The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-04-17
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
April H. 1s64-Gen Butler Notified Admiral Dahgren that
Grave Of His Son, Col Uric Dahen Richmond Had Been Opened
and that the Body Could Not Be Found-A
written expressly for The Herald,

Fifty years ago today Gen. Benjamin
ress Monroe. notified Admiral John A
I Dahlgren that the grave OF his son. Col.
Uric Dahlgren. at Richmond. had been
opened. in pursuance of a request from
Admiral Dahlsren that the remains be
. forwarded TO him, ana that the body
could not be found.
/ Young DahlgTen's dash toward Rich
mond with small savalry column at
taChed TO the expedition under Gen.
Judson Fitzpatrick that was TO attempt
to liberate the Federal prisoners there
his death in an ambush on March ,; his
burial in Richmond by order OF JeTcr-
son Davis: the charge that his papers
showed he had intended to burn the c.ty
and assassinate Davis, and its indignant
denial in the North; and finally the dis
appearance of the body from the grave
in which II had been buried by order Of
jefferson Davis. formed the web of one
Of the most deeply dramatic narratives
in the war.
An important character in the story,
but one who did not appear until after
the war. was Miss Meredith Van Lew.
an eccentric and well known resident of
Richmond. who. throughout the war.
WITHOUT ttdSlliE 10 live III ll'l llllt man
sion on the hill above the James. served
the United States as a spy. II was he
who was responsible for removing Cot.
Dahlgren's body from the grave in which
jefferson Davis had caused il to be in
TERED.
On the night of March .. when the oOUy
of Col. DahlgTen was found by COnfedcT-
ates in the road near Stevcnsviile. in
King and Queen County. an inquisiIIVe
1.
pocket a bundle of papers that cOntalntd
the drafts of an address and a memu-
randum relating to Col. Dahlgren's raid.
The address had evidently been drawn
prior TO the start of the raid. II had
never been delivered. When the COnfed-
crates examined it they found it contained
a line directing that Richmond be burned
and jefferson Davis and his cabinet
killed
The raid had failed. but the COnfeder-
a:es expressed the deepest indignation
over its alleged aims as revealed in
these papers. Gen. George C. Meade,
commanding the Army of the Potomac.
was asked by Gen. Robert f. Lee. at the
request of jefferson Datis. il the United
States government Endorsed such or
ders. He replied that no such orders
had been given to Col. Dahlgren: that
the orders Of the expedition sanctioned
no acts not required by military neces-
sity and in accordance with the usage
of war"
Body Taken to Richmond.
The Confederate allegations concern
ing the Dahlgren papers. together with
reports circulated in the North that
the body of the young man had been
mutiIated. had aroused the deepest and
most widespread interest in the case.
When hnall.- news came through Off
cial sources that the body Of Col. Dahl
Gren had disappeared from its grave in
Richmond. the elimination OF sensa-
lions in the case seemed to have been
reached. The people Of the North de-
nounced jefferson Davis and his fol-
lowers as inhuman and characterized
the treatment of DahlGrens body as
"fendish."
For many years the facts in conncc-
tion with Col. Dahlgren's body did not
become known to the public. There was
such good reason for mystery on the !
Federal side. because OF Miss Van Lewis I
with the matter. that color !
was lent TO the charges against the |
Confcderatcs. The light of history. how
ever. shows Mr.. Davis not only to have |
been entirely blamelCss in the premises. |
but to have paid all due respect TO the |
remains of young DahlGren.
Col Dahlgren's body had indeed been
mutilated by the cutting of of a little
finger by a ghoul. who wished to Sc
cure ring that he had worn. This was
done before the body came into the
possession of the Confederate authori-
tics.
Col. Dahlgren had been buried beside