165 YEARS AGO: The Federal defeat at Ball’s Bluff outrages northerners, sends the Lincolns into mourning, and increases calls for an “all-out war” against the Confederacy.
Category: Virginia
The Battle of Ball’s Bluff
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Federal forces suffer another horrific defeat when they are driven off a cliff overlooking the Potomac River at Leesburg, Virginia.
Shaking the Enemy Out of Leesburg
165 YEARS AGO: Federal forces converge on an isolated Confederate unit at Leesburg, a Virginia town up the Potomac River from Washington. However, confusion over troop positions leads to conflicting orders that cause Federal confusion.
Carrying the War to the Enemy’s Country
165 YEARS AGO: Jefferson Davis meets with his Confederate army commanders to discuss military strategy at Centreville in northern Virginia.
All the World is Laughing
165 YEARS AGO: Federals advance on Munson’s Hill, a few miles southwest of Washington, and make an embarrassing discovery. Meanwhile, the Confederate commander faces criticism from his superiors.
Washington Could Have Been Taken
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Jefferson Davis responds to allegations that he hindered the Confederate army’s ability to march on Washington after Bull Run.