Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Monday, June 2, 1862

Moving only about two miles, we stopped for the night on the road leading from Jacinto to Marietta. Had quite a hard rain in the evening.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 174

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Tuesday, June 3, 1862

Moving two miles again, we halted for a few days at Marietta, a small village in Itawamba County, twenty-one miles from Jacinto.

A part of the army stopped at Baldwin, a station on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, twelve miles west of Marietta, while the rest went further south. The wagons belonging to our battalions were at Baldwin.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 174

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Friday, June 6, 1862

McKnight's Company went on a scout toward Bay Spring. They brought no news of interest.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 174

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Saturday, June 7, 1862

The battalion fell back almost three miles from Marietta.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 174

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Sunday, June 8, 1862

After a march of about seventeen miles on the Fulton road, we camped within a few hundred yards of the Tombigbee River, near where Colonel Bennett's Battalion was camped.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 174

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Monday, June 9, 1862

We moved about two hundred yards and encamped on the bank of the Tombigbee. Our wagons were brought out to us, loaded with corn, provisions and cooking vessels. Our tents were left at the railroad. Our wagons had not been with us, except two nights at Booneville, since they left us at Jacinto (May 5th).

Fulton, the county seat of Itawamba County, was about one mile from our camp, on the east side of the Tombigbeę, and about twenty-one miles from Marietta.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 174-5

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Saturday, May 17, 1862

Passing on through Frankfort and Russellville, Alabama, and notifying the boys to be ready to start to camps next morning. I stopped for the night with my uncle, Ben Hancock, who lived four miles north of Russellville. Starting back the 18th, we rejoined our company the 19th at Jacinto.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 170

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Tuesday, May 20, 1862

We learned after dark that the Federals were at Burnsville. So McKnight's Company was sent out to re-enforce the picket on the Burnsville road. The company lay in ambush all night a few hundred yards behind the picket.* The rest of the battalion were sent out on other roads leading out in the direction of Burnsville and Glendale. But no enemy made their appearance.

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* How vivid "to my memory still" is that night! The pickets were stationed thus: B. A. Hancock, in front; W. W. Hawkins, a few paces to the rear; while I was a few paces to the rear of Hawkins. We expected to be relieved, as the custom was, in two hours. But we were very much disappointed and somewhat chagrined at having to sit there on our horses all that long night. Do not remember of doing the like any more during the war.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 170

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Wednesday, May 21, 1862

A scout went out to Burnsville and learned that one hundred and five Federal cavalry had been there the evening before. So all except the pickets went back to camps.

Colonel McCulloch's Battalion and ours were all the troops stationed near Jacinto.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 170

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Thursday, May 22, 1862

The Federals were reported to be three miles south of Glendale, and advancing on us. So McCulloch's Battalion and ours mounted and moved out in that direction. Finding the report to be false, we returned to camp.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 170

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Friday, May 23, 1862

Captain McKnight, I, and ten others, went out to Burnsville on a scout. We met, about two and a half miles from Burnsville, two of Beauregard's scouts. They told Captain McKnight that they had seen, early that morning, about five hundred Federal cavalry eight miles beyond Burnsville. After starting a dispatch back to Colonel McNairy, we went on to Burnsville. We had been there only a short time when the enemy came in sight. Their advance guard, about fifty, made a dash at us as though they were bent on our capture. They followed us about two and a half miles almost at full speed. As we were well mounted we all made our escape. They fired a few shots at us, but we escaped without injury. I do not now remember of being in another such race during the war. About two miles further we found our battalion in ambush. In a short time McCulloch's Battalion, with one six-pounder, came up. Expecting the Federals were advancing, and finding a favorable position within about three miles of Burnsville, McCulloch's Battalion and a part of ours were deployed in battle line, while the other portion of our battalion (with McKnight's Company in front) moved on to meet the enemy. Going about one mile further, we halted and formed in ambush, while a small squad went on in search of the enemy. Going on to Burnsville, and finding the enemy had fallen back, we all returned to Jacinto a little before dark.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 170-1

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Saturday, May 24, 1862

The non-commissioned officers of our company were elected. The election resulted as follows:

John D. McLin, First Sergeant; A. B. McKnight, Second; R. R. Hancock, Third; and J. C. McAdoo, Fourth. (About one year afterward Sam Walker was made First Sergeant.) W. W. Harrison, X. A. Baxter, W. W. Hawkins and C. Dougherty were, I think, the corporals.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 171

