The Marshall House

The Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia
Source: Library of Congress

The Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia, was the site of the first Union and Confederate deaths in the Civil War. The Marshall House was an inn located at 480 King Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Union troops had arrived in Alexandria and had begun removing Confederate flags from buildings around the city. The inn’s proprietor, James W. Jackson had a large Confederate flag on top of the inn which was visible from the White House. On May 24, 1861, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth removed the flag from the roof of the inn. As he was descending the stairs, Jackson shot Ellsworth in the chest at point-blank range. Jackson was immediately shot and bayonetted by Corporal Francis Brownell.

                    
Colonel Elmer Ellsworth (left) and James W. Jackson (right)

Before the war, Ellsworth had worked as a patent agent in Rockford, Illinois. He also studied law in Chicago and was a colonel commanding National Guard cadets. In 1860, he took a job at Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield, Illinois law office. Lincoln and Ellsworth became friends and Ellsworth accompanied Lincoln to Washington when he was elected president. When Lincoln learned that Ellsworth had been killed, the president exclaimed, "My boy! My boy! Was it necessary this sacrifice should be made?"

Following this incident, both men were martyred by their respective sides of the conflict. “Remember Ellsworth” became a Union rallying cry and the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was nicknamed Ellsworth’s Avengers. Jackson was similarly celebrated in the South and in an 1862 book, Life of James W. Jackson, The Alexandria Hero.

Sources:

The following excerpt from Philip’s diary covers several rather uneventful days in the defense of Washington. On July 24TH , Philip takes a trip to Alexandria, Virginia and visits the Marshall House.

________

JULY 19TH
Was sent out on duty to watch the target. We fired 8 shots…very good shooting.

JULY 20TH
Nothing new this morning. Had a drill. Received some papers from home.

JULY 21ST
Drill this morning about 1 hour. Was slightly wounded in the neck by a bayonet. Was done by accident. No paymaster.

JULY 22ND
Had target practice in our fort. Drilled one hour. No paymaster yet. Last evening our captain’s servant was knocked down some infantrymen and relieved of some money.


JULY 24TH
Went over to church in Alexandria. Visited the Marshall House where Colonel (Elmer E.) Ellsworth fell and the traitor (James) Jackson was killed. The house is a very plain building and nothing attracts the attention of stranger. The staff is still on the roof where the damnable flag of the rebels waved. 

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