History of Leesburg, (Loudoun County) Virginia United States of America

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Local History Notes:

Ball's Bluff, VA., Oct. 21, 1861. Part of Stone's Division, Army of the Potomac. After the battle of Bull Run, Gen. Patterson was superseded by Gen. Banks, who took position at Harper's Ferry. From that point down the Potomac to Washington the Federal pickets lined the river to guard against any invasion of Maryland or an attempt to turn the right flank of the army which Gen. McClellan was organizing at Washington. About half-way between Harper's Ferry and the national capital was Edwards' Ferry. Five Miles farther up was Conrad's Ferry, at the Head of Harrison's island. In front of These Ferries on the Virginia Side of the Potomac, lay the town of Leesburg, some 4 or 5 Miles from the River. Gen. Beauregard stationed Brig.-Gen. N. G. Evans, with his brigade of four regiments, at Leesburg to keep watch on the Ferries and guard against a flank attack on the Confederate left. Ball's bluff lay along the Virginia Side of the river opposite Harrison's island, from which it was separated by a channel about 100 yards wide. The bluff varied in height, rising in some places to over 100 feet, and the front next to the river was difficult of ascent, being steep and covered with a thick growth of bushes. Almost opposite Edwards' Ferry Goose Creek flowed into the Potomac from Virginia and across this stream ran the Gum Spring road from Leesburg to Manassas. Toward the middle of October Banks' division was stationed at various points along the Potomac; Geary was at Sugar Loaf mountain on the Maryland Side of the river, a short distance below the Point of Rocks, from which position he could observe the movements of the enemy; Stone's division was at Poolesville, Md., from which Place A Road Ran to Leesburg, crossing the river at Edwards' Ferry. These troops were all in favorable positions for Cutting Off Evans' brigade, but the Federal commanders were misled as to the strength of the enemy through a ruse to which Evans resorted of showing his men suddenly at various places at short intervals to give the impression that his force was greater than it really was. On the 19th McClellan ordered Gen. McCall to occupy Dranesville with his division. This move was successfully executed and the Gum Spring road thus fell into the hands of the Federals. Early the next morning the signal officer at Sugar Loaf mountain sent word that the enemy was moving out of Leesburg, and the following telegram was sent to Stone: "Gen. McCall occupied Dranesville yesterday and is still there. Will send out heavy reconnaissances to-Day in all directions from that point. The general desires that you keep a good lookout upon Leesburg to see if this movement has the effect to drive them away. Perhaps a slight demonstration on your part would have the effect to move them."

Stone immediately moved Gorman's brigade, the 7th Mich. and part of his cavalry to Edwards' Ferry; ordered Col. Devens to occupy Harrison's island with five companies of the 15th Mass.; and Sent Col. Lee, with part of the 20th Mass., the 20th N. Y. (the Tammany regiment) and a section of Battery B, 1st R. I. artillery, to Conrad's Ferry. A Section of Bunting's battery was already at Conrad's Ferry, and Ricketts' Battery, commanded by Lieut. Woodruff, was posted at Edwards' Ferry. On Sunday afternoon (the 20th) three flatboats were brought from the canal to the River; Gorman displayed his brigade in view of the enemy, while shells and spherical case shot were thrown into the Woods on the opposite side of the river, Stone's object being to create the impression that a crossing was to be made. The three boats, each loaded with 35 men from the 1st Minn., crossed and recrossed the river and at dusk Gorman's troops returned to Camp. Stone Has been criticised by some writers for not stopping his demonstration at this time, as McClellan's order had been carried out and the object of the movement had been accomplished. Instead of ceasing operations, however, he directed Devens to Send Capt. Philbrick, with 20 men, across the river at Harrison's island soon after dark with instructions to move by a bridle path through the Woods Toward Leesburg and ascertain the position of the enemy. Toward midnight Philbrick returned with the information that he had discovered a camp of some 30 tents about a mile from Leesburg and had approached close to it without being challenged. When this was imparted to Stone he ordered Devens to Cross over with four companies and take position to destroy the camp at daybreak, pursue the enemy as far as would be prudent and returned to the island, his withdrawal to be covered by part of the 20th Mass. In order to Cover Devens' movement, Stone ordered Gorman to send over two companies of the 1st Minn. at Edwards' Ferry, and Sent Maj. Mix with a small detachment of the 3rd N. Y. cavalry along the Leesburg Road until he should come to the vicinity of a battery known to be there and then turn to the left and reconnoiter Toward Goose Creek. Baker was directed to have his brigade in readiness to move from Conrad's Ferry at daybreak, and the 15th Mass. was to be at Harrison's island at that hour ready to Cross and support Devens if Necessary. Devens made his reconnaissance and discovered that in the uncertain light Philbrick's scouts had mistaken openings in the Woods for White tents. He therefore sent back word to Stone that no enemy was in sight in the vicinity of Leesburg. The reason he found no Confederates there was because Evans had withdrawn his brigade to a line of intrenchments along Goose creek to meet an attack from the direction of Drahesville.

