Elmer E. Ellsworth (1837 - 1861) - Find A Grave Memorial

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Elmer E. Ellsworth

Birth:	Apr. 11, 1837
Death:	May 24, 1861
Civil War Union Army Officer. Served as Colonel and commander of the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry (known as the "Fire Zouaves"), and was the first commissioned Union Army officer killed in the Civil War. When Union forces occupied Alexanderia, Virginia in late May 1861, Colonel Ellsworth was killed in the act of removing a Confederate flag from the Marshall House Hotel. Private Francis Brownell of the 11th NY subsequently shot the man who killed the Colonel, and was awarded the Medal of Honor for the deed (this was the earliest act that would warrent a CMOH in American History). He was a close friend of President Lincoln and as such, was accorded the respect given only to Presidents. His body lay in state for several days in the rotunda of the capital and was then transported north on a train draped with black flags. His gravestone is 25 feet tall and is surrounded by black iron fencing. It is topped by a 300 pound brass eagle. Interestingly, the eagle was stolen recently because of the high value placed on historical items. It was sold several times before the New York State Police recovered it in Massachusetts at an antique dealer. Search Amazon for Elmer E. Ellsworth

Burial: Hudson View Cemetery Mechanicville Saratoga County New York, USA
Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Mar 07, 1999 Find A Grave Memorial# 4668