Elmer Ellsworth, a Chicagoan who was, by many metrics, the first Union casualty. He was briefly the most famous man in the country, and several towns still have streets named for him.
You wouldn’t think a person could do a Civil War tour in Chicago.! After all, there were no battles here, and the whole city burned down six years after the war ended.
But relics are everywhere, and the stories peek up from under the rubble if you know where to look.
Stories of the first Union casualty, recruitment rallies, Lincoln in Chicago, our confederate POW camp, the tomb of Stephen Douglas, and more fill this 2-2.5 hour bus tour, perfect school groups and libraries. Usually available only privately for groups.
