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 th

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