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Hancock
Also known as: Romney Campaign
January 5-6, 1862
Washington County, Maryland;
Morgan County, West Virginia
Campaign: All Quiet Along the
Potomac
Brig. Gen. F.W. Lander, USA
Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, CSA
Both sides were about a brigade strong.
There were only a handful of casualties.
"Stonewall" Jackson had long urged the strategic value of an offensive out of
the Shenandoah Valley, which could threaten Washington and wreck Union east-west
communications by breaking the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. Promoted to
Major General and given command of the Valley District, Jackson repeatedly
requested reinforcements, not because he was timid but in order to launch an
offensive. Richmond had few troops to spare, but with the collapse of
Robert E Lee's campaign in western Virginia some of his men were transferred to
Jackson. The three brigades were enough, and on New Year's Day, in bitter
winter weather, he moved.
He started from Winchester to Bath with the objective of disrupting traffic
on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. On
January 5, after skirmishing with the retiring Federals, Jackson's force reached
the Potomac River opposite the garrisoned town of Hancock, Maryland. His
artillery fired on the town from Orrick's Hill but did little damage. Union
garrison commander Brig. Gen. F.W. Lander refused Jackson's demands for
surrender. Jackson continued the bombardment for two days while
unsuccessfully searching for a safe river crossing. The Confederates
withdrew and marched on Romney, in western Virginia, on January 7.
National Park Service
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