New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

TON pAHiGREN With Portraits and Illustrations,
large svo. PIP $50. James h. Osgood d CO.
John A. Dahlgren was one of the most heroic anu
natr;otio of the illustrious men who helped to
maintain the Union in the war of the kebeiiion'
AS head of the Ordnance Department OF the navy
and commander of the South Atlantic Blockadmg
SQUADRON lac performed services which VIII ever
render his name precious In the lght ci MS
couptrymen This memoir is made up IN large part
of extracts from his journal. He began
n diary Just as he was ehtoIins
unon his sixteenth year. and, with an occasional
break he continued to keep 1t until shortly before
his death The man that Is revealed III lts pages Is
seen to be a singulary msnly and sturdy character
His aims were high and largely unseihsh. his
country was foremost in his regard. Duty was the
mistress whom he served with passionate devotion.
His mental activity was remarkable. His inventive
genius was as practical as it wasproductlye. his
industry was unAagging He understood how TO
wait as well as how tc labor. He was not snowy
mamie was born not to dazzle, hut TO lliumihe'
The book naturally divides tseltinto three parts
The first is devoted TO DahlgTens early youth In
Guiding his experiences as mldshlpman; the secohu
a. b,s Iustrous ordnance record and the last to his
important achievements during the Rebellion. He
Acame from good stock on both sides. The tounder
Of the Dahlgren family in Sweden, born IN o9o'
was named Borje Ericsson or Ersson, ana In INC
year 1915 assumed by royal license the name VI
Dahlgren, taken from the place where he vas oorh'
dahlea signifying in English "dale" ana 9Ten
"brapehr or "bough" at is thus noticeable,
saws the writer of the memoirs, "that the two dis
tipau,shed inventors that Sweden has given Cy ex-
fraction or directly to the United States-Ericssoh
and Dahlgren-bore common ancestral hane'
The AdmiraPs grandfather, prOtege and trieho ol
the great naturalist Lnneus, was sklliuI phys-
clan whose professional writings are heid
in good repute. The AdmiraPs father
becoming involved in an attempt
to disseminate republican principles at Gehe' was
obliged to flee from Sweden and suffered tire cohhS-
cation of his property to the Crown. lie reacheu
Nov-York in 1906. and the home Government hav-
ing withdrawn its opposition he held the post OF
Swedish Consul at Philadelphia up to the time OF
his death. He was also well known rs merchant
of ability and integrity signal that nc was Ire
ouentIy called upon to decide disputed matters so
ms TO avoid lit CATION his arbitration beng geheray
accepted as conclusive. From his mother the Ad-
nralinheJited patriotic blood. she was the daughter
of a Revolutionary soldier who sustained heaVy
losses by advances TO the service that were etner
uupaid or paid in worthless Continental money
The Admiral himself was born in Philadelphia on
the 18th of November 1909. He was carefully and
literally educated, and early developed speclal
fondness for mathematics and scientific research.
His father diving while he was still a lad, he was
tbrovn upon his own resources, and at once turned
his thong hts toward seafaring life. he accounts
for his preference by stating III his diary that
within sight of fathers doorstone deeply
freighted ships lay at the wharves. Inc
navy yard too. was not beyond the limits ct hol-
day ramble with its high three-decker the Fehn-
sylyania that persisted so inglorlouSly III the
flames at Norfolk May, 1861, and the ir1gate
Raritan. then deemed q masterpiece. More than
ola had
place In the class the quarterback and Cooper who
held the public mind i'll the spell of his beautiful sea
tala 1.-THE Pilot had captvated my imagination"
His aspirations for a life were soon grained.
Backed by strong recommendations he applied 1or
admittance TO the Navy, and IN February, 1875.
was appointed an acting midshipman two years
cruise along the coast OF Brazil followed, and his
journal, coplous extracts from which are glVen'
contains many entertaining sketches OF the strange
,aanla and places that he visited His next cruise
was IN the Mediterranean, under captain VINO
had commanded one of PeTrys vessels in the famous
hattie of Lake Erie This finished his rudiments
nautical training, and that it was thorough Is
shown in the fact that his name is one OF the hrst
of the thirty-one who passed The examination
In ApriI. 1892 of the seventy midshipmen OF 1875.
Having received his Passed Midshipman's war
rant he was ordered In April. 1888, to the United
States receiving vessel at the naval station at Pha
deplia. WHO mere Dls neuJdl dOti'iVy "ao "oPN-
r;aIv illustrated Finding that he had much els
ure on his hands, he began to study law IN good
earnest. and one Of the results was series OF
"Notes on Blackstone" which," saws the writer,
"evinee an attentive study of English history and
rive an able analy sis deduced therefrom in connec-
tion with the mastery teachings of this writer on
Iawr In February 1884, he was ordered for duty
connected with the survey of the coast. work
which had been begun twenty years before
and was then about TO be renewed. About this lime
ne published series of open letters over the sigma
ture of Red JACKIE t." addressed to the Chairman
of the Naval Committee of the United
States Senate. winch attracted much
attention In them Dahlgren sharply criticised the
new code of regu atons framed by his official supe-
riors for the Navy, and vigorously argued that it
was oppressive to the corps of officers in general
and that It's effect IN practice would be TO concen
trate In a superior grade uncontrolled authority. 1t
was on the survey thatbe gained his foothold
His proficiency in mathematics. his general scien-
tifc atainments, his industry, his trustworthines
soon led to promotion. IL was not long
before he earned the entire confidence
oil is official superors, was made second ass slant
IN the survey and given charge OF party OF
triangulation In March, 1887. he was promoted to
n Ientepancy but directly afterward his ambition
received seriOns check. His eyes began to give
him constant trouble. and, threatened with blind
ness he was obliged to ask for leave OF absence IN
order that he ght repair 10 Paris for treatment.
He was not able TO report for duty again until 1872
Tn the meantime, in July 1880 he married Miss
Mary Bunker, a daughter of well-known
merchant of Philadelphia and by his doctors adj
vice who thought that country air and outdoor life
would benefit him, he went to reside upon farm In
the fall of 1s43 he again went cruising to the Med-
terranean. The cruise lasted two years and his
diarys account of it contains some entertaining de-
scriptioDs of the navy of those days Aftera years
rest he was summoned to Washington for advance
duty. and then began that notable career a.