Military

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

Place: Alexandria

Cap device from Elmer Ellsworth's forage cap

Cap device insignia worn by Colonel Elmer Ellsworth on the day of his death.
Description
Cap device insignia worn by Colonel Elmer Ellsworth on the day of his death. The standard US Army officer's forage cap insignia, a gilt thread "U.S." surrounded by laurel wreath embroidered on dark blue cloth, was affixed to the forage cap Ellsworth wore when he removed the Confederate flag flying over the Marshall House hotel in Alexandria and was fatally shot by its proprietor, James Jackson.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca.1860-1861
associated date
1861 - 1865
used date
May 24, 1861
wearer
Ellsworth, Elmer E.
ID Number
AF.6962
catalog number
6962
accession number
30411

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

Physical DescriptionBrass-colored metal on ribbon.Specific HistoryCongressional Medal of Honor awarded to Frank E. Brownell, private, Company A, 11th New York Infantry. On May 24, 1861, Brownell killed James W.
Description
Physical Description
Brass-colored metal on ribbon.
Specific History
Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Frank E. Brownell, private, Company A, 11th New York Infantry. On May 24, 1861, Brownell killed James W. Jackson, who killed Brownell's commanding officer, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the Civil War. He was shot by Jackson as he lowered a Confederate flag flying from the Marshall House Inn in Alexandria, Virginia. Seconds later, Brownell shot and bayoneted Jackson. Brownell received two Medals of Honor; the first one issued to him was inscribed on the reverse: "The Congress to Sergeant Frank E. Brownell Co. 4 11th New York Volunteers." Brownell was not pleased with the inscription and sent the medal back. He was given a new medal with an inscription he had written himself: "The Congress to Sergt. Frank E. Brownell, 11th N.Y. Vol Inf'y for gallantry in shooting the murderer of Col. Ellsworth at Alexandria, VA, May 24, 1861."
date made
ca. 1863
recipient
Brownell, Frank E.
referenced
Ellsworth, Elmer E.
ID Number
AF.6955
accession number
30411
catalog number
6955

Gold medal presented to Frank Brownell by the citizens of Troy, New York

A gold medal presented to Frank E. Brownell by citizens of Troy, New York.
Description
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".
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
May 24 1861
associated person
Brownell, Frank E.
Ellsworth, Elmer E.
ID Number
AF.122979
catalog number
122979
accession number
30411

Marshall House flag badge given to Frank Brownell

Gold metal badge given to Francis E. Brownell by Colonel Charles H. Strong, made with fragments of the Confederate flag flown over the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia.
Description
Gold metal badge given to Francis E. Brownell by Colonel Charles H. Strong, made with fragments of the Confederate flag flown over the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia. On May 24, 1861, Brownell, then a private in the 11th New York Volunteers, killed Marshall House proprietor James Jackson after Jackson shot Brownell's commanding officer, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, when Ellsworth removed the Confederate flag flying over the hotel. The medal features a gilt eagle on a blue enamel shield, fastened to a gold star attached to a red cloth ribbon topped with a small gold frame. In the frame, behind a small pane of glass, is a fragment of the Marshall House flag.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
post 1861
Associated Date
May 24, 1861
associated person
Brownell, Frank E.
Ellsworth, Elmer E.
ID Number
AF.122981
catalog number
122981
accession number
30411

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

Physical DescriptionBrass-colored metal on ribbon awarded to Sergeant Frank E. Brownell, inscribed “The Congress/to/Sergeant/Frank/E./Brownell/Co. "A" 11th New York/Volunteers".Specific HistoryWhen Brownell was awarded the Medal of Honor, it was not inscribed.
Description
Physical Description
Brass-colored metal on ribbon awarded to Sergeant Frank E. Brownell, inscribed “The Congress/to/Sergeant/Frank/E./Brownell/Co. "A" 11th New York/Volunteers".
Specific History
When Brownell was awarded the Medal of Honor, it was not inscribed. Brownell returned the medal and asked that it be engraved with the details of his information. The government complied and the medal was returned with the engraving.
recipient
Brownell, Frank E.
ID Number
1979.0425.038
catalog number
1979.0425.038
accession number
1979.0425

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.