Battle of Ball's Bluff

Check out our collection of photos from the resounding Union defeat at Ball's Bluff.

(10 photos in gallery)

The Potomac River from Ball's Bluff

Rob Shenk

The Battle of Ball's Bluff began with an ill-fated reconnaissance across the Potomac River. Led by Capt. Chase Philbrick, Union soldiers crossed the river to identify the positions of Col. Nathan "Shanks" Evans's Confederate troops.

Ball's Bluff Battlefield

Rob Shenk

On the morning of October 21, 1861, the skirmish that became the Battle of Ball's Bluff began here when Col. Charles Devens's raiding party encountered a company of the 17th Mississippi Infantry.

Ball's Bluff

Rob Shenk

The Battle of Ball's Bluff took place on these steep and rocky bluffs, making fighting difficult and causing Union reinforcements to arrive slowly.

Evans Attacks

The battle consisted of a series of attacks and counter-attacks that left the Union disadvantaged. Lacking reinforcements, organization, and decent ground, they lost all hope for victory when Confederate Col. Nathan Evans launched a fierce attack in the afternoon, shown here at the battle's 150th anniversary reenactment.

The Death of Col. Baker

Library of Congress

After arriving at Ball's Bluff to reinforce Devens, Col. Baker was shot at 4:30 in the afternoon. Bullets simultaneously struck his heart and brain, killing him instantly. What little resistance the Federals had left crumbled.

Retreat into the Potomac

Harper's Weekly

The retreating Federals had no choice but to swim across the Potomac to safety. Many drowned in the attempt, and hundreds surrendered rather than risk escape into the river.

Discovering Bodies in the Potomac River

Library of Congress

The Union casualties after the Battle of Ball's Bluff were staggering, and for days after the battle the bodies of the drowned had to be recovered from the Potomac River.

Preservation at Ball's Bluff

Rob Shenk

Today, Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park has been remarkably well preserved by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, who have commemorated the site with monuments, signs, and interpretive trails.

Ball's Bluff National Cemetery

Rob Shenk

The Ball's Bluff National Cemetery houses the bodies of 54 soldiers who died during the Battle of Ball's Bluff, and contains a memorial to Col. Baker.