Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park preserves the site of one of the largest Civil War engagement in Loudoun County. The conflict was fought on October 21, 1861 as part of Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s operations in Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. While a minor engagement in comparison with the battles that would take place in years to follow, it was the second largest battle of the Eastern Theater in 1861, and in its aftermath had repercussions in the Union Army’s chain of command structure, and raised separation of powers issues under the United States Constitution during the war.

Fifty-four Union Army dead from the Battle of Ball’s Bluff are interred in 25 graves in the half-acre plot cemetery; the identity of all of the interred except for one, James Allen of the 15th Massachusetts, is unknown. Monuments to fallen Confederate Sergeant Clinton Hatcher and Union brigade commander Edward Dickinson Baker are located next to the cemetery, though neither is buried there.

Further Suggested Reading

There are several wonderful sites that provide additional information and details on the history of the Battle of Ball's Bluff. The American Battlefield Trust website offers excellent resources on the battle, including links to several videos.. In addition, Essential Civil War Curriculum also offers a deep array of information, including several essays on the subject, images and links to additional resources. You can also access our online archive of maps and documents here.