Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Tuesday, June 17, 1862

The regiment recrossed the river and encamped in sight of Fulton, in a beautiful bottom on the west side of town.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 200

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Thursday, June 19, 1862

A scout went out and burned a lot of cotton in order to prevent the Federals from getting it.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 200

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Friday, June 20, 1862

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

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Saturday, June 21, 1862

A number of our regiment went to preaching in Fulton. News coming to church that the Federals were not far off, and moving in the direction of Fulton, we did not remain to hear that preacher bring his remarks to a close, but went to camps in haste to prepare to receive the enemy. However, in place of coming to Fulton, the Federals crossed Tombigbee some distance above Fulton, cutting off Major Morton's scout from camps.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 200

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Sunday, June 22, 1862

The Federal scout, said to be about one hundred and ten, turned, recrossed Tombigbee, and went back through Marietta. Morton returned to camps in the evening without having any collision with the enemy.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 201

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Thursday, June 26, 1862

We moved camps from the west to the south-east of, and half a mile from, Fulton, on the Smithville road.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 201

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Saturday, June 28, 1862

I can now say I have been a soldier one year, for on the 28th of June, 1861, about eleven o'clock A. M., our company (Allison's) was mustered into service.

No troops were camped near Fulton except Barteau's Regiment.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 201

Diary of 2nd Sergeant Richard R. Hancock, Monday, June 30, 1862

A large scout went out with three days' rations. We heard news that pleased us well. Colonel Bradfute said our division was ordered to Middle Tennessee. O how delighted were we with the thought of going back to our native State! But I guess it was either a false report or the order was countermanded, for we heard no more of it.

SOURCE: Richard R. Hancock, Hancock's Diary: Or, A History of the Second Tennessee Confederate Cavalry, pp. 201

Diary of George Templeton Strong, July 5, 1860

. . . Visited the Great Eastern this afternoon. Visitors seem few. She is an enormity. But the bulk of the ship impresses me less than that of the titanic engines. I dived into their depths by the help of certain slippery cobweb iron ladders. The huge cylinders and piston rods are awful to behold, even in repose. This big ship, with all her apparatus of engines, telegraphs, corrected compasses, and what not, is the incarnation (or inferration) of a good deal of thought, study, and experiment by quite a number of generations. Such a result is not developed out of the coracle of our barelegged, woad-stained ancestors, tempore Julius Caesar, by a single step. . . .

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, pp. 37-8

Diary of George Templeton Strong, July 9, 1860

. . . I went up the river to Hudson, by the Rip Van Winkle, Friday afternoon, and took the Hudson and Berkshire road at five the next morning. Breakfasted at West Stockbridge and reached Great Barrington at ten-thirty after two most preposterous stoppages of some three hours.

Found Ellie and the children well and happy; Lewis—God save his Majesty—growing visibly from week to week. Certain drives and rambles, and church Sunday morning. . . .

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, pp. 37-8

Diary of George Templeton Strong, July 10, 1860

Evening at Dr. Gilman’s in Thirteenth Street for a second consultation with our new allies of the College of Physicians and Surgeons about the projected Scientific School—the last hope of our “Columbia College Scientific Post-graduate Course.” Dr. Torrey, Mr. Ruggles, William Betts, and myself represented Columbia; Gilman and Delafield, Parker, St. John, and others of the Medical College faculty propounded their scheme. It promises well and may be nursed into vigorous life. The proposed course includes zoology, geology, and physiology. A year hence, we may add applied chemistry and engineering. We were all of one mind. William Betts takes hold very cordially. A special meeting of our board is to be called for the 19th instant. We signed a requisition to Governor Fish at Newport to summon it for that day. Ogden will oppose, of course, virtute officii, as treasurer and advocatus diaboli, but I think we shall put it through.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 38

Diary of George Templeton Strong, July 19, 1860

Very muggy. Worse than anything this summer. Not early downtown, detained by dyspepsia. Special meeting of Columbia College trustees was called for two p.m. to consider the overtures of our Medical College allies. No quorum, only ten present. We talked them over informally. The plan did not find favor. Ogden, our treasurer, opposed every plan that involves outlay, ex-officio. He made a very clear and satisfactory statement of receipts and expenditures, showing a balance of several thousand dollars on the wrong side of the account for our next financial year. Governor Fish and John Astor were, on the whole, disinclined to disburse $2,500 on a doubtful experiment, at least until more Botanic Garden lots are leased. Cannot say they were wrong. Walked down to Pike’s after we separated, and then came home. Miss Rosalie called to ask after Ellie and the babies. I took a cup of coffee. Horace Binney came in and spent half the evening, and Dr. Gilman, to whom I had to report the failure of his scientific lecture project.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 38

Diary of George Templeton Strong, Sunday, July 22, 1860

Hot day and a hot night, but breezy and tolerable enough. Quite refreshing after the three days of suffocating sultriness we have just passed through. . . .

