[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 172 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





    IN HONOR OF THE 155TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF BALL'S BLUFF

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                         HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2016

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the 155th 
Anniversary of the Battle of Ball's Bluff fought in Loudoun County, 
Virginia, on October 21st, 1861. Being one of the earliest battles of 
the American Civil War, Ball's Bluff had an enormous impact on military 
affairs for the remaining four years of conflict.
  On October 20th, 1861, Brigadier General Charles Pomeroy Stone and 
the Union forces under his command engaged the Confederate forces of 
Colonel Nathan Evans on the banks of the Potomac River near Leesburg, 
Virginia. Stone's forces had crossed the river and were subsequently 
repelled and defeated by their Confederate counterparts. This battle 
was unique in American history because, as Union forces were 
withdrawing across the Potomac, Colonel Edward Baker, a sitting U.S. 
Senator, was killed in action. The defeat, coupled with Colonel Baker's 
death, was the catalyst for the creation of the Congressional Joint 
Committee on the Conduct of the War. Colonel Baker remains the only 
United States Senator killed in battle, and Ball's Bluff proved to be 
indicative of the long war to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join in recognizing the 155th 
Anniversary of the Battle of Ball's Bluff. We must always remember and 
honor those who sacrificed their lives to preserve our nation in its 
darkest hour.

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