The Dahlgren Affair and the Lincoln Assassination
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THE DAHLGREN AFFAIR AND THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION William Bryant Monday, October 23, 2017 Christopher Wren Association 1 BACKGROUND Thanks for intro & coming, scheduled last fall, etc. Glad for the opportunity to present a chapter of US history virtually unknown. Debated doing 1-day, 2 hrs vs 3-days, 6 hrs: Not all can attend 6 hrs and conspriracy story so complex with people and events, thread of story might be lost in details. 2 hrs should be enough time to connect the dots →→Presentation on website, books on table 2 www.wm.edu/cwa “course information” “class notes & presentations” [email protected] 3 THREE REFERENCES ON TABLE William Tidwell, Come Retribution: The Confederate Secret Service and the Assassination of Lincoln, 1988. Edward Steers, Jr., Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, 2001. Edward Steers, Jr. (ed.), The Trial: The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators, 2003. 4 BACKGROUND More written about AL than any other American, always ends with assassination by crazed actor. Recent research by several serious scholars has determined is not accurate—true story once known been lost to history by design. Problem: historical accurate works not widely read, serious historians just writing to each other. 5 BACKGROUND Good scholarship depends on primary sources, sources of the period. But as you will hear, majority of relevant primary sources, but the scholars’ conclusions are indisputable. Objective today: For you to leave believing what I say is historically accurate and wet your appetite to learn more of a topic still relevant today. 6 →HOUR 1 →BACKGROUND 7 HOUR 1 THE DAHLGREN AFFAIR 8 BACKGROUND 9 STONEMAN’S RAID Story begins May 1-3, 1863, with Chancellorsville, Lee’s greatest victory, thanks to Jackson who was mortally wounded by own troops. During battle Union Gens. Stoneman and Kilpatrick led a cavalry raid deep behind Lee’s lines in attempt to disrupt his supply lines. Kilpatrick came within 2 miles of Richmond. →He reported back Richmond guarded only by a home guard of young boys and old men. Home guard duties... 10 RICHMOND HOME GUARD 11 AFTERMATH Union spy in Richmond also sent word back Richmond had been virtually undefended. On hearing news Lincoln said: →QUOTE To me doesn’t sound like Lincoln. Fast forward 7 months to January 1864 12 PRESIDENT LINCOLN Nothing could have prevented Stoneman from riding through Richmond and burning it down. Bagged the whole administration...& brought us Jeff Davis. 13 NORTH The north is winning, Grant has won territory in the west, successfully blockage, Gettysburg win, captured Vicksburg & NO, control Miss. River. Despite this, no end in sight for a bloody war, North becoming war weary. Lincoln increasingly concerned would lose in Nov. 14 SOUTH For South, war really not going well. No hope England or France will come to South’s aid. Realized they couldn’t win militarily but continuing to hold off the superior north. Their only hope, hold on and for Lincoln to lose fall election to Peace Democrat. Negotiate end of the war leaving CSA intact. →POWs 15 PRISONERS OF WAR 16 PRISONERS OF WAR Early in war both sides exchanged POWs, not feed or guard, most soon returned to their units. In 1863 North had begun to restrict exchanges to bleed South of soldiers. In Jan/64 there were 2 prisons in Richmond with 13K Union POWs: →officers were in Libby Prison →very poor conditions and treatment. Hell/earth Mary Lincoln’s bro. was guard! 17 LIBBY PRISON FOR UNION OFFICERS 18 INSIDE LIBBY PRISON 19 POOR POW CONDITIONS →9k soldiers in tents on Belle Isle, James River Not enough tents/exposure to weather. Like Libby, lack clothes, medicines, food, sanitary feasilities. →Over 20 dying daily at Belle Isle. Washington aware of horrible conditions, wanted desperately to find a way to free POWs, knowing Richmond not “well defended.” 20 BELLE ISLE PRISON CAMP FOR UNION ENLISTED SOLDIERS 21 BELLE ISLE POW CEMETERY 22 RAID OBJECTIVES →Gen. Ben Butler, commander of Union forces in eastern Va., send 4K cavalry & 2K infantry to conduct sudden raid of Richmond to free POWs. Left early Feb. from Williamsburg. →Alerted by CSA spies, they got as far as Bottoms Bridge that was heavily defended After brief skirmish turned back. 23 GEN. BEN BUTLER 24 BUTLER’S ABORTED RAID Bottoms Bridge 25 GENERAL JUDSON KILPATRICK →Enter J. Kilpatrick, met earlier, West Point grad, 26, known as exceptional horseman but also known, not as Kilpatrick but as “Kill cavalry” for high casualty rates of his men. But very ambitious, saw freeing Richmond POWs as chance for glory and promotion. Politically connected, bypassed senior military leadership, went directly to Lincoln. →Next sent to see Sec. of War Edwin Stanton. 