The Battle of Hancock was fought during the Confederate Romney Expedition of the American Civil War on January 5 and 6, 1862, near Hancock, 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 near Bath, Virginia, Jackson's men reached the vicinity of Hancock late on January 4 and briefly fired on the town with artillery. Union Brigadier General Frederick 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 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on January 5, but withdrew on the 7th. Jackson later moved against Romney, Virginia, and occupied the town on January 15 after Union soldiers abandoned it. Romney was ordered abandoned on January 30 by the Confederate States Secretary of War after Loring complained about Jackson's orders. Background In late December 1861, during the American Civil War, Major General Stonewall Jackson of the Confederate States Army was tasked with defending the Shenandoah Valley in the state of Virginia. Between his own Valley District and Brigadier General William W. Loring's Confederate Army of the Northwest, Jackson had about 7,500 volunteer soldiers, as well as about 2,200 militiamen and roughly 660 cavalrymen; a force he viewed as insufficient to hold the valley against the Union Army. After writing to General Joseph E. Johnston, Jackson received permission to attack the Union position at Romney, Virginia, before Union troops received additional reinforcements. Jackson also intended to capture the towns of Bath, Virginia, and Hancock, Maryland, although Johnston may not have known about that portion of the plan. The movement for the campaign began at 06:00 on January 1, 1862, with the Stonewall Brigade leading the way followed by Loring's men. Other units, including the militia component and the Rockbridge 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. The Confederates reached Bath on January 3 and skirmished with Union troops outside the town, but were unable to capture it. The next day, the Union troops abandoned Bath and retreated after a brief