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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Washington Navy Yard in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic) |
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The Leg of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren
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By Craig Swain, April 10, 2010 | |
| | | 1. The Leg of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren Marker | | |
Inscription. The plaque below marks the spot where the leg of U.S. Army Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, son of Admiral John Dahlgren, "father of American naval ordnance," was interred following his wounding after the battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
The leg was enclosed in a lead and wooden box and placed in the cornerstone of Admiral Dahlgren's new foundry, building 26 which was then under construction on this site.
Colonel Dahlgren was killed in March 1864 during a failed Union cavalry raid on Richmond. Documents said to have been found on his body directed the capture or killing of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet. Public outrage in the South over "the Dahlgren papers" set the stage for conspirators led by John Wilkes Booth to plan the kidnapping and eventually the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
In 1915, Building 28 was demolished and replaced by a metal fabrication shop, and the plaque remained in the original wall. The building was again demolished in 1942, removing the remaining surface remnants of the 1863 foundry. The plaque was reinstalled at a higher location in the new wall. Mysteriously, Ulric Dahlgren's leg was not found.
In 1998, the plaque was recovered when the building was again demolished to construct the NavSea parking garage. The plaque now rests in its approximate original location marking | | | | 
By Craig Swain, April 10, 2010 | |
| | | 2. Marker and Plaque (below) on Parking Garage | | |
the southwest corner of Admiral Dahlgren's foundry.
Location. 38° 52.45′ N, 76° 59.86′ W. Marker is in Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, in Washington. Marker is on Isaac Hull Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Located on the side of a parking garage on the Washington Navy Yard. Marker is in this post office area: Washington Navy Yard DC 20374, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 16-inch Projectiles (within shouting distance of this marker); "4-in. 40 caliber rifles" (about 400 feet away, in a direct line); Frank W. Crilley Building (about 500 feet away); USS Balao (SS-285) (about 500 feet away); Washington Navy Yard Chapel (about 600 feet away); Willard Park (about 700 feet away); National Museum of the U.S. Navy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Navy Department Library (approx. 0.2 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Washington Navy Yard.
More about this marker. At the top of the marker is a photo of the Dahlgren Foundry from 1866, looking from the northwest. At the bottom is a portrait of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren as he appeared before he lost his leg in the Gettysburg Campaign.
Also see . . . Ulric Dahlgren in the Gettysburg Campaign. Article from Gettysburg Magazine, by historian Eric Wittenberg, detailing Dahlgren's activity in the Gettysburg Campaign. (Submitted on July 4, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
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By Craig Swain, April 10, 2010 | |
| | | 3. Plaque | Within this wall
is deposited 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
Gettysburg. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on July 4, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,152 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 4, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
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