Passing on through
Shelbyville, crossing Duck River, we went into camps on its bank in sight of
town, in Bedford County, twenty-five miles from Murfreesboro, where we remained
until
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 135
Johnston dispatched
thus to the Secretary of War from Shelbyville:
My
army will move beyond this to-day on the road to Decatur. One brigade remains
here to protect the stores until they are shipped south.
I
will be at the telegraph office at Fayetteville to-morrow morning to receive
any communications.*
After a march of
about fifteen miles on the Fayetteville pike, we went into camps in a beautiful
woods, where we had plenty of wood for fires.
*Rebellion
Records, Vol. VII., p. 917.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 135
Passing on through
Fayetteville, crossing Elk River, we went into camps on its bank half a mile
from town, in Lincoln County. Had another nice camping place. Distance from
Shelbyville to Fayetteville, twenty-six miles. Here we rested one day.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 135-6
After a march of
about seven miles in the direction of Athens, Alabama, we camped for the night
in a barren, swampy country, in Lincoln County.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136
After a march of
eleven miles through a broken country, we camped in an oak grove, still in
Lincoln County, Tennessee.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136
We marched through a
section of country the principal growth of which was post-oak. There were so
many quicksand bogs that it was difficult for our wagons to pass. Marching
about eleven miles, passing out of Tennessee, we camped for the night in
Limestone County, Alabama.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136
Passing on through
Athens, we went into camps about two miles beyond. Distance from Fayetteville,
Tennessee, to Athens, Alabama, thirty-eight miles. As it rained the night
before, the roads were still worse.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136
After mounting and
moving out, perhaps, one mile and a half in the direction of Decatur, we were
ordered back to the same camp we had just left, in a nice oak grove. It was a
beautiful day.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 135
The battalion moved
only about six miles and went into camps. The artillery moved on still further
in the direction of Decatur.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136
Our battalion
crossed the Tennessee River on the railroad bridge at Decatur, and went into
camps about one mile west of town. The artillery and wagons of our division
(Crittenden's), being loaded about two miles from the river, were brought over
on the cars. Distance from Athens to Decatur, fourteen miles; from Murfreesboro
to Decatur, one hundred and three miles.
Crittenden's Division
remained near Decatur, in Morgan County, for several days.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 136-7
About dusk there was
an awful storm of wind and rain. It was all we could do to keep our tents from
blowing off.
SOURCE: Richard R.
Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee
Confederate Cavalry, p. 137
Stanton's
and Murray's Regiments came to and commenced crossing the river.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133
Owing
to the high water those two regiments made slow progress crossing the river.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133
They
finished crossing the river. The other four companies of McNairy's Battalion
crossed also.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133
McNairy's
Battalion took up the line of March again, following the division in the
direction of Murfreesboro. As it rained nearly all day, and brother Ben was
unwell, he and I remained at one Mr. Coffee's, where we had been boarding for
several days.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133
As
it was a beautiful day, and Ben was able to ride, we went home, near Auburn,
Cannon County, Tenn., distance twenty-three miles.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133
I
left home* to rejoin the battalion near Murfreesboro. After a ride of nineteen
miles I, with several others of Allison's Company, stopped for the night with
Colonel E. S. Smith's Battalion, within two miles of Murfreesboro.
I
will here pause to make a few remarks in reference. to the movements of the
Confederates at other points.
Fort
Henry, on the Tennessee River, fell into the hands of the Federals on February
6th. General Grant, making Fort Henry his base of operations, moved against
Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River.
General
Buckner, with about nine thousand five hundred rank and file, surrendered the
latter place to Grant on the 16th.
About
this time the Confederates at Bowling Green, Kentucky, fell back to Nashville
before General Buell. By the 23d the last of the Confederate troops evacuated
the latter place, falling back to Murfreesboro.
Nashville
was formally surrendered by the Mayor to General Buell on the 25th of February.
So
I found quite a number of infantry, cavalry and artillery at Murfreesboro under
the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston.
That
portion of Johnston's army which was now with him at Murfreesboro, and known as
the Central Army, was composed of three divisions, commanded respectively by
Major-Generals Hardee, Crittenden and Pillow, and one "reserve"
brigade under Brigadier-General Breckinridge. Each division was composed of two
brigades, making a total of seven brigades.
Bennett's
Battalion, which was afterward consolidated with McNairy's, belonged to
Hindman's Brigade and Hardee's Division.
_______________
*The
last time I saw home until June 3d, 1865.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 133-4
We
rejoined our battalion at Black's Shop, seven miles from Murfreesboro, on the
Lebanon pike. We were ordered to hunt quarters for the night, as we still had
no tents.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 134
On
reassembling the battalion drew five tents to each company, and put them up at
Black's Shop.
Hearing
that the Federals were about five miles south of Nashville and still advancing
toward Murfreesboro, the battalion moved out about eight miles in the direction
of the former place. Hearing that about one thousand Confederate cavalry were
three miles in advance of us, we turned and went back to camps at Black's Shop.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 134-5
Crittenden's
Division, to which McNairy's Battalion still belonged, took up the line of
march again for Corinth Mississippi. Passing on through Murfreesboro, we went
into camps about ten miles beyond, on the Shelbyville pike. Johnston also put
the rest of his command in motion southward.
SOURCE:
Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second
Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, p. 135
