11th New York Infantry - Aftermath and Legacy

Aftermath and Legacy

During its limited but intense combat experience, the regiment saw 51 members killed, including three officers and 48 enlisted men. Among these was the regiment's first commander, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, who was the first conspicuous casualty of the Civil War. Private Francis E. Brownell became the first soldier in the Civil War to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in killing Col. Ellsworth's murderer.

Following Ellsworth's death, Remember Ellsworth! and Avenge Ellsworth became Union rallying cries. The 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised by the People's Ellsworth Committee and were known as the "People's Ellsworth Regiment", or more commonly "Ellsworth's Avengers", under the command of Stephen W. Stryker, a former lieutenant in the 11th New York.

Apart from those who died of battle wounds, three officers and 12 enlisted men succumbed to disease, including its second colonel, Noah Farnham, who died as a result of his wounds sustained at Bull Run and a bout of typhoid. A total of 66 men of the 11th New York Infantry Regiment died in the course of the war.

In 1903, the flag for which Ellsworth gave his life, taken down from the top of Marshal House, was presented to the War Department by its custodian, the Ellsworth Post, Grand Army of the Republic. The flag had been carried by the regiment throughout the war and afterward maintained at their post headquarters. It was added to the war flag collection in Cullum Memorial Hall at West Point.

Historian David Detzer has argued that the fame that surrounds the 11th New York is misplaced. During its time in service, the 11th New York Regiment saw little fighting compared to other well-known regiments such as the 69th New York, 20th Maine, and 28th Massachusetts. The 11th New York was often overshadowed by the 73rd New York, also known as the Second Fire Zouaves, which fought at Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox. In addition, Ellsworth failed to consider that the New York City fire companies from which his troops were drawn often competed against each other at blazes. The cohesion he sought in firefighters did not exist and would not be created when they joined the regiment. In that respect, 11th New York was no different than many regiments, North and South.