was hit exactly in the middle of the face, and the wound, as I afterward saw it, was the most frightful I ever witnessed. Of course Brownell did not know how fatal his shot had been, and so before the man dropped, he thrust his sabre bayonet through and through the body, the force of the blow sending the dead man violently down the upper section of the second flight of stairs, at the foot of which he lay with his face to the floor. Winser ran from above crying, Who is hit?' but as he glanced downward by our feet, he needed no answer. opening doors, and through the passages, we discerned a sufficient number of forms to assure us that we were dreadfully in the minority. I think now that there was no danger, and that the single assailant acted without concert with anybody; but it is impossible to know accurately, and it was certainly a doubtful question then. The first thing to be done was to look to our dead friend and leader. He had fallen on his face, and the streams of blood that flowed from his wound had literally flooded the way. The chaplain turned him gently over, and I stooped and called his name "Bewildered for an instant by the aloud, at which I thought then he mursuddenness of this attack, and not mured inarticulately. I presume I was knowing what more might be in store, mistaken, and I am not sure that he we forbore to proceed, and gathered spoke a word after being struck, although together defensively. There were but in my dispatch I repeated a single exseven of us altogether, and one was clamation which I had believed he utwithout a weapon of any kind. Brow- tered. It might have been Brownell, or nell instantly reloaded, and while doing the chaplain, who was close behind me. so perceived the door through which the Winser and I lifted the body with all assailant's shot had passed, beginning the care we could apply, and laid it upon to open. He brought his rifle to the a bed in a room near by. The rebel shoulder, and menaced the occupants, flag, stained with his blood, and purified two travellers, with immediate death if by this contact from the baseness of its they stirred. The three other privates former meaning, we laid about his feet. guarded the passages, of which there It was at first difficult to discover the were quite a number converging to the precise locality of his wound, for all point where we stood, while the chaplain parts of his coat were equally saturated and Winser looked to the staircase by with blood. By cautiously loosening his which we had descended, and the adjoin- belt and unbuttoning his coat we found ing chambers. I ran down stairs to see where the shot had penetrated. None if anything was threatened from the of us had any medical knowledge, but story below, but it soon appeared there we saw that all hope must be resigned. was no danger from that quarter. How- Nevertheless, it seemed proper to sumever, we were not at all disposed to mon the surgeon as speedily as possible. move from our position. From the This could not easily be done; for, DEATH OF ELLSWORTH AVENGED. secluded as we were in that part of the town, and uncertain whether an ambush might not be awaiting us also, no man could volunteer to venture forth alone; and to go together, and leave the Colonel's body behind, was out of the question. We wondered at the long delay of the first company, for the advance of which the Colonel had sent back before approaching the hotel; but we subsequently learned that they had mistaken a street, and gone a little out of their way. Before they arrived we had removed some of the unsightly stains from the Colonel's features, and composed his limbs. His expression in death was beautifully natural. The Colonel was a singularly handsome man, and, excepting the pallor, there was nothing different in his countenance now from what all his friends had so lately been accustomed to gladly recognize. The detachment was heard approaching at last, a reinforcement was easily called up, and the surgeon was sent for. His arrival, not long after, of course sealed our own unhappy belief. A sufficient guard was presently distributed over the house, but meanwhile I had remembered the Colonel's earnestness about the telegraph seizure, and obtained permission to guide a squad of Zouaves to the office, which was found to be entirely open, with all the doors ajar yet apparently deserted. It looked like another chance of a surprise. The men remained in charge. I presume it was not wholly in order for me, a civilian, to start upon this mission, but I was the only person who knew the whereabouts 263 of the office, and the Colonel had been very positive about the matter. When I returned to the hotel, there was a terrible scene enacting. A woman had run from a lower room to the stairway where the body of the defender of the secession flag lay, and recognizing it, cried aloud with an agony so heart-rending that no person could witness it without emotion. She flung her arms in the air, struck her brow madly, and seemed in every way utterly abandoned to desolation and frenzy. She offered no reproaches-appeared, indeed, almost regardless of our presence, and yielded only to