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Loudoun County and the Civil War 1861 newspaper writeup on the Battle at Ball's Blufffrom The Loudoun Times Mirror - Civil War and Historical Edition - Vol 162, No. 46, dated November 16, 1961
The Original Account of Ball's Bluff
(Note: The following insert was placed at the bottom of the page after the account of the battle. It was obviously written to explain the tiny typeset and column arrangement that was used in the reprint of the 1861 battle article.) --
Loudoun's leading paper since 1799 was The Democratic Mirror published during the Civil War by Benjamin F. Sheetz. Newspapers a hundred years ago were published for men, their contents being deemed unfil for women and children. Papers consisted of columns and columns of type, unrelieved by headlines or pictures, with advertistments mainly consisting of public announcements by this or that business man. The articles were "put in type" letter by letter by printeres standing before long handset type cases. Most of the "news" was lifted bodily from other papers, with or without credit, and it was an unusual thing for a local paper to produce a long, original article.
With Leesburg the scene of a fierce battle, it is understandable that no paper was printed that week; however Mr. Sheetz's long account of the battle appeared the week afterwards, on Wednesday morning, October 30, 1861 It has been kindly loaned to the Loudoun Times-Mirrow by the Thomas Balch Library, of which a portion of Page 2 of the Democratic Mirror issue is printed here with only minor omissions.
Wednesday Morning
Oct. 30, 1861
Twelve hundred Yankees killed, wounded and made prisoners — Gen. Baker killed—700 Federal prisoners taken—utter rout of the enemy—glorious victory of the Confederate arms— death of Col. Burt—incidents of the battle &c &,c.
Amid the din of war, the crush of Yankees and the retreat of armies, we last week missed an issue—and ere this the glad tidings of our glorious gain on the 21st of October has been wafted on the wings of the morning to the uttermost parts of our newborn Republic, but not withstanding we this morning give such information of that brilliant affair, as has come to our knowledge during the week, with the honest conviction that if it contains nothing that is new, it at least has the merit of being true.
On Saturday night, the 19th inst., information was brought to headquarters in this town, that the enemy was approaching up the Alexandria turnpike, and were that evening seen in the vicinity of Dranesville, about 12 miles below, in large force. Our cavalry was at once put in motion, to reconnoitre the country, and on Sunday morning they returned, bringing information that the enemy had fallen back; they also brought with them a federal soldier as prisoner, the reputed bearer of the dispatches from McClellan to a Gen. Meade. His dispatches were of course seized, which revealed the fact that the enemy was advancing in the direction to the number of ten or twelve thousand, the object of whose mission was to ferret out a route by which a successful flank movement could be made upon Manassas. This arrest, however, was no doubt designed by the enemy as a feint to divert the attention of our troops from the river, and came well nigh having the desired effect. However, during the day of Sunday, the whole body -of our troops—consisting of four regiments , the 8th Virginia, Col. Hunton the 17fh, 18th, and 13th Mississippi, commanded respectfully by Cols. Featherston, Burt, and Barksdale: about 300 cavalry under Col Jennifer, and a detachment of the Richmond Howitzers, under Capt. Shield's, were appropriately stationed and so remained until Monday morning.
At about 8 o'clock Monday, the silence of our village was broken by the roar of artillery, which proved to be the signal for a desperate engagement, all things considered, without parallel in the annals of war. During the ' night of Sunday, the enemy had been in engaged in crossing his troops from a point on Harrison Island, midway between Edwards' Ferry and Smart's Mill in the immediate vicinity of a widow lady's Mister Jackson, and about two miles from Leesburg they were first discovered by three Mississippi companies of skirmishers. At this time a brisk engagement of short duration ensued, in which the enemy, after a severe repulse, fell back under the cover of the woods.
