Post on 16-Dec-2015
The Telegraph and
The Civil War
•Understanding Goal: – Good Communication Wins Battles
•Investigative Question: – How did the telegraph affect the outcome of the Civil War?
Civil War Myers “Wigwag” system Signal Flag, National Cryptologic Museum, Ft. Meade, Maryland
• 1835 - Invented • 1838 - Publicly demonstrated and funded• 1844 - First successful message sent• 1851 - Dispatch of trains by telegraph begins • 1861 - First Transcontinental Telegraph line• 1861 - Civil War Begins
Timeline for the
Telegraph
Davis, R. (1863) The first telegraphic message from California Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
Barr, C. (1853) Telegraph stations in the United States, the Canadas & Nova Scotia. Library of Congress: American Memory, Map Collections
1853 Map of Telegraph Lines
Lloyd, J. (1867) Lloyd's railroad, telegraph & express map of the United States and Canadas from official information. Library of Congress: American Memory, Map Collections
1867 Map Railroads and Telegraph
Port Royal, SC 1862
Norfolk, VA 1862
New Orleans, LA 1862
Vicksburg, MS 1863
Some Civil War battles were fought to control rivers and ports.
Gibson, J. (1862) Group on board the Monitor, July 9, 1862. [Stereograph] Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
Kurtz and Allison (1889) Battle between the Monitor and Merrimac--fought March 9th 1862 at Hampton Roads, near Norfolk, Va. Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
•First Manassas or First Bull Run (July 1861)
•Fredericksburg (December 1863)
•Siege of Petersburg and the Fall of Richmond (1864-1865)
•Appomattox Courthouse (April 1865)
Most Civil War Battles were fought to control railroads.
O’Sullivan, T. (1863) View looking South, showing how the Rebels destroyed the Orange and Alexandria Railroad when they fell back before the Army of the Potomac, under General Meade, October 13, 1863. [Stereograph] Library of Congress: American Memory, Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society
Why?
Corbett, V. (1851) Map of the seat of war : showing the battles of July 18th & 21st, 1861 / published by V.P. Corbett. Library of Congress: American Memory, Map Collections.
Telegraph Lines were built Along Major Roads and Railroads
Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft: Thursday 27th Feb 1862
“A great movement of troops over the river and from here over, has taken place. The Trains from the City going East have been stopped and no one is allowed to leave the City without a passport. All Telegraph lines as well as Railroads are in the hands of the Govt. Various reports are afloat in reference to the fighting over the River but nothing seems to be known. But there is little dou[b]t that the "Army of the Potomac" is on the move after its long season of inactivity. We shall hear of stirring news soon”
Taft, H. The Washington Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft Library of Congress: American Memory, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft
Railroads Supply the
Army
Barnard, G. (1864) Atlanta, Georgia. Federal army wagons railroad depotLibrary of Congress: Prints and Photographs, Civil War Photographs
Gardner, A. (1863) [Aquia Creek Landing, Va. View of the Federal supply depot] Library of Congress:American Memory, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865.
The Telegraph Could Tell the Generals:
• Where• When• Who• What• How
Davis, R. (1863) The Army telegraph - setting up the wire during an action The Army telegraph - the operator at work / sketched by Mr. A.R. Waud. A signal station at night / sketched Mr. Theodore R. Davis. Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
Telegram from Lowe to Gen F. J. Porter showing "American Telegraph Company" masthead, November 30, 1861Library of Congress: Exhibitions, Top Treasures - Battles of Manassas
Several telegraph companies helped the
armies communicate
Telegram to Lowe from Gen F. J. Porter showing "American Telegraph Company" masthead, November 30, 1861Library of Congress: Exhibitions, Top Treasures - Battles of Manassas
Lincoln’s Secretary of War coordinated the use of the telegraph between these companies.
Lincoln’s Secretary of War
was Edward Stanton
The telegraph was in the Department of War Office. Lincoln spent many hours there and visited almost daily.
Unknown (between 1860 and 1870) President and Cabinet: H. Hamlin, A. Lincoln, Edw'd Bates, E.M. Stanton, W.H. Seward, M. Blair, G. Welles, W.P. Fessenden, and J.P. UsherLibrary of Congress: Prints and Photographs
Stanton put Major Thomas T. Eckert in
charge of the Military Telegraph Service
Mulhollen and Mugridge (Between 1860 and 1865) [Petersburg, Va., vicinity. Maj. Thomas T. Eckert (seated, left) and others of U.S. Military Telegraph Corps]. Library of Congress: American Memory, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865
Unknown (between 1860 and 1865) [Portrait of Brig. Gen. (as of Mar. 13, 1865) Thomas Eckert, officer of the Federal Army]. . (as of Mar. 13, 1865) Thomas Eckert, officer of the Federal Army]. Library of Congress: American Memory, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865
Thomas Eckert
Eckert used two organizations to send and receive telegraph messages.
•The Military Telegraph Service(Civilians under contract to Military)
•The Signal Corps(Part of the Army)
The Military Telegraph Service brought fast, dependable communication to the battlefront
Knox, D. (1864) [Petersburg, Va. U.S. Military Telegraph battery wagon, Army of the Potomac headquarters]Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs, Civil War Photographs
Unknown (between 1860 and 1880) Bv't.-Gen. A.J. Myer Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
The Signal Corps
•General Albert James Myer, a doctor, invented the flag “wigwag” system of communication.
• As chief of the signal corps, he converted communication to telegraph where ever possible.
•How was this system limited?
•Why was it dangerous?
Unknown (1864) [Bermuda Hundred, Va. Photographer at Butler's signal tower Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
The Wig Wag system used flags to send messages from towers like these.
Unknown (1864) [Wilcox's Landing, Va., vicinity of Charles City Court House. Field telegraph station]. Library of Congress: American Memory, Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865
How was this an improvement?
Codes and Ciphers•Most telegrams had to be in code or cipher.•Why was this important?•What dangers did this pose?•Which of the below was better? Why?
Union Code Book and Confederate Cipher Cylinder, National Cryptologic Museum, Ft. Meade, Maryland
Confederate Cipher Cylinder
Union Code Book
Codes and Ciphers•The Union’s Codes were broken less frequently.•They were more complex
Union Code Book and Confederate Cipher Cylinder, National Cryptologic Museum, Ft. Meade, Maryland
Confederate Cipher Cylinder
Union Code Book
Results
Unknown. (ca.1861-ca.1865 Beauregard's Headquarters, Manassas [Stereograph]].Library of Congress: American Memory, Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society
• How did the telegraph improve communication?• What differences between the North and the South influenced communication?• How does communication win battles?
O’Sullivan, T. (c. 1866) McLean's House, Appomattox Court-House, Virginia where the capitulation was signed between Generals Grant and Lee / negative by T.H. O'Sullivan, positive by A. Gardner. Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs