Augustus van Horne Ellis

Augustus van Horne Ellis (May 1, 1827 – July 2, 1863) was an American lawyer, sea captain, and soldier. He was a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army during the Civil War, and was killed in action at the Battle of Gettysburg

A.V.H. Ellis was born in New York City and educated in the city's public schools. He later attended Columbia University. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a lawyer in New York City. At some point, he moved to California where he became a tax commissioner and a fireman, and later, a sea captain. Ellis is said to have voyaged to the Kingdom of Hawaii, where he became friends with the king of the islands. Kamehameha III appointed Ellis as the head of the Hawaiian Navy, but when Ellis discovered that the navy had no warships, he returned to California and became captain of a steamship.

When the Civil War began, Ellis was living in New Windsor, New York. He joined the 71st New York State Militia as a captain and accompanied the regiment to Washington, D.C., where it became part of the newly organized Army of Northeastern Virginia under Brig. Gen. Irwin McDowell. Ellis saw his first combat action at the First Battle of Bull Run. He was then asked by Charles H. Van Wyck to help train the 56th New York Volunteer Infantry, a three-years' volunteer regiment. On September 5, 1862, Ellis became the first colonel of the newly raised 124th New York Infantry. The regiment had been recruited from mainly Orange County. After training and drilling, the 124th joined the Army of the Potomac in Northern Virginia.

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