The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-17
ADMIRAL DAHLeREN,s BROTHER.
An Ex-Confederate General Tells q
Fresh Anecdote about Abra-
ham Lincoln.
New York Sun.

NEW AoIh sun.
t'Are you the gentleman who has the
tip of bowie knife in his skull?" was
asked of a tall, smooth faced man of
leonine features, as he entered the office
of Gen. Charles g. Dahlgren, at No. "a
Pine street, and laid aside a wooden cap
and a military cape Il am the gentle
man." lie said, who rarely talks about. his
own affairs" The speaker was Gen.
Dahlgren, who before the war was a mil
lionaire planter with splendid seat upon
the Mississippi river. He fought in the
Confederate army, while his brother,
Admiral Dah1gren. the inventor of the
Dahlgren gun, fought in the United States
navy. Gen. Dahlgren was, as young
man, the expert accountant of the bank
of the United States, and the cashier of
one of its branches. The war swept away
his fortune and left him penniless. He
came to New York, and, being a lawyer,
began to practice his profession, uniting
with it the expert talent that supported
him in his youth. He is now sixty years
old, and his tall figure. wrapped in a
military cloak, is a familiar sight
on the Brooklyn ferries. 1t is true,
despite the generals reticence, that
he carries imbedded in his skull, as the
memento of most desperate duel, the
tip end of a bowie knife. which his antag-
onist buried there. Once, when friend
asked General Dahlgren as to the fate of
the other party to the duel, his eyes filed
with tears, and he said solemnly:. Now
you are going too far. | am too busy
earning a living for my eleven children
to tell you anything about myself. Imay
write book when / get old. am now
a workman, doing my best for my eli
ents."
A question about his brother, Admiral
Dahlgren aroused him, and he said: Few
men achieved more or got smaller rec
ompense than my brother, the Admiral.
Taking junior position in the navy yard
at Washington, with his brain, pencil and
portfolio as his only capital, he evolved
his principles of shells and shell guns
until he overturned and remodeled the
entire science and system of naval war
fare. From the consequence of his in
ventions the whole world has been en-
deavoring in vain to escape by building
such leviathans as were never dreamed of
in naval architecture twenty years ago.
Although many inventors have attempted
to lessen the value of his inventions and
have made elephantine instruments like
the Krupp guns, yet none of them. in ease of
carriage. celebrity OF handling, certainty of
penetration and accuracy of aim, having
his 11-inch Dahiegren,
"What were your brothers character
istics?"
ITO graceful carriage and many ac-
complishments sir, he added potent
mentality. much humor, and a flow of
good nature. These made him pleas
companion. and he was agreeable to none
more so than to President Lincoln. The
hUmor of the one and the wit of the
other blended like congenial colors. |
remember well Il story my brother told
me of Mr.. Lincoln and Secretary Stanton.
which is illustrative, | think, of the diff
ferent views held by them in regard to the
settlement of the war One day as Mr..
Lincoln and my brother were about to go
to dinner, and while the president was
washing his hands, Secretary Stanton
entered excitedfy with a telegram in his
hand. and said:
MIR. President, have just received a
dispatch from Portland that Jake Thomp-
son is there waiting to take the steamer
to England, | want to arrest him." Mr..
Lincoln began to wipe his hands on a
towel and said in long drawing voice;
Better let him slide
But. Mr.. President" said Secretary
Stanton, this man IS one of the chief
traitors-was one of Buchanan's cabinet.
betrayed the country then, and has fought
us ever since. He should be punished ="
''W-e-I-l," said the President, eff
Jake Thompson is satisfied with the issue
of the war l am. BETTER let him
slid C."
Such men should be punished to the
full extent of the law" said Mr.. Stanton
"Why, if we don't punish the leaders of
the rebellion what shall we say to their
followers"
''B-e-t-t-e-r let him slide. Stanton, "
said the President, laying aside his
towel
MIR. Stanton went out, evidently am
noyed. and Mr.. Lincoln. turning to my
brother, said: "Dahl, that is one of the
things | don't intend to allow When the
was is over | want it to stop, and let
both sides go to work and heal the
wounds, which, Heaven knows, are bad
enough; but jogging and pulling at
them is not the best way to heal a
sore
And the old general turning to his
work. said with sigh: eff that policy
had been carried out the wounds would
have healed long ago