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 schoolhouse a little after dark, and awhile before day we
surrounded 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,
calling 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 excited and so long getting a light. After so
long a time she opened the door, and Captain McKnight searched the house while
I guarded the door. We noticed three ladies lying on one bed, but did not find
our man. 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 splendid breakfast, his daughters made some sweet music for us,
besides we had as many melons and peaches as we could eat. Who but a soldier,
though, could appreciate 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 under
those three ladies. After taking a real hearty laugh over the
affair, we mounted and returned to our picket base.
While McKnight's
Company was picketing at Marietta our camps were moved from Fulton to within
two miles of Guntown. The latter place is on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, some
thirteen miles south-west from Marietta. The Federals were kind enough 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 flour. So we told her to use corn meal 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 [August 14, 1862.]
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 204-5
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