21 May 2009 by Published in: Research and Writing 10 comments

Dan Hoisington, the owner of Edinborough Publishing, told me tonight that my biography of Ulric Dahlgren goes to the printer tomorrow. That marks the culmination of six long years of work on that project, and it’s the culmination of a labor of love. I can’t wait to see the book in print.

It’s due out by the end of June. I will keep everyone posted as to progress, and it will shortly be available for pre-order on my other web site.

Scridb filter

Comments

  1. dan
    Thu 21st May 2009 at 9:43 pm

    Bravo! There is no question in my mind that the papers found on Dahlgren’s body were legit. The real question is how much did Lincoln know, and when did he know it. This is the critical point of this case and I figure you’ve covered it quite heavily in your new project. The plans to kill the CS leadership that were on Ulric’s body are part of one of the uglier episodes of the war, and there are so many. Bragg wanted retaliation – kill Union prisoners; cooler heads (Lee) prevailed. Keep up the good work, Eric.

  2. Bill
    Fri 22nd May 2009 at 8:35 am

    Hi Eric,

    The raid and all it’s surrounding mystery is probably enough, but what else can you point to about Dahlgren that would entice a potential reader with limited knowledge of the subject (me!) to go out and make a purchase.

    thanks
    Bill

  3. Fri 22nd May 2009 at 8:58 am

    Bill,

    While there’s plenty there with just the raid, there are the following, in no particular order:

    1. You would be hard-pressed to find an unrelated junior officer in the history of this country who had more and more unfettered access to the Oval Office than did Ully Dahlgren.

    2. As a 20-year-old civilian, Dahlgren led an expedition to Harpers Ferry in June 1862 as a consequence of his expertise with large bore guns like the Dahlgren gun. He was commissioned a captain at the end of that expedition and ended up the de facto chief of artillery for an infantry corps for most of his career. Pretty remarkable, having an untrained civilian giving orders to regular artillerists and earning their respect.

    3. There were few, if any, bolder or more effective scouts than Dahlgren. No raid was dangerous enough. He did tremendous work during the Gettysburg Campaign that cost him his leg.

    4. Hooker had sent him along with the excursion that became the Battle of Brandy Station, and Dahlgren joined the charge of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry at St. James Church, and ended up rallying and leading them back after their commander’s horse went down and he was captured.

    5. Finally, there’s the fact that Admiral Dahglren was a pack rat and kept every scrap of paper. There is a massive record in Ully Dahlgren’s own words, which makes this biography unusual.

    Eric

  4. Fri 22nd May 2009 at 9:09 am

    CONGRATS MY FRIEND. Another one for my collection! The Wittenberg shelf in my library is starting to sag.

  5. Fri 22nd May 2009 at 2:49 pm

    Congrats, Eric. I know you’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.

  6. Sat 23rd May 2009 at 2:55 pm

    Eric,

    Congratulations on another book about to be! While I’m a reader of Civil War politics, am not much of a reader about particular battles—-perhaps I’m missing much?
    A dumb question—who was the good Mr. Dahlgren?

    Mark Frasure

  7. Tue 26th May 2009 at 1:05 am

    I live about 2 miles from where Dahlgren was buried in Henrico county. Looking forward to it.

  8. G.E. Colpitts
    Tue 26th May 2009 at 5:13 pm

    Congrats on this new book, Eric! Looking forward to seeing it in print. And congrats on getting a publisher for your other one, too. Still looking forward to summer in DC…

    GE

    P.S. Now if I could just find a packrat who kept everything on MY subject of interest…

  9. Mark Wade
    Fri 12th Jun 2009 at 11:04 pm

    Waiting patiently for this one. Have read bit’s and peices about the raid due to the Maryland cavalry connection. Maryland cavalry cost him his leg and unfortunately had a hand in his death. Very brave young man who had the misfortune to serve with Judson.

  10. Ken Dahlgren
    Wed 16th Jun 2010 at 1:28 pm

    Thanks for taking on this project. I’m looking forward to reading it. I ordered it today.

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