Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/360

352 to President Davis' house and take him "dead or alive" to Colonel Dahlgren or General Kilpatrick.

The Libby Prison, so called, and the President's residence were clearly described in the aforesaid orders, some of which were also found on the person of the few followers of Dahlgren who were taken prisoners by the Confederates.

The fact that Dahlgren had himself entered Richmond and thus familiarized himself with these locations was thus made plain.

The fact of these orders was made known to President Davis, and he directed that these orders and Dahlgren's body should be sent up to Richmond by the railroad. The lid of Dahlgren's coffin when I saw it had been removed, and was lying by the side of the rough box in which the body had been placed. He was apparently a young man, of about twenty-three or twenty-five years of age, dressed in an unbleached cotton shirt, and in green pants, apparently uniform pants. He had one leg cut off near the knee by a surgeon. There was no evidence of his having been shot apparent, as he was lying on his back in the coffin.

I at once had the lid of the coffin screwed on, and it was placed in the wagon, which proceeded immediately to Oakwood for burial. He was buried near the entrance, a young sapling only marking the grave, and there we left him, as we supposed, until the great resurrection.

A few days thereafter Colonel Ould, our Commissioner of Exchange, rode up to my tent, and, on dismounting, said that he knew that I had superintended the burial of Colonel Dahlgren, and that lie wanted me to show him the grave; that he wished to disinter the body and take it down in the next leaving exchange boat and deliver it to his father. Admiral Dahlgren, who had communicated with him on the subject, and promised if his son's body was delivered to him that he would have General Grant's order forbidding all exchanges of prisoners revoked. Having received an order from President Davis not to divulge the burial spot of Dahlgren to. any one, I felt obliged to refuse Colonel Quid's request. A few days subsequently I received