The battle of Leesburg or Ball's Bluff was fought on October 21, 1861. The location was in Virginia on the Potomac River some thirty-five miles upriver from Washington, near Leesburg,Virginia.

The Union force of 1,720 men engaged in this small battle lost 49 killed, 158 wounded, 553 taken prisoner, and 171 men missing or drowned. Out of 1,709 Confederate soldiers, 36 were killed, 117 were wounded, and 2 were taken prisoner.

Due to the victory the Confederate commander, Col. Evans was promoted to Brigadier General from the date of the battle. Those on the Union side were not as pleased. The aftereffect of this small battle were felt in Washington, as a Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War by Congress was convened to determine what had happened at Ball's Bluff. General Charles Stone, the Union commander, was accused of treason without a writ of habeas corpus and thrown in dungeons in forts in New York City for 189 days.

the War Between the States Leesburg Ball's Bluff 21st October, 1861

This display map shows the position of the Confederate force under Col. "Shank" Evans and the approach of the Union forces under General Stone.

Col. Evans positioned his regiments in the woods around a small clearing at Ball's Bluff. The 17th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was positioned in the woods in this area.

The Battle of Ball's Bluff, Page 2

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