First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North's First Civil War Hero

by Meg Groeling

A “well-written, superbly researched” biography of the man who answered the call of his mentor, Abraham Lincoln, and became the first Union officer to die (Civil War News).   On May 24, 1861, Col. Elmer Ellsworth became the first Union officer killed in the Civil War. The entire North was aghast. This is the first modern biography of this nineteenth-century celebrity and mostly forgotten national hero.   Ellsworth and his entertaining U.S. Zouave Cadets drill team had performed at West Point, in New York City, and for President James Buchanan before returning home to Chicago. He helped his friend and law mentor Abraham Lincoln in his quest for the presidency, and when Lincoln put out the call for troops after Fort Sumter was fired upon, Ellsworth responded. Within days he organized more than a thousand New York firefighters into a regiment of volunteers.   When he was killed, the Lincolns rushed to the Navy Yard to view the body of the young man they had loved as a son. Mary Lincoln insisted he lie in state in the East Room of the White House. The elite of New York brought flowers to the Astor House and six members of the 11th New York accompanied their commander’s coffin. When a late May afternoon thunderstorm erupted during his funeral service at the Hudson View Cemetery, eyewitnesses referred to it as “tears from God himself.” But the death of the young hero was knocked out of the headlines eight weeks later by the battle of First Bull Run. The trickle of blood had now become a torrent that would not stop for four long years.   Meg Groeling’s biography is grounded in years of archival research and includes diaries, personal letters, newspapers, and many other accounts. In the six decades since the last portrait of Ellsworth was written, new information has been found that provides a better understanding of the Ellsworth phenomenon and his deep connections to the Lincoln family. First Fallen examines every facet of Ellsworth’s complex, fascinating life and adds richly to the historiography of the Civil War.   “Poignant . . . Groeling makes it clear why Lincoln was so powerfully drawn to the magnetic young man.” —Michael Burlingame, author of An American The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd  Includes maps and photos

Genres: Civil War

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2020

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of Ellsworth's tragic demise, this book is a good starting point for anyone interested in his story, which is also the story of the Union. The author does a great job of balancing the narrative with many quotes and first hand accounts of events. As a side note, this book is beautifully bound; Savas Beatie is my favorite publisher of Civil War literature; they actually build these books to last. This volume deserves a place on every serious Civil War student's best bookshelf!!

[Sheritta Bitikofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Fallen is an engaging read, well researched, and beautifully written. Groeling's style is not the dry, lecture-hall biographical work that turns people away from history. She tells Elmer's story in a captivating way while being faithful to the facts of his fascinating life and military career. His story is one that deserves more than a few sentences in a textbook or a few seconds of explanation in a documentary. The nation mourned his death and it prepared them for the endless string of tragedies that would follow through the wartime years. Groeling fully understands the impact Elmer had on the country's conception of war and this biography shows her appreciation and admiration for this man's contribution.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellsworth was a self-made man who had a natural ability and talent for leading troops. He was the driving force behind the Zouave craze leading up to the Civil War due to the tour of his Chicago Zouaves. His death, and martyrdom, in the early action of the Civil War became a rallying cry throughout the North. This is a well researched and written biography of the first, and mostly forgotten, Union hero.

[Francis X DuFour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid biography of a man in the wrong place at the right time. His traveling marching show, in a way, started the northern cities thinking about raising militia. These militias provided handy in the approaching civil war. His untimely murder resounded across the north, making him a noted hero.