The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-13
MORE MEDAL OFHONOR MEN
HoNoRED BY CONGRESS FOR DEEDS
OF CONSPICUOUS BRAVERY.
a Talk With Capt Browne1l, "Ellsworth's
Avenger''-Sergeant Wilson, Who Has
Two Medals, Won in Indian Campaigns
in the West.

Medal of Honor Legion all the men who are
residents of Washington ana vicinity. Below
will be found interesting stories of the Incl
dents for which other veterans were awarded
the medal of honor:
Capt. Frank E. Brownell, "Ellsworth's aven-
GER" who is an employe of the Pension Office,
holds a medal of honor awarded him for the
bravery he displayed in the deplorable tragedy
at Alexandria at the beginning of the war. One
can't talk with Capt Brownell long without be-
coming aware of the fact that he is an enthu-
sast on one subiect-"galant Ellsworth" He
regards the victim of Jackson's shotgun as a
military genius of a high order, and holds his
memory as man in the greatest love and rever-
ence. Capt. Brownell is reluctant to talk of the
part he played in the affair at Alexandria, but
when he does consent to do so he overtows with
his subject. The story of the tragedy has been
told many times, but it will bear telling again
in Brownelfs words:
ellsworth. with his regiment of Zouaves," he
said, chad embarked in two vessels from Gies-
boro Point for Alexandria. Landing there,
while the regiment was forming on the wharf,
Ellsworth, in company with two newspaper men
and Chaplain Dodge, came by the right of the
line on his way up town. Some one suggesting
that guard should be taken, he turned and
said, First squad, follow me- The squad, con-
sisting of sergeant, two corporals, of whom
was one, and two privates, fell in behind. Com
ing in sight of the Marshall House, the Colonel
saw the Confederate flag flying on that building,
and, turning, told the sergeant to tell Capt.
Coyle to bring Co. A there as soon as possible.
He then went on past the hotel, when he turned
to look at the flag, and, thinking it might anger
his to seeit still flying, he crossed the street
and entered the Office. Seeing man at the
counter, Ellsworth asked if he was the proprie-
| tor, and, receiving negative answer, started
up stairs. We followed him up two flights of
stairs and then up third into the attic, where
the halyards of the flagstaff were found and the
| flag pulled down. We had seen no one on the
way up, and started down stairs. AS l came
| down the flight leading from the attic to the
| third floor saw a man, who proved to be Jack
son, with a double-barreled shotgun resting on
| the bannisters and pointed at my breast. Col.
| Ellsworth was Immediately behind me- Moved
by bytheinstnct of representation, seeing the gun
pointed at me, jumped from the steps, bringing
| the barrel of my gun down on that of jackson.
| lost my equilibrium from the spring, and be-
| fore could recover he had raised his gun and
| fired at Ellsworth striking him in the breast
with the full load from distance of three or
four feet. He then leveled his piece at me. AS
| he did so / fired and sprang forward, piercing
him through the heart with my bayonet. ELS
worth had with the single exclamation. 'My
| God y fallen from the landing to the floor. The
body was wrapped in blanket and l accom-
panied it back to the Navy Yard. Funeral SER
vices were held in Washington the day after,
and the body was carried to New York the
same day by guard detached for that purpose.
L received my medal of honor after the war
| through the action of some friends of mine,
| who called the attention of the Department to
the matter | am not member of the Medal
of Honor Legion"
Everything about the Captains room seems
| to suggest that some dominating spirit reigns
| and that that spirit is military. handsome
large crayon portrait of Ellsworth is hung above
the mantel against war-stained battle-fag
Carved in the frame of this is fac simile of the
| little gold medal presented to Ellsworth by the
Baltimore City Guard during march with his
| Zouaves through that city. 1t bears the MOTTO
"Non Solum Nobis, Sed Pro Patria." Above
all hang the sword and belt of that commander
| together with his cap. Letters and papers, in
Guiding Ellsworth's diary, Capt. Brownell has
in abundance, but with most feeling of all was
| it that he produced the embroidered piece bear
ing the monogram "U. s." which had been
| pinned on Ellsworth's cap, and had fallen un-
| der him to be soaked with his blood when he
was shot. In different corners of the room
stand two guns, one double-barreled shotgun
with which Jackson shot Ellsworth, the other,
a .5S-calibre Harper's Ferry rifle of ancient pat
tern, which in his hand had avenged the
murder.
Sergeant William Wilson, of Troop B, Fourth
| Cavalry, now stationed at Fort Myer, Va, is the
| proud possessor of two medals of honor won in
Indian campaigns. Sergeant Wilson enlisted in
the Fourth Cavalry in October, 1865, and has
been with it ever since, participating in all the
Indian campaigns through Texas and the Sioux
War of 1876. The manner in which Sergeant
| Wilson won his medals sounds like a chapter
from romance. He told the story himself the
other day, modestly and concisely, as follows:
"ln the year 1917 was sergeant III Troop i,
Fourth Cavalry, stationed at Fort Concho, Tex,
and was ordered with detail of one corporal
| and ten privates in pursuit of raiding party of
| Indians who had stolen stock in the neighbor-
hood of the post On the morning of March IL
/ started. After striking their trail five miles
from the post | followed it all day and the
greater part of the night on a trot ana gallOp,
hating thirty minutes in the afternoon to eat a
lunch, camping on the trail at night in the
mountains. In the morning we started again,
the trail leading toward the Colorado River, and
after travelling some time turned in to the
river for the purpose of cooking breakfast, send
ing one man on lookout. We had hardly got
our cups on the fire before the lookout was OBJ
served coming into camp on run. We imme-
diately upset our water, put out the fire, and led
the horses in. By this time the lookout had re-
ported Indians q short way up the river. L
mounted my detail and moved up in the drec-
ton indicated, and rs we were about crossing
small stream leading into the main river we
were greeted by shot and then by a struggling
Yolley We charged their position, going
through their camp, and, taking my position on
a small eminence in their rear dismounted my
men and went to work In about two hours |
had the entire outfit burnt their saddles and
camping outfit, capturing their stock and bring
ing in one prisoner, killing two, and wounding
three, without the loss of man or horse in my
detachment. We returned to Fort Concho,
where we arrived on the morning of the 18th,
having ridden 100 miles in fifty-four hours. My
conduct was brought to the notice of the Gov
ernment, and was awarded medal No. /.
"The prisoner that l brought in was ques-
toned, and gave information in relation to
camps of Indians on the Staked Plains, and
three columns were sent to operate against
them. One column was commanded by Gen.
Miles, the second by Col Grerson, and the
third by Gen. Mackenzie, with whose column
my troops and regiment was. We secuted ell
over the Staked Plains as far as Fort Baseomb,
n. NJ, having small skirmishes with the In