, 1881-07-17
The Military Telegraph Boys in the
Department Of the Ten
neSSe6.
How the Force Was Organized, and the
Valuable Services 1t Per-
formed.
Incidents of a Service That Was
Often Fraught with Extreme
Peril.
The Kansas Jayhawkers and Their
Methods-Gcn. Grierson's Fa-
NOUS Raid, Etc.

Sp<e.a, Correspondence Of 7ne Chicago Tronne.
COLUMBUS, o., July 10.-1t is doubtless
true, as has been asserted, that there was no
branch of the Government service so ably
and cheaply conducte during the late Civil
War as was that Of the telegraph; for be It
remembered its successful service required
great skill us well as endurance on the part
OF those engaged i'll the work.
At the time the War broke out there were
comparatively few 'ss0und operators" III
the country,-tllat is to say, tclegraphers that
could readily read by sound and copy Ies1-
bly,. The nature of the service i'll the army
made it necessary for the Government to So
cure the very best operators and, while those
who still adhered to the register or paper i'll
strunetlt might do the service OF some per
lnanelit post or fort, they were not consld-
cred available, and were not employed eX-
cept when the necessities OF the case required
them.
The service performed by the employees of
the United States Military Telegraph was as
interesting as it was important, and Willie
many very good operators in the North went
into the service of the Government and ad-
yanced with the armies, there were many
wholly untitled for service in the front OIL
account of tinis!ity or nervousness, but place
them inside Of some 1OrtiGcatlUn or well back
from the front they would rcllder very val
uable assistance S1 important did the tcle-
x1apll become, and SO useful was it in COIL
1uu,licating news froul the front, that very
few commanders during the last two years
Of the War were without telegraph opera
tor when making any advance into the
enc1ny's country. III fact the telegraph
came to be looked upon as quite rs important
to the successful termination Of ii forward
movement as did the transportation of the
command itself. With the construction of d
telegraph line rs fast as the army moved for
ward assistance could be depended upon
when wanted, and supplies Of all kinds pro-
Sided in quick time. 1t can be said that no
department of the Government service WAS
more economically conducted, none that
rendered more aid. and certainly none that
RECEIVED LESS RECOGNITION
for tile labor performed. Beyond tile thanks
OF Superintendent or {. Division Command
ct, know Of but one Instance when officers
high III rank have ever made mention Of the
valuable service rendered by one of the tele-
gr:lph boys, even after reckless daring BY
them in tapping the Confederate wires and
obtaining Information of the most valuable
nature regarding the movement Of the
enemy. The telegraph buys who wcr, in the
front, who were usually selected to accom-
pany railing parties. rendered ITO little scry-
ICE to the Government during The four
Scars of war. Many wcre captured, and
40 prisoners ever Jared worse tll;ln
they. as many Ut the Confederate leaders
regarded tile tc1egrapher captured while
stcallng Information FROM their wires rather
as Il spy than an ordinary prisoner. III fact
the Confederate leaders III some parts Of the
So*tL were particularly anxious To gobb1e up
the Yankee operators, aud we're occasionally
successful.
The writer had some. little experience III
the Government service as a l!le,nber of the
anilitaly telegraph corps in the Department
2f The The Tennessee Capt W e. Fu!!er, now =
State, being the Superintendent, with head
quarters ut Memphis. | entered the service
:arly in February, 1861, and was assigned to
lake charge of the office ut Germantown, d
road, fifteen miles nut from Memphis, re-
Iieying Mt. Sam II. Bcckwitll. who directly
afterwards went 10 Elcksbnrs. with Gen.
firant. Be9kwitt was i tine-iuoking fellow,
a beautiful penman, Il 1irSt-cass operator, and
calculated to make friends Of all with whom
At came i'll contact Gen. Grant suoli
TOOK 4 PARTICULAR FANCY TO SAM,
and he was taken to Grants headquarters
and promoted to the position Of chief cipher
t'per:.tor Gen Grant re;;1iiied him in that
{tOSiA1Ult AAIluG CtlltIE " al.
ing the fact that l;eckwith often disappointed
him. 1t was noticed then for the first time
during the War that Grant was not 4 man to
desert friend under any ordinary circunl-
stances.
1t was novel experience at first to do
military te]esiapfiin.; the style of business
was entirely llrw, and, as there were n0
charges on kilograms within the military
lines, it can be imagined there was no breyity
in the dispatches, but, OH the contrary, it
appeared to BE- the great aim ot many officers
i'll the Conmis>a1y and Quarternaster De-
l'artn1ents to cover us illuch space as possi-
Bile. With single wire between Memphis
and Cairo, where all business for the North
was sent, and but one wire to Corinttl, Miss,
it may easily be imagined the crush Of mill
4ary business. to say nothing of commercial
and private dispatches that were crowded Up
on that one wire, WAS something tremendous.
uf all other, and only two hours in the day |
would commercial messages be received at
the larger offices, and then there could be no
given wien they would bc for |
folding. S50o-grcenbacA in 4 telegram blank, |
and, giving the clerk the wink, said: '' hope |
you will take this death message and send it |
ahead Of others that are not so lmportant-'' |
and the cnttUn-buyer told me afterwards he |
made So ,000 ly not being stingy.
II is proposed by the writer TO give a few |
"reminiscences and observations, the innrcs-
and the part taken by the tclcgrapiic fra |
ter,lity 50 fur as possible within the Depart |
1ne,t 1T the Tennessee To the old li1uers III
the telegraph service at that time who were
identified with the military telegraph these
letters MAJ, land louoticss will. revive pleasant
As one who accompanied Grier-
Eon and Hatch IN lnany Of their hard rides
after Forrest. ChalIurrs. and other Cunfeu-
crate leaders who were constantly cutting
our communications. n1:ll,y Of the boys of
the Sixth Illinois Cavalry, the Sey-
entfl Illinois Cavalry, the Second Iowa
Cavalry, as well as the Third Illinois, Ninth,
and many other organizations, will doubt
less smile and again talk over their cxpe-
rlences as incidents are referred to. No bet
ter men ever mounted 4 horse than were
those who composed the abnve-llanett COM
nla1,is, no body of men could endure more
and certainly none had better !
s1ayins qualities when under Il hot fire.
They were as generous as they were brave,
al,d
"THE LITTLE OPERATOR
Is the writer was faluiliarly called. received
many kindnesses from them Willie on the
march "nany years ago"
At the time the writer Joined the telegraph
corps and took charge OF the Germantown
office, there were many weli-knowll operat-
PTS IN the department. At Memphis was Mr..
VI. Is. SOmCr|ff]c NOW tlle agent t,f f{in Az