Ball's Bluff: View from the Beach

View of the 70-foot high cliff at Ball's Bluff from the beach or bench of the Potomac River. On the day of the battle, the river was running fast. It was from here that Federal survivors of the battle sought escape by any means. The beach here was about 60 yards wide, according to a contemporary account, and in the gathering darkness after the battle on the bluff had ended, Confederates on the top of the bluff fired into the masses here.

"Has Sparta more?"

View of the precipice at Ball's Bluff, Va.

Friday last was the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, fought near Leesburg, Va., on Oct. 21, 1861. A Federal force of about 1,700 men, commanded by President Lincoln's long-time friend (and U.S. senator from Oregon) Col. Edward D. Baker, crossed the Potomac above Leesburg as part of a three-pronged demonstration against the town. Confederate Col. Nathan G. "Shanks" Evans, defending Leesburg, concentrated a force of 1,700 men against the Federals and decisively defeated them in a sharp action. Baker was killed, and Union losses were over 50 percent, including 161 missing and presumed drowned in a panic at the river's edge. In sum, a Union disaster of the first order.

The small battlefield park at Ball's Bluff is always a pleasant place to visit, and generally few people go there. Leesburg itself is close by and has several excellent restaurants. In the photo above, the Potomac River and Harrison's Island may be glimpsed through the trees at the bluff.

Alexandria Goes to War

Kundahl, George G. Alexandria Goes to War: Beyond Robert E. Lee. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2004.

Despite the title, this is not a book about the town of Alexandria, Va., “going to war.” Rather, it is a collection of biographical sketches of Alexandrians, great and small, and their experience of the Civil War and its aftermath -- if they survived the war. A diversity of types and experiences is represented, as indicated by the table of contents (below). This is a well-researched and capably-written collection that will not fail to engage the reader.

Contents:

Key Events in the Formative Years of Alexandria --
General in Chief: Robert E. Lee --
Senior General: Samuel Cooper --
Field Commander: Montgomery Corse --
Presidential Aide: G.W. Custis Lee --
General Staff Officer: George Brent --
Politician: David Funsten --
Naval Officers: French and Douglas Forrest --
Spy: Orton Williams --
Scout: Frank Stringfellow --
Engineer: Wilson Presstman --
Flower of the South: Randolph Fairfax --
Immigrant: Patrick O'Gorman --
Southern Sympathizer: Anne Frobel --
Chronicler: Alexander Hunter --
Veteran: Edgar Warfield --
Other Notable Characters.

Military Greats: Great Generals (3)

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne

And herewith, the third ten. So far, no contentiousness, but I have started to make a list of people that perhaps or most definitely deserve mention among the selectees but due to the vagaries of the Delphi method were somehow left out.

Cromwell (1599-1658)

Condé (1621-1686)

Turenne (1611-1675)

Charles XII (1682-1718)

Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736)

Marlborough (1650-1722)

Frederick the Great (1712-1786)

Suvarov (1729-1800)

Washington (1732-1799)

Galvez (1746-1786)

Military Greats: Great Generals (2)

Above: Maurits van Nassau

Here is the second ten:

Subotai (c. 1172-1245)
Edward I (1239-1307)
Edward III (1312-1377)
Tamerlane (1336-1405)
Mohammed II (1432-1481)
Gonsalvo de Córdoba (1453-1515)
Babur (1483-1530)
Maurice of Nassau (1567-1625)
Akbar (1542-1605)
Gustav II Adolf (1594-1632)

Military Greats: Great Generals (1)

Above: Genghis Khan and Three of His Four Sons (BNF)

Many years ago, my colleagues and I put together lists of military greats in several categories, e.g., great generals, great land battles, great developments in military technology, etc. We eventually had 14 such lists, varying in length from 15-60 entries. I recently rediscovered my copy of the draft lists (all save one), so I thought I'd present some of them here, starting with the first 10 of the 50 great (land warfare) generals. The list is chronological from earliest times to more recent. Please note: The list is of greats, not "the 50 greatest."

Alexander III the Great (356-323 B.C.)
Hannibal Barca (247-183B.C.)
Scipio Africanus (c. 236-184 B.C.)
Marius, Gaius (157-86 B.C.)
Sulla, Lucius Cornelius (138-78 B.C.)
Caesar, Gaius Julius (100-44 B.C.)
Belisarius (c. 505-565)
Heraclius (c. 575-641)
Khalid ibn al-Walid (592-642)
Genghis Khan (1162-1227)

Contents of Turenne et l'Art Militaire

Among the contributions, I most appreciated Humbert's on Turenne in Italy and Foerster's on Turenne and Montecuccoli. There is quite a lot here, though, and if you're interested in the military epoch and comfortable with the language, you may wish to make the effort to obtain the book.