At about one o'clock the 13th advance from Fort Evans upon Edwards' Ferry, and commenced to fight, this being the point at which the enemy was supposed to have crossed in strongest force. The 13th passed the 17th and 18th laying in ambush between the Fort and Dailey's house, and formed in line in the wood immediately west of Dailey's which adjoins the Ferry. The companies of Capts. McEIIroy and Mcintosh were sent-out as skirmishers, which returned in a few minutes reporting that the enemy was a strong force near the house. At this time the enemy had thrown out companies of sharp shooters to the left of house, which opened a heavy fire upon the regiment, killing one private. Col. Barks dale, finding the enemy too strong, at once retired several hundred yards and formed his regiment in a skirt of woods on the west side of the road fronting the field in which the enemy was concealed, there to await the arrival of one of the other regiments. But at about two o'clock the enemy emerged from the woods and renewed the battle in the vicinity of the morning fight, where Col. Hunton was stationed at the 8th Virginia regiment. The enemy was largely reenforced since morning, and brought with them two brass pieces of Mountain Howitzers Here the engagement became wild and fierce, and most nobly did the gallant 8th meet the shock of battle.
For two weary hours, in the face of a galling fire from the force more than double their own, they conducted themselves like heroes of a thousand battles, themselves suffering severely but not without causing scores of the insolent invaders of our soil to bite the dust, and silencing the two pieces of cannon, which were afterwards carried from the field by Capt. Fletcher's company of the 13th Mississippi. At this juncture the 8th Virginia was joined by the 17th and 18th Mississippi regiments and the enemy again took to the cover of the woods, and amid great loss, among whom was the notorious Gen. Baker, US Senator from Oregon. The 13th was also ordered to' join in this last engagement, and were within 300 yards of the battle field, when Gen. Evans, fearing an attack from the rear, ordered them back to the fort—an order than was reluctantly obeyed by the gallant commander of the 13th. It is not improbable that the demonstrations of the 13th during the day prevented a junction of the enemy's forces, in which event the battle would have been more bloody, and our loss much greater.
At about 5 o'clock the enemy again appeared, bring with them a brass 12 pound rifled cannon, which was immediately charged upon by our troops, and almost as speedily abandoned by the Hessians, leaving our men in undisputed possession of in field—this last piece was taken by the 18th Miss.
To say that we were victorious overwhelming victorious, conveys but a faint idea of the glorious achievement of the day. Not only were the Hessians repulsed with great slaughter in every charge, not only did they leave their dead and mangled bodies strewn over the ground like autumn leaves, but in their precipitate retreat it is estimated that more than one hundred found a watery grave, while no less than 657 were made prisoners. Among them were Col. W. R. Lee, 20th Mass; Col. Cogswell, 42nd New York Volunteers; and Major E. J. Reven, 20th Mass.
Both Colonels Lee and Cogswell were graduates of West Points and had served in the regular army.
The enemy's strength is variously estimated through from the best information we can gather derived from wounded prisoners and others, we are inclined to the opinion that they had about 2000 engaged in the fight at Harrison's Island, with probably the same number held in reserve in at Edward's Ferry. Their loss in wounded, drowned, and taken prisoners, we also estimate at from 1000 to 1200. They left behind them about 1200 stand of small arms, three pieces of cannon, any quantity of overcoats, knap sacks, pistols,, &c., which of course has fallen into our possession. Our own loss, we should judge from the most reliable data, to be from 30 to 40 killed, and about 100 wounded; among the latter was Col. Burt, of the 18th Miss. Reg., who received a severe wound in the abdomen, while gallantly leading his men to a charge in the second fight. His body was brought to this town where he lingered until Saturday evening, when death came to his relief. His remains were escorted out of town on Sunday evening by an imposing military procession, en route to its resting place in the sunny South.
The enemy's most formidable preparations for defense, were made at Dailey's, near Edward's Ferry. At this point they had thrown up entrenchments, extending from the Edward's ferry road almost to the river, a distance we suppose of half a mile while across an open field in the rear of house, extending southward for more than a third of a mile, they had dug rifle pits, rendering that locality almost impregnable against any force we were able to have sent against them at that time.
