The Death of Colonel Ellsworth
The first Union officer killed in the Civil War was a friend of President Lincoln's
- By Owen Edwards
- Smithsonian magazine, April 2011, Subscribe
One of the quieter commemorations of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War—but one of the most intriguing—can soon be found in an alcove at the end of a main hallway at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, D.C. Between two rooms housing highlights of the museum’s Civil War collection, a new exhibition, “The Death of Ellsworth,” revisits a once-famous but now largely forgotten incident. The exhibition opens April 29.
The focal object is a 3 3/8- by 2 3/16-inch photograph of Union Army Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, a dashing figure, his left hand resting on the hilt of his saber. James Barber, the NPG historian who curated the exhibition, describes the portrait as “one of the gems of our story of the war.”
The image was taken around 1861 by an unknown portraitist in the New York studio of Mathew Brady, the photographer who would become indelibly associated with Civil War images. The photograph is a print from an original glass negative purchased by the NPG in 1981.
Ellsworth was a man with large military ambitions, but his meteoric fame came in a way he could not have hoped for: posthumously. At the age of 24, as commander of the 11th New York Volunteers, also known as the First Fire Zouaves, Ellsworth became the first Union officer killed in the war.
He was not just any Union officer. After working as a patent agent in Rockford, Illinois, in 1854, Ellsworth studied law in Chicago, where he also served as a colonel commanding National Guard cadets. In 1860, Ellsworth took a job in Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield law office. The young clerk and Lincoln became friends, and when the president-elect moved to Washington in 1861, Ellsworth accompanied him. A student of military history and tactics, Ellsworth admired the Zouaves, Algerian troops fighting with the French Army in North Africa, and had employed their training methods with his cadets. He even designed a uniform with baggy trousers in the Zouave style.
A native of New York State, Ellsworth left Washington for New York City just before the onset of the war. He raised the 11th New York Volunteer Regiment, enlisting many of its troops from the city’s volunteer fire departments (hence the “Fire Zouaves”) and returned with the regiment to Washington.
On May 24, 1861, the day after Virginia voters ratified the state convention’s decision to secede from the Union, Ellsworth and his troops entered Alexandria, Virginia, to assist in the occupation of the city. As it happened, an 8- by 14-foot Confederate flag—large enough to be seen by spyglass from the White House—had been visible in Alexandria for weeks, flown from the roof of an inn, the Marshall House.
The regiment, organized only six weeks earlier, encountered no resistance as it moved through the city. Barber notes, however, that “the Zouaves were an unruly bunch, spoiling for a fight, and when they got into Alexandria they may have felt they were already in the thick of it. So Ellsworth may have wanted to get that flag down quickly to prevent trouble.”
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Comments (19)
I'm very happy to have found this article. My father once told me the story of Col. Ellsworth and how many children were named after him. In my family, it started with my grandfather, William Ellsworth and his brother, Ellsworth Johnson. I am the last in my family to carry the name and happy to have some small connection with history. I am also honored to be serving those who served.
Posted by William Ellsworth Johnson III on November 27,2012 | 12:41 PM
Is there any line to the Vermont Ellsworth's to Elmer Ellsworth of New York?
Posted by David Stoddard on August 10,2012 | 11:39 PM
To Sable: My grandmother was a 4th cousin of Col. Elmer Ellsworth. I have family charts going back into the 1500's. The Ellsworth family is anything but "a handful", as you say. I have found true branches all over the map. It is interesting that your father looks like him, as you see it. I know that my great grandfather Ellsworth looks very much like him. I see it compared to the Matthew Brady photo. I am willing to help you with the genealogy. But I don't know how we can connect...is there a way on this site? Anyway, I take pause at your friend being a "direct descendant of A. Lincoln"...His line died out. Please read the book "The Last Lincolns" by Lachman. However, I have been wondering about the possibility that other parts of his family might survive. There was someone located near Macomb, Illinois that I heard of...some cousin or something...(I heard this a long time ago). Of course, we do know that Tom Hanks the actor is his cousin thru Abe's mother, as well as George Clooney. I know Tom's genealogy and it is legit. I have not looked up George's. Be very careful when using the term "descendant"...sometimes one has to just say "related"...or "possibly related" until the research is done. Just beware of people saying things that are just theories and not backed up as facts.
