Drinking, Duty, and Disloyalty

On May 24, 1861, Elmer Ellsworth, colonel of the 11th New York Volunteers, crossed the Potomac River with his Zouaves to take down a Confederate flag that had been hoisted in Alexandria, Virginia, and could be seen from the White House. After capturing the flag, Ellsworth was shot and immediately became a hero for the Union. His death became a rallying cry as Northern men enlisted. Northern temperance reformers lauded Ellsworth as “a perfect model” of a sober soldier and officer. Despite Zouaves’ reputation for disorderly behavior, Ellsworth’s soldiers—rugged firefighters from New York—were prohibited from drinking, smoking, or