Civil War Battles – Ball's Bluff or Leesburg
Politics and Ambition Prevent Action in the Eastern Theater
Nov 1, 2009
The last part of the 1861 would see several minor skirmishes between Union and Confederate forces at a variety of locations. One of these skirmishes is worth looking at in detail due to the far-reaching consequences it had in subsequent battles – The Battle of Ball’s Bluff (Leesburg).
Turning back to the Eastern Theater, in the last article, George B. McClellan was appointed commander of McDowell’s army, which McClellan re-forged into the Army of the Potomac. McClellan himself was a success story – coming from a prominent Philadelphia family, he was admitted to West Point two years below the minimum age, graduated 2nd in his class, made a name for himself as an engineer in the Mexican War, and was quite wealthy by the age of 30, having served as the vice-president, and then the president, of a railroad company. This impressive background made him immensely qualified to lead an army, in addition to making him very ambitious.
He did not like General Winfield Scott, the General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army and creator of the Anaconda Plan, feeling the man to be a hindrance. Scott was a veteran of two wars, and one of the country’s oldest and most respected generals, but he was overweight, and lacked the vigor of youth. Scott would eventually be forced into retirement by Republican Senators, making McClellan General-in-Chief, as well as commander of the Army of the Potomac, an immensely vast set of responsibilities, for he would not only be in charge of his own army, but would be in overall command of the entire Union war effort.
However, McClellan had a major flaw that would prove to be his undoing in the future.
Background
After their victory at Bull Run (Manassas Junction), the Confederates had dug in, and had begun to slowly extend their lines toward Washington. Many in the North, eager for a victory, despaired at how they could have this magnificent Army of the Potomac sitting around doing nothing. Many feared that if nothing happened before winter, foreign governments may begin to take the Confederacy seriously. Others began to doubt McClellan’s loyalty, and his competence as a general.
McClellan, a Democrat, was not a big fan of slavery, but he did not like abolitionists either. He kept company with many Southerners prior to the war, and many felt that his reluctance to engage the enemy was rooted in his political views. But even more important was McClellan’s fear of taking risks, an unusual trait for a successful businessman and general. He constantly overestimated the size of the enemy, even claiming that there were 150,000 Confederates stationed at Manassas when the actual amount was only a third of that.
The Forces
Eventually, he was talked into taking some action. The rebels held a small town called Leesburg just across from the Potomac River, and McClellan wanted them removed. He ordered General Charles Stone to accomplish the task. Stone assigned the mission to Colonel Edward Baker, an Illinois politician and a close friend of Abraham Lincoln. Baker commanded around 1,700 men.
The Confederates in the town, under the command of Brigadier General Nathan Evans, numbered around 1,600 and occupied an area called Ball’s Bluff.
The Battle
On October 21, 1861 Baker ordered his men across the river to occupy the town. They engaged the Confederates at Ball’s Bluff, but the Union men were not experienced enough, and took very bad positions. The result was a complete and utter rout as the Confederate forces counterattacked. Colonel Baker was killed in the battle.
The Results
Though a tiny skirmish compared to what came before, and what would follow, this battle had big ramifications. Over 700 Union men were killed/captured, with Confederate losses estimated to be around 200. Lincoln wept openly for the loss of his good friend, Colonel Baker.
Many Republicans in Congress were enraged at the debacle, and began to question the loyalty of the officers involved. A Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, chaired by Benjamin Wade, was formed, and looked for a scapegoat to blame. Their eye fell on General Stone due to his proslavery attitudes.
Stone was arrested and placed in Fort Lafayette with no charges levied against him. He was not even told whom his accusers were, nor was he allowed to refute any of the alleged evidence against him (there was probably none). Of course, the true target of the committee was McClellan due to his Southern sympathies and his loathing of Republican politicians and abolitionists, the bulk of who sat on the committee.
Sources:
McPherson, James M. The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom. New York. Oxford University Press. 2003.
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