Elmer E. Ellsworth
Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth | |
|---|---|
Col. Elmer Ellsworth in 1861 | |
| Born | April 11, 1837 Malta, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 1861 (aged 24) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Buried | Hudson View Cemetery Mechanicville, New York, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Signature | |
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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.
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.