  close  upon  his  adversary  without  being  observed,  but 
then  a  Federal  soldier,  springing  up,  fired  his  pistol.  The  escort 
rushed  upon  the  enemy,  as,  startled  by  their  comrade,  they  rose  from 
their  blankets  and  caught  up  their  arms.  An  animated  fight  resulted^ 
which  v/as  brought  to  a  close  in  a  few  minutes,  however,  by  the  com- 
plete success  of  the  Confederates,  thirty-five  of  the  enemy  being 
either  killed  or  wounded,  and  five  captured,  witli  the  loss  on  our  side 
of  only  one  man  wounded. 

Rapidly  resuming  his  march,  in  the  course  of  the  next  eight  miles 
Forrest  met  and  captured  some  more  of  the  plundering  "bummers," 
so  that  the  fruits  of  the  night's  operations  were  at  least  sixty,  either 
killed,  wounded,  or'captured. 

Reaching  Plantersville  early  on  the  next  morning  (3d),  Forrest 
halted  until  three  o'clock^in  the  afternoon  to  give  his  men  and  animals 
food  and  rest.  Then  resuming  his  line  of  retreat  toward  Marion, 
scarcely  had  he  gone  a  mile  when  he  came  in  collision  with  the  ad- 
vance of  the  Federal  brigade  which  had  been  detached  some  days 
previous  under  General  McCook.  After  their  old  fashion  the  escort 
promptly  charged  upon  thejadversary  in  their  road,  and  killed,  wounded, 
and  captured  at  least  twenty;  but  further  combat  was  altogether  too  un- 
equal to  be  adventured,  and  Forrest  swiftly  withdrew  by  the  left  flank 
through  the  woods.  It  was  now  four  p.  m.,  and  pushing  on  all  night — 
crossing  the  Cahaba  River — he  reached  Marion  at  ten  a.  m.  on  the  4th. 
Here  he  found  Jackson's  Division,  Chalmers  with  Stark's  Brigade,  and 
the  entire  train  and  artillery  intact  that  he  had  brought  from  Mississippi. 

After  driving  McCook  across  the  Cahaba  River,  near  Centerville, 
as  previously  mentioned,  Jackson's  Division,  moving  southward  along 
the  west  bank  of  that  stream,  arrived  at  Marion  on  the  3d — the  day 
after  the  fall  of  Selma.  Forrest's  command  remained  in  that  vicinity 
for  the  week  following,  closely  guarding  the  line  of  the  Cahaba  from 
Marion  to  its  mouth.  The  Second  and  Twenty-first  Tennessee  Regi- 
ment camped,  during  its  stay  in  that  vicinity,  some  six  or  seven  miles 
south  of  Marion. 
36 


562  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

It  was  from  this  camp  that  Lieutenant  T.  J.  Carman  (Company  E) 
was  sent,  with  a  detachment,  to  destroy  the  ferryboats  along  the  Ala- 
bama River  between  Cahaba  and  Iron  Bluff. 

About  the  nth  of  April,  Forrest  put  his  command  in  motion  again, 
westward,  from  Marion,  and  on  the  15th  he  established  his  headquar- 
ters at  Gainesville. 

After  halting  a  few  days  near  Greensboro,  Jackson's  Division 
crossed  the  Tombigbee  River  and  encamped,  for  about  ten  days,  near 
Sumterville ;  *  and  thence  it  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Gainesville. 

The  LAST  CAMPING  PLACE  of  the  gallant  remains  of  the  Second  and 
Twenty-first  Tennessee  was  in  a  beautiful  woods  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Tombigbee  River,  and  a  short  distance  south  of  Gainesville,  in 
Sumpter  County,  Alabama. 

In  the  meantime,  Lee's  army  had  surrendered  to  Grant  at  Appo- 
mattox Court-house,  on  the  9th  of  April;  J.  E.  Johnston  and  Sherman 
had,  on  the  i8th,  in  North  Carolina,  agreed  upon  an  armistice;  and 
Mobile  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  about  the  25  th.  All 
had  now  to  see  that  the  end  was  near  at  hand ;  the  end  of  toilsome 
marches;  the  end  of  night  watches;  the  end  of  fierce  battles  with  an 
enemy  always  superior  m  numbers ;  the  end  of  years  of  hardship  and 
peril ;  but,  alas !  the  end,  also,  of  all  the  proud  hopes,  which  had  in- 
spired them  throughout,  of  political  independence. 

General  Taylor  having  previously  completed  negotiations  with  Gen- 
cal  Canby  for  the  cessation  of  hostilities  by  the  Confederate  forces  of 
his  department  on  the  same  terms  as  had  been  stipulated  between  Gen- 
erals Johnston  and  Sherman,  Brigadier-General  E.  S.  Dennis  reached 
Gainesville  on  the  9th  of  May  as  the  Federal  Commissioner  to  execute 
the  proper  paroles.  General  Jackson  was  appointed  a  Commissioner 
on  the  part  of  the  Confederates  to  authenticate  muster  rolls  and  other 
necessary  papers,  and  the  work  of  paroling  began ;  and  in  this  man- 
ner :  muster  rolls,  in  duplicate,  of  each  general  and  his  staff;  of  each 
regimental  staff;  of  each  quartermaster  and  commissary,  and  their  em- 
ployes; and  of  each  company  were  made,  and  a  copy  furnished  each 
Commissioner.  To  each  non-commissioned  officer  and  private  was 
then  issued  a  certificate  of  parole,  bearing  the  number  opposite  their 
names  respectively  upon  the  muster-roll  and  signed  by  the  two  com- 
missioners. 

The  officers,  however,  were  required  to  sign  duplicate  obligations, 
as  follows : 

*Aboiit  fourteen  miles  south-west  of  Gainesville. 


The  Final  Campaign.  563 


"I,  the  undersigned  prisoner  of  war,  belonging  to  the  Army  of  the 

Department  of  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  East  Louisiana,  having 
been  surrendered  by  Lieutenant-General  R.  Taylor,  Confederate 
States  Army,  commanding  said  department,  to  Major-General  E.  R.  S. 
Canby,  United  States  Army,  commanding  Army  and  Division  of 
West  Mississippi,  do  hereby  give  my  solemn  parole  of  honor  that  I 
will  not  hereafter  serve  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States,  or  in 
any  military  capacity  whatever  against  the  United  States  of  America, 
or  render  aid  to  the  enemy  of  the  latter  until  properly  exchanged  in 
such  manner  as  shall  be  mutually  approved  by  the  respective  au- 
thorities." 

This  was  then  approved  by  both  Commissioners,  and  General  Den- 
nis added  his  indorsement,  that  the  officer  in  question  would  "not  be 
•disturbed  by  the  United  States  authorities  as  long  as  he  observed  his 
parole  and  the  laws  in  force  where  he  resides." 

The  same  day  of  the  arrival  of  General  Dennis  at  his  headquarters, 
General  Forrest  issued  his  farewell  address  to  his  troops  in  the  follow- 
ing language : 

"Headquarters  Forrest's  Cavalry  Corps, 

Gainesville,  Alabama,  May  9th,  1865. 

"Soldiers:  By  an  agreement  made  between  Lieutenant-General 
Taylor,  commanding  the  Department  of  Alabama,  Mississippi  and 
East  Louisiana,  and  Major-General  Canby,  commanding  United  States 
forces,  the  troops  of  this  department  have  been  surrendered. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  proper  or  necessary,  at  this  time,  to  refer  to  the 
causes  which  have  reduced  us  to  this  extremity;  nor  is  it  now  a  matter 
of  material  consequence  to  us  how  such  results  were  brought  about. 
That  we  are  beaten  is  a  self-evident  fact,  and  any  further  resistance 
on  our  part  would  be  justly  regarded  as  the  very  height  of  folly  and 
rashness. 

"The  armies  of  Generals  Lee  and  Johnston  having  surrendered, 
you  are  the  last  of  all  the  troops  of  the  Confederate  States  Army,  east 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  to  lay  down  your  arms. 

"The  cause  for  which  you  have  so  long  and  manfully  struggled, 
and  for  which  you  have  braved  dangers,  endured  privations  and  suf- 
ferings and  made  so  many  sacrifices,  is  to-day  hopeless.  The  govern- 
ment which  we  sought  to  establish  and  perpetuate  is  at  an  end.  Rea- 
son dictates  and  humanity  demands  that  no  more  blood  be  shed. 
Fully  realizing  in  feeling  that  such  is  the  case,  it  is  your  duty  and 
mine  to  lay  down  our  arms — submit  to  the  powers  'that  be' — and  to 


564  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

aid  in  restoring  peace  and  establishing  law  and  order  throughout  the 
land. 

"The  terms  upon  which  \oa  are  surrendered  are  favorable,  and 
should  be  satisfactory  and  acceptable  to  all.  They  manifest  a  spirit 
of  magnanimity  and  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  authorities 
which  should  be  met,  on  our  part,  by  a  faithful  compliance  with  all 
the  stipulations  and  conditions  therein  expressed.  As  your  com- 
mander, I  sincerely  hope  that  every  officer  and  soldier  of  my  com- 
mand will  cheerfully  obey  the  orders  given  and  carry  out  in  good  faith 
all  the  terms  of  the  cartel. 

"Those  who  neglect  the  terms  and  refuse  to  be  paroled,  may  as- 
suredly expect,  when  arrested,  to  be  sent  north  and  imprisoned. 

"Let  those  who  are  absent  from  their  commands,  from  whatever 
cause,  report  at  once  to  this  place  or  to  Jackson,  Mississippi;  or,  if 
too  remote  from  either,  to  the  nearest  United  States  post  or  garrison 
for  paroles. 

"Civil  war,  such  as  we  have  just  passed  through,  naturally  engen- 
ders feelings  of  animosity,  hatred  and  revenge.  It  is  our  duty  to  di- 
vest ourselves  of  all  such  feelings,  and  so  far  as  in  our  power  to  do  sO' 
cultivate  friendly  feelings  toward  those  with  whom  we  have  so  long 
contended,  and  heretofore  so  widely,  but  honestly,  differed.  Neigh- 
borhood feuds,  personal  animosities  and  private  differences  should  be 
blotted  out;  and,  when  you  return  home,  a  manly,  straightforward 
course  of  conduct  will  secure  the  respect  even  of  your  enemies. 
Whatever  your  responsibilities  may  be  to  government,  to  society,  or  to 
individuals,  meet  them  like  men. 

"The  attempt  made  to  establish  a  separate  and  independent  Con- 
federation has  failed,  but  the  consciousness  of  having  done  your  duty 
faithfully,  and  to  the  end,  will  in  some  measure  repay  for  the  hard- 
ships you  have  undergone. 

"In  bidding  you  farewell  rest  assured  that  you  carr)^  with  you  my 
best  wishes  for  your  future  welfare  and  happiness.  Without  in  any 
way  referring  to  the  merits  of  the  cause  in  which  Ave  have  been  en- 
gaged, your  courage  and  determination,  as  exhibited  on  many  hard 
fought  fields,  have  elicited  the  respect  and  admiration  of  friend  and 
foe.  And  I  now,  cheerfully  and  gratefully,  acknowledge  my  indebt- 
ness  to  the  officers  and  men  of  my  command,  whose  zeal,  fidelity  and 
unflinching  bravery  have  been  the  great  source  of  my  past  success  in 
arms. 

"I  have  never  on  the  field  of  battle  sent  you  where  I  was  unwill- 


The  Final  Campaign.  565 


ing  to  go  myself;  nor  would  I  now  advise  you  to  a  course  which  I  felt 
myself  unwilling  to  pursue.  You  have  been  good  soldiers;  you  can  be 
good  citizens.  Obey  the  laws,  preserve  your  honor,  and  the  govern- 
ment to  which  you  have  surrendered  can  afford  to  be,  and  will  be  mag- 
nanimous. N.  B.  Forrest, 

Lieutenant-  General. 

The  utmost  eagerness  now  pervaded  the  command  to  procure  their 
paroles.  General  Dennis,  found  to  be  a  courteous  gentleman,  did  all 
in  his  power  to  accelerate  the  work  assigned,  and  in  a  manner  most 
acceptable  to  his  late  adversaries.  And  by  the  i6th  of  May  about 
eight  thousand  (including  about  six  hundred  of  Scott's  Louisiana  Cav- 
alry) officers  and  men  had  been  paroled  and  allowed  to  return  to  their 
homes  with  their  horses  and  other  private  property. 

In  closing  his  sketch  of  the  .Second  Tennessee,  Lieutenant  Geo.  F. 
Hager  (Company  G)  says : 

"We  received  our  paroles  on  the  loth  of  May,  1865,  if  not  with 
victory,  at  least  and  above  all,  with  honor.  .  .  .  We  were  not 
long  in  getting  ready  to  start  home,  as  some  of  us  had  not  been  there 
since  early  in  1861;  but  we  started  with  sad  thoughts,  our  memory 
wandering  to  the  commencement  of  the  war,  when  we  had  gone  out 
with  so  many  noble  young  men,  several  hundred  of  whom  we  were 
forced  to  leave  behind — their  bodies  scattered  on  the  various  fields  of 
action,  many  of  them  unburied.  They  gave  up  their  lives  to  the 
'Lost  Cause,'  and  their  bones  are  decayed  or  bleaching  over  Tennes- 
see, Mississippi,  Alabama,  Kentucky,  and  Georgia. 

"I  may  here  add  that  the  organization  and  discipline  of  the  Second 
Regiment  of  Tennessee  Cavalry  were  not  excelled  by  any  other  in  the 
field.  Whatever  the  danger,  or  however  great  the  hardship,  the  regi- 
ment always  stood  with  firmness  and  obeyed  with  alacrity.  Confidence 
prevailed  between  officers  and  men,  each  feeling  proud  of  his  connec- 
tion with  the  old  Second.  It  was  composed  of  young  men*  and 
commanded  by  young  men  who  were  called  from  the  plow  handles, 
work-shops,  and  counting-rooms  of  Middle  and  West  Tennessee. 
None  were  trained  in  military  schools ;  our  training  was  in  active  ser- 
vice. As  the  sons  of  Tennessee,  we  responded  to  her  call  as  promptly 
as  we  would  to  the  call  of  the  United  States  Government  to-day. 
How  faithfully  we  served  her  we  are  willing  the  world  shall  say.  Our 
motto  was:      '  My  country,  right  or  wrong  I  am  with  thee.' 

*I  would  suppose  that  half  were  under  twenty-one  when  tliey  entered  the 
service. — R.  R.  H. 


566  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

"This  ends  my  brief  sketch  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  Tennessee 
Cavalry  that  so  gallantly  contended  for  what  we  believed  to  be  right, 
and  never,  in  camp  or  field,  brought  reproach  on  Tennessee  as  a 
'Volunteer  State.'  Each  man  seemed  determined  that  no  act  of  his 
should  tarnish  her  good  name.  To  the  brave  ones  who  fell  we  drop  a 
soldier's  tear.     Peace  be  with  them."* 

The  last  battle  flag  of  the  Confederacy,  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  was  furled  on  the  i6th  of  May.  The  words  of  Father  Ryan 
somewhat  express  the  feelings  of  the  Confederate  soldier: 

The  Conquered  Banner. 

Furl  that  banner,  for  'tis  weary, 
Round  its  staff  'tis  drooping  dreary; 

Furl  it,  fold  it,  it  is  best, 
For  there's  not  a  man  to  wave  it, 
And  there's  not  a  sword  to  save  it, 
And  there's  not  one  left  to  lave  it  ' 

In  the  blood  which  heroes  gave  it, 
And  its  foes  now  scorn  and  brave  it; 

Furl  it,  hide  it,  let  it  rest. 

Take  that  banner  down — 'tis  tattered. 
Broken  is  its  staff  and  shattered. 
And  the  valiant  hosts  are  scattered 

Over  whom  it  floated  high. 
O  'tis  hard  for  us  to  fold  it, 
Hard  to  think  there's  none  to  hold  it, 
Hard  that  those  who  once  unrolled  it 

Now  must  furl  it  with  a  sigh. 


For,  though  conquered,  they  adore  it, 
Love  the  cold,  dead  hands  that  bore  it, 
Weep  for  those  who  fell  before  it, 
Pardon  those  who  trailed  and  tore  it. 
But  O  wildly  they  deplore  it 
Now  who  furl  and  fold  it  sol 

Furl  that  banner!     True,  'tis  gory, 
Yet  'tis  wreathed  around  with  glory, 
And  'twill  live  in  song  and  story, 

Though  its  folds  are  in  the  dust. 
For  its  fame  on  brightest  pages, 
Penned  by  poets  and  by  sages, 
Shall  go  sounding  down  the  ages, 

Furl  its  folds  though  now  we  must. 

Furl  that  banner  softly,  slowly; 
Treat  it  gently;  it  is  holy, 

For  it  droops  above  the  dead. 
Touch  it  not,  unfold  it  never  ; 
Let  it  droop  there,  furled  forever, 

For  its  people's  hopes  are  dead." 


■'Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,  pp.  623  and  624. 


Rolls  of  Honor. 


)67 


ROLLS    OK    HONOR. 


SECOND  TENNESSEE  CAVALRY. 

Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau,  w.  four  times.* 

Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  H.  Morton,  w.  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  and  at  Tory  fight  Oc- 
tober 25,  1863.      (See  Appendix  A.) 
Major  Wm.  Parrish,  d.  near  Okolona,  Miss.,  May  9,  1864. 


Captains 
Abbey,  R.  H.,  d.  in  1862. 


COMPANY  A. 

G.  H.  Morton  and  N.  Oswell. 


Craighead,  W.  J.,  d.  during  the  war. 
Edmonson,  W.  A.,  k.  while  on  detailed 

duty  in  Ky.  in  1861. 
French,  Lieutenant  A.  H.,  w.  at   Mud 

Creek  and  near  Harrisburg  July  13, 

1864. 
Ploiiik,    L   N.,  k.  at  Shiloh,   courier  for 

General  Stevens. 
Kenner,  John,  w.  mortally  near  Roena, 

Ky.,  in  1861. 
Kelly,   Pat,   w.   while  courier  between 

Cumberland  Gap  and  Jacksboro,   in 

i86i. 

COMPANY  B 


Kimbro,  Thomas,  c.  and  k.  at  Gallatin, 

Tenn.,  as  a  guerilla,  by  order  of  Gen. 

Payne. 
Little,   D.,  k.  at  Britton's  Lane  Sept. 

I,  1862. 
Maxey,  Wm.  O.,  d.  during  the  war. 
Sykes,  J.  W.,  d.  during  the  war. 
Tarpley,   Robert,  k.  at  Shiloh,   courier 

for  General  Stevens. 
Tate,    James,    k.    at    Jamestown,    Ky., 

Dec.  26,  1861. 
Webb,  J.  B.,  k.  at  Britton's  Lane  Sept. 

I,  1862. 


Captains:     Wm.  Parrish  and  T.  E.  Underwood. 


C.-ildwell,  J.  R.,  k.  at  Booneville,  Miss., 

May,  1862. 
Cowles,  James,  k.* 
Dodson,  Tim,  k.* 
Fleming,  Lem,  w.* 
Frankland,  Joseph,  w.--- 
Marks,  W.  Perry,  k.  at  Memphis  Aug. 

21,  1864. 
Mebane,  Alex.,  w.* 
McGan,  J.  L.,  w.*' 
McAllister,  J.  H.,  d.   in  Jan.,  1864,  in 

prison  at  Alton,  111. 


Orum,  James,  w.  mortally  at  Harris- 
burg, Miss. 

Pollard,  N.  N.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 

Polk,  Tump.,  k.  at  Spring  Hill  Nov. 
18,  1864. 

Parrish,  Major  Wm.,  d.  May  9,  1S64. 

Reid,  W.  W.,  w.^' 

Smithson,  Lieutenant  G.  W.,  w.* 

Tichenor,  G.  W.,  w.* 

Wall,  Lieutenant  S.  B.,  w.  twice.® 

Williams,  Wm.  A.,  k.  at  Fort  Pillow 
April,  1864. 


*J.  L.  McGan,  who  sent  me  the  roll  of  Ewing's  Company,  failed  to  state 
where  those  followed  by  a  star  (*)  were  killed  or  wounded. 


568 


E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


COMPANY  C. 

Captain,  M.  W.'McKnight,  w.  three  times. 
Allison,  Captain  T.  M.,  k.  at  home  by  '  Kennedy,  W.  C,  w.  in  1864. 
Federals  in  1862.  Keaton,  Coon,  d.  in  prison. 


Ashford,  Cahal,  d.  in  1862. 

Brison,  R.,  d.  in  prison. 

Cavender,   J.    H.,  w.   at  Tory   fight    in 

October,  1863. 
Davenport,  Geo.,  w.  at  Bear  Creek  in 

1862. 
Davenport,  R.,  vv.  at  Tory  fight. 
Dennis,  Lieutenant  Sam,  \v.  at  Harris- 
burg  July  14,   1864. 
Ewing,  E.  L.,  w.  near  Columbia,  Tenn., 

Oct.  2,  1864. 
Elkins,    T.    D.,    w.    at    Paducah,  Ky., 

March  25,  1864. 
Francis,  M.  H.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 
Francis,  J.  J.,  \v.  at  Harrisburg. 
Gan,  Jim,  k.  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn. 
Grisham,  O.,  k.  at  Harrisburg  July  14, 

1864. 
Hancock,  C.  E.,  d.  in  Franklin  County, 

Ala.,  June  4,  1864. 
Hancock,    W.    C,    k.     at     Harrisburg 

July  14,  1864. 
Hancock,  R.  R.,  \\ .    at   Paris  Landing 

Oct.  30,  1864. 
Harrison,  W.  W.,  k.  at  Memphis  Aug. 

21,   1864. 
Harrison,  Lieutenant  J.  S.,  w.  at  Har- 
risburg July  14,   1S64. 
Herndon,  Joe  W.,  w.  July  14,  1864. 
Hawkins,  W.  W.,  w.  at  Fort  Pillow. 
Hawkins,  J.    E.  J.,    k.  near  Auburn  in 

December,  1864. 
Hays,  J.  T.,  d.  in  1S61. 
Hearman,  John,  d.  at  Mill  Springs  Jan. 

6,  1862. 


Lorance,  M.,  w.  July  14,  1864. 
McKnight,    John    N.,    w.   at   Paducah, 

Ky.,  March  25,  1864. 
McKnight,    L.  W.,  w.  mortally  March 

25,  1864. 
McKnight,  A.    B.,    w.     Lost    one    leg 

April  2,  1865. 
McLin,  J.  D.,  w.  in  1864. 
Odom,    B.    F.,    k.    at    Paducah,     Ky., 

March  25,  1864. 
Odom,  John  H.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 
Odom,  James  H.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 
Odom,  H.  C,  w.  at  Memphis. 
Odom,  S.  C,  w.  at   Mud  Creek,  Miss., 

and  Paducah,  Ky. 
Rich,  W.  E.,  \v.  near    Harrisburg  July 

13,  1864. 
Richardson,  M.,  d.  in  1861  or  1862. 
Stevens,  J.  W.,  w.  at  Paducah,  Ky. 
Stevens,  H.  G.,    w.   at  Cherokee,    Ala. 

and  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Stanley,  John,  d.  in  prison. 
Thomas,  A.  J.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 
Thomas,   E.   D.,  w.  at  Cherokee,  Ala., 

Oct.  21,  1863. 
Thomas,  C.  F.,  w.  at  Fort  Pillow  April 

12,  1864. 
Turney,    Lieutenant  H.    L.   W.,   w.   at 

Fort   Pillow  and   Memphis  Aug.   21, 

1864. 
Wamack,  W.  L.,  w.  at  Fort  Pillow. 
Willard,  Nelson,  w.  at  Corinth   Oct.  5, 

1862. 


COMPANY  D. 

Captain,  W.  T.  Rickman,  w.  July  13,  1864. 


Ayers,  Wm.,  k.  at  Paducah,  Ky. 
Bullock,  Lieut.  Ed.,  w.,  mortally,  July 

15,  1864. 
Brown,  Geo.,  k.  at  Tory  fight  Oct.  25, 

863   . 


Brown,    Wm.,   w.   at   Medon   and   mor- 
tally w.  at  Harrisburg. 
Brown,  Thomas,  d.  in  prison. 
Carr,  John  D.,  w.  April  2,   1865.     . 
Corum,  Abiga,  d.  in  1862. 


Rolls  of  Honor. 


569 


Cockes,  Wm.  I.,  d.  in  1862. 

Cannon,  Dave,  d.  at  Corinth,  1862. 

Cloay,  John,  k.  at  Shiloh. 

Cantrell,  Lieut.  J.  M.,  w.  at  Harris- 
burg,  Miss. 

Dodd,  Lieut.  J.  K.,  w.  at  Medon  and 
Fort  Pillow,  April  12,  1864. 

Dickerson,  J.  R.,  mortally  w.  at  Cher- 
okee, Ala.,  October,  1863. 

Eaton,  Alex.,  d.  at  Corinth,  1862. 

Franklin,  John,  k.  at  Shiloh. 

Hunter,  J.  C,  k.  at  Shiloh. 

Love,    Lieut.  Geo.,  k.   at   Fort   Pillow, 


Love,  S.  W.,  w.  at  Paducah. 

Lee,  John,  k.  at  Town  Creek,  July  15. 

1864. 
Renfroe,  Pleas.,  d.  at  Corinth. 
Ryan,  James,  w.  July  13,   1864. 
Shaw,  James,  d.  in  1862. 
Thompson,  John,  k.  at  Shiloh. 
Young,  Rich.,  d.  November,  1861. 
Young,  Joe,  d.  March,  1862. 
Youree,    W.   B.,  transferred   to  Second 

Tennessee   Infantry  and   k.  at  Peach 

Tree  Creek,  Ga. 


April  12,  1864. 


COMPANY  E. 


Captains:      W.  A.   DeBow  and  G.   E.  Seay ;    the  former  was  w.  at  Harrisburg, 

July  14,   1864. 


Burrow,    Joe,    w.    at     Britton's    Lane, 

Tenn.,  Sept.   i,  1862. 
Elankenship,  Joel,  w.  at  Britton's  Lane. 
Brown,  Burnett,  w.  at  Shiloh  and  d.  at 

Corinth. 
Bass,  Rubin,  w.  at  Courtland,  Ala.,  in 

July,  1862. 
Bass,  John,  w.  April  i,   1865. 
Carr,  Nute,  \\-.  at   Paducah. 
Duke,  Wm.,  w.  at  Fort  Pillow. 
Dalton,  Robert,  w.  near  Tupelo,  Miss., 

May  5.   1S63. 
Hall,  Dick,  d.  at  Corinth. 


Harland,  Steve,  w.  at  Cherokee,  Ala. 

Hollin,  Charlie,  k.  by  Jay-hawkers. 

Luster,  Wm.,  w.  at  Medon,  Tenn. 

Maddox,  Joe,  k.  at  Medon,  Tenn. 

Mills,  J.  P.,  w. 

Ouhls,  Wm.,  d.  at  Corinth. 

Piper,  Sam,  w.  at  Shiloh  and  d.  at  Cor- 
inth. 

Stanford,  Tennessee,  d.  at  Columbus, 
Miss. 

Stalcup,  Wm.,  w.  July  14,  1864. 

Violett,  J.  Wm.,  d.  at  Corinth. 


Austin,    IJeut.   J.   T., 

ham.  Miss.,  April    24,    1863,    and  w. 
again  July  13,  1864. 

Bond,  Wm.,  w.  at  Harrisburg. 

Brinkley,    J.    K.,    w.    at    Fort   Pillow, 
April  12,  1864. 

Briley,  Elisha,  mortally  w.  at   Pulaski, 
Tenn. 

Denning,  Lieut.  John  E.,  k.  at  Harris- 
burg, Miss.,  July  14,  1864. 

Edwards,  Wm.,  d.  in  prison. 

Griffin,  M.,  d.  May  3,  1862. 

Hall,  Simon,  d.  at  Ramon,  Miss. 

Harden,  Robert,  d.  during  the  war. 


COMPANY  F. 

Captain,  John  A.  Brinkley. 
at    Birming-    Hames,  Andrew  J.,  k.  at   Mud   Creek, 

June  20,  1863. 
Johnson,  John,  d.  in  1862. 
Kelley,  Samuel  R.,  d.  in  Oct.,  1862. 
Link,  James,  w.  at  Fort  Pillow. 
Link,   Thomas,   w.   at  Cherokee,   Ala., 

October,  1863. 
McMillen,  J.  D.,  w. 
Owens,  Wm.,  k.  in  Sumner  Co.,  Tenn. 
Warren,  Wash.,   w.   at  Okolona,    Feb. 

22,  1864. 
Wilkerson,  Charles,  w.  at  Shiloh. 
Williams,    G.    B.,    k.    in    Kentucky,    in 

December,  1864. 


570 


E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 


COMPANY  G. 

Captains:     Tliomas   Puryear,   mortally  w.   at  Cherokee,   Ala.,  Oct.  21,  1863; 

J.  M.  Eastes,  mortally  w.  near  Harrisburg,  Miss.,  July  13,  1864; 

B.  H.  Moore,  \v.  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Nov.  30,  1S64. 


Averett,    Jared,   k.    at    Martin's   Blufl', 

Ala.,  Nov.  8,  1864. 
Bowen,  Lieut.  John,  d.  in  1862. 
Clark,  Billie,  d.  in  1862. 
Drury,  James,  k.  July  13,  1864. 
Driver,  Daniel,  missing  at  Corinth. 
Eastes,  T.  J.,   w.   Aug.  8,  1863,  while 

on  a  scout. 
Grant,  J.  W.,  w. 
Huddleston,  J.    A.  [Coon],  w.  at   Mur- 

freesboro,  1864. 
Hogg,  Vit,  k.  in  Smith  Co.,  Tenn. 
Hodges,  Bob,  d.  in   1862. 
Nichol,  Billie,  k.  at  Murfreesboro,  Dec. 

7,  1S64. 


Petway,  T.  W.,  w.  April  2,  1865. 
Pope,  N.  C,  w.  at  Paducah. 
Reeves,  David,  k.  in  Tory  fight. 
Robertson,  Wm.  R.,  k.  by  Jayhawkers, 

Oct.  I,  1862. 
Saddler,  W.  C,  \v.  while  scout  for  Bu- 

ford,  1S64. 
Sanders,  J.  A.,  d.  in  prison. 
Thompson,   Wm.,   d.    from  sun-stroke, 

July  13,  1864. 
Trout,  Bird,  d.  July  3,   1862. 
Trousdale,  Harvy,  d.  in  1862. 
West,    W.    Claib,    w.    at     Harrisburg^. 

July  14,  1864. 


COMPANY  H. 

Captain,  B.  Edwards. 


Gutter,    Wm.,    d.     April    22,    1863,    in 

Walker  Co.,  Ala. 
Henery,    August,    d.    July    i,    1S63,    in 

Walker  Co.,  Ala. 
Rutledge,    S.    A.,    d.    April    5,  1863,  at 

Columbus,  Miss. 
Roberts,    D.    R.,    d.    May   4,    1S63,   at 

Smithville,  Ala. 


