Sunday, October 8, 2023

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Monday, January 20, 1862

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 Zollicoffer and Lieutenant Bailie Peyton to Louisville, Kentucky, and from there, if General Buell would consent, to Nashville, Tennessee.1

Having been sent with a dispatch to General Zollicoffer'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 Monticello, 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.

On January 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 confidence 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?2

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.3

We fell back to Monticello, nine miles from the river, unmolested by the Federals. The infantry and foot 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 battalion 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 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 myself. 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 again at Gainesboro, on the Cumberland River, in Jackson County, Tennessee. We now traveled in small squads, on different roads. Lieutenant George Alexander, 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.
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1 Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 565.

2 Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 849.

3 Rebellion Records, Vol. VII., p. 849.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 125-8

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