Existing comment:
Elmer E. Ellsworth (1837-1861)
Born Malta, New York
The death of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth in Alexandria, Virginia was a flash point at the start of the Civil War. Ellsworth was the first Union officer to be shot in the four-year-long struggle. He commanded the Eleventh New York Fire Zouaves, which participated in the invasion of Northern Virginia on May 24, 1861. His death at the hands of a local innkeeper made him a martyr in the North. Ellsworth's funeral took place in the White House, where thousands viewed his corpse lying in state. Throughout the conflict, he would be recalled on stationery, in sheet music, and in lithographs. |