Marshall was a native of Western New York, where he grew up, served his first commissioned assignments in Rochester, retired in Canandaiguia, and was buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Rochester natives became acquainted with Marshall in 2000, when grave robbers broke into his coffin at Mt. Hope Cemetery and stole his skull.
See story references below. Marshall had extensive service during the Civil War and was wounded and breveted several times. A detailed accounting of Marshall's military career is available at BivouacBooks.com. He was the 2nd Brigade's Colonel and was captured by the Confederacy during the infamous Petersburg, VA Battle of the Crater episode 1.
Elisha Marshall on Bivouac Books - detailed military service Photo Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones - more from AP story. AP Story on HighBeam.com 1http://books.google.com/books? id=63b8kP9FT-gC&dq=General+Elisha+G. +Marshall+skull&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0