Battle of Ball's Bluff
October 21, 1861

Union forces under Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone crossed the Potomac at Harrison's Island looking to attack a suspected Confederate camp near Leesburg, Virginia. A timely Confederate counterattack led by Confederate Brig. Gen. Nathan "Shanks" Evans drove the Federals over the bluff and into the Potomac river. 553 Union soldiers were captured in the rout. Col. Edward D. Baker (a U.S. Senator) was killed. This Union defeat had severe political ramifications in Washington and led to the establishment of the Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.