Thornton,  W.  M.,  d.  Aug.  I,  1S63. 
Touney,  J.    R.,    d.   April    12,    1862,    in 

Walker  Ca.,  Ala. 
Townley,  John  I^.,  d.  Oct.  29.  1S63,  in 

Walker  Co.,  Ala. 
Williams,  W.  H.,  d.  March  22,  1863,  in 

Columbus,  Miss.* 


COMPANY  I. 

Captain,  S.  H.  Reeves,  w.  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  INIarch,  25,  i{ 


Betticks,  John,  w.  at  Paducah  March 

25,  1864. 
Cook,  Frank,  drowned   in   Duck   River 

on  Hood's  retreat. 
Fullerton,  Robert  B.,  k.  at  Athens,  Ala. 
Glover,  P.  T.,  w.  at  Murfreesboro. 


Lattimer,  J.  Smith,  d.  in  prison. 
Moffatt,  J.  F.,,w.  at  Okolona  Feb.  22, 

1864. 
Moore,    N.  K.,  w.  near  Holly  Springs,. 

?tliss. 


COMPANY  K. 

Captain,  O.  B.  Farris,  w.  at  Harrisburg,  Miss.,  July  14,  1864. 
Lieutenant  F.  M.  McRee,  w.  and  c.  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  Tenn.,  Dec.  17,  l{ 


■■'The  above  is  taken  from  "  Military  Annals  of  Tennessee,"  page  625. 


AI'PENDIX   A. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


In  order  to  avoid  making  our  volume  too  large,  I  shall  have  to 
necessarily  make  the  following  sketches  short — mere  notes.  After 
every  effort  I  have  failed  to  obtain  sketches  of  many  of  our  noble  and 
gallant  officers. 

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  NATHAN  BEDFORD  FORREST. 

[I  take  the  following  notes  from  the  "Campaigns  of  General  For- 
rest," for  the  benefit  of  my  readers  who  may  not  have  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  reading  that  valuable  work.] 

N.  B.  Forrest,  great-grandson  of  Shadrach  Forrest,  grandson  of 
Nathan  Forrest,  and  son  of  William  and  Mariam  (Beck)  Forrest,  was 
born  on  the  13th  of  July,  1821,  near  Duck  River,  at  Chapel  Hill,  in 
what  was  then  Bedford,  but  now  Marshall  County,  Tennessee.  Bed- 
ford's father  removed,  in  1S34,  from  Tennessee  to  Tippah  County, 
North  Mississippi,  where  he  (William)  died  in  1S37,  leaving  a  widow, 
seven  sons,  and  three  daughters,  and  to  these  was  added,  four  months 
later,  another  son — Jeffrey.  Bedford  and  a  twin-brother  were  the 
oldest,  and  owing  to  the  impoverished  condition  of  their  father  their 
education  was  quite  limited.  In  the  autumn  of  1842  N.  B.  Forrest 
commenced  business  with  one  of  his  uncles  in  Hernando,  Mississippi. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Montgomery  on  the  25th  of  September, 
1845.  ^''^  the  spring  of  1852  he  quit  Hernando  and  established  him- 
self in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  as  a  broker  in  real  estate  and  a  dealer 
in  slaves,  while  at  the  same  time  cultivating  a  cotton  plantation  near 
that  city.  Having  accumulated  a  considerable  fortune  by  1859,  he 
bought  two  extensive  plantations  in  Coahoma  County,  Mississippi,  and 
began  planting  on  a  large  scale — growing  a  thousand  bales  of  cotton 
in  1861. 

At  Memphis,  oa  the  14th  of  June,  t86i,  N.  B.  Forrest  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Dr.  J.  S.  Wliite's  Cavalry  Company,  which,  in  less  than  a 
week  afterward,  became  a  part  of  the  garrison  at  Randolph,  Tennes- 
see.    About  the  xoth  of  July  private  Forrest  was  requested  by  Gov- 

(571)^ 


572  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary, 

ernor  Harris  to  undertake  to  raise  a  regiment  of  volunteer  cavalry, 
and  the  second  week  in  October  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
a  battalion  of  eight  companies,  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Alabama, 
and  Texas.  He  was  at  Fort,  Donelson  with  his  battalion  by  the  last 
of  October,  and  before  the  middle  of  November  he  had  reached  Hop- 
kinsville,  Kentucky,  where  his  regiment  was  completed  by  the  addi- 
tion of  two  more  companies.  Returning  to  Fort  Donelson,  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  various  engagements  at  that  place,  and  refusing 
to  surrender,  Colonel  Forrest,  on  the  1 6th  of  February,  1862,  marched 
his  regiment  (except  one  company  of  Texans),  unmolested,  from  Fort 
Donelson.  On  the  6th  and  7th  of  April,  1862,  he  took  an  active 
part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  Tennessee,  and  he  was  severely  wounded 
on  the  8th. 

In  June,  1862,  Colonel  Forrest  was  ordered  to  report  to  General 
Kirby  Smith  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  brigade  of  cavalry — four  regiments.  Swinging  around  by 
the  way  of  McMinnville  and  Woodbury,  he  captured  the  Federal  gar- 
rison at  Murfreesboro  on  the  13th  of  July.  He  remained  in  Middle 
Tennessee  until  General  Bragg  passed  going  into  Kentucky.  For- 
rest was  commissioned  Brigadier-General  on  the  21st  of  July,  1862. 
Accompanying  General  Bragg  as  far  as  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  Gen- 
eral Forrest  was  there  ordered  (about  the  27  th  of  September)  to  return 
to  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  to  take  charge  of  the  troops  in  that 
vicinity. 

It  was  in  December,  1862,  that  he  made  his  famous  expedition  into 
West  Tennessee,  killing  and  capturing  two  thousand  five  hundred  of 
the  enemy,  besides  doing  much  other  damage  to  General  U.  S.  Grant's 
communications. 

In  the  early  part  of  1863  he  took  part  in  the  actions  at  Dover, 
Thompson's  Station,  Brentwood,  and  Franklin,  in  Middle  Tennessee. 
After  chasing  about  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty-six  cavalry 
(under  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight)  through  North  Alabama,  in  the  di- 
rection of  Rome,  Georgia,  General  Forrest  captured  them  on  the  3d 
of  May,  1863,  before  they  had  reached  their  destination.  Forrest 
had  about  five  hundred  effectives.  After  conveying  his  prisoners  to 
Rome,  Georgia,  he  returned  to  Middle  Tennessee,  where  he  remained 
until  Bragg  fell  back  to  Chattanooga.  As  usual,  he  discharged  his 
full  duty  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  Sep- 
tember. Soon  after  this  action  he  was  transferred,  at  his  own  request, 
to  North  Mississippi,  and  the  writeV  has  already  given  an  account  of 
his  operations  from  this  to  the  close  of  the  war. 


Appendix  A.  573 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JAMES  RONALD  CHALMERS. 

J.  R.  Chalmers,  son  of  the  Hon.  Judge  Joseph  W.  Chalmers  (who 
was  in  the  United  States  Senate  under  Polk's  administration),  was  born 
in  Halifax  Count}',  Virginia,  on  the  nth  of  January,  1831.  He  is 
the  oldest  and  only  survivor  of  seven  children — four  sons  and  three 
daughters.  In  1834  or  1S35  he  removed  with  his  father  to  Jackson, 
Tennessee,  and  thence  to  Holly  Springs,  Marshall  County,  Mississippi, 
in  1839,  where  he  was  sent  to  school  and  prepared  for  college,  which 
he  entered  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  in  September,  1848,  where 
he  graduated  in  December,  1851,  taking  the  second  honor  in  a  class 
of  about  fifteen.  Returning  to  Holly  Springs,  he  at  once  entered 
upon  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Barton  &  Chalmers,  the  firm 
being  composed  of  his  father  and  the  great  and  gifted  Roger  Barton. 
In  1852  he  Avas  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  Convention  which  nomi- 
nated Franklin  Pierce  for  President.  The  next  year  he  began  to 
practice  law  at  Holly  Springs,  and  in  1857  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney  of  the  Seventh  Judicial  District,  over  several  worthy  and 
popular  competitors.  He  was  soon  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
prosecuting  attorneys  in  the  State,  and  greatly  increased  and  strength- 
ened his  popularity.  He  was  a  delegate  from  DeSoto  County  to  the 
Mississippi  State  Convention,  which  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession, 
in  January,  1861,  and  chairman  of  the  military  committee  in  that  body. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  elected  Colonel  of  the  Ninth  Mis- 
sissippi Regiment  of  infantry,  which  was  the  first  that  entered  the 
Confederate  service  from  that  State.  His  first  engagement  was  a  suc- 
cessful attack  upon  Fort  Pickens,  on  Santa  Rosa  Island,  south  of 
Pensacola,  Florida. 

Chalmers  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  on  the  13th  of  February, 
1862,  and  was  in  command  of  the  forces  that  drove  Sherman  and  his 
gunboats  back  from  Eastport,  Mississippi,  on  March  12th,  and  thus 
saved  Bear  Creek  bridge  from  destruction,  and  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  Railroad  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  At 
the  battle  of  Shiloh  he  commanded  the  extreme  right  brigade,  and 
made  the  last  charge  on  Sunday  that  was  made  by  the  Confederates 
on  that  eventful  day.  Balls  passed  through  his  clothing,  and  his  horse 
was  shot  from  under  him  on  Monday.  When  the  Confederate  army 
fell  back  to  Tupelo,  Bragg  assigned  Chalmers  to  a  cavalry  command 
for  a  short  time,  but  having  been  recalled  to  take  charge  of  his  infantry 
brigade,  he  went  with  Bragg  on  his  Kentucky  campaign.     The  former 


574  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary, 

made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  Mumfordsville,  and  was  compli- 
mented by  the  latter  for  what  he  did.  At  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro 
General  Chalmers  was  severely  wounded,  and  before  he  had  fully  re- 
covered from  the  effect  of  his  wound  he  was  assigned  by  Bragg  to  the 
command  of  the  cavalry  in  North-west  Mississippi,  at  the  special  re- 
quest of  the  Governor  of  that  State — Pettus. 

General  Chalmers  now  went  to  work  in  his  new  field  and  organized 
the  "squads"  and  companies  into  regiments,  which  afterward,  under 
his  command,  formed  a  prominent  part  in  that  terrible  column  that 
enabled  Forrest  to  perform  his  wondrous  feats  and  made  his  name 
immortal,  causing  him  to  go  down  the  ages  as  the  "Wizard  of  the 
Saddle."  General  Chalmers  commanded  the  first  division  of  Forrest's 
Cavalry  from  January,  1864,  to  the  close  of  the  war,  as  fully  set  forth 
in  the  preceding  pages  of  this  work,  to  which  I  refer  the  reader  for 
the  balance  of  the  military  career  of  this  gallant  and  noble  officer. 
He  accepted  the  terms  of  surrender  in  good  faith,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  North  Mississippi,  where  he  again  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession — the  law. 

In  1872  he  was  on  the  electoral  ticket  in  Mississippi  for  Horace 
Greeley;  in  1875  ^^  ^^^  elected  to  the  State  Senate;  in  1876  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  from  what  is  known  as  the  "Shoe-string  District," 
and  again  in  1878,  without  opposition.  In  1880  he  was  returned  as 
elected,  but  was  unseated  in  a  contest  by  John  R.  Lynch,  the  Repub- 
lican candidate.  General  Chalmers  then  removed  from  Vicksburg  to 
Sardis,  Mississippi,  and  in  1882  became  an  independent  Democratic 
candidate  for  Congress  against  Y.  H.  Manning,  the  regular  Demo- 
cratic nominee,  and  after  a  close,  e.xciting  canvass  was  elected,  but  by 
some  sort  of  manipulation  or  legerdemain  at  Jackson  by  the  Governor 
and  Secretary  of  State,  he  was  refused  his  certificate  of  election, 
though  he  was  finally  seated  by  a  Democratic  House,  after  a  most  ex- 
citing contest  between  Manning  and  himself.  In  1884  and  1886  he 
was  again  a  candidate  against  the  Hon.  J.  B.  Morgan,  the  regular 
Democratic  nominee,  and  while  there  is  but  little  doubt  in  the  minds 
of  his  friends  that  he  was  elected  both  times,  yet  the  certificate  of 
election  was  given  to  his  opponent. 

As  a  speaker,  General  Chalmers  is  fluent,  bold,  pointed,  and  fear- 
less. In  his  style  he  draws  occasionally  upon  a  cultivated  and 
exuberant  fancy,  but  indulges  more  frequently  in  pointed  and  racy 
anecdote.  Asa  friend,  he  is  sincere,  tri-e,  and  devoted;  as  an  enemy, 
fearless  and  inflexible;  but  at  all  times  just  and  generous,  as  ready  to 


Appendix  A.  575 


atone  for  a  wrong,  when  he  is  convinced  that  he  has  committed  one, 
as  he  is,  upon  the  other  hand,  steadfast  and  immovable  when  satisfied 
that  he  is  right. 

I  take  the  following  from  a  letter  recently  received  from  Colonel 
C.  R.  Barteau: 

"I  meet  General  Chalmers  frequently,  and  he  inquires  about  your 
book.  As  I  know  him  better,  I  love  and  appreciate  the  man.  His 
talent  is  of  a  high  order,  his  character  spotless,  and  his  moral  courage 
beyond  all  question." 

The  general  is  now  (1887)  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  tlie 
■city  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  connection  with  his  former  comrade- 
in-arms  and  almost  lifetime  friend,  Colonel  Thomas  W.  Harris.  They 
are  recognized  as  among  the  leaders  and  most  efficient  of  the  Southern 
bar. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL   FRANK  NATHANIEL   McNAIRY. 

F.  N.  McNairv  was  born  about  September,  1825,  in  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  His  father,  Nathaniel  McNairy,  was  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Nashville,  and  once  owned  nearly  all  of  what  is  now  West 
Nashville.  Flis  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Bell  Hobson. 
Frank  had  three  brothers — William  H.,  John  S.,  and  Robert  Currin; 
and  three  sisters,  who  by  marriage  became  Mrs.  Harding,  Mrs.  Porter, 
and  Mrs.  Kirkman.     The  seven  are  now  (1887)  all  dead. 

After  attending  school  at  Nashville,  until  about  fifteen  years  old, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  entered  Charles  W.  Green's  Boarding  School, 
at  Jamaica  Plain,  near  Boston,  Massachusetts.  The  writer  is  not  able 
to  state  just  how  long  he  remained  at  this  school,  but  when  through 
he  returned  to  Nashville.  At  the  breaking  out  of  our  late  war  he 
resided  on  his  farm,  four  miles  from  Nashville,  on  the  Granny  White 
turnpike.     The  place  of  his  residence  was  known  as  "Vinegar  Hill." 

F.  N.  McNairy  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  first  company  of  cavalry 
which  was  raised  in  Tennessee  for  the  Confederate  service.  This 
company  was  organized  at  Nashville,  about  the  first  of  May,  1861,  by 
electing  F.  N.  McNairy'Captain.  When  the  First  Battalion  of  Ten- 
nessee Cavalry  was  organized,  at  Thorn  Hill,  about  the  first  week  in 
July,  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  his  company  became 
Company  A,  commanded  by  Captain  W.  Hooper  Harris. 

I  refer  the  reader  to  the  first  pages  of  this  work  for  an  account  of 
the  part  taken  by  McNairy's  Battalion  in  Zollicoffer's  two  campaigns 
into  Kentucky.     On  account  of  ill  health  he  started  home  on  furlough, 


576  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

from  Mill  Springs,  Kentucky,  on  the  2d  of  Januar}^  1862.  He  re- 
joined the  command  at  Gainesboro,  Tennessee,  about  the  last  of  same 
month,  and  remained  in  command  of  First  Battalion  until  a  few  days 
after  its  reorganization  at  Jacmto,  Mississippi,  May  14th,  1862.  He 
then  returned  to  Middle  Tennessee,  and  was  killed,  in  February,  1863, 
at  Fort  Donelson  (or  Dover)  when  Generals  Wheeler  and  Forrest  at- 
tacked that  place.  His  remains  were  brought  to  Nashville  for  inter- 
ment.     He  was  temporarily  on  Forrest's  staff  when  he  was  killed. 

Colonel  McNairy  was  kind,  generous,  and  brave.  The  writer  does 
not  remember  of  ever  hearing  him  speak  harshly  or  insultingly  to  one 
of  his  men.  In  fact  he  was  naturally  too  kind-hearted  to  exercise  that 
strict  discipline  which  makes  volunteers  efficient  soldiers. 

COLONEL  JAMES  BEARING  BENNETT. 

J.  D.  Bennett,  son  of  Howard  and  Rosamond  Bennett,  was  born 
about  the  9th  of  November,  18 16,  in  Campbell  County,  Virginia. 
He  was  educated  in  the  ordinary  country  schools.  His  father's  fam- 
ily came  to  Smith  County,  Tennessee,  about  1832. 

The  war  with  the  Seminole  Indians  of  Florida  broke  out  in  1835, 
and  continued  for  four  years.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  this 
"Seminole"  or  "Florida"  war.  He  entered  the  service  of  the 
United  States  as  private  in  Colonel  William  Bearing's  Regiment, 
which,  setting  out  from  Lebanon,  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  about 
1836  or  '7,  went  to  Florida  and  took  part  in  the  above  named  war. 
I  do  not  know  how  long  Bennett,  who  got  to  be  captain  of  his  com- 
pany, fought  the  Seminoles,  but  on  his  return  to  Tennessee  he  taught 
school — first  at  Lebanon  and  then  at  Carthage.  Then  after  engaging 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  the  latter  place  for  a  short  time  he  moved 
to  Hartsville,  then  Sumner,  now  Trousdale  County,  where  he  contin- 
ued in  the  goods  business  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  ' '  War  between 
the  States." 

He  married  Miss  Martha  Hutchison,  daughter  of  William  and 
Nancy  Hutchison,  on  the  30th  of  July,  1844,  in  Sumner  County, 
nine  miles  west  of  Gallatin.  The  next  year  he  bought  and  moved  to 
a  farm  near  Hartsville,  where  his  widow  now  (1887)  lives.  Having 
been  very  successful,  both  as  a  farmer  and  a  merchant,  he  had,  by 
1861,  accumulated  a  considerable  amount  of  property. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  1861,  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  which  was  then  en- 
camped at  Eperson  Springs,  Macon  County,  Tennessee.       As  I  have 


Appendix  A.  577 


previously  given  a  sketch  of  the  movements  and  operations  of  his  bat- 
taUon  (which  see),  I  will  not  repeat  it  here,  but  suffice  it  to  say  that 
when  the  First  and  Seventh  Battalions  were  consolidated,  at  or  near 
Fulton,  Mississippi,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bennett  resigned  and  returned  home,  on  account  of  ill  health.  But 
soon  finding,  however,  that  he  could  not  remain  at  home  in  peace,  on 
account  of  the  near  proximity  of  the  enemy,  he  raised  another  com- 
mand— a  regiment — and  entered  the  service  again  under  General  John 
H.  Morgan,  who  was  then  encamped  at  Hartsville,  but  soon  after 
joined  General  Bragg  at  Murfreesboro,  and  a  Federal  brigade  of  in- 
fantry occupied  Hartsville.  On  the  30th  of  November,  1862,  with 
thirteen  hundred  men,  General  Morgan  and  Colonel  Bennett — the 
latter  taking  a  conspicuous  part  with  his  regiment — captured  this 
Federal  brigade  (2,100)  at  Hartsville  after  a  severe  contest  of  an  hour 
and  a  half. 

The  colonel  left  home  for  the  last  time,  as  it  proved,  on  the  19th  of 
December,  1862,  to  go  with  General  Morgan  on  an  expedition  into 
Kentucky.  Fearing  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  stand  the  hardships 
and  exposures  of  an  expedition  in  midwinter  on  account  of  his  delicate 
health,  his  friends  endeavored  to  prevail  upon  him  to  remain  at 
home.  "No,"  replied  he,  "my  men  are  going,  and  I  will  go  with 
them  as  long  as  I  am  able  to  ride."  Finding  that  he  could  go  no  fur- 
ther, he  stopped  at  Colonel  Patton's,  near  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  of  typhoid-pneumonia,  on  January  23d,  1863.  The 
ladies  of  Elizabethtown  furnished  a  metallic  coffin,  and  a  faithful  serv- 
ant (•' Jeff"*)  brought  his  remains  back  to  his  wife.  Reaching  Harts- 
ville on  the  30th,  his  remains  were  buried  the  next  day,  in  the  familv 
graveyard,  about  one  miie  from  town.  In  February,  1877,  Mrs.  Ben- 
nett had  the  remains  of  her  husband  disinterred  for  reinterment  in  the 
Hartsville  Cemetery.  Notwithstanding  it  had  been  fourteen  years 
since  his  death,  his  remains  were  in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation  and 
recognizable  by  all  who  knew  him.  To  mourn  his  loss  he  left  a  wife 
and  eight  children — five  sons,  William  H.,  C.  Linch,  Robert  A.,  Al- 
bert G.,  and  James  D.,  Jr.,  and  three  daughters,  Nannie,  now  Mrs. 
Corley,  Mary,  and  Mattie. 

■'Colonel  Bennett  took  Jeff  with  him  when  he  first  entered  the  service  in 
1861,  and  on  account  of  his  being  so  good  and  true  the  Colonel  gave  Jeff  his 
freedom,  but  requested  him  to  take  his  remains  home  and  remain  with  Mrs. 
Bennett  as  long  as  she  wanted  him.  Jefl"  agreed  to  do  as  requested,  and  was 
true  to  his  promise.      He  now  owns  eighty  acres  of  the  Bennett  farm. 

37 


578  R.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  say  that  Colonel  Bennett  was  very  kind, 
extremely  generous,  and  a  special  friend  to  the  poor.  '•  He,"  says  one 
of  his  neighbors,  "did  more  for  the  poor  than  any  man  I  ever  saw. 
It  is  to  him  that  I  owe  my  start  in  the  world  and  all  that  I  now  have." 

He  was  a  kind,  indulgent,  and  affectionate  father  as  well  as  a  de- 
voted husband. 

COLONEL  CLARK  RUSSELL  BARTEAU. 

C.  R.  Barteau  was  born  on  the  7th  of  April,  1835,  i^  Cuyahoga 
County,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  His  mother,  Lavinia,  died  in  1846, 
and  his  father,  Russell  W.  Barteau,  died  in  1858.  Thus  four  children 
were  left  alone — Clark,  the  eldest;  two  sisters,  Louisa  and  Bettie,  next 
younger;  and  a  brother,  Harry,  the  youngest  of  the  four. 

Remaining  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  about  sixteen,  C.  R. 
Barteau  entered  school  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  in  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  about  four  years.  From  there  he  came  South  with 
some  fellow-students  from  Kentucky.  He  arrived  at  Hartsville,  Ten- 
nessee, in  1855.  His  special  object  in  coming  South  was  to  see  for 
himself  something  of  Southern  society  and  the  institution  of  slavery, 
which  had  formed  the  subject  of  some  discussion  among  the  students; 
for  it  was  a  time  of  agitation  in  Cong-ress  and  in  tl^e  North. 

He  took  charge  of  the  "Male  Academy"  at  Hartsville  in  1856, 
and  was  Principal  of  said  institution  for  about  two  years-. 

Ill  1858  he  began  to  edit  and  publish  a  paper  at  Hartsville,  known 
as  the  Hartsville  Plaindealer.  It  was  ultra  Democratic  and  States 
Rights.  He  had  formed  his  conclusions,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  express 
them.  He  believed  the  South  was  right;  that  the  anti-slavery  crusade 
was  founded  on  jealousy,  falsehood,  and  fanaticism.  His  paper  was 
the  exponent  of  these  views,  and  he  was  willing  to  stake  his  life  and 
all  he  had  on  the  side  of  the  South  in  the  coming  struggle. 

On  the  29th  of  January,  1859,  the  editor  of  the  Plaindealer  m^xxxQd 
Miss  Mary  Cosby,*  of  Smith  County,  and,  soon  after,  established  for 
himself  a  pleasant  home  at  Hartsville,  where  he  was  still  residing  and 
editing  his  paper  at  the  breaking  out  of  our  late  civil  war.  In  the 
meantime,  while  teaching  and  editing  at  Hartsville  he  had  also  been 
reading  law  under  John  W.  Head. 

■••■■  She  had  two  brothers  in  the  Confederate  army,  Thomas  O.  Cosby,  of  Rid- 
dleton,  Smith  County,  Tenn.,  and  Dr.  John  B.  Cosby,  now  of  New  V'ork.  Her 
father,  John  O.  Cosby,  was  killed  at  his  own  home  by  a  passing  squad  of  Fed- 
erals. 


Appendix  A.  579 


C.  R.  Barteau  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  D,  Seventh  Bat- 
talion of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  on  the  17th  of  October,  1861.  A  few 
weeks  afterward  he  was  transferred  from  Captain  Kit  Bennett's  Com- 
pany (B)  to  Captain  Joe  Odom's  Company  (F)  of  the  same  battalion. 
So  popular  had  he  become  with  his  comrades  of  the  Seventh  Battalion 
that,  when  it  and,  the  First  Battalion  were  consolidated,  near  Fulton, 
Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862,  he  was  raised  from  a  private  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  then  and  there  placed  in  command  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

I  shall  here  state  that  our  colonel's  first  wife  died  in  the  early  part 
■of  the  war.  He  saw  her  for  the  last  time  on  the  17th  of  February, 
1862.  Fort  Donelson  had  then  fallen,  and  the  Confederate  troops 
were  leaving  Tennessee.  He  rode  by  his  home  and  spent  one  hour, 
then  bade  his  dear  wife,  with  her  infant  child  in  her  arms,  a  painful 
and  final  farewell.  None  but  a  Confederate  soldier  knows  the  agony 
of  such  a  moment.  She  was  a  brave  woman,  and,  with  suppressed 
emotion,  begged  her  dear  husband  not  to  think  of  her,  but  only  do 
his  duty.  She  lived  long  enough  to  learn  that  he  had  risen  from  a 
private  to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  but  not  to  realize  the  cher- 
ished desire  of  seeing  him  afterward. 

After  serving  as  lieutenant-colonel  for  about  one  year  C.  R. 
Barteau  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  still  commanded 
the  Second  Tennessee  until  too  severely  wounded  to  do  field  duty  any 
more.  Our  colonel  frequently  acted  as  brigadier-general  by  being 
placed  in  command  of  the  various  brigades  to  which  his  regiment  was 
attached  from  time  to  time  during  the  war. 

As  Colonel  Barteau  has  been  more  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  pages  of  this  work  than  any  other  officer  of  our  regiment, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  here  the  daring  and  gallant  manner  in 
which  he  so  frequently  led  his  regiment  or  brigade  to  victory. 

He  was  knocked  from  his  horse,  though  not  seriously  wounded, 
while  leading  our  brigade  at  the  battle  of  Okolona,  February  2 2d, 
1864.  He  was  disabled  for  several  weeks  by  a  wound  received  at 
Harrisburg,  14th  of  July.  On  the  Hood  campaign  he  was  slightly 
"wounded  at  Spring  Hill  and  Franklin,  and  so  severely  wounded  at 
Murfreesboro,  on  the  6th  of  December,  1864,  that  he  was  not  able  to 
do  any  more  service  during  the  rest  of  the  war. 

The  choice  of  Colonel  Barteau's  second  marriage.  May  12th,  1864, 
was  Miss  Zora  Eckford,  of  Macon,  Mississippi.  She  had  given  five 
brothers  to  the  Southern  cause,  and  herself  made  sacrifices  and  en- 


580  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

countered  hardsliips  and  dangers.  She  was  in  the  smoke  of  the 
Harrisburg  fight,  and  ministered  to  the  wounded  and  dying  at  Oko- 
lona  and  other  places  in  North  Mississippi.  It  was  the  glory  of  the 
women  of  the  South  that  when  their  homes  were  invaded  they  showed 
only  stout  hearts  worthy  of  the  bravest  of  sons,  brothers,  and  husbands. 

The  services  of  this  noble  and  gallant  officer,  so  cheerfully  ren- 
dered the  South  during  her  four  years'  struggle,  should  be  the  more 
appreciated  by  his  comrades  and  the  people  of  the  South  when  they 
realize  that  it  involved  a  separation  from  his  father's  family,  a  sacrifice 
of  all  his  pecuniary  interests  in  Ohio,  and  his  share  in  the  family  es- 
tate; and  worse  than  all,  the  engaging  in  a  conflict  in  which  his 
brother  becomes  a  party  on  the  opposite  side;  for  Harry  went  into 
the  Federal  army,  and  from  Shiloh  to  Franklin  they  were  many  times 
engaged  in  the  same  battles.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  two  brothers 
resumed  correspondence,  and  mutually  commended  each  other  for 
following  honest  convictions,  while  both  regretted  that  reconstruction 
should  be  left  to  politicians  instead  of  the  old  soldiers,  who,  having 
fought  their  battles,  now  laid  down  their  arms  in  good  faith  for  peace. 
After  being  wounded  at  Murfreesboro,  as  previously  mentioned, 
Colonel  Barteau  went  to  Aberdeen,  Mississippi,  where  he  was  first 
admitted  to  the  bar  as  an  attorney-at  law  in  1866.  He  moved  from 
Aberdeen  to  Bartlett,  Shelby  County,  Tennessee,  in  1870,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  1885  he  moved  to  Memphis,  where  he  is  now  (1887) 
practicing  his  profession. 

His  family  consists  of  a  wife  and  three  daughters — Mattie  Lavinia 
(now  Mrs.  Westbrook,  of  Brunswick,  Shelby  County,  Tennessee), 
Russie  Bettie  (now  Mrs.  Schutz,  of  Truckee,  Nevada  County,  Cali- 
fornia), and  Hattie  Eckford  (now  Mrs.  Caldwell,  of  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee). If  a  man's  home  life  is  a.true  test  of  character,  the  tender 
devotion  and  quietness  of  Colonel  Barteau's  may  challenge  compari- 
son with  any.  His  attachment,  too,  for  old  ex-Confederates  who  were 
honest  and  soldierly,  and  especially  those  of  his  regiment,  is  like  that 
for  his  family;  and  next  to  them  the  people  of  Tennessee,  with  whom 
he  cast  his  lot  in  early  manhood.  Among  the  warm-hearted  people 
of  the  middle  section  of  his  adopted  State,  especially  of  Sumner  and 
Smith  Counties,  he  found  many  devoted  friends  in  early  life. 

He  has  not  been  in  public  life,  but  in  principle  is  a  Democrat ;  not 
of  the  narrow  partisan  sort,  for  he  abhors  hypocrisy  and  mere  expe- 
diency. He  accepts  in  good  faith  the  issues  settled  by  the  war,  and 
looks  only  to  the  building  up  of  the  country.     Rather  retiring  in  dis- 


Appendix  A.  581 


position,  yet  fearless  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  and  deeply  sympathetic, 
he  takes  the  side  of  right  against  wrong,  of  the  weak  against  the  pow- 
erful, and  to  know  him  well  is  to  know  him  best  only  in  emergencies 
that  bring  out  these  qualities. 

