Ballston Spa in Saratoga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Captain Abner Doubleday
Major General, United States Army
Born on June 26, 1819 in Ballston Spa, N.Y. he resided in his childhood at a home located at the corner of Washington and Fenwick, a few blocks from here.
He attended schools at Auburn and Cooperstown, NY. He was an 1842 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY with a commission in the artillery. Doubleday served in the Mexican War under General (and later President) Zachary Taylor. In 1856, he fought against the Seminole Indians in Florida.
In 1861, he was assigned to Fort Sumter Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. On April 12, 1861 he is credited with having shot the Union's first shot to defend the fort. He led troops at the second battle of Bull Run; as well as the battles at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg, he took command of the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac when Maj. Gen. John J. Reynolds was killed, fending off a vastly superior Confederate Army under Lee, enabling the Union Army to hold a commanding position on the "High Ground" immediately south of Gettysburg, thereafter.
Abner Doubleday's other accomplishments include the belief that he "devised" baseball at Cooperstown, New York in 1839. After the Civil War, he developed the first cable operated trolley car in San Francisco, CA.
In later years, he relocated to Mendham, NJ where he died on January 26, 1893. He is buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.
This monument dedicated June 26, 2004 as a gift from the Abner Doubleday Society, LTD.
[Plaque on the back side of the monument facing away from the street]
1846 Mexican War
1854 Indian Hostilities in Texas
1856 Indian Hostility in Florida
1861-1865 Civil War
Fort Sumter
Groveton, Second Bull Run
South Mountain, Antietam
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg
1863 to 1865 President of
Military Commissions
In Continuous Command
Until Retired
Erected 2004 by Abner Doubleday Society.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Sports • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #12 Zachary Taylor series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1757.
Location. 43° 0.142′ N, 73° 51.218′ W. Marker is in Ballston Spa, New York, in Saratoga County. Memorial is on Front Street near Court Street, on the right when traveling west. The monument is beside the side walk, near the spring pavilion in Iron Spring Park, and opposite Court Street and at the end of Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ballston Spa NY 12020, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Here in 1800 / Here in 1900 (within shouting distance of this marker); County Seat (approx. 0.2 miles away); Birthplace of Abner Doubleday (approx. 0.2 miles away); New Yorker Submariners Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Home of George Scott (approx. 1.4 miles away); E. Hubbell 1831 (approx. 1.7 miles away); Trip-Hammer (approx. 1.8 miles away); Home of Jonathan Filer (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ballston Spa.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 20, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 921 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 20, 2013, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 7, 8. submitted on January 1, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.