The Dahlgren Affair: Terror and Conspiracy in the Civil War - Softcover

Schultz Ph.D., Duane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393319865 ISBN 13: 9780393319866

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999

Synopsis

"Schultz's lively writing is perfectly suited to the exciting and controversial Yankee cavalry raid against Richmond, Va., in late winter 1864. . . . The subject and Schultz's lucid prose make this a great addition to any Civil War library."―Publishers Weekly

March 5, 1864, was the day on which the Civil War changed to what the Richmond Examiner called "a war of extermination, of indiscriminate slaughter and plunder." It changed because of a few sheets of paper found on a muddy trail outside Richmond. Their legacy was a new and terrible style of warfare. In a daring but failed cavalry raid to free thousands of Union prisoners, the Union commander-twenty-one-year-old Ulric Dahlgren-was killed; on his body were found orders purportedly instructing his men to find and execute Jefferson Davis and the rest of the Confederate cabinet. There was an immediate outpouring of horrified, indignant rage throughout the South, and after the Union disclaimed any knowledge of the papers or the order they contained, Jefferson Davis authorized the use of terrorism against civilians in the North in the form of guerrilla raids, bank robberies, arson, and sabotage. This compelling narrative is the first full-length analysis of the link between Dahlgren's failed raid and the Confederate campaign of terror. "[A] wonderfully vivid portrait of Confederate attempts to stir up rebellion in the North during the war's waning days. . . . Schultz handles all of this melodramatic material with vigor and clarity, a first-rate addition to the bulging shelves of Civil War Studies."-Kirkus Reviews 10 pages of illustrations

About this title

Review:

Author Duane Schultz offers a fascinating chronicle of Civil War espionage in this account of the infamous Dahlgren raid, a bold attempt by a small detachment of Union cavalry to free prisoners of war held by the Confederates in Richmond. The effort failed, but its consequences were enormous; allegedly found among slain commander Ulric Dahlgren's papers was an order to assassinate Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Schultz argues persuasively that the papers were a forgery, but whatever the truth, they started a controversy that encouraged Davis to order secret agents based in Canada to launch a campaign of terror on the Northern home front. He describes a few stunning near- misses: the Confederates once nearly captured Vice President Andrew Johnson, and in another plot almost took possession of the only warship on the Great Lakes. They also engaged in a primitive form of biological warfare: collecting the garments of yellow fever victims and distributing them in Washington, D.C. (to no apparent effect). This narrative of Civil War intrigue is sprinkled with true tales of invisible ink, railroad sabotage, and prison escapes; in one remarkable episode, a Confederate spy dresses up like a lady, attends a soiree held by Union officers, and learns critical intelligence from his talkative dance partners. All told, this is an outstanding work of popular history on an aspect of the Civil War long kept hidden. --John J. Miller

About the Author:

Duane Schultz has a Ph.D. from American University. He is the author of two novels and several military histories including The Dahlgren Affair: Terror and Conspiracy in the Civil War and The Most Glorious Fourth Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4, 1863.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0393319865
• ISBN 13: 9780393319866
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 300