Charles Gustavus Dahlgren (1811-1888)
of "Dunleith" & Llangollen" Natchez; Brigadier-General (3rd Mississippi Regiment)
He was a brother of Rear-Admiral John A. Dahlgren who fought for the Union Army and made a fortune as the inventor of the "Dahlgren Gun". Before the Civil War, Charles owned 6,100-acres of cotton land in Tensas Parish (Louisiana) and operated one of the largest plantation-supply firms in Natchez, allowing him to build Dunleith and later (for his second wife) "Llangollen" (see images). On the outbreak war, he sided with the Confederates and with his own money raised two regiments, the 3rd and 7th Mississippi Infantry, and as a Brigadier-General he commanded the 3rd Brigade. However, his outspoken opposition to the nationalization of his men cost him his command and sparked a feud with Jefferson Davis and his family that lasted from 1862 to 1906. After the Civil War, he also lost his plantation and fortune and moved to New Orleans to practice law, ending his days in comparative poverty in Brooklyn, N.Y.
