Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Sunday, December 8, 1861

Brother Ben and four others of Allison'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.

Before reaching the upper ford on Fishing Creek they found a Federal cavalry picket, consisting of one company 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 Ohio¹ (Colonel Van Derveer). Dillon's fugitives refused to halt or give Dine's men any assistance, but pressed on to camp near Somerset. 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 report, the enemy's loss was ten killed and sixteen captured, 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 report:¹

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.³

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¹ Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 9.

²  Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 8.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 91-2