Balls Bluff: A Small Battle and Its Long Shadow

Rating:
Summary: A Small battle with Great Political Significance
Review: After reading this very well written book about a small battle shortly after the first battle of Bull Run, I had to visit the battle site in Leesburg, VA., which is on the Potomac River just north of Washington D.C. The site is breath taking as it fits Farwell's description of this seemingly lonely site very well. The reconnaissance assignment led by Colonel Baker, a close friend of Lincoln and Senator from Oregon, becomes a total military failure. The military amateur Baker sends virtually his complete force up the high bluffs from the river to a virtual open plain to be picked off by the unseen enemy hidden in the woods, which may have included Evan's Confederate Tramp Brigade. Baker is picked up off early causing a full-scale rout as the Union soldiers panic to the bluffs and the river shot down as they try to escape. Bodies fall into the Potomac and many actual float down river to Washington. This total failure after Bull Run has great political and psychological fall out for Lincoln and the government. The commanding officer that sent Baker across the river is not at fault but he quickly becomes a scapegoat and the Committee for the Conduct of the War is born. The committee ruthlessly imprisons the commander, General Stone, whose failure to recognize the seriousness of his charges and his abandonment by the self serving McClellan (better you than me) contributes to his harsh treatment. The committee lives on to
Court Martial Fitz John Porter at second Bull Run and terrorize numerous Union Officers in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Book!
Review: Farwell did an excellent job in his telling of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, fought in the Fall of 1861 on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, just upstream of Washington.....Having had an interest in this battle (especially its enormous political ramifications) for over 20 years (I lived close by), I found the book a delight to read. While much of Farwell's material about the battle obviously comes from "Battles and Leaders", the Official Records, etc., he added tidbits of information that made the book even more interesting. For example, two of Paul Revere's grandsons fought there, as did Oliver W. Holmes, Jr., a grandson of George Washington, and many others of famous lineage. Also, Ball's Bluff was so named since George Washington Ball - another descendant of our 1st President - lived nearby. In addition, Farwell interjects anecdotes which give insight into the life of the ordinary soldier in the early phases of the war.....Farwell's major contribution, however, is in presenting the enormous political consequences of this small battle, in which the extremely popular Senator, Colonel Edward Baker - Lincoln's closest friend - was killed. Federal General Stone was cast as the scapegoat, jailed, and ruined - though no charges were ever filed; and the infamous "Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War" was formed. The result was "McCarthyism" almost 100 years before the real thing.......I have only two criticisms of Farwell's work: he failed to cite his references; and the sole map provided was most inadequate. I had additional maps and my personal knowledge of the area at my disposal, but for the reader unfamiliar with the battle, the battlefield, and the surrounding area, a series of better maps would prove most useful and make the book much easier to follow......This is a book BOTH for beginners and hard-core Civil War buffs. A long time coming, it was truly a delight! Philip Szlyk, Millbury, Massachusetts

Rating:
Summary: A "gem" of a book!
Review: Indepth analysis of a small,little-known,early Civil War engagement whose ramifications had poignant consequences for the Union.Farwell has written a facinating,readable account, incorporating brief character studies of many interesting participants. The only disappointment is the lack of good maps of the battle site and surrounding area. Nevertheless,it will whet your appetite for an exploratory visit to the Leesburg area.

Rating:
Summary: Small Battle, Big Aftermath
Review: This is an excellent, self-contained work on a little known action of the Civil War. With so many works done on the major events of the war its refreshing to see something different for a change. Mr. Farwell is an English historian who has written many books on life in the British army during the Victorian era, which was the same time as the Civil War. The different perspective that a none-American writer has on the subject can be refreshing. Here Farwell applies his easy going and engaging style to describe the personalities and events involived in a little known battle from the early stages of the Civil War.

Balls Bluff certainly can't compare with the fame of Gettysburg or others, but it can provide an interesting look at how a small scale action was fought, as well as illustrate some of the politics that were involved with the incorporation of State troops into Federal service. This battle also provides a classic study of how things can go wrong very quickly in a military operation. The Union was looking for a fight after the debacle at Bull Run, and they found it almost accidentally at Balls Bluff. Stone, the union officer in command, failed to keep a close eye on his ameteur subordinate Baker, the result being another debacle at Balls Bluff with even more shocking results.

The fact that the Union was defeated was not half so bad as the way it happaned, a terrible rout and ensuing slaughter of helpess union troops on the cliffs of the river. The politics of the battle's aftermath show how scapegoats are often found in a Republic. What happaned to Stone was not unlike what had often occured in ancient Athens. Political witch-hunts are not a recent development. Stone was wrongly accused for the failings of Baker. Had the latter lived there might have been a different reckoning. The book wonderfully points out the politicis and history of the early war period, and stands on its own as a fine read. You don't have to know any Civil War history to enjoy this work. In that sense it would make a good high school assignment indeed!