At  the  reunion  of  the  "Old  Second"  at  Gallatin,  on  the  17th  of 
September,  1886,  the  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  our  dear 
colonel  for  the  first  time  in  twenty-two  years.  I  found  that  his  voice 
was  very  much  the  same,  and  his  features  had  changed  but  little  since 
I  last  saw  him  on  the  bank  of  the  Tennessee  River,  near  Paris  Land- 
ing, October  30th,  1864.  While  Colonel  Barteau  was  delivering  an 
eloquent  address  to  the  vast  concourse  of  people  who  had  assembled 
near  Gallatin  to  witness  the  soldiers'  reunion,  our  old  regimental  bugle 
was  handed  to  him  by  W.  C.  West  (Company  G),  who  had  borrowed 
it  from  Jimmie  Bradford's  mother  for  that  occasion.  In  reference  to 
the  "bugle  episode,"  I  take  the  following  from  the  Memphis  Avalanche : 

"A  Forrest  Bugle. — The  gallant  Colonel  Barteau,  of  this  city, 
commander  of  one  of  the  best  figliting  regiments  of  Forrest's  com- 
mand, attended  the  Gallatin  Confederate  Soldiers'  Reunion  last  Fri- 
day. In  replying  to  the  welcoming  address  Colonel  Barteau  drew 
tears  from  the  eyes  of  the  boys  as  he  held  up  to  view  the  bugle  which 
had  so  often  called  them  to  victory.  He  showed  them  the  marks  of 
a  bullet,  and  reminded  them  of  how  the  bugle  was  struck  as  they  went 
into  action,  and  its  fine  tone  destroyed.  He  was  reminded  of  how  he 
called  to  the  bugler  as  it  wheezed  and  piped  with  its  cracked  voice  as 
the  air  escaped  through  its  honorable  wound,  'Throw  the  d — n  thing 
away  and  whistle  the  call.'  He  then  told  how  next  day  the  bugler, 
who  had  found  a  tinner  and  mended  the  bugle,  blew  a  blast  loud  and 
clear,  which  startled  the  enemy  and  made  them  scamper,  supposing 
the  two  hundred  men  were  a  brigade.  The  brief  bugle  episode  moved 
the  boys  to  tears  and  laughter." 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  GEORGE  H.  MORTON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Mar- 
garet Morton  and  the  youngest  of  eleven  children,  was  born  the  loth 
of  October,  1836,  in  Haddington,  Scotland.  His  father  was  of  Scotch 
descent  and  his  mother  of  French — though  both  were  born  in  Scotland. 

G.  H.  Morton  set  sail  from  Liverpool,  England,  August  ist,  and 
landed  at  New  York  City  September  i,  1852;  and  after  working  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  for  two  years,  he  came  to  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
where  he  remained  in  the  mercantile  business  until  1861. 


582  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

He  enlisted  in  Captain  Frank  N.  McNairy's  company  at  Nashville, 
and  was  elected  Orderly  Sergeant  of  said  company,  which  was  mus- 
tered into  ihe  service  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  on  the  nth  of  May, 
1 86 1.  About  the  first  week  in  July,  his  company  became  Company 
A  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  and  his  captain, 
McNairy,  was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  and  W.  Hooper  Harris 
was  elected  captain  of  Company  A.  About  two  months  later  G.  H. 
Morton  was  made  third  lieutenant,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until 
the  re-enlistment  and  reorganization  of  the  First  Battalion  at  Jacinto, 
Mississippi,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1862.  At  that  time  and  place 
Companies  A  and  B  were  consolidated  and  Morton  was  elected  captain 
of  this  consolidated  company,  which,  soon  after,  became  Company  A 
of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

Near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862,  he  was  elected 
major  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  which  was  composed  of  the  First  and 
Second  Battalions. 

It  was  now  that  Major  Morton  began  to  display  his  military  talent, 
both  as  a  leader  in  action  and  a  disciplinarian  in  camp.  In  fact,  so 
rigid  was  he  in  discipline  that  our  boys  complained  somewhat  at  first, 
but  soon  realizing  that  he  was  right  they  only  admired  him  the  more. 
As  to  the  gallant  manner  in  which  he  led  the  Second  Tennessee  at 
Medon  and  Britton's  Lane  near  Denmark,  West  Tennessee,  and  Palo 
Alto,  Birmingham  and  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  I  refer  the  reader  to  the 
accounts  of  those  actions  previously  given. 

In  June,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  which  po- 
sition he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war  with  satisfaction  to  his  supe- 
riors and  honor  to  himself  and  the  Second  Tennessee. 

When  Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton  led  the  Second  Tennessee  against 
Sherman's  army,  near  Cherokee,  Alabama,  on  the  21st  of  October, 
1863,  with  as  much  pluck  and  vim  as  if  he  had  met  only  his  equal  in 
number,  several  balls  passed  through  his  coat;  and  a  few  days  later 
(26th),  at  the  action  with  the  Tories,  on  the  luka-Fulton  road,  he  was 
knocked  from  his  horse,  though  not  seriously  wounded.  He  was 
complimented  by  his  superiors  for  the  gallant  manner  in  which  he  led 
his  men  during  these  two  engagements. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  1864,  he  was  severely  wounded  at  Paducah, 
Kentucky,  from  the  effect  of  which  he  was  disabled  for  several  months. 
He  was  able  to  be  with  us  again,  however,  on  the  Middle  Tennessee 
expedition,  under  General  Forrest,  in  the  latter  part  of  September 
and  the  first  of  October,  1864.     The  most   impressive  scene  of  this 


Appendix  A.  583 

expedition,  so  far  as  the  Second  Tennessee  was  concerned,  occurred 
at  Cypress  Creek,  about  two  miles  West  of  Florence,  Alabama,  on 
the  retreat.  A  detachment  of  the  Second  Tennessee  was  here  sur- 
rounded by  the  enemy,  and,  but  for  the  generalship  displayed  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Morton,  as  well  as  his  prompt  and  daring  action 
in  leading  iiis  men  out,  perhaps  the  larger  portion  of  them  would  have 
been  captured.* 

He  was  in  command  of" the  Second  Tennessee  during  the  famous 
Hood  retreat  from  Nashville  to  the  Tennessee  River,  in  December, 
1S64.  He  had  two  horses  shot  from  under  him  during  that  retreat — 
one  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  about  four  miles  north  of  Franklin,  and 
the  other  at  Richland  Creek,  a  few  miles  north  of  Pulaski. 

After  the  Hood  campaign,  the  Second  Tennessee  took  part  in  only 
two  more  actions,  near  Scottsville,  Alabama,  on  the  ist  and  2d  of 
April,  1865.  In  both  of  these  our  lieutenant-colonel  did  his  full  duty, 
and  surrendered  with  the  regiment  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  on  the 
loth  of  May,  1865.  having  served  four  years  to  a  day.  Setting  out 
for  home  immediately,  he  arrived  at  Nashville  on  the  15th  of  June, 
where,  on  the  ist  of  May  following,  he  married  Miss  Isidora  Donel- 
son,  who  was  born  at  Cross  Plains,  Robertson  County,  Tennessee,  in 
1845.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
— first,  near  Nashville,  then  at  Belleview,  and  next  at  White  Bluffs, 
which  is  his  present  place  of  business,  on  the  North-western  Railroad, 
in  Dickson  County,  some  twenty-two  miles  west  of  Nashville. 

He  has  six  sons— George  H.,  Jr.,  T.  D.,  T.  H.,  W.  L.,  J.  T.,  and 
N.  H.,  and  one  daughter,  Isidora.  At  the  reunion  of  the  Second 
Tennessee,  in  1885,  the  writer  heard  Colonel  Morton  say  :  "Boys, 
I  expect  to  be  with  you  at  every  reunion  you  have  as  long  as  I  am 
able  to  get  there."  This  shoXvs  very  clearly  that  the  men  whom  he 
had  the  honor  to  command  are  still  kindly  remembered  by  him. 
And  I  wish  to  add,  in  conclusion,  that  the  survivers  of  the  "Old 
Second"  are  equally  as  devoted  to  him.  Colonel  Morton  is  a  Mason 
and  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Honor. 

LIEUTENANT  ELI  O.   ELLIOTT, 

(lUARTERMASTER    OF    THE    SECOND    TENNESSEE. 

E.  O.  Elliott,  son  of  George  and  Mary  Elliott,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 1 2th,  1 83 1,   in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee.     He  was  educated 

■■The  balance  of  the  Second  Tennesseee  and  a  part  of  the  Seventh  were  as 
gallantly  led  out  by  Colonel  Barteau. 


584  K.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

at  and  near  Gallatin.  Farming  in  Sumner  County  was  his  occupation 
previous  to  our  late  war. 

About  the  ist  of  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
service  as  private  in  Captain  H.  B.  Sonde's  Company,  which,  on  the 
19th  of  October,  at  Eperson  Springs,  in  Macon  County,  Tennessee, 
became  Company  A  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
By  appointment,  E.  O.  Elliott  was  then  and  there  made  adjutant  of 
said  battalion,  with  the  rank  and  pay  of  lieutenant.  He  served  as 
adjutant  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  until  it  and  the  First  were  consoli- 
dated, near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862.  He  then  became 
quartermaster  of  the  Second  Tennessee. 

He  served  as  our  quartermaster  for  nearly  three  years  with  honor 
to  himself  and  entire  satisfaction  to  all  of  our  regiment,  as  well  as  his 
superior  officers.  Be  it  said  to  the  honor  of  this  noble  ofificer  that 
the  Second  Tennessee  always  had  plenty  of  forage,  if  it  could  possi- 
bly be  found.  If  forage  was  scarce  our  quartermaster  always  got 
there  in  time  to  get  a  full  share  in  the  divide.  Allen  Wylie  and  John 
Ward  were  his  able  assistants. 

E.  O.  Elliott  served  as  quartermaster  of  the  Second  Tennessee  until 
it  and  Wilson's  Regiment  were  consolidated,  about  February,  1865. 
He  was  then  sent  into  West  Tennessee  with  a  detachment  under  Cap- 
tain William  Duncan,  in  search  of  absentees  from  Forrest's  com- 
mand. He  was  engaged  in  this  service  until  the  war  closed.  He  was 
paroled  at  Columbus,  Mississippi,  about  the  14th  of  May,  1865. 
After  remaining  in  Mississippi  for  a  short  time.  Lieutenant  Elliott  went 
to  Arkansas;  but  remaining  there  but  a  short  time,  he  returned  to 
Gallatin,  Tennessee,  where  he  now  (1887)  lives,  and  is  engaged  in 
training  race-horses. 

REV.  STEPHEN  CHASTAIN  TALLEY, 

Chaplain  of  the  Second  Tennessee. 
S.  C.  Talley  was  born  in  Smith  County.  Tennessee,  on  the  27th 
of  December,  1831.  His  father,  Benjamin  Talley,  was  born  in  Buck- 
ingham County,  Virginia,  May  12th,  1798.  His  grandfather,  Charles 
Talley,  was  a  scout  under  the  Governor  of  Virginia  during  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  and  distinguished  himself  for  faithfulness  and  relia- 
bility. His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Judith  Chastain,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Chastain,*  after  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  named. 

■■"The  Chastains  were  Huguenots,  or  Protestants,  who  came  from  France  to 
enjoy  religious  liberty.     The  Talleys  were  from  England. 


Appendix  A.  585 


S.  C.  Talley  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee, 
and  attended  the  "old  field  schools"  of  the  country  some  two  or  three 
months  each  year  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  after  which  he  continued 
his  studies  at  home  by  reading  at  night  and  odd  times.  He  learned 
to  read  when  only  five  years  old;  and  when  fifteen  he  bought,  at  one 
time,  forty  dollars'  worth  of  books.  He  made  a  public  profession  of 
religion  in  July,  1849,  ^"d  shortly  afterward  united  with  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  South.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1851  and  1852 
in  traveling  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  and  studying  Church  History 
— especially  the  history  of  the  Methodist  and  Baptist  Churches.  Hav- 
ing become  satisfied  that  the  latter  were  similar  m  doctrine  and  gov- 
ernment to  those  founded  by  the  apostles,  he  united  with  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptist  Church  in  Smith  County,  Tennessee,  known  as  the 
"Harmony  Church,"  and  was  baptized  by  Elder  Henry  Roark,  in 
September,  1852. 

S.  C.  Talley  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Grigg,  daughter  of  Branch  J- 
Grigg,  on  the  19th  of  July,  1852.  Soon  after  uniting  with  the  Har- 
mony Church  he  was  made  clerk  of  that  body,  which  position  he  held 
until  the  Friendship  Church  was  organized;  he  then  served  as  clerk 
of  the  latter  Church  until  his  ordination  to  the  ministry.  He  began 
to  preach  soon  after  uniting  with  the  Baptist  Church,  but  was  not  or- 
dained to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  until  in  i860. 

He  enlisted  in  Captain  C.  L.  Bennett's  Company,  Seventh  Battalion 
Tennessee  Cavalry,  and  was  soon  after  transferred  to  Captain  J.  T.  E. 
Odom's  Company,  of  same  battalion,  in  which  he  served  as  private 
until  the  12th  of  June,  1862;  he  was  then  appointed  chaplain  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  by  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau.  He  made  a  gallant 
soldier,  both  before  and  after  being  made  chaplain.  He  was  as  ready 
to  fight  the  enemy  of  his  country  as  the  enemy  of  souls.  He  served 
as  chaplain  of  our  regiment  for  over  two  years. 

I  take  the  following  from  letters  recently  received  from  our  dear 
chaplain  : 

"Shortly  after  those  three  days  of  hard  fighting  around  Harrisburg, 
Mississippi,  in  which  so  many  of  our  noble  comrades  were  killed  or 
wounded,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  selected  by  the  Rev.  Colonel 
D.  C.  Kelley,  and  recommended  by  him  to  General  Forrest,  to  be 
sent  to  Middle  Tennessee  as  the  bearer  of  sad  tidings,  messages  of 
dying  sons  to  loved  mothers,  and  husbands  to  wives. 

' '  I  went  alone  with  about  one  hundred  letters  from  our  boys  to 
loved  ones  at  home  and  three  or  four  Southern  papers;  and  although 


586  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diaey. 

it  was  dangerous  I  pressed  forward  eagerly,  and,  after  a  number  of 
adventures  and  narrow  escapes,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  home  in  five 
days,  where  I  was  seen  by  many  of  my  old  friends  and  delivered  the 
messages  with  which  I  had  been  intrusted,  but  finally  I  was  captured 
at  S.  Carr's,  on  the  Gallatin  and  Scottsville  Turnpike — the  house 
being  surrounded  about  midnight.  I  was  carried  to  Nashville  and  kept 
there  in  the  Military  Prison,  charged  with  being  a  spy,  until  the  20th 
of  January,  1865.     I  was  then  sent  to  Fort  Delaware. 

"Having  been  exchanged,  I  arrived  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  on  the 
14th  of  February,  1865,  where  I  remained  until  the  3d  of  March,  at 
the  Stewart  Hospital.  Soon  after  my  arrival  at  Richmond  I  found  Dr. 
Menees,  our  representative  in  the  Confederate  Congress  from  Robert- 
son County,  Tennessee,  who  kindly  introduced  me  at  the  War  De- 
partment, where  I  found,  to  my  great  surprise,  that  the  Second  Ten- 
nessee Cavalry  had  not  been  officially  recognized  at  the  War  Depart- 
ment. I  asked  for  our  pay-rolls,  which  were  found  on  file ;  from  these 
it  was  learned  that  nearly  two  thousand  dollars  were  due  me  by  the 
Confederate  States  Government.  They  then,  in  order  to  legally  pay 
me  something,  officially  recognized  our  regiment  and  numbered  it  the 
Twenty-second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  and  paid  me  six  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars. 

"On  the  3d  of  March  I  obtained  a  leave  of  absence  from  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  J.  J.  Breckinridge,  for  thirty  days,  and  visited  my  rel- 
atives in  Buckingham  County.  My  great-grandfather.  Rone  Chastain, 
was  pastor  of  the  Buckingham  Baptist  Church  for  fifty  consecutive 
years.  It  was  my  privilege,  during  this  visit,  to  preach  from  the  same 
pulpit  that  he  had  so  faithfully  filled  long  before  the  Revolutionary 
War.  I  returned  to  Richmond  on  the  3d  of  April,  in  time  to  take 
the  last  train  that  left  that  city,  with  Admiral  Semmes  and  his  marines. 
I  arrived  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  with  the  blank  paroles,  on  the  9th 
of  May,  1865,  and  at  home  on  the  21st  of  May." 

The  occupation  of  Elder  S.  C.  Talley  during  the  ten  years  that  he 
remained  in  Tennessee  after  the  war  closed  was  farming,  teaching 
and  preaching.  Having  sold  his  farm  in  Sumner  County,  he  removed 
to  Ellis  County,  Texas,  in  October,  1875,  and  bought  1487  acres  of 
unimproved  land  near  Waxahachie.  For  the  next  seven  years  his 
time  was  mainly  occupied  in  opening  this  new  farm,  but  he  is  now  de- 
voting his  entire  time  to  the  ministry. 

Brother  Talley's  oldest  child  died  in  infancy.  He  has  two  sons 
(B.  B.  and  S.  C,  Jr. )  living;  and  twin  daughters  (Lucia  and  Judith  A.), 


Appendix  A.  587 


one  of  whom  died  in  1874.  Be  it  said  to  the  honor  of  Brother  Talley, 
that  he  has  never  used  intoxicating  drink,  as  a  beverage,  since  he  was 
fifteen  years  old.  He  closes  a  letter  to  the  writer,  dated  "  Waxa- 
hachie,  Texas,  March  5th,  1887,"  as  follows: 

"I  am  in  my  fifty  sixth  year,  in  fine  health,  and  thankful  that  my 
life  is  still  spared,  and  would  be  delighted  to  be  able  to  preach  again 
to  the  remnant  of  the  old  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry  and  urge  them 
to  trust  in  God  and  try  to  do  their  duty  to  Him  as  faithfully  as  they 
served  their  country,  and  they  will  be  fully  rewarded  with  a  crown  of 
victory  that  will  never  fade  aAvay." 

DR.  J.   W.   HARRISON, 

SURGEON    OF    THE    SECOND    TENNESSEE. 

J.  W.  Harrison,  son  of  James  H.  and  Emily  E.  Harrison,  was 
born  July  26th,  1830,  at  Castalian  Springs,  Sumner  County,  Tennes- 
see. 

After  completing  his  literary  course  at  Wirt  College,  in  Sumner 
County,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  at  Nash- 
ville in  October,  1852,  where  he  attended  four  courses  of  lectures, 
and,  after  practicing  for  two  years,  he  returned  to  Nashville  and  grad- 
uated in  1858,  after  which,  he  continued  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cairo,  in  Sumner  County,  until  our  late  war  broke  out. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Cox  on  the  24th  of  June,  1858.  They 
have  two  daughters,  Martha  T.   and  Mary  W. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  about  the 
I  St  of  October,  1861,  as  private  in  Captain  Ed.  P.  Tyree's  Company, 
which,  about  eighteen  days  later,  became  Company  C  of  the  Seventh 
Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry.  He  served  as  assistant  surgeon  of 
said  battalion  until  it  and  the  First  Battalion  were  consolidated,  near 
Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862.  He  was  then  made  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  Second  Tennessee.  After  serving  as  assistant  for  one 
year,  he  got  to  be  surgeon  of  our  regiment. 

Dr.  Harrison  was  kind,  generous  and  brave,  as  well  as  a  good 
physician.  He  was  ever  true  and  faithful  to  our  sick  and  wounded. 
He  would  even  run  the  risk  of  losing  his  own  life  in  bringing  our 
wounded  from  the  battlefield,  as  the  following  incidents  will  fully  show : 

During  the  action  at  Cherokee,  Alabama,  on  the  21st  of  October, 
1863,  he  went  so  near  the  enemy  with  his  ambulance  that  his  horse 
was  shot  and  balls  passed  through  his  coat  and  vest  while  bringing 
Captain  Thomas  Puryear  (Co.  G)  and  Private  J.  R.  Dickerson  (Co. 
D)  from  the  battlefield.     Both  proved  to  be  mortally  wounded. 


588  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

Near  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1864,  when  our 
regiment  had  been,  in  a  measure,  cut  to  pieces  and  were  faUing  back 
before  overwhehning  odds,  our  gallant  surgeon  having  learned  that 
Lieutenant  French,  who  was  among  the  severely  wounded,  had  not 
been  brought  from  the  field,  set  out  at  once  with  an  ambulance,  and, 
on  commg  in  range  of  the  grape  and  canister  from  the  enemy's  guns, 
the  driver  halted  and  proposed  to  turn  back.  Springing  forward  and 
seizing  one  of  the  mules  by  the  reins,  both  to  quiet  the  team  and  to 
prevent  the  driver  turning,  the  doctor  said:  "No,  we  will  not  turn 
back.  We  will  bring  Lieutenant  French  from  the  field  or  die  in  the  at- 
tempt." He,  at  the  same  time,  called  upon  our  men  to  halt  and  rally. 
Pressing  on,  he  soon  met  some  of  the  infirmary  corps  with  the  lieu- 
tenant, who  was  placed  in  the  ambulance,  and,  with  others,  carried 
back  to  Doctor  Calhoun's.  For  the  above  feat.  Dr.  Harrison  was 
highly  complimented  the  next  day  " for  gallantry  upon  the  field"  by 
General  Buford. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  1864,  our  surgeon  was  disabled  by  sunstroke 
and  sent  to  the  Cowan  Hospital  at  Okolona,  Mississippi.  Growing 
worse  and  worse,  his  physicians  finally  despaired  of  his  recovery. 
He  recovered,  however,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  officers'  ward 
in  said  hospital,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Dr.  Harrison  returned  home  on  the  5th  of  June,  1865.  He  had 
not  been  at  home  before  since  about  the  loth  of  February,  1862.  He 
has  been  practicing  his  profession  ever  since  the  war  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cairo,  Sumner  County,  Tennessee.  He  is  now  (1887)  jail  physician 
and  health  officer  of  Sumner  County,  and  has  been  magistrate  of  the 
Second  District  for  twelve  years. 

LIEUTENANT  THOMAS  C.   ATKINSON. 

T.  C.  Atkinson,  son  of  Howell  S.  and  Charlotte  Atkinson,  was 
born  March  31st,  1837,  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  at  which  place  he 
was  raised  and  educated.  He  was  in  the  regular  army  of  the  United 
States — Second  Dragoons — out  on  the  frontier  at  the  breaking  out  of 
our  late  civil  war.  When  Governor  I.  G.  Harris  called  on  Tennessee 
for  volunteers  to  repel  Northern  invasion,  Atkinson  returned  to  his 
native  city  and  enlisted  in  Captain  Frank  N.  McNairy's  Company, 
which,  soon  after,  became  Company  A  of  First  Tennessee  Battalion 
of  Cavalry.  He  served  as  private  in  said  company  until  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  First  and  Seventh  Battalions,  near  Fulton,  Mississippi, 
June  1 2th,  1S62;  and  then  and  there  he  was  elected  First  Lieutenant 


Appendix  A.  589 


of  Company  A,  Second  Tennessee.  As  the  Captain — N.  Oswell — of 
Company  A  was  captured  in  tiie  latter  part  of  1862,  and  soon  after 
bemg  exchanged,  he  was  disabled  and  discharged,  Lieutenant  Atkin- 
son was  in  command  of  his  company  the  most  of  the  time  from  the 
time  he  was  made  lieutenant  to  the  close  of  the  war.  To  mention 
the  places  where  this  officer  displayed  gallantry  would  be  to  mention 
every  action  in  which  he  took  part,  for  he  was  always  found  in  the 
front  rank. 

When  the  Second  Tennessee  was  thrown  out  to  meet  the  advance 
of  A.  J.  Smith's  army,  between  New  Albany  and  Pontotoc,  on  the 
loth  of  July,  1864,  the  lieutenant's  action  called  forth  the  following 
compliment  from  Colonel  Barteau : 

"The  conduct  of  Lieutenant  T.  C.  Atkinson  with  Company  A 
was  particularly  noticeable  here — coming  in  hand-to-hand  contact 
with  the  advance  of  the  enemy's  charge  and  emptying  three  saddles 
with  his  own  pistol.  His  conduct  seemed  to  be  much  admired  and 
applauded  even  by  the  Yankee  troops,  and  served  as  an  incentive  to 
my  own  men." 

Notwithstanding  he  was  an  indomitable  hard  fighter  he  was  not 
wounded  during  the  war,  though  he  had  a  favorite  horse  shot  from 
under  him,  but  I  cannot  now  mention  where. 

He  married  Miss  Texanna  Nicholson,  in  Okolona,  Mississippi, 
February  isth,  1865.  The  war  having  closed  he  returned  home  about 
the  last  of  May  following,  and  a  few  weeks  later  he  went  back  to 
Mississippi,  and  bringing  his  wife  to  Tennessee  he  settled  in  Nashville. 

He  was  foreman  of  the  Edgefield  and  Nashville  Manufacturing 
Company  about  sixteen  years,  and  then  for  some  time  he  held  the 
same  position  in  the  Southern  Pump  Company. 

Lieutenant  Atkinson  died  in  Nashville  on  the  the  26th  of  March, 
1887.  He  was  very  kind  and  patient  during  his  illness.  He  left  no 
children.      Plis  wife  is  still  living. 

LIEUTENANT  ANDERSON  H.   FRENCH. 

A.  H.  French  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  on  the  28th  of 
November,  1841,  where  he  was  raised  and  educated.  His  father, 
John  French,  was  born  and  raised  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  His 
mother,  Johannah  Elizabeth  (her  maiden  name  was  Branscombe),  was 
born  and  raised  in  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia — now  West  Virginia. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  our  late  civil  war  he  was  with  his  uncle,  H. 
S.  French,  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business  at  Nashville,  Tennessee. 


590  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

As  soon  as  Tennessee  seceded  he  made  a  flying  visit  to  his  parents, 
then  residing  at  his  birthplace  in  Ohio.  Remaining  at  home  but  two 
days,  he  returned  to  Nashville  and  joined  Captain  Foster's  company 
of  infantry.  After  drilling  with  this  company  for  about  ten  days,  he 
began  to  suffer  from  the  effect  of  an  injury  to  one  of  his  feet  received 
during  his  boyhood  days;  therefore  he  withdrew  from  this  infantry 
company,  by  consent  of  Captain  P'oster,  and  attached  himself  to  Cap- 
tain F.  N.  McNairy's  cavalry  company  (which  was  the  first  raised  in 
Tennessee)  on  the  23d  of  May,  1861.  McNairy's  company  soon 
after  became  Company  A  of  the  First  Battalion,  in  which  company 
French  served  as  private  for  the  first  twelve  months. 

At  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  on  the  i4tli  of  May,  1862,  he  re-enlisted 
for  "  three  years  or  during  the  war,"  and  was  made  second  lieutenant 
of  his  company,  which,  on  the  12th  of  June  following,  became  Com- 
pany A  of  the  Second  Tennessee,  which  position  he  held  until  disa- 
bled. 

About  the  15th  of  December,  1862,  Lieutenant  French  was  cap- 
tured at  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  and  carried  to  Corinth  where  he  was 
imprisoned  about  six  weeks.*  Having  been  paroled,  he  returned  to 
the  Second  Tennessee — then  encamped  near  Okolona — about  the  last 
of  January,  1863;  but  as  he  could  not  enter  the  service  until  ex- 
changed, he  went  to  Hartsville,  Tennessee,  to  visit  some  of  his  rela- 
tives who  were  then  living  at  that  place,  which  was  inside  the  Federal 
lines.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1863.  Remaining  at  Hartsville  only 
a  few  days,  he  went  to  General  Morgan's  headquarters  at  Murfrees- 
boro  where  he  found  his  exchange  papers.  After  remaining  with 
jNIorgan's  command  for  a  few  weeks — doing  some  gallant  fighting  and 
leading  some  daring  charges  near  Taylorsville,  in  Wilson  County — 
Lieutenant  French  rejoined  the  Second  Tennessee  in  North  Mississippi 
about  the  last  of  May,  1863.  On  the  20th  of  June  followmg,  the 
action  at  Mud  Creek,  Mississippi,  was  fought.  He,  being  in  com- 
mand of  the  advance  guard,  brought  on  the  engagement.  Special 
praise  is  due  him  for  the  gallant  and  daring  manner  in  which  he  stood 
his  ground  and  fought  desperately,  at  short  range,  until  the  rest  of 
our  regiment  came  to  his  support.  He  was  here  severely  wounded. 
A  ball  passed  through  his  right  arm  between  the  elbow  and  wrist, 
shivering  one  bone.  Our  assistant  surgeon,  Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison, 
went  with  Lieutenant  French  to  one  Mr.  Sam  Ward's,  who  owned  a 

•The  writer  was  captured  at  Guntown  and  taken  to  Corinth  by  the  same 

Federal  scout. 


Appendix  A.  591 


large  prairie  farm  seven  miles  south  of  Okolona,  on  the  Aberdeen 
road.  Dr.  Harrison  remained  with  the  lieutenant  about  one  month ; 
■while  the  latter  staid  at  Mr.  Ward's-''-  about  three  months;  and,  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  stay,  he  met,  at  a  wedding  in  the  neighborhood, 
a  bright,  vivacious  little  school  girl — Miss  Nellie  Holland,  of  Aber- 
deen— who  was  spending  vacation  with  some  good  friends  in  the 
country  about  one  mile  from  Mr.  Ward's.  Having  sufficiently  recov- 
ered from  his  wound  to  enter  the  service  again,  he  set  out  from  Mr. 
Ward's  in  October  to  rejoin  his  command,  then  in  North  Alabama, 
under  General  S.  D.  Lee.  He  went  by  the  way  of  Aberdeen;  and 
it  was  then  and  there  that  "little  Nell  "  promised  to  be  his  wife  "when 
the  war  was  over." 

Soon  after  rejoining  the  Second  Tennessee  in  Alabama,  he  started 
with  Captain  T.  B.  Underwood  (Company  B),  who  was  instructed  to 
take  fifty  men  and  destroy  as  many  bridges  and  trestles  as  possible 
along  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad  between  Pulaski  and  Co- 
lumbia. As  I  have  given  an  account  of  this  expedition,  under  21st 
of  November,  1863,  I  shall  only  mention  here  that  Underwood's  de- 
tachment left  the  regiment  in  Alabama  November  8th,  and  rejoined 
it  again  near  Okolona,  Mississippi,  the  21st  of  the  same  month. 

