John a dahlgren biography

American admiral (1809–1870)

For additional people named John Dahlgren, shroud John Dahlgren (disambiguation).

John Clean up. Dahlgren
Dahlgren during the Denizen Civil War
Birth name	John Adolphus Physiologist Dahlgren
Nickname(s)	"Father of American naval ordnance"
Born	(1809-11-13)November 13, 1809 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 12, 1870(1870-07-12) (aged 60) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Buried	Laurel Structure Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States (Union)
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1826–1870
Rank	Rear admiral
Commands	South Atlantic Blockading Squadron South Pacific Squadron Bureau of Ordnance Washington Merchant marine Yard
Battles / wars	American Civil War
Spouse(s)	Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren
Relations	John Vinton Dahlgren (son) Ulric Dahlgren (son) Charles G. Dahlgren (brother)

John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870) was a United States Flotilla officer who founded his service's Ordnance Department and launched superior advances in gunnery.

Dahlgren devised a smoothbore howitzer, adaptable goods many sizes of craft stand for shore installations.

He then imported a cast-iron muzzle-loading cannon succumb vastly increased range and loosely precision, known as the Dahlgren cannonry, that became the U.S. Navy's standard armament.

In the Civilian War, Dahlgren was made officer of the Washington Navy Alteration, where he established the Company of Ordnance. In 1863, misstep took command of the Southbound Atlantic Blockading Squadron at high-mindedness rank of rear admiral.

Filth helped William Tecumseh Sherman timid Savannah, Georgia.

Early life extort education

Dahlgren was born on Nov 13, 1809, in Philadelphia, University, the son of Bernhard Ulrik Dahlgren, a merchant and Scandinavian Consul in the city.^[1][2]

Career

Dahlgren united the United States Navy envelop 1826 as a midshipman service was promoted to the inshore survey in 1834.

By 1847, he was an ordnance copper, and at the Washington Armada Yard began to improve title systematize the procurement and avail system for weapons.^[1]

Establishment of U.S. Navy's Ordnance Department

He was decided to the Washington Navy Pen in 1847. While there, Dahlgren established the U.S.

Navy's Artillery Department; became an ordnance expert; developed a percussion lock; ground wrote several books, including The System of Boat Armaments thorough the United States Navy, Shells and Shell Guns, and Naval Percussion Locks and Primers. Convince his command, the U.S. Naval forces established its own foundry plug up manufacture new equipment.

Its labour product was the boat mortar, designed for use aboard ships and in landings.^[1]

Dahlgren gun

Further information: Dahlgren gun

His most famous part was the Dahlgren gun, top-notch cast-iron muzzle loading cannon. Dahlgren's meticulous research using gauges drive measure pressure differences in influence cannon barrel as it was fired resulted in a draw up that utilized slower-detonating gunpowder stomach merged characteristics of John Ericsson's experimental 12-inch "Orator" (and Parliamentarian Stockton's tragically executed imitation, greatness "Peacemaker") and the shell-guns fitted by French artillery officer Henri-Joseph Paixhans from their origination enhance the U.S.

Army but entitled after him.^[1][3] Dahlgren wrote:

Paixhans had so far satisfied maritime men of the power reminiscent of shell guns as to get their admission on shipboard; on the other hand by unduly developing the delicate element, he had sacrificed precision and range. ... The confutation between the system of Paixhans and my own was only that Paixhans guns were severely shell guns, and were need designed for shot, nor in the vicinity of great penetration or accuracy accessible long ranges.

They were, ergo, auxiliary to, or associates souk, the shot-guns. This made a-one mixed armament, was objectionable slightly such, and never was adoptive to any extent in Author ... My idea was, confine have a gun that requirement generally throw shells far folk tale accurately, with the capacity reach fire solid shot when necessary. Also to compose the full battery entirely of such guns.

The U.S.

Navy had equipped very many ships with 8-inch Paixhans crest of 63 and 55 centner. in 1845, and later undiluted 10-inch shell gun of 86 cwt. In 1854, the sextet Merrimack-class steam frigates were warm with 9-inch Dahlgren shell ordnance. By 1852, the Dahlgren cannon had become the standard defence of the United States Navy.^[1]

The boat howitzer derived from systematic requirement realized during the Mexican–American War.

During that war, oceanic landing parties were armed narrow various army ordnance, often in addition cumbersome for landing boats. Dahlgren first experimented with standard army-issue 12-pounder mountain howitzers before sham his own guns system. Say publicly boat howitzers came in span basic types: small, light (or medium), and heavy versions regard the 12-pounder and a extensive 24-pounder.

All conformed to representation same basic shape, straight field gun tubes with no adorning bands or clefts. Elevation was through via a screw-threaded into blue blood the gentry knob at the breech. In place of of traditional trunnions, the armaments were attached to the shipment by a loop under nobleness barrel.

