Feb. 27, 1864. |
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in “cabinet” meeting, and Seddon, the Confederate “Secretary of War,” wrote a letter to General Lee, asking his views concerning the matter, in which he said the contemplated murder had “the sanction of the President [Davis], the Cabinet, and General Bragg.”
1 General Lee had a good reason for not sanctioning such a proceeding then, for his own son was a captive, and held for retaliation whenever any Union prisoner should be put to death, and the plea that prevailed against it was, “It is cruelty to General Lee.”
The Conspirators were also ready to commit a still more diabolical act, by directing Libby Prison to be blown up with gunpowder, with its crowd of captives, in the event of the latter attempting to escape.2 For the twofold purpose of “firing the Southern heart” and offering to mankind some justification for a deed so revolting, on the plea of retaliation, the Conspirators caused to be published what purported to be copies of papers found on the person of Dahlgren, comprising an address to his men, a special order and memoranda, in which it was avowed that the object of the expedition was to release the Union prisoners, and, with their aid, destroy the bridges at Richmond with torpedoes and fire, murder “Jeff. Davis and his cabinet,” and burn the city.
It must be remembered that Dahlgren was not killed until two days after Winder had “placed in readiness,” according to the written testimony of one of Seddon's men, just cited, the powder for the massacre of the Union prisoners; so the plea of retaliation fails.
It was afterward clearly proven that the papers were forgeries, based upon instructions and orders found in Dahlgren's pocket, which in letter and spirit were in perfect accordance with the rules and usages of honorable warfare.
This invention of the Conspirators availed them nothing.
It only added another stain to the black character of the rebellion, and with the relative preparations for murder at Libby Prison, presents another evidence of the wickedness of its leaders.
In Dahlgren's special order, found in his pocket, he said: “As General Custer may follow me, be careful not to give a false alarm.”
This referred to an expedition on which Custer set out,
for the purpose, chiefly, of diverting the attention of the Confederates from that of Kilpatrick.
Custer crossed the Rapid Anna at Banks's Mills Ford, with fifteen hundred cavalry,3 in light marching order, flanked Lee's army on the west, and pushed rapidly on by way of Madison Court-House to the Rivanna River at Berner's Bridge, within four miles of Charlottesville,
1 A Rebel War Clerk's [J. B. Jones] Diary, March 5, 1864. The Richmond press, in the interest of the Conspirators, strongly recommended the measure. “Let them die,” said the Richmond Whig, “not by court-martial, not as prisoners, but as hostes human generis by general order from the President, Commander-in-Chief.”
2 A Rebel War Clerk's Diary, March 2, 1864. “Last night,” says the Diary, “when it was supposed probable that the prisoners of war at the Libby might attempt to break out, General Winder ordered that a large amount of powder be placed under the building, with instructions to blow them up if the attempt were made.” Seddon would not give a written order for the diabolical work to be done, but he said, significantly, “the prisoners must not be allowed to escape, under any circumstances ;” “which,” says the diarist, “was considered sanction enough. Captain----obtained an order for and procured several hundred pounds of gunpowder which was placed in readiness. Whether the prisoners were advised of this I know not; but I told Captain----it would not be justifiable to spring such a mine in the absence of their knowledge of the fate awaiting them in the event of their attempting to break out, because such prisoners are not to be condemned for striving to regain their liberty. Indeed it is the duty of a prisoner of war to escape if he can.”
3 These consisted of detachments from the First, Second, and Fifth Regulars, Sixth Ohio, Sixth Pennsylvania, First New York, and First New Jersey.
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