The Case:
While going through some boxes that belonged to her parents, Gale Bay made a startling discovery: in an envelope labeled “relics” she found a swatch of tattered, red fabric about an inch round which apparently belonged to her Great-grandfather, Ira Wilson, also known as Ira Underhill Travis.
Her family had collected several letters that Ira Wilson wrote from Alexandria, VA including one in May of 1861 in which he refers to his slain commander, Col. Ellsworth. A Col. Elmer Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the Civil War. A Virginia innkeeper shot Ellsworth at close range as he removed a confederate flag that President Lincoln could see from the White House.
Gale asks History Detectives host Gwen Wright to find out if this red piece of fabric came from the flag that cost Col. Ellsworth his life.
Season 10, Episode 4
Detective:
Gwen Wright
Location:Alexandria, Virginia and Saratoga Springs, New York
Letters Home from Ira Wilson
Read some of the letters Ira Wison wrote home from the battlefront.
Related Content
Feature:
Explore
-
Also in this episode
WWII Patch
What is the story behind these patches?
-
Related Investigation
Liberty Bell Pin
Was one of America’s most iconic symbols melted down into a mere memento?
-
Also in Season 10
Continental Club Card
What secrets can this business card reveal about glamour and vice in 1930s Los Angeles?
-
Also with Gwen Wright
PsychoPhone
Did Thomas Edison make a machine to unlock the secrets of the dead?
-
Related Investigation
John Hunt Morgan Saddle
Could this be a saddle from one of the most audacious attacks launched by the South during the Civil War?
-
Also with Gwen Wright
Moon Museum
Was work by major artists, including Andy Warhol, smuggled to the moon?
Comments
This is a place for opinions, comments, questions and discussion; a place where viewers of History Detectives can express their points of view and connect with others who value history. We ask that posters be polite and respectful of all opinions. History Detectives reserves the right to delete comments that don’t conform to this conduct. We will not respond to every post, but will do our best to answer specific questions, or address an error.