Show Released by Western Newspaper Union Historic Leg LegA A ACCORDING to a recent press L 1 dispatch from Washington an anold anold anold old building in the navy yard there has a human leg entombed in its cornerstone 1 The leg once belonged to a gallant young officer in the Union army who figured in a sensational sensational sensational sensa sensa- atrocity story during the War Var Between the States Ulric Dahlgren was his name and he hc was born in Bucks county Pa just a hundred years ago The son of Admiral J John olm A A. A Dahlgren of the United States navy year old UlI Ulric Ulric Ul Ul- I ric left his uncles uncle's law office in inI I Philadelphia at the outbreak of the commission commission commission commis commis- war to accept a captains captain's I sion in the army Assigned to duty with Gen Franz Sigel's forces the young oung captain was placed in command command command com com- mand of a battery of heavy guns and howitzers furnished by his father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther which repelled an attack on Harpers Harper's Ferry by Stonewall Jackson Later Dahlgren served on the taffs staffs of Generals Burnside Fremont Fremont Fremont Fre Fre- mont Hooker and Pope and so distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- himself at Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Fredericks- Fredericks burg at Chancellorsville and at the second battle of Bull Run as to win rapid promotions until he was a colonel by the time he was 21 He also fought heroically at Gettysburg and a short time later during a skirmish at Hagerstown was so seriously seriously seriously seri seri- wounded as to require three amputations on one leg After his leg was cut off ofT his father requested that it be interred in the cornerstone cornerstone cornerstone corner corner- stone of a building that was about to tobe tobe tobe be erected at the navy yard in Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington and this request was honored Dahlgren recuperated aboard one of his fathers father's ships and in February February February ary 1864 he reported for duty with the cavalry corps of General Meades Meade's army He was equipped with an artificial leg but he car- car r J. J J I L 1 Il aC A r J. J P tiL tiLA 7 l 2 i I q 0 6 r tj if V A W cr G Gried aried a ried a crutch strapped on his saddle for use when he dismounted Soon afterwards he was given command of a picked force of men a part of the army of Gen Judson Kilpatrick Kilpatrick Kilpatrick Kilpat- Kilpat rick who was assigned the task of making a raid on Richmond to liberate liberate liberate lib lib- erate the Union prisoners at Belle BelleIsle BelleIsle BelleIsle Isle south of the Confederate capital Partly due to the treachery of a guide Dahlgrens Dahlgren's force was ambushed ambushed ambushed am am- bushed by Confederate cavalry and home guards and the young colonel and 31 of his men instantly killed A day or two later Richmond n newspapers newspapers news news- ws- ws papers began screaming the news that documents found on the body of Ulric the Hun revealed his orders to assassinate President Jefferson Jefferson Jef Jef- ferson ierson Davis and nd members of the Confederate cabinet set fire to the city and commit all aU sorts of outrages outrages outrages out out- rages against its citizens Historical scholarship of recent years has established the thel fact that these documents were forgeries but at the time many high Confederate officials believed that they were genuine and this atrocity story created a sensation in the North as aswell aswell aswell well as the South Dahlgren was buried on a farm near Richmond but after the war his father had the body removed to Laurel Hill in Phila Phila- delphia Dahlgren was one of the most daring daring dar dar- ing officers in the Union army I At one time he dashed into Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Fred- Fred ericksburg with a single company of the Third Indiana cavalry drove out a large force of Confederate cavalry held the town for several hours and then returned safely with 31 prisoners At Chancellorsville he held up the Confederate advance by bya a desperate charge and at the second second second sec sec- ond battle of Bull Run as chief of artillery under Sigel he fought off Stonewall Jacksons Jackson's attacks long enough to enable the disorganized Federal forces to throw up entrenchments entrenchments entrenchments entrench entrench- ments from which they could not be dislodged U Ully Dahlgren was the youngest young young- est colonel in the army a tall slim lad looking rather like Lindbergh except for a tawny goatee writes one historian Even as an invader he charmed all he met on the raid against Richmond The officers who were his prisoners said he was most civil sharing his food and his flask with them He was most agreeable and charming very haired fair-haired and young looking with manners as soft as a cats cat's another reported to the Examiner in Richmond and all agreed on his superb composure under the strain of the raid |