Stonewall Jackson's Winter Operations : The Raids Against the CeO Canal and the Bath-Romney Campaign, December 1861 to February 1862

Timothy R. Snyderrsquo;s;Stonewall Jacksonrsquo;s Winter Operations: The Raids Against the Camp;O Canal and the Bath-Romney Campaign, December 1861 to February 1862, offers a fresh perspective on early-war operations led by Confederate General Thomas Jonathan ldquo;Stonewallrdquo; Jackson. When viewed apart from the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, these earlier military activities reveal a starkly different portrait of the enigmatic general. Instead of lightning-quick maneuvers and tactical victories, Snyder depicts a fallible Jackson who encountered significant difficulties, made mistakes and miscalculations, and led a series of unsuccessful operations.As commander of the Valley District, Jackson orchestrated raids against two dams of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, a vital coal carrier serving Washington, D.C. This book provides the first comprehensive account of these important but understudied events that helped shape the war along the Maryland-Virginia border. Although Jackson failed to breach either

structure, his persistent efforts highlight the canalrsquo;s overlooked significance to the Union war effort. Snyderrsquo;s extensive primary source researchmdash;including official reports, letters, diaries, and newspapersmdash;fundamentally reshapes perceptions of the fabled Confederate general to present a more accurate historical portrait of the man and his early military career.During the bitterly cold Bath-Romney Campaign, Jackson led a small army into the Allegheny foothills, and captured Bath, Virginia. On picket duty at the town, several men from General William W. Loringrsquo;s command froze to death while officers from the Stonewall Brigade lodged their men in a resort hotel. This disparity fueled deep resentment within Loringrsquo;s command and eventually a near-mutiny. Although Jackson later captured Romney, Virginia, without a fight, occupying the town was not the generalrsquo;s original objective. When the Confederate secretary of war ordered Jackson to withdraw Loringrsquo;s command to

Winchester, Jackson threatened to resign, citing interference from Richmond. Snyderrsquo;s extensive research reveals that this order was strategically sound given Confederate intelligence and Union troop concentrations.Stonewall Jacksonrsquo;s Winter Operations fundamentally reshapes perceptions of the famed Confederate general to present a more accurate historical portrait of the man and his military career. [Publisher's Text]