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West Village in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Ephraim Ellsworth and the New York Fire Zouaves

 
 
Ephraim Ellsworth and the New York Fire Zouaves Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 3, 2016
1. Ephraim Ellsworth and the New York Fire Zouaves Marker
Inscription.
This Flag Staff
raised in memory of the
valorious young patriot,
Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth
Born 1837 - Died 1861
and his Fire Zouaves whose
members enlisted in 1861 for
military service in The War
Between the States.
Colonel Ellsworth was the first
man of his rank to be killed.

Staff erected by Greenwich
Village Historical Society; Marker supplied by
State of New York and City of New York
June 14, 1938

 
Erected 1938 by State of New York, City of New York.
 
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.
 
Location. 40° 44.02′ N, 74° 0.111′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in West Village. Memorial is at the intersection of Grove Street and Christopher Street on Grove Street. The marker is within the boundaries of Christopher Park/Stonewall National Monument, but outside the fence, at the very easternmost point. Or in other words, this marker is accessible from the street, but not from within the fenced area of the park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10014, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Alex Haley (1921-1992) (a few steps from this marker); Stonewall Inn
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(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Stonewall Inn (within shouting distance of this marker); General Philip Henry Sheridan (within shouting distance of this marker); Northern Dispensary (within shouting distance of this marker); Stonewall Forever (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Stonewall Forever (within shouting distance of this marker); Gay Liberation Monument (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
 
Also see . . .
1. 11th Infantry Regiment (New York State Military Museum). This regiment, Col. E. Elmer Ellsworth, was recruited and organized in New York city, accepted by the State April 20, 1861, and mustered in the service of the United States, at Washington, D. C, for two years, May 7, 1861. It was composed of members of the fire department of New York city, and left the State April 29, 1861. It served at Washington, D. C., from May 2, 1861; at and near Alexandria, Va., and in General Willcox's Brigade, from May 23, 1861; in the 2d
Ephraim Ellsworth and the New York Fire Zouaves Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 3, 2016
2. Ephraim Ellsworth and the New York Fire Zouaves Marker - Wide View
The marker is visible here mounted to the base of the flag staff.
Brigade, 2d Division, Army of Northeastern Virginia, from July 16, 1861; in New York harbor and Westchester county, from September, 1861; at Newport News, Va., from October, 1861; at New York city from May 7, 1862, where commanded by Lieut.-Col. Joseph E. MacFarland, it was honorably discharged and mustered out June 2, 1862.... The regiment (1st organization) lost by death, killed in action, 1 officer, 33 enlisted men; died of wounds received in action; 1 officer, 2 enlisted men; died of disease and other causes, 4 officers, 8 enlisted men; total, 6 officers, 43 enlisted men; aggregate, 49; of whom 3 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.
(Submitted on October 15, 2016.) 

2. The Death of Colonel Ellsworth (Smithsonian Magazine, April 2011). On May 24, 1861, the day after Virginia voters ratified the state convention’s decision to secede from the Union, Ellsworth and his troops entered Alexandria, Virginia, to assist in the occupation of the city. As it happened, an 8- by 14-foot Confederate flag—large enough to be seen by spyglass from the White House—had been visible in Alexandria for weeks, flown from the roof of an inn, the Marshall House. The regiment, organized only six weeks earlier, encoun­tered no resistance as it moved through the city. Barber notes, however, that “the Zouaves were an unruly bunch, spoiling for a fight, and when they got into Alexandria they may have felt
<i>E.E. Ellsworth, late colonel of N.Y Fire Zouaves</i> image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Matthew Brady, 1861
3. E.E. Ellsworth, late colonel of N.Y Fire Zouaves
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. (Click on picture to enlarge.)
they were already in the thick of it. So Ellsworth may have wanted to get that flag down quickly to prevent trouble.” At the Marshall House, Barber adds, “Colonel Ellsworth just happened to meet the one person he didn’t want to meet”—innkeeper James Jackson, a zealous defender of slavery (and, says Barber, a notorious slave abuser) with a penchant for violence. Ellsworth approached the inn with only four troopers. Finding no resistance, he took down the flag, but as he descended to the main floor, Jackson fired on Ellsworth at point-blank range with a shotgun, killing him instantly. One of Ellsworth’s men, Cpl. Francis Brownell, then fatally shot Jackson. A reporter from the New York Tribune happened to be on the scene; news of the shootings traveled fast. Because Ellsworth had been Lincoln’s friend, his body was taken to the White House, where it lay in state, and then to New York City, where thousands lined up to view the cortege bearing Ellsworth’s coffin. Along the route, a group of mourners displayed a banner that declared: “Ellsworth, ‘His blood cries for vengeance.’” “Remember Ellsworth!” became a Union rallying cry, and the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was nicknamed Ellsworth’s Avengers. According to Barber, “Throughout the conflict, his name, face and valor would be recalled on stationery, in
Uniform of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves image. Click for full size.
Internet Archive
4. Uniform of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves
from Underwood & Buel, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. 1.
sheet music and in memorial lithographs.”...
(Submitted on October 15, 2016.) 
 
<i>The departure of Col. Ellsworth's Zouaves from New York, escorted by the fire department</i> image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 1861 May 11, p. 404., May 11, 1861
5. The departure of Col. Ellsworth's Zouaves from New York, escorted by the fire department
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 621 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on October 15, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.   4. submitted on September 7, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.   5. submitted on October 15, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.

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Mar. 19, 2024