Promptly in the
saddle by seven Colonel Barteau moved his regiment about fifteen miles in the
direction of Iuka (on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad), thence about five
miles on the Russellville (Alabama) road, where he bivouacked for the night.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 201
Returning to the Iuka
road, thence about four miles in the direction of Iuka, we bivouacked within a
few miles of the enemy's picket.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, pp. 201-2
Colonel Barteau left
Fulton with the expectation of going on to Iuka, but the aid that he expected
not coming up, and not being willing to venture an attack with but little over
two hundred, he turned, came back by the way of Marietta and bivouacked some
four miles south on the Fulton road.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 202
Dark and rainy as
was that night Colonel Barteau attempted to capture a wagon train that was going
east between Bay Springs and Iuka, but he was too late. The train had passed before
he arrived at the place where he expected to make the capture. After burning
some cotton within six miles of Iuka the regiment returned to camps.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 202
Going a few miles in
the direction of Iuka, learning nothing of interest from the Federals, we
turned back and bivouacked four miles south of Bay Springs, on the Fulton road.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 203
W. C. Hancock and
three others, who went out the day before, returned. They reported that they
went to Marietta, but found no Federals there.
Major Morton, with a
part of our regiment, went out on a scout in the direction of luka.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, pp. 200
*General W. T.
Sherman was in command of this expedition.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 165-6
Our battalion moved
about nine miles west and went into camps one-half mile south-west of
Burnsville, still in Tishamingo County, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
All the troops, except a few cavalry, left Iuka.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 166
Rienzi. Was another
repetition of that a week ago only on a little larger scale. The horses were
harnessed at 1 A. M. and we went out on the Ripley road three quarters of a
mile, laid there half an hour waiting for the enemy, then filed left on our
drilling ground, drilled half an hour, then came home and unharnessed. Received
new gun carriages and caissons in the afternoon. Report of another great battle
at Iuka in which 1000 of our men were killed in twenty-five minutes. Colonel
Murphy of the 8th put under arrest for withdrawing his men. Stood guard duty.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 6-7
I was on guard in
front of the Provost-marshall's office today. The troop began to move toward
Holly Springs long before day light. While I was in town five batteries and as
many brigades passed. Gen. Grant passed us a number of times. He is looking a great
deal better than when at Iuka.
SOURCE: Seth James
Wells, The Siege of Vicksburg: From the
Diary of Seth J. Wells, Including Weeks of Preparation and of Occupation After
the Surrender, p. 14
I and five others were on picket on the bank of the Tennessee at Chickasaw. About nine o'clock A. M. another gun-boat paid us a visit. She had eleven guns aboard. After spying round awhile, she went back down the river, without either landing any troops or firing a gun. The battalion moved to Iuka, and camped in the “Iuka Springs" lot, in the edge of town. There were a couple of nice mineral springs there.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 139
The battalion moved to a nice camping place in an old field, one mile west of luka, where it remained about eleven days.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 139-40
After a ride of about thirty miles, crossing Big Bear Creek, the battalion went into camps near Iuka, in Tishamingo County, Mississippi, within about twenty-five miles of Corinth. The battalion remained near Iuka for about three weeks. Distance from Decatur to Tuscumbia, forty-eight miles; from Decatur to luka, eighty-five.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 138
A little after dark
seventy-five of the battalion went out to guard the railroad bridge which
crossed Bear Creek about seven miles east of Iuka.
*Brother Will and I left the battalion at Tuscumbia (on the 22d) to visit some of our relatives (Aunt Martha Ramsey's and Uncle Ben Hancock's families), who lived fourteen miles south on the Russellville road. After spending an evening and one night very pleasantly with our relatives, we rejoined the battalion at Iuka on the 24th.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 138
Bear Creek empties into the Tennessee River eight miles north-east of Iuka. Chickasaw was a little village above, or on the east of Bear Creek, and Eastport was below, both on the bank of the Tennessee. The Confederates had a battery at the latter place. Two Federal gun-boats came up the river to Eastport, and opened fire on our battery. The boats fell back down the river soon after our battery opened on them. A part of our battalion was still guarding Bear Creek bridge.
SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 138
This morning at two o'clock the bugle's blast is heard and soon the regiment is moving towards Iuka. At daylight we come to a halt one and a half miles from Iuka where we tie up and feed, after which Colonel Rowett proceeds with the regiment to Iuka, and reports to General Sherman.
Companies A, B, C, D, E, G and K, go into camp in the woods west of Iuka. Companies H, I and F, under the command of Captain Johnson, pass through Iuka and go into camp as an out-post, on the road leading south.
SOURCE: Daniel Leib Ambrose, History of the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, p. 200-1
To-day the sullen roar of artillery is heard in the front, towards the Tennessee river. The troops are soon in motion. Sherman and staff are now leaving Iuka for the advance; the conjectures are that a storm is brewing down by the Tennessee. Sherman is now moving with his army to form a junction with General Rosecrans, and the probabilities are that Bragg will attempt to check him.
SOURCE: Daniel Leib Ambrose, History of the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, p. 201
This morning companies H and A escort the Second Michigan Battery out to the camp of the Fifty-second Illinois Infantry. Rumor has it now that the troops will all leave Iuka in the morning for Eastport, Tennessee river. All are in confusion this evening. Considerable excitement amongst sutlers and "civilians," for the order has come for the command to move to-morrow, at 7 A. M.
The bugle blows at early dawn, all are soon up and prepared to move; it is now raining in torrents. All the infantry are now in motion. During the morning the Seventh stand in the rain, expecting to move every minute. We wait and wait; mid-day is now passed and the Seventh still at luka. After this standing in the rain all day waiting for an order to move forward, we receive orders to unsaddle and remain another night, and in consequence the Seventh are far from being in a good humor this evening.
This morning, the troops being all gone, we leave Iuka for Eastport, where we arrive about noon.
The troops are now busy crossing the river. We go into camp for the night with orders to be ready to cross early in the morning.
