Civil war token help
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Can anyone tell me how rare this Civil War token is? I have misplaced my book and it seems that the sold listings I'm seeing are higher then the average run of the mill CW tokens.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
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Comments
This is not a Civil War token because it’s dated 1859. All but one series of CWTs are dated 1861 to ‘64.
The good news is that this hotel had a prominent place in Civil War history. Elmer Ellsworth, who clerked In Abraham Lincoln’s law office, was killed there. He was the first Union officer to die in the Civil War.
This is a fairly common item, but it is popular because of the Lincoln-Ellsworth connection.m
I will add that Rovert Lovett, Jr. struck this piece which bears striking resemblance to the controversial Confederate Cent bearing an 1861 date.
Although not technically a CWT, it is often lumped into this category due to Colonel Ellsworth being killed there. Shot by the proprietor of Marshall House attempting to take down the Confederate flag. The first Union officer killed in the Civil War, and a rallying cry for the Republic.
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Let's expand on this story. At the beginning of the war people at the White House looked over at Alexandria, Virginia and saw a big Confederate flag flying on top of hotel, the Marshall House. Here is what that flag looked like.
And here is the Marshall House as it looked when Ellsworth went to it.
Elmer Ellsworth was a young "gung ho" sort of officer. He went to Alexandria to take it down. Ellsworth ran up the stairs to the roof and ripped it down. As he was carrying it down the stairs, he ran into the owner, James Jackson, who gave him one barrels of a double barreled shotgun. Ellsworth was killed immediately.
A soldier who was with Ellsworth, Francis Brownell went after Jackson. Jackson tried to kill Brownell with the other barrel of his shotgun, but missed. At the same time Brownell shot Jackson in the middle of his forehead. Brownell proceeded to stab Jackson repeatedly with his bayonet.
Ellsworth became an instant martyr, and Brownell became an instant hero in the North. Jackson was lauded in the South for defending his property rights.
People hung pictures of Ellsworth in their living rooms. A ferrotype celebrated Ellsworth and Brownell.
There were also patriotic cover envelopes that marked the event.
Today there is a Marriot Hotel on the site of the Marshall House. This plaque has been hung there.
I sold quite a few of these tokens when I was a dealer. I kept this one because it is well struck in the center of the reverse, which is unusual.
An pieces of the original flag still exist.
outstanding history lesson - thank you !!
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Thanks for all the interesting information. Great to keep some History alive.
Really appreciate the historical details - posts like these and the knowledge of experienced forum members are what make this forum great. Thanks again for the posts.
This board never ceases to amaze me. You guys are great.
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