New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-27

A. Tho outbreak of the Rebellion the uso Of the
electric telegraph in the operations of war was so
numerically realized that permanent telegraph
corns formed no part of the system of any army IN
the world except that of Germany. II was reserved
for the United States 10 demonstrate the impor-
tnnre of a service without which no civilized power
now would think of setting detachment in the
field and to build it up from small beginnings
gradually and tentatively, yet with characteristic
American rapidity. until it attained vast extent
and an admirable efficiency. In the course of the
war the United States Military Telegraph Corps
built moro than $4,000 miles of line besides max
irq nse of the wires already erected by the existing
commercial companies We speak of the "lelc-
rraph Corps as a matter of convenience, but III
fact the employees were never organi%eu ny inc
official designation of corps ana only certain OF
the higher functionaries had military rank Inc
first telegraph service under the direct control OF
the War Department was established by Coloncl
Thomas A. Scott, in April, SCI, and the general
superintendcnce of the work was committed to
Andrew Carnagie Que of Colonel SCOTS ablcst
assistants in the affairs OF the Pennsylvania Kali
road. The chief operator. and the real manager
under Carnage, was David Strcuse, Il young Iaii-
road man OF TWENTY-FIVE who died few months
LATER after giving proofs Of great capacity ii Is
an interesting fact that large proportion OF the
operafurs and other members of the corps were boys
in their teens and some of these lads ds'lnS"7hV"
themselves by the most adventurous ana ingenious
exploits. carrying the lines through dangerous
country overcoming extraordinary obstacles, ana
rjsklng capture or death When a sudden necessity
.rosc carly in the war for establishing communi-
cation between Washington and General Banks 5
army OH the upper Potomac, there was net me
of wire nor a spare nsuaor in the military depart
,ucnt James H. Gilmore. the Telegraph Superinten-
don't for that department. was youth under age.
Getting his orders m night, nc arranged tor collect
ing material at the North, started on horseback III
the morning to have the poles set, frightened the
disloyal farmers on the route into letting HIM nave
the timber and in two DAYS the line, thirty miles
long. was completed bT the labor OF green hands.
The Government received the most cordial assist
auce from all the telegraph companies at tue North'
and MI Plum states that for seven months the
American Telegraph Company furnished nearly all
the money and supplies required tor the military
telegraph in the Department of the Potomac
In No,ember. JsGl the service regularly
oroanized by the appointment of Arