Stonewall Jacksons Hill, The marker reads the following; From this point, "Stonewall" Jackson shelled Hancock, Md., Jan 5, 1862. After destroying supplies, the B&O Railway track and the bridge over the Great Cacapon, Jackson marched his army of 8,500 men to Romney and captured it. January 14.
The marker located along Route 522 just as you enter WV is along a Dangerous road and no parking is provided to view the marker
As Paul Harvey said … Now for the rest of the story
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Hancock (just across the river) was greatly affected because of the main arteries of travel transecting at this junction: the Bank Road (Route 40), the C&O Canal, and the B&O Railroad on the banks of the Virginia side of the Potomac River at Alpine Station (now Hancock, WV). Troops were stationed here at various points to safeguard these supply lines.
On January 5, 1862, Hancock was laid siege to by Major General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
Coming up from Winchester, VA, Jackson drove troops of the 39th Illinois stationed in Bath, VA north across the Potomac River into Hancock on January 4th.
On the 5th, after his demand for surrender was denied, he began shelling from Orrick's Hill (VA) toward Hancock.
Once at the cache site Orrick’s hill will be behind you when facing the B&O Railroad.
The weather turned bitter cold and Jackson withdrew his army of 8,500 men to their winter headquarters in Winchester, VA. But before leaving, Jackson's forces plundered a large catch of rifles, ammo, blankets and other bounty from a supply train that had come into the Alpine Station
This cache was Originally an easy Puzzle cache, to encourage more cachers to locate the cache and learn more Civil War History it has been redone as a traditional cache.
If you found the puzzle cache before -- A new cache listing requires you to revisit and sign the New Log sheet to be considered a find
Parking is provided across the road from the cache but GREAT care must be used in crossing River Road. If caching with children, this one might be best left for the Adults.
Cache contains log sheets, writing utensil, stash note and some small swag
Congratulations to ??? for the FTF !!!