After reconnoitering in the direction of Leesburg and failing to find anything of the Enemy, Devens concealed his force in A Wood and took steps to hold his position. In the meantime Stone had directed Baker to use his judgment about withdrawing Devens or sending over reinforcements. Baker decided on sending over more troops, but the transportation was so inadequate that it was nearly noon before all of the 15th Mass. was on the Virginia Shore. From the redoubt called "Fort Evans," to the eastward of Leesburg, the Confederate commander could see the movement of the Federal troops and sent a detachment Under Col Jenifer to hold them in check until his plan of attack could be fully developed. About 10 a. m. he sent the 8th VA. Under Col. Hunton to the support of Jenifer, and A Sharp skirmish occurred between these two Confederate detachments and the advance companies of the 15th Mass. A little after 12 o'clock the enemy appeared in force in front of Devens' who retired to prevent being outflanked, taking Place in Tine with the troops brought over by Baker. By 2:30 the musketry firing became very brisk and Baker ordered 4 pieces of artillery to be sent over the river. One gun and 2 small howitzers were crossed and did effective service until Lieuts. Bramhall and French were both wounded when the guns were dragged to the rear by hand to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. About 4 o'clock Baker Fell While cheering on his men and the command devolved on Col. Coggswell of the Tammany regiment who ordered dispositions to be made to cut a way through to Edwards' Ferry. Concerning this movement Coggswell Says in his report: "I was followed by the remnants of my two companies and a portion of the California regiment, but, for some reasons unknown to me, was not joined by either the 15th or 20th Mass. regiments. We were overpowered and forced back to our original position, and again driven from that position to the river bank by overwhelming numbers. On the river bank I found the whole force in a state of great disorder. As I arrived, two companies of my own regiment, under Capts. Gerety and O'Meara, landed from the large boat. I ordered these fresh companies up the bluff, and they instantly ascended and deployed as skirmishers to cover the passage to the island, while I took about a dozen men and moved to the left to check a heavy fire of the enemy which had opened on us from the mouth of a ravine near. We were almost immediately surrounded and captured."

On the river bank the Union troops maintained for nearly half an hour a hopeless contest rather than to surrender. The smaller boat had gone, no one seemed to know where, and the larger boat swamped within 15 feet of the shore on account of being too heavily loaded. There was nothing left but to surrender, swim or die. Many of the men, while negotiations were being conducted, threw their arms and cartridge-boxes into the Potomac to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Some plunged into the swift current, others saved themselves on floating logs, and still others concealed themselves in the brush along the face of the bluff and after dark made their way to the Union lines. The Federal loss at Ball's bluff was 49 killed, 158 wounded and 714 missing. Evans reported his loss as 36 killed, 117 wounded and 2 missing. He claimed the capture of 710 prisoners, 1,500 stands of arms, 3 cannon and a flag.

SOURCE: The Union Army A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861-65 -- Records of the Regiments in the Union Army -- Cyclopedia of Battles -- Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. 8 vols. Madison: Federal Publishing, 1908.

