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Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Battlefield Historic Restoration Project

 
 
Battlefield Historic Restoration Project Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 6, 2021
1. Battlefield Historic Restoration Project Marker
Inscription. In 2004, Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park began a restoration project on the battlefield where you stand today. The objective of the effort is to return about 12 acres of the battlefield to its approximate appearance in 1861.

First hand accounts from soldiers like Lt. Colonel Isaac Wister of the 1st California describe the battlefield as "an open field of oblong shaped...entirely surrounded by woods". The photograph below was taken in 1886 of the Veterans from the 15th Massachusetts who returned to Ball's Bluff on a tour of the battlefields where they had fought during the Civil War. The placement of this sign is near the area where the photograph was taken. Note the cemetery wall on the right side of the photo. The map you see below was sketched by William Francis Bartlett of the 20th Massachusetts four days after the battle and shows the general shape of the battlefield. Using participant descriptions and period maps, it is known that the cleared field around which the battle was fought was oblong, approximately 150 yards wide along the bluff and extending some 450 yards inland, roughly from the bluff to today's parking lot.

Every year park staff and volunteers participate in projects that include cutting trees, removal of dead falls and clearing of undergrowth that bring this historic battlefield closer
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to its 1861 appearance. The cut trees and underbrush are used for mulching trails and as firewood for reenactors during living history programs.

These restoration efforts are open to public participation. Please check park information kiosks and websites for announcements related to the Battlefield Historic Restoration Project.
 
Erected 2007 by Ball's Bluff Regional Park/Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the NOVA Parks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 2004.
 
Location. 39° 7.956′ N, 77° 31.805′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker can be reached from Ball’s Bluff Road, on the left when traveling east. Located on a gravel footpath extension of Ball’s Bluff Road, inside Ball’s Bluff Regional Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leesburg VA 20176, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 15th Massachusetts Infantry (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jenifer’s Cavalry (about 300 feet away); 8th Virginia Infantry (about 400 feet away); 8th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (about 400 feet away); Battle of Ball's Bluff - October 21, 1861
Battlefield Historic Restoration Project Wayside image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, January 26, 2008
2. Battlefield Historic Restoration Project Wayside
The Ball's Bluff Cemetery stand in the far left center of this photograph.
(about 600 feet away); The Battle of Ball's Bluff (about 600 feet away); Clinton Hatcher (about 600 feet away); Thomas Clinton Lovett Hatcher (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.
 
Battlefield Today image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain
3. Battlefield Today
Looking from the cemetery walls toward the parking lot. As described on the marker the ground here was open field at the time of the battle. The ground has been gradually cleared over the last few years, and this winter time view allows some comparison to the historical landscape.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,494 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on May 24, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos:   1. submitted on March 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.   2, 3. submitted on May 25, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024