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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Francis Edwin Brownell

Private Francis Edwin Brownell, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 24, 1861 in Alexandria, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 24, 1861

Private Francis Edwin Brownell was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 24, 1861 in Alexandria, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 11th New York Infantry (Ellsworth's Zouaves). Brownell was about 21 years old.

The medal was presented on January 26, 1877, 15 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.

Brownell was born in 1840 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York. Brownell died on March 15, 1894 in Washington, District of Columbia, at the age of about 54. He is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. His medal is held by National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Brownell is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Killed the murderer of Col. Ellsworth at the Marshall House, Alexandria, Va. First Civil War deed to merit Medal of Honor.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

1861 · Civil War

First Battle of Bull Run

Result: Confederate victory

3 Medal of Honor recipients

Places

  • Born: Troy — map
  • Died: Washington, D.C. — map
  • Buried: Bellefontaine Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1840
    Born in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York
  2. May 24, 1861
    Act of valor — Alexandria, Virginia
    Age about 21. Company A, 11th New York Infantry (Ellsworth's Zouaves)
  3. January 26, 1877
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 15, 1894
    Died in Washington, District of Columbia
    Age about 54.
  5. Resting place
    Bellefontaine Cemetery
    St. Louis, Missouri

Biography

Francis Edwin Brownell (July 18, 1840 – March 15, 1894) was a Union Army soldier who received a Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War. Brownell received the award for killing James W. Jackson after Jackson shot Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, colonel of the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Although Brownell did not receive the award until 1877, twelve years after the war had ended, his actions were the earliest in the war that resulted in the receipt of the award.

From the Wikipedia article “Francis E. Brownell”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

More Civil War recipients from New York

GM George Merrill Private · Army Civil War · 1865 GT George Taylor Armorer · Navy Civil War · 1864 HM Henry Coddington Meyer Captain · Army Civil War · 1864 SW Stephen Welch Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 DE David Edwards Private · Army Civil War · 1865 Joseph Keele Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1864
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.