Elmer E. Ellsworth

Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (April 11, 1837 – May 24, 1861) was a United States Army officer and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removing a Confederate flag from the roof of the Marshall House inn in Alexandria, Virginia.

Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth
Col. Elmer Ellsworth in 1861
Born(1837-04-11)April 11, 1837
Malta, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 24, 1861(1861-05-24) (aged 24)
Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
Hudson View Cemetery
Mechanicville, New York, U.S.
Allegiance United States
  • Union
Service/branchUnited States Army
  • Union Army
Years of service1861
Rank Colonel
Unit 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Signature

Before the war, Ellsworth led a touring military drill team, the "Zouave Cadets of Chicago". He was a close personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. After his death, Ellsworth's body lay in state at the White House. The phrase "Remember Ellsworth" became a rallying cry and call to arms for the Union Army.

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