Though the title of this post says Arthur Devereux, I’m going to begin with Elmer Ellsworth. Why that should surprise anyone . . .
Ellsworth (in case you are new to this blog) was one of the very first casualties of the Civil War. Friends with the Lincoln family, and a special favorite of President Lincoln’s sons, Willie and Tad.
Ellsworth took it upon himself to destroy an obvious threat to the morale of the Union–a Confederate flag flying high in nearby Alexandria. We know the outcome–young Ellsworth was shot and killed, then held in state in the East Room of the White House. He instantly became a martyr and Union boys signed up left and right to avenge Ellsworth's honor, and maybe get a little of that war glory for themselves.
Arthur Forrester Devereux of Salem, Massachusetts attended both Harvard and West Point, but graduated from neither. He was in business with Elmer Ellsworth in Chicago. According to an article in the Atlantic Monthly (July 1861), they “managed for a little while…an agency for securing patents for inventors.” The business didn’t last long and Devereux returned to Salem, but not before spending time in the Illinois National Guard.
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