On May 24th, the day after Virginia officially seceded from the United States, Lincoln ordered federal forces across the Potomac River to occupy the strategic Alexandia. Col. Ellsworth led a small detachment to the Marshall House where a 14-foot-by-24-foot Confederate flag was flying that could be seen from the White House.
Hotel owner James Jackson had said that the flag would come down over his dead body and that is exactly what happened. He charged up to Ellsworth with his shotgun and fired point blank into Ellsworth, blowing a hole into his chest.
Jackson was then shot and bayoneted by Corporal Francis Brownell.
Ellsworth's death shocked the north. Lincoln was devastated by the death of his friend and the body was laid out in the White House for public viewing. Thousands passed by the corpse, one of the first to be preserved using a new embalming procedure that became much more prevalent in the coming years.
More to Come. --Old B-Runner
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