Admiral Dahlgren

John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (1809-1870) was a U.S. Navy officer who founded the Navy's Ordnance Department and was responsible for advances in howitzers and cannons to serve the needs of the Navy. The Dahlgren Gun was an invention of his, a cannon with greatly increased range and accuracy. During the Civil War Dahlgren's superior at the Washington Navy Yard joined the Confederate forces so President Abraham Lincoln persuaded Congress to promote Dahlgren to the rank of Captain so that he could become Commander of the Washington Navy Yard. He was then promoted to Rear Admiral in the Union Navy in 1863. He briefly took command of the South Pacific Squadron after the Civil War but returned to the Washington Navy Yard shortly before his death.