BY JOHN D. IMBODEN, BRIGADIER-GENERAL , C. S. A.
00N after the battle of Bull Bun Stonewall Jackson was pro-moted to major-general, and the Confederate Government havingon the 21st of October, 1861, organized the Department of NorthernVirginia, under command of General Joseph E. Johnston , it wasdivided into the Valley District, the Potomac District , and AquiaDistrict, to be commanded respectively by Major-Generals Jack-son, Beauregard, and Holmes. On October 28th General Johnston ordered Jackson to Winchester to assume command of his dis-trict, and on the 6th of November the War Department orderedhis old “Stonewall” brigade and six thousand troops undercommand of Brigadier-General W. W. Loring to report to him.These, together with Turner Ashby ’s cavalry, gave him a forceof about ten thousand men all told.
His only movement of note in the winter of 1861-62 was anexpedition at the end of December to Bath and Bomney, todestroy the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and a dam or two nearHancock on the Chesapeake' and Ohio canal. J The weather setin to be very inclement about New Year ’s, with snow, rain, sleet,high winds, and intense cold. Many in Jackson ’s command wereopposed to the expedition, and as it resulted in nothing of muchmilitary importance, but was attended with great suffering on the part of histroops, nothing but the confidence he had won by his previous services savedhim from personal ruin. He and his second in command, General Loring, hada serious disagreement. He ordered Loring to take up his quarters, in January,in the exposed and cheerless village of Bomney, on the south branch of theupper Potomac. Loring objected to this, but Jackson was inexorable. Loringand his principal officers united in a petition to Mr. Benjamin, Secretary ofWar, to order them to Winchester, or at least away from Bomney. This doc-ument was sent direct to the War Office, and the Secretary, in utter disregard
, CONFEDERATEOF 1862.
j When Jackson took command in the Valley inNovember, 1861, the Union forces held Romneyand occupied the north side of the Potomac instrong force. The Confederates had only a weakbody of militia at Jackson ’s disposal, until reen-foreements came from the east. After receivingthe four brigades of R. B. Garnett, Wm. B. Talia-ferro, William Gilham, and S. R. Anderson, Jackson moved against the Union communications alongthe Potomac, aiming to destroy the Chesapeakeand Ohio canal . Under cover of demonstrationsmade against various places along the Potomac east of the objective point, a Confederate forcewas concentrated near Dam No. 5, December 17th,and after four days’ labor a breach was made in the
dam. On the 1st of January another force movedfrom Winchester, northward, the two columnsuniting, and on the 4th instant the town of Bathwas occupied, after being abandoned by a body ofUnion troops composed of cavalry, infantry, andartillery. Jackson foUovred the retreating Uniontroops to the river and promptly bombarded Han-cock, Md. , without, however, securing a surrender,and on the 7th he withdrew from the Potomac region toward Romney. On his approach theUnion troops at that post evacuated without astruggle, yielding the town on January 10th.The Confederates now went into winter quartersalong the south branch of the Potomac , at Rom-ney and vicinity. Editors.
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