Reading Ruskin's Modern Painters, volume five and last. Less vigorous than the other four. Effort at fine writing is manifest, and a “sensation” style; that is, a style that aims at astonishing the reader or stimulating his curiosity, and does not seek exclusively to convey the writer’s meaning with the maximum of clearness and brevity, which I suppose to be the sole office of language and test of “style.” A feeling of despondency and doubt is very manifest. He thinks the prospects of Christendom and its civilization discouraging, and the real value of discussions about art questionable.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 39

Diary of George Templeton Strong, July 25, 1860

Just from Laura Keene’s with Charley Strong; Our American Cousin, revived. It retains its popularity. The house was full and enthusiastic. With all its extravagance and absurdity, the piece has strong points.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 39

Diary of George Templeton Strong, August 3, 1860

Am elected to the New York Club! I shall not probably trouble the clubhouse much except during summer solitude, when it may be a little less disgusting than Delmonico’s. Dinner at any restaurant is a bore. Yesterday I dined at Dr. Peters’s; Fred Snelling and Dr. Alexander Mott also present.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 39

Diary of George Templeton Strong, August 8, 1860

Here is a specimen of our political morals. General [John A.] Dix, Ike Fowler’s successor as postmaster, says he was called upon the other day by a delegation of prominent Democrats and requested to dismiss one of his subordinates for saying that “in his opinion Fowler was little better than a thief.” As Fowler is an absconding defaulter whose deficit is between $100,000 and $200,000, Dix declined compliance.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 39

Diary of George Templeton Strong, August 15, 1860

Find myself on a committee headed by General Scott and William B. Astor to get up a “banquet” for Lord Renfrew, alias the Prince of Wales, when and if his Lordship’s Grace’s Highness comes to this city.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 39

Diary of George Templeton Strong, August 16, 1860

Made my debut in the New York Club this afternoon. Dined there with Charles Strong better and more cheaply than at Del-monico’s. One enjoys, moreover, a sensation of being nobby and exclusive when one dines there, which ought to promote digestion, but it has 1 failed to do so this time, for I’m dyspeptic tonight with cephalalgic tendencies. Saw but a few men there, including Bill Pennington, who was a little tight and exuberantly cordial. My respect for the Club has greatly increased since Baron Rothschild’s friends had to withdraw his name, because the Baron, though illustrious and a millionaire, was immoderately given to lewd talk and nude photographs. I did not give the Council credit for moral courage enough to deny him admission.

After dinner George Anthon came in and we went to Niblo’s Pantomime and Horse-Opera. I came off before the performance was over, finding two hours of it sufficient. In Cinderella some two score very little children took part, some mere toddlers, and some very lovely. Poor little souls!—it’s a horrid, murderous sacrifice of childhood. But I suppose the sin rests on that convenient scapegoat, the abstraction we call "society.” I paid my fifty cents (or rather my dollar for an orchestra seat) like others, and so contributed, as much as any one person commonly contributes, to maintain this child-slaughtering system. But I really did not know or suspect, nor had I reason to suspect, that the entertainment I was "patronising” was to be provided, in part at least, at such terrible cost.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, pp. 39-40

Diary of George Templeton Strong, September 4, 1860

This morning a Trust Company meeting. Aftewards a session of our Prince-Catching Committee; some fifty present. We determined to enlarge our numbers to four hundred. Old Peter Cooper was in the chair and distinguished himself by invariably taking the question on the wrong motion, in spite of the whispered remonstrances of the secretary, Maunsell Field.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, p. 40

Diary of George Templeton Strong, September 6, 1860

Prince of Wales. Papers full of his movements—ad nauseam. He is in hot water just now with the Orangemen of Upper Canada, whom he refuses to recognize as Orangemen; that is, as a proscriptive, vindictive faction. His guardian, the Duke of Newcastle, would not let him land at Kingston, where the reception prepared for him was exclusively Orange and anti-Catholic. So the insulted Protestantism of all Upper Canada is in an uproar, and denounces his Royal Highness’s tutors and governors. That feeling may appear even during the Prince’s visit to this country, for our Know-Nothing lodges are, in fact, offshoots of Orangeism. But their influence and importance are next to nothing now, at least as compared with what they were of old.

Apropos of this theological subject, a Congregational "religious” newspaper of Boston announces with great satisfaction and complacency that Theodore Parker was killed by certain religious and orthodox women of that city, who prayed systematically that the mischief of his preaching might be stopped somehow. They heard with amazement and awe that his lungs had become affected and reverently recognized the tubercular deposits on those maleficent organs as a gracious response to their prayers. Hardly credible, but true and (as the Tribune suggests) alarming. Against what or whom will this death-dealing “circle” or coterie next direct its prevailing prayers? . . . Praying people to death is ugly work for Christian women.

SOURCE: Allan Nevins and Milton Halset Thomas, Editors, Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3, pp. 40-1