The National tribune., 1896-05-14
THAT HISTORIC DISPATCH
How 1t Was Captured by DahIgren and His
Little Band.
IGreeaeasae Echo Pilot.

, |
tary movement around the cyclonic storm
center-,he battle Of Gettysburg.
} In conversation with Mr.. Daniel A. Carl
now residing at Hancock, Md, then pri
vate in Co. X, 9th U. S. Cav, and one of tn,
survivors of the raiding party, he stated tina
Capt. Uric Dahlgren's command of 10 mel
was formed near Frederick City, Md, june
80, 1868, out of the following cavalry com
mands Two men and horses from the Is
U. S. Cav, three men and horses from thu
ID, three men and horses from the 9Th, snC
two men and horses from the 9th.
The cavalrymen detailed for this daring
raid were selected with particular reference
to the condition Of their horses, the best m en-
and horses being taken. This raidng party
was instructed to operate on the lines OF
Gen. Lees communications; to kill, capture
and destroy whatever would be of service to
the Confederacy. With this end in view
they left Frederick City on July / at day
light, and reached the vicinity of Middle
burg, Pa, the night of the same day. They
started at daylight on July 2, and came to
Greencastle soon after sun-up." The en-
tire command 40 men and Captain, II in
ally was standing in the public square, when
| Mr.. Carl asked permission of Capt. Dahlgren
to call upon his uncle, DR.. Adam Carl. Per-
mission being given he was invited 10 par
take of some food, but declined. saying he
did not have time TO eat, but would accept
a few ears of corn for his horse, which were
promptly given him, and were laid on the
ground at the mouth OF the alley near the
corner of DIR. Carl's house. His horse COM
menced eating but when about half finished
Capt. Dahlgren rode up and said to Mr..
Carl: Get ready there is asquad of rebels
coming, and we are going to fight" Mr..
Carl mounted his horse and joined the COM
mand which was standing i'll the corner of
! the square in front of the u. n. Spielman
properties. Capt. Dahlgren dsmounted,
and stood concealed behind large post,
which then stood at the corner of the pave
ment in front of the building now occupied
| by Barnhart Broe., but then occupied by
| Kreps 81 Prather rs genere store. From
behind this post the Captain had an unob-
structed view down South Carlisle street,
and without being seen by the party of ap-
! preaching rebels.
Capt. Dah!gren said to his men: BOYS,
there is something important in that party,
for there are two men mounted and a lot of
! infantry guarding them. Now, boys" he
! continued "how will we take them? VIII
we ride into them with the saber, or will we
| depend upon our pistols and carbines? ?"
MIR. Carl says every man Of the 10 drew
take them with this" When the time for
action arrived the, command executed a left
half-wheel the order to charge was given,
and Capt. Dablgren with his 10 men, with
ringing cheer and mighty impulse, threw
themselves upon dhe enemy, who, taken
completely by surprise and awed by the
dauntess courage of the handful of deter
mined men, at Once surrendered without
firing shot.
The captured party consisted of two
mounted mail carriers guarded by 90 in
fantrymen, and had two mail bags contain
ing many private aud official letters These
latter Capt Dahlgren took possession of, and
almost the first one that he opened he
stopped and said,' Boys, here is an impor-
tant dispatch from jeff Davis TO Gen. Lee
/ must leave you and endeavor to place it
in Gen. Meade's bands as quickly as posi-
BILE. Serg't Cline take charge of these men;
make your way to diminishing and deliver
all prisoners 10 the nearest Union forces If
any OF these fellows attempt TO escape, shoot
them"
He at once rode of, and Mr. Carl says he
never saw him afteFward. All the mail
matter left by Dahlgren was put into the
bags, the arms and accoutermen,s OF the
rebels were put into a house near the scene
of the capture, and the entire party moved
off down the Letersburg road past Mellow
ellis blacksmith shop, through Waynesboro,
and arrived at Monterey House about IL |
o'clock, where they took dinner From
there they proceeded by the main road to |
mr. itSh an +hor A ~.
finding the town occupied by the Union |
forces, when they turned over the captured |
mail and prisoners, % in number, having
made four captures during the day in addi-
ton to those taken with the mail.
The entire raiding party was at once dis
banded, The men going TO their respective |
commands, and they were never afterward |
together.
In reply to my query, whether it was not
snbIecting men TO great hardship to compel
them 10 walk from Greencas;le TO Emmits-
burg IN 30 short time, Mr.. Carl replied
" Perhaps So bat they did not walk all the
way. They were made to double-quick
rum part Of the time, and when anyone
threatened 10 play ont he was made to take
hold OF the sthrups Of the hoisemen and was
thus assisted along, the horses going most of
the time at dog-irot. We did this to get
away from the rebels, by whom we were sur
rounded most of the day, frequently seeing
large and small parties Of them, whom we
managed 10 elude, and we arrived safely
within our lines at Emmitsburg."
In reply to further inquiry as to the con-
of the local statement that Capt.
Dahlgren stationed portion of his men at
some OF the alleys along South Carlisle street
and that at a signal (the firing of gum all
were to rush upon the retel party, bat that
the plan miscarried by the premature dis
charge OF a carbine in the hands OF one of
the cavalTymen and that the saber charge
was resorted TO that the rebels might not es-
cape, Mr.. Carl replied: "No; there were
but 10 OF us; we were all in the charge to-
gether and we did not lire shot. No one
was stationed at the alleys"
The latter story has become grounded here
locally and it is possible that some such in
cident occidental discharge of gum may
have occurred, but it must have been at
subsequent raid, for it is now well-estab-
ished that Captain, afterward CO.. Uric
Dahlgren, visitedss GIeencastle twice, irst
when he capturedythe rebel mail with 10
men and subsequently, with 100 men, when
ne captured portion of the rebel wagon
train south of Greencastle.
Mr.. Carls statement of the formation of
the raidipg party that captured the rebel
mai containing the now celebrated dispatch,
rs marches, its result and its final destina-
lion Is so clear and explicit that it sets forth
N sharp accentuation an historical fact of