Biographies:

Henry Melville Jackson, bishop-coadjutor of Alabama and 156th in succession in the American episcopate, was born at Leesburg, Va., July 28, 1849. He was educated at the Virginia Military institute, and at the Theological seminary of the diocese of Virginia. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Johns in June, 1873, and priest by the same bishop in St. John's church, Wytheville, July 15, 1874. He then settled, first in Virginia and then in South Carolina; became rector of Grace church, Richmond, Va., in October, 1876, and in 1890 was elected assistant bishop of Alabama. He was consecrated, Jan. 21, 1891, by Bishops Wilmer, Howe, Peterkin, Thompson and Randolph. He received the degree of D.D. from Randolph-Macon college in 1886 and from the University of the South in 1891. He was editor of the Southern Pulpit. He died at Roselands, near Montgomery, Ala., May 14, 1900.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Thomas Balch, author, was born at Leesburg, Loudon county, Va., July 23, 1821. He studied at Columbia college, read law in the office of Stephen Cambreleng, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. In 1852 he removed to Philadelphia, served in the city councils and presided over some of its most important committees. At the request of the Historical society of Pennsylvania, he edited "The Shippen Papers," "Letters and Papers relating to the Provincial history of Pennsylvania," the "Maryland Papers," and "The Examination of Joseph Galloway for the Seventy-sixth Society." In 1859 he went to Europe, and remained upwards of ten years, making Paris his headquarters, collecting material for his work, entitled "Les Francais en Amerique pendant la Guerre de l'Independence des Etats Unis, 1773-1783." In 1865 he proposed in a letter to Horace Greeley, published in the New York Tribune, a court of international arbitration as a measure of averting war, which is believed to have been the first step in this direction. In it was laid down the code of rules observed by the Geneva tribunal. Returning to the United States he devoted himself to literary labor. In September, 1876, he read before the Social science association at Saratoga, a paper in favor of a double standard in coinage, and a paper before a similar association in Philadelphia on "Free Coinage and a Self-adjusting Ratio." An account of many of his writings may be found in an obituary, by John Austin Stevens, in the Magazine of American History for June, 1877. He died in Philadelphia, March 29, 1876.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Lewis Nixon, shipbuilder, was born in Leesburg, Va., April 7, 1861; son of Joel Lewis and Mary Jane (Turner) Nixon; grandson of Joel and Hannah (Milburn) Nixon, and of George and Mary Pane (Beattie) Turner, and a descendant of John Nixon, who came to New Jersey from Inniskillern, Ireland, about 1710. He attended the common schools of Leesburg, and was appointed midshipman in the U.S. navy in 1878. He was graduated from the U.S. Naval academy at Annapolis in 1882, standing first in his class, and was sent by the navy department to the Royal Navy college, Greenwich, England, in 1882. He was transferred to the construction corps of the U.S. navy in 1884, and in 1890 designed the battleships Oregon, Indiana and Massachusetts. He resigned from the navy in 1891; served as superintending constructor at the Cramp shipyard, Philadelphia, 1891-95, and established the Crescent shipyard at Elizabeth, N.J., in 1895, where among other vessels he constructed the submarine torpedo boat Holland, the monitor Florida, the torpedo boat O'Brien and the cruiser Chattanooga. He was married, Jan. 29, 1891, to Sally Lewis, daughter of Col. Lafayette B. and Margaret (Robertson) Wood of Washington, D.C. He was appointed by Mayor Van Wyck president of the East River Bridge commission in January, 1898, and was appointed consulting naval architect of the Cramp Shipbuilding company; president of the International Smokeless Powder and Dynamite company; of the U.S. Long Distance Automobile Co.; the Carbon Axle Co.; the New East River Bridge commission; a trustee of Webb's Academy and Home for Shipbuilders; a director of the Idaho Exploration and Mining Co.; a delegate from New York to the Democratic national convention of 1900, and vice-president of the Democratic Club of New York. On Dec. 17, 1901, he was appointed one of twelve prominent citizens to represent capital on the board of arbitration of the industrial department of the National Civic Federation, convened in New York city, Dec. 16, 1901, and on Jan. 11, 1902, succeeded Richard Croker as leader of the Tammany Hall organization in New York city, which position he resigned, May 14, 1902. He is the author of: Military Value of the Shipyard (1897), and Commercial Value of the Shipyard (1897), both of which appeared in the North American Review.