When  Forrest  fought  Smith  on  the  Okolona-Pontotoc  road,  Feb- 
ruary 2 2d,  1864,  Lieutenant  French  was  captured  late  that  evening, 
about  fifteen  miles  from  Okolona,  but  made  his  escape  about  forty- 
eight  hours  afterward  by  bribing  his  guards — two  Federals.  They 
were  captured  by  eight  or  ten  Confederates,  who  took  all  three  of  them 
to  the  woods  to  execute  them,  when  French,  by  being  a  Mason,  con- 
vinced his  captors  that  he  was  a  Confederate,  and  that  he  was  the 
■cause  of  the  Federals  leaving  their  command.  The  three  were  then 
released,  and  French  paroled  the  Federals  and  gave  them  his  watch 
and  a  check  on  his  uncle,  H.  S.  French,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  for 
one  hundred  dollars,  which  was  presented  and  paid. 

At  Fort  Pillow,  April  12th,  he  commanded  the  skirmish  line  on  the 
•extreme  right,  next  to  the  river,  above  the  fort.  Of  the  men  whom 
he  so  gallantly  led  on  that  memorable  occasion  the  Lieutenant  says: 

"Never  did  men  behave  more  bravely  and  nobly  than  did  those 
under  me;  over  half  of  them  were  killed  or  wounded  before  the  fort 
was  stormed.  AVe,"  continues  French,  "advanced  to  within  about 
one  hundred  yards  of  the  fort;  here  we  got  a  galling  fire  from  the  fort 
and  the  gunboat  in  the  river. 

*  Of  Mr.  Ward,  French  says:  "To  me  he  was  indeed  a  father,  and  his  home 
■was  my  home  for  the  remainder  of  the  war." 


592  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

"From  ten  a.  m.  until  General  Forrest  came  there  was  but  little 
change  in  our  position.  We  had  taken  shelter  behind  trees  and  logs, 
and  would  occasionally  get  a  shot  at  some  venturesome  Federal  who 
would  expose  his  head  above  the  fort. 

"At  about  half-past  one  p.  m.  General  Forrest  came  (on  foot)  and 
asked  who  was  in  command  of  the  skirmish  line,  to  which  I  replied 
by  saluting  him.  He  then  ordered  me  to  advance  my  line.  I  replied, 
'General,  that  is  death.'  He  again  ordered  me  to  move  my  line  for- 
ward. I  then  turned  to  my  command  and  gave  the  order  to  forward, 
and  at  the  same  time  started  forward.  Not  a  man  moved  from  the 
shelter,  and  well  it  was  that  they  did  not,  for  they  could  not  have 
lived  one  moment.  I  made  a  dash  for  a  log  that  was  some  ten  steps 
from  where  I  started,  and  as  soon  as  I  reached  it  I  dropped  behind  it 
and  awaited  further  orders. 

"  In  a  few  moments  orders  came  to  cease  firing,  and  soon  after  this 
order,  those  in  rear  of  me  informed  me  that  a  flag  of  truce  had  gone 
into  the  fort,  I  then  got  up,  sat  on  the  log,  and  talked  with  the 
gunners  in  the  fort.  One  of  them  asked  me  if  I  did  not  get  hit  before 
I  reached  the  log,  and  when  I  informed  him  that  I  was  not  hurt,  he 
said  that  he  would  get  me  as  soon  as  that  flag  left  the  fort.  I  there- 
fore kept  one  eye  on  it,  and  as  soon  as  it  started  out  I  again  took  my 
position  behind  the  log." 

When  the  final  charge  came,  French  admits  that  his  skirmish  line 
was  soon  in  rear  of  the  main  line.  He  then  moved  forward  and  took 
part  in  the  final  assault. 

When  the  Second  Tennessee  struck  that  heavy  ambuscade,  late  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  13th  of  July,  1864,  "ear  the  cross-roads,  two  and 
a  half  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  where  so  many  gallant 
men  fell,  either  killed  or  wounded,  Lieutenant  French,  Avhile  most 
daringly  leading  Company  A  to  the  onset,  received  a  wound  that 
closed  his  career  as  a  soldier.  A  Minie-ball  pierced  his  right  side  and 
passed  through  the  bowel  (the  colon)  and  the  top  of  his  hip  bone, 
producing,  as  our  surgeons  thought,  a  mortal  wound.  He  fell  when 
struck,  but  as  our  regiment  was  forced  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  about 
that  time,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran  until  he  became  exhausted, 
when,  luckily,  some  of  the  infirmary  corps  met  him  and  carried  him 
on  a  blanket  until  met  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Harrison  with  an  ambulance,  in 
which  he  was  carried  back  to  Dr.  Calhoun's,  two  miles  west  of  Verona, 
and  laid  on  a  blanket  in  his  front  yard.  "The  only  position,"  says 
French,  "in  which  I  could  get  to  be  at  all  bearable  was  on  my  stomach. 


Appendix  A.  593 


I  succeeded  in  findi  .g  a  small  eminence  on  the  ground  about  as  large 
as  twice  the  size  of  my  hand,  over  which  I  placed  the  entrance  of  the 
l)ullet. 

"This  had  the  effect  of  a  compress,  and  by  this  means  the  wounded 
bowel  united  by  what  is  termed  first  intention.  The  edge  of  the 
bowel  adhered  to  the  peritoneum,  the  peritoneum  to  the  wall  of  the 
abdomen,  thus  preventing  the  feces  from  getting  in  among  the  folds 
of  the  bowels."' 

Dr.  Calhoun's  family  were  acquainted  with  Lieutenant  French. 
The  Doctor's  daughter,  Miss  Sallie,  and  Miss  Nellie  Holland  were 
class  and  deskmates.  Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  that  night  Mrs. 
Calhoun  and  Miss  Sallie  went  out  into  the  yard  among  the  wounded 
and  dying  and  called  aloud  for  Lieutenant  French.  When  he  was 
pointed  out  to  them  by  Charlie  Searls  (Company  A)  they,  kneeling 
down,  gently  placed  a  pillow  under  his  head,  and  then,  with  loving 
hands,  they  brushed  back  the  hair  from  his  pale  brow,  and  each 
imprinted  an  affectionate  kiss — the  mother  for  his  mother,  and  the 
daughter  for  his  "little  Nell,"  who  had  promised  to  be  his  wife.  "To 
those  loving  acts  of  woman's  noble  nature,"  says  French,  "I  was  ob- 
livious; yet  until  life's  last  pulse  shall  beat  will  I  bless  them  for  their 
loving  kindness." 

I  know  of  no  language  by  which  to  speak  forth  the  praise  so  justly 
due  the  women  of  the  South  for  what  they  did  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
Confederate  soldiers  who  were  stricken  down  far  away  from  loved 
ones  at  home. 

A  little  after  sunrise  the  next  morning  the  lieutenant  was  taken 
into  the  house  and  placed  upon  a  mattress.  He  did  not  discover  until 
that  morning  that  his  bowel  was  torn,  and  now  realizing  the  fact  that 
his  recovery  was  extremely  doubtful,  he  requested  one  of  his  comrades 
(John  Ward)  to  go  to  Mr.  Holland's  (ten  miles  south  of  Aberdeen 
and  about  forty-three  from  Dr.  Calhoun's)  after  Miss  Nellie.  Ward 
set  out  at  once,  hoping  to  be  able  to  bring  her  to  see  French  before 
he  died. 

Mr.  Sam  Word  heard,  about  noon  that  day  (14th),  that  the  man 
whom  he  had  learned  to  admire  and  esteem  very  highly  was  mortally 
wounded.  His  daughter  (Mrs.  Captain  Harper),  starting  at  once, 
reached  Dr.  Calhoun's  (twenty-two  miles)  before  sunset.  On  being 
shown  into  the  room  where  that  gallant  and  noble  officer  was  lying, 
she  kneeled  by  his  couch  and  fervently  implored  a  merciful  Father  to 
spare  his  life.  She  sat  by  him  all  night,  praying  and  trying  to  teach 
38 


594  R.  R.  Haxcock's  Diary. 


him  of  a  home  in  the  "beautiful  beyond."  What  more  could  a  sister, 
or,  indeed,  a  mother,  have  done? 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  Dr.  Cowan,  General  Forrest's  chief 
surgeon,  said:  "It  becomes  my  painful  duty,  my  dear  lieutenant,  to 
inform  you  that  you  cannot  live  but  a  day  or  two;  if  you  have  any 
earthly  matters  to  attend  to  you  have  no  time  to  lose." 

Having  received  (by  some  mistake)  the  information  that  French 
was  dead,  Mr.  Sam  Word,  acting  from  the  impulse  of  his  noble  nature, 
ordered  a  servant  to  go  to  Aberdeen  after  a  coffin,  and  then  drive  in 
haste  directly  to  Dr.  Calhoun's.  Fearing  that  the  remains  of  his  de- 
voted friend  would  be  buried  before  he  could  reach  the  scene,  Mr. 
Word  mounted  his  horse  at  three  a.  m.  on  the  15th,  and  after  a  ride 
of  a  little  over  three  hours  he  was  at  Dr.  Calhoun's.  On  learning 
that  the  corpse  was  not  quite  ready,  the  situation  was  somewhat  em- 
barrassing, though  but  for  a  moment,  for  he  went  right  into  the  room 
where  French  was  and  talked  plainly  to  him  as  follows : 

"I  heard  last  evening  that  you  were  dead;  and,  having  decided  to 
take  your  remains  and  bury  them  in  my  own  family  burying  ground, 
I  sent  at  once  to  Aberdeen  after  a  coffin.  I  started  early  this  morn- 
ing in  order  to  reach  here  before  you  were  wrapped  in  a  blanket  and 
thrown  into  a  hole.  The  coffin  and  your  best  suit  of  clothes  will  be 
here  in  an  hour  or  two." 

When  Mr.  Word's  servant  arrived  with  the  coffin  it  was  placed  un- 
der a  bed  in  a  room  adjoining  the  one  occupied  by  French — all  think- 
ing that  it  would  be  needed  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours. 

In  less  than  an  hour  after  John  Ward  had  arrived  at  Mr.  Holland's, 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  Miss  Nellie  was  ready,  and  they  set  out 
at  once  for  Dr.  Calhoun's.  On  reaching  x\berdeen  they  were  informed 
that  the  lieutenant  was  dead — that  Mr.  Word's  wagon  was  there  after 
a  coffin — and  that  the  burial  would  take  place  at  Mr.  Word's  the  next 
day.  They  then  decided  to  remain  at  Aberdeen  until  next  morning. 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  feelings  of  Miss  Nellie  at  the  recep- 
tion of  such  heartrending  news  as  this.  She  wept  incessantly,  while 
the  tears  flowed  freely  from  "woman's  fountain  of  love." 

At  about  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  (15th),  John  Ward,  Miss 
Nellie  and  two  of  her  good  friends  (Mrs.  Stokes  and  daughter)  started 
to  Mr.  Word's,  thirteen  miles  north  of  Aberdeen.  On  reaching  Mr. 
Word's  and  there  learning  that  the  one  who  was  dearer  to  her  than 
life  itself  was  not  dead,  the  reaction  was  so  great  that  she  was  almost 
frantic  with  joy  as  she  pressed  on  to  Dr.  Calhoun's,  and  there  kneeling 


Appkndix  a.  595 


beside  her  lover,  she  wept  for  grief  and  joy — for  grief,  because  she 
found  him  so  severely  wounded,  and  for  joy,  on  account  of  finding 
him  stillalive. 

Lieutenant  French  told  his  "little  Nell"  that  he  wanted  her  to 
stay  with  him  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  that  it  would,  therefore,  be  just 
as  well  for  them  to  get  married  at  once  instead  of  waiting  until  the 
war  was  over.  To  this  she  readily  consented.  Some  delay  occurred, 
however,  from  the  fact  that  it  was  necessary  to  send  back  into  the 
county  in  which  she  resided  for  the  marriage  license. 

It  was  Sunday,  July  24th,  that  this  sweet  little  sixteen-year-old 
girl — while  kneeling  by  his  couch,  so  as  to  take  him  by  the  hand — be- 
came the  "child  wife"  of  Lieutenant  French.  And  thus  it  was  that 
"little  Nell"  became  the  Heroine  of  Harrisburg.  "Truth  is 
stranger  than  fiction." 

I  think  that  it  was  Dr.  Calhoun  who  asked  French,  about  the 
second  day  after  he  had  been  wounded,  how  he  felt.  "I  suppose," 
replied  he,  "that  I  will  have  to  die."  "There  are  fifty  chances  in 
your  case,"  continued  the  Doctor,  "and  forty-nine  of  them  are  against 
you."  "If  there  is  even  one  chance  for  me,"  quickly  replied  the 
lieutenant,  "I  will  get  it."  "If  that  is  the  way  you  feel,  the  chances 
are  reversed,  and  I  believe  that  you  will  get  well."  "  Never  from  that 
moment,"  says  French,  "had  I  any  thought  of  not  recovering." 

I  received  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  French  in  1S87,  from  which  I 
take  the  following : 

"When  I  received  the  first  wound  I  weighed  one  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  pounds,  and  became  reduced  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen; 
when  wounded  last  I  weighed  one  hundred  and  fifty-six,  and  in  forty- 
five  days  afterward  I  was  a  mere  skeleton,  weighing  only  sixty-four 
pounds. 

•'I  had  no  action  from  the  lower  bowel  for  forty-three  days,  and  all 
that  I  was  allowed  to  eat  during  that  time  was  two  tablespoonsful  of 
beef  tea  three  times  per  day. 

"I  was  in  bed  with  the  last  wound  forty-three  days,  without  being 
allowed  to  turn  over,  being  compelled  to  lie  on  my  right  side.  I  was 
confined  to  my  bed  continuously  for  four  months,  after  which  I  was 
up  and  down.  I  was  on  crutches  about  one  year,  and  the  wound  con- 
tinued to  discharge  for  nearly  two  years." 

In  speaking  of  his  family  he  says : 

"To  us  was  born  only  two  children — a  daughter  and  a  son — the 
daughter  (the  oldest)  lived  but  two  and  a  half  years,  and  the  son  only 


596  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

six  months.  From  their  mother  they  inherited  consumption,  and  be- 
side them  reposes  all  of  earth  that  remains  of  their  mother — my  'child 
wife' — my  'little  Nell.' 

"Their  resting  place,  in  the  cemetery  at  Aberdeen,  Mississippi,  is 
marked  by  a  marble  shaft  surmounted  with  a  cross,  and  a  plain  marble 
slab  on  each  grave  upon  which  is  inscribed : 

"LITTLE  NELL." 

ANNIE  BARKER. 

HUGH  McAllister. 

"There  is  just  room  enough  beside  our  youngest  for  my  final  rest- 
ing place." 

He  was  a  loving  father,  a  devoted  husband,  and  as  gallant  a  soldier 
as  ever  faced  a  foe.  In  complimenting  Lieutenant  French,  Colonel 
Barteau  says:  "I  could  always  rely  on  him  at  the  post  of  special 
danger." 

His  first  wife  died  in  the  spring  of  1873.  The  choice  of  his  second 
marriage,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  ^^^  ^''S-  M.  I.  C.  Adams,  of  Aberdeen, 
Mississippi,  which  place  has  been  his  home  ever  since  the  war  closed. 
He  is  a  veterinary  surgeon — Dr.  French — and  is  for  the  present 
(June,  1887)  practicing  his  profession  at  Birmingham,  Alabama, 
though  Aberdeen  is  still  his  home. 

LIEUTENANT  PLEAS.   A.   SMITH. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  on 
the  loth  of  November,  1841,  and  was  raised  on  the  "Ewing  Farm," 
six  miles  south  of  Nashville,  where  he  now  (1887)  lives.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  P.  A.  Smith  was  living  in  Mississippi,  engaged 
in  planting  cotton.  He  sold  out  his  interest  there  and  came  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  on  the  3d  day  of  June,  1861,  he  joined  Captain  F.  N. 
McNairy's  cavalry  company,  which  soon  after  became  Company  A 
of  First  Tennessee  Battalion,  and  on  reorganization.  Company  A, 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry.  He  served  as  private  in  Company  A 
until  the  reorganization  at  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  May  14th,  1862,  when 
he  was  elected  brevet  second  lieutenant. 

When  the  First  and  Seventh  Battalions  were  consolidated  he  was 
recommended  by  Colonel  Barteau  as  commissary,  and  acted  in  that 
capacity  for  several  months,  but  being  under  twenty- one  years  of  age 
he  did  not  receive  his  commission.  Having  rejoined  Company  A 
some  time  previous,  he  was  with  it  on  the  expedition  into  West  Ten- 
ne'^see,  under  General  Armstrong,  in  August  and  September,  1862. 


Appendix  A.  597 


He  was  in  command  of  the  sharp-shooters  at  Medon  and  Britton's 
Lane.  He  was  then  assigned  as  purchasing  ofificer  of  General  Arm- 
strong's cavalry,  which  position  he  held  until  after  the  battle  of  luka, 
Mississippi. 

By  request  of  Colonel  Barteau,  Lieutenant  Smith  rejoined  the  regi- 
ment and  assumed  the  duties  of  adjutant  of  the  Second  Tennessee 
in  October,  1862.  He  served  as  our  adjutant  until  the  spring  of 
1864,  with  honor  to  himself  and  entire  satisfaction  to  all  of  the  Sec- 
ond Tennessee. 

At  the  action  with  the  Tories,  on  the  luka-Fulton  road,  in  Otober, 
1863,  after  Colonel  Morton  was  knocked  from  his  horse,  Adjutant 
Smith  very  gallantly  led  the  Second  Tennessee,  and  so  complete  was 
the  rout  that  the  enemy  did  not  make  another  stand.  He  was  with 
Company  A  at  Paducah,  Fort  Pillow  and  Price's  Cross-Roads.  Jiist 
after  the  last  named  engagement,  or  about  the  last  of  June,  1864,  he 
Avas  assigned  to  duty  on  General  T.  H.  Bell's  staff  as  acting  assistant 
inspector-general,  where  he  remained  until  the  final  surrender  of  For- 
rest's cavalry  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  May  9th,  1865.  I"  ^"'^^  °ffi" 
cial  report.  General  Bell  complimented  his  acting  assistant  inspector- 
general,  P.  A.  Smith,  for  so  gallantly  performing  his  full  duty  during 
the  three  days'  fighting  around  Harrisburg,  Mississippi. 

During  the  war,  Lieutenant  Smith  was  identified  with  the  Second 
Tennessee,  and  was  never  on  service  out  of  the  brigade  to  which  it 
belonged.  When  the  war  closed  he  returned  home,  near  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  He  married  Miss  Martha  T.  HamiUon,  daughter  of 
lames  W.  and  Mary  E.  Hamilton,  on  the  i8lh  of  October,  1866. 
They  have  been  blessed  with  one  son,  William  E.,  and  three  daugh- 
ters, Mary  H.,  Nannie  T. ,  and  Nellie  French. 

In  September,  1885,  the  Second  Tennessee  held  its  reunion  near 
Lieutenant  Smith's  residence,  and  it  is  his  special  request  that  we 
hold  our  annual  meeting  with  him  again  in  1888.  Being  naturally 
kindhearted  and  generous,  he  enjoys  meeting  with  his  old  com- 
rades, perhaps,  as  much  as  any  other  member  of  our  regiment. 

CAPTAIN  T.   B.   UNDERWOOD. 

T.  B.  Underwood,  son  of  John  and  Parmelia  Underwood,  was 
born  in  Maury  County,  Tennessee,  September  23d,  1836.  He  lived 
on  the  farm  where  he  was  born  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He 
then  entered  school  at  the  Thompson  Academy,  in  Williamson 
County,  Tennessee.  The  Honorable  Atha  Thomas  was  principal  of 
said  institution  at  the  time.      From  there  he  went  to  Cumberland  Uni- 


598  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

versity,  at  Lebanon,  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war,  except  some  time  lost  in  teach- 
ing to  procure  means  to  keep  himself  in  school. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  T.  B.  Underwood  offered  his  services  to  his 
native  State,  for  a  period  of  twelve  months,  as  private  in  Captain 
William  Ewing's  company,  which  soon  after  became  Company  C  of 
the  First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry.  During  General  ZoUicoffer's 
first  campaign  into  Kentucky,  Underwood's  horse  was  shot  in  the 
shoulder  at  Rockcastle  Hill,  or  "Wild  Cat." 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1862,  at  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  re-enlisted  for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  At  the  same 
time  and  place  Companies  C  and  D  (Ewing's  and  Payne's,  afterward 
Duncan's)  were  consolidated,  and  T.  B.  Underwood  was  elected  first 
lieutenant  of  the  consolidated  company,  which,  on  the  12th  of  June 
following,  became  Company  B  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
After  serving  about  one  year  as  lieutenant,  his  captain,  Wm.  Parrish, 
was  made  major,  and  Underwood  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of 
Company  B,  which  rank  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war.  It  was 
he  who  was  in  command  of  a  detachment  of  fifty  men  who  were  sent 
from  our  regiment  into  Middle  Tennessee,  in  November,  1863,  to  de- 
stroy bridges  and  trestles  along  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad, 
between  Pulaski  and  Columbia.  I  shall  not  repeat  here  the  gallant 
manner  in  which  he  performed  that  duty,  but  simply  refer  the  reader 
to  the  account  previously  given  under  November  21,  1863.  It  was 
he,  too,  who  so  gallantly  led  the  Second  Tennessee  during  the  last 
day's  fighting  around  Harrisburg,  Mississippi. 

He  made  a  noble  soldier,  a  gallant  lieutenant,  and  a  daring  captain, 
and  by  kind  acts  and  generous  deeds  he  won  the  admiration  and  es- 
teem of  all  his  comrades. 

He  was  detached  from  our  regiment,  at  West  Point,  in  March, 
1865,  and  was  in  West  Tennessee  recruiting  when  the  war  closed; 
and,  according  to  orders  from  General  Forrest,  he  went  to  Columbus, 
Mississippi,  to  be  paroled.  The  captain  returned  home  about  the  ist 
of  June,  1865. 

In  1867,  Captain  Underwood  went  to  Texas;  and  in  November, 
1870,  he  returned  to  Obion  County,  West  Tennessee,  where  he  now 
(1887)  lives. 

He  married  Miss  E.  D.  Reeves  on  the  2d  of  November,  1876. 
They  have  four  children — Laura,  Iva,  George  W. ,  and  John. 

Since  the  war  his  principal  occupation  has  been  that  of  a  teacher 
of  a  literary  school. 


Appendix  A.  599 


CAPTAIN  JAMES  HARVEY  DUNCAN. 

J.  H.  Duncan,  second  son  of  Alexander  C.  and  Hannah  Duncan, 
was  born  March  loth,  1817,  in  Pulaski  County,  Kentucky.  His 
grandfather,  James  Duncan,  who  was  born  at  Culpepper  Court  House, 
in  Culpepper  County,  Virginia,  July  i8th,  1764,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  was  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Yorktown, 
Virginia,  when  Lord  Cornwallis  surrendered  to  General  Washington 
on  the  i8th  of  October,  1781;  and  in  1790  he  settled  in  Kentucky, 
Avhere  he  was  killed  the  next  year  by  the  Indians,  leaving  a  widow 
and  three  small  children.  The  oldest  was  the  Captain's  father,  who 
was  born  in  Russell  County,  Virginia,  June  30th,  1788;  the  other 
two,  William  and  .Sallie  (the  latter  became  Mrs.  McGee),  were  twins, 
and  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Kentucky,  in  1790.  After  the  war  of 
181 2,  William  setded  in  Hickman  County,  Tennessee,  where,  after 
raising  a  large  family,  he  died  in  1869. 

The  Honorable  Ralph  Williams,  the  captain's  grandfather  on  his 
mother's  side,  also  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under  General 
Greene  and  the  famous  Marion. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  educated  in  the  common  coun- 
try schools,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when  a  young  man,  and  was 
a  very  successful  contractor  for  ten  or  twelve  years  in  Lancaster,  the 
county  seat  of  Garrard  County,  Kentucky. 

In  1843  he  married  Mrs.  Fannie  Dawson,  who  died  in  1847,  leav- 
ing no  children.  He  was  married  again  in  1848  to  Miss  Louisa  B. 
Hudson,  who  was  born  in  Garrard  County,  Kentucky,  in  1830.  He 
left  Kentucky  in  1849,  ^^^d  setded  in  Davidson  County,  Tennessee, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  trading  in  horses,  mules,  and 
cattle  when  the  war  broke  out. 

J.  H.  Duncan  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  as  a  private  in 
Captain  E.  D.  Payne's  company,  which,  about  the  first  week  in  July, 
1 86 1,  became  Company  D  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cav- 
alry. About  September  following  he  was,  much  against  his  own  will, 
unanimously  elected  captain  of  Company  D,  Captain  Payne  having  re- 
signed. Captain  Duncan  served  at  the  head  of  his  company  with  the 
First  Battalion  during  the  two  campaigns  into  Kentucky  under  Gen- 
eral Zollicoffer,  who  was  warmly  attached  to  the  captain.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  latter  was  the  only  man  who  could  make  the  former 
laugh. 


600  •  E.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

After  the  action  and  defeat  at  Fishing  Creek,  Kentucky,  the  cap- 
tain fell  back  with  the  Confederate  army  through  Middle  Tennessee 
to  North  Mississippi,  where,  in  May,  1862,  the  First  Battalion  re-en- 
listed and  reorganized  and  Companies  B  and  D  were  consolidated,  and 
Captain  William  Parrish  commanded  the  consolidated  company. 

Captain  Duncan  now  returned  to  Middle  Tennessee,  and  soon 
after  joined  Wheeler's  Cavalry,*  with  which  he  did  valiant  service 
until  wounded  in  the  foot  at  Chickamauga  September  20th,  1863, 
where  he  was  captured  and  sent  to  prison  on  Johnson's  Island.  He 
was  exchanged  in  time  to  take  part  in  General  Hood's  campaign 
against  Nashville  on  the  staff  of  General  Cranberry.  He  served  on 
faithfully  to  the  close  of  the  war;  surrendered  to  General  James  Wil- 
son near  Selma,  Alabama,  and  was  soon  after  with  loved  ones  at 
home  in  the  northern  portion  of  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  to  which 
place  his  family  had  removed  in  1863.  His  occupation  after  the  war 
was  farming  and  trading  in  stock. 

Captain  Duncan  was  very  lively — always  had  an  anecdote  to  suit 
the  occasion,  and  was  a  favorite  with  all  soldiers.  He  was  a  warm 
partisan  in  all  elections,  and  was  always  a  States'  Rights  Democrat. 
He  was  a  devoted  husband  and  a  kind  and  affectionate  father.  His 
last  wife  bore  him  three  daughters — Cora  (now  Mrs.  Birthright),  Eu- 
dora  (now  Mrs.  Buchanan,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee),  and  Lizzie  (who 
died  in  1880),  and  two  sons — James  McAfee,  of  Saundersville,  Sum- 
ner County,  Tennessee,  and  Mongolia  (of  Texas). 

In  reference  to  her  father's  death  Eudora  says,  in  a  letter  to  her 
uncle,  S.  M.  Duncan: 

"Pa's  death  was  caused  by  taking  an  overdose  of  morphine 
through  mistake.  He  was  in  wretched  health,  and  went  himself  to 
Starkes'  store  in  Saundersville,  Sumner  County, f  and  purchased  a  bot- 
tle of  morphine,  thinking  it  was  quinine He  took  it  at 

ten  o'clock  a.  m.  and  lived  until  ten  at  night,  October  15th,  1873. 
Everything  that  could  be  done  was  administered  for  his  recovery,  but 
all  of  no  avail.  Brother  Jesse  Sewell  was  carrying  on  a  protracted 
meeting  at  Saundersville  at  the  time.  Pa  was  so  anxious  to  hear  the 
discourse  through,  as  he  was  a  strict  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  had  been  one  year  previous  to  his  death,  he  took  the  quinine,  as 

*He  raised  and  commanded  an  independent  company  of  scouts,  l)ut  reported 
to  Wheeler. 

tThe  captain  lived  in  Wilson  County  and  had  crossed  the  Cumberland  River 
to  attend  church  as  above  named. 


Appendix  A.  601 


he  thought,  as  a  stimulant We  never  knewuntil  after 

services  that  he  had  taken  anything,  as  ma  did  not  attend  church  that 
day.  Brother  Sewell  assisted  him  home.  He  never  spoke  but  once 
after  returning.  He  said:  'Ma,  I  cannot  be  with  you  long;  I  am  al- 
most gone, ^  then  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  never  to  wake  with  us  in  this  old, 
unreligious  world." 

The  remains  of  the  gallant  captain  were  interred  at  the  McLean 
graveyard,  in  the  first  district  of  Wilson  County. 

The  captain's  widow  is  still  (1887)  living. 

CAPTAIN  TIMOTHY  McARTY  ALLISON. 

T.  M.  Allison  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  November 
22d,  1808.  His  father,  William  Allison,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Maryland,  January  20th,  1773,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth 
Allison,  was  born  on  the  i6th  of  July,  1779,  in  Prince  George's  County, 
Maryland.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  the 
southern  portion  of  Wilson  County,  about  one  mile  from  Greenvale, 
and  five  north  of  Milton.  He  was  educated  m  the  ordinary  country 
schools. 

T.  M.  Allison  married  Miss  Sarah  McGavock  Ewing,  daughter  of 
James  and  Nancy  Ewing,  on  the  23d  of  January,  1840.  After  mar- 
riage he  lived  one  year  at  Statesville,  and  then  for  a  few  years  where 
Mr.  Hiram  Fite  now  lives,  near  Prosperity  Church.  His  father  hav- 
ing died  in  the  meantime,  he  moved  to  his  mother's,  near  Greenvale, 
where  he  lived  for  several  years. 

He  was  one  of  the  committee  who  laid  off  the  districts  of  Wilson 
County  as  they  now  are.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  of  Wilson  County 
for  one  term,  and  also  tax  collector  for  two  years. 

Having  previously  bought  a  farm  in  Cannon  County,  about  one 
mile  east  of  Auburn,  Allison  moved  to  it  in  December,  1859.  He 
and  A.  J.  Brewies  opened  a  family  grocery  store  at  Auburn  in  March, 
i860,  and  after  running  the  business  together  for  about  six  months  the 
former  sold  out  to  the  latter. 

