Ball’s Bluff Oct 21, 1861

the Union army under General George McClellan was looking for  alternative ways to take Richmond. It made sense that  an uncontested crossing of the Potomac River would be  the wisest choice. In October, 1861, all indications were that  Confederate Col. Shank Evans had abandoned his position at Leesburg  leaving a way open for Union troops to invade this portion of Virginia.  Union troops crossed the river from Harrison’s island  and had to pass through a steep heavily wooded cliff to gain decent  ground-Ball’s Bluff. 

back over the cliff edge literally into Potomac. Since the Federals had  only 4 small boats the troops who did not surrender tried to swim back to Harrison’s island and many either drowned or were shot. Interestingly, some of the Union troops were represented by the 1  California regiment and this is the only battle in which a sitting US  senator lost his life- Col. Edward Baker.  

and some of the trees there now were actually there at the time of the battle. Mr. Luke Greer of Virginia has collected portions of a maple tree that has since died and is on the Virginia side of  the Potomac river bank (see photo). The tree, by ring dating, is well  over 200 years old and a small piece of it was made into a wonderful  spalded and figured pen.  

since artillery, infantry, and cavalry units were all present. The Federals being greeted at the time they marched north to battle thru Carthage. A young lady dressed in a Union flag dress that she had made was there to wave them into battle. Within a day’s time the picture was different in Carthage as the Federal troops were in full retreat. 

General  Nathanial Lyon, stationed in Missouri, was fiercely dedicated to preserving the Union. Union Col Franz Siegel organized an expedition into SW Mo to disperse a group led by Gov. Claiborne Jackson who were loyal to the Confederate cause. The two  groups met about 9 miles north of Carthage and a rout of the Union troops occurred as Jackson was reinforced with a large Confederate force. The Union troops withdrew to the south and finally all of the way through Carthage. It was an easy Confederate victory.  

on the north side of dry creek is a huge old post oak which would have been present at the time of the battle. It witnessed the Union troops retreating to the safety of the town. A nice dead limb provided material for a pen. Note that all of the troops were not dressed in regular uniform and is because there was not uniform designation at this early date in the war. A beautiful museum exists in Carthage dedicated to the Civil War activities in this area.  

Thus, although Kentucky officially adopted a position of neutrality at the  beginning of the conflict  this policy lasted for less than five months. In September 1861, troops  from both sides moved into Kentucky. A crucial move was that of  Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner who took Bowling Green on September 18. Because of its location on the Barren River and proximity to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Bowling Green was a major gain for the Confederacy. By the middle of October, more than 12,000 Southern troops occupied a fortified Bowling Green. Several weeks later, Confederate sympathizers held  a “Sovereignty Convention” in nearby Russellville and they created a  provisional Confederate government and named Bowling Green as its  capital. 

Union victories pushed the Confederates to leave the region and they slipped off to Nashville, under Union bombardment, leaving the city in ruins as a result of numerous fires set to destroy crucial features of the town. Union soldiers seized Bowling Green on February 14, after civilians alerted them that the Southern army had departed. Union General Ormsby Mitchel was placed in charge of the Federal forces at Bowling Green and they secured a Union defensive line. Bowling Green stayed under Union control for the remainder of the Civil War. 

Russellville  – Bowling Green roadway (just outside of Bowling Green) there grows a huge Eastern cottonwood tree. It witnessed the comings and goings of thousands of Union and Confederate troops to  the area. The tree has grown to a circumference of 27 feet and has one of the largest diameters of any tree in the  entire Strobel witness tree collection. When the 97 year old owner – Mr. Wheeler was asked if it witnessed the war – his answer was a resounding  – YES.  The tree was of interest to Kentucky artist Mr. Charles Brindley who recently became fascinated with the tree and did an outstanding drawing of it in his own unique manner and style.