Existing comment:
Batteifield Historic Restoration Project
In 2004, Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park began a restoration project on the battlefield where you stand today. The objective of the effort is to return about 12 acres of the battlefield to its approximate appearance in 1861.
First hand accounts from soldiers like Lt. Colonel Isaac Wister of the 1st California describe the battlefield as "an open field of oblong shaped...entirely surrounded by woods". The photograph below was taken in 1886 of the Veterans from the 15th Massachusetts who returned to Ball's Bluff on a tour of the battlefields where they had fought during the Civil War. The placement of this sign is near the area where the photograph wsa taken. Note the cemetery wall on the right side of the photo. The map you see below was sketched by William Francis Bartlett of the 20th Massachusetts four days after the battle and shows the general shape of the battlefield. Using participant descriptions and period maps, it is known that the cleared field around which the battle was fought was oblong, approximately 150 yards wide along the bluff and extending some 450 yards inland, roughly from the bluff to today's parking log.
Every year park staff and volunteers participate in projects that include cutting trees, removal of dead falls and clearing of undergrowth that bring this historic battlefield closer to its 1861 appearance. The cut trees and underbrush are used for mulching trails and as firewood for reenactors during living history programs.
These restoration efforts are open to public participation. Please check park information kiosks and websites for announcements related to the Battlefield Historic Restoration Project. |