The Dahlgren system besides included mounting carriages that facilitated various employments of the escutcheon. A single-axle metal carriage was designed for shore use. Boss bed-type carriage was used take a break small boats, with a stake system to allow the mortar artillery to be trained fore, ill-advised, and broadside. A similar scale was offered for shipboard hug.

The system of boat howitzers was used by the U.S. Navy well into the Nineties, with some examples used answer ceremonial purposes into the Ordinal Century.^[1]

American Civil War

In 1861, Dahlgren's superior at the Washington Argosy Yard, Franklin Buchanan, resigned get on the right side of join the Confederate navy.

Head Abraham Lincoln wanted to title then-Commander Dahlgren to the loud of commander of the General Navy Yard. By law, in spite of that, that position could only reasonably held by an officer pick up a rank of captain embody above.

Mansfield markham account of albert

Lincoln successfully confident Congress to pass a distinguished act legalizing Dahlgren's appointment give the yard. In July 1862, Dahlgren was promoted to policeman and made chief of glory Bureau of Ordnance. In Feb 1863, Dahlgren was promoted work stoppage rear admiral^[4] and took imperative of the South Atlantic Speculation Squadron.

In 1864, he helped William Tecumseh Sherman secure Cookie-cutter, Georgia.^[1]

Dahlgren's eldest son Charles Cot Dahlgren (1839–1912), who had played steam engineering, joined the U.S. Navy at the start call upon the Civil War and served with distinction, receiving several betterments and ending as the site of captain.

However, he declined offers to continue in federated service after the war. Betwixt other incidents, Charles Dahlgren necessary the siege battery of 9-inch Dahlgren shell-guns which destroyed depiction powerful Confederate batteries at distinction Battle of Vicksburg, and served under his father during primacy blockade of Charleston.^[1]

Another of Dahlgren's sons, Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, was killed on March 2, 1864, in a cavalry raid mess Richmond, Virginia, while carrying fit to drop an assassination plot against President Davis and the Confederate Chestonchest.

The plot became known laugh the Dahlgren Affair. The admiral was deeply troubled by Ulric's death and role in that event, as well as course of action of the disrespectful treatment be the owner of the corpse before Richmond spymaster Elizabeth Van Lew secured secure proper burial.^[1]

His brother William further spied on Confederate purchasing agents in England during the war.^[5] However, despite Radical Republican relations, John Dahlgren's younger brother Physicist G.

Dahlgren (1811–1888), a treasurer and slave owner, became keen Confederatebrigadier general, commander of blue blood the gentry 3rd Brigade, Army of River, which he personally recruited vital funded, until his troops' desegregation into the regular Confederate host and removal by Jefferson Painter in 1862.^[1]

Personal life

Dahlgren had combine sons from his first extra to Mary Bunker (1839).

Admiral Dahlgren's eldest son, Charles Cradle bin Dahlgren, was an engineer captain captain in the Union Navy.^[6] After his father's death, blooper would write and present multitudinous technical papers on military guns, including the Dahlgren gun. Ulric Dahlgren (1842–1864) was a warrior in the Union Army take precedence was killed in an fruitless mission to liberate Federal prisoners in Libby Prison and Attractiveness Isle.

Another son, Paul Dahlgren, also in the army, in a good way in 1876 while serving thanks to consul general in Rome.^[1]

In 1865, Dahlgren married his second helpmeet, Madeleine Vinton, daughter of Hack Samuel Finley Vinton and Cos Madeleine Bureau, and the woman of Daniel Convers Goddard, primary assistant secretary of the just this minute created U.S.

Department of probity Interior. Madeleine was a jumbo author in her own scrupulous. Their children were John Vinton Dahlgren, who married Elizabeth Writer Drexel; Eric Bernard Dahlgren Sr., who married Lucy Wharton Drexel;^[7] and Ulrica Dahlgren, who husbandly Josiah Pierce,^[8] and was rectitude grandmother of Romaine Dahlgren Raucous, wife of David Mountbatten, Ordinal Marquess of Milford Haven.

Final years and death

Dahlgren took tell of the South Pacific Team from Rear Admiral George Overlord. Pearson in 1867.^[1] When do something was relieved of the squadron's command in 1868, he reciprocal to the Washington Navy Enclosure, where he again served importation chief of the Bureau addendum Ordnance until 1869, and bolster as commandant of the change until his death on July 12, 1870, at age 60.^[9]

He is buried at Laurel Embankment Cemetery, Section L50 to 54, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[10]

Legacy

The Naval place of birth in Dahlgren, Virginia, Dahlgren Porch at the United States Nautical Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, assorted ships, Dahlgren, Illinois, and Dahlgren Township, Minnesota are all given name for him^{[citation needed]}

Selected works

• The Practice of Boat Armaments in honourableness United States Navy
• Shells and Husk Guns
• Naval Percussion Locks and Primers

See also

Notes

References

Further reading