Ellsworth Remembered
ELLSWORTH REMEMBERED
Paul Loatman, Jr. Mechanicville City Historian
April 29, 2011
As the 150th anniversary of his death approaches, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth is once again receiving the kind of public acclaim that first thrust him into the public limelight in 1861.His almost fairy-tale emergence from obscurity into prominence during his short life is once more being recounted on the national stage. On April 29, the National Portrait Gallery in the nation’s Capital opened an exhibition featuring “The Death of Ellsworth” that will run until March 18, 2012. If you cannot make it to Washington, D.C., you may access the program on-line at the website for the Smithsonian Institute. This will be one of only four enclave exhibitions that the Gallery will display to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. In addition, the April issue of the “Smithsonian Magazine” featured two articles on Ellsworth: “The Death of Col. Ellsworth,” and “How Col. Ellsworth’s Death Shocked The Union,” both available on-line.
The New York Times Book Review for Sunday, April 24, featured a review of “1861-The Civil War Awakening,” by Adam Goodheart. The author introduces readers to “fascinating figures who loomed a large at the time but now have been mostly forgotten.” As you may well guess, prominent among those “fascinating figures” featured in the book is none other than Mechanicville’s own Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth. In fact, a good portion of the review is devoted to Ellsworth and the “teaser” excerpt from the book available on-line recapitulates young Ellsworth’s rise from obscurity here in upstate New York to national prominence and close friendship with Abraham Lincoln. What impact did Ellsworth’s death have on public opinion? Goodheart claims that the Colonel’s “martyrdom” aroused a fierce martial spirit among Northerners who up to that time had been unwilling to confront the secession crisis head on. The author specifically credits the death of Ellsworth with attracting over 200,000 new recruits to the Union armies in a matter of a few short months. Our nation would not witness another similar outburst of patriotism until December of 1941.
While it may be true that Ellsworth’s name eventually faded from public memory in our larger society, it is worth noting that he has never been forgotten in his hometown. Older residents may recall the 1937 Centennial celebration of Ellsworth’s birth observed with a formal ball, parades, and re-enactments involving members from all quarters of the community. “Colonel Ellsworth’s March” was written especially to mark the occasion and the music was subsequently adapted for Mechanicville High School’s alma mater. Fifty years later, in 1987, the community came together once again in Tallmadge Park to witness an elaborate Pageant written by then-City Historian, Harold Sheehan, that recalled the highlights of Ellsworth’s life.
Now, 150 years following his death, the Mechanicville community will once more acknowledge its local hero by re-enacting his funeral at his gravesite in Hudson View Cemetery on May 15. Local dignitaries and representatives from more than ninety civic, fraternal, patriotic, military, and veterans organizations will march along with re-enactors and lay wreaths at the grave of Colonel Ellsworth. Leading the procession that will gather in the Cemetery will be a large contingent of the New York State Division of the Sons of Union Civil War Veterans who will conclude their three-day annual “encampment” in Albany by saluting our local hero.
Local residents who wish to view the event may walk or be bussed from designated points in the City to the Cemetery. Parking will not be permitted in Hudson View [except for the handicapped], given the large number of marchers who will be lining up there. The funeral re-enactment and procession is slated to begin at 9:30 A.M., so those planning to attend should arrive early. At the conclusion of the hour-long ceremony, the Mechanicville Post Office will offer a special commemorative “Ellsworth Cancellation” on-site at the Cemetery. This will provide collectors, history buffs, and the general public a unique opportunity to mark one of the red-letter days in our community’s history.