I'd say he got out in good time. Otherwise, he might have met my ggranddaddy in battle in the fall/winter of 1864/5 in upper East Tennessee!
George Martin
Hamilton Cockerill
Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 8/20/1862 at Owensboro, KY as a Private.
On 11/17/1862 he mustered into "G" Co. KY 12th Cavalry, Union
He was discharged on 6/29/1863
Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:
- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky
12th KY Cavalry
( 3-years )
Organized: Owensboro, KY on 11/17/62
Mustered Out: 8/23/65 at Louisville, KY
Officers Killed or Mortally Wounded: 3
Officers Died of Disease, Accidents, etc.: 4
Enlisted Men Killed or Mortally Wounded: 22
Enlisted Men Died of Disease, Accidents, etc.: 204
(Source: Fox, Regimental Losses)
Twelfth Cavalry. -- Cols., Quintus C. Shanks, Eugene W.
Crittenden Lieut.-Cols., Alexander W. Holeman, James T.
Bramlette, Majs., Nathaniel L. Lightfoot, William R. Kinney,
Ira H. Stout, Julius N. Delfosse, James B. Harrison, George F.
Barnes.
This regiment dated from Aug. 16, 1862, though it was not
until Nov. 17 that eleven companies, with the field and staff,
were mustered into the U. S. service at Owensboro. The
twelfth company was on a scout, so it was mustered in later
and joined the regiment at Munfordville. The roll then showed
1,250 men in all, but during the service from first to last it
mustered over 2,000 men and quit the service with less than
900.
During Morgan's first raid into Kentucky, the regiment with
other troops under Col. John M. Harlan, acting under Gen. E.
H. Hobson, was engaged in protecting the Louisville &
Nashville railroad. While there was much sharp skirmishing no
actual collision took place, but Col. Harlan in his report
shows that his force saved several bridges from destruction,
including the one at Rolling fork and the one at
Shepherdsville, and by great activity prevented much injury to
the road.
On May 10, 1863, the regiment was engaged in a hard fight with
Morgan at Horseshoe bottom. In June Morgan crossed the
Cumberland at Burkesville and the regiment was again engaged
with him at Marrowbone. It participated in the pursuit of
Morgan through Indiana and Ohio, after which it reassembled at
Glasgow and prepared for the expedition into East Tennessee
under Gen. Burnside.
Arriving at Knoxville Sept. 5, it moved up the valley as far
as Jonesboro. After skirmishing there it was sent with
Wolford's command south of Knoxville, to the neighborhood of
Sweetwater and Philadelphia, where it encountered a large
force of the enemy, was surrounded, lost heavily, but cut its
way out and proceeded to Loudon. The next day it returned and
for two days fought the enemy, after which it crossed to the
north side of the Tennessee River.
It then moved up to Knoxville, crossed the Holston and
proceeded down the river about 16 miles, where it again
encountered the enemy and fell back before him to Knoxville.
Recrossing the river it went out on the Loudon road and
contested the approach of Longstreet's forces. It bore its
full share of the fighting during the three weeks' siege of
Knoxville and after the siege joined in the pursuit up the
valley.
It participated in the severe battle at Bean's station. It
remained in East Tennessee during the winter and had numerous
fights with the enemy. In Jan. 1864, it was attacked at
Dandridge, but defended the position. After that, by a
circuitous march by way of Maryville, it reached Knoxville
Feb. 3 and was ordered to return to Kentucky.
Being mounted and equipped the regiment moved with Gen.
Stoneman in May by way of Point Burnside into Tennessee and
May 6 was at Kingston. It joined Sherman's army at Varnell's
station, GA, and Dr. Littlepage says not a day passed in the
Atlanta campaign that the regiment was not engaged with the
enemy.
After the capture of Atlanta it was ordered back to Kentucky
and went to Camp Nelson where it prepared to accompany Gen.
Stoneman on his raid to Saltville, Va. Before it could effect
its return it had passed into the state of North Carolina.
Returning, it fought at Glade spring and passed down by way of
Bristol and Blountsville.
After resting a few days in Tennessee the regiment was ordered
to Kentucky and was employed in the winter of 1864, to protect
the Louisville &: Nashville railroad. About March 20, 1865,
it was ordered to Knoxville, Tenn., to participate in a raid
under Gen. Stoneman, into Virginia and North Carolina.
It moved into Virginia by way of Bristol, followed up near the
railroad above Wytheville where it filed right and moved into
North Carolina, meeting very little resistance until it
arrived at Boone, when it met a small force of Confederates.
After a hotly contested skirmish the enemy gave way with some
loss on both sides, when it moved down the Yadkin River,
crossed the Dee River and went to Salisbury, which it took by
storm and recaptured about 1,000 of its own men.
Then to Asheville and from there to Anderson, S. C. From
Anderson it moved by a circuitous route to Athens, GA, and was
finally ordered back to Louisville, where it was mustered out
Aug. 23, 1865.
Source: The Union Army, vol. 4, p. 354
Some unit information will be found in these documents listed by the U. S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pa, in their unit bibliogrpahy
USAMHI
RefBranch
la Feb 90
12th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment
Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Dayton, OH: Morningside, 1979. Ref. See pp. 1194 95 (2 photocopied pages) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.
Hamilton, Andrew G. Story of the Famous Tunnel Escape From Libby Prison. Chicago: J. L. Ransom, l895. 10 p. (10 photocopied pages). E612L6H35.
Union Soldiers & Sailors Monument Assn. The Union Regiments of Kentucky. Louisville, KY: Courier Jrnl, 1879. E509.4U58.