Queer Places:
Hudson View Cemetery, 1375 Brookview Station Rd, Castleton-On-Hudson, NY 12033, United States
Elmer E. Ellsworth (April 11, 1837 – May 24, 1861) was a prominent figure in early American Civil War history, remembered as the first Union officer to be killed in the
conflict. He was a close personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln, who regarded him with deep affection.
Born in Malta, New York, and raised in Mechanicville, Ellsworth was a self-made man who moved to the Midwest in his youth. After residing in Rockford, Illinois, he eventually relocated to Chicago to study law. During this period, he developed a deep fascination with military science and drill, becoming a renowned drillmaster.
He gained national fame as the leader of the "United States Zouave Cadets," a drill team he trained in the agile, athletic, and exotic style of French Algerian Zouave troops. His performance teams were highly popular, helping him establish a reputation as a charismatic and skilled military leader.
Ellsworth moved to Springfield, Illinois, in 1860, where he worked as a law clerk in Abraham Lincoln’s office. He became a trusted member of Lincoln's inner circle, assisting with his 1860 presidential campaign and serving as a bodyguard during the President-elect's train journey to Washington, D.C. Lincoln often referred to him as "the greatest little man I ever met."
Following the fall of Fort Sumter in 1861, Ellsworth responded to President Lincoln's call for volunteers by raising the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which was composed largely of New York City firefighters and became known as the "Fire Zouaves."
On May 24, 1861, during the Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, Ellsworth led his men into the city. Spotting a large Confederate flag flying atop the Marshall House hotel—a flag visible from the White House—he entered the building to remove it. As he descended the stairs with the captured flag, the hotel’s owner, James W. Jackson, shot and killed him instantly. Ellsworth’s soldier, Francis Brownell, immediately killed Jackson in return.
Ellsworth’s death at the age of 24 had a profound impact on the North. He was mourned as a martyr and a national hero, with his body lying in state at the White House. His death also served as a catalyst for the early adoption of embalming in the United States, as the process was used to preserve his body for the return to his family. The rallying cry "Remember Ellsworth!" was used to inspire Union supporters throughout the war.
Elmer E. Ellsworth is buried in Hudson View Cemetery in his hometown of Mechanicville, New York. His gravesite is marked by the Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth Monument and Grave, which was built in 1874 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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