On May 24, 1861—the day after Virginia voted to secede from the Union—Federal troops crossed the Potomac and occupied Alexandria. The city would remain under Union control for the duration of the Civil War, with its homes, churches, and cemeteries transformed into military hospitals, supply depots, and encampments.
One of the most dramatic events of that morning occurred at the Marshall House Hotel, now the site of The Alexandrian Hotel at 480 King Street. Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth (1837–1861), a close friend of President Lincoln and commander of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves, removed a massive Confederate flag flying from the hotel’s rooftop—reportedly visible from the White House. As Ellsworth descended the stairs with the captured banner, he was shot and killed by the hotel’s proprietor, James W. Jackson, a staunch secessionist. In turn, Union Private Francis Brownell shot and killed Jackson on the spot.
Ellsworth’s death was widely considered the first Union casualty of the Civil War, and it electrified the North. President Lincoln, stricken with grief, personally accompanied Ellsworth’s body as it lay in state at the White House. Brownell was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.