her own frantic despair. It was her husband that had been shot. He was the proprietor of the hotel. His name was James T. Jackson. Winser was confident it was the same man who met us at the door when we entered, and told us he was a boarder. His wife, as I said, was wild almost to insanity. Yet she listened when spoken to, and although no consolation could be offered her by us for what she had lost, she seemed sensible to the assurance that the safety of her children, for whom she expressed fears, could not possibly be endangered. "It is not from any wish to fasten obloquy upon the slayer of Colonel Ellsworth, but simply because it struck me as a frightful fact, that I say the face of the dead man wore the most revolting expression of rage and hatred that I ever saw. Perhaps the nature of his wound added to this effect, and the wound was something so appalling that I shall not attempt to describe it as it impressed me. It is probable that such a result from a bullet wound could not ensue once in a thousand times. Either of Brownell's onslaughts would have been instantaneously fatal. The sabre wound was not less effective than that of the ball. The gun which Jackson had fired lay beneath him, clasped in his arms, and as we did not at first all know that both barrels had been discharged, it was thought necessary to remove it, lest it should be suddenly seized and made use of from below. In doing this, his countenance was revealed. 66 'As the morning advanced, the townspeople began to gather in the vicinity, and a guard was fixed, preventing ingress and egress. This was done to keep all parties from knowing what had occurred, for the Zouaves were so devoted to their Colonel that it was feared if they all were made acquainted with the real fact, they would sack the house. On the other hand, it was not thought wise to let the Alexandrians know thus early the fate of their townsman. The Zouaves were the only regiment that had arrived, and their head and soul was gone. Besides, the duties which the Colonel had hurriedly assigned before leaving them had scattered some companies in various quarters of the town. Several persons sought admission to the Marshall House, among them a sister of the dead man, who had heard the rumor, but who was not allowed to know the true state of the case. It was painful | to hear her remark, as she went away, that of course they wouldn't shoot a man dead in his own house about a bit of old bunting.' Many of the lodgers were anxious to go forth, but they were detained until after I had left. All sorts of arguments and persuasions were employed, but the Zouave guards were inexorable." The Michigan regiment, though prevented by the impetuous movement of the Zouaves from fully effecting its object, succeeded, however, in capturing some thirty-seven of the enemy's cavalry. The rest had made off by the railroad extending into the interior of Virginia. The occupation of Alexandria was indeed secured, but at the sacrifice of a life suddenly arrested in its youthful promise of patriotic service. The friends of the Union mourned the fate of young Ellsworth, and honored his memory as that of a hero. Elmer E. Ellsworth was born at Malta, Saratoga County, in the State of New York, on the 23d of April, 1837. His parents not being rich were unable to give him more than the advantages of an ordinary common school education. He, however, seemed to have some early inclinations for a military career, and an effort was made to obtain for him an admission into the academy at West Point. Not succeeding in this purpose, the lad was placed as a clerk in a trading establishment at Troy, and thence removed to the city of New York, where he remained engaged in similar occupations for several years. He subsequently emigrated to the West, and obtained the position of a clerk with an attorney in Chicago. He now commenced the study of the law, but devoted his leisure time to the study of military York, for Washington, at the head of science. his regiment, on the 29th of April. His tragic death has been already recorded. mea. About this time he was chosen captain of a volunteer company, whom he induced to adopt the uniform and drill of the French Zouaves, whose efficiency had been recently displayed in the CriHis soldiers soon became the pride of Chicago and the wonder of other cities, where, during a round of visits, they exhibited their striking costume and peculiar manners. On his return to the West he was chosen quartermaster of the northern division of Illinois, and paymastergeneral of the State militia. He, however, still persevered in his legal studies, and was soon after admitted to the bar. On the election of his friend, Mr. Lincoln, to the Presidency, Ellsworth made application for the chief clerkship in the war department, but the secretary of war was prevented from bestowing it upon him in consequence of his pledge to a previous applicant. He, however, received, through the influence of the President, the commission of second lieutenant in the army. In the mean time, war with the South becoming imminent, young Ellsworth resigned his lieutenancy, and, offering his services