His person was strikingly prepossessing.  His form, though slight,—­exactly the Napoleonic size,—­was very compact and commanding; the head statuesquely poised, and crowned with a luxuriance of curling black hair; a hazel eye, bright, though serene, the eye of a gentleman as well as a soldier; a nose such as you see on Roman medals; a light moustache just shading the lips, that were continually curving into the sunniest smiles.  His voice, deep and musical, instantly attracted attention; and his address, though not without soldierly brusqueness, was sincere and courteous.  There was one thing his backwoods detractors could never forgive:  he always dressed well; and sometimes wore the military insignia presented to him by different organizations.  One of these, a gold circle, inscribed with the legend, NON NOBIS, SED PRO PATRIA, was driven into his heart by the slug of the Virginian assassin.

He had great tact and executive talent, was a good mathematician, possessed a fine artistic eye, sketched well and rapidly, and in short bore a deft and skilful hand in all gentlemanly exercise.

No one ever possessed greater power of enforcing the respect and fastening the affections of men.  Strangers soon recognized and acknowledged this power; while to his friends he always seemed like a Paladin or Cavalier of the dead days of romance and beauty.  He was so generous and loyal, so stainless and brave, that Bayard himself would have been proud of him.  The grand bead-roll of the virtues of the Flower of Kings contains the principles that guided his life; he used to read with exquisite appreciation these lines:—­

“To reverence the King as if he were Their conscience, and their conscience as their King,—­ To break the heathen and uphold the Christ,—­ To ride abroad redressing human wrongs,—­ To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it,—­ To lead sweet lives in purest chastity,—­ To love one maiden only, cleave to her, And worship her by years of noble deeds, Until they won her”;

and the rest,—­

  “high thoughts, and amiable words,
  And courtliness, and the desire of fame,
  And love of truth, and all that makes a man.”

Such, in person and character, was Ellsworth, when he organized, on the 4th day of May, 1859, the United States Zouave Cadets of Chicago.

This company was the machine upon which he was to experiment.  Disregarding all extant works upon tactics, he drew up a simpler system for the use of his men.  Throwing aside the old ideas of soldierly bearing, he taught them to use vigor, promptness, and ease.  Discarding the stiff buckram strut of martial tradition, he educated them to move with the loafing insouciance of the Indian, or the graceful ease of the panther.  He tore off their choking collars and binding coats, and invented a uniform which, though too flashy and conspicuous for actual service, was very bright and dashing for holiday occasions, and left the wearer perfectly free to fight, strike, kick, jump, or run.