When one of his subordinates protested, "General, the corps commander ought not to risk his life that way," Hancock is said to have replied, "There are times when a corps commander's life does not count."
Da en af hans underordnede protesterede og sagde: "General, korpschefen skulle ikke risikere sit liv på den måde" skal Hancock have svaret: "Der er tidspunkter hvor en korpschefs liv ikke tæller."