Show I orico is i I tImo W Released by Western Newspaper Union Ellsworth and His THE PHE HE name of Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth is almost forgotten now but 80 years ago it was on the lips of millions of Americans As the youthful colonel of one of the most picturesque bodies of soldiery the United States has ever known he was something of a military idol and a n national hero So when he was shot down by a Confederate sympathizer in Alexandria Va on May 24 1861 he not only became the first officer of his rank to lose his life in defense of the Union but buthis buthis buthis his death did much to inflame the North against the South in the early days of the Civil war Ellsworth was born on April 23 1837 the son of a poor tailor in the village of Malta N. N Y Even in his youth he showed a fondness for military l life e and while he was still stilla a school boy in Mechanicsville he organized and commanded a company company company com com- pany which bore the sounding high-sounding name of The Black Plumed Riflemen Riflemen Riflemen Rifle Rifle- men of Stillwater He tried to obtain obtain obtain ob ob- tain an appointment to West Point but failed through lack of political influence So he started west to seek his fortune Eventually he landed in Chicago where he was chosen captain of a national guard company He outfitted outfitted outfitted outfit outfit- ted them in zouave uniforms renamed renamed renamed re re- re- re named them the Chicago Zouave Cadets and soon made them one of V.- V. 01 1 X L 49 the best drilled military units in the country After an exhibition tour of the East in 1860 he returned to Illinois In Springfield he became a student student student stu stu- dent in the law office of Abraham Lincoln who had recently been nominated nominated nominated nom nom- for President by the Republican Republican Republican lican party Since political campaigning campaigning campaigning cam cam- seemed more exciting than studying young Ellsworth plunged into it with the greatest enthusiasm and so won the esteem of Lincoln that he was invited to accompany the President-elect President to Washington Lincoln when he became President President President dent planned to make his young law student and zouave ex-zouave the head of the nations nation's s militia system But this was blocked by the professional professional professional soldiers in the war department department department depart depart- ment and Ellsworth had to content himself with a commission as second second second sec sec- ond lieutenant Then Fort Sumter was fired upon and Lincoln called for volunteers volunteers volunteers volun volun- to defend the Union Ellsworth Ellsworth Ellsworth Ells Ells- worth immediately resigned his commission and hurried to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York city to organize the the New York fire department as a volunteer volunteer volunteer vol vol- regiment In less than two weeks he was back in Washington as colonel of the Eleventh New York infantry known as the Fire Zou Zou- aves fully equipped drilled and ready to take the field On May 24 the Fire were a part of a force ordered to cross the Potomac and occupy parts of Virginia Ellsworth's regiment was sent to Alexandria where their commander saw a Confederate flag flying over a hotel the Marshall house He dashed into the hotel rushed up to the roof and tore the flag down As he was returning he was met in the hallway by J J. J W. W Jackson the proprietor who fired fireda a bullet through the young colonels colonel's heart President Lincoln ordered that Ellsworth's body be taken to the White House where it lay in state in the historic East Room Later it was escorted down Pennsylvania avenue by a detachment of cavalry followed by carriages in which rode the President and members of his cabinet to the railroad station There it was placed in a special train which bore the young commander to his burial place in hi Mechanicsville Mechanics Mechanics- ville N. N Y Two days later President Lincoln wrote a long letter of condolence to Ellsworth's father and mother It is even more noteworthy than th the famous letter to Mrs Bixby which it has recently been revealed was not written by Lincoln at all but by his secretary John Hay In it instead of writing about a soldier whom he had never seen Lincoln was paying tribute to a man whom he had known personally as a law clerk in his office in Springfield and his companion on the fateful journey journey jour jour- l ney to Washington and whom he had grown to love I I |