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| Jackson's Winter Campaign of January 1862 |
| Wednesday, January 1st, 1862-- Stonewall Jackson set out from Winchester for Bath, Va. with an army of 8,500 men. Troops under Jackson�s command included the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 21st, 27th, 33rd, 37th, 42nd, and 48th Virginia Infantries, also the 1st, 7th, and 14th Tennessee Infantries, along with 1st Georgia. References have also been made to the 12th and 14th Georgia. Jackson�s army included 26 pieces of artillery and cavalry under the command of Col. Turner Ashby. When the troops left Winchester temperature was unseasonably warm in the 50�s. The rumor was Jackson�s troops were going to Romney or the Potomac River. As the troops left Winchester they were in fine spirits and were singing �Gay and Happy�. Later in the afternoon the temperature dropped significantly. By sundown the army was in Pughtown (present day Gainesboro). It also became windy and troops were not able to build fires. Being exposed to the extreme weather change caused sickness among the troops. Although the lead elements of the Confederated army were in Pughtown troops were spread from Pughtown to Winchester. Thursday January 2nd, 1862� by dawn the rear units began marching and by 11 a.m. they caught up with the Stonewall Brigade. Still no wagons, food or blankets were there for the troops. The high temperature was 17, it was snowing and windy. The trees were covered in ice and snow which caused the trees to sag. The roads were frozen solid and were treacherous for marching. According to Col. William Gilham several of the roads that Jackson decided on were not the finest choices. That night Jackson made his headquarters at Washington Unger�s large estate. He refused to stay in the house but decided to take refuge in a cabin missing half of its roof. That night Jackson wrote to General Joseph Johnston to inform him of his plans to attack the Federal Garrison in Bath the next day. Later that night 160 wagons arrived at Unger. Also that night General William Loring met with Jackson to protest that his men had not eaten since they left Winchester. Loring yelled �BY GOD SIR, THIS IS THE DAMNEDEST OUTRAGE EVER PERPETUATED IN THE ANNALS OF HISTORY, KEEPING MEN OUT HERE WITHOUT FOOD!� Loring did continue to move his troops throughout the night, but his men argued amongst themselves and the anger that developed almost caused a mutiny. Friday January 3rd, 1862� The high temperature for the day was 18. Jackson allowed his men to grab what food they could carry and move on. All the troops were issued 40 rounds of ammunitions, a sure sign of impending conflict. Jackson then argued with Gen. Richard B. Garnett over Garnett�s men stopping to cook food. After the exchange of words the troops moved on. At noon Jackson stopped at Reverend John Shockey�s (Shockley�s) for lunch. He also obtained information about the roads leading to Bath. By mid afternoon the shivering army had marched about 11 miles just short of the Town of Bath (present day would be Unger�s store to the outskirts of Berkeley Springs). Shortly thereafter the stop at Shockey�s the 870 militia men of Carson and Meem swung left to cut off the escape for the Union soldiers. They would be marching through Rock Gap up Warm Springs Ridge towards the intersections of present day Route 9 west and Sir Johns Run Road. This movement would create a two-pronged attack. Jackson then placed Loring�s men at the front of the column. The march faired poorly. Three miles from Bath (at Johnsons Mill Road near Mt. Pleasant Church) Jackson skirmishers exchange fire with 60 Federal Pickets until dark. During the fighting 3 Union soldiers were wounded and 8 were captured, 1 confederate was killed and 4 were wounded. The Confederate troops involved were the 21st and 48th Virginia. Jackson plans for secrecy had been foiled. After the skirmish Jackson ordered Gilham to drive the Union soldiers back, but was countermanded by Loring and told to bivoc for the night. At this point the line stretched from Ambrose Chapel to a point near present day Mount Pleasant Church. During the night it snowed three inches. The troops were moved into position for the attack on Bath. Saturday, January 4th, 1862-- Day Break troops awoke covered in snow. �These mounds were buried asunder and men popped out of them, as if a resurrection occurred.� Said, Lt. Lyle. The militia resumed its march, seeing that Jackson had planned to capture Bath. While marching, the militia bumped into fleeing Union Soldiers. Both sides volleyed and ran in opposite directions. Stonewalls left flank was now gone. There were 7 men wounded during the volley Col. Gilham stopped within a half a mile of Bath due to Union rear guard fire. Gilham stalled again and sat dormant for the rest of the day. Loring�s command was scattered in all directions except forward. Jackson rode forward and was almost trampled by the fleeing Confederate Calvary. He them calmed the men down and sent them into town. After which they encountered more concealed fire. Jackson sent two pieces of artillery to clear the path ahead. He then galloped into town ahead of his skirmish line, and rode onto the heights overlooking the Potomac River. He watched his troops pursue the Union soldiers to the river and watched them escape. During the pursuit 24 Union soldiers were captured in Bath. Of the 24 soldiers 12 were from the 39th Illinois captured by the 1st Tennessee. The Confederates enjoyed many captured supplies. In response to the constant shelling of Shepherdstown Jackson ordered �a few rounds� fired at Hancock, a three hour bombardment of the town ensued. Jackson made his headquarters at the Struthers Hotel and the Stonewall Brigade was housed there and the buildings surrounding the springs (present day Berekeley Springs Park). The low temperature for the day was 8, which caused the soldier�s shoes to freeze to the ground. �Surely no man on the continent ever encountered worse weather� said a Calvary man. Sunday January 5th, 1862-- It snowed all day. The 3rd Arkansas and the 37th VA burned the recently rebuilt bridge over the Cacapon River and destroyed the B&O tracks. Other troops stripped the RR warehouses of supplies then burnt the buildings. That day Jackson sent Col. Turner Ashby to Hancock to demand the towns surrender. The Federal commander refuses the demand and Jackson begins the artillery bombardment for an hour. Monday, January 6th, 1862 -- Six inches of snow fell throughout the day. Hancock is being reinforced. Jackson decided against trying to take Hancock. He didn�t think it was worth the casualties. After burning the rails and destroying the telegraph, Jackson turns toward Romney. That day a hospital was setup at Ambrose Chapel for those to ill to continue. Tuesday January 7th, 1862 -- The army marched back to Unger and stayed for 4 days. On the first night the troops finally had blankets. A six room frame house became a crude overcrowded hospital. That day the 5th named their campsite �MUD�. The next day they moved their campsite and named it �NO BETTER�. That day Jackson wrote a letter asking to have Garnett removed from command. |
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| The March to Bath, Va (Berkeley Springs, WV) |
| The Bath-Romney Campaign |