The Battle of Ball's Bluff in Perspective
Early Events of the American Civil War
The Secession Crisis
Nov 6, 1860: Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th US president, defeating John Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell.
Dec 20, 1860: South Carolina secedes from the Union.
Jan 3, 1861: Delaware legislature votes to reject secession; Georgia troops seize Fort Pulaski in Savannah harbor.
Jan 5: Alabama troops seize Fort Morgan in Mobile Bay.
Jan 9: Mississippi secedes
Jan 10: Florida secedes.
Jan 11: Alabama secedes.
Jan 19: Georgia secedes.
Jan 26: Louisiana secedes.
Jan 29: Kansas enters the Union as the 34th state.
Feb 1: Texas secedes.
Feb 8: Provisional Confederate Constitution adopted by delegates in Montgomery, Alabama.
Feb 18: Jefferson Davis sworn in as provisional president of the Confederate States of America.
Mar 4: Abraham Lincoln sworn in as president of the United States of America.
The Fighting Begins
Apr 12: Confederate fire on Ft. Sumter, South Carolina.
Apr 15: Pres. Lincoln declares state of insurrection and calls for 75,000 troops.
Apr 17: Virginia state convention votes to secede.
May 6: Arkansas and Tennessee secede.
May 8: Richmond
May 20: North Carolina secedes.
May 23: Virginians vote to ratify secession.
July 11: Battle of Rich Mountain, VA (today's West Virginia) results in a Union Victory.
July 21: First Battle of Manassas or Bull Run results in Confederate Victory.
July 25: George B. McClellan appointed to command the Departments of NE Virginia and Washington. This was the organization that later became the Army of the Potomac.
Aug 10: Confederates defeat Union forces at Wilson's Creek, Missouri.
Oct 9: Battle of Santa Rosa Island. Confederate troops unsuccessfully attack Fort Pickens, Pensacola, Florida.
Oct 21: Battle of Ball's Bluff
Nov 8: USS San Jacinto stops British steamer Trent and forcibly removes Confederate commissioners James Mason and John Slidell.
Dec 10: Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War meets for the first time.
Dec 20: Union forces win minor engagement at Dranesville, Virginia.
Feb 8, 1862: General Stone arrested at the urging of the Joint Committee which sought to use him as a scapegoat for the Union's defeat at Ball's Bluff.
Erected by Ball's Bluff Regional Park, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
Location. 39° 7.826′ N, 77° 31.846′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker is on Balls Bluff Park, 0.2 miles east of Balls Bluff Road, on the right when traveling east. 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. Aftermath of Ball’s Bluff (here, next to this marker); A Divided America, A Divided Loudoun County (here, next to this marker); Battle of Balls Bluff (here, next to this marker); Additional Area Civil War Sites (here, next to this marker); The Battle at Ball’s Bluff (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle of Ball's Bluff - October 21, 1861 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Battle of Ball's Bluff (about 300 feet away); 8th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 143 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.