Antique 19th Century Civil War carte de visite of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth. The photograph is a mid-length portrait of Ellsworth in uniform, circa 1860. Col. Ellsworth ( b. 18937, d. 1861) is remembered as the first Union casualty of the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, he organized a Zouave military unit and toured the east coast with it. The Zouave units were known for their colorful dress and flamboyant drill routines. In 1860 Ellsworth worked in Abraham Lincoln's law office and also his presidential campaign. He accompanied Lincoln to Washington 1861 and then formed his Zouave unit in New York city. When Virginia seceded from the Union in May, 1861, Ellsworth took his unit to Alexandria, Virginia to secure it for the Union. Seeing a Confederate flag at the top of a hotel, Ellsworth ran up the steps inside the hotel and took the flag down. At this, the owner of the hotel shot and killed Col. Ellsworth. The hotel owner was in turn killed by Col. Ellsworth's soldiers. The incident was well publicized and Col. Ellsworth became a martyr for the Union cause. 2 1/8" x 3 5/8".