The destruction to Dailey's property was more serious than at any point along the line. In the construction of their breastworks they had brought into requisition all of his farming implements, .ploughs, harrows, wheat drills, &c., and almost completely demolished his barn in the procurement of timber. They also killed a quantity of his stock, cows, hogs, &c. On the front of his house, in large characters was the following: "Oct. 23d, 1861, Tiger Fire Zouaves, Co. K., Boston, Mass.— Firm to our trust and on the alert."
The Richmond Howitzers were held back to protect the rear, and consequently did not participate in the fight. The battle on our side was exclusively conducted by infantry. Since the above was in type we have ascertained that our entire loss in killed and wounded, is 159.
A LIST OF KILLED IN THE 8TH VIRGINIA REGIMENT
Company A—F. A. Osbourn, 2d corporal; Private John B. Reeder.
Company C—Christopher Lambert, Neddy Mahan.
Company F—Sergeant T. C. L. Hatcher; Corp. George A. Donohoe; private Joseph Gastillow; Wm. C. Furr, mortally wounded, since dead.
Company G—Private James Ballinger.
Company K—J. S. Sidalle, shot through the leg — since dead.THE ENGAGEMENT OF TUESDAY
On Tuesday morning, the 22d the enemy sent over a flag of truce, requesting permission to bury their dead. This, of course induced Gen. Evans to suspend other operation, and our worn out soldiers, who had been on the march during the five previous [days] contemplated a day of rest. But the enemy taking advantage of this respite, commenced strengthening their position at near Edwards' Ferry, and were discovered to be planning a battery in the edge of the field south of the field. Gen. Evans at once ordered Col. Barksdale to attack the Yankees at this point.
So well and silently was his march conducted that the Yankees were taken completely by surprise, the skirmishers getting within 30 yards of them before being fired upon. The regiment with deafening shouts, leaped the fence, making for the enemy's battery several yards in advance, and firing several volleys until it reached a ravine and halted. During this running fire of the regiment the enemy opened upon it with shot and shell from the guns on this side of the river, and from their battery on the opposite side, killing however, but two of our men. The loss of the enemy was between 40 and 50.
On Wednesday morning Gen. Evans withdrew his forces a few miles south of town to await re- enforcement, but ere they arrived the enemy had fled across the river and there was nothing for them to do. Gen. Baker, of Oregon It is stated that when Lincoln received the news of Gen. Baker's death, in the battle of Leesburg, he exhibited the fury of a maniac; and that Mrs. Lincoln, who seems to have entertained a tender regard for the late Senator, was almost heart-broken. The Baltimore papers are said to have announced the news of the battle as a successful re-connoisance, in which a skirmish occured resulting in the loss of about 200 on the Federal side.
Proclamation
Hd. Qr. 7th Brigade, Leesburg, Va.
October 22, 1861The General Commanding this Brigade, has observed with regret the large numbers of the small arms captured from the enemy have been carried away from the battle field by the citizens of Leesburg and vicinity. He requests all those who may have these arms in their possession, to turn them over without delay to the Brigade Quarter Master.
[Signed]
Maj. JNO. D. ROGERS, at Leesburg
A. L. EVANS, Capt. & A. A. Gen'l.
The past week has been one of unusual excitement in Leesburg. Rumors of Yankees crossing the Potomac are of hourly occurrences, and public apprehensions has been constantly on the quivive. [sic] Business of all kinds has been totally suspended, and one hears nothing sees nothing and dreams of nothing but the hob- goblins of war. When will it end.
THE ELECTION Bear in mind that on next Wednesday—one week from to- day—the people of this county are to vote a President and Vice- President of the Confederate States, a member of Congress and a State Senator.
ATTENTION A RECRUITING OFFICE is opened in Leesburg, for the enlistment of soldiers in the regular Army of the State of Virginia. One will also be opened in Middleburg. All able bodied. men desirous of enlisting are requested to report at either office where the terms of enlistment will be made known. A premium of $2 will be given to any one who shall bring an accepted recruit to the office.
[signed]
W.E. HARRISON,
J. W. McCARTY.
May 8, 1861