About  the  first  of  June,  1861,  T.  M.  Allison  was  elected  to  the 
captaincy  of  the  Auburn  company,  which,  setting  out  from  Auburn  on 
the  26th,  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  for 
twelve  months  on  the  28th  of  June,  1861,  at  Nashville,  and  a  few  days 
later  became  Company  E  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry, 
with  which  Captain  Allison  served  through  the  first  campaign  into 
Kentucky,  under  General  ZoUicoffer.     On  our  second  campaign  into 


602  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


Kentucky  Captain  Allison,  with  twenty-five  of  his  company,  was  de- 
tached from  the  battalion  and  went  through  as  escort  for  our  general 
from  Jamestown,  Tennessee,  to  Mill  Springs,  Kentucky,  and  after 
remaining  at  ZoUicoffer's  headquarters  for  some  time  our  captain 
rejoined  the  battalion  at  Camp  Hall,  in  Wayne  County,  Kentucky. 
He  remained  with  the  battalion  until  it  fell  back  with  the  Confederate 
army  through  Tennessee  and  North  Alabama  into  Northern  Missis- 
sippi, and  he  was  the  only  one  of  the  original  captains  of  the  First 
Battalion  who  remained  with  it  until  the  re-enlistment  and  reorganiza- 
tion at  Jacinto,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1862.  He  then  resigned  and 
returned  to  his  home  in  Cannon  County,  Tennessee,  one  mile  east  of 
Auburn. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1862,  a  brigade  of  Federal  cavalry  passed 
through  Auburn  going  eastward,  and  halted  for  the  night  on  John  W. 
Hays'  farm.  A  detachment  of  twelve  Federals  was  sent  that  evening 
to  Captain  Allison's,  about  one  mile  distant,  for  the  purpose  of  killing 
him  if  found,  as  they  themselves  said.  Not  knowing  that  any  Fed- 
erals were  in  the  neighborhood,  the  captain  thought  when  he  first  saw 
them  coming  that  they  were  Confederates;  nor  did  he  learn  his  mis- 
take until  they  were  within  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  yards  of  his 
house,  and  he  was  then  standing  on  his  front  porch.  As  soon  as  he 
became  satisfied  that  they  were  Federals,  Captain  Allison  ran  through 
his  house,  across  the  back  yard,  and  just  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  cross- 
ing the  fence  between  his  yard  and  a  cornfield,  one  of  the  Federals 
shot  him  through  the  body,  killing  him  instantly.  His  remains  were 
buried  at  Mr.  James  Ewing's  family  burying  place. 

I  suppose  that  the  only  charge  which  the  enemy  could  have  had 
against  this  noble  and  gallant  man  was  that  of  being  an  ex-Confederate 
Captain.  Or  perhaps  the  Federal  commander  had  fears  that  the  cap- 
tain would  make  a  "bushwhacker"  if  let  live. 

Allison  made  an  excellent  captain.  He  thought  a  great  deal  of  the 
men  whom  he  had  the  honor  to  command,  and  his  chief  concern  was 
their  welfare  and  comfort.  He  was  a  kind  father,  a  devoted  husband, 
and  a  good  neighbor.  "He  was  as  good  a  neighbor,"  says  one  who 
lived  near  him,  "as  I  ever  had.  He  would  take  his  horse  from 
the  plow  to  accommodate  me  if  I  needed  a  horse  worse  than  he  did." 

Captain  Allison's  widow  died  December  21st,  1886.  Two  of  their 
children  (William  O.  and  Sarah  L.)  are  dead,  and  five  (two  sons — J. 
William  and  Timothy  P.,  and  three  daughters,  Harriet  E.,  now  Mrs. 
Barrett,  N.  Pairlee,  and  Ann  E.)  are  living. 


Appendix  A.  003 


CAPTAIN  MOSES  W.   McKNIGHT. 

M.  W.  McKnight,  son  of  Alexander  and  Anna  P.  McKnight,  was 
born  in  Cannon  County,  Tennessee,  June  2 2d,  1833.  He  received  a 
common  country  school  education  in  the  old  field  school  house  known  as 
the  "Old  Buck  Eye."  He  entered  Irving  College,  near  Cumberland 
Mountain,  Tennessee,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  at  which  school  he  grad- 
uated in  June,  1853,  paying  for  his  own  education  and  board  during 
the  time  by  dint  of  hard  labor. 

He  then  taught  school — first  at  Hill's  Academy,  near  Cainsville, 
Wilson  County,  and  next  in  Woodbury,  the  county  seat  of  Cannon 
County,  Tennessee,  during  which  time  he  read  law  under  Major  J.  L. 
Fare  and  the  Hon.  Charles  Ready,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  an 
attorney-at-law  October  20th,  1858. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Fare,  daughter  of  Major  J.  L.  Fare, 
September  20th,  1855,  ^7  whom  two  children  were  born — Sarah  A. 
(now  Mrs.  Dixon  C.  Williams)  and  Alexander  J.  (now  conductor  on 
the  Houston  and  Texas  Central  Railroad).'-'^ 

He  entered  the  Confederate  army  as  private  in  Captain  T.  M.  Alli- 
son's company,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1861.  A  few  days  after  this 
(about  the  8th  of  July,  1861)  he  was  elected  sergeant-major  of  the 
First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  in  which  position  he  served  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  battalion  for  nearly  ten  months. 

At  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1862,  Company  E 
(and  so  did  the  rest  of  McNairy's  Battalion)  re-enlisted  for  three  years 
or  during  the  war,  and  elected  M.  W.  McKnight  captain,  in  place  of 
Captain  T.  M.  Allison,  who  resigned  and  returned  home. 

On  the  reorganization  and  consolidation  of  the  First  and  Seventh 
Battalions,  his  company  became  Company  C  of  the  Second  Tennessee 
Regiment  of  Cavalry. 

He  served  as  captain  of  our  company  (C)  until  he  was  too  badly 
wounded  to  do  any  more  service.  And  he  was  not  a  mere  nominal 
captain,  but  a  good,  kind,  generous,  loving,  energetic,  brave,  daring 
captain. 

As  our  beloved  captain  has  been  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  pages,  it  is  necessary  to  add  but  little  more  here  in  reference 
to  his  military  career.       He  frequently  had  the  honor  of  commanding 

*  How  often  did  we  hear  our  dear  captain  speak  of  "Mary  and  the  babies." 
— R.  R.  PI. 


604  E.  E.  Haxcock's  Diary. 

the  regiment  in  battle  as  well  as  in  camp.  He  very  gallantly  led  the 
Second  Tennessee*  at  the  battle  of  Okolona.  He  was  wounded  in  the 
left  breast  late  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day's  battle,  but  did  not  quit 
the  field. 

At  Paducah,  Kentucky,  March  25th,  1864,  he  was  knocked  lifeless 
by  the  concussion  of  a  shell  or  the  flying  bricks  (the  shell  struck  a 
brick  chimney).  His  head  was  fearfully  crushed — the  boys  carried 
him  some  distance,  thinking  he  was  dead.  He  soon  sufficiently  re- 
covered, however,  to  be  brought  off  in  a  buggy.  He  was  first  taken 
to  Trenton,  Tennessee,  then  to  Pontotoc,  and  finally  to  Okolona, 
Mississippi.  He  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  at  the  head  of  his 
company  again  at  the  battle  of  Brice's  Cross-Roads  June  loth,  and 
during  the  exciting  pursuit  of  General  Sturgis  back  toward  Memphis. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  July  13th,  1864,  he  was  again  severely 
wounded  while  gallantly  leading  the  "Sangs,"  at  the  cross-roads,  some 
two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  Mississippi  (where  General 
Buford  ordered  Colonel  Barteau  to  attack  General  A.  J.  Smith  with 
the  Second  Tennessee,  unsupported).  He  was  wounded  between  the 
knee  and  ankle — one  bone  was  shivered.  He  was  sent  from  the  hos- 
pital near  Harrisburg  to  Colonel  J.  D.  McAllister's,  in  Aberdeen, 
Mississippi.  It  would  seem  that  he  did  not  only  suffer  from  the  effects 
of  the  last  wound,  but  also  from  a  relapse  of  the  wound  which  he  had 
received  at  Paducah  in  March  previous.  To  use  the  captain's  own 
language,  he  "was  near  death's  door  over  three  months." 

While  thus  confined  at  Aberdeen  (in  August,  1864)  Captain  Mc- 
Knight  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  cavalry,  by  order  of 
General  Forrest.  Nor  was  it  by  any  hearsay  testimony  that  the  Gen- 
eral thus  expressed  his  high  appreciation  of  the  merits  of  the  captain 
as  a  commander,  for  he  had  not  only  seen  our  captain  at  the  head  of 
his  company  in  battle,  but  he  had  also  seen  him  (the  captain)  lead  the 
Second  Tennessee  Regiment  into  action,  f  About  two  weeks  after  he 
had  been  raised  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  General  Forrest  was  in  Aber- 
deen and  took  dinner  with  McKnight's  host.  It  was  then  and  there 
that  he  told  Forrest  that  he  would  not  willingly  accept  any  promotion 
that  would  take  him  from  his  old  company,  nor  would  he  assume  any 
command  that  would  interfere  with  Colonel  Barteau  or  Lieutenant-Col- 

*  Colonel  Barteau  was  commanding  the  brigade  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mor- 
ton was  on  detached  service. 

tBe  assured  that  when  Forrest  promoted  an  officer,  he  (the  officer)  had  pre- 
viously merited  the  promotion. 


Appendix  A.  605 


onel  Morton.  Forrest  replied  that  it  would  all  be  arranged  satisfac- 
torily. But,  unfortunately,  he  was  not,  during  the  rest  of  the  war,  able 
for  field  service,  and  he  would  not  take  command  of  a  post. 

After  returning  from  the  Hood  Campaign  Forrest  gave  McKnight 
permission  to  go  to  West  Tennessee,  or  anywhere  he  desired.  Accord- 
ingly, about  the  25th  of  March,  1865,  he  left  Aberdeen  and  went  to 
West  Tennessee. 

When  Forrest's  Cavalry  surrendered  the  General  did  not  forget  our 
captain,  but  sent  his  parole  to  him  in  care  of  General  Bell. 

In  concluding  his  military  career  I  wish  to  add  that  he  was  devoted 
to  the  Sangs,  while  they  loved  him  with  almost  filial  affection.  When 
one  of  them  got  into  trouble  he  felt  that  he  had  at  least  one  true  friend 
who  would  stand  by  him  to  the  last,  and  get  him  out  of  the  trouble 
if  it  could  possibly  be  done.*  I  shall  here  relate  an  incident  as  an 
illustration  of  the  above  fact,  as  well  as  his  devotion  to  the  men  whom 
he  had  the  honor  of  commanding.  When  one  of  his  men  was  ordered 
to  be  put  under  arrest  without  a  sufficient  cause.  Captain  McKnight 
said  to  the  commanding  officer:  "My  man  has  done  no  wrofig,  there- 
fore he  shall  not  be  put  under  arrest  while  life  remains  in  my  body." 

And  to  show  that  we  are  still  kindly  remembered  by  him  I  take  the 
following  from  letters  which  I  have  recently  received  (in  1886)  from 
our  captain:  "It  was  the  pride  and  joy  of  my  life  to  be  with  the  old 
'Sangs.'  I  want  all  their  names  kept  fresh  in  my  own  memory,  as 
they  are  warmly  cherished  in  my  heart."  He  closes  one  letter  thus: 
"  Love  to  all  the  Sangs,  their  wives,  their  children,  their  widows  and 
orphans." 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  old  home,  Woodbury,  Cannon 
County,  Tennessee,  and  was  elected  President  of  the  Woodbury  Male 
and  P'emale  College,  which  institution  he  presided  over  for  about  three 
years,  and  at  the  same  time  looking  after  his  law  practice,  which  was 
good. 

In  1870  he  was  elected  Attorney-General  of  the  Seventh  Judicial 
Circuit  of  Tennessee,  which  position  he  filled  until  1878,  and  in  1880 
he  removed  to  Waxahachie,  Texas,  where  he  now  (1887)  lives  and 
has  a  splendid  law  practice. 


*And  our  cai^tain  seldom  failed. 


606  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 


LIEUTENANT  H.  L.   W.  TURNEY. 

Hugh  Lawson  White  Turkey,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Turney, 
was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Tennessee,  October  13th,  1837.  He 
was  raised  a  farmer  and  educated  in  the  ordinary  country  schools. 
After  reading  law  awhile  at  home  he  went  to  Smithville,  county  seat 
of  DeKalb,  and  had  read  law  about  one  year  under  Judge  Robert 
Cantrell  when  our  late  war  broke  out. 

He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  T.  M.  Allison's  company, 
which  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  for 
twelve  months  at  Nashville,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1861,  and  about 
seven  days  later  it  became  Company  E  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Ten- 
nessee Cavalry. 

When  our  battalion  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war, 
at  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1862,  Turney  was  made 
first  lieutenant  of  the  company  in  which  he  had  served  as  a  private 
for  nearly  one  year.  At  the  same  time  and  place  M.  W.  McKnight 
was  made  captain  of  our  company,  which,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862, 
became  Company  C  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry.  As  our  cap- 
tain, McKnight,  was  frequently  either  in  command  of  the  regiment  or 
disabled  by  wounds.  Lieutenant  Turney  was  a  good  portion  of  the 
time  in  command  of  our  company.  Among  the  many  engagements 
in  which  he  so  gallantly  led  our  company,  I  shall  mention  Cherokee, 
in  North  Alabama,  the  Tory  fight  on  the  luka-Fulton  road,  Fort  Pil- 
low, Harrisburg,  after  Captain  McKnight  was  wounded,  and  at  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee,  on  the  21st  of  August,  1864,  this  daring  officer  led 
our  company  for  the  last  time.  When  our  color  bearer,  H.  C.  Odom, 
fell,  in  front  of  the  State  Female  College,  in  the  edge  of  the  city,  Tur- 
ney sprang  to  the  rescue  of  our  colors  and  the  assistance  of  Odom, 
who  was  severely  wounded,  and  just  as  he  was  stooping  to  lift  Odom 
to  his  feet  his  right  arm  was  shivered  above  the  elbow,  and  was  after- 
ward amputated.  He  was  brought  back  to  Hernando,  Mississippi,  in 
an  ambulance,  and  left  at  Dr.  Love's,  within  two  miles  of  that  place, 
where  he  was  well  cared  for.  Thinking  that  he  was  in  danger  of  being 
captured,  he  remained  there  only  one  week.  He  then  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  to  the  vicinity  of  Okolona,  Mississippi. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  Lieutenant  Turney  went  to  Dyer  County, 
West  Tennessee,  where  he  was  engaged  teaching  school  when  the  war 
closed.     At  his  request,  his  mother  sent  his  law  books  to  him  by  Cap- 


Appendix  A.  607 


tain  McKnight.  As  soon  as  liis  school  was  out  he  commenced  read- 
ing law  agam,  and  was,  a  few  months  later,  admitted  to  the  bar  as  an 
attorney-at-law  at  Dyersburg,  the  county  seat  of  Dyer  County.  He 
visited  his  mother  and  relatives  in  Middle  Tennessee  in  the  fall 
of  1865. 

In  May,  1867,  Lieutenant  Turney  married  Mrs.  Nancy  Connel, 
who  owned  a  farm  about  one  mile  from  Dyersburg.  He  still  contin- 
ued practicing  law  at  Dyersburg  and  looking  after  his  wife's  farm  up 
to  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  i6th  of  February,  1880.  His 
wife  had  died  about  two  years  previous.  He  left  no  children.  He 
willed  his  law  books  to  the  young  lawyers  of  Dyer  County,  and  all  the 
rest  of  his  estate,  after  all  debts  were  paid,  to  his  mother,  who  is  now 
(1887)  living  in  DeKalb  County,  Tennessee.  His  father  died  before 
the  war. 

LIEUTENANT  J.   S.   HARRISON. 

J.  S.  Harrison  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  on  the 
8th  of  May,  1831.  His  father,  Edmon  R.  Harrison,  was  born  at  the 
same  place  March  i8th,  1807,  and  died  at  the  same  place  about 
August,  1 88 1.  His  mother,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Harrison  (her  maiden  name 
was  Hawkins),  was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  ist  of  May,  1805,  and  is 
still  living. 

J.  S.  Harrison  remained  on  the  farm  until  about  sixteen,  having  in 
the  meantime  commenced  his  education  in  the  ordinary  country 
schools.  Then  after  attending  Union  Academy  in  Wilson  County  for 
a.  short  time  he  was  sent  to  Alpine  College,  in  Overton  County,  where 
he  finished  his  literary  course  at  about  the  age  of  twenty.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1852,  he  commenced  reading  medicine  at  Rome,  Smith  County, 
Tennessee,  under  Dr.  J.  L.  Thompson.  After  reading  for  two  years 
he  attended  the  Medical  College  at  Nashville  in  1854  and  1855.  He 
commenced  practicing  medicine  at  Liberty,  DeKalb  County,  Tennes- 
see, in  October,  1855. 

Miss  Julia  E.  West,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  West,  was  born  in 
DeKalb  County  February  ist,  1834,  and  became  the  wife  of  Doctor 
Harrison  on  the  23d  of  December,  1856.  Remaining  at  Liberty  until 
the  breaking  out  of  our  late  civil  war.  Dr.  Harrison  had  established 
quite  a  reputation  as  a  practicing  physician.  He  was  especially  noted 
for  going  promptly  and  in  haste  to  see  his  patients.  He  made  medi- 
cal visits  to  my  father's  family,  ten  miles  from  Liberty. 

Dr.  Harrison  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  T.  M.  Allison's  com- 


608  li.  11.  Hancock's  Diary. 

pany,  which  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  State  of  Tennessee 
at  Nashville  on  the  28th  of  June,  186  r,  and  a  few  days  later  became 
Company  E  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

At  Jacinto,  Mississippi,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1862,  he  re-enlisted 
for  three  years,  or  during  the  war,  and  was  made  third  lieutenant  of 
our  company,  which,  one  month  after,  became  Company  C  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry.  Being  one  among  the  true  and  faithful, 
he  served  as  third  lieutenant  of  Company  C  from  this  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  in  nearly  every  engagement  in  which  the  Second 
Tennessee  took  part.  He  was  frequently  in  command  of  our  com- 
pany, especially  after  Captain  McKnight  and  Lieutenant  Turney  were 
permanently  disabled.  His  right  arm  was  broken  at  the  battle  of 
Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  while  gallantly  breasting  the  storm  of  grape 
and  canister,  as  well  as  the  small-arm  volleys,  which  poured  forth 
from  behind  the  Federal  breastworks  on  that  memorable  occasion. 
He  was  in  command  of  the  company  during  the  famous  Hood  Cam- 
paign in  December,  1864. 

Lieutenant  Harrison  frequently  acted  as  surgeon  of  the  Second 
Tennessee,  which  position  he  filled  with  satisfaction  to  our  sick  and. 
wounded. 

He  surrendered  with  Forrest's  Cavalry,  and  was  paroled  at  Gaines- 
ville, Sumter  County,  Alabama,  May  loth,  1865. 

On  his  return  to  Tennessee  Dr.  Harrison  located  at  Smithville, 
the  county  seat  of  DeKalb  County,  where  he  had  a  lucrative  practice 
for  about  eighteen  years.  On  the  ist  of  November,  1883,  he  removed 
from  Smithville  to  McMinnville,  the  county  seat  of  Warren  County, 
where  he  now  (1887)  resides,  and  is  still  practicing  his  profession. 
He  is  now  fifty  six  years  old,  but  active,  and  enjoys  fine  health.  He 
has  no  children. 

LIEUTENANT  GEORGE  LOVE. 

George  Love,  son  of  James  F.  and  Maria  Love,  was  born  October 
i8th,  1835,  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  five  miles  north  of  Galla- 
tin. He  was  raised  on  the  farm,  and  educated  at  the  Wallace  School- 
house,  near  his  father's  residence. 

When  about  eighteen  years  old  he  commenced  business  as  a  clerk 
for  William  Moore,  who  kept  a  family  grocery  at  Gallatin.  After 
clerking  for  Mr.  Moore  for  about  two  years,  he  was  next  a  clerk  in 
Parker  &  Holder's  dry  goods  house  for  about  three  years.  He  went 
from  Gallatin  to  Nashville  in    1858,  and  did  business  there  for  John 


Appendix  A.  609 


Ramage  &  Son  {boot  and  shoe  business)  until  the  breaking  out  of  our 
late  war. 

George  Love  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  Second  Lieutenant 
in  Captain  H.  B.  Boude"s  company,  which,  on  the  19th  of  October, 
1 86 1,  became  Company  A  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee 
Cavalry.  He  served  as  second  lieutenant  under  Captain  Boude 
until  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 

Near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862,  Boude's  and 
Tyree's  companies  were  consolidated,  and  William  T.  Rickman  was 
made  captain,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  made  first  lieu- 
tenant of  this  consolidated  company,  which,  at  the  same  time  and 
place,  became  Company  D  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

After  passing  through  many  hard-fought  battles,  always  doing  his 
full  duty.  Lieutenant  Love  fell,  mortally  wounded,  while  so  daringly 
breasting  the  missiles  of  death  at  Fort  Pillow  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1864.  Being  rather  retiring  and  unassuming,  though  generous,  kind, 
and  obliging,  he  had  won  many  friends,  and,  therefore,  he  was  much 
missed  and  greatly  lamented,  not  only  by  his  own  company,  but  all  of 
the  regiment. 

I  take  the  following  from  the  Manuscript  Notes  of  Colonel  Barteau: 

"A  singular  instance  of  a  premonition  of  death  occurred  in  the 
case  of  Lieutenant  Love.  As  an  officer,  he  was  popular  with  his 
men,  and  always  calm  and  fearless  at  the  post  of  duty.  Li  the  morn- 
ing he  called  several  of  his  company  around  him  and  told  them,  in  a 
quiet  manner,  that  he  should  be  killed  that  day.  He  gave  directions 
for  the  disposal,  among  the  command,  of  his  horse  and  little  posses- 
sions, arranged  for  the  payment  of  his  small  debts,  and  wrote  a  fare- 
well letter  to  his  orphan  sister,  living  at  Gallatin,  Tennessee. 

"He  led  his  company  on,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  was  laid  low  by  a 
canister  shot  from  one  of  the  enemy's  guns.  We  buried  him  the  next 
morning.  His  memory  lives  in  the  hearts  of  all  his  surviving  com- 
rades, and  the  regiment  could  boast  of  no  braver  soldier  or  better 

man." 

LIEUTENANT  F.   WILLL-VM  YOUREE. 

"Bill"  Youree,  son  of  A.  P.  and  M.  A.  Youree,  was  born  De- 
cember nth,  1838,  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  two  and  a  half 
miles  east  of  Gallatin.  He  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  educated  at 
the  Male  College  in  Gallatin.  On  the  15th  of  August,  i860,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Fannie   M.  Youree,  daughter  of  W.   C.  and  Catherine  R, 

Youree. 
39 


6i0  K.  K.  Hancock's  Djaky. 

F.  W.  Youree  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  private  in  Cap- 
tain E.  P.  Tyree's  company,  which,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1861, 
became  Company  C  of  the  Seventh  BattaHon  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
On  the  1 2th  of  June,  1862,  Tyree's  and  Boude's  companies  were  con- 
solidated, and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  made  second  lieutenant  of 
this  consolidated  company,  which  then  became  Company  D  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry.  He  served  as  second  lieutenant  for 
about  two  years.  After  Lieutenant  George  Love  was  killed  at  Fort 
Pillow,  Youree  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenancy,  which  position  he 
held  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Much  praise  is  due  Lieutenant  Youree 
for  the  gallant  manner  in  which  he  led  Company  D  during  the  last  two 
days'  fighting  around  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  14th  and  15th  of  July, 
1864.  As  the  command  passed  Corinth  in  November,  1864,  on  the 
way  to  join  General  Hood  at  Florence,  Alabama,  the  lieutenant  was 
granted  a  leave  of  absence  for  a  few  days  to  visit  his  wife,  who  was 
then  sick  at  Verona,  Mis.sissippi.  When  he  rejoined  the  regiment  in 
Middle  Tennessee  his  company  (D)  had  been  detached  and  sent  into 
Sumner  County  to  tear  up  the  railroad,  so  he  remained  with  the  regi- 
ment until  his  company  returned. 

Lieutenant  Youree  was  with  the  regiment  during  the  final  campaign 
into  Central  Alabama,  and  surrendered  with  it  at  Gainesville,  Ala- 
bama, and  was  paroled  May  loth,  1865,  reaching  home  in  Sumner 
County  by  the  last  of  the  month.  After  remaining  on  the  farm  about 
three  years  he  built  a  towboat,  "Katie  Vertrees,"  at  Nashville.  He 
used  her  in  the  Cumberland  River  and  tributaries  for  three  years. 
He  then  built  the  "CaneyFork,"  at  Paducah,  Kentucky,  which  he 
used  between  that  place  and  the  Upper  Cumberland  about  two  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  his  farm,  two  and  a  quarter  miles  east  of 
Gallatin,  where  he  now  (1887)  lives. 

Lieutenent  Youree's  wife  spent  nearly  three  years  of  the  war  in 
North  Mississippi,  and  did  valuable  service  in  waiting  on  the  sick  and 
wounded.  She  made  out  nearly  all  the  muster  rolls  for  Company  D. 
On  attempting  to  return  home  just  before  the  war  closed  she  was 
arrested  by  the  Federals  and  put  in  the  penitentiary  at  Nashville, 
charged  with  being  a  spy.  Her  friends,  however,  soon  succeeded  in 
having  her  released. 

They  have  three  sons,  William  C,  F.  W.,  Jr..  and  Thomas  P., 
and  one  daughter,  Anna  L. 


Appendix  A.  611 


LIEUTENANT  J.   M.   CANTRELL. 

John  M.  Cantrell,  son  of  William  and  Sarah  Cantrell,  was  born 
December  29th,  1833,  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  seven  miles 
south-west  of  Gallatin.  He  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  educated  in 
the  country  schools  and  at  the  Male  College  in  Gallatin. 

In  1850  he  went  to  Quincy,  Gadsden  County,  Florida,  where  he 
spent  one  year  hunting  and  four  farming,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  native  county.  He  married  Miss  M.  E.  Absten.  daughter  of 
Merry  C.  and  Mary  A.  Absten,  in  Sumner  County,  on  the  28th  of 
December,  1859. 

J.  M.  Cantrell  enlisted  as  private  in  Captain  Boude's  company, 
which,  in  October,  1861,  became  Company  A  of  the  Seventh  Battal- 
ion, and  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862,  it  became  Company  D  of  the  Sec- 
ond Tennessee  Cavalry. 

As  a  compliment  for  past  services,  his  comrades  made  him  second 
lieutenant,  about  May,  1864.  This  was  after  F.  W.  Youree  had 
been  promoted  to  first  lieutenancy  in  the  same  company. 

Lieutenant  Cantrell  made  a  splendid  officer,  and  stood  high  in  the 
estimation  of  his  company,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  regiment.  He 
was  wounded  in  the  thigh  at  Harrisburg  July  14th,  1864,  while  boldly 
•end^voring  to  gain  the  Federal  stronghold.  On  the  8th  of  November, 
1864,  when  the  Second  and  a  part  of  the  Seventh  Tennessee  were 
surrounded  at  Martin's  Bluff,  on  Cypress  Creek,  two  and  a  half  miles 
west  of  Florence,  Alabama,  Lieutenant  Cantrell's  horse  was  shot  from 
under  him  as  we  were  cutting  our  way  out  through  the  Federal  lines, 
though  he  made  good  his  escape,  unhurt,  save  the  stun  caused  by  the 
fall. 

After  serving  on  faithfully  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  laying  down 
his  arms  for  the  last  time  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  May  loth,  1865, 
Lieutenant  Cantrell  returned  home  and  commenced  farming  in  Sumner 
County.  Soon  after  the  war  closed  he  removed  to  Washington  County, 
Mississippi,  and  raised  two  cotton  crops  there,  after  which  he  moved 
back  to  his  native  county  and  State,  where  he  now  (1887)  lives.  In 
August,  1880,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Sumner  County,  and  was  re- 
elected twice;  his  last  term  of  office  expired  in  August,  1886.  One 
of  his  old  comrades,  Lieutenant  T.  R.  Love,  and  his  son,  Willie, 
were  his  deputies.  It  is  said  that  Sumner  County  has  never  had  a 
sheriff  who  did  his  duty  more  faithfully  nor  gave  more  general  satis- 


612  K.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

faction  than  did  our  comrade,  Cantrell.  He  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  his  wife  about  1885.  He  has  two  children — a  son  (Willie  E.) 
and  daughter  (Mary). 

LIEUTENANT  EDWARD  J.   BULLOCK. 

E.  J.  Bullock,  son  of  James  T.  and  Mildred  G.  Bullock,  was- 
born  in  Clark  County,  Kentucky,  on  the  23d  of  October,  1833,  and 
he  was  raised  and  educated  in  the  same  county.  He  was  a  worthy 
son  of  a  noble  sire.  The  Bullocks  were  among  the  best  families  of 
Kentucky.  Ed.  was  trading  in  horses  when  the  war  broke  out.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  at  Gallatin,  Tennessee,  as  a  private 
in  Captain  Boude's  company,  which,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1861, 
became  Company  A  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry, 
and  on  the  12th  of  June,  1862,  it  became  Company  D  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  Cavalry.  I  think  it  was  in  the  latter  part  of  1863  or  the 
early  part  of  1864  that  he  was  made  third  lieutenant  in  Company  D. 

Lieutenant  Bullock  was  an  excellent  soldier,  and  did  valiant  service 
both  as  private  and  officer.  After  passing  through  many  hard-fought 
battles  unhurt,  he  fell,  severely  wounded  in  the  leg,  while  gallantly 
assisting  in  leading  his  company  against  fearful  odds  at  Old  Town 
Creek,  about  three  miles  north  of  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  just  before 
sunset  on  the  15th  of  July,  1864.  He  was  captured  and  carried  to  a 
house  on  the  north  side  of  said  creek,  where  the  Federal  surgeons 
amputated  his  leg.  He  fell  into  our  hands  again  the  next  day,  and  a 
few  days  later  this  noble,  daring,  and  gifted  young  officer  quietly 
breathed  his  last,  and  his  remains  were  interred  near  Harrisburg.  He 
was  much  beloved,  and  greatly  lamented  by  all  of  his  comrades. 


LIEUTENANT  JAMES  KNOX  DODD. 

L  K.  DoDD,  son  of  William  and  Matilda  A.  Dodd,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 2ist,  1839,  near  Bloomington,  Monroe  County,  Indiana.  His 
father  was  born  in  Bedford. County,  Tennessee,  and  after  remaining 
in  Indiana  but  a  short  time  he  (William  Dodd)  moved  back  to  Ten. 
nessee,  and  settled  in  Sumner  County,  two  miles  north  of  Gallatin, 
where  J.  K.  Dodd  was  raised  on  the  farm.  He  was  educated  mainly 
in  public  schools — attending  the  Male  College  at  Gallatin  only  one  ses- 
sion. He  entered  the  Confederate  service  in  Captain  Boude's  com- 
pany, which  became  Company  A  of  the  Seventh  Battalion,  and  Com- 
pany D  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

J.   K.  Dodd  was  slightly  wounded  at  Medon,  Tennessee,  August 


Appendix  A.  613 


31st,  1862.  While  an  independent  scout  he  was  captured  near  New 
Albany,  Mississippi,  about  the  i8th  of  August,  1863,  by  Colonel 
Grierson's  expedition,  and  sent  to  Alton,  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
about  five  or  six  months.  He  was  exchanged  at  City  Point,  Virginia, 
and  after  halting  near  Richmond  about  five  weeks,  on  account  of  small- 
pox, he  rejoined  the  regiment  at  Okolona,  Mississippi.  He  was  shot 
through  the  thigh  at  Fort  Pillow,  April  12th,  1864. 

