Marshall House (Alexandria, Virginia)

Marshall House
The Marshall House Inn (photo 1861)
Marshall House (Alexandria, Virginia) is located in Alexandria Historical District
Marshall House (Alexandria, Virginia)
General information
TypeHotel
Address480 King Street
Town or cityAlexandria, Virginia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates38°48′16.90″N 77°2′40.45″W / 38.8046944°N 77.0445694°W / 38.8046944; -77.0445694
Demolished1950s
Marshall House with the flag pole visible on the roof.
The death of Col. Ellsworth at the Marshall House, as depicted in a Currier and Ives engraving, 1861

The Marshall House was an inn that stood at 480 King Street (near the southeast corner of King Street and South Pitt Street) in Alexandria, Virginia. At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, the house was the site of the killing of Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth during the Union Army's takeover of Alexandria. Ellsworth was a popular and highly prominent officer and a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln.

Ellsworth was the first conspicuous Union Army casualty and the first officer killed in battle during the war. He was shot by the inn's proprietor James W. Jackson after removing a Confederate flag from the roof of the inn. Jackson was immediately killed after he killed Ellsworth. Ellsworth's death became a cause célèbre for the Union, while Jackson's death became the same for the Confederacy.