Ely was captured by Confederate forces while spectating at the First Battle of Bull Run.

He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions (Thirty-seventh Congress).

At 5:00 AM on Christmas Day Ely was set free from Libby Prison.

After Ely's release, D. Appleton & Company of New York published a journal of his experience in Libby Prison in 1862.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress