Gold medal presented to Frank Brownell by the citizens of Troy, New York
date: label: Associated Date
content: May 24 1861
name: label: associated person
content: Brownell, Frank E.
label: associated person
content: Ellsworth, Elmer E.
notes: label: Description
content: A gold medal presented to Frank E. Brownell by citizens of Troy, New York. Brownell, a private in the 11th New York Volunteers, shot Alexandria, Virginia hotelier James Jackson after Jackson killed Brownell's commanding officer, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, at Alexandria's Marshall House on May 24, 1861. Brownell was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at the Marshall House, including avenging Ellsworth's death and inflicting what many consider to be the first Confederate casualty of the Civil War. This medal, engraved to show two Union soldiers in camp on the recto, bears an inscription on the verso reading "To Frank E. Brownell. / from his fellow-citizens of Troy, N. Y. / for / his coolness and heroism in avenging the murder of / Col. Ellsworth. / at Alexandria, Va. / May 24th 1861 / It was his duty and he performed it".
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: New York, Troy
label: Associated Place
content: United States: Virginia, Alexandria
topic: label: Subject
content: Civil War
label: Subject
content: Civil War memorialization
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.122979
label: catalog number
content: 122979
label: accession number
content: 30411
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Medal
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal, gilt (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall (as stored): 5 in x 3 in x 1 in; 12.7 cm x 7.62 cm x 2.54 cm