Figure 38 Ellsworth pitcher, attributed to Millington, Astbury and Poulson, Trenton, New Jersey, 1861. Whiteware. H. 9". (Courtesy, The Lyceum: Alexandria’s History Museum.) This famous pitcher memorialized Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union martyr, who was killed in Alexandria on May 24, 1861. The design is based on a sketch by Corporal (formerly Private) Brownell. The molded design shows the figures of the slain Colonel Ellsworth on the left. Brownell, who avenged Ellsworth’s death by killing Jackson, is shown in the center, with “j. w. jackson the traitor” identified on the stairs. A Union eagle and Confederate serpent are depicted on the reverse, with a South Carolina palmetto supporting the early Confederate flag. The United States flag is supported by rifles.
|
