1 00:00:02,033 --> 00:00:04,066 GUEST: Well, it's a pitcher that's been in my family for a number of years. And I knew 2 00:00:04,066 --> 00:00:08,466 my great-grandfather was in the Civil War, and it belonged to him. 3 00:00:08,466 --> 00:00:11,166 APPRAISER: Well, do you know who the young man is that's on the bottom? 4 00:00:11,166 --> 00:00:15,166 GUEST: Oh, is he the man that took the flag down? 5 00:00:15,166 --> 00:00:20,166 APPRAISER: May 24, 1861, there's a inn called the Marshall House Inn, in Alexandria, Virginia. 6 00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:26,300 There's a Confederate flag flying up there. It can be seen from Washington, right across 7 00:00:26,300 --> 00:00:31,300 the river. They're, like, "We've got to get this down." A man that was friends with Lincoln, 8 00:00:33,333 --> 00:00:38,000 Elmer Ellsworth, sent over to get that flag down. He and his men go up the stairs. They 9 00:00:41,166 --> 00:00:46,133 take the flag down. And as they're coming down, the proprietor of the house, James Jackson, 10 00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:54,466 shoots Ellsworth and kills him. The man that's with Ellsworth, Private Brownell, he shoots 11 00:00:56,366 --> 00:00:59,666 Jackson and then runs a bayonet through him. And that's the scene that we have here. 12 00:00:59,666 --> 00:01:01,700 GUEST: Wow. 13 00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:05,633 APPRAISER: Brownell would later receive the Medal of Honor for killing Jackson. We have 14 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:11,800 Ellsworth fallen, with the Confederate flag partially visible on the side, the bayonet 15 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,900 going through Jackson. It's a stoneware pitcher. 16 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:16,400 GUEST: Okay. 17 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,733 APPRAISER: And what's cool is, it was made in 1861. 18 00:01:18,733 --> 00:01:22,100 GUETS: Really? The beginning of the war. (chuckles) 19 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:27,100 APPRAISER: Many people believe that this is actually the first commemorative pitcher that 20 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,366 was made by an American potter. Even though these are unmarked, we know that they were 21 00:01:32,366 --> 00:01:37,366 made in Trenton, New Jersey, by a firm named Millington, Astbury and Poulson. This one 22 00:01:39,366 --> 00:01:42,900 is very pretty. They made them a couple of different ways. They actually made them with 23 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:47,866 a white color, and this is the polychrome version. They're the most desirable because 24 00:01:49,533 --> 00:01:52,166 they're beautiful. You just look at it, and it's stunning. 25 00:01:52,166 --> 00:01:54,266 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 26 00:01:54,266 --> 00:01:57,300 APPRAISER: And at one time, they would have been embossed with Brownell's name, right 27 00:01:57,300 --> 00:02:02,266 through there. And on the other side, it's embossed-- it's nearly impossible to see-- 28 00:02:04,133 --> 00:02:08,300 but it's embossed with Jackson's name, and just below that, "The Traitor." As we turn 29 00:02:10,233 --> 00:02:13,866 it around, the imagery continues. We have a beautiful large Union eagle, and it has 30 00:02:15,966 --> 00:02:20,966 the snake, representing the Confederacy, in its talons. And along with that snake, we 31 00:02:22,966 --> 00:02:26,333 have the palmetto tree, representing South Carolina, which was the first state to secede, 32 00:02:28,233 --> 00:02:32,400 and that first national Confederate flag, like the one they took down off the Marshall 33 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,400 House that day. It's just a great piece, and it has the stack of arms with the flag. 34 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,100 GUEST: Hmm. 35 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:43,500 APPRAISER: And on the front, we have a presentation in gold that was added after the fact. 36 00:02:43,500 --> 00:02:45,466 GUEST: Mm-hmm. 37 00:02:45,466 --> 00:02:48,166 APPRAISER: And... We'll have to do a little bit more homework to figure out who those 38 00:02:48,166 --> 00:02:49,633 two guys are. 39 00:02:49,633 --> 00:02:51,700 GUEST: Right, oh, yeah. I couldn't find anything on that. 40 00:02:51,700 --> 00:02:55,633 APPRAISER: But it's a wonderful piece of history, representing a very important time at the 41 00:02:58,166 --> 00:03:02,833 outbreak of the Civil War. Ellsworth is actually referred to as the first officer killed during 42 00:03:04,866 --> 00:03:08,966 the Civil War. This moment was a rallying cry for Union soldiers. There would later 43 00:03:09,833 --> 00:03:10,500 be the Ellsworth Avengers. 44 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:12,600 GUEST: (laughs) 45 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,200 APPRAISER: And they would make photographs of him, depicting this scene. He was the first 46 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,866 true martyr for the Union Army. 47 00:03:18,866 --> 00:03:21,766 GUEST: Wow, and being a friend of Lincoln on top of it. 48 00:03:21,766 --> 00:03:26,766 APPRAISER: Exactly. And actually, after he was killed, Lincoln has his body sent for. 49 00:03:28,733 --> 00:03:33,000 They bring him to the White House, and they put him lying in state in the East Room. 50 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,033 GUEST: Wow. 51 00:03:35,033 --> 00:03:38,233 APPRAISER: Of the White House. That's how important this man was to Lincoln. Lincoln 52 00:03:38,233 --> 00:03:42,966 actually referred to Ellsworth as "the greatest little man I've ever met." They actually cut 53 00:03:42,966 --> 00:03:47,966 the flag up that he brought down off of the house and took it home as souvenirs. And occasionally, 54 00:03:49,966 --> 00:03:54,066 you will actually see pieces of that flag for sale. It's a wonderful stoneware pitcher. 55 00:03:56,033 --> 00:03:59,366 It's got the age, it's got the crackling, and to some people, that will detract from 56 00:03:59,366 --> 00:04:01,800 it. I think it just gives it extra character. 57 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,766 GUEST: (laughing) 58 00:04:03,766 --> 00:04:06,433 APPRAISER: In this condition, it's a piece that would probably retail somewhere between 59 00:04:06,433 --> 00:04:07,700 $1,500 and $2,000. 60 00:04:07,700 --> 00:04:10,066 GUEST: Okay, wow, that's great. 61 00:04:10,066 --> 00:04:14,333 APPRAISER: In mint condition, they can sell for up to $3,000. 62 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:16,500 GUEST: It's great to know.