| Battle of Hancock | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAmerican Civil War | |||||||
 Map of the battlefield produced by theAmerican Battlefield Protection Program | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |  CSA (Confederacy) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Frederick W. Lander | Thomas J. Jackson | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 25 | |||||||
TheBattle of Hancock was fought during theConfederateRomney Expedition of theAmerican Civil War on January 5 and 6, 1862, nearHancock, Maryland. Major General Stonewall Jackson of the Confederate States Army, commanding his own Valley District and Brigadier General William W. Loring's force known as the Confederate Army of the Northwest, began moving against Union Army forces in the Shenandoah Valley area on January 1. After light fighting nearBath, Virginia, Jackson's men reached the vicinity of Hancock late on January 4 and briefly fired on the town with artillery. Union Brigadier GeneralFrederick W. Lander refused a Confederate request to surrender on January 5, and that day and the next saw exchanges of artillery fire between the two sides. The Confederates burned a bridge on theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad on January 5, but withdrew on the 7th. Jackson later moved againstRomney, Virginia, and occupied the town on January 15 after Union soldiers abandoned it. Romney was ordered abandoned on January 30 by theConfederate States Secretary of War after Loring complained about Jackson's orders.
In late December 1861, during theAmerican Civil War,Major GeneralStonewall Jackson of theConfederate States Army was tasked with defending theShenandoah Valley in the state ofVirginia. Between his ownValley District andBrigadier GeneralWilliam W. Loring'sConfederate Army of the Northwest, Jackson had about 7,500 volunteer soldiers, as well as about 2,200 militiamen and roughly 660cavalrymen; a force he viewed as insufficient to hold the valley against theUnion Army. After writing toGeneralJoseph E. Johnston, Jackson received permission to attack the Union position atRomney, Virginia, before Union troops received additional reinforcements. Jackson also intended to capture the towns ofBath, Virginia, andHancock, Maryland, although Johnston may not have known about that portion of the plan.[1]
The movement for the campaign began at 06:00 on January 1, 1862, with theStonewall Brigade leading the way followed by Loring's men. Other units, including the militia component and theRockbridge Artillery fell behind schedule; Jackson's train did not move until 16:00. The weather was cold during the march and Loring strongly disagreed with Jackson's handling of the campaign.[2] The Confederates reached Bath on January 3 and skirmished with Union troops outside the town, but were unable to capture it.[3] The next day, the Union troops abandoned Bath and retreated after a brief fight, escaping acrossSir Johns Run to Hancock. After reaching the vicinity of Hancock with the leading elements of his force, Jackson ordered the Rockbridge artillery to fire on the civilian-filled town, in revenge for Union bombardments ofShepherdstown, Virginia, in 1861. The artillery fire began at about 18:00 and continued to about 23:00, damaging some buildings but causing no casualties. That night, Union Brigadier GeneralFrederick W. Lander arrived in Hancock to take command; he planned for aggressive action against the Confederates the next day.[4]
By the morning of January 5, the temperature had fallen to 0 °F (−18 °C), where it would remain steady for the next three days.[5] The Stonewall Brigade was brought up that morning, and Jackson aligned his men on Orrick's Hill across the flooded and ice-chokedPotomac River from Hancock.[5][6] At 09:30,ColonelTurner Ashby was sent across the river with a request for Lander to surrender; Jackson warned that he would shell and then capture the town if Lander refused. Upon meeting Lander, Ashby was instructed to tell Jackson to "bombard and be damned" and was given a written rejection of the offer. While Ashby returned to the Confederate lines, Lander ordered that civilians leave the town and assigned the84th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment to serve as a fire brigade in case the coming bombardment started any fires. The110th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment defended warehouses, and two pieces of artillery were positioned on a hill behind the town. The Confederate cannons opened fire at about 14:00, and a sporadic artillery duel which inflicted no casualties continued until dusk.[7] A Confederate detachment under ColonelAlbert Rust destroyed a bridge over theBig Cacapon River belonging to theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad,[6][8] while another detachment failed in an attempt to destroy a dam upriver from Hancock.[7]
While Jackson opened January 6 with a bombardment of Hancock by the Rockbridge Artillery, Lander still desired to take offensive action against Jackson. He asked Major GeneralNathaniel P. Banks to either cross the Potomac in Jackson's rear or to send him reinforcements, with which Lander would attack the Confederates directly. Banks had ordered Brigadier GeneralAlpheus Williams's brigade to march towards Hancock on January 5, but sent the request for offensive action through Major GeneralGeorge B. McClellan, who viewed it as too risky and rejected it. Later that day, Jackson attempted to cross the Potomac at Sir Johns Run, but was repulsed. Having damaged the telegraph lines in the area, Jackson abandoned the attempt to take Hancock on January 7 and withdrew.[9] The exchanges of artillery fire had caused little damage.[10] TheNational Park Service estimates that the two sides combined suffered about 25 casualties during the fighting.[11]
The Confederate retreat was made difficult due to lowwind chills and the failure to properly shoe the command's horses before the campaign. After halting atUnger's Store, Virginia on the night of January 7/8, Jackson learned that Union forces from Brigadier GeneralBenjamin F. Kelley's command had defeated a Confederate outpost at Blue's Gap as a diversion in support of Lander.[12] While Jackson was informed of the Union withdrawal from Blue's Gap after the fight, he viewed it as possible that the Union forces at Romney posed a threat toWinchester, Virginia and decided to move against Romney.[13] Poor weather kept Jackson's force stuck at Unger's Store until January 13, but the Confederates then advanced to Romney, which was evacuated by the Union soldiers on January 15. Jackson relocated to Winchester with the Stonewall Brigade, while leaving Loring to hold Romney. Loring complained to the Confederate government about Jackson's handling of the campaign and being left in an isolated area with his troops while Jackson was in Winchester, andConfederate Secretary of WarJudah P. Benjamin ordered Romney evacuated on January 30. Jackson resigned over the affair but was talked into rescinding the resignation byGovernor of VirginiaJohn Letcher. Loring received a promotion and was transferred out of the region.[6]
A unit of theChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located along the Potomac near Hancock, and includes several signs commemorating the battle. The town of Hancock and the Confederate artillery positions can also be seen from the site.[14] Hancock held commemorative events for the battle from January 5 through 7th, 2012.[15] The battlefield is divided byUS Route 522, although many of the battlefield features are still intact, including two churches damaged during the fighting.[16] None of the battlefield has been listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, although a 2010 study by theAmerican Battlefield Protection Program determined that 415.16 acres (168.01 ha) may be eligible for listing.[17] About 50 acres (20 ha) of the battlefield are owned through protective stewardship, including tracts owned by theNational Park Service and theMaryland Department of Natural Resources.[18]
39°41′45″N78°10′37″W / 39.6957°N 78.1770°W /39.6957; -78.1770
