JOHN M.
HALLOCK
11th New York Cavalry
Company E
Middle Island
John M. Hallock
11th New York Cavalry
Sergeant, Company E
Middle Island
John M. Hallock was born in Bellport on
January 14, 1844. A boatman by trade, he was seventeen
years old when he joined the Union Army on December 7,
1861.
Hallock enlisted with a cavalry regiment
called "Scott's 900," named in honor of Thomas
A. Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, who was a friend of
the regiment's commander, James B. Swain. The regiment
was organized on Staten Island over the winter of
1861-62. It was composed mainly of New Yorkers from both
rural and urban areas. Commander Swain tried to
distinguish his unit from all others. It was rare to have
a volunteer unit of cavalry. Swain decided that his unit
would be a regiment of Regular Calvary and not under
State command.
Hallock must have made a good impression
because a month after he enlisted he was promoted to
sergeant. The regiment spent the winter on Staten Island,
while the regiment grew to 850 men. Their days were spent
in the constant drilling necessary to make farmers,
clerks, boatmen and teachers into a crack cavalry outfit.
The regiment finally left New York on May
5, 1862, after being sent to Washington, D.C. The men
were stationed at Meridian Hill at an encampment they
named Camp Relief. At Camp Relief, there was a huge
parade ground where the regiment practiced and drilled
with swords and revolvers. An oval track that ran around
the parade ground was used for exercising the horses.
Throughout the summer, the regiment made
raids on suspected Confederate recruiting areas in
Maryland and captured many new rebel recruits. The
company saw its first action in June when it was attacked
at Leesburg, Virginia, where they drove Confederate
cavalry back. Two days later, they were attacked by a
larger Confederate force and had to withdraw.
On August 13, 1862, a cavalry patrol
raided Rockville, Maryland, and captured a major
Confederate recruiter. On September 23, Hallock and
fellow Coram resident, Elisha Overton, also of Company E,
were detached from the regiment to perform Provost duty
at Rockville. The Provost's job was to provide a military
presence and order. Their responsibility in this case was
to discourage any further recruitment by Confederate
forces.
Hallock rejoined the unit in November. He
was sent on a seven-day patrol to protect workers who
were sent to fix telegraph lines that were cut by
Confederates. Company E was moved to Poolesville, where
they stayed until April of 1863. During this time, they
were involved in constant skirmishing with Confederate
cavalry under the command of John Mosby.
Company E was moved to Maryland Heights
for May and June and participated in an engagement at
Bolivar Heights on June 30. The regiment suffered
seventeen casualties in this engagement. They returned to
Camp Relief in July, and remained there December. In the
meantime, Hallock was granted a sixty-day furlough from
September until the end of October.
While they were in Washington, part of
the regiment was detailed to escort President Lincoln
around Washington, and from the White House to his
residence at the Soldiers Home. They also provided guard
duty at night for the President.
The regiment was ordered to join the Army
in the Gulf in February of 1864. They boarded the
steamer, Thomas A. Scott, and were sent to New Orleans.
Upon arriving in New Orleans in March, the regiment was
separated and quartered at three different plantations.
Hallock was again detached from the regiment and placed a
Doyal's plantation. He rejoined Company E in July and was
stationed at Manning's plantation until August, when he
was injured.
Union Cavalry at Baton Rouge
Louisiana. Notice the officers tents up front, under
cover, creating shade from the opressive Louisiana heat.
On August 5, 1864, Confederate cavalry
attacked Doyal's plantation, which was weakly guarded.
They captured seventy-five members of the regiment.
Company E was called to assist. While skirmishing with
the Confederate cavalry, Hallock was thrown violently
onto the horn of his saddle, rupturing his testicles.
Hallock was sent to the University U.S.A.
hospital and stayed from August until November 27, 1864.
After recuperating, he rejoined Company E and performed
light duties until his discharge on January 10, 1865,
when his term of enlistment expired.
After being discharged, Hallock returned
to Coram, where he stayed briefly before moving to
Wisconsin. There, he married Laura Messenger in September
of 1867. They had one child who died at the age of one.
John and Laura were married only a short time, for she
died in June of 1869. Two years later, he married Emma
Masters on November 30, 1871, in Royalton, Wisconsin. The
couple moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1876. John and
Emma had two children, Stella and Judson.
While living in Wisconsin, Hallock
returned to earning his living on the water: he became a
steamship engineer. His wartime injuries, however, took
their toll. After he applied for a pension, Sergeant
Walter Tuffy, a former member of Company E, filed an
affidavit in support of Hallock's claim:
Near Rockville he was attacked with
chronic diarrhea, and laid off from duty for several
weeks. I remember visiting him in the hospital where he
was being nursed by a family named Henning. I also
remember he was troubled more or less for the balance of
his term of service being frequently on the sick list
from that cause, and from what I believed to be a rupture
of his testicles which he received while doing duty in
La. during the summer of 1864, by being thrown on the
pummel of his saddle on one of our raids after guerilla
parties and from which he was sent to the Regt.
Hospital…
Hallock's application was granted, and he
was given a disability pension for his wartime injuries.
John M. Hallock passed away on December
12, 1922.