M.A. Kleen

Over a century after cannons fell silent at Ball’s Bluff, chilling screams, phantom hoofbeats, and muddy handprints keep visitors on edge. Are you brave enough to walk among Leesburg’s lingering Civil War ghosts?

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield, near Leesburg, Virginia, is best known for a tragic Civil War engagement and has since gained a reputation as one of the region’s most haunted sites. On October 21, 1861, Union forces under Brigadier General Charles P. Stone and Colonel Edward D. Baker clashed with Confederates led by Colonel Nathan “Shanks” Evans.

The Union suffered a humiliating defeat, losing approximately 1,000 soldiers—including Colonel Baker, the only sitting U.S. senator ever killed in battle. Many Union soldiers drowned attempting to escape down the steep, 300-foot bluff into the Potomac River, and bodies drifted toward Washington, D.C. for days after.

Given the battle’s devastating toll, Ball’s Bluff was quickly memorialized. Established in 1865, Ball’s Bluff National Cemetery commemorates 54 Union soldiers buried together in a mass grave. Today, visitors encounter 25 headstones marking these remains, though only one soldier—James Allen of Company H, 15th Massachusetts Infantry—is positively identified. The battlefield’s 76 acres, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984, are managed by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Over the years, however, Ball’s Bluff has become as famous for its ghostly phenomena as its historical significance. Visitors frequently report hearing terrifying screams echoing near the cemetery, perhaps echoes of the soldiers’ frantic attempts to escape.

Others claim that tree branches shake violently without wind, particularly around the gravesite of an unknown Confederate soldier. Some accounts even speak of mysterious muddy handprints appearing suddenly on parked cars and visitors experiencing unexplained mechanical troubles, including stalled vehicles that only start again after tense moments have passed.

The spectral presence reportedly extends beyond the cemetery itself. Phantom hoofbeats, clinking sabers, and footsteps have been heard, as if spectral soldiers are endlessly re-enacting their last moments. Misty apparitions resembling soldiers have been seen wandering through the trees, vanishing when approached.

Colonel Erasmus Burt, mortally wounded at Ball’s Bluff and later dying nearby at Harrison Hall (Glenfiddich House), is rumored to haunt that historic building. Witnesses there describe unexplained indentations appearing on beds and the persistent sound of a West Point ring tapping gently against banisters.

Visitors seeking both history and hauntings can explore Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, located at the end of Ball’s Bluff Road northeast of Leesburg. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk and offers over seven miles of marked trails, interpretive signage, monuments, and the historic cemetery itself. Guided tours are available seasonally, though scheduling varies. For more information, contact 703-737-7800.

Whether drawn by the somber history or tales of lingering spirits, those visiting Ball’s Bluff might just encounter reminders that the events of 1861 continue to echo in mysterious ways.

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