US Civil War Patriotic Envelope, Death of Colonel Ellsworth

Original period manufacture. White paper mailing envelope, with a printed design on the left side.The rather gory image depicts the famous incident which took place in May 1861, when Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a close friend of President Lincoln, removed a Rebel flag from the top of a hotel in Alexandria Virginia. The innkeeper shot the colonel as he descended the stairs with the flag, his death was immediately revenged by Corporal Brownell, who in turn killed the innkeeper. Never used, light staining from age with a plain reverse. Measures 5.5 x 3 inches.