CONTRIBUTIONS TO NAVAL HISTORY NO. 8 The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren of Rear Admiral TheAutobiography The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren EDITED BY PETER C. LUEBKE Edited by Peter C. Luebke Edited Peter by 1 | The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren EDITED BY PETER C. LUEBKE The Autobiography of Published by Naval History and Heritage Command 805 Kidder Breese Street SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060 Book Design by Eleni Giannakopoulos U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE Use of ISBN This is an official U.S. Government edition of this publication and is herein identified to certify its authenticity. This title’s print edition is cataloged under ISBN 978-1-943604-18-0. A Section 508–compliant PDF is cataloged under ISBN 978-1-943604-19-7. The title’s e-book edition is catalogued under ISBN 978-1-943604-48-7. Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data Dahlgren, John A. The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren: Edited by Peter C. Luebke Dahlgren. – U.S. Government official edition. Pages cm. – (The U.S. Navy and the Civil War) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-943604-18-0 (Softcover alk.paper) — ISBN 978-1-943604-19-7 (508-compliant pdf) — ISBN 978-1-943604-48-7 (E-book) For Sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: Bookstore.gpo.gov; Phone: toll free 1-866-512-1800; DC area 202-512-1800; Fax: 201-512-2104 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-001 ii | The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren CONTRIBUTIONS TO NAVAL HISTORY NO. 8 The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren EDITED BY PETER C. LUEBKE Naval History and Heritage Command Department of the Navy Washington, DC 2018 iv | The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren CONTENTS Foreword ..................................................... vi Introduction . viii The Text . xiv Editorial Method . xv Acknowledgments ................................................ xv Short Title List . xvi Chapter 1: Early Years, 1809–1846 . 1 Chapter 2: Ordnance Development to the Civil War, 1847–1860 . 7 Chapter 3: Outbreak and Early Years of the Civil War, 1861–62 . 25 Chapter 4: Promotion, Command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and the Siege of Charleston, 1863 . 63 Chapter 5: Siege of Charleston, 1864 . 109 Chapter 6: The Capture of Charleston and the End of the War, 1865 . 123 Chapter 7: After the War, 1866 . 143 Appendix 1: Letter of William T . Sherman to John A . Dahlgren . 147 Appendix 2: Description of Defenses of Charleston Harbor . 149 Bibliography . 157 Index . 163 Contents | v FOREWORD In the first years of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln would occasion- ally get on his horse, ride over to the Washington Navy Yard and pass time with then–Captain John Dahlgren. Dahlgren would test-fire his latest developments in naval ordnance down the Anacostia River, which fascinated Lincoln. This pas- time required some degree of courage on Lincoln’s part, given the disaster that occurred on the Potomac River aboard USS Princeton in 1844, when a new “long gun” exploded during a demonstration firing killing the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of State, and several others, while President John Tyler was aboard. In this case, however, Lincoln had reason for confidence that Dahlgren knew what he was doing because he had been at the forefront of naval ordnance advances for more than a decade. Lincoln and Dahlgren shared an unlikely friendship, given their very different personalities. Dahlgren was not above using their friendship to his advantage. Lincoln upset standard protocol, intervening directly to get Dahlgren promoted to rear admiral and what Dahlgren coveted the most—a major sea-going command with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The period between the end of the Mexican War and the start of the Civil War was a low point for the U.S. Navy in terms of budgets, with few operational ships, many of which were undermanned with challenges finding enough quali- fied Sailors. It was, however, an era of profound technological changes in warfare at sea, which would be greatly accelerated by the Civil War. Chief among these was the beginning of a shift from sail to steam, the creation of armored warships (ironclads), and the invention of exploding shells for cannon. Although the Navy struggled to afford to put the new technologies to sea, Dahlgren in particular led the way in developing much of the technology, particularly in the realm of cannons, ammunition, and other naval ordnance. Dahlgren began his naval career as a scientist. He concentrated on techno- logical advances in Europe and how they might be brought to the U.S. Navy. This study led to the creation of a new boat howitzer for Navy use, new ideas about ship armament and design, and the invention of the ingenious Dahlgren gun, which