In the aftermath of the Civil War, John William Grout was a household name. Today he is all but forgotten though he lives on in song.
It is a cool 70-degrees at 6:00 a.m. as Big Red glides west toward Leesburg, VA toward a 90-degree Saturday. I am focused on the ride on the ride and not the upcoming day of Civil War and musical history. Fortunately, at this early hour cagers with their cell phones had not emerged to terrify pedestrians, motorcyclists, and other wild and domestic animals.
John William Grout was killed on October 21, 1861 – just six months after shots on Fort Sumter ignited the American Civil War – at Ball’s Bluff, Virginia. He was an 18-year-old 2nd Lieutenant in the 15th Massachusetts infantry and his body was recovered on November 5, 1861, 35 miles downstream at Washington D.C.
Although designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984, Ball’s Bluff Battlefield and Cemetery are all but lost to history. But it was a minor battle with 2 major outcomes.
One, Union soldiers were forced to retreat to the Potomac River where there were insufficient boats to ferry them to Harrison Island in Maryland. The retreat turned to a rout - boats overturned, and soldiers were shot attempting to swim across the river.
In the aftermath, under charges of Union military incompetence, Congress created the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. For the war's duration, the committee was a source of military and political infighting and a thorn in President Lincoln’s side.
2nd, Henry Stevenson Washurn, a Grout family friend, wrote a poem honoring noble Willie, his mild blue eye, and his vacant chair at Thanksgiving dinner. George Frederick Root put the poem to music. The song, Vacant Chair, was published in 1862 and became a source of strength and solace for families in the north and south that lost a son, brother, father, or uncle. The sad song lives on today will notable versions recorded by Ralph Stanley and Kathy Mattia – be prepared to cry.
Ball’s Bluff National Cemetery, the 3rd smallest National Cemetery, has 25 graves that contain the partial remains of 54 Union soldiers. All are unidentified but one. Grout’s body was identified by the name written on his clothing and was sent back to his family in Massachusetts.
To get to the Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery, travel backroads to avoid the dreaded U.S. Route 15 before turning onto Battlefield Parkway NE and left onto Ball’s Bluff Road. Battlefield Parkway NE is the main artery though one of those DC suburban developments with $800,000 homes on quarter acre lots.
It is 10:00 a.m. and I fire up Big Red to head east. The rising sun has burned off any coolness in the air and I feel the oncoming stifling humidity on my skin and in my lungs. Turning onto the dreaded Route 15, I focus on the ride but cannot help but reflect on the quiet 223-acre battlefield and tiny cemetery and its startling contrast to surrounding DC suburban sprawl.
How many of these residents have visited the park or listened to the song? 162 years after a forgotten man died on a forgotten battlefield and was immortalized in song, I leave with tears in my eyes.
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