The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Saga of Col. Ulric Dahlgren's Leg-- Part 1: Wounded in Fighting After Battle of Gettysburg


I recently mentioned an article in the January 27, 1991, Washington (D.C.) Post  "Sacrificial Limb" by Dwight Sullivan.

This one gave more details on the colonel's leg.  I will write about it now as I am about out of my limited number of free articles to this newspaper.  Plus, I had never heard of this story, other than Ulric Dahlgren's raid on Richmond.

"The macabre Civil War  relic is just off M Street SE,  mounted on the Washington Navy Yard's Building 28.  It's a black metal plate bearing this  inscription:  "Within this wall  is the leg of Col. Ulric Dahlgren U.S.V.  wounded July 6th 1863 while skirmishing in the streets of Hagerstown with the rebels after the Battle of Gettysburgh."

Then, the story gets stranger.

--Old Secesh

No comments: