American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-16


closure Of the cemetery. The heavens
were hung with their deepest black no
object ten feet distant could be distin-
guished, and no sound broke upon the
loneliness of the place save the bowling
of the winds and the chopping of the
resurrectiouist's spade. Once the mule.
snufing the tainted air of the city of the
dead, attempted to break away, but was
quickly quieted by firm hand
In twenty minutes from the time the
negroes begun their work they approach
ed the cart, bearing between them the
coffin, which being badly made, fell to
pieces as they rested it on the ground
1t was then discovered that the body had
not decomposed in any perceptible de-
gree. Mr.. Johman satisfied himself of
the identity of the corpse by passing his
hand over it. The little finger, torn off
to secure the jewel it bore and leg lost
in battle were missing. He paid the
negro with whom he had contracted ST.
500, aud plBcing the body in the cart,
the party started on their return. The
mule, alarmed as animals frequently are
with drawing a dead body fer the first
| time, became difficult of management, and
with the darkness of the night, made the
first part of the expedition one OF no lit
tie peril. More than one hour WIS spent
in reaching the gas lights of the city on
Church Hill. 1t was part of the plan TO
convey the body to the house of William
$. Rowlett, a Union man, living on Che
lsea Hill, half mile northeast of the
city, there to remain until metallic case
could he procured for it. From Church
Hill, Mr.. Lohman drove down Broad st.
to Seventeenth st., thence up Seventeenth
ST to its northern terminus. and thence
up tie hill to Mr.. Rowlett's, reaching
the last place at 2 o'clock on the morning
of the 7th of April Here the bod was
wrapped in blanket, and Mr.. Lohman
came to the city in search Of coffin,
which he obt med by the aid of Mr..
Lipscomb. On hls way into the city from
Rowlett's Lohman notified number of
persons of Union sentiments, among
whom were several ladies where the body
had been placed, ana they hurried out to
sec it, Several of these persons had seen
Col. Dahlgren while he was exposed at
the York River Railroad depot, and i'm
mediatoly recognized the body as his
The metallic coffin having been procured +,
and the body placed in it, the two Loh-
mans, at noon on the 7th, set out with it
conceale ], IN wagon loaded with young
fruit trees, for the farm of Robert Or
ricks, Union man, living in Henrico,
two miles from hungary station.
At o'clock that evening they reach
ed Orrick's, aud buried the body under
an apple tree, in a field, avoiding the
grave yard for fear of exciting inquiry,
which might lead to discovery.
The rest of this story may be told in
few words. Orricks, some months al
ter the second burial of Col. Dahlgren,
succeeded IN getting through the Con.
federate lines, aud seeking an interview
with Commodore Dahlgren, informed him
, of what had been done to secure the
body of his son. The corpse Of the sol
dicr laid in this, its second grave, until
the evacuation of Richmond, when an
order having been sent for it by the War
Department it was again disinterred by
the TIVE Lohmans and sent to Washing.
ton
1t has been our object to lift the vail
of mystery from an obscure and intcres-
ting event. La doing so, we have con.
fined ourselves to facts strictly relative
to the secret fates Of Col Dahlgren's body
0 from the time of its arrival in Richmond
l. which, until after the capture of the city
$ remained, to ali except the few individu
y ais named by us in the course of our mar
rative, one of the most impenetrable mys
teres Of the war. Many Confederate
a officials knew that the body had beef
u deposited at Oakwood, but they were ig
s norant to the last that it had ever beer
removed. 1t has at length found its las
: earthly resting place.