Posted by Patty Tinsley on June 26,2012 | 11:16 PM
ahhhhhhh
Posted by on May 1,2012 | 11:49 AM
My little brother was doing a report on Abraham Lincoln when he was in the 4th or 5th grade. We happened to have a pretty thorough biography on Abraham Lincoln in our small library at home. He was flipping through the book one day while he was doing his report and he got to the page that had a picture of Elmer Ellsworth on it. And he called out to me dad "Hey dad, there's a picyure of you in this book!" When we all heard him, we came over and looked at the picture, and it turns out that the man in the book looked identical to my dad. It was unbelievable, not only because the Elmer Ellsworth and my dad looked like they could be twins, but they also had the same last name! After we came across this picture we started to do some research on our family history. We are quite sure that Elmer Ellsworth is one of our great great Uncles or cousins. We have not quite figured it out yet, but many of us who have the Ellsworth surname know that there are only a handful of Ellsworth's out there. You never know, we could all be distantly related :-D This finding that my family has made is extremely intriguing. I would also like to mention, which makes this even more intriguing, is that my childhood frind whom I have know for 17 years, her fathers side of the family are direct descendants of Abraham Lincoln. They have documents to prove it. And just think, Abraham Lincoln and Elmer Ellsworth were close friends. And I, possibly being a descendant of Elmer Ellsworth is close friends with a descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Weird huh?
Let me know what you guys think...
Posted by Sable Ellsworth on February 12,2012 | 03:59 PM
To Bill Brown:
My grandmother was a 4th cousin of Col. Elmer Ellsworth.
1) Marshall House flag offending Mary Lincoln:
I am not sure that it is officially documented...What IS officially documented is that it was Lincoln himself who expressed to Elmer that he would like to see it come down, said while they were viewing it together from the White House more than once. It could be seen because of its massive size...specially ordered by Jackson....plus it was on a high pole. Lincoln did not order Elmer to remove it. Elmer was a VERY close friend of Abe and family, and we shall never know for sure, but it follows that Elmer would have removed the flag because Abe wanted it done. We know that Mary's reputation was being maligned by Abe's law partner Herndon in a book...so when I hear of Mary being blamed for things, I have to wonder just where it comes from.
2) "...to keep his troops from getting too feisty"...Again, officially it was Lincoln himself who was concerned that the presence of a HUGE secession flag at Marshall House might incite more violence than not...I refer to the official bio.
3) James Jackson plaque at Marshall House:
Why put a plaque only remembering Jackson, when there were 2 people involved??
4) Names of people named after Elmer:
Because Elmer became an icon before his death, and a hero/martyr in death, many people were named after him, as well as towns...So not everyone with that name will be related. In each case, the genealogy should be done.
PATTY TINSLEY
Posted by Patty Tinsley on January 22,2012 | 03:26 PM
One of my great grandfathers was Elmer Ellsworth Goodrich so named by his father Bethuel after returning from his 3 month enlistment. He would have been among those first 75000 militia who volunteered to protect Washington DC., and so may have been in Washington when Ellsworth died. While casually looking through a genealogy of the Way family (the other side of my tree) I was surprised to find an Elmer Ellsworth Way born at about the same time.
I think we fail to realize today that northerners saw cofederates as traitors. They fought for the flag and country. That big Confederate flag that could be seen from the White House had to come down. I think that must have been important to Ellsworth. He had seen that flag from the White House himself.
Posted by Susan R Way on December 31,2011 | 10:33 PM
First attempt to see if related to E.E. Have some family tree material. Thoughts?
Posted by brad ellsworth on September 23,2011 | 10:01 AM
Ellsworth was up the tree from my great-grandmother.
I have a book (HOffman's Strange Stories) that was in Ellsworth's knapsack when he was shot.
I have an envelope, black-bordered, addressed to his parents. The story in our family is that it was Lincoln's letter to them. The letter went down some other path of the tree. The envelope is pretty certainly addressed by a secretary, not Lincoln.
Richard A Jones
Boulder, Colorado
Posted by Richard A Jones on September 7,2011 | 12:19 PM
My wife is an Ellsworth - her family says they are collateral descendants of Elmer ("cousins" in other words), a branch of the family that moved west to Ohio.
Up until the early 80s her folks had a Zouve uniform. A friend gave it to them decades earlier because of the Elmer Ellsworth connection. It was remarkably intact, so much so that they eventually passed it on to a museum, but I have photos of my wife wearing it - it was quite a dashing costume.
I note with interest that this article leaves out one of the oft-repeated legends that Col. Ellsworth sought to take down the rebel flag because it personally offended Mary Lincoln - who could allegedly see it from the White House. Instead the author says it might have been to keep his troops from getting too feisty. I'm curious what that is based on (the remark in his letter quoted in the comment above about being "among so many careless fellows?").