26 GENERAL JUDSON KILPATRICK 27 SECRETARY OF WAR EDWIN STANTON 28 SECRETARY OF WAR EDWIN STANTON No record of either meeting but Kilpatrick left Stanton with authorization to conduct raid on Richmond to free POWs. →ORDERS 29 GEN. KILPATRICK’S ORDERS Headquarters, Third Division, Cavalry Corps Your command increased to four thousand men, with one [artillery] battery ... on a raid to Richmond for the purpose of liberating our prisoners at that place. Important diversions will be made in your favor, the particulars of which you have been already advised. You will start on Sunday Evening...[February] 28th...Lt. Colonel Ulric Dahlgren is authorized to accompany you. A. Pleasonton, Maj. Genl. Cmdg. 30 LT. COLONEL ULRIC DAHLGREN Who was Ulric Dahlgren? →Pa native, just 21, shown bravery in battle; wounded during Gettysburg, lower leg amputated, but could still ride if helped to mount. →Son of Admiral John Dahlgren, commander eastern naval blockage & favorite of Lincoln Dahlgren Surface Weapons Lab at 301 bridge named for him. 31 COL. ULRIC DAHLEGREN 32 ADMIRAL JOHN A. DAHLGREN 33 CUSTER Dahlgren was young, inexperienced, somewhat impulsive, Kilpatrick had better choice. →Gen. Geo. A. Custer, under him, considered best cavalry officer in army. Some think Kilpatrick wanted glory for himself. →But Custer been married week before, maybe he declined... →K/D RAID 34 GEN. GEORGE A. CUSTER 35 ELIZABETH BACON CUSTER 36 KILPATRICK/DAHLGREN RAID MARCH 1864 37 PLAN Armies in winter quarters opposite each other either side Rapidan River. winter muddy roads →Plan: K/D would circle Lee’s right flank as Custer fainted attack on Lee’s left. After separating, Kilpatrick continue south to Richmond, enter city, and free Libby POWs. Dahlgren head southwest, ford James, continue to Richmond and free Belle Isle POWs. 38 PLANNED ROUTES DAHLGREN KILPATRICK 39 PLAN FLAWS Unite in city, all head east to Union lines. FLAWS 1. Woeful inadequate force to accomplish objectives, Union spy in Richmond had told Washington would take 30K men. 2. Raid came only 3 weeks after earlier failed raid. 3. Conducted in the cold, snow, rain of late winter. 4. Orders don’t address how to transport 13,000 POWs back to Union lines. 40 RAID PLAN FLAWS Finally, they had poor intelligence; additional CSA regular been sent to Richmond. → Kilpatrick & Dahlgren departed Feb. 28, weather cold and wet, column of troopers 4 abreast stretched 2½ miles. →Kilpatrick and Dahlgren separated as planned: Kilpatrick continued towards Richmond with 3,500 troopers, Dahlgren headed towards James River with 500 men. 41 KILPATRICK’S COLUMN 42 KILPATRICK/DAHLGREN ROUTES 43 RAID CSA spies followed every movement. Often overlooked--ANV fought mainly in Va., benefitted greatly from intelligence provided by public; not so successful in hostile Md. & Pa. When Libby Prison guards learned of raid, mined prison to blow it up if it was attacked. Unusual, no record of atrocities between North and South white soldiers. 44 KILPATRICK RESULTS When Kilpatrick arriving at outskirts of Richmond, CSA regulars and home guard were waiting. Kilpatrick’s men fighting as dismounted cavalry, not nearly effective as trained infantry. Extended fire fight Kilpatrick reported The enemy charged and considerable confusion ensured. Kilpatrick began orderly retreat back to Union lines at Wmsburg w/o contacting Dahlgren. slide DAHLGREN RESULTS Meanwhile, Dahlgren was unable to ford James River swollen by spring rains, continued on to Richmond north of James. slide Met by home guard and CSA regulars outside city limits, after brief skirmish, driven off in disorder. In confusion, his men became separated into two groups, both attempted to escape east. 46 HALF WAY 10:00 47 DAHLGREN’S ESCAPE Dahlgren and a few men headed east for Union held lines at Gloucester Point. slide →Followed by home guard and regulars, Dahlgren was ambushed in King and Queen Co. and shot off his horse and killed. Most of his men captured, few made it back to Union lines. 48 DEATH OF DAHLGREN 49 RAID RESULTS Raid was complete failure. 340 troopers killed or wounded (9%) 1,000 captured (28%) 1,060 horses killed or disabled In CW, horses were cannon fodder, many more horses & mules died than men. Raid unknown today except in Va, king of self- promotion states →5 Va. roadside signs Think Va. still proud to have repelled raid. 50 51 ADMIRAL JOHN A. DAHLGEN 52 53 55 PAPERS FOUND ON DAHLGREN’S BODY Why known as Dahlgren affair, not K/D raid? Because of papers found on Dahlgren’s body. →Orders written on Union Cavalry HQs stationary: What does “not allow to escape” mean? →Address to Dahlgren’s men written in his hand: Papers forwarded to Richmond, who asked Washington if papers were authentic. 56 ORDERS FOUND ON DAHLGREN ...cross the James River into Richmond, destroying the bridges...and exhorting the prisoners to destroy and burn the hateful city;...do not allow the Rebel leader Davis and his traitorous crew to escape. 57 FOUND ON DAHLGREN IN HIS OWN HAND ...secure the bridge to the city...release the prisoners at the same time.