altogether lost to the Confederates.  The Federals, ignorant as yet of the restless energy of the foe who held command at Winchester, had settled themselves cosily in winter quarters.  The intelligence of Jackson’s march had come too late to enable them to remove the stores which had been collected at Bath, and on the night of January 4 the Virginians revelled in warmth and luxury.  The next morning they moved forward to the river.

January 5.

On the opposite bank stood the village of Hancock, and after a demand to surrender had been refused, Jackson ordered his batteries to open fire.* (* The Federal commander was granted two hours in which to remove the women and children.) Shepherdstown, a little Virginia town south of the Potomac, had been repeatedly shelled, even when unoccupied by Confederate troops.  In order to intimate that such outrages must cease a few shells were thrown into Hancock.  The next day the bombardment was resumed, but with little apparent effect; and strong reinforcements having joined the enemy, Jackson ceased fire and withdrew.  A bridge was already in process of construction two miles above the town, but to have crossed the river, a wide though shallow stream, in face of a considerable force, would have been a useless and a costly operation.  The annihilation of the Federal garrison would have scarcely repaid the Southerners for the loss of life that must have been incurred.  At the same time, while Jackson’s batteries had been at work, his infantry had done a good deal of mischief.  Two regiments had burned the bridge by which the Baltimore and Ohio Railway crosses the Great Cacapon River, the canal dam was breached, and many miles of track and telegraph were destroyed.  The enemy’s communications between Frederick and Romney were thus effectually severed, and a large amount of captured stores were sent to Winchester.  It was with the design of covering these operations that the bombardment had been continued, and the summons to surrender was probably no more than a ruse to attract the attention of the Federal commander from the attack on the Cacapon Bridge.  On the morning of the 7th Jackson moved southward to Unger’s Store.  Here, however, the expedition came to a standstill.  The precaution of rough-shoeing the horses before leaving Winchester had been neglected, and it was found necessary to refit the teams and rest the men.

January 13.

After halting for four days the Confederates, on January 13, renewed their march.  The outlook was unpromising.  Although cavalry patrols had been despatched in every direction, a detachment of militia, which had acted as flank-guard in the direction of Romney while Jackson was moving to Unger’s Store, had been surprised and defeated, with the loss of two guns, at Hanging Rock.  The weather, too, grew colder and colder, and the mountain roads were little more than sheets of ice.  The sleet beat fiercely down upon the crawling column.  The men stumbled and fell on