The Dahlgren Series is named after an event that happened in King and Queen County during the Civil War. In 1864 an advanced force of General Kilpatrick, lead by Col. Ulric Dahlgren, was trying to penetrate the rear defenses of Richmond in order to release prisoners from Belle Island. On March 2nd, this force was ambushed by the 9th Virginia Calvary and Home Guard near Walkerton, King & Queen County. The ambush, often referred to as the Battle of Walkerton, lead to Dahlgren being killed and most of his men being captured.

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A 13-year-old boy, named William Littlepage, searched the body of Col Dahlgren, hoping to find a pocket watch. Instead, Littlepage found two folded papers that he gave to his teacher, who happened to be a Captain in the Virginia Home Guard.

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This Captain, upon reading the papers, found that they were orders to burn the City of Richmond and assassinate Jefferson Davis. The papers were sent up the chain of command and eventually reached the desk of the Secretary of War and to Jefferson Davis as well. At this time they were released to the papers and circulated around the Confederacy as well as to Europe to show the level of "barbary" that the Union was capable of.

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The Union quickly called the papers fake and insisted that they were created by the Confederates as a way to weaken the Union War Effort. 

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Both sides stuck by their version of the story and cried foul of the other side thus leaving a sour taste in the mouths of all involved. This is where we have taken the name for our series of Gose's. The sour taste of the whole "affair" is represented in this style of beer with a tart finish.

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If you would like to read more about the Dahlgren Affair check out the links below:

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Full Text of the Dahlgren Papers

Smithsonian Channel Special of the Papers

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