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Philip St. George Cooke, soldier, was born at Leesburgh, Va., June 13, 1809; son of Dr. Stephen and Catherine (Esten) Cooke. He was graduated at the U.S. military academy in 1827 and was commissioned lieutenant in the 6th U.S. infantry, joining his regiment at Jefferson barracks, Mo., in November, 1827. He took part in the Black Hawk war, participating in the battle of Bad Axe, and was promoted first lieutenant, March 4, 1833, and captain in May, 1835. He served in Texas, Arkansas, and New Mexico; defended a caravan of Santa F? traders from the "army of Texas," and received for the exploit the thanks of President Santa Anna and the official thanks of the commander-in-chief of the U.S. army and of Colonel Kearny commanding the department. In 1845 he accompanied Colonel Kearny through South Pass, Rocky Mountains, and thence to Fort Leavenworth via the headwaters of the Arkansas river, a march of twenty-two hundred miles, in ninety-nine days. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in October, 1846, and with an infantry battalion (six companies) of volunteers was ordered to California with a wagon train, exploring and making a practical wagon road en route. The battalion reached San Diego mission Jan. 29, 1847 after suffering great privations while marching eight hundred miles through an enemy's country. Here Colonel Cooke was able to suppress a threatened deadlock between the army and navy authorities and to support the commanding army official in carrying out the orders of the President, practically acquiring for the government 250,000 square miles of territory and pointing out a feasible railroad route between the Gulf and the Pacific. Captain Cooke was commissioned major of second dragoons, Feb. 16, 1847, and resigned his volunteer commission on May 1 to rejoin his regiment in the City of Mexico. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for meritorious services in California; superintended the cavalry barracks at Carlisle, Pa., 1848-52; was in command of the 2nd dragoons in Texas in 1853 and conducted a campaign against the Lipan Indians and drove them beyond the Rio Grande. This exploit gained for him promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and while in command of Fort Union, N. M., in 1854, he relieved the 1st dragoons, beleaguered in Fort Burgwin, organized a company of "spies and guides" from the Pueblo Indians, and pursued the Jicarilla Apachee Indians across the Rio Grande and one hundred and fifty miles beyond, where, on April 8, he surprised them in camp, captured their baggage and supplies and caused them to sue for peace. This service, entirely unauthorized and voluntary, was approved by the department commander, and in general orders No. 9, war department, June 21, 1854, he received "special praise and the marked approbation of the President and this department." In 1855 he defeated the Sioux Indians at Blue Water. He was stationed in Kansas, 1856-57; made a winter march to Utah, 1857-58, and was promoted colonel of the 2nd dragoons, June, 1858. In 1860 he visited Europe to observe the war between Italy and France and Austria. He was in command of the department of Utah in 1861. In October of that year he evacuated his department and with his troops marched to Washington, D. C., arriving there Oct. 19, 1861. He was appointed brigadier-general in the regular army and commanded a cavalry division in the Army of the Potomac at the siege of Yorktown, battles of Gaines's Mill, Frayser's Farm, and the other battles on the peninsula. At Harrison's Landing he was relieved and was on court-martial duty at St. Louis, Mo., in the winter of 1862-63. He commanded the Baton Rouge district, department of the. Gulf, from October, 1863, to May, 1864, and on March 13, 1865, was brevetted major-general U.S.A., "for gallant and meritorious service during the war." He commanded the department of the Platte, 1866-67; the department of the Cumberland, 1869-70; and the department of the Lakes, 1870-73, when he was retired from active service. He wrote Scenes and Adventures in the Army (1856); and The Conquest of New Mexico and California (1878). He died in Detroit, Mich., March 20, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor