Collection Summary
John Adolphus Bernard
Dahlgren Papers
1794-1889
(bulk 1826-1870)
1794-1889
(bulk 1826-1870)
MSS17624
Dahlgren, John Adolphus
Bernard, 1809-1870
10,000
items
38 containers plus 3 oversize
15.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
United States naval
officer, inventor, and author. Correspondence, letterbooks, journals, reports,
logbooks, orders, notebooks, nautical charts and calculations, scrapbooks, and
design drawings related to Dahlgren's activities in the development of ordnance
for the United States Navy and as chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Dahlgren, John Adolphus Bernard, 1809-1870.
Dahlgren, Ulric, 1842-1864--Correspondence.
Du Pont, Samuel Francis, 1803-1865--Correspondence.
Foote, Andrew H. (Andrew Hull), 1806-1863--Correspondence.
Fox, Gustavus Vasa, 1821-1883--Correspondence.
Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878--Correspondence.
Organizations
United States. Navy Department. Bureau of Ordnance.
United States. Navy--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Navy--Ordnance and ordnance stores.
Subjects
Ordnance--Design and construction.
Places
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations.
Occupations
Authors.
Inventors.
Naval officers.
Provenance
The papers of John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren, United States naval
officer, inventor, and author, were purchased by the Library of Congress in
1931 and 1939.
Processing History
The papers of John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren were arranged and
described in 1962. The finding aid was revised in 1998 and 2010, and the
collection was partially reorganized in 2007.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Adolphus
Bernard Dahlgren is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title
17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren are open to research.
Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to
retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1809, Nov. 13
Born, Philadelphia, Pa.
1826
Appointed acting midshipman, United States Navy
1833
Assigned to naval station, Philadelphia, Pa.
1834
Ordered to duty, United States Coast Survey
1839
Married Mary C. Bunker
1847
Ordered to Washington, D.C., for ordnance duty, United States
Navy
1861
Took command of the Washington Navy Yard
1862
Appointed chief, Bureau of Ordnance, United States
Navy
1863
Relieved Samuel Francis Du Pont in command of the South
Atlantic Blockading Squadron
1866
Assigned command of the South Pacific Squadron
1869
Returned as chief of the Bureau of Ordnance
1870, July 12
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (1809-1870) span the
years 1794-1889, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period
1826-1870. The collection includes correspondence, letterbooks, journals,
ordnance records, reports, official memoranda, notebooks, nautical charts and
calculations, design drawings, logbooks, scrapbooks, and printed matter and is
organized in the following series:
[
General
Correspondence
](genc),
[
Letterbooks
](letb),
[
Naval Ordnance
Records
](navo),
[
Miscellany
](misc),
and
[
Oversize
](ov1).
The papers document chiefly Dahlgren's pioneering career in the development of
ordnance for the United States Navy and as chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.
Notable in the collection is correspondence between Dahlgren and his son,
Ulric, journals kept by Dahlgren on early cruises as a midshipman, and ships'
logs recording his activities in the South Atlantic during the Civil War.
Correspondents include Samuel Francis Du Pont, Andrew H. Foote, Gustavus Vasa
Fox, and Gideon Welles.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in five series:
-
[
General
Correspondence, 1824-1889
](genc)
-
[
Letterbooks,
1859-1870
](letb)
-
[
Naval Ordnance
Records, 1826-1870
](navo)
-
[
Miscellany,
1794-1889
](misc)
-
[
Oversize,
1846-1868
](ov1)
Container List
Container
Contents
1-7
General Correspondence,
1824-1889
1824-1889
Letters received and copies of letters sent.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1824-1849
1824-1849
(25
folders)
2
1850-1855
1850-1855
(7
folders)
3
1856-1858, June
1856-1858, June
(4
folders)
4
1858, July-1861, Aug.
1858, July-1861, Aug.
(6
folders)
5
1861, Sept.-1863, July
1861, Sept.-1863, July
(7
folders)
6
1863, Aug.-1867
1863, Aug.-1867
(5
folders)
7
1868-1889, undated
1868-1889, undated
(9
folders)
8-18
Letterbooks,
1859-1870
1859-1870
Primarily copies of letters sent.
Organized alphabetically by type of file or subject and therein
chronologically.
8
Chronological file
8
1863, June-Nov.
1863, June-Nov.
(4
vols.)
9
1863, Nov.-1864, Apr.
1863, Nov.-1864, Apr.
(3
vols.)
10
1864, Apr.-June
1864, Apr.-June
(2
vols.)
