As we mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War this year, there seems no better time to reflect on this watershed event in our history. With this in mind, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. has begun a series of displays which will document the war through portraits and artifacts related to its most important figures. This year the Gallery has unveiled “The Death of Ellsworth”, a striking exhibit dedicated to the Union’s first martyr.
“The greatest little man”
In 1860, as the nation prepared itself for the likelihood of war, well-educated and fashionable men throughout the nation were gripped by the newest trend in military fashion and drill: the Zouave. The leader of the U.S. Zouave Cadets, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth was at the fore of this movement as he toured the nation with his troops. With characteristic baggy red pants and caps, the original Zouaves served the French Army in North Africa and on the Continent. As with its literature and philosophy, French military training and dress was popular in the United States during the mid-twentieth century.
A dashing young man with aspirations to the legal profession, Ellsworth's position at the head of the touring unit made him a highly visible figure. Born in Saratoga County, New York in 1837, Ellsworth was just 23 when he paraded his cadets before an attentive audience in Springfield, Illinois in the fall of 1860. One of the spectators at the two-hour drill, presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln, was particularly impressed by the pomp, poise and precision of the Cadets. He called the young colonel “the greatest little man I ever met.”
A Presidential Welcome
The parade wasn't the first time the two had met. Having toured nationally with his Chicago-based cadets, Ellsworth came to the Illinois capitol to study law under Lincoln, and throughout the campaign of 1860 he would help assist his mentor's campaign. Following Lincoln to Washington, D.C. upon his election, Ellsworth was at hand when Lincoln made his April 15 call for 75,000 troops to quell the rebellion. The president’s student jumped to action, immediately heading to New York City with the intent of recruiting a regiment from the ranks of the city’s fire department. He had no trouble accomplishing his goal.
Carrying a personal recommendation from Lincoln, Ellsworth met with Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, and won the support of the influential newspaperman. Calling the situation in Washington a “volcano”, Ellsworth appealed to the firemen of the city to join his regiment, and they responded quickly to his call. By April 20th the regiment had attained its requisite strength and elected its officers. With Ellsworth as commander, the 11th New York, christening itself the Fire Zouaves, departed for Washington on April 27th. The atmosphere in New York that April was electric; regiments with romantic names like the “1st Scott Life Guards” and the “Red Legged Devils” were organizing and departing the city with great frequency and greater pomp. Following the pre-war trend, there was no shortage of Zouaves in the departure parades, with five regiments adopting the name and dress during the initial recruiting. But with their legendary leader at the head, the Fire Zouaves must have seemed the most impressive.
An Alexandrian Tragedy
On May 24, the Fire Zouaves moved on Alexandria, Virginia in an attempt to dispel Confederate forces from the town. As companies of the regiment attended to the important matter of the railroad lines, Ellsworth struck out for the center of the town with a small detachment of men. He intended to cut the telegraph wires but, drawn by the defiant symbolism of a large Confederate flag flying over the Marshall House Inn, he changed his path. He would tear down the flag first, and with seven men he entered the Inn and, posting guards on the stairway, made his way to the roof with his aide, Lieutenant H.J. Winser. After cutting the flag from its halyards Ellsworth and Winser made their way back down through the attic.
With Corporal Francis E. Brownell in the lead as the group reached the upper landing of the staircase, a previously undetected man emerged from the darkened second floor hallway aiming a double-barreled shotgun at Ellsworth. Distracted by the flag, which he was folding, Ellsworth did not see the man, and consequently couldn't make any move to avoid the blast. Brownell managed to get a hand on the barrel, but the assailant, owner James W. Jackson, successfully discharged one barrel into Ellsworth’s chest. With the “heavy, horrible, headlong weight” of the mortally wounded, Ellsworth fell forward. Thinking quickly, Brownell knocked Jackson’s weapon aside and shot Jackson.
Using the flag to cover his wounds, they moved Ellsworth to one of the hotel’s rooms, where he died, the first martyr of the Civil War.
Selected Showing
The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibit on the martyred colonel is relatively small, occupying a small space between two larger rooms displaying portraits of other war notables such as Lee, Grant, and Lincoln. It consists of the mixture of portraits and lithographs of Ellsworth you would expect at a gallery focusing on portraiture, but it also features some artifacts. Both Brownell’s rifle and Jackson’s shotgun are on display.
Looking at the artifacts, we are asked to consider not just the importance of Ellsworth's actions - within a few months it would become apparent that this was to be a long war, and the action at Alexandria of little importance - but also the role of the hero. The first martyr to a cause is often the most important, and Ellsworth's death helped strengthen Northern resolve in the effort. Killed while symbolically cutting out the rebellion, Ellsworth's death became a romanticized call to glory.
Visitng the National Portrait Gallery
The Gallery, located at the corner of F and 9th Streets just a few blocks from The Mall, is one of Washington's hidden gems. Like the rest of the Smithsonian sites, the Portrait Gallery is a free-to-the-public exhibition of America's cultural patrimony. With evening hours extending to 7PM on most days, it is a perfect pre-dinner stop once all of the other museums have closed for the day.
While visiting the National Portrait Gallery, be sure to check out the American Art Museum, which shares one side of the newly-renovated building.
Source
Randall, Ruth Painter. Colonel Elmer Ellsworth: A biography of Lincoln's friend and the first hero of the Civil War. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 1960.
Christian Aguiar - Christian Aguiar is a passionate reader - as evidenced by his terrible eyesight and calloused index finger.
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