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Sunday, May 25, 1862

McKnight's Company went on a scout up the Tuscumbia road, but brought back no news of interest.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 172

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Wednesday, May 28, 1862

About noon McCulloch's Battalion moved out toward Burnsville, and just before sundown ours followed. We found McCulloch within two miles of Burnsville. The Federals had been in town, but had fallen back. We dismounted, hitched our horses, and remained there all night.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 172

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Thursday, May 29, 1862

After returning to Jacinto and cooking three days' rations, our battalion moved down to within one mile of Booneville, where our wagons had been stationed since we took quarters in the vacant houses of Jacinto, May 5th. We heard that the Federals were marching down east of Jacinto, in the direction of Booneville, but we thought that that must be a false report. Corinth was evacuated that night.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 172

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock: Friday, May 30, 1862

Between daylight and sunup about twelve hundred Federal cavalry surrounded Booneville, a. small village station on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. There was one train of cars there and about five or six hundred Confederates, including the sick and their nurses, but there was no armed force there to defend the place. So the Federals had quietly taken possession of the place, set fire to the depot and train of cars, and had collected all the Confederates that were able to travel, and perhaps a number that were not really able, and formed them in line ready to march off, when about eighty of our battalion came upon the scene. Small as our squad was, we made a daring charge and released the prisoners. How they (the prisoners) did come yelling towards us! We then dropped back into the woods near by, and after a little skirmishing, the Federals withdrew in time for us to save two boxes of cars and also the engine. The train was loaded with arms and ammunition. Our loss was one killed (Culwell), three wounded, and it was said that the Federals carried off two prisoners, though the prisoners were not from our battalion. The Federal loss was two killed, several wounded, and nine prisoners. How those prisoners whom we released did appreciate being set at liberty! And they did not forget it, but continued to express their gratitude to our battalion when they happened to meet with any of us along through the war. The release of five or six hundred prisoners, in the hands of twelve hundred Federals, by not exceeding eighty Confederates, was no small feat.

The Confederate Army was moving south along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, in the direction of Booneville. So there was no little excitement in Confederate ranks on account of the explosion of the bombshells in the burning cars, being taken for heavy cannonading. However, they soon learned better, for it was not long before the head of the column passed Booneville. Our sick had to get out, or be taken out, of the depot to avoid being burned alive, so they were lying about on the ground, some dead and others in a dying condition; so the scene was anything but a pleasant one to look upon. Our battalion moved back to the same place we camped the night before.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 172-3

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Saturday, May 3, 1862

It was reported in camps about sundown that the Federals were tearing up the railroad about five miles west of Burnsville. A squad of us mounted and rode out in that direction far enough to learn that the Federals were surely there. As we did not wish to attack about eleven hundred in the dark, we went back to camps. We then moved our camps about two miles from Burnsville, on the Jacinto road, where we remained the rest of the night.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 167

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Sunday, May 4, 1862

The battalion went back to the railroad, and after learning that the Federals had gone back and were encamped about six miles north of the railroad, we turned south, going through Jacinto, the county seat of Tishamingo, and went into camps two miles from town, in an old sage field. Jacinto is nine miles from Burnsville.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 167

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Monday, May 5, 1862

After cooking three days' rations, we struck tents and loaded our wagons. The wagons were sent to Booneville, twelve miles from Jacinto, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. McNairy moved his men back to Jacinto, and quartered them in the various unoccupied houses. Allison's Company had splendid quarters in the court-house. Two scouts were sent out, one to Burnsville, the other to Glendale, six miles west of the former place, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Found no Federals. We remained at Jacinto for some days, scouting and picketing.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 167

Diary of Private Richard R. Hancock: Monday, May 12, 1862

There was a great deal of talk and excitement in the battalion about reorganizing for three years, or during the war, under a new law that the Confederate Congress had lately passed, known as the "conscript law." The expiration of our enlistment, twelve months, was now near at hand, and the question was, Shall we re-enlist or quit and go home?

As our company had a number of acquaintances in Colonel E. S. Smith's Regiment of cavalry, which was then thought to be in Tennessee, north of the Tennessee River, not far from Chattanooga, and as we were wanting to get back nearer home, Captain Allison sent M. W. McKnight and B. A. Hancock to Corinth to take a petition to General Beal. In said petition we requested the transfer of our company to the above named regiment. General Beal seemed to be favorable to our petition, but said that he would have to wait until he could find out the condition of Smith's Regiment before he could grant our request. In the meantime, however, we learned that Smith's Regiment was "bursted up," so that was the end of our petition.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 167-8