Buchanan County bulletin and guardian., 1867-02-12
THE cLOTHEs-LINE TELEGRAPH.

/ III CLCAA Eo-LlG Il IGLLdAAPA.
In the early part Of the year 1863,
when the Union army was encamped
! at Falmouth and picketing the Kappa
hammock, the utmost tact and ingenui-
ty were displayed by the scouts and
videttes in gaining knowledge Of the
contemplated movements on the other
side; and here, as at various other
times, the sbrewdness Of the African
camp attendants was very remark
able.
One circumstance in particular
shows how quick the race are in learn
ing the art Of communicating by
signals:
There came into the Union lines a
negro from farm on the other side
Of the river, known by the name of
Dabney, who was found to posses a
remarkably clear knowledge Of the
topography Of the whole region, and
he was employed as cook and body
servant at headquarters. When he
first saw our system of army tele-
graphs the dea interested him intense
II, and he begged the operators to ex-
plain the signs to him. They did so,
and found that he could understand
and remember the meaning of the
various movements as well as any Of
his brethern Of paler hue.
Not long after, his wife, who had
come with him expressed a great
anxiety to be allowed to 20 over to
the other side as servant to "secesh
woman" whom General Hooker was
about sending over to her friends.
The request was granted. Dabney's
wife went across the Rappanannock,
and in few days was installed as
laundrcss at the headquarters Of
prominent rebel General. Dabney,
her husband, Oh the north bank, was
soon found to be wonderfully well in
formed as to all the rebel plans.
Within All hour Of the time tha.
movement Of any kind was projected.
or even discussed among the rebel
Generals, Hooker knew all about it.
He knew which corps was moving,
or about to move, in what direction,
how long they had been on the
march, and in what force: and all
this knowledge came through Dabney,
and his reports all turned out to be
true.
Yet Dabney was never absent and
never talked with the scouts, and
seemed to be always taken up with
his duties as cook and groom about
headquarters.
How he obtained this information
remained for some time a puzzle to
the Union officers. At length. upon
much solicitation, he untolded his
marvellous secret to one of our off,
GERS.
Taking him to point where a
clear view could be obtained Of Fred
ericksburg, he pointed out little
| cabin in the suburbs near the river
bank, and asked him if he saw that
clothes-line with clothes hanging ont
to dry. "Well" said he "that
clothes-line tells me in half an hour
just what goes on at Lees head
quarters. You see my wife over
there washes for the officers, and
cooks and waits around, and as soon
as she hears about any movement or
anything going ON, she comes down
and moves the clothes on that line so
can understand it in minute.
That there gray shirt is Longstreet,
and when she takes it off it means
he's gone down about Richmond.
That white shirt means Hill, and
when she moves it up to the west end
of the line Hills corps has gone up
stream. That red one is Stonewall;
he's down on the right now, and if he
moves she will move that red shirt
One morning Dabney came in and
reported movement over there.
But" says he "it don't amount to
anything. They'er just making be-
lieve."
An officer went out to look at the
clothes-line telegraph through his
field glass. There had been quite a
shifting over there among the army
flannels. But how do you know
but there is something in it 2"
do You see those two blankets
pinned together" asked Dabney.
/" Yes but what of it," asked the
officer.
"Why that's her way Of making a
fish-trap; and when she pins the
clothes together that way, it means
that Lee is only trying to draw us in-
to his fish-trap."
As long as the two armies lay
watching each other on the opposite
banks of the stream, Dabeny, with
his clothes-line telegraph. continued
to be one of the promptest and most
reliable of General Hooker's scouts.
-Erank Noore's anecdotes.