The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04
T ANGUS RAID OF
COL. DAHLGRE|l
Affair Was Planned By War De
partlnent Officials in Wash
ington City.
DAHLGREN's MANY BuRlAls
How King and Queen Count,
Was Made to Suffer Soon
Afterwards.
By PROF. JOHN POLLARD, D. o


After lapse OF moro than thirty
years, the time has come when one Oh
the most remarkable incidents that &C.
CURED during the war should be historic
ally treated, SO that the facts involved
may be preserved for posterity. Inc
writer OF the present article had an I'M
usually favorable opportunity for know
ing what he proposes to record. Inc az
fair occurred In less than two miles OF
his fathers house. His father-ln-law was
the owner OF the hospltable mansion that
received under Its roof the man who mad
arranged and posted the troops. oul ON
account of a sickness could no longer
command them. His wife's brother was
the commander of the home guard that
was on the ground at the time. and rem
dered important service at the capture
In the winter of 1S63-6i Gettysburg
was past, and the life and death struggle
between General Lee and General Grant
had not come, but was near at hand.
The Army of Northern Virginia. under
General Lee, lay in its main body in
Orange county. Va, and the Army of the
Potomac. under General Meade. lay most
ly in Cupeper county. The Rapidan
River flowed between them. While the
two great armies We're thus posted and
were resting in winter quarters, the mil
itary expedition was organized. of which
| purpose to write.
PLANNED IN WASHINGTON.
1t seems not to have originated with
commanders in the field. but to have been
suggested and planned by Federal author
tiles in Washington Nor was Colonel
Dahlgreens attempt an independent
movement. He was attached to Il large
command, under General Fitzpatrick, who,
with four thousand selected cavalrymen,
We're under orders to PASS around General
Lees risat wing, destroy his railroad
connections with Richmond, dash into
the city and release the Federal prison.
ers incarcerated there. 1t was alleged
that papers found authorized brutal and
bloody deeds. General Robert Il. Lee. by
correspondence with the authorities at
Washington came to the conclusion that
no such documents cmanated from them.
On February 18th, at O'Clock at night.
the expedition, thoroughly equipped,
moved eastward from Stevensburg, near
Culpeper Courthouse, towards the lower
fords of the Rapilan, General Custer, at
the same time. making.a strong diversion
towards the west, as If to pass the left
wing OF General Lees army. General
Fitzpatrick and his command crossed the
river at Ely's Ford and moved on to
Spotsylvania Courthouse. Here Colonel
Dahlgren. with four hundred men, was
detached for special service He was to
SO to Frederick Hall on the Virginia
Central Railroad (now the Chesapeake and
ohlolr capture Confederate artillery there
parked. do as much damage as possible
to railroad track and bridges, and to the
nt11t yytt-o
mond and Kanawha Canal, do all possible
injury to that, cross James River and
move upon Richmond from the south, MS
hllpatrick would simultaneously attack
ats defenses on the north.
a PRUDENTIAL CHANGE
When Colonel pahlgren came near Fred
erick's Hail. he thought 1t more prudent
not TO make an attack; So leaving that
station 10 his right he came to the rail-
road some miles farther east. just few
minutes after the passing OF train
carrying General Lee from Richmond TO
his headquarters at Orange Courthouse.
After considerable injury to the track
and to telegraph wires the command
moved as rapidly as their horses could
carry them, in almost n southerly direc.
lion, towards Dover Mills, whore 1t was
T hopedsa crossing of James River might
H be effected eighteen miles above Rich.
mond. Colonel pahlgren and his mer
reached the James at o'clock on The
morning of March fst. They had beer
Just two nights and one day on the road
bad Travelled ninety or hundred miles
through n hostile country, had captured
eight or nine Officers and perhaps twice
rs many priyates, had gathered into thei,
train negroes horses and wagons, hat
held possession of the plantation ant
mansion of Hon. James A. Seldom, Con
federate Secretary of War and not a gun
had been fired at them. Thus far all he(
been very promising. At Dover Mills, TN,
first mlshap occurred. A negro guild
had assured Colonel Dahlgren that at Thu
place the James was fordable. The com
nlander. however found on his arriya
that the river WAS impossible: 1t wa
at once suspected that the negro guild
had played false; he was therefore hange
PIN the nearest tree, and, being cut down
was left dead by the roadside.
CURIOUS BARGAIN FOR A NEGRO
Concerning this transactlon, Lieutenan
Bartlett, of the United States sigma
n Corps. who was with Colonel Dahlgren
makes the following comments "IIe mad
Il, bargain, in case of any mistake o
treachery ON his part. no was TO b
hanged, and ii 1t carne out all right h
vas TO receive q large sum of money
When asked why he mlsled us, he did no
or could not give Il satisfactory answer
The Colonel then told him that h
would haze TO carry out his part Of tn
contract, 10 which the guide aseentet
nnd admitted that was the agreemen