became the Navy’s chief ordnance during the Civil War. Dahlgren’s scientific activities began with his work on the U.S. Coast Survey and its effort to map the coastline of the country. Because of this and his study of ordnance, he was invited to join scientific societies, beginning his cultivation of a much wider range of business, press, academic, and political leaders. The resulting influence did not, however, lead initially to command at sea. At the outbreak of the Civil War, as commandant of the Washington Navy vi | The Autobiography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren Yard, Dahlgren quickly moved on his own initiative to improve the defenses of the river approaches to the capital city. He acted energetically to organize defen- sive details to protect the yard and its military stores from Confederate threat, at a time when many did not completely grasp the threat, because of the pervasive over-confidence that the war would be short. Not surprisingly, most of Dahlgren’s autobiography concentrates on the Civil War period. He writes extensively about his own exploits and those of his sons. One of his sons, Ulric, served in the Union Army with distinction and was killed during a controversial cavalry raid on Richmond in 1864. Another of his sons, Charles, served with the Navy on the Mississippi River in operations against Vicksburg, where he gained experience putting his father’s inventions to practical use. In his autobiography, Dahlgren also takes time to recognize the heroism of Union officers and men during the war. For example, he mentions the valor of Commander James Ward, the first Union naval officer killed in the war, in action against Confederate batteries, as well as the bravery of Sailors during battles in and around Charleston Harbor. As commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Dahlgren’s inability to bring about the fall of Charleston from the sea led a number of con- temporary critics to suggest that his abilities as a technical officer significantly exceeded his abilities as a combat commander. Some of this was due to jealousy as to how he came to be in command of the squadron, but some was justi- fied. Dahlgren also faced numerous obstacles, as the Confederates energetically adopted technologies such as mines, torpedo boats, and a submarine. Friction with U.S. Army commanders, which was not unique to Dahlgren, didn’t help either. Despite these challenges, the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron gradu- ally cut the Confederacy off from foreign supplies. Charleston fell in 1865 with the approach of General William T. Sherman’s force, but Dahlgren and the Navy had contributed greatly to this victory. Dahlgren’s legacy in the Navy was profound and lasting, primarily for his role in designing and developing the weapons and ammunition that enabled the Union Navy to emerge victorious at sea and on the inland waterways during the Civil War. Because of this, when the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren was estab- lished during World War I in 1918, and which to this day designs and tests most of the Navy’s shipboard weapons, it was named in honor of John A. Dahlgren. RADM Samuel J. Cox, USN (Retired) Director of Naval History Curator of the Navy Director, Naval History and Heritage Command Foreword | vii INTRODUCTION Among the naval heroes of the Civil War, Rear Admiral John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren remains largely unknown. Part of this rests upon his sometimes difficult personality and self-promotion that aggravated his fellow officers; the other part of this lies upon his failure to take the Confederate city of Charleston by naval force. Dahlgren’s solid service during the siege of Charleston and in command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron did much to assure Union victory during the war, but it contained no stirring episodes that became legendary, such as those of David Glasgow Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Yet Dahlgren, and his autobiography, remains important today. This book presents a transcription of an autobiography that Dahlgren wrote shortly after the Civil War. In it, he gives an account of his entire career. He describes the multiple innovations he introduced into the U.S. Navy. His career coincided with the important transition from sail to steam propulsion and the change from solid shot to cannon that fired explosive shells. Dahlgren’s service demonstrates that naval officers have always confronted technological challenges and have attempted to overcome them, often against significant bureaucratic barriers from both within and without the Navy. During the Civil War, he also faced the shift in naval warfare from wooden-hulled ships to ironclad vessels. He assumed command at Charleston in 1863 after the ironclad squadron under Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont failed to live up to the impossible expec- tation that ironclads alone could capture the city.