Evening star., 1933-09-10
An Almost Forgotten Battlefield Near Washington
Balls Bluff; Along Potomac Where Fedrab fred Heavy Loss

was quiet The enemy was not in sight But
the end W.; very near.
inquired Col Baker of Col. Milton Cngswell,
commanding the AID New York "Tammany"
Regiment: What do you think of the DISPOSE
ton Of the troops?"
Cogswtn replied: This disposition is defec-
tive. I advise immediate occupation Of the
hills to the front and left. Should the enemy
gain these, our position is lost"
And it was only 20 minutes later when the
rafting file that broke out along the crest Of
the hills told that the enemy was present IN
force. Col. Eppa Hunton had maneuvered
his 9th Virginia Regiment to position along
the hill crest to the left center of the Union
line. The Confederate soldiers lying we'll con-
cealed among the trees and brush on the ridge,
were in easy musket range and poured volley
after volley of destructive fire upon the ex-
posed Union lines They fired low, the balls
raking the Union ranks at a distance of l TO
feet from the ground.
The gun crews were shot down almost I'M
mediately. With Col. Baker and officers of his
staff desperately filling the positions of the
fallen men. few Ineffective volleys were fired.
A recoil of the 6-pounder carried it back down
the slope through the woods, until it hung at
the edge of the bluff. And about this time
Col. Baker. crossing from the right of the line,
passed in front of his own skirmishers and
was instantly killed by the fire of enemy
sharpshooters.
In the shelter of the woods by the blun q
last council of war was held, Col COgsweu
now in command. But the day was lost. The
officers commanding the Union forces lost cons
troll. In front of the Tammany Regiment Q
Conferedate officer appeared from nowhere and
called on the men to charge. Victims Of the
bold ruse. they advanced full into a DEATH
dealing shower Of bullets. :
About dusk the rout began. The whole
Union force fell back pellmell to the blum,
and thence by paths to the sides or directly
down among the fallen trees and rocks, over
slippery clay, to the narrow beach or plateau
that lay at the foot by the river. The posi-
tion Of the men on the plateau was helpless.
Coils. Devens and Cogswell descended in time
to see the large boat swamped with the mum.
Der of soldiers crossing to escape. The Cons
federates pressed their advantage hotly, throngs
ing on the edge of the bluff and forcing down
furious volleys upon the plateau and even into
the river, keeping up barrage that cut on
escape The Union Army was trapped under
a shower of lead. Out of the ravine on the left
a strong detachment of Confederates appeared
and commenced Q brisk enfilade, sweeping the
plateau from end to end
As darkness fell COL Cogswell, who had
taken q dozen men to check the fire from the
ravine on the left, was surrounded and cap
tured Col. Devens, with the aid Of three Of
his men, swan the river.
The defeat was overwhelming. The loss Of
the Confederates was altogether only 149, and
these mostly wounded. The Union loss was
921, of which TAI were captured or missing.
On Harrisons Island were is Union cOm>
panies that never saw action.
Historians of the Civil War have exonerated
Gen. Stone of all blame for the Balls Blun
slaughter But the incident was the ruilo Of
his career. An honor graduate from the United
States Military Academy, he had rerved with
distinction, in the Mexican War, and at the
outbreak of the Civil War, by organizing the
militia of Washington, he had done more than
any other man to protect the Federal Capital
But on the 8th Of February, 1862, Gen. Stone
was arrested on the streets of Washington BY
q posse of the provost marshal's force. A
Senate Committee ON the Conduct Of the War
had invest gated the battle of Balls Bluff and :
laid evidence before President Lincoln. Over
the protest Of Gen. Mcclellan, Secretary OF
War Stanton had issued the order of arrest.
Without charges being prefererd Gen. Stone
was held prisoner for 1s9 days.
Subsequent to his release he served again
with honor as chief Of staff under Gen Banks
in the Department of the Gulf, the latter hav.
ing earnestly begged his services. But Gen.
Stone stood yet in the shadow of Balls Bluff.
In April, 1864, the War Department deprived
him of his commission brigadier general,
reducing him to the colonelcy In a few"
months he rendered his resignation from the
Army.