This entitled him to a more prominent command, and President Grant, still desirous to keep Hancock from a Southern post, assigned him command of the Division of the Atlantic, headquartered at Fort Columbus on Governors Island, in New York City.
Det berettigede ham til et mere prominent tjenesteområde og general Grant, som fortsat ønskede at holde ham væk fra Syden, tildelte ham kommandoen over Department of the Atlantic, med hovedkvarter på Governor's Island i New York.