HF Jack Hinson Novel

[Belfoured]

Then why were you so surprised about that part of the narrative. 3 To 4 inch tree could be grabbed as support. Also a much larger tree could have been grabbed as support to move forward. Put your hand on the back side for support. Lot of the undergrowth today was not as trick back then. Much of that is invasive species that arrived here latter.

Get you a slick leather shoe and compare that to a good lugged soles. They make them for a reason. Try a pain PNW loggers for example.

That's not how it was described. The Vibram, Stealth, Grip2, etc soles used on approach shoes aren't close to those of "PNW Loggers" (which actually could be more of an impediment depending on the terrain/bushwhacking required). I also have never encountered a slope of any meaningful length where the "trees" are conveniently spaced so that somebody can routinely get to the top "tree by tree". Nature's a lot messier. We're not talking about a carefully replanted timbering site. That's the point I was making.

 

[19thGeorgia]

I also have never encountered a slope of any meaningful length where the "trees" are conveniently spaced so that somebody can routinely get to the top "tree by tree".

I have. Several times. Very steep slopes.

 

[uaskme]

I have. Several times. Very steep slopes.

Arguing something like this just confirms discussion is nonsensical. Question every point to the most intricate basis. Trees vs saplings, brush. Not conveniently placed. Nature's a lot messier.

Part of this story is debatable. Parts embellished. But the obvious just isn't that obvious? Hilarious.

Sorry to break the news, but gunsmiths of that era sometimes decorated barrels with punch marks.
View attachment 538738

Here is Hinson's rifle. Curious what tool did this. These marks would not seem consistent to what a Gunsmith would do on a bench. Just not that consistent. Circles aren't complete. Looks about the size of the end of a ball starter. That are some other tool he had.

 

[TallTallMan]

That's not how it was described. The Vibram, Stealth, Grip2, etc soles used on approach shoes aren't close to those of "PNW Loggers" (which actually could be more of an impediment depending on the terrain/bushwhacking required). I also have never encountered a slope of any meaningful length where the "trees" are conveniently spaced so that somebody can routinely get to the top "tree by tree". Nature's a lot messier. We're not talking about a carefully replanted timbering site. That's the point I was making.

How about a 57-year-old guy with a 15-to-17-lb gun on his back, and probably ammunition etc.?

 

[19thGeorgia]

How about a 57-year-old guy with a 15-to-17-lb gun on his back, and probably ammunition etc.?

I carried 30-40 pounds up mountains to about age 50.

 

[uaskme]

People back then were far more physically fit than they are today. Americans of today wouldn't have lasted a week.

 

[TallTallMan]

I carried 30-40 pounds up mountains to about age 50.

I believe you. But Hinson climbing vines and trees, though?

 

[19thGeorgia]

I believe you. But Hinson climbing vines and trees, though?

No, that was Tarzan. Remember?

 

[TallTallMan]

Honestly though it doesn't really matter because this "detail" was just MacKenney "fleshing out the story" (I.e. making up stuff).

 

[TallTallMan]

No, that was Tarzan. Remember?

I can't remember...what did you think MacKenney really meant?

 

[TallTallMan]

Not going to "Body Shame" him?

But he's not fat.

 

[19thGeorgia]

According to the timeline of McKenney's book, Hinson had the gun made in early '63.

*Hinson gave the sworn statement in Maury County on February 2, 1863.

*The gunmaker lived in Lewis County which is right next to Maury.

 

[Viper21]

How about a 57-year-old guy with a 15-to-17-lb gun on his back, and probably ammunition etc.?

I personally know multiple guys 57 or older that could do that today.

I'm 54 and still carry bundles of shingles up a ladder. Used to work with a guy doing that into his late 60's. Keeping in mind of course, we're soft compared to our ancestors. Folks in those days were physically tough. They had to be.

 

[19thGeorgia]

Honestly though it doesn't really matter because this "detail" was just MacKenney "fleshing out the story" (I.e. making up stuff).

Sure, he wove a fictional narrative around the facts that he knew, but that doesn't make the facts bad. No one knows what Hinson was thinking or what the weather was on a particular day.

 

[uaskme]

Here is the best pic of the lock that I can find. Compare the letters the gunsmith engraved to the partial circles on the barrel. Not done by the same person. Article says barrel was peened by Hinson.

 

[DanSBHawk]

Here is the best pic of the lock that I can find. Compare the letters the gunsmith engraved to the partial circles on the barrel. Not done by the same person. Article says barrel was peened by Hinson.

How would the article know? The article also appears to make the 100-kills claim, which is nonsense.

One article I saw online claimed that 130 union records mention the Hinson killing spree, and yet no one has even produced a single union record that mentions it.

 

[uaskme]

How would the article know? The article also appears to make the 100-kills claim, which is nonsense.

One article I saw online claimed that 130 union records mention the Hinson killing spree, and yet no one has even produced a single union record that mentions it.

You can tell by looking at it. The half circles on the top of the barrel are not the same quality as the letters. Not the same craftsmanship. Gun was hand made.

Gun was Hinson's. Who else could have done it. He acted alone. Even left his family.

The different pics you posted of the muzzles. One with the circles were completely differs level if craftsmanship than the other 2.

 

[1SGDan]

ut a short I carried 30-40 pounds up mountains to about age 50.

I carried a 53 pound vest through 3 tours in Iraq. The Hinson story is nothing but a short story about a single individual with a grudge. Tens of thousands fought the war and many died or were brutally maimed for their efforts.We should concentrate on them instead of one man.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Gents, when we went to Hinson's cave there was five of us and we literally had to use saplings to pull ourselves up the steep pathway to the entrance. It is not "straight up" but it is not far off of that. At least for fifty feet or so.

Captain John "Jack" Hinson.

Clipping found in The Daily Huntsville Confederate published in Huntsville, Alabama on 9/9/1863. Captain John "Jack" Hinson.

www.newspapers.com

A newspaper clipping from the Daily Huntsville Confederate, Huntsville, Alabama, dated Sept.9, 1863 mentions "Captain John Hinson" serving alongside "Hanson's Regiment" as a sharpshooter. This was probably Colonel Roger W. Hanson's 2nd Kentucky Infantry. It also states Hinson commanded 140 scouts. "Hinson's Tennessee Scouts" is part of the epitaph on his grave marker https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/271918601/john-hinson According to the book, Hinson was known as "Captain" long before the war.

Roger Hanson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[DanSBHawk]

You can tell by looking at it. The half circles on the top of the barrel are not the same quality as the letters. Not the same craftsmanship. Gun was hand made.

Gun was Hinson's. Who else could have done it. He acted alone. Even left his family.

The different pics you posted of the muzzles. One with the circles were completely differs level if craftsmanship than the other 2.

I doubt anyone can tell by looking at online photos of the rifle. The photos are very unclear. Yes the gun was hand-made, and it may well have been Hinson's.

But the online stories about Hinson and the rifle have to be some of the craziest bunch of nonsense ever posted about the Civil War. Hinson took out the lieutenant who shot his sons and then took out the soldier who put his sons heads on the posts?? Where is the evidence for any of this? The union didn't even notice Hinson except to investigate him for killing his neighbor. He was a nobody.