to recruit a regiment, repaired at once to New York for the purpose. There was an element of tender affection in the character of the youthful hero which endeared him to his family and friends, and served to increase the public regard for his memory. On the night previous to his departure on the fatal expedition to Alexandria, he wrote to his betrothed, and this reverential and pathetic letter to his parents, of whom he was the only surviving child: "HEADQUARTERS IST ZOUAVES, CAMP LINCOLN, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 23, 1861. "MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER: The regiment is ordered to move across the river to-night. We have no means of knowing what reception we are to meet with. I am inclined to the opinion that our entrance to the city of Alexandria will be hotly contested, as I am just informed a large force has arrived there to-day. Should this happen, my dear parents, it may be my lot to be injured in some manner. Whatever may happen, cherish the consolation that I was engaged in the performance of a sacred duty; and to-night, thinking over the probabilities of to-morrow, and the occurrences of the past, I am perfectly content to accept whatever my fortune may be, confident that He who noteth even the fall of a sparrow, will have some purpose even in the fate of one like me. The proverbial courage and energy of the city firemen led him to seek among them for the men suitable for the formation of a corps of Zouaves, of whom dash, daring, and activity are expected. My darling and ever-loved parents, He soon succeeded in enrolling a thou-good-bye. God bless, protect, and care sand firemen, and sailed, with the ap- for you. plause and good wishes of all New ELMER." CHAPTER XXIII. How the Virginians failed to take Fortress Monroe.-Efforts to counteract its Loss.-The importance of Fortress Monroe to the Union.-The danger to Norfolk.-Fortification of Virginia Rivers and Coasts.-Abundant Cannon from the Navy Yard.-Sewall's Point.-Its Position.-Raising of Fortifications by the Secessionists.-Attempt to prevent the Work by the Federal Cruisers.-Attack of the Star on Sewall's Point.-Official Report of Captain Eagle. -A lively Account by the Enemy.-Effect of the Attack.-The Reinforcement of Fortress Monroe.-Number of Troops.-Major-General Butler ordered to the Command of the Department of Virginia.-Arrival at Fortress Monroe. His enthusiastic Reception.-Immediate Action.-A Foothold upon the Land of Virginia secured.-Increased Reinforcements at Fortress Monroe.-Expedition to Newport News.-Situation of the place.-No resistance.-Military possession.-Intrenchments.-Continued labor of the Enemy in fortifying their Coast.-The Works at Acquia Creek.-Position of Acquia Creek and its strategic importance.-Nature of the Batteries.-Attack by Captain Ward. Silencing Batteries.-Hauling off the Freeborn.-Renewal of Attack.-Official Statement.-Unsuccessful attempt of the Harriet Lane upon an Enemy's Battery.-Spectators at Fortress Monroe.-Butler eager for Action. -The Expedition against Little and Big Bethel planned.-The Federal Troops.-Number and Commanders.— Brigadier-General Pierce.-Previous Military Experience.-The details of the plan of the Expedition.-A confused Statement explained. The Reserves.-How they were to Co-operate.-Big Bethel.-Its Position.-Ignorance of Federal Officers.-March of Colonel Duryea.-Delays in Progress.-A Fire in the Rear.-A Countermarch.-No Enemy. A fatal Blunder.-Return of Vermonters and Massachusetts Men.-The Blunder explained.-Who was to blame?—The General's self-justification.-Defence of Colonel Bendix. 1861. THE Virginians having failed, through | ment upon the neighboring shores, and the rare and happy accident of its thus threaten the safety of their city. being held by a loyal officer at the time of their insurrection, in obtaining possession of Fortress Monroe, made great efforts to counteract the loss of so important a defence. This strong work, which held as it were in its grip the neck of Chesapeake Bay, and throttled Virginia by commanding its channels of communication with the sea, was also, as a basis of offensive operations, the most important possession retained by the Federal Government. The people of Norfolk especially felt themselves endangered by the proximity of the great fortress, where the Union could muster within its impregnable walls and under its commanding guns, armies and fleets ready to be directed at any mo The Virginians accordingly made haste to fortify that part of their coast more immediately exposed to an attack from Fortress Monroe. With the cannon left at the Norfolk navy-yard, after the blundering attempt at its destruction by the Federal officer in command, they were abundantly supplied with means of arming their defences. They accordingly raised fortifications on every point of land, and at every river's mouth where there seemed danger of an attack. Among these is Sewall's Point, at the confluence of the Elizabeth and James rivers, directly opposite to Fortress Monroe, and about four miles distant. This low spit of land not only commands the mouths of these two rivers, |