Elmer Ellsworth-- Part 9: Going to Alexandria

On May 23, 1861, Virginia seceded from the United States.  Alexandria, Virginia, across the river from Washington, D.C., became a serious threat to the nation's capital.  The 11th New York was sent across the Potomac to take control of the city the next day.

They were also to secure the B&O Railroad and cut the telegraph lines going to the south.

On King Street, there was a hotel known as the Marshall House.  The owner, James Jackson, an ardent backer of secession and the new Confederate States of America, had hoisted a large First National Confederate flag atop his building.  It was said that Abraham Lincoln could see this flag from the White House, but that is not likely.

--Old Secesh