After  that  gallant  and  gifted  young  officer,  Ed.  Bullock,  was  mor- 
tally wounded  at  Old  Town  Creek,  July  15th,  1864,  J-  K.  Dodd  was 
elected  third  lieutenant  of  Company  D,  which  position  he  held  until 
the  war  closed.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  Lieutenant  Dodd  did  his  duty 
faithfully  to  the  end,  and  surrendered  with  the  regiment  at  Gainesville, 
Alabama,  May  loth,  1865,  and  about  fifteen  days  later  he  was  with 
"loved  ones  at  home,"  in  old  Sumner,  where  he  has  been  farming 
ever  since. 

Lieutenant  Dodd  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Sumner  County  in  August, 
1874,  and  was  re-elected  in  '76  and  '78;  his  last  term  of  office  expired 
in  1880.  Two  of  the  "Old  Second,"  J.  K.  Dodd  and  J.  M.  Cantrell, 
made  as  good  sheriffs  as  Sumner  has  ever  had. 

The  former  married  Miss  Florence  Wood,  daughter  of  John  and 
Darthulia  Wood,  on  the  22d  of  December,  188 1.  They  have  one 
•daughter — Mary. 

CAPTAIN  GEORGE  EDWARD  SEAY. 

G.  E.  Seay  was  born  in  Hartsville,  Tennessee,  then  Sumner 
County,  but  now  the  county  seat  of  Trousdale  County.  His  father, 
Edward  T.  Seay,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Mary  B.  Seawell.     She  was  a  native  Tennessean. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  Hartsville  and  Cumber- 
land University,  Lebanon,  Tennessee.  He  graduated  at  the  latter 
school  in  June,  i860.  Having  decided  to  make  the  law  his  profession 
he  entered  the  Law  School  at  Lebanon,  where  he  remained  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  Hartsville  and  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Captain  D.  L.  Goodall's  company,  which,  on  the  5th  of 
May,  1 86 1,  became  Company  H  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Infantry, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Wm.  B.  Bate.  Captain  Goodall  was  made 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  William  Henry  was  elected  to  the  captaincy 
of  Company  H.  Bate's  regiment  went  at  once  to  Virginia,  where  it 
remained  until  February,  1862,  when  it  re-enlisted  for  three  years  or 
"during  the  war,"  and  was  transferred  to  the  army  in  Tennessee, 
under  General  A.  S.  Johnston. 


614  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diaky. 

In  the  latter  part  of  March,  1862,  Geo.  E.  Seay  was  regularly 
transferred  to  Captain  C.  L.  Bennett's  company  (B)  of  the  Seventh 
Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  as  a  private  until 
the  reorganization  of  the  company,  near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  i2th^ 
1862.  He  was  then  elected  first  lieutenant,  and  W.  A.  DeBow  cap- 
tain, and  at  the  same  time  his  company  became  Company  E  of  the 
Second  Tennessee  Cavalry.  He  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany E  for  nearly  three  years.  During  the  time  he  frequently  acted 
as  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  and  was  also  many  times  in  command  of 
his  company  while  Captain  DeBow  was  either  in  command  of  the  reg- 
iment or  absent  from  some  other  cause. 

Soon  after  the  first  assault  upon  the  Federal  works  at  Harrisburg, 
Mississippi,  July  14th,  1864,  Lieutenant  Seay  found  himself  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  all  of  his  superiors  present  having  been  killed,, 
wounded,  or  disabled.  Though  but  a  lieutenant,  he  here  proved  him- 
self fully  competent  to  command  a  regiment.  It  was  here,  too,  that  a 
ball  passed  through  his  canteen,  struck  his  watch  and  glanced  off.  No 
doubt  but  that  his  canteen  and  watch  saved  him  from  being  either 
killed  or  severely  wounded  at  Harrisburg. 

When  General  Forrest  was  retreating  from  Middle  Tennessee,  the 
I  St  of  October,  1864,  Lieutenant  Seay,  who  had  been  sick  for  several 
days,  was  left  at  a  house  by  the  wayside  to  die.  In  place  of  dying, 
however,  he  was  able  to  ride  again  in  about  three  weeks.  He  and 
Chilton  Allen,  who  had  waited  on  him  during  his  illness,  then  set  out 
for  home  near  Hartsville.  Finding  that  it  would  be  very  dangerous 
for  them  to  go  home  they  stopped  for  several  days  on  an  island  in  the 
Cumberland  River  near  Hartsville,  where  their  friends  and  relatives 
visited  them.  I^earning  in  the  meantime  that  General  Forrest  had 
gone  into  West  Tennessee,  the  lieutenant  and  his  companion  set  out 
to  rejoin  their  command  there.  On  making  their  way  through  the 
Federal  lines  without  any  mishap,  and  crossing  the  Tennessee  River, 
they  learned  that  Forrest  had  burned  the  Federal  supplies  and  boats  at 
Johnsonville,  and  was  then  on  his  way  to  join  General  Hood  at  Flor- 
ence, Alabama.  They  caught  up  with  the  Second  Tennessee,  how- 
ever, before  reaching  that  place. 

George  E.  Seay  continued  to  serve  as  first  lieutenant  until  our 
regiment  and  Colonel  Wilson's  were  consolidated  in  March,  1865, 
when  he  was  elected  captain  of  his  company,  which  became  Company 
B  of  the  new  organization.  At  the  same  time  W.  A.  DeBow,  the 
former  captain  of  this  company,  was  promoted  to  major. 


I  Appendix  A.  615 

Captain  Seay  commanded  Company  B  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  paroled  with  our  regiment  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  May  loth, 
1865.  He  returned  home  about  the  last  of  May.  He  married  Miss 
Mary  Lauderdale  on  the  14th  of  August,  1865,  and  commenced  prac- 
ticing law  about  the  same  time. 

Having  been  elected  over  two  opponents,  Captain  Seay  represent- 
ed the  counties  of  Sumner,  Smith,  and  Macon  in  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1870,  which  framed  the  present  Constitution  of  the 
State  of  Tennessee.  During  the  same  year  he  removed  from  Harts- 
ville  to  Gallatin,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 

In  August,  1878,  he  was  elected  Chancellor  of  the  Sixth  Chancery 
Division,  defeating  Judge  B.  J.  Tarver  by  a  handsome  majority.  As 
to  how  faithfully  and  honestly  our  comrade,  George  E.  Seay,  discharged 
his  duty  as  judge  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  he  was  re-elected  in 
August,  1886,  over  the  Hon.  Charles  R.  Head  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  This  shows  the  general  satisfaction  which  his  first  term  of 
judgeship  gave  to  the  people  of  the  Sixth  Chancery  Division.  His 
present  term  expires  the  ist  of  September,  1894.  While  on  the 
bench  it  is  Judge  Seay,  but  when  he  steps  down  from  that  exalted  po- 
sition he  is  that  same  kind-hearted,  sociable,  familiar  ''George'"  that  he 
was  when  he  mixed  and  mingled  with  his  comrades  around  the  camp 
fire  in  days  of  yore.  No  man  is  prouder  of  the  record  made  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  Confederacy  than  Judge  Seay,  and  his  old  comrades 
have  a  warm  place  in  his  heart  and  memory. 

The  Judge  has  an  interesting  family,  which  is  composed  of  a  wife 
and  six  children,  three  sons  (Edward  T.,  Harry  L.,  and  Dero  E.)  and 
three  daughters  (Clara  L.,  now  Mrs.  Frank  Wheat,  of  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, Annie,  and  Katie  Lee). 

LIEUTENANT  THOMAS  J.   CARMAN. 

T.  J.  Carman,  son  of  Caleb  and  Elizabeth  Carman,  was  born 
March  7th,  1842,  in  Smith  (now  Trousdale)  County,  Tennessee,  two 
and  a  half  miles  south-east  of  Hartsville.  After  attending  country 
schools  until  he  was  about  fourteen  years  old,  he  entered  the  Harts- 
ville Male  Academy,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  mustered  into  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice at  Hartsville  as  second  sergeant  of  Captain  C.  L  Bennett's  com- 
pany, which,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1861,  became  Company  B  of  the 
Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalrv.      He  served  as  second   st  r- 


6-  !  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

geant  until  the  reorganization  of  his  company,  near  Fulton,  Missis- 
sippi, on  the  1 2th  of  June,  1862,  when  he  was  elected  third  lieuten- 
ant of  his  company,  which  at  the  same  time  became  Company  E  of 
the  Second  Tennessee. 

Lieutenant  Carman  discharged  his  duty  fully  and  faithfully.  He 
was  always  ready  and  willing  to  go  wherever  and  whenever  duty  called. 
He  gallantly  led  Company  E  at  the  storming  of  Fort  Pillow,  and  he 
was  in  command  of  his  company  during  the  Hood  Campaign  when 
the  Second  Tennessee,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  had 
so  much  hard  fighting  to  do. 

When  our  regiment  was  consolidated  with  Colonel  Wilson's  Regi- 
ment in  March,  1865,  Carman  was  promoted  to  the  first  lieutenancy 
of  his  company,  in  which  capacity  he  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  surrendered  with  the  Second  Tennessee  and  was  paroled  at  Gaines- 
ville, Alabama,  May  loth,  1865,  and  returned  home  by  the  last  of  the 
month.  He  has  been  farming  ever  since  the  war  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  south-east  of  Hartsville. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  A.   BRINKLEY. 

J.  A.  Brinkley,  son  of  James  and  Martha  J.  Brinkley,  was  born  in 
Granville  County,  North  Carolina.  His  father  moved  to  Sumner 
County,  Tennessee,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  his  third 
year.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  a  few  miles  north  of  Gallatin,  and  was 
educated  in  the  old  field  schools  of  Sumner. 

J.  A.  Brinkley  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  second  sergeant 
in  Captain  M.  T.  Griffin's  company,  which,  on  the  19th  of  October, 
1 86 1,  became  Company  D  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee 
Cavalry.  He  served  as  second  sergeant  until  the  reorganization  of 
his  company  near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862,  when  he  was 
made  captain  of  his  company,  which,  at  the  same  time,  became  Com- 
pany F  of  the  Second  Tennessee.  He  held  the  position  of  captain 
from  this  time  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  made  an  excellent  captain, 
too,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  men  whom  he  had  the  honor  to 
command. 

Notwithstanding  Captain  Brinkley  so  gallantly  led  his  company  on 
so  many  hard-fought  fields,  he  was  not  seriously  wounded  during  the 
war,  though  he  was  disabled  for  a  few  weeks  from  the  effect  of  a  sun- 
stroke which  he  received  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  13th  of  July, 
1864,  and  his  horse  was  shot  from  under  him  in  some  action,  but  I 
cannot  now  name  the  place. 


Appendix  A.  63  f 


Captain  Brinkley  surrendered  with  the  regiment  at  Gainesville, 
Alabama,  and  was  paroled  May  loth,  1865.  After  halting  for  a  few 
days  in  North  Mississippi,  he  returned  home,  in  Sumner  County,  Ten- 
nessee, in  June.  In  a  few  weeks,  hovvever,  he  returned  to  Mississippi 
and  married  Miss  Mary  McMillen,  of  Plantersville,  Itawamba  County. 
The  captain  brought  his  wife  to  Tennessee,  and  resided  in  Sumner 
County  until  1868.  Then  going  back  to  Mississippi  again,  he  settled 
near  Verona,  in  what  is  now  Lee  County,  where  he  has  been  farming 
ever  since.  He  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  wife  in  May,  1882.  The 
choice  of  his  second  marriage,  about  1884,  was  Miss  Eola  Gibson, 
with  whom  he  now  (1887)  lives  near  Verona. 

Captain  Brinkley  has  two  sons,  William  A.  and  Robert  Lee  (the 
latter  is  dead),  and  four  daughters,  Martha  F.,  Nancy  E.,  Maggie  A., 
and  Evie. 

LIEUTENANT  JAMES  T.  AUSTIN. 

J.  T.  Austin,  son  of  John  and  Rhoda  Austin,  was  born  April  22d, 
1838,  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  about  seventeen  miles  north- 
west of  Gallatin,  where  he  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the 
country  schools. 

He  married  Miss  Malinda  S.  Brinkley,  a  sister  to  Captain  John  A. 
Brinkley,  May  23d,  1858. 

J.  T.  Austin  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  as  private  in  Cap- 
tain M.  T.  Griffin's  company,  which  on  the  19th  of  October,  1861, 
became  Company  D  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
He  was  made  orderly  sergeant  of  said  company  in  March,  1862, 
which  position  he  held  up  to  the  reorganization  in  June  following, 
when  he  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  his  company,  which  at  the 
same  time  became  Company  F  of  the  Second  Tennessee.  He  served 
as  first  lieutenant  from  June  12th,  1862,  to  the  close  of  the  war,  with 
honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  company. 

Lieutenant  Austin  was  severely  wounded  in  the  left  thigh  while 
pressing  forward  in  the  front  rank,  at  Birmingham,  Mississippi,  on  the 
24th  of  April,  1863.  It  was  three  or  four  months  before  he  was  able 
for  duty  again.  While  gallantly  leading  Company  F,  near  the  cross- 
roads, two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  late  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  13th  of  July,  1864 — where  so  many  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  fell,  either  killed  or  wounded — Lieutenant  Austin  was  again 
severely  wounded  in  the  right  shoulder,  from  the  effect  of  which  he 
•was  disabled  for  about  two  months. 

After  recovering  from  this  last  wound,  he  served  on  faithfully  to 


618  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  paroled  at  Gainesville,  Alabama,  Maj-^ 
loth,  1865.  On  the  23d  he  returned  to  that  dear  spot — home — in 
Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  where  he  has  been  farming  ever  since. 
He  was  deputy  sheriff  for  six  years — from  August,  1874,  to  August, 
1880 — under  J.  K.  Dodd.  His  wife  is  still  (1887)  living.  They  have 
two  childeren — a  son  (Gustavus  H.)  and  a  daughter  (Maggie  Lee). 

LIEUTENANT  JOHN  ERVIN  DENNING. 

J.  E.  Denning,  son  of  James  and  Mary  G.  Denning,  was  born  at 
Fountain  Head,  Sumner  County,  West  Tennessee,  December  24th, 
1839.  He  first  attended  school  at  Fountain  Head,  after  which  he 
entered  the  Male  College  at  Gallatin,  where  he  remained  for  several 
sessions.  He  finished  his  literary  course  at  Caledonia,  Henry  County, 
West  Tennessee.  On  returning  to  Fountain  Head,  he  commenced 
studying  medicine  under  Dr.  E.  Dyrum.  His  father  died  on  the  12th  of 
January,  i860;  his  mother  is  still  (1887)  living  at  Fountain  Head. 
He  was,  at  the  breaking  out  of  our  late  war,  studymg  medicine  as 
above  mentioned,  and  at  the  same  time  looking  after  his  mother's  farm. 

J.  E.  Denning  enlisted  at  Gallatin  as  a  private  in  Captain  William 
B.  Bate's  company,  which  on  the  5th  of  May,  1861,  became  Com- 
pany I  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Infantry.  Captain  W.  B.  Bate  was 
elected  colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  J.  P.  Tyree  was  elected  captain 
to  fill  vacancy  in  Company  I.  Bate's  regiment  was  immediately  sent 
to  Virginia,  where  Denning  served  with  it  until  the  first  of  February, 
1862.  The  regiment  then  re-enlisted  for  "three  years  or  during  the 
war,"  and  was  granted  a  furlough  for  sixty  days.  On  reaching  Mur- 
freesboro,  Tennessee,  Bate's  men  met  the  retreating  Confederates  on 
their  way  to  Corinth,  Mississippi.  It  was  here  that  Denning  succeeded 
in  getting  a  transfer  from  Bate's  regiment  to  Captain  Griffin's  com- 
pany (D)  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

After  going  on  home  and  remaining  at  Fountain  Head  and  vicinity 
for  about  three  weeks.  Denning  rejoined  the  Seventh  Battalion  near 
Corinth.  He  served  as  private  in  Captain  Griffin's  Company  until  the 
Seventh  Battalion  re-enlisted,  reorganized,  and  was  consolidated  with 
the  First,  near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862.  He  was  then 
elected  second  lieutenant  of  his  company,  which  became  Company  F 
of  the  Second  Tennessee,  in  which  position  he  served  for  two  years 
and  one  month. 

Lieutenant  Denning  made  an  excellent  officer  and  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  of  our  regiment.      He  was  always  ready  and  willing  to 


AiPENinx  A.  61^ 


go  wherever  duty  called,  however  great  the  danger.  After  he  had 
passed  through  many  engagements  with  the  enemy  unhurt,  he  visited 
home,  for  the  last  time  as  it  proved,  in  January  or  February,  1864. 
He  appeared  now  to  have  a  premonition  of  his  impending  fate.  On 
leaving  home  at  other  times  he  had  never  seemed  to  apprehend  any 
danger  but  what  he  would  return  agam,  but  on  leaving  home  this  time 
he  told  his  mother  that  he  never  expected  to  see  home  any  more.  He^ 
rejoined  his  company,  however,  and  passed  through  the  actions  at  Pa- 
ducah,  Fort  Pillow,  and  Price's  Cross-Roads  unhurt. 

His  captain,  J.  A.  Brinkley,  was  disabled  by  sunstroke  on  the  eve 
of  the  13th  of  July,  1864,  and  the  first  lieutenant,  J.  T.  Austin,  was 
severely  wounded.  This  left  Lieutenant  Denning  in  command  of 
Company  F.  The  battle  of  Harrisburg,  Mississippi,  was  fought  the 
next  day.  Before  going  into  action  that  morning  he  went  to  one  Mr. 
Trice's,  who  lived  hard  by,  and  in  conversation  with  his  daughter  the 
lieutenant  coolly  and  quietly  remarked  that  he  expected  to  be  killed 
that  day.  Miss  Trice  tried  to  laugh  him  out  of  such  an  idea,  and  said, 
"  You  are  too  gallant  a  soldier  to  have  such  thoughts."  He  replied, 
"It  is  too  serious  a  matter  to  make  a  joke  of."  After  handing  twa 
watches  to  Miss  Trice  to  take  care  of  for  him,  and  putting  on  his  best 
suit  of  clothes  he  rejoined  his  company,  and  a  few  hours  later,  while 
making  a  gallant  attempt  to  lead  the  already  shattered  remains  of  his- 
companv  into  the  enemy's  stronghold  at  Harrisburg,  Lieutenant  John 
E.  Denning  fell  to  rise  no  more.  No  braver  soldier  or  better  man 
than  our  heroic  Denning  fell  on  that  memorable  occasion.  His  mem- 
ory lives  in  the  hearts  of  all  his  surviving  comrades.  He  was  buried 
and  his  remains  still  rest  near  Harrisburg. 

LIEUTENANT  J.   NEWSOM  PENUEL. 

J.  N.  Penuel,  son  of  Alanson  and  Nancy  Penuel,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 20th,  1840,  in  Davidson  County,  Tennessee.  He  was  educated 
mainly  at  Nashville.  His  father  moved  to  Sumner  County  in  Febru- 
ary, i860,  and  settled  near  Fountain  Head,  twelve  miles  north  of 
Gallatni,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  engaged  in  farming 
when  the  war  broke  out. 

In  October,  1861,  J.  N.  Penuel  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service 
in  Captain  Griffin's  company  (D)  of  the  Seventh  Battalion.  He  was 
elected  orderly  sergeant,  but  refused  to  serve.  He  served  as  private 
until  the  reorganization,  June  12th,  1862.  He  was  then  elected  third 
lieutenant,  and  his  company  became  Company  F  of  the  Second 
Tennessee. 


620  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

About  the  14th  of  June,  1862,  Lieutenant  Penuel  was  ordered  to 
report  to  Captain  Hill  at  Fulton,  Mississippi,  with  a  detachment  of 
twenty-two  men  from  our  regiment.  The  latter  was  instructed  to  go, 
with  a  part  of  his  company  and  Penuel's  detachment,  to  the  Memphis 
and  Charleston  Railroad  and  burn  a  bridge  on  that  road  near  Buzzard 
Roost,  North  Alabama.  On  reaching  a  point  within  five  miles  of  the 
bridge.  Captain  Hill  decided  to  do  the  work  in  hand  with  only  ten 
men,  so  Lieutenant  Penuel  rejoined  his  command  with  the  rest  of  the 
men.  He  was  post  commander  at  Pontotoc,  Mississippi,  for  about 
four  weeks,  and  was  then  relieved  at  his  own  request. 

After  doing  much  gallant  service,  and  passing  through  many 
actions  with  the  enemy,  the  lieutenant  was  captured  on  the  nth  of 
November,  1863,  and  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  after  the  war  closed — about  nineteen  months.  Having  been  re- 
leased on  parole,  he  reached  Nashville,  Tennessee,  17th  of  June,  1865. 

A  few  weeks  after  his  arrival  at  Nashville,  Lieutenant  Penuel  was 
employed  as  prison  guard  by  Andrew  Johnson  (ex-President  Johnson's 
nephew),  who  was  then  warden  of  the  State  prison.  After  serving 
two  and  a  half  years  as  guard,  Penuel  was  sent  to  East  Tennessee, 
where  he  served  as  deputy  warden  for  four  and  a  half  years.  On  re- 
turning to  Nashville,  he  engaged  for  one  year  in  the  grocery  business 
with  his  brother,  T.  L.  Penuel,  after  which  he  was  night  watch  for 
J.  W.  McCuUough  for  five  years  and  seven  months.  He  is  now 
(1887),  and  has  been  since  April,  1885,  in  the  furniture  business  with 
his  brother  and  J.  D.  Bennett,  No.  207  Broad  Street,  Nashville, 
Tennessee. 

Lieutenant  Penuel  married  Miss  Bettie  Jones,  of  Edgefield,  Jan- 
uary ist,  1878,  by  whom  he  has  four  children — two  sons  (John  B.  and 
William  A.)  and  two  daughters  (Mary  R.  and  Chrissie  E.).  He  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  his  first  wife  on  the  13th  of  July,  1883. 

The  choice  of  his  second  marriage,  on  the  19th  of  December,  1884, 
was  Miss  Mary  E.  Shivers,  of  Goodlettsville.  He  has  two  children 
(Harry  S.  and  Annie  L.)  by  his  last  wife. 

CAPTAIN  THOMAS  PURYEAR. 

T.  PuRYEAR,  son  of  Jamcs  and  Sallie  Puryear,  was  born  November 
25th,  1833,  in  Sumner  (now  Trousdale)  County,  Tennessee,  five  miles 
south  of  Hartsville.  He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  educated 
at  the  Hartsville  Male  Academy. 

He  married  Miss  Talitha  Reeves,  of  Wilson  County,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Reeves,  on  the  6th  of  January,  1858. 


Appendix  A.  621 


In  August,  1859,  he  was  elected  railroad  tax-collector  of  Sumner 
County,  which  position  he  held  for  two  years,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1861.  Owing  to  the  breaking  out  of  our  late  war,  he  did  not  seive 
out  his  last  term. 

Having  previously  enlisted  about  forty-five  of  his  neighbors, 
Thomas  Puryear  went  with  them  to  Gallatin  about  the  last  of  Novem- 
ber, 1 86 1,  to  join  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
Enough  men  were  detached  from  Companies  A  and  B  of  said  battalion 
and  added  to  Puryear's  enlistment  to  make  a  full  company,  which 
became  Company  F  of  the  Seventh  Battalion,  with  J.  T.  E.  Odorn, 
captain,  and  Thomas  Puryear,  first  lieutenant. 

The  latter  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  F  until  the  reor- 
ganization of  his  company,  near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862. 
According  to  the  "conscript"  law.  Lieutenant  Puryear  was  now  at 
liberty  to  resign  and  return  home;  in  place  of  doing  so,  however,  he 
re-enlisted  "for  three  years,  or  during  the  war."  Companies  E  and 
F  were  here  consolidated,  and  Puryear*  was  made  captain  of  the 
consolidated  company,  which,  at  the  same  time,  became  Company  G 
of  the  Second  Tennessee. 

By  kindness  in  camp  and  gallantry  in  action  he  soon  won  the  confi- 
dence and  love  of  the  men  whom  he  had  the  honor  to  command.  He 
also  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  superiors. 

When  General  Sherman  was  on  his  march  from  Memphis  to  Chat- 
tanooga, the  Second  Tennessee  went  into  North  Alabama  under  Gen- 
eral S.  D.  Lee  to  assist  in  tearing  up  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad,  and  otherwise  annoy  Sherman  as  much  as  possible.  During 
this  expedition  our  regiment  had  a  great  deal  of  hard  fighting  to  do. 
"Memorable  to  all  of  the  'Old  Second'  will  be  the  engagement  at 
Cherokee  on  the  21st  of  October,  1863,  where  we  mourned  to  number 
among  our  lost  that  noble  and  generous  Captain  Thomas  Puryear,  of 
Company  G.  Here  he  received  his  death  wound  at  the  head  of  his 
company,  with  drawn  saber  urging  forward  to  victory. 

"We  were  fighting  superior  numbers,  which  he  knew,  and  just  as 
he  received  his  wound  the  regiment  was  temporarily  forced  back. 
Private  John  P.  Mills  and  myself  rushed  to  him,  determined  he  should 
not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  when  he  urged  us  to  leave  him 
and  save  ourselves,  as  we  could  not  save  him,  but  we  carried  him 
back  where  he  was  taken  to  the  hospital.     After  lingering  about  eight 


"As  to  how  he  was  made  captain,  see  sketch  of  Captain  J.  M.  Eastes,  next 
after  this. 


<522  E.  R.  Haxoook's  Diary. 

days  he  quietly  breathed  his  last,  his  soul  returning  to  the  God  who 
gave  it. 

"Never  did  a  braver  soldier  respond  to  a  bugle-call  than  Captain 
Thomas  Puryear."* 

The  captain's  wife  had  heard  that  he  was  severely  wounded,  and 
Avas  just  in  the  act  of  starting  to  see  him  when  she  received  the  heart- 
rending news  that  her  dear  husband  was  dead.  He  left  one  child,  a 
son — Joseph  Richard. 

The  captain's  widow  now  (1887)  lives  in  the  northern  portion  of 
Wilson  County,  and  her  son,  who  is  now  a  practicing  physician,  and 
has  an  accomplished  lady  for  a  wife,  is  living  with  her  (his  mother). 

CAPTAIN  JONATHAN   M.   EASTES. 

J.  M.  Eastes  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  January  5th, 
1838.  When  very  young  his  parents  moved  to  Smith  County,  in  the 
-same  State,  and  settled  on  Hogan's  Creek,  three  miles  south  of  Car- 
thage, where  his  mother,  now  in  her  seventy-third  year,  still  lives. 
In  1850,  October  21st,  when  Jonathan  was  in  his  thirteenth  year,  his 
father  died,  leaving  a  widow  with  four  boys,  aged  respectively  thir- 
teen, eight,  five  and  two  years. 

Jonathan,  the  older  by  five  years,  shouldered  the  responsibilities  of 
■caring  for  the  family,  and  the  united  testimony  of  all  who  knew  him 
is  that  he  was  a  good  boy.  He,  by  industrious  labor  on  the  farm  and 
with  the  help  of  one  of  the  best  of  mothers  to  aid,  advise  and  counsel, 
was  successful,  and  they  made  a  good  living. 

His  father  sent  him  to  school  as  much  as  circumstances  would  per- 
mit, and  Jonathan  was  a  hard  student  and  deservedly  popular  with 
T^oth  teachers  and  pupils.  By  his  attention  to  business  and  kind  and 
pleasant  bearing,  he  formed  that  character  and  established  reputation 
which  made  him  popular  in  all  circles  where  his  lot  was  cast. 

His  morals  were  of  the  highest  type.  Soon  after  he  was  twenty- 
one  he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  the  principles  of  the  order  he  studied 
and  practiced  faithfully,  and  was  highly  respected  by  the  fraternity  as 
a  faithful  and  true  Mason. 

In  t86i,  when  the  war  broke  out  in  the  United  States,  he  was 
what  was  known  as  a  Union  man,  and  voted  against  secession  both 
times,  yet  when  the  State  went  out  he  said  :     "I  am  a  Tennessean  and 

"•■■See  sketch  of  Second  Tennessee,  by  Lieutenant  George  F.  Hager,  in  Mil- 
itary Annals  of  Tennessee,  page  613. 


Appendix  A.  623 


I  must  go  with  Tennessee,"  and  soon  after  enlisted  with  a  brother* 
five  years  younger  than  himself  in  the  Confederate  army. 

The  company  was  completely  organized  by  October  13th,  1861. 
.\.  B.  Gates  was  elected  captain,  Jonathan  M.  Eastes  first  lieutenant, 
Bill  A.  High  second,  and  John  R.  Bowen  third  lieutenant. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  i86r,  the  company  left  Carthage  for 
Ej^erson  Springs,  where  Colonel  Bennett's  battalion  of  cavalry  was  en- 
camped. The  company  staid  all  night  at  Hartsville,  and,  on  reach- 
ing Eperson  Springs  the  next  day,  were  sworn  into  service  and  be- 
came Company  E  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

The  company  remained  here  for  a  while  and  then  moved  to  Galla- 
tin, where  we  were  quartered  until  the  retreat  from  Bowling  Green  to 
Corinth,  Mississippi.  There  the  battalion  remained  until  the  retreat 
from  Corinth.  Near  Fulton,  Mississippi,  June  12th,  1862,  a  reorgan- 
ization took  place.  Captain  Gates  went  home  and  raised  a  new  com- 
pany, and  his  company  was  consolidated  with  Captain  Joe  T.  E. 
Odom's  company.  Captain  Odom  having  resigned,  the  consolidated 
company,  which  at  the  same  time  became  Company  G  of  the  Second 
Tennessee  Cavalry,  agreed  that  Lieutenant  Eastes  and  Lieutenant 
Puryear  might  settle  between  themselves  the  question  of  captaincy,  as 
one  was  to  be  captain  and  the  other  first  lieutenant.  After  a  mo- 
ment's private  conference,  they  reported  their  agreement — Puryear  was 
captain  and  Eastes  first  lieutenant. 

After  varied  duties  performed  in  North  Mississippi  our  regiment, 
with  others,  was  led  by  General  S.  D.  Lee  into  North  Alabama,  where 
-Captain  Puryear  was  killed  and  Lieutenant  Eastes  was  promoted  to 
the  captaincy  of  the  company,  which  position  he  held  until  he  was 
mortally  wounded  at  the  Cross-Roads,  about  four  miles  west  of 
Tupelo,  Mississippi,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1864.  That  memorable  eve- 
ning, when  General  Buford,  of  Kentucky,  ordered  Bell's  brigade  to 
attack  the  enemy's  wagon  train,  our  regiment,  which  was  in  advance, 
was  led  into  an  ambuscade  and  so  many  good  men  fell.  The  captain 
fell,  mortally  wounded,  while  bravely  leading  the  charge  against  such 
fearful  odds.  On  the  next  day,  at  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  his  gal- 
lant spirit  winged  its  flight  to  the  land  of  spirits.  He  was  lamented, 
not  only  by  his  own  company,  who  loved  and  honored  him,  but  the 
•entire  regiment,  who  had  learned  his  noble  characteristics. 

