Debacle at Balls Bluff: The Battle that Changed the War (Lecture)

[@rebeccabsomanybooks3558]

Thank you for presenting this insightful lecture. It is timely for me as I am reading about the Civil War. Thank you Ranger Gwyn

[@XM-qk5sh]

Very interesting presentation. Thank you

[@markchristman1076]

Went there in the 80's with some family on a fall afternoon, very quiet, isolated. Not now houses fill the area, really a shame, such a difference.

[@SkeptiGed]

Thank you for doing this, it was a pleasure to watch. Also, congratulations on almost reaching 10k subscribers. Cheers from Denmark.

[@brunneng38]

Absolutely wonderful story teller. He makes me want to travel to Gettysburg if this is an example of a standard presentation.

[@movieklump]

As one in ten union generals were killed in the civil war, even more that fought the whole war like Stone, it is not impossible that Balls Bluff saved Stone's life.

[@jrg7951]

Great battlefield to visit and get a look at the Ravine.

[@robertalpy9422]

Poor man. He fell afoul of the radical Republicans like Senator Zachariah Chandler of Michigan, Senator Wade From Massachusetts and worst of all Secretary of War Stanton who destroyed men who disagreed with him openly. He was right and was following President Lincolns orders by returning runaway slaves from Maryland to their owners. Lincoln was nervous to lose the border States to the confederacy which is why he specifically left those states out of the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln wanted to avoid losing the border States at all costs but could not be seen to openly challenge the radical Republicans by saving Stone who was doing exactly what Lincoln wanted but exactly what the radical Republicans did not want. This was one of the rare instances where Lincoln showed cowardice and let a subordinate take the fall for carrying out his policy. The radical Republicans could not punish Lincoln who they thought was too moderate so they went after guys like Stone in his place almost daring The President to save him and open himself up to retribution and perhaps even being replaced on the republican ticket. It wasn't until his reelection and his plans to introduce the 13th amendment that the radicals finally trusted him and stopped trying to sabotage President Lincoln.

[@alanaadams7440]

You would have thought Stone would have told Baker that he wasnt coming

[@hvymettle]

British Admiral John Byng failed to relieve a besieged British garrison during the Battle of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. He fought an inconclusive engagement with a French fleet off the Minorca coast, and then elected to return to Gibraltar to repair his ships. Upon return to Britain, Byng was court-martialed and found guilty of failing to "do his utmost" to prevent Minorca falling to the French. He was sentenced to death and, after pleas for clemency were denied, was shot dead by a firing squad on 14 March 1757. It became a popular saying to byng an admiral to encourage the rest. Charles Stone got bynged to send a message to other generals.

[@sierrahun1]

I wonder what happened with the CSA battle reports of Ball's Bluff. Everybody seems to work on it following the northern reports. We almost know nothing what happened on the other side.

[@RandyHopeUSARet]

Most CSA records were destroyed or lost since the CSA lost the war. Very unfortunate

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Not so. There are a dozen Confederate reports to be found in the Official Records, Series I, Vol. V, reports #19-31 (directory found on pg. 289.) These are available on DVD from a few sources; I got my disks from Amazon. Agree that most writings follow Union sources; even Shelby Foote covers it from the Union POV.

[@nora22000]

@@RandyHopeUSARet Most CSA records were lost--but it was because the confederates destroyed them. The Union tried to capture and retain as many confederate records as possible. Review the confederate burning of Richmond for details; the Virginia state website has this.

[@lucassimmons3496]

Most confederate records were lost after the war but Evans in his memoirs explains what happened to it.... he made his reports directly to Jefferson Davis and Lee so thus didn’t feel the need to write one

[@alanaadams7440]

Good point

[@kevin6293]

I think the Committee was correct to primarily blame Stone, because the disaster was the result of being trapped on the southern side of the Potomac, and Stone knew how few boats Baker had for the crossing.

[@LePrince1890]

The Paul Revere from Massachusetts was a grandson of the American Revolutionary figure and silversmith. He would be killed later in 1862 at Second Manassas.

[@colyhope236]

Paul was killed at Gettysburg. Paul also had a brother named Edward who was a surgeon in the 20th Massachusetts who was killed at Antietam.

[@carywest9256]

That is what the Revere brothers get when they help invade the South.A bullet in the brainpan or their brisket. Too bad that all the battles could have been won by my ancestors and Southrons!!! DEO VINDICE FOREVER!

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Baker was a Pygmy thinking he was a Watusi at Ball's Bluff. He was largely responsible for getting the Union men into a totally untenable situation that caused a huge amount of unnecessary death and suffering.

[@greenwolfx]

Wonderful presentation. Very interesting story

[@tomotto3197]

No Q&A...Did the confederates have rifles this early? (33:25) I thought they only had the hollow bore "minnie ball"

[@82mccord]

Most did but some didn't.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

For anyone who has the Official Records, books or dvd, the Ball's Bluff debacle can be found in Series I, Vol. 5, pg. 289-372.

[@drtroosevelt]

Lectern is on the wrong side of the screen. People read left to right and then return gaze to the right. Baker OR is named after Col Baker.

[@michaelhoffman5348]

Nice presentation, but he's delusional to think that MA is the greatest state in the Union. :)

[@114927jarka]

The simple fact Mclellan says that he is not guilty proves his guilt

[@lucassimmons3496]

Not necessarily if they had arrested every union general that got beat by the confederate army at least once all generals not named Thomas, McPherson, and Hancock would have occcupied fort Lafayette by the end of the war.

[@kaewonf8]

A swamp, even then.

[@technodemic6258]

Did the writer of the subtitles ever progress his/her schooling past first grade??

[@M80Ball]

Techno Demic I’m sure it’s a Bot

[@technodemic6258]

So where has "Tom" disappeared to??

[@tomthx5804]

who wants to know?

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Not sure of the writer, but the writer of the program still works for Atari.

[@ИринаКим-ъ5ч]

Jackson Kenneth Moore William Gonzalez Ruth

[@stflaw]

Notice to anyone doing public speaking: DON'T SMACK YOUR LIPS AT THE END OF EVERY OTHER SENTENCE. It is excruciatingly annoying.

[@_sky_3123]

Yea... its like he is spitting on something.

[@kevinoriordan3323]

Boy this was pissing me off. To the point that I skipped most of video and turned off the audio and put on the subtitles

[@link2671]

God I hate listening to people who have to make a loud sucking sound when they begin every sentence...

[@indy_go_blue6048]

No offense to this gentleman, who is knowledgeable, but he and that ranger who slurs his words so bad are the only rangers I don't like listening to.

[@davidbowman4259]

Politics then, politics now. That damn egomaniac McClellan -- a real detriment to the Union cause.