Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Blackall William Ball Collection, Manuscript #MS 2005.14, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2005

Biographical/Historical Information

Blackall William Ball was born in Dublin, Ireland, but soon moved with his parents to the backcountry of Pennsylvania. At the age of fifteen, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the 12th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1776. Seeing action at the battles of Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown in 1777, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant and transferred to the 3rd Pennsylvania by the end of 1778. In the summer of 1781, Lieutenant Ball found himself progressing southward with the amalgamated Pennsylvania Continental Line from New Jersey, arriving at "the college of Williamsburg" on September 4th, and on to Yorktown in support of the allied siege.

Scope and Content

Collection comprises 6 journals with a series of observations on the march from York, PA under General Anthony Wayne through the south to the Yorktown campaign, a military commission, portrait print of the author, 10 issues of contemporary newspapers with news of the Yorktown campaign.

Arrangement

18 items.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Ball, Blackall William, 1761-1812

Geographical Names:

• Pennsylvania-History-Revolution, 1775-1783
• United States-History-Revolution, 1775-1783
• Virginia-History-Revolution, 1775-1783
• Yorktown (Va.)-History-Siege, 1781