Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Tuesday, November 5, 1861

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 bivouacked eighteen miles from the Gap.

General Zollicoffer set out for Jacksborough yesterday from the Gap. Four regiments of infantry (Battle'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 Sixteenth Alabama (Lieutenant-Colonel Harris)¹ were on their way to the same place, leaving Colonels Rains' and Churchwell's Regiments 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 reconnoitering 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 approaching this point 6,000 strong-1,500 cavalry and the balance artillery and infantry. The infantry and artillery camped last night, the 3d, five miles east of Monticeliu, a portion of the cavalry in town, their pickeis seven miles below.

Colonel Murray is at Camp Zollicoffer, in Overton County. I dispatched him yesterday, urging him to move to this place. Colonel Stanton, I understand, is at Celina.²

This was the information that Zollicoffer had been expecting to receive, and, in anticipation of which, he had previously (October 31st) ordered Colonels, Stanton, Murray and McClellan to concentrate their commands, and throw up intrenchments at some suitable point, near Jamestown,³ and was now moving as rapidly as possible with the force above named, including McNairy's Battalion, by the way of Jacksborough, Clinton and Montgomery, to their support.

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¹ Colonel Wood had the other battalion of this regiment with him at Knoxville. He was in command of that post.

² Rebellion Records, Vol. IV., p. 514.

³ Ibid, p. 493.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 71-2