Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Monday, December 23, 1861

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 Knoxville connected with the most important details.

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,¹ besides the force at Cumberland Gap, eight full regiments and a Georgia Battalion, a battery 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.²

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¹ On the 10th of December General Carroll reported his brigade five thousand strong, and all other troops in East Tennessee at six thousand-total, eleven thousand.—Rebellion Records, Vol. V11., p. 751.

² Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 786.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 100-1