Battle of Balls Bluff - October 21, 1861
Early on the day of October 21, 1861 a Union raiding party from the 15th Massachusetts advanced on a presumed Confederate camp based on information provided by a patrol the previous night. This information was inaccurate, and the camp was actually a tree line misidentified as tents in the low light. Company K of the 15th Mississippi advanced from the southwest and clashed with the Union troops shortly thereafter. The Union army was then hampered by the slow arrival of reinforcements caused by too few boats able to transport troops across the river.
The battle turned into a rout of the Union when more reinforcements from the Confederate's Virginia Cavalry and Virginia 8th Infantry arrived by 12:30p.m. The now 700 strong Confederate soldiers attacked the 650 Union troops who then retreated back to the southern point on the bluff. At this time some of the fiercest fighting occurred, with 236 Union soldiers killed and 553 captured, and 36 Confederate soldiers killed with 3 captured.
Battle of Balls Bluff Troop Movement Map
- National Cemetery - View of the Cemetery 50 yards from Balls Bluff
- Main Battlefield - 360 degree view of the main battlefield
- Balls Bluff Overlook - Obstructed vista towards Harrison Island on the Potomac River
- Potomac Heritage Trail - View of the Potomac River from the trail
- Southern Overlook - View from the Potomac Heritage Trail from the southern bluff in the park
- Cannon - Replica cannon used by the Federal Troops
- Battlefield Information - Excellent signage throughout the park with information about the battle
- Picnic Area - Picnic area along the blue trail with playground
- Balls Bluff - Views of Balls Bluff from the Potomac Heritage Trail the Federal Troops would have encountered in 1861
