Lot of 2 items. Letter from Ulric Dahlgren to Miss Emily Paul, dated 4 Aug. 1863, plus related penciled note referencing the reading of this letter 32 years later by Emily to the officers of the Loyal Legion, written on back of Army of the Potomac pass. Ulric Dahlgren’s cavalry raid on Richmond during the winter 1864 was a fiasco, inflaming anti-Union sentiment in the south, if any inflaming was necessary, and giving an opportunity for propaganda that had far-reaching consequences. Conceived by Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, the scheme was to strike into the heart of the Confederate capitol and free the 1,500 prisoners of war held at Libby prison and over 10,000 enlisted men held at Belle Isle. Col. Dahlgren, having lost a leg at Gettysburg, was given command, although at only 21 years old he was the youngest Colonel in the Union army. The plans went haywire from the outset. Finding the James River too high to cross, Dahlgren and Kilpatrick unexpectedly ran into a group of militiamen and when they altered their course, Dahlgren and about 100 men were abandoned by Kilpatrick, fell into an ambush, and Dahlgren was killed. Thus began the affair. When Dahlgren’s body was searched, a note was recovered that outlined the plan to free prisoners and destroy bridges, but most importantly, the note allegedly ended with the phrase “The City it must be destroyed and Jeff Davis and Cabinet killed.” Southern reaction to the order to kill Confederate leaders was swift and fierce. Robert E. Lee himself counseled against a summary execution of the raiders, but the letter was quickly copied and sent to George Gordon Meade, head of the Army of the Potomac. Union officials denied that political leaders were being targeted, but denial, propaganda, and counter-propaganda ensued in quick order, Meade stating he was unconvinced that the document was authentic even while Union Provost Marshall Marsena Patrick ferreted out that it was probably so. Dahlgren’s father, John, the famed Admiral, waged a campaign in the northern papers against the “bare-faced atrocious forgery,” but regardless of its authenticity, the letter spurred the Confederacy into bolder attempts to fire up fifth columnists in the north, allegedly including Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth. This letter from Dahlgren to his friend “Emmy,” was written in August 1863 while recuperating from the loss of his leg. I suffered as man never did before for two weeks, he wrote, when the leg became so bad that it had to be taken off just below the knee, which left me so thin that the Doctors were very anxious about me for several days but now I am improving rapidly... I am reduced to a mere skeleton & strength I have none... I have received quite a jump up -- Capt. to Col. -- but alas what good will it do me if I cannot get the field for a year... The President & Cabinet have been very kind. Some of them all every day or send to see how I am. Just think, there will never be any more dancing for me, or any sport where two sound legs are required.... Accompanying this letter is a note from Dahlgren’s mother noting that she had received the letter from Emily Paul in Feb. 1895. An astonishing, honest letter from a Civil War amputee describing his injury and recovery, but who happens to be Ulric Dahlgren, one of the most accomplished and controversial cavalrymen from the north. Condition: Good condition in original envelope, with minor age toning. Note from Mrs. Dahlgren separated at folds, but legible and complete.
Lot of 2 items. Letter from Ulric Dahlgren to Miss Emily Paul, dated 4 Aug. 1863, plus related penciled note referencing the reading of this letter 32 years later by Emily to the officers of the Loyal Legion, written on back of Army of the Potomac pass. Ulric Dahlgren’s cavalry raid on Richmond during the winter 1864 was a fiasco, inflaming anti-Union sentiment in the south, if any inflaming was necessary, and giving an opportunity for propaganda that had far-reaching consequences. Conceived by Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, the scheme was to strike into the heart of the Confederate capitol and free the 1,500 prisoners of war held at Libby prison and over 10,000 enlisted men held at Belle Isle. Col. Dahlgren, having lost a leg at Gettysburg, was given command, although at only 21 years old he was the youngest Colonel in the Union army. The plans went haywire from the outset. Finding the James River too high to cross, Dahlgren and Kilpatrick unexpectedly ran into a group of militiamen and when they altered their course, Dahlgren and about 100 men were abandoned by Kilpatrick, fell into an ambush, and Dahlgren was killed. Thus began the affair. When Dahlgren’s body was searched, a note was recovered that outlined the plan to free prisoners and destroy bridges, but most importantly, the note allegedly ended with the phrase “The City it must be destroyed and Jeff Davis and Cabinet killed.” Southern reaction to the order to kill Confederate leaders was swift and fierce. Robert E. Lee himself counseled against a summary execution of the raiders, but the letter was quickly copied and sent to George Gordon Meade, head of the Army of the Potomac. Union officials denied that political leaders were being targeted, but denial, propaganda, and counter-propaganda ensued in quick order, Meade stating he was unconvinced that the document was authentic even while Union Provost Marshall Marsena Patrick ferreted out that it was probably so. Dahlgren’s father, John, the famed Admiral, waged a campaign in the northern papers against the “bare-faced atrocious forgery,” but regardless of its authenticity, the letter spurred the Confederacy into bolder attempts to fire up fifth columnists in the north, allegedly including Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth. This letter from Dahlgren to his friend “Emmy,” was written in August 1863 while recuperating from the loss of his leg. I suffered as man never did before for two weeks, he wrote, when the leg became so bad that it had to be taken off just below the knee, which left me so thin that the Doctors were very anxious about me for several days but now I am improving rapidly... I am reduced to a mere skeleton & strength I have none... I have received quite a jump up -- Capt. to Col. -- but alas what good will it do me if I cannot get the field for a year... The President & Cabinet have been very kind. Some of them all every day or send to see how I am. Just think, there will never be any more dancing for me, or any sport where two sound legs are required.... Accompanying this letter is a note from Dahlgren’s mother noting that she had received the letter from Emily Paul in Feb. 1895. An astonishing, honest letter from a Civil War amputee describing his injury and recovery, but who happens to be Ulric Dahlgren, one of the most accomplished and controversial cavalrymen from the north. Condition: Good condition in original envelope, with minor age toning. Note from Mrs. Dahlgren separated at folds, but legible and complete.
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