THE STORY OF BALL’S BLUFF.

18. March 2008 by admin.

BY AN OFFICER WHO TOOK PART IN IT.

The history of the battle of Ball’s Bluff has never been published. No event of the war since the assault upon Fort Sumter created a like sensation; and the cause of the disaster, the name of the persons culpable, or the plans and purposes of the officers who ordered the movement, have not officially or certainly been made known. The report of General Stone, in command, was not satisfactory to the country, and Congress called upon the War Department for the facts. Major-General McClellan, who, it was known, ordered the movement, refused to furnish the facts. The insulted Congress repeated its demand, and received a second time the same answer. A joint committee of both Houses of Congress was appointed to inquire into the “conduct of the present war,” especially, as was remarked in the debate, “as regards the battle of Ball’s Bluff.” That committee has as yet made no report.* {*This paper was written in July, 1862. The report of the War Committee, published in March, 1863, corroborates all its statements. The late restoration of Gen. Stone to active duty is a vindication and acquittal of misconduct charged upon him, and places the responsibility upon another.} General Stone, by order of the President, was arrested and imprisoned upon several charges involving disloyalty, and “for misconduct at the battle of Ball’s Bluff.” After a confinement of six months he was discharged without trial, and the cherished expectations of the public for the facts so long withheld were again disappointed.

Ball’s Bluff, so called from Mr. Ball, a farmer living in the vicinity, is a bold embankment, of one hundred feet elevation, on the Virginia shore of the Potomac, three miles from Leesburg north-westerly, and an equal distance from Edwards’ Ferry in a southern direction. Poolsville, Md., lies opposite, five miles, and by the road running easterly, Washington is distant thirty-four miles. From the river’s edge to the summit, the Bluff is covered with trees and bushes, which, joining with the woods on either side, enclose above, in the form of a half circle, an open natural clearing of seven acres. In the middle of the Potomac, in front of the Bluff, lies Harrison’s Island, a fertile strip of land two hundred yards wide and four miles long. At a distance of half a mile north of the Bluff is Smoot ’s Mill, situated upon a gentle slope of the bank; and near to it a road leads from the river, by an easy ascent, to the Leesburg turnpike, which, running southerly to Drainesville, passes near to Edwards’ Ferry. On the day of the battle General McCall, with twenty-four thousand men, was in that turnpike, nine miles from Ball’s Bluff, and General Gorman, with fourteen hundred men was at Edwards’ Ferry, on the Virginia side. The whole distance from Ball’s Bluff to the Maryland side of the Potomac, across Harrison’s Island, is not six hundred yards.

On Sunday night, Oct. 20, 1861, in obedience to orders of General Stone, Colonel Devens, of the Fifteenth Mass. Volunteers, proceeded, with three hundred men, from camp at Poolsville to a point opposite Ball’s Bluff and Harrison’s Island, and in three small boats crossed to the Virginia shore, arriving at the summit just before daylight. The landing-place was soft and mucky, and the ascent winding and difficult. At the same time four companies of the First Minnesota Volunteers crossed the river at Edwards’ Ferry. No enemy was encountered at either place, and his pickets had not been seen for two days. Whatever knowledge of the topography of our country our forces possessed had been acquired by distant observation from Maryland, and no guide accompanied them.

At daybreak Colonel Devens led his troops over the open field, and through the woods towards and within one mile of Leesburg, where, in scattered small numbers, he descried rebels, and after exchanging several volleys with them at long range, fell back to the woods. Here being attacked, he repulsed the enemy with small loss on both sides, and then retired to the Bluff, where he was joined by the remainder of his regiment, and by Colonel Lee with one hundred men of the Twentieth Mass. Volunteers, making in all seven hundred and twenty Federal troops across the river. The day was fair.

At the same time, eight o”clock, A. M. , Colonel Baker arrived from his camp near Poolsville on the Maryland side, opposite, where he found the first battalion of the California regiment, six hundred and eighty officers and men, Lieutenant-Colonel Wistar commanding. He was informed of an order from General Stone, then at Edwards’ Ferry, that in the event of heavy firing in front, the California battalion should cross and reinforce Colonel Devens. Upon inquiring as to the means of transportation, and learning that they consisted of two frail scows, each capable of carrying twenty-five men, and the river deep and rapid, Colonel Baker rode in haste to Edwards’ Ferry that he might have better assurance of an order so extraordinary. Meanwhile several dead and wounded arrived from the Bluff, where firing was growing more frequent, and three companies of the California regiment crossed to Harrison’s Island. Colonel Baker returned from Edwards’ Ferry at eleven o’clock, bearing a written order from General Stone to reinforce or retire Colonel Devens, “in his discretion.” The returned wounded reported the enemy in force, pressing Colonel Devens. How could seven hundred men be safely retired in two small boats under the fire of a bloodthirsty and superior enemy? Shall they be left to their fate, or will he reinforce them and share their peril? Colonel Baker was not long in determining upon his course of duty.

A larger scow, discovered in the canal running parallel to the river, was with great labor dragged across the tow-path and launched in the channel. Placing Captain Ritman in charge of the transportation of the troops, and directing that they should cross as rapidly as possible, with his staff composed of Assistant Adjutant-General Harvey and Captain Young, Brigade Quartermaster, Colonel Baker embarked for the Island, where, on the western side, he found three hundred men awaiting their chance to go over to the Virginia shore. Impressed with the grave responsibility of his position, Colonel Baker was silently remarking the two small boats plying with their heavy freight of reinforcements, when his attention was called to an officer of one of the Massachusetts regiments standing on the Virginia shore, who cried out, “We can see three regiments of the enemy coming down from Leesburg.” Colonel Baker responded, “All right; be of good cheer–there will be the more for us to whip”–and immediately crossed the river. On reaching the summit, and assuming command, he found the Massachusetts troops drawn up on the right of the field in good order, quietly awaiting a nearer attack of the enemy, who, though silent, with the exception of occasional shots, were known to be in large force in the woods in the front and on the right. It was three o’clock before all of the California battalion had crossed and climbed the Bluff, which, joined to two companies of the Tammany regiment, made with the Massachusetts troops, our whole force seventeen hundred. An order was received from General Stone advising Colonel Baker that the enemy was four thousand strong, and that he might count upon General Gorman coming to his reinforcement from Edwards’ Ferry, on the left. He decided, therefore, not to advance, but await the arrival of the promised aid, formed his line of battle by placing Colonel Devens and his command on the right at the border of the woods, resting upon and making a right angle with the centre, composed of two companies of Twentieth Mass. and two companies of the Tammany regiment; the California battalion forming the left and touching the woods bounding the plateau to the south. The ground, sloping from a point distant thirty yards from the edge of the cliff, afforded a fair cover for men lying upon their faces, from the increasing fire of the enemy in the woods. At three o’clock Colonel Coggswell of the Tammany regiment arrived upon the field, and being received by Colonel Baker with much enthusiasm, was placed in command of the artillery, consisting of one six-pounder and two mountain howitsers, then in charge of Lieutenant Bramhall, of the Ninth New York State Militia. The pieces were drawn into the open field, twenty yards in advance of the centre of the line of battle. Colonel Baker, with his staff on foot, –there were no mounted officers on the field,–traversed several times the whole line of forces under his command, addressing pleasant words to officers and men, and setting them an example of coolness, courage, and confidence. From the Maryland shore frequent shells came flying over the river and bluff, bursting harmlessly far in the rear of the enemy, who seemed patiently to defer his attack until we crossed in greater numbers.

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