Jefferson Davis and the Conspiracy

[Anita]

I haven't found any evidence that Lincoln was behind this. Besides it would work against his desire to have a peaceful reconciliation with the South after the war. However a lot of paper was destroyed by Stanton and Robert Lincoln that help to fuel speculation.

While reading on this subject I found references that the Dahlgren papers were photographed in 1864! I'm beginning to think maybe photography was used in the Civil War after all. I'm referring to the thread I recently posted on the practice of photographing records during the civil war.

These are just a few quotes referring to the "photographed" Dalgren papers taken from an article " The Dahlgren Papers Revisited" at http://www.historynet.com/jefferson-davis

"Other officers and bureaucrats in Richmond, however, refused to let the Dahlgren matter end. The notorious papers were photographed, and Secretary of State Benjamin sent copies to John Slidell, the Confederacy’s European envoy..."

"...On March 30, General Lee was instructed to send a set of photographs of the papers by flag of truce to the high command of the Army of the Potomac and ascertain if Dahlgren was acting under the orders of his government and superiors and ‘whether the Government of the United States sanctions the sentiments and purposes therein set forth."

"...In 1879, Early carefully examined a set of the photographs taken in Richmond of the original Dahlgren address to his men. There were three photographic prints: one each of the two pages on cavalry corps stationery, and a third showing the concluding six lines of the address and the signature. Early pointed out that the conclusion of the speech was written across the back of page one, and that the inked writing had seeped through the thin paper. In the signature this show-through of letters from page one was quite marked, and it was possible to read Dahlgren’s signature, Early thought, as a misspelling of his name..."

"Consequently, the present-day historical record of the Dahlgren papers consists of a badly faded set of the photographs taken by the Confederates, held in the National Archives;..."