Balfour House is an

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

mansion located at the corner of Crawford Street and Cherry Street in

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

. Built in 1835, it was the home of Emma Balfour, celebrated diarist of the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

. The red-brick, two-story structure features elements of

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

and

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

styles and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

1862 Christmas ball

In a scene reminiscent of the 1815 Duchess of Richmond's Ball prior to the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

, Balfour House played host to a grand Christmas Ball on the night of December 24, 1862. The guests included many

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

officers and their ladies. Among them was Brig. Gen. Martin Luther Smith, and Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, who decades later published his own recollections of the fateful ball. As the Christmas Eve revelry progressed, the telegraph office just across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

received an urgent message from Major L.L. Daniel at Lake Providence, about 36 miles north. The message was received by Philip H. Fall, a Western Union telegraph operator who had joined the Vicksburg Light Artillery after Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to, "collect the duties and imposts," required by the Federal treasury and force the Southern states back into the union. The Mississippi River was dangerously turbulent that night, and the weather was cold and stormy. The only available transport across to Vicksburg was a small skiff. It would mean risking his life, but Fall felt compelled to deliver the crucial information to General Smith, who he knew would be at the Balfours' Christmas Ball at that moment. Shortly after midnight, Fall, exhausted and covered in mud, burst through the door of Balfour House and waded into the crowd of dancers, who gave him a wide berth. When he saw General Smith he went directly to him and told him what he'd heard from Lake Providence. Upon hearing the news, Smith announced loudly "This ball is at an end! The enemy is coming down river. All non-combatants must leave the city!" The men had only seconds to bid loved-ones good-bye as they rushed away and reported to station. Later, on December 26, came the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, the initial battle of the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

. Fall died in 1913 in Houston, Texas; he had worked for Western Union for 55 years. A member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Fall is often identified as a Colonel. That was a strictly honorary title granted by the SCV in recognition of his heroic service at Vicksburg. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Siege of Vicksburg

During the

, most houses were abandoned in favor of caves dug into hillsides for protection against mortar attacks, but Balfour House remained occupied. Emma Balfour famously refused to leave, and in fact used her home to shelter wounded Confederate soldiers. With Union forces surrounding Vicksburg on all sides, and the Union Navy occupying the Mississippi River, the feeling of entrapment was palpable. Emma wrote: "What is to become of all the living things in this place when the boats commend shelling—God only knows—shut up as in a trap—no ingress or egress—and thousands of women and children...".

Union headquarters

After the surrender of the Confederates, Balfour House served as headquarters of Union Maj. Gen.

James B. McPherson James Birdseye McPherson (/məkˈfərsən/) (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the general staff of Henr ...

Notes

References

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External links

* — includes images {{Vicksburg, Mississippi Buildings and structures in Vicksburg, Mississippi Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Houses completed in 1835 Federal architecture in Mississippi Colonial Revival architecture in Mississippi Greek Revival houses in Mississippi Houses in Warren County, Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, Mississippi