Battle Of Ball's Bluff Essay

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Recommended: Secession of the southern states in 1860/1861

The Civil War was a conflict between the United States (north) and the confederate States (south). This war was fought over the issue of slavery in the United States. In 1860, southern states seceded from the United States to become the Confederate States of America. Shortly after, on 12 April 1861, the civil war started. The Battle of Ball’s Bluff is a significant Loudoun County conflict that led to a humiliating defeat of the Union Army. The Battle of Ball’s Bluff led to federal government inquiries that would change how the union would fight the civil war. Near Leesburg in Loudoun County, along the Potomac River, a battle between the Union and the Confederates took place on October 21, 1861. The battle was one of the earlier battles in the civil war. The day before the battle on October 20, 1861, the Union Army sent a scouting party led by Capt. Chase Philbrick, across the Potomac River near …show more content…

The outcome of the battle reflected the leadership of the Union Army. A series of miscommunications and poor leadership between Union generals led to its demise. When Colonel Devens found out that the intelligence was innacurate, the inexperienced Colonel lingered on the bluff instead of withdrawing his troops and avoiding a dangerous situation. In addition, Union Generals were not organized enough to send a message to Devens to inform him that the Confederates were going to launch an attack on his men. Union leaders made crucial mistakes when reinforcing Charles Devens after the Confederates attacked. US Senator Edward Baker sent troops to reinforce a strong Confederate attack without a commander. He only had a few boats so reinforcements slowly arrived allowing the Confederates to slaughter Union soldiers (“Battle of Balls Bluff”). Baker led his troops into a slaughter without a proper plan to escape or fight

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