Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/558

 The Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid Against Itichmond. 657

LETTER FROM GENERAL FITZHUGH LEE TO ADJUTANT-GENERAL

COOPER, ENCLOSING COLONEL DAHLGREN'S NOTE-BOOK.

HEADQUARTERS LEE'S DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS,

ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, March 31, 1864.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector- General :

GENERAL, I have the honor to enclose to you Colonel Dahlgren's note-book just sent me by Colonel Beale, commanding Ninth Vir- ginia cavalry. Had I known of its existence, it would have been forwarded with the "papers."

His name and rank is written on the first page with the date (prob- ably) of his purchasing it. The book, amongst other memoranda > contains a rough pencil sketch of his address to his troops, differing somewhat from his pen and ink copy. I embrace this occasion to add, the original papers bore no marks of alteration, nor could they possibly have been changed, except by the courier who brought them to me, which is in the highest degree improbable ; and the publica- tion of them in the daily Richmond papers were exact copies in every respect of the original.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

FITZ. LEE, Major- General Commanding.

Can there be a reasonable doubt that these papers, as published,

were authentic?

But if stronger proof is needed, we have in our possession sevei of the photograph copies of the original-papers which were made at the time, and the writing of which corresponds exactly to ***fl of Colonel Dahlgren's writing given in the memoir by his father. The two are before us as we write; we have exhibited them t< skilled in such matters (among the number a d.st.nguished delphia lawyer), and all of them concur that the writing i

As proof of the genuineness of our photographs we give the ing letter from the engineer officer (Major Albert under whose "immediate supervision" the photograph* copic made from the originals :