11
1864, June-Sept.
1864, June-Sept.
(2
vols.)
12
1864, Sept.-Dec.
1864, Sept.-Dec.
(3
vols.)
13
1864, Dec.-1865, Mar.
1864, Dec.-1865, Mar.
(3
vols.)
14
1865, Mar.-June
1865, Mar.-June
(2
vols.)
14
Dahlgren, Ulric (1842-1864)
(son),
1859, Mar.-1864, Feb.
[
See Oversize
](letov1)
1859, Mar.-1864, Feb.
15
Extracts from consular
dispatches,
1864, Mar.-1867, Jan.
1864, Mar.-1867, Jan.
15
Ironclad reports,
1863, July-1864, Feb.
1863, July-1864, Feb.
(2
vols.)
15
Letters and general orders,
1866, Sept.-1867, Mar.
1866, Sept.-1867, Mar.
15
Miscellaneous correspondence,
1864, Dec.-1870, July
1864, Dec.-1870, July
(3
vols.)
16
Naval correspondence
16
1863, June-1864, Aug.
1863, June-1864, Aug.
(4
vols.)
17
1864, Aug.-1865, June
1864, Aug.-1865, June
(3
vols.)
18
South Pacific Squadron,
1866, Sept.-1868, Apr.
1866, Sept.-1868, Apr.
19-30
Naval Ordnance Records,
1826-1870
1826-1870
Reports, memoranda, notes and calculations.
Arranged chronologically.
19
1826-1848
1826-1848
(2
folders)
20
1849-1851
1849-1851
(5
folders)
21
1852-1854
1852-1854
(5
folders)
22
1855-1856
1855-1856
(3
folders)
23
1856-1857
1856-1857
(3
folders)
24
1858-1860
1858-1860
(5
folders)
25
1860-1861
1860-1861
(4
folders)
26
1862-1864
1862-1864
(4
folders)
27
1865-1866
1865-1866
(3
folders)
28
1867-1870, undated
1867-1870, undated
(5
folders)
29
Undated
Undated
(3
folders)
30
(3
folders)
31-38
Miscellany,
1794-1889
1794-1889
Journals, notebooks, logbooks, orders, reports, charts, designs,
drawings, scrapbooks, clippings, receipts, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material.
31
Admiral's logs,
1863-1865, undated
1863-1865, undated
(6
vols.)
32
Charts, designs, and drawings,
1846-1868, undated
[
See also Oversize
](ov2)
1846-1868, undated
(3
folders)
33
Clippings,
1834, 1854-1870, undated
1834, 1854-1870, undated
33
Journals
33
Dahlgren, John Adolphus
Bernard,
1826-1828, 1847, 1861
1826-1828, 1847, 1861
(2
folders)
33
Dahlgren, Ulric,
1863-1864
1863-1864
34
Navy registers,
1826-1834, 1865-1869
1826-1834, 1865-1869
34
Notebooks,
1865-1867, undated
1865-1867, undated
34
Notes on seamanship, celestial
navigation, and government,
1826-1833
1826-1833
(2
folders)
34
Orders,
1844, 1864-1868
1844, 1864-1868
(3
vols.)
35
Printed matter
35
1820-1889, undated
1820-1889, undated
(2
folders)
36
(1
folder)
36
Prizes taken,
1863-1865
1863-1865
(2
vols.)
36
Range practice and other ordnance
reports
36
1848-1849
1848-1849
(1
vol.)
37
(1
vol.)
37
1857-1858
1857-1858
37
Receipts,
1830s-1850s
1830s-1850s
37
Register of documents received
and forwarded,
1865-1868
1865-1868
37
Scrapbooks
37
Dahlgren, John Adolphus
Bernard,
1863-1870
1863-1870
38
Dahlgren, Ulric,
1861-1865
1861-1865
38
Staff logs,
1863-1864
1863-1864
(3
vols.)
38
Unidentified fragments,
1794, 1863, undated
1794, 1863, undated
OV 1-OV 3
Oversize,
1846-1868
1846-1868
Letterbook, letter, charts, designs, and drawings.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and
folders from which they were removed.
OV 1
Letterbooks
OV 1
Dahlgren, Ulric
OV 1
Letter,
lithograph,
1864 (Container 14)
1864
OV 2
Volume,
1859, Mar.-1864, Feb. (Container
14)
1859, Mar.-1864, Feb.
OV 3
Miscellany
OV 3
Charts, designs, and
drawings,
1846-1868, undated (Container 33)
1846-1868, undated