The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-04-15
Civil War Stories
Rattlc of BalI's BInff.


ing armies. the historic battles, the
stirring scenes, the capture of cities
and fOrtresses. and all the other Incl
dents of the momentous confii t.
III ere have been many contributors
to war literature, but / do not remem-
Der to have seen in print the incident
which follows and which occurred baCk
In 1861. 1t was an event that cast
q profound gloom over the country n
that time. not only because of the de-
feat of the federal forces and the death
Of gallant officer. but because Of the
disappointment which ii caused to the
hopes that had been raised through
the growth and improvement OF :ra
army. The story was told 10 me by
an officer who was a prominent par
ticipant in the affair. but who is too
modest to let me make his name pub
lie. 1t is a plain statement of facts
and is rs follows:
Balls Bluff is the name of part Of
the bank of the Potomac river on the
Virginia side, each of Leesburg Op-
pcsite the bluff and about one hundred
yards distant is Harrison's island. Il
long tract containing about forty acr~s
and about 80 yards broad. Betwe IL
this and the Virginia shore the river
runs with a rapid current. Betwe n
the island and the Maryland shore
the river is about 200 yards wide and
not SO rapid. \ short distance above
the upper end of the island there Was
then q ferry across the Potomac. call al
Conrad's ferry, and about an equal dis
lance below the island was Edward $
ferry. The two hostile armies had tor
some months held the opposite banks
OF the river at this point. 1t was here
that the confederates had contempla cd
an Eruption into Maryland to attack
Washington. Gen. Banks held lie
Maryland side of the river from Great
Falls TO Edwards ferry. From that
point 10 Conrad's ferry was station d
the division of Gen. Stone. with head
quarters at Poolesville; then came the
force of Col. Lander and then that Of
Col. Geary. On the Virginia side of
the river the principal Confederate
posts were Dranesvile and Leesbur..
AS 1t was considered desirable to as
certain the strength of the enemy at
Dranesyille, Gen. Mcclellan ordered
Gen. Mccall to make a reconnaissance
in that direction. This was executed
on the 10Th of October, 1861, and Nc
Call returned TO his former position
on the Goth, reporting no enemy n
Dranesville nor within four miles of
Leesburg. Gen. Stone at POOlesville
was ordered to make a demonstration
and sent Germans brigade to Edwards
ferry; attachments of the Fifteenth
and Twentieth Massachusetts to Har-
rison's island, and section of a
Rhode Island battery and the Cali
fornia and New York regiments under
Col. Baker to Conrads' ferry. A feint
was then made to cross the river by
Germans corps in plain view of the
enemy.
Shortly after i a. m. on the DIST
Col. Devens, with five companies IF
the Fifteenth Massachusetts. accom-
panied by Col. Lee with a detachment
of the Twentieth Massachusetts.
Virginia side and took position on The
top of Balls Bluff. which here rises
abruptly some 80 feet from the river
At the same time, in order To attract
attention from Col. Devens, Gen. Store
directed German to send two COMPANIES
Of the First Minnesota across the river
and throw out squad of cavalry on
the Leesburg road. In the meantime
Gen. Stone. having received a repo.t
from Col. Devens that no enemy was
10 be seen, ordered battalion of the
Fifteenth Massachusetts to cross and
protect the flank of Col. Devens. aud
Col. Baker to be ready with his brigade
to act as a reinforcement if neccas-
sary. About n. m. of the 21st CT.
Devens, who had pushed forward to
ward Leesbure, encountered Confedtr-
ate infantry and catalry, and fell back
in good order to the bluff. He had
only about 600 men under his col-
mand. and reported for further orde~s
He was directed by Gen Stone to 20
main where he was and was promised
reinforcements. While waiting for
these he was attacked about noon ny
the enemy, who, concealed in the sur
rounding woods, poured in a deadly
fire from their guns upon the small
federal force in an open field of abo 1t
six acres.
Portions of the First California. TIE
Twentieth Massachusetts and some
companies of the New York Tam
manyD regiment, and a battery of 70 Ir
guns had now crossed the river. and
at . 80 p. m. the firing was very Drisk.
At 4 o'clock Col. Baker, who had now
assumed command, formed his line for
action. The Fifteenth and Twentieth
Massachusetts were on the right, the
First California on the left, and the
Tammany Tigers and the artillery in
the center. Signs of a large force Of
the enemy now became apparent, but
none were visible. This force, probably
numbering 1000 men, pressing upon the
1000 troops under Col. Baker with
great vigor and a murderous fire. in
duced a consultation among the federal
officers, which resulted in a dctermipa-
tion to fight. retrograde movement
would bring the force to the steep
brink of the river, where the rapid de-
scent only led to n small boat and a
scow as the means of crossing the
swift running stream. The only hope
was TO hold the ground until troops
could cross at Edwards ferry and force
a way TO the aid of the federals. Two
companies were pushed forward to fec
the enemy in the woods on the left.
and were met with CALLING fire, which
was followed along the whole line Of
tho enemy, who, conscious of their
strength, closed in on both sides Of
the field with overwhelming force.
Here the gallant Col. Baker, while in