Although  up  to  this  time  he  had  made  no  public  profession  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus,  the  day  of  his  death  he  sent  for  the  chaplain  and  in 

*T.  J.  Eastes,  now  a  Baptist  minister. 


024  R.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

conversation  told  him  that  he  had  an  abiding  hope  in  Christ,  and  that 
he  was  going  to  rest.  To  his  brother  (T.  J.  Eastes),  who  had  been 
sent  back  the  night  before  to  wait  upon  him,  he  said:  "  Be  a  good 
boy;  be  faithful  to  your  country;  be  a  good  soldier,  and  when  the 
war  is  ended  go  back  home.  Tell  mother  not  to  grieve  after  me. 
This  is  the  fate  of  war.      I  did  my  duty.     I  will  meet  her  again." 

Thus,  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  life,  fell  a  noble  man,  hon- 
ored and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  grave  in  counsel, 
and  gave  advice  after  mature  deliberation.  He  was  brave  in  battle, 
not  seeming  to  consider  himself  in  danger,  but  his  care  was  the 
"boys,"  as  he  familiarly  called  his  company,  over  whom  he  watched 
with  a  father's  care,  and  who  loved  to  obey  his  commands.  The  serv- 
ice of  his  men  was  the  service  of  love. 

His  rest  at  the  Old  Palmetto  Church,  three  miles  west  of  Verona, 
Mississippi,  will  be  sweet  until  the  trump  of  God  shall  awake  the 
sleeping  dead,  and  then  will  his  noble  manhood  shine  out  in  that  glo- 
rious luster  that  belongs  to  the  glorious  world  to  come.^^ 

CAPTAIN  BUCK  H.   MOORE. 

B.  H.  Moore,  son  of  Gregory  and  Aranna  Moore,  was  born  De- 
cember i8,  1842,  in  Smith  County,  Tennessee.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm  near  New  Middleton,  and  educated  at  that  place.  He  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Captain  A.  B.  Gates'  company,  which,  on  the  19th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1 86 1,  became  Company  E  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee 
Cavalry. 

B.  H.  Moore  was  elected  orderly  sergeant  at  Athens,  Alabama, 
about  the  first  week  in  March,  1862.  He  served  as  orderly  until  the 
re-enlistment  and  reorganization  of  his  company,  near  Fulton,  Missis- 
sippi, June  12,  1862.  Companies  E  and  F  were  then  consolidated, 
and  Sergeant  Moore  was  elected  second  lieutenant  of  this  consolidated- 
company,  which,  at  the  same  time,  became  Company  G  of  the  Second 
Tennessee,  although  he  was  not  yet  twenty-one  years  old. 

After  his  captain,  Thomas  Puryear,  was  killed,  in  North  Alabama, 
October  29, t  1863,  J.  M.  Eastes  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  and  B. 
H.  Moore  to  the  first  lieutenancy  of  Company  G,  and  after  Captain 
Eastes  was  killed  July  i4,f  1864,  Moore  was  promoted  to  the  com- 
mand of  said  company,  which  position  he  held  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

*The  above  sketch  was  written  by  Elder  T.  J.  Eastes,  Shop  Springs,  Wilsoa 
County,  Tennessee. 

t  Puryear  was  mortally  wounded  2ist  and  Eastes  13th. 


Appendix  A.  625 


While  first  lieutenant,  Moore  had  his  horse  shot  from  under  him  at 
Okolona,  Mississippi,  February  22,  1864.  On  the  Hood  Campaign 
Captain  Moore  was  knocked  down  near  Spring  Hill,  and  he  again  had 
his  horse  shot  and  was  wounded  himself  at  Franklin,  November  30th, 
1864.  Notwithstanding  his  wound  was  very  painful  he  remained  with 
the  command  for  several  days  and  then  went  home,  reaching  there  about 
midnight  on  the  night  of  the  9th  of  December,  He  remained  at  home 
only  a  few  hours.  After  stopping  in  Wilson  County  for  a  few  days 
he  went  back  to  Mississippi,  and  stopped,  for  about  three  months,  with 
his  uncle,  Elijah  Moore,  near  Tupelo. 

Captain  Moore  rejoined  the  Second  Tennessee  at  West  Point,  Mis- 
sissippi, just  before  General  Forrest  started  on  his  final  campaign  into 
Central  Alabama.  His  horse  was  shot  from  under  him  again,  on  the 
2d  of  April,  1865,  while  gallantly  leading  his  company  in  the  last 
charge.  He  surrendered  with  our  regiment  at  Gainesville,  Alabama, 
and  was  paroled  May  10,  1865.  He  was  kind,  generous  and  brave, 
and  had  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire  regiment.  On  re- 
turning home,  June  1st,  he  commenced  farming,  and  he  now  (1887) 
owns  a  part  of  his  father's  farm  near  New  Middleton,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  raising  and  dealing  in  fine  stock. 

Captain  Moore  married  Miss  Efelia  Johnson  on  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1874.  She  was  a  noble  woman  and  an  excellent  wife,  and  the 
-captain  was  very  much  devoted  to  her,  though,  unfortunately,  she 
lived  (to  a  day)  only  ten  years  after  marriage.  She  left  no  children. 
'Ca[)tain  Moore  is  now  (January,  1887)  a  widower. 

LIEUTENANT  GEORGE  F.   HAGER, 

the  eldest  son  of  John  J.  and  Harriet  A.  Hager,  was  born  in  Smith 
County,  Tennessee,  on  the  17th  day  of  February,  1841.  His  parents 
removed  to  Kentucky  while  he  was  quite  small.  After  completing  his 
literary  course  at  school  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  entering  the 
drug  business  in  Nashville,  where  he  was  residing  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war.  Lieutenant  Hager  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service 
May  24,  1 86 1,  in  Sixth  Kentucky  Regiment  Infantry;  transferred  to 
Company  F,  Seventh  Battalion  Tennessee  Cavalry  as  private  in  April, 
1862;  was  promoted  to  orderly  sergeant,  then  lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany, which  became  Company  G  of  the  Second  Tennessee ;  Avas 
with  his  company  continuously  during  the  war,  sharing  its  hardships 
with  a  veteran's  endurance  and  enjoying  its  victories  with  soldierly 
pride.  After  the  surrender  he  immediately  returned  to  Nashville  and 
40 


626  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

again  entered  his  chosen  profession.  In  1867  he  was  happily  married 
to  Miss  Cornelia  A.  Follis,  at  Scottsville,  Kentucky,  which  union  has 
been  blessed  with  two  children,  Cora  C.  and  James  F.  Hager.  Lieu- 
tenant Hager  still  resides  at  Nashville,  and  his  house  is,  at  all  times, 
headquarters  for  members  of  the  old  "Second"  when  in  Nashville. 

Lieutenant  Hager  has  given  the  writer  more  good  advice  and  aid 
generally  since  I  have  been  engaged  in  preparing  this  work  for  publi- 
cation than  any  other  of  my  comrades.  I  am  under  special  obligations 
to  him  for  being  so  kind  as  to  attend  to  the  portrait  department  for 
me.  It  is  he,  too,  who  has  done,  and  is  yet  doing,  more  to  make  the 
reunions  of  the  Second  Tennessee  a  success  than  any  other.  He  is 
our  secretary  {and  I  guess  will  be  as  long  as  he  lives)  and  attends 
promptly  every  meeting.  The  following,  in  reference  to  our  reunions, 
is  from  his  pen  : 

The  surviving  members  of  the  regiment  conceived  the  idea  of  hold- 
ing annual  reunions  in  1884  for  the  purpose  of  renewing  the  old  friend- 
ship and  bringing  all  together  as  often  as  practicable.  The  first  was  held 
at  Gallatin,  Tennessee,  1884,  when  an  organization  was  effected,  and 
the  reunions  have  been  held  each  year  since.  In  1885,  Morton's  Bat- 
tery was  consolidated  with  the  regiment  at  its  last  reunion,  which  was 
held  at  Gallatin.     The  following  members  were  present : 

President,  Captain  Jno.  W.  Morton;  First  Vice-President,  Colonel 
G.  H.  Morton;  Second  Vice-President,  Captain  G.  E.  Seay;  Secretary 
and  Treasurer,  Lieutenant  G.  F.  Hager. 

Company  A. — Lieutenant  Thos.  C.  Atkinson,  Wallace  Wilson,  Jas. 
Polk,  Colonel  G.  H.  Morton. 

Company  B. — Jas.  L.  McGann,  W.  G.  Andrews,  Jas.  A.  North, 
H.  C.  Armstrong,  W.  D.  Covington. 

Company  C. — R.  R.  Hancock,  E.  D.  Thomas,  H.  C.  Odom,  J. 
W.  Odom,  Jno.  H.  Odom,  W.  H.  Francis,  Wm.  Davenport,  C.  Gar- 
rison, B.  F.  Knox. 

Company  D. — Lieutenant  J.  M.  Cantrell,  Lieutenant  W.  T.  Youree,. 
Lieutenant  J.  K.  Dodd,  Wm.  Bell,  F.  R.  Love,  J.  D.  Carr,  J.  W. 
Burns,  G.  B.  Carmon,  A.  S.  May,  S.  F.  Elliott,  N.  C.  Granthan,  W. 
T.  Robertson,  J.  W.  Adams,  Allen  Wylie,  T.  H.  Bentley,  J.  W.  Rut- 
ledge,  James  Pearson,  F.  M.  Winn,  R.  T.  Bush,  Ed.  S.  Payne. 

Company  E. — W.  N.  Adams,  William  Stalcup,  J.  F.  Carmon,  B. 
P.  Reese,  Arch.  Allen,  Reid  Payne,  Wm,  Erwin,  Henry  Sacra,  Lieu- 
tenant T.  J.  Carmon,  Captain  Geo.  E.  Seay. 

Company  F. — J.  R.  Culbreath,  J.  T.  Austin,  Chas.  Wilkerson, 
Wm.  Cauley,  J.  F.  Lewis,  Wm.  Jackson,  Thomas  Link,  S.  J.  Garrett. 


Appendix  A.  &27 


(Company  G. — J.  B.  Vance,  Andy  Robertson,  S.  R.  Johnson,  A. 
G.  Templeton,  W.  C.  West,  J.  D.  Vance,  Tom  Petway,  T.  Fowler, 
Lieutenant  Geo.  F.  Hager,  Colonel  C.  R.  Barteau. 

Company  K. — Lieutenant  F.  M.  McCrea. 

Morton's  Battery. — Captain  Jno.  W.  Morton,  J.  C.  Wood,  W. 
J.  Potter. 

The  organization  keeps  a  regular  minute-book,  recording  the  l)usi- 
ness  and  registering  each  one  present,  and  also  making  notes  of  ail 
deaths.  The  association  have  procured  a  large  album  and  secured  the 
photographs  of  a  large  number  of  the  members  and  many  of  the  dead 
comrades,  and  will  contmue  to  make  the  collection  until  all  are  secured. 
This  will  remain  as  the  property  of  the  organization  so  long  as  one  of 
the  members  lives.  The  last  surviving  member  has  instructions  to  pre- 
sent the  album  and  minute-book  to  the  Historical  Society  of  Ten- 
nessee. 

LIEUTENANT  B.   A.   HIGH. 

B.  A.  High,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  High,  was  born  February 
22,  1833,  in  Smith  County,  Tennessee,  three  miles  west  of  Carthage. 
He  was  educated  mainly  at  Carthage  and  Chapel  Hill,  in  Smith  County. 
His  native  ability  as  a  mechanic  or  machinist  has  seldom  been  equaled 
and  perhaps  never  surpassed  by  any  son  of  Tennessee.  This  genius 
for  machinery  began  to  show  itself  at  a  very  early  age.  When  about 
fourteen  years  old  he  made  a  toy  (though  complete)  steam  saw-mill. 
After  using  his  mill  for  about  one  year  he  took  it  to  Carthage  one  day 
while  court  was  in  session  and  put  it  in  operation  on  Main  Street. 
This  attracted  so  much  attention  that  Judge  Campbell  adjourned  court 
so  as  to  give  all  an  opportunity  to  see  this  wonderful  machine — the 
product  of  such  a  young  brain.  Being  naturally  elated  by  the  atten- 
tion which  his  little  mill  had  attracted,  and  wishing  to  press  the  engine 
to  its  full  capacity,  he  raised  the  steam  a  little  too  high  and  the  boiler 
exploded — scalding  a  number  of  persons,  though  no  one  was  seriously 
hurt.     Judge  Campbell  and  High  were  among  the  scalded. 

When  about  seventeen  years  old,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  began 
to  put  up  steam  mills  over  different  portions  of  the  State  for  the  Ten- 
nessee Manufacturing  Company,  located  at  Nashville.  Said  company 
was  burned  out  after  he  had  been  working  for  them  about  two  years. 
In  the  meantime,  a  steam  grist-mill  had  been  put  up  at  New  Middleton, 
and  High  was  now  called  to  take  charge  of  it.  He  soon  after  added 
a  saw-mill,  which  sawed  the  lumber  out  of  which  that  place  was  built. 
About  this  time  he  began  to  put  up  steam  mills  for  another  Nashville 


62*^  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

firm — Ellis  k  Moore.  Continuing  to  work  for  this  company,  his 
field  of  operations  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  was  North  Alabama, 
North  Mississippi  and  Arkansas.  As  soon  as  Alabama  seceded  he 
returned  to  New  Middleton,  Tennessee,  and  was  the  first  to  enlist  in 
a  cavalry  company,  which,  about  the  middle  of  October,  1861,  became 
Company  E  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  of  Tennessee  Cavalry,  with  A. 
B.  Cates  captain  and  B.  A.  High  second  lieutenant.  He  had  gained 
quite  a  reputation  as  scout  before  our  army  evacuated  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky,  and  continuing  in  this  branch  of  the  service  while  the  Con- 
federate army  was  encamped  around  Corinth,  Mississippi,  he  there,  by 
a  faithful  discharge  of  duty,  won  the  reputation  of  being  one  among 
the  ntost  reliable  of  General  Beauregard's  scouts. 

When  the  Second  Tennessee  was  organized  in  June,  1862,  there 
was  some  talk  of  making  Lieutenant  High  colonel  of  the  regiment, 
but  as  he  was  sick  at  that  time  he  refused  to  accept  any  position.  As 
soon  as  he  was  able  to  ride  he  went  to  New  Middleton,  Tennessee, 
and  put  the  steam  mill  there  to  grinding  supplies  for  Bragg's  army, 
which  was  then  on  its  way  to  Kentucky,  while  at  the  same  time  acting 
as  scout  for  General  Morgan,  with  whom  he  remained  until  after  the 
battle  of  Perry  ville.  He  then  rejoined  the  Second  Tennessee  at  Saltillo, 
Mississippi,  in  November,  1862.  About  one  month  after  his  return  he 
was  sent  to  Grenada,  Mississippi,  with  some  dispatches,  where  he  re- 
mained detached  for  about  ten  months,  running  a  steam  mill  which 
was  grinding  supplies  for  the  Confederate  army  at  Vicksburg  and  other 
];oints.  He  was  captured  while  at  Grenada,  but  was  released  by  a 
squad  of  Confederates  who  opportunely  came  up  just  as  the  Federal 
rear  was  in  the  act  of  leaving.  He  returned  to  the  Second  Tennessee 
just  before  it  set  out  to  go  into  North  Alabama  with  General  S.  D. 
Lee,  in  October,  1863.  Going  on  as  scout  in  advance  of  the  com- 
mand, he  was  arrested  near  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  by  some  of  Gen- 
eral Roddy's  men,  and  sent  to  General  Bragg's  army  charged  with 
being  a  Federal  spy.  He  was  finally  released  at  Rome,  Georgia,  by 
order  of  Bragg,  who  had  learned  in  the  meantime  that  High  was  a 
Confederate.  He  rejoined  our  regiment  near  Okolona,  Mississippi, 
about  the  last  of  February,  1864.  He  then  acted  as  scout  for  Gen- 
eral Buford  until  after  the  Hood  Campaign  into  Tennessee.* 

Before  setting  out  from  West  Point,  Mississippi,  in  March,  1865, 
on  his  Selma  Campaign,  General  Forrest  ordered  Lieutenant  High  to 

*For  gallantry  at  Fort  Pillow,  see  April   12th,  1864. 


Appendix  A.  &/\) 


go  into  North  Alabama  with  a  detachment  of  thirty  men,  to  watch  the 
movements  of  General  Wilson's  command  and  also  to  take  up  all 
courier  lines  through  that  section.  This  duty  he  faithfully  performed. 
Having  sent  off  as  couriers  all  of  his  detachment  except  about  three 
men,  and  having  in  the  meantime  learned  that  Lee  had  surrendered, 
and  that  the  Confederacy  was  now  becoming  a  thing  of  the  past,  he 
swung  round  through  North  Mississippi  and  West  Tennessee,  surren- 
dered at  Johnsonville,  and  reached  home  at  New  Middleton,  Smith 
County,  Tennessee,  on  the  28th  of  May,  1865. 

Again  taking  up  his  favorite  occupation  he  put  up  a  steam  saw-mill 
at  Rome,  and  another  at  Doweltown.  After  which  he  repaired  a 
boiler  and  engine  at  Gordonsville,  with  which  he  sunk  the  first  of  the 
twenty-five  or  thirty  oil-wells  in  Overton  County.  After  working  at 
this  business  about  four  years  he  returned  to  Smith  County  and  put 
up  a  very  fine  grist  and  saw-mill,  known  as  the  "Hickman  Mill." 
Early  in  1869  he  again  took  charge  of  the  mill  at  New  Middleton. 

Lieutenant  High  married  Miss  Lillie  Gilliland,  one  of  the  fairest  of 
the  Overton  County  belles,  and  daughter  of  James  and  Lillie  Gilliland, 
on  the  3d  of  March,  1870.  New  Middleton  was  his  home  for  several 
years  after  marriage.  x\fter  putting  up  several  more  mills  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  he,  in  connection  with  Messrs.  Davis  and  Harris, 
bought  a  Steamboat,  Alex.  Kendall,  at  Nashville,  in  August,  1876. 
After  running  it  for  a  short  time  on  the  Cumberland  it  was  made  anew 
at  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  then  run  in  the  trade  between  that  place 
and  Cincinnati  until  it  was  sunk  by  ice  in  January,  1877. 

In  1878  he  bought  the  steam  grist  and  saw-mill  at  Auburn,  Tennes- 
see, which  mill  he  is  now  (1887)  successfully  running.  He  is  a  live, 
enterprising,  man  and  one  among  the  most  useful  citizens  of  the  Auburn 
community.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Mason,*  and  has  always 
taken  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  Sunday-schools.  When  only  fourteen 
years  old  he  had  the  banner  Sunday-school  class  at  Peyton's  Creek 
Baptist  Church. 

He  has  two  children  (James  S.  and  Charlie  L.)  living  and  three 
(Lillian  and  two  infants)  dead. 

^  He  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  1854  (at  twenty-one),  and  a  Royal  Arch 
(Chapter)  Mason  about  1868,  and  a  Sir  Knight  (Encampment)  about  1871. 


630  K.  R.  Hancock's  Diaky. 


LIEUTENANT  F.   M.   McREE. 

F.  M.  McRee,  son  of  John  H.  and  Francis  M.  McRee,  was  born 
on  the  29th  of  August,  1844,  in  Lincoln  County,  Tennessee.  His 
father  removed  to  Obion  County,  West  Tennessee,  in  November,  1849, 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  labored  on  the  farm  and  attended  the 
ordinary  country  schools  until  in  his  seventeenth  year. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service 
in  Captain  J.  W,  Buford's  company  of  infantry,  which,  on  the  2 2d  of 
May,  became  Company  H  of  the  Ninth  Tennessee  Regiment,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  H.  L.  Douglass.  After  serving  as  private  in  said 
regiment  about  fourteen  months  he  was  discharged  at  Tupelo,  Missis- 
sippi, on  account  of  his  being  under  conscript  age.  He  then  returned 
to  his  father's  in  Obion  County,  Tennessee,  where,  in  the  summer  of 
1863,  he  aided  in  raising  a  company  of  cavalry,  which,  after  doing 
some  service  in  that  section  of  country,  went  south  with  General  For- 
rest in  December,  1863,  and  upon  organization  O.  B.  Farris  was  made 
captain  and  F.  M.  McRee  second  lieutenant  of  this  company,  which, 
in  March,  1864,  became  Company  K  of  the  Second  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
On  the  I  St  of  June  following  McRee  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant, 
which  rank  he  held  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

On  the  13th  of  July  he  was  so  shocked  by  the  concussion  of  a 
shell  that  he  was  taken  from  the  field  to  the  hospital,  but  on  learning 
the  next  day  that  Captain  Farris  was  wounded,  Lieutenant  McRee 
rejoined  his  company,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  surgeon,  and  was 
in  command  of  it  during  the  last  day's  fighting  around  Harrisburg, 
Mississippi,  on  the  15th. 

He  was  in  command  of  Company  K  when  it  was  detached  from 
the  Second  Tennessee  and  took  part  in  front  during  the  action  at  Brice's 
Cross-Roads.  When  the  Federals  began  to  retreat  he  very  gallantly 
led  his  company  against  their  rear,  capturing  a  whole  company  of 
negroes. 

Lieutenant  McRee  was  in  command  of  Company  K  during  For- 
rest's Middle  Tennessee  expedition;  in  fact,  he  was  in  command  of  his 
company  a  good  portion  of  the  time,  because  Captain  Farris  was 
so  frequently  on  detached  service.  During  the  Hood  Campaign  in 
December,  1864,  the  lieutenant  commanded  the  advance  guard  from 
Shoal  Creek,  Alabama,  to  Franklin,  Tennessee,  and  on  the  17th  of 
D:;cember,   after  a  gallant  defense,   a  hand-to-hand  struggle,  he  v/as 


Appendix  A.  631 


captured  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  five  miles  north  of  Franklin,  on  the 
Hood  retreat,  and  was  severely  wounded  in  the  right  shoulder  by  a 
drunken  coward  after  he  had  surrendered.  After  remaining  at  a  pri- 
vate house  for  thirteen  days,  where  he  was  kindly  treated  by  the 
family,  Lieutenant  McRee  was  taken  to  Nashville,  and  from  there  to 
Fort  Delaware.  Here  and  at  Nashville  the  Federal  surgeons  made  an 
attempt  to  extract  the  ball,  but  were  not  successful.  The  ball  is  in 
his  shoulder  yet. 

Having  been  exchanged,  he  arrived  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  about 
February  14th,  1865,  where  he  obtained  a  furlough  for  sixty  days. 
Setting  out  from  that  place  March  4th  he  found  his  command  at  We^ 
Point,  Mississippi,  about  the  last  of  the  month.  He  had  the  promise 
of  a  position  on  General  Bell's  staff  as  soon  as  his  furlough  was  out. 
After  remaining  in  Mississippi  awhile  he  went  home,  reaching  there 
in  April.  As  the  war  was  now  winding  to  a  close.  Lieutenant  McRee 
did  not  do  any  more  service,  but  went  to  work  on  the  farm. 

In  1872  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Doctor  C.  P. 
Glover.  For  two  years  he  did  farm  labor  during  the  day  and  read  at 
nighl;  but  the  next  three  years  he  put  in  his  time  (in  reading)  more 
closely.  Jn  1877  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  Vanderbilt 
University,  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  graduated  in  the  spring 
of  1879,  and  is  now  (1887)  a  practicing  physician  in  Obion  County, 
Tennessee. 

He  married  Miss  Minnie  Crockett  on  the  13th  of  November,  1867. 
They  have  one  son  (John  C.)  living,  and  one  (Hurtle  M.)  dead,  and 
four  daughters  (Florenia  B.,  Emma  T. ,  Hattie  D.,  and  Maggie  Lee) 
all  living. 

Like  the  most  of  the  Confederates,  Dr.  McRee  came  out  of  the 
army  penniless,  though  his  taxes  in  1886  were  eighty  dollars  and  fifty- 
four  cents. 

CAPTAIN    W.   HOOPER   HARRIS  AND   HIS  TWENTY-FIVE 

MEN. 
At  Burnsville,  Mississippi,  on  the  26th  of  April,  1862,  Captain 
Harris  and  twenty-five  of  his  company  were  detached  from  the  First 
Battalion,  by  order  of  General  Bell,  to  accompany  General  John  H. 
Morgan  on  an  expedition  through  Middle  Tennessee  and  into  Ken- 
tucky to  meet  and  aid  some  Kentuckians  in  passing  out  through  the 
Federal  lines.  Captain  Harris  promised  to  write  up  a  sketch  of  said 
expedition  for  publication  in  my  Diary;  but  as  he  has  failed  to  comply 


632  B.  E.  Hancock's  Diart. 

with  his  promise,  I  shall  add  a  few  facts  here  which  I  have  learned 
from  him  and  others. 

After  Morgan  and  Harris  had  fought  several  successful  engage- 
ments and  captured  a  number  of  prisoners  on  the  way,  they  put  up 
one  night  in  Lebanon,  Wilson  County,  Tennessee,  where,  about  day- 
light the  next  morning,  they  were  surprised  by  a  heavy  force  of  Fed- 
eral cavalry,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Captain  Harris  and  all 
of  his  twenty  five  men,  except,  perhaps,  one  or  two.*  T.  M.  Joplin, 
Joe  Campbell,  Zack  Tate,  and  Tom  Drane  were  among  the  wounded 
in  this  Lebanon  affair.  After  they  were  exchanged  the  men  did  service 
ifi  various  commands  under  Generals  Wheeler  and  Morgan,  while  the 
captain,  himself,  served  on  the  staff  of  the  former  general  until  the 
war  closed.  Very  few,  if  any,  of  the  gallant  twenty-six  ever  rejoined 
the  original  company,  the  remnant  of  which  was  consolidated  with 
Company  B,  and  became  Company  A  of  the  Second  Tennessee.  A. 
A.  Milliron  and  C.  C.  Martin  were  killed  near  Milton,  Rutherford 
County,  Tennessee;  J.  M.  Curran  at  McMinnville,  Tennessee,  and 
R.  E.  K.  Morris  in  Kentucky.  T.  M.  Joplm  was  wounded  twice 
more — at  Lexington,  Alabama,  and  near  Tunnel  Hill,  Georgia — and 
is  now  (1887)  living  in  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

For  several  years  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war  Captain 
Harris  did  business  in  New  York  City,  but  he  is  now  (1887)  living  in 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  business  of  life  in- 
surance. He  is  kind,  generous,  and  brave,  and  but  few  Confederates 
were  more  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  South  during  our  late  war  than 
he.  He  is  now  living  with  his  second  wife;  and  I  think  that  he  has 
two  or  three  children — all  by  his  first  wife. 

The  writer  is  under  special  obligations  to  Captain  Harris  for  being 
so  kind  as  to  donate  the  plate  from  which  Lieutenant-Colonel  F.  N. 
McNairy's  portraits  have  been  made  for  this  work. 

*  I  think  that  Alex.  Bolton  was  one  who  escaped. 


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APPENDIX    B. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  WAR 


R.  R.  Hancock,  Esq.,  Auburn,  Tenn.: 

Dear  Old  Comrade  and  Friend — In  reply  to  yours  requesting  me 
to  contribute  a  sketch  of  my  prison  life  during  the  last  ten  months  of 
the  Civil  War,  I  desire  to  say  that  I  am  more  than  half  way  tempted 
to  comply  with  your  wish,  and  make  the  contribution  under  the  belief 
that  it  will  be  appreciated  by  yourself  and  read  with  interest  by  my 
old  comrades  who  yet  survive  the  struggle,  but  I  dislike  so  much  to 
write  of  myself  that  I  am  constrained  to  ask  you  to  excuse  me  upon 
condition  that  I  contribute  something  else,  closely  allied  to  prison  life, 
and  which  I  believe  will  prove  of  more  interest  to  the  general  reader 
than  anything  I  could  possibly  say  of  myself. 

I  could  write  a  book  of  war  reminiscences,  replete  with  anecdotes, 
adventures,  escapades,  laughable  and  otherwise,  but  the  task  is  more 
than  I  could  think  of  undertaking,  besides  so  much  of  that  class  of 
history  has  already  been  written  that  I  am  persuaded  the  public  has 
grown  tired  of  it. 

But  there  are  many  incidents  of  the  war  that  form  a  part  of  its 
history  that  have  never  been  and  never  will  be  written.  The  actors 
have  passed  away  and  no  one  is  left  to  tell  the  story.  I  am  reminded 
of  some  that  fell  under  my  own  personal  observation  that,  if  properly 
written,  would  rival  the  wildest  stories  of  fiction,  and  yet  be  truth, 
historic  truth. 

I  remember  an  incident,  which  I  will  relate  in  lieu  of  the  prison 
sketch,  and  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me,  when  it  is  finished,  that 
it  exceeds  in  interest  anything  I  could  say  of  myself. 

In  the  winter  of  1862-3,  while  the  Second  Tennessee  Regiment  was 
wintering  at  Okolona,  and  watching  the  outposts  from  Corinth  along 
the  line  into  North  Alabama,  I  was  on  special  duty  in  the  Provost 
Marshal's  office,  at  Okolona.     My  duty  at  the  time  was  partly  clerical 

(033) 


634  K.  R.  HalVGOCK's  Diary. 

and  partly  as  a  courier.  Lieutenant  Love  was  Provost  Marshal,  and 
Dick  Walker  chief  clerk.  Lieutenant  Love  remained  at  his  boarding 
house  at  night,  while  Walker  and  I  stayed  in  the  office.  And  right 
here  allow  me  to  remark,  parenthetically,  that  my  friend  and  I  had 
some  royal  old  times  when  night  came  and  everybody  else  were  in 
camps,  asleep  or  gathered  around  the  fire,  telling  stories,  singing  war 
songs,  or  perhaps  songs  of  home  and  loved  ones,  hundreds  of  miles 
away. 

We  had  some  Jew  neighbors,  who  were  our  particular  friends,  and 
often  came  over  to  the  office  at  night  for  a  social  chat,  when  all  was 
quiet,  and  as  a  token  of  their  profound  regard  for  Dick  and  I  would 
almost  as  often  bring  with  them  a  quart  of  as  fine  wine  as  a  soldier 
ever  drank.  This  expression  of  consideration  for  our  social  as  well  as 
physical  comfort  was  duly  appreciated,  if  not  reciprocated,  as  we 
gave  them  ample  evidence  by  the  way  we  enjoyed  it.  We  never  got 
drunk,  but  always  felt  animated  and  sufficiently  patriotic  to  express 
ourselves  freely  as  to  the  certain  success  of  the  Confederacy,  and  our 
unbounded  love  for  and  confidence  in  our  friends,  the  Jews. 

Walker  was  a  Kentuckian,  and  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  take  a 
drink,  curse  the  Yankees,  and  admire  the  women,  though  there  was  a 
disposition  to  think  equally  as  well  of  a  good  horse.  Our  visitors  were 
equally  as  convivial,  though  somewhat  reticent  as  to  war  opinions,  and 
a  little  oft'  on  the  horse.  They  were  up  to  the  requirements  of  the 
most  chivalrous  as  to  women,  and  would  take  a  back  seat  to  nobody 
in  discussing  nice  things  to  drink.  This  is  merely  mentioned  to  show 
how  we  generally  passed  our  evenings. 

