Balfour House is an antebellum mansion located at the corner of Crawford Street and Cherry Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Built in 1835, it was the home of Emma Balfour, celebrated diarist of the Siege of Vicksburg. The red-brick, two-story structure features elements of Greek Revival and Federalist styles and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Mississippi Landmark. In a dramatic scene, Balfour House played host to a grand Christmas Ball on the night of December 24, 1862.The guests included many Confederate Army 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. The telegraph office just across the Mississippi River in Louisiana received an urgent message for General Smith. Crossing the turbulent MS river in a skiff the telegraph officer burst into the ball. Upon hearing his news, Smith announced loudly "This ball is at an end! The enemy is coming down river. The men had only seconds to bid loved-ones good-bye as they rushed away and reported to station. The Siege of Vicksburg had begun.
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