Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/553

 552 Southern Historical Society Papers.

If our readers will turn to -Vol. 3, SOUTHERN HISTORICAL SO- CIETY PAPERS, pp. 219-221, and read the paper of that gallant soldier, and high-toned gentleman, General R. L. T. Beale, then Colonel of the Ninth Virginia cavalry, he will find that he states that Lieutenant Pollard brought the papers to him together with a memo- randum-book, found also in Colonel Dahlgren's pocket, in which nearly all of the papers had been copied ; that after reading them he forwarded the papers to Richmond and retained the memorandum- book; that the publication in Richmond corresponded precisely to both the papers and the memorandum book, and that after the au- thenticity of the papers was disputed he forwarded the memorandum- book to Richmond as corroborative proof.

And now we will introduce as our next witness General Fitzhugh Lee (at present, the distinguished Governor-elect of Virginia), who is as well known for his fairness during the war to " our friends, the enemy," and for his chivalrous and kindly feeling since towards those who fought on the other side, as for his gallant and skilful ser- vices for the land and cause he loved so well.

We give in full a letter written by General Lee to the Historical Magazine, New York, and published in that Magazine in 1870 :

THE DEATH OF COLONEL DAHLGREN.


 * * * In compliance with your request, and solely

because it seems to be an unprejudiced one, I transmit my recollec- tions of Colonel Dahlgren's raid, that they may be placed within the reach oi those " who respect the truth for its own sake."

February, 1864, found General Lee's army wintering along the line of the Rapidan, in Orange county, Virginia. General Meade's opposing army was in winter quarters, in Culpeper county, on the line of the Rappahannock,

During the latter part of that month, General Kilpatrick, a cavalry division commander of the latter, essayed a coup de main upon Richmond, the "objective point " of his commander-in-chief. Col- onel Dahlgren was a subordinate officer on that expedition. Kil- patrick' s idea was, secretly leaving his army, to clear General Lee's right flank well, and, by a forced march, with picked men and horses, appear before the western defences of Richmond, and enter its back door without even knocking. Combined with his movement was a diversion made by General Custer around General Lee's left flank, which drew after it, as was intended, what cavalry General Lee had at that time with his army.