One  night  I  was  alone.  It  had  been  raining,  and  the  wind  was 
blowing  a  little  crisp  across  the  open  prairie,  and  whistled  mournfully 
around  the  corners  of  the  house  and  rattled  the  shutters  unpleasantly 
without.  I  had  laid  down  on  a  cot  and  was  trying  to  court  sleep,  but 
the  monotonous  soughing  of  the  wind  and  occasional  patter  of  rain, 
together  with  the  clashing  of  loose  shutters  and  dilapidated  signs  in  the 
neighborhood,  completely  dissipated  all  ideas  of  sleep,  and  I  was 
compelled  to  turn  restlessly  on  my  cotton-batting  cot,  and  seek  in  vain 
for  "nature's  sweet  restorer." 

It  was  near  midnight  when  I  caught  the  sound  of  footsteps  on  the 
pavement  without,  and  almost  immediately  a  vigorous  rap  was  heard 
on  the  door.  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  approached  the  door  with  the 
query,  "Who  comes  there?"  The  reply  came,  "  Dick  Bayless  and 
Tom  Bennington,  with  a  prisoner."      Opening  the  door,  the  familiar 


Reminiscences  of  the  Wak.  635 

forms  of  Bayless  and  Bennington  entered  with  the  prisoner  between 
them. 

"Here's  a  suspicious  character,  Sergeant,"  said  Bennington,  as  he 
moved  the  prisoner  nearer  the  Hght.  "We  caught  him  awhile  ago, 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  lines  by  dodging  the  picket.  The  facts  are 
these:  We  heard  an  unusual  and  suspicious  noise  in  the  bushes,  and 
we  kept  a  lookout  for  developments.  Pretty  soon  we  discovered  a 
man  on  horseback  trying  to  slip  around  and  get  out.  We  just  lay 
for  him  and  took  him  in." 

"  He  can't  give  any  correct  account  of  himself,"  remarked  Bayless. 
"He's  got  a  mighty  glib  tongue,  and  can  tell  some  mighty  slick  stories, 
but  he  forgets  to  make  them  consistent;  and  not  having  any  vouchers 
or  anything  to  help  him  along  in  emergencies  of  this  kind,  we  thought 
we  had  best  bring  him  in." 

The  prisoner  appeared  to  be  about  six  feet  high,  well  formed,  and 
apparently  well  dressed,  in  half  citizen  and  half  Confederate  clothing. 
He  stood  erect  with  an  army  blanket  wrapped  around  him,  which  he 
held  closed  in  such  a  way  as  to  cover  his  mouth  and  a  part  of  his  face. 
Beneath  a  broad-brim,  slouch  hat  beamed  as  brilliant  a  pair  of  eyes  as 
were  ever  placed  in  mortal's  head.  He  listened  attentively  to  the 
account  of  his  capture,  without  saying  a  word.  I  plied  a  number  of 
questions,  which  he  answered,  either  in  monosyllables  or  not  at  all. 

The  prisoner  reluctantly  obeyed  orders  to  remove  his  hat  and 
blanket,  jjreparatory  to  being  searched.  The  moment  these  were 
taken  off  I  recognized  him  as  a  soldier  who,  in  the  afternoon  before, 
I  noticed  loafing  around  the  office,  and  was  detected  in  an  attempt  to 
take  a  blank  pass  from  the  provost's  table  by  reaching  through  the 
open  window  from  the  outside.  On  being  discovered  he  left,  and 
Avas  seen  no  more.  Nothing  was  thought  of  this  circumstance  at  the 
time,  as  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  soldier  to  steal  a  blank  pass 
when  he  had  a  chance.     The  best  of  them  would  do  it. 

' '  Why,  you  are  the  fellow  I  saw  trying  to  steal  a  pass  through  the 
window,"  I  remarkedvvith  some  surprise  as  his  features  recurred  to  me. 

"Hello,  Wilson!  My  God!  is  that  you?"  shouted  Bennington, 
as  he  saw  for  the  first  time  the  prisoner's  face.  "Why  didn't  you  say 
so?     You  certainly  ought  to  have  recognized  me." 

The  prisoner  declined  to  make  a  reply.  When  first  arrested  he 
talked  freely,  and  tried  to  explain  to  his  captors  that  he  was  only  try- 
ing to  get  outside  the  lines  to  go  off  on  a  little  expedition  of  his  own, 
and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  return  to  camp,  but  having  failed  to  work 


636  E.  K.  Hancock's  Diary. 

on  their  credulity,  he  seemed  to  have  made  up  his  mind  to  say  noth- 
ing and  let  matters  take  their  own  course. 

"Sergeant,"  said  Bennington,  '"a  few  days  ago,  while  returning 
from  a  scout  below,  I  fell  in  with  this  man,  who  gave  his  name  as 
William  Wilson,  and  said  that  he  belonged  to  Colonel  Jackson's  reg- 
iment and  was  going  up  to  Okolona  on  business.  We  came  on  to- 
gether. I  passed  him  through  the  pickets  and  into  town,  where  he 
left  me,  and  I  have  not  seen  him  since  until  to-night." 

After  repeated  interrogatories  the  prisoner  said  his  name  was  Wm. 
Wilson,  and  that  he  belonged  to  Colonel  Jackson's  regiment  of  Con- 
federate cavalry,  and  that  his  meeting  with  Bennington  was  correct, 
but  that,  unfortunately,  he  had  no  vouchers  with  him,  and  was  at- 
tempting to  work  his  way  out  and  back  to  his  regiment,  which  he  said 
was  then  in  the  neighborhood  of  Holly  Springs ;  that  he  did  try  all 
the  day  before  to  steal  a  blank  pass,  but  gave  it  up;  that  he  was  very 
anxious  to  get  back  to  his  command,  as  his  time  was  up,  and  he  hoped 
we  would  not  detain  him. 

A  search  of  his  person  revealed  no  clue  to  his  identity.  A  greasy 
memorandum  book,  nearly  filled  with  disjointed  notes,  out  of  which 
we  could  make  nothing,  was  found  in  his  pocket.  I  was  half  way 
inclined  to  believe  his  story,  but  the  fact  that  he  had  no  paper  about 
him  connecting  him  in  any  way  with  the  army,  or  even  giving  his 
name,  was  a  strong  circumstance  in  my  mind  against  him — sufficient, 
I  thought,  to  justify  me  in  sending  him  to  the  guard-house,  to  be  held 
until  further  investigation  could  be  had,  and  accordingly  so  directed. 
The  guards  had  started  with  him  to  the  guard-house,  and  had  almost 
reached  the  door,  when  the  thought  suddenly  occurred  to  my  mind 
that  I  had  seen  that  man  before.  There  was  something  in  his  expres- 
sion that  was  familiar,  and  I  endeavored  to  recall  the  time  and  place, 
when  and  where  we  had  met.  I  halted  the  party  near  the  door,  and 
as  the  prisoner  turned  his  face  toward  the  light  the  circumstance  of 
our  previous  meeting  came  vividly  to  my  memory.  I  remembered 
having  met  him  in  West  Tennessee  in  the  fall  of  i860.  Walking  up 
to  him,  I  laid  my  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  remarked,  "My  friend, 
we  have  met  before." 

"I  guess  not,"  he  quickly  replied. 

"But  we  have,  and  I  think  your  name  is  Easterwood." 

Wilson  started  a  little  at  this,  but  smiled  pleasantly  as  he  repeated 
the  remark  that  I  was  mistaken. 

He  denied  any  knowledge  of  the  place  where  I  mentioned  as  hav- 


KemkmscKiVcks  of  the  War.  037 

ing   previously  enjoyed  the  honor  of  his   acquaintance,    and    knew 
nobody  in  that  locality. 

Dick  Walker,  who  in  the  meantime  had  come  up,  questioned  Wil- 
son sharply,  with  a  view  of  getting  something  of  his  history,  but 
nothing  could  be  learned  further  than  the  fdct  that  Bennington  had 
met  him  while  returning  from  a  scout  and  brought  him  into  camp,  and 
his  subsequent  arrest. 

Early  next  morning  a  courier  was  sent  out  to  Company  C,  Second 
Tennessee,  for  J.  F.  Black,  a  member  of  that  company,  who,  if  I 
was  right  in  my  recollection  of  the  prisoner,  would  instantly  identify 
him,  as  I  knew  they  had  lived  neighbors  for  some  years.  Black  was 
requested  to  accompany  Walker  and  myself  to  the  guard-house,  and 
to  look  among  the  prisoners  to  see  if  he  could  find  any  one  he  could 
recognize.  We  had  hardly  entered  the  prison  door  before  Black 
■caught  Wilson's  eye,  and  exclaimed  with  surprise,  "Why,  hello, 
Easterwood,  what  are  you  doing  here?" 

The  prisoner  turned  pale  and  for  a  moment  was  almost  speechless, 
but  recovering  himself  by  a  masterly  effort  repeated  about  the  same 
story  he  told  us  the  night  before,  but  hesitated  some  in  stating  the 
command  to  which  he  belonged. 

He  was  subsequently  taken  before  the  provost  marshal  for  exami- 
nation, but  positively  refused  to  talk.  He  was  remanded  to  prison 
under  the  charge  of  being  a  spy.  It  was  some  weeks  before  he  was 
put  on  trial,  which  came  off  before  a  court-martial  at  Columbus, 
Mississippi.  Walker,  Bennington,  Bayless  and  myself  were  before 
the  court  as  witnesses.  Whether  our  testimony  amounted  to  anything 
or  not,  I  never  knew,  but  I  learned  afterward  that  an  expert  had 
deciphered  Easterwood's  notes,  and  brought  out  direct  facts  against 
him.  At  any  rate  he  was  found  guilty  as  a  spy,  condemned  to  death 
by  hanging,  and  the  date  of  execution  fixed  some  four  weeks  off. 

It  was  necessary  that  the  papers  be  signed  by  General  Pemberton, 
who  was  then  at  Vicksburg,  and  be  returned  before  the  day  set  for 
the  execution.  Before  returning  to  Okolona  after  the  sentence  was 
passed  upon  Easterwood,  Walker  and  I  visited  him  at  the  jail.  He 
admitted  his  guilt,  and  said  he  was  ready  to  meet  the  penalty.  We 
parted  with  the  miserable  man  with  the  deepest  sorrow.  Though  a 
spy  and  an  enemy  we  had  found  him  a  high-bred,  proud,  brave  gen- 
tleman; worthy  of  a  better  fate. 

War  events  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession  about  this  time. 
Grant's  movements  around  Vicksburg,  and  its  subsequent  fall;  excit- 


038  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

ing  campaigns  in  Kentucky  and  Virginia;  great  battles  and  exciting 
skirmishes  from  Louisiana  to  Maryland  kept  public  attention  on  the 
alert,  and  like  every  one  else  I  lived  in  the  present  and  future,  and 
thought  little  of  the  events  of  the  past.  I  supposed  that  when  the 
day  arrived  for  Easterwood  to  hang  for  the  crime  for  which  he  had 
forfeited  his  life,  he  paid  the  penalty  in  the  regular  way,  and  was 
stowed  away  in  an  obscure  grave,  free  from  war's  alarms,  awaiting  the 
summons  to  the  grand  roll  call,  when  all  men  are  to  answer  for  the 
deeds  done  while  in  the  body. 

Two  years  or  more  after  the  event  mentioned  I  was  captuied  by 
the  Federals,  and  held  a  prisoner  at  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  111., 
until  the  war  was  over.  I  shall  not  go  into  the  details  of  my  capture, 
and  to  the  exciting  incidents  connected  with  my  first  week's  career  as 
a  prisoner  of  war.  Suffice  to  say,  I  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment  of  Federals  in  Lewis  County,  Tennessee.  My  friend 
and  fellow-soldier,  W.  C.  Kennedy,  of  Auburn,  Cannon  County,  was 
Avounded  and  captured  at  the  same  time.  My  horse  had  been  shot  in 
the  skirmish,  and  I  was  trying  to  make  my  escape  across  an  open  field 
to  the  woods,  and  though  closely  pursued  by  the  Yankees,  who  were 
firing  at  me  from  repeating  rifles,  much  faster  than  I  could  count,  I 
hoped  to  escape,  but  I  discovered  Kennedy  lying  on  the  ground,  some 
thirty  yards  off,  and  I  could  n't  think  of  leaving  him  there,  without 
knowing  how  badly  he  was  hurt,  and  deviated  from  the  straight  line 
to  the  timber  to  speak  to  him.  The  delay  thus  caused  proved  fatal. 
Before  I  could  regain  lost  ground  the  Dutchmen  were  upon  me  demand- 
ing my  surrender.  I  submitted  to  the  inevitable  and  gave  up  my  gun, 
the  barrel  of  which  had  become  so  hot  from  quick  loading  and  shoot- 
ing that  I  could  hardly  hold  it  in  my  hand.  It  was  with  considerable 
difficulty  that  the  Pennsylvanians  prevented  a  gang  of  Tennessee  home 
guards,  under  the  leadership  of  Gus  Langdon,  from  shooting  us  like 
dogs,  after  we  were  made  prisoners.  We  were  guarded  very  closely 
afterward  to  keep  the  Langdon  crowd  from  murdering  us,  as  we  were 
to  be  held  as  prisoners.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  extra  vigilance  I 
believe  I  could  have  escaped. 

Kennedy  and  I  were  taken  to  Columbia,  where  I  was  placed  in 
jail,  and  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital.  From  the  Columbia  jail  I  was 
transferred  to  the  penitentiary  at  Nashville,  and  thence  to  Louisville, 
where  I  was  accorded  the  distinguished  privilege  of  determining  by 
lottery  whether  I  should  continue  my  existence  on  this  war-riven  and 
much-troubled  sphere,  or  go  out  and  be  shot  for  sins  alleged  against 


Reminiscences  of  the  Wae.  039 


Mosby's  men,  who  were  then  said  to  be  operating  in  Eastern  Kentucky. 
This  was  while  Burbridge  domineered  over  military  affairs  at  Louisville. 
The  fates  for  the  first  time  in  life,  to  my  knowledge,  were  in  my  favor, 
and  enabled  me  to  go  safely  and  successfully  through  the  ordeal  on 
two  occasions.  If  it  had  cost  me  money  to  draw  in  that  lottery  busi- 
ness, luck  would  have  been  against  me  to  a  dead  moral  certainty. 

From  Louisville  I  was  sent  with  a  lot  of  other  unfortunates  like  my- 
self to  Camp  Douglas.  We  reached  the  famous  prison  pen  about  sun- 
up, one  of  the  coldest  mornings  I  had  ever  seen,  felt,  read  or  heard 
of.  Everybody  else,  I  could  see,  appeared  comfortable  enough,  in 
warm,  substantial  clothing,  but  the  prisoners  were  thinly  clad,  and 
being  just  from  the  South  they  suffered  severely.  Before  turning  us 
into  the  prison  proper  we  were  stopped  at  the  gate  and  stripped  of 
what  clothing  we  had  on,  while  a  detail  for  the  purpose  went  through 
our  rags  in  search  of  "money,"  while  we  were  left  to  shiver  in  the 
raw  wind  until  they  got  through.  Out  of  the  squad  of  ninety  men. 
I  think  they  got  ninety-five  cents  in  shinplasters. 

I  was  assigned  to  barracks  38.  The  bunk  allotted  me  was  innocent 
of  a  single  blanket  or  anything  to  keep  me  warm.  My  first  night  was 
about  as  miserable  a  one  as  one  could  imagine,  but  I  managed  to  pull 
through  till  morning.  The  sun  rose  bright  and  cheerful.  The  air 
was  full  of  flying  frost,  something  I  had  never  witnessed  before.  I 
went  out  into  the  sunshine,  for  it  was  much  warmer  than  in  the  bar- 
racks, and  besides  I  wanted  to  see  the  prison.  I  had  been  out  an 
hour,  I  suppose,  and  had  not  met  a  single  familiar  face,  and  was  on  my 
return  to  the  barracks.  Hundreds  of  prisoners  were  rushing  to  and 
from  the  hydrant.  I  was  making  my  way  through  the  crowd  when  for 
the  first  time  my  eyes  caught  the  outline  of  a  familiar  face.  The 
owner  was  walking  rapidly  toward  me;  I  was  endeavoring  to  make  him 
out  or  locate  him  before  speaking  to  him.  I  knew  I  could  not  be  mis- 
taken in  having  seen  the  man,  but  was  at  a  loss  to  name  him.  When 
we  had  approached  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other,  our  eyes  met.  He 
started  and  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  and  with  much  surprise,  while 
a  smile  played  over  his  face  he  exclaimed,  "  McLin!" 

"  Easterwood ! " 

But  it  was  with  much  difficulty  I  articulated  the  name.  I  thought 
he  had  been  hanged  years  before,  and  was  so  sure  of  it  that  I  felt  that 
I  stood  in  the  presence  of  his  ghost. 

"My  God,  Easterwood,"  I  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "how  came 
you  here?  I  thought  you  were  dead!" 


640  K.  R.  H4.NcooK\s  Diary. 

' '  I  am  not  dead,  as  you  supposed,  but,  taking  all  things  together, 
I  expect  I  am  about  as  near  it  now  as  I  have  ever  been.  How  came 
I  here?  Well,  that's  a  long  story  that  I'll  tell  you  some  other  time. 
But,  I  am  here,  as  you  see,  a  rebel  prisoner." 

"Then  you  wasn't  hanged  after  all?" 

"Not  much.  You  see  my  death  warrant  was  sent  to  Vicksburg  for 
General  Pemberton's  approval  and  it  was  never  returned.  Grant 
closed  up  that  town  about  that  time,  and  suspended  business  between 
Pemberton  and  Pillow,  and  left  me  in  jail  under  death  sentence  with 
no  authority  for  any  one  to  carry  it  out." 

"Well?" 

"Well,  I  was  kept  in  jail  several  months  and  was  finally  sent  to 
Mobile,  where  I  was  made  a  sort  of  galley  slave  in  the  fort  there.  My 
duty  was  to  do  anything  and  everything  it  was  nobody  else's  business 
to  do.  I  was  subject  to  almost  anybody's  orders,  from  the  commander 
down  to  gun  corporal,  I  was  neither  a  soldier  nor  a  negro,  a  prisoner 
nor  a  trusty,  a  hired  man,  nor  a  camp  bummer.  That  sort  of  life  didn't 
suit  nie,  and  I  left.  But  it  is  too  cold  to  stand  here  and  talk.  I'll  tell 
you  all  some  other  time." 

Easterwood  and  I  were  together  almost  daily  from  that  time  forward 
for  some  months.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1865,  by  the  interposition 
of  friends  on  the  outside,  he  secured  his  release  from  prison,  by  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States.  He  returned  to  his  family 
in  West  Tennessee  where  he  lived  a  quiet,  peaceful  life  on  a  farm,  for 
a  number  of  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  died  with  con- 
sumption, leaving  a  widow  and  a  number  of  children.  His  remarka- 
ble history  was  never  known  outside  his  immediate  family,  except  by 
myself. 

"It  is  a  strange  story."  remarked  Easterwood  to  me  one  day  in 
prison.  We  were  talking  of  the  war,  when  I  reminded  him  that  he  had 
never  explained  his  escape  from  the  fort  at  Mobile,  and  how  he  came 
to  be  a  prisoner  of  war. 

"It  is  a  very  strange  story,  and  one  that  will  tax  your  credulity  to 
the  highest  to  believe;  but  I  promised  to  tell  you,  and  I  will  now 
proceed. 

"After  my  capture  at  Okolona,  I  felt  sure  I  would  find  a  way  of 
escape  and  always  kept  my  eye  out  for  the  chance.  But  no  opportu- 
nity ever  presented  itself  that  I  thought  I  could  utilize  and  conse- 
quently made  no  foolish  attempt.  I  had  no  idea  of  being  convicted 
on  a  fair  trial,  but  you  know  the  result  of  that  court-martial.     I  was 


Eexiixiscences  of  the  War.  641 


found  guilty  and  sentenced.  The  idea  of  dying  by  hanging  at  first 
overwhelmed  me.  I  could  have  reconciled  myself  to  my  fate  had  I 
known  I  was  going  to  be  shot,  but  to  hang  was  terrible.  I  was  almost 
crazed  with  the  thought.  And  then,  when  I  thought  of  my  poor  little 
wife  and  baby  at  home,  one  to  be  made  a  widow  and  the  other  an 
orphan,  and  that  I  could  see  them  no  more,  my  distress  was  more  than 
I  could  bear.  At  times,  I  am  sure  I  was  perfectly  insane.  Time 
passed  on,  and  the  fatal  day  was  drawing  close  at  hand.  I  had  no  in- 
timation whatever  of  the  fate  of  the  papers,  and  no  hope  whatever 
that  Grant  had  captured  them,  and  fully  expected  to  swing  when  my 
time  come.  But  one  night,  a  few  days  before  the  day  fixed  for  my 
execution,  I  did  get  hope,  and  that  from  a  source  I  little  expected. 

"I  had  been  very  restless  through  the  day  previous,  and  it  was  late 
in  the  night  before  I  laid  down  on  my  blankets  in  the  corner  of  my 
cell  to  try  to  sleep.  I  think  it  must  have  been  near  midnight  when  I 
felt  myself  lost  in  a  dense  fog  that  seemed  to  cover  the  whole  earth. 
I  seemed  to  be  wandering,  drifting  rather,  I  knew  not  where.  The 
fog  was  so  dense  I  could  distinguish  no  object  whatever.  I  thought  I 
was  going  home  from  the  war  and  had  nearly  reached  there  when  I 
was  surrounded  by  the  awful  mist  that  shut  out  my  vision  and  pre- 
vented me  from  finding  my  way  to  the  long  looked-for-home,  where 
my  dear  wife  had  been  so  long  looking  and  waiting  for  me.  After  a 
long  while  the  sunlight  began  to  penetrate  the  fog,  and  soon  afterward 
the  cloud  was  lifted  entirely,  and,  to  my  surprise,  I  was  in  full  view  of 
home.  The  sky  was  black  behind  me;  before  all  was  bright  and 
cheerful.  I  was  overjoyed  to  meet  my  family,  and  thought  I  had 
come  to  stay.  I  held  my  wife  in  my  arms  and  kissed  her  a  hundred 
times,  I  know,  and  promised  her  I  would  never  leave  her  again.  But 
in  the  midst  of  my  joy  I  heard  the  tread  of  cavalry  horses  and  the 
clanking  of  sabers,  followed  by  pistol  shots,  and  I  felt  that  I  must  fly 
to  escape.  Hastily  telling  my  wife  'good-bye,'  I  started  off  on  a 
run,  when  she  halted  and  kissed  me  farewell. 

"  'Our  last  kiss,  I  am  afraid,'  I  remarked. 

" 'O,  no,  no;  not  the  last.     Fly  now;  we  shall  meet  again.' 

"She  had  hardly  uttered  the  last  word  when,  in  my  excitement,  I 
was  awakened.  For  a  moment  I  felt  greatly  depressed.  The  dream 
had  brought  with  it  a  sense  of  disappointment,  and  seemed  to  mock 
me  in  my  misery.  This  feeling  gradually  disappeared  as  I  remem- 
bered and  repeated  time  and  again  the  last  words  of  my  wife:  'We 
shall  meet  again.'  I  was  never  superstitious  in  my  life,  and  had  no 
41 


642  E.  E.  Hancock's  Diary. 

faith  in  dreams,  but  somehow  this  one  impressed  me  as  I  had  never 
been  before.  It  seemed  to  speak  to  my  inner  self  and  to  tell  me  there 
was  hope.  I  received  it  as  a  prophecy — a  voice  from  heaven — and, 
while  I  could  not  interpret  the  vision,  I  felt  from  that  moment  that  I 
would  be  saved  or  find  a  means  of  escape. 

"The  day  set  for  my  execution  came  around,  and,  while  I  would 
not  have  been  surprised  at  any  moment  to  have  seen  a  file  of  sol- 
diers call  for  me,  they  did  not  come,  and  I  could  learn  nothing  from 
the  jailer  as  to  the  reason  why. 

"  It  was  weeks  afterward  before  I  learned  the  facts.  I  felt,  as  you 
may  know,  a  great  relief.  But  the  question  soon  arose  in  my  mind  as 
to  how  I  would  be  finally  disposed  of.  I  was  quite  sure  the  authori- 
ties would  not  allow  me  to  enlist  as  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  army, 
nor  would  they  exchange  me  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  The  only  sure 
thing  in  sight  was  a  short  existence  in  the  jail.  I  was  nearly  dead, 
anyway,  but  I  really  preferred  hanging  to  rotting  to  death  in  my  cell. 

"I  was  at  last  sent  to  Mobile,  as  I  have  told  you.  I  recovered 
my  health  and  strength  there,  though  I  had  a  pretty  tough  time.  I 
was  everybody's  dog,  and  it  was  every  dog's  day  except  mine. 

"I  determined  on  a  change  at  the  first  opportunity,  and  prepared 
for  it.  I  managed  to  get  hold  of  a  blank  commission  for  an  assistant 
inspector-general.  This  I  filled  up  to  suit  myself.  In  addition  to  that 
I  found  some  officer's  transportation  paper,  from  which  I  extracted  his 
name,  changed  dates  and  places,  etc. ,  to  suit  my  own  taste,  and  when 
I  got  everything  ready,  after  having  provided  myself  with  a  suitable 
uniform,  I  managed  to  work  my  way  out  of  the  fort  and  to  the  depot. 
On  reaching  the  station,  I  boarded  a  train  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Railroad  just  leaving  for  West  Point,  Miss.,  the  then  terminus.  My 
transportation  paper  was  the  big  card,  and  it  worked  like  a  charm.  I 
reached  West  Point  without  any  trouble  and  put  up  at  a  hotel,  where 
I  soon  learned  the  officer's  name  in  command  of  a  cavalry  squad 
there.  I  immediately  sent  him  a  note  that  I  was  there  and  would  be 
out  to  inspect  his  command  that  afternoon,  and,  in  the  meantime,  I 
would  be  obliged  to  have  him  provide  me  with  a  horse,  and  to  call  and 
see  me  at  my  room. 

"The  colonel  came,  as  I  expected,  and  we  spent  a  pleasant  hour 
together.  He  sent  me  a  good  horse  and  saddle  and  a  lieutenant  to  ac- 
company me  to  headquarters.  The  command,  consisting  of  three  or 
four  companies,  was  brought  out  on  parade.  The  colonel  put  them 
through  some  excellent  field  movements,  after  which  they  were  formed 


Eeminiscences  of  the  War.  643 

in  line  for  inspection.  I  rode  down  the  line,  examined  each  man's 
position  in  the  saddle,  dropped  some  instruction  here  and  there,  where 
I  thought  it  was  needed,  made  the  men  a  little  talk  an  their  excellent 
appearance,  thanked  the  colonel  and  officers  for  their  courtesy,  got  an 
abstract  of  the  adjutant's  last  report  to  General  Ruggles,  and  returned 
to  my  hotel.  I  had  learned  from  the  colonel  that  the  cavalry  was 
scattered  pretty  much  through  the  country  from  Tuscumbia  along 
down  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  to  the  Mobile  and  Ohio 
and  from  thence  to  Holly  Springs.  I  also  learned  that  Colonel  Bar- 
teau's  men  were  somewhere  in  the  Blackland  country.  I  did  not  care 
to  fall  into  their  hands  again,  and  I  determined  on  a  more  northerly 
course. 

"The  colonel  called  on  me  again  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  sub- 
mitted for  his  inspection  a  map  indicating  the  localities  where  the  cav- 
alry was  stationed,  and  told  him  I  desired  first  to  visit  the  command 
at  Tuscaloosa  and  thence  down  the  country  to  Aberdeen,  and  asked 
him  to  furnish  me  a  horse  and  outfit  to  make  the  trip,  promising  I 
would  return  them  from  Aberdeen.  He  readily  consented  to  do  so. 
The  next  morning  I  found  myself  handsomely  mounted  and  on  my 
way  home.  I  came  across  and  inspected  two  or  three  different  com- 
mands before  I  got  outside  the  lines.  These  diversions  necessarily 
delayed  me  altogether  two  or  three  days. 

"When  I  at  last  cleared  the  outposts,  I  made  directly  for  home, 
arriving  there  about  ten  days  after  leaving  West  Point.  And  now 
comes  the  other  part  of  my  story,  which  accounts  for  my  being  here. 

"I  remained  at  home  a  month  or  two,  and  notwithstanding  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  not  to  join  the  army  again  on  either  side,  I  found 
it  impossible  to  plead  neutral  and  stay  there  with  any  degree  of  safety. 
The  country  was  torn  up  and  excited  by  raids  of  guerilla  bands  of 
both  armies,  comprised  generally  of  cut-throats  and  thieves.  These 
raiding  desperadoes  had  things  pretty  much  their  own  way  when  they 
were  about,  and  defenseless  citizens  had  a  very  poor  showing.  I 
accordingly  enlisted  in  Captain  Tom  Mathes'  company  of  Confederate 
cavalry,  and  was  shortly  afterward  in  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  Fed- 
erals, captured  and  sent  here.  Of  course  the  Federals  knew  nothing 
of  my  ever  having  been  in  their  secret  service,  and  "I  don't  care  about 
them  knowing  it,  either.  My  relation  to  either  army  is  not  at  present 
of  the  most  happy  character,  and  if  I  ever  get  out  of  here  I  will  cut 
the  acquaintance  of  both  and  let  them  fight  it  out.  I've  had  entirely 
too  much  of  it.     The  truth  about  the  matter  is  just  about  this :  I  have 


644  R.  R.  Hancock's  Diary. 

got  to  a  point  where  I  am  willing  to  quit,  and  intend  to  quit,  and  if  I 
am  ever  permitted  to  reach  my  wife  again  I  will  never  leave  her  until 
God  shall  call  one  of  us  away.  I  desire  to  die  by  her  side,  and  I  feel 
that  it  is  decreed  that  I  shall." 

"You  remember  your  dream?" 

"That  dream  was  a  prophecy;  it  came  to  me  in  my  cell  to  com- 
fort me  when  all  the  world  was  against  me  and  death  staring  me  in 
the  face.  It  gave  me  hope,  and  strength,  and  courage,  without  which 
I  should  certainly  have  sickened  and  died  during  my  long  confine- 
ment. Something  tells  me  I  will  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  in 
peace,  and  with  my  family  and  friends.  My  life,  since  the  war  com- 
menced, has  been  a  turbulent  one,  full  of  danger  and  attended  through- 
out with  narrow  escapes  and  reckless  adventures,  but  much  of  it  is 
known  only  to  myself  and  it  will  die  with  me." 

I  think,  as  I  stated  in  the  outset,  that  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
Easterwood's  adventure  is  well  worth  preserving.  It  is  a  piece  of  his- 
tory in  which  there  is  enough  romance  to  make  it  interesting. 

Yours  truly, 

J.   U.   McLiN. 


1^^