Augustus van Horne Ellis
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Augustus van Horne Ellis (May 1, 1827-July 2, 1863) was a brevet brigadier general on the Union side during the Civil War.
A.V.H. Ellis was born in New York City. Ellis attended Columbia University.1 Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a lawyer in New York City. At some point, he moved to California where he became a fireman, and later, a sea captain. Ellis is said to have voyaged to Hawaii where he became friends with the king of the islands. The king appointed Ellis head of the Hawaiian navy, but when Ellis discovered that the navy had no warships, he returned home to become captain of a steamer.2
When the Civil War began, Ellis was living in New Windsor, New York.3 He joined the 71st New York State Militia as a captain, becoming colonel of the 124th New York Regiment on September 5, 1862.4
The 124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment -- a regiment recruited from mainly Orange County, New York -- would become known as the "Orange Blossoms."5 This regiment saw no heavy fighting until May 1863. At the battle of Chancellorsville, Ellis gave the 124th the "Orange Blossom" nickname. He admonished the men, "Let the girls of old Orange hear a good report of this day's work." The regiment lost 40% of its strength at Chancellorsville.6
After Chancellorsville, the 124th marched north with the rest of the Army of the Potomac towards Gettysburg. Members of Ward's brigade in Birney's Division of Dan Sickles' Third Corps, on the second day of action at Gettysburg they found themselves posted in the rocks at Devil's Den near a triangular field. Because of the heavy casualties at Chancellorsville, the 124th only numbered 18 officers and 220 men when it went into action against Hood's Confederate Division on July 2d.7
As Benning's brigade attacked the 124th's position, Ellis and his field officers remained mounted on atop their horses. An officer in the regiment protested, but Ellis simply replied, "The men must see us today."8 This phrase gave title to a painting by Civil War artist Don Troiani that depicts Ellis and the 124th at Gettysburg. An example of the painting is here:. The Men Must See Us Today
By all accounts, Ellis was brave and cool during the fighting. He remained in the saddle, sword drawn, urging his men to stand firm amongst the extreme chaos and smoke of the fighting.9
At the height of the fighting, a bullet slammed into Ellis's forehead. He pitched dead off his horse.10
In the battle for control of the triangular field at Devil's Den, the 124th New York lost 28 men killed, 57 wounded, and 5 missing.11
Ellis's body was returned to New York City, where he was buried in Manhattan's Saint Mark's Church-In-The-Bowery.12
A friend of Ellis recalled that he was "a rather cold, harsh ambitious man, and sometimes chilled us with his terrible bursts of profanity; but he was every inch a soldier."13
After the War, the citizens of Orange County raised money to erect a monument to the 124th Regiment at Gettysburg. Dedicated on July 2, 1884, it was the first regimental New York monument placed on the field. Located on Houck's Ridge where the regiment stood above the triangular field, the monument has a life-sized statue of Colonel Ellis, standing with his arms folded gazing calmly ahead.14 It is the only official full-sized statue of a Union regimental commander at Gettysburg.15
[edit] Notes
1. Raus, Edmund. A Generation on the March: The Union Army at Gettysburg (1996). Ellis was brevetted after his death to brigadeir to date from Gettysburg.
2. Clark, Champ. Time Life Books: Gettysburg: Confederate High Tide (1985) is the source for A.V.H. Ellis's interesting antebellum career.
3. Raus, Generation
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Pfanz, Harry. Gettysburg: The Second Day (1987).
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Raus, Generation
12. Find a Grave website: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5844752.
13. Raus, Generation
14. Hawthorne, Frederick. Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments (1988)
15. Although the 83rd Pennsylvania's monument on Little Round Top clearly depicts Strong Vincent, the brigade commander and colonel of the regiment, a) Vincent was a brigade, not regimental, commander at Gettysburg and b) Pennsylvania monuments could not contain descriptions or identifications that indicated individual deeds so Vincent's name is not listed as that of the mutton-chop officer on top of the 83rd's Monument.