It's not that I hold to the old legend - in fact I'm suspicious of it, since almost everything I've read about Ellsworth is drenched in the war-time sentiment of the era.
BTW, on the 125th anniversary of Ellsworth's death, my wife and I crossed the river (we live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC) to find the site of his death. The building was torn down, but we thought we might find a plaque. We found one, alright, but it was in honor of James Jackson! We left a little memorial card and some flowers anyway.
Posted by Bill Brown on May 23,2011 | 02:10 PM
My father-in-law, Edward Ellsworth Harrison, son of Ellsworth Race Harrison is a direct descendant of Elmer Ellsworth Harrison, born February 19, 1864 in Seneca Falls, New York. We had wondered how the Ellsworth name came into the family and I think we now have a pretty good idea. One family story was that Elmer was named after a "boy who was good to his mother".
Posted by Michelle Harrison on May 18,2011 | 11:59 PM
Ellsworth's fiancee was Carrie Spafford, whom he called Kitty. The night before he marched upon Alexandria, VA, he penned this moving and prescient letter to her:
My own darling Kitty,
My regiment is ordered to cross the river & move on Alexandria within six hours. We may meet with a warm reception & my darling among so many careless fellows one is somewhat likely to be hit.
If anything should happen – Darling just accept this assurance, the only thing I can leave you – the highest happiness I looked for on earth was a union with you…. God bless you as you deserve and grant you a happy & useful life & us a union hereafter.
Truly your own,
Elmer
I will be including this in a forthcoming book.
Posted by Martin A. Sweeney on May 16,2011 | 06:50 PM
On Sunday May 15,2011 there will be a re-enactment of Ellsworth's funeral in Mechanicville, NY. Our Civil War Round Table has designed a commemorative postal cancel for the event. Collectors may send envelopes to the Mechanicville PO or they may purchase a commemorative envelope from the Round Table. All proceeds from sales goes to CW battlefield preservation.
Posted by Matt Farina on April 30,2011 | 10:35 PM
Dr. E.E.Brown, President Taft's Commissioner of Education who became Chancellor of New York University in 1911 was born in western New York State on August 28,1861.His baptismal name was "Elmer Ellsworth" Brown and I suspect that there were many more "E.E.'s" born at that time.
A search of New York Times obituaries in the late 19th century turns up numerous Civil War veterans whose claim to fame was to have "served with Ellsworth." The mere mention of the Colonel's name was all of the explanation needed to inform readers of the significance of the deceased veterans contribution.
Mechanicville City Historian
Posted by Paul Loatman,Jr. on April 25,2011 | 10:33 AM
Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth was engaged to Miss Carrie Spafford of Rockford, Ill. Their story is told by Charles A. Ingraham and published in Vol 1 of The Wisconsin Magazine of History, 1917-1918, titled "Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth: First Hero of the Civil War" and available for download. Carrie's sister, Mrs. Charles H. Godfrey, was my great grandmother.
Carol Breed, we might be related!
Posted by Terry Laird on March 31,2011 | 01:22 AM
Mr. Crippen is correct. The title for our Nation's highest military award is the Medal of Honor. The organization that represents the men who wear it is called the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Posted by Reader Services on March 31,2011 | 02:41 PM
I bought an Old picture frame 7-8 years ago in the mountains of NC. The picture in the frame is Elmer Ellsworth. It states the Late Elmer Ellworth in text below the photo and it looks very old. The image is almost the very same as the article in Smithsoian magazine. Is there any way to find out the history on this photo?
Posted by Ted Reaves on March 31,2011 | 10:05 AM
From my Aunt Margaret, I heard the story of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth. Because my paternal grandfather's name was Elmer Ellworth is the reason I as a little girl called him "Grandpa Kern"...the Kern being for colonel. My grandfather's mother's sister was engaged to the colonel at the time of his death. I know that my grandfather's mother's maiden name was Sarah Ann Waltz but I do not know the name of the colonel's fiancee. Her last name must have been Waltz. If you have any written evidence of Colonel Ellsworth's relationship to Miss Waltz, I would love to hear about it and hopefully see it.
My name is Carol A Breed. My maiden name was Applegate and my grandfather's name was Elmer Ellsworth "Kern" Applegate.
Posted by Carol A Breed on March 29,2011 | 11:16 PM
I believe there is no Congressional Medal of Honor (last four words in your Ellsworth article).
I believe it is the Medal of Honor.
Nicht wahr?
Posted by Raymond Crippen on March 29,2011 | 10:25 PM