The Dahlgren Affair: Terror and Conspiracy in the Civil War

So stated Confederate Commissioner to Canada Jacob Thompson in 1864. Given that war by definition is violent, this is seems a strange thing to say. What could be more violent than the violence of battle? Duane Schultz's well-written and lively The Dahlgren Affair takes a hard look at the underbelly of the American Civil War. Towards war's end, both the Confederates and the Federals began using tactics that today we wouldn't hesitate to call "terroristic." Tom Hines, a Confederate guerilla, tried to convince Jefferson Davis in early 1864 to launch a campaign of terror against the north, enlisting Copperheads and other malcontents, bombing cities, and assassinating political leaders. Davis sat on Hines' proposal, hesitating because of fears of retaliation. But his hand was forced (or freed, depending on your perspective) by the March 1864 raid of Judson Kilpatrick, an incompetent and glory-seeking boy-general, and Ulrich Dahlgren, a one-legged boy-colonel. The purpose of the raid was to liberate prisoners held in Richmond's Libby and Belle Isle prisons, and to do as much damage to railroad lines as possible. The scheme was hare-brained from the start and failed miserably, with Kilpatrick losing his nerve and Dahlgren shot down. Papers were found on Dalgren's body that suggested that the raiders, on arriving in Richmond, planned to set fire to the city and assassinate Jeff Davis and any other high officials they could capture. Although Schultz probably thinks the papers were forgeries, it's not clear to this day whether or not they actually were. (One of the essays in Stephen Sears' excellent Controversies and Commanders: Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac, makes a strong case for their authenticity. Personally, I find it persuasive.) When the papers were published by the Confederacy, southerners went mad with rage that such Federal perfidy could've been meditated, and Jeff Davis gave the nod to Tom Hines to launch his own brand of terrorism. Nothing much came of it: a Maine bank was robbed, and a few fires set in New York City that damaged half a million dollars in property. But the war had entered a new stage: from total war to terroristic war. This "new" kind of violence, hitherto condemned by both sides as outside the legitimate rules of warfare, was what Commissioner Thompson had referred to, and it ushered in a phase of the Civil War that's been too frequently ignored. It underscores the fact that the American Civil War, contrary to what so many people today would like to believe, was a very uncivil war indeed.

I'm a US history buff, however haven't spent much time reading about the US Civil War, instead focusing on 20th century topics. I picked this book up on a lark a few weeks ago, and absolutely loved it. The author has a knack for setting the scene in a detailed, easy-to-read manner, and goes to great lengths to describe the key characters in a way that makes you feel as if you've met them. All said, a great book, highly recommended.

This proves to be a pretty interesting conspiracy book which in some way, may related to our current problems with terrorist activites. Here, we have an alleged set of papers found on the body of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren who was leading one of the cavalry columns which was supposed to free the Union POWs in Richmond. The papers found states that Dahlgren and his men planned to mass murder the Confederate government and burn Richmond to the ground. These papers gave a pretext for the South to go ahead with their own plans to conduct terroristic actions against the North. Was the papers planted and forged? Its a story of truth, half-truths and lies. One of the central themes that the book covered was if these Dahlgren papers were real or fake. Duane Schultz (the author) believed them to be fake. I find logic in what he is saying and believed that faked papers were meant to arouse the Southern spirit which have been in doldrum and give pretext for deseperate actions in the north. Well written, nicely researched and well presented, the book proves to be informative and easy to read. Of course, you have keep an open mind as well.

A book of parallel stories, one of the infamous Dahlgren Raid captained by the egotistical Kilpatrick and the story that I was less familiar with, Confederate espionage efforts in the north by way of Canada. It also includes information on Elizabeth van Lew and other Union sympathizers in Richmond. Although familiar with Dahlgren's attempted raid on Richmond and Libby prison I was less familiar with Hines'attempts to free Confederate prisoners in Chicago. Brings up a lot of information I was not aware of such as the loss of Dahlgren's body, how the attempts to free Confederate prisoner's in the north were orchestrated, the depths of Kilpatrick's failure to attack Richmond and support Dahlgren, Dahlgren's own turn at espionage, Libbey Prison escapes and life inside and life in Canada among escaped Confederates. Well written and the book motivates me to read more about the Dahlgren affair which is still a raging controversy.

I'm an avid student of history and in particular the Civil War, and I love espionage/secret mission novels. This book has the best of both. A good read, but to a resaearcher it is rather imperfect since it has no enumerated footnotes. Nonetheless, the story moves rapidly and everything is explained succincly. I reccommend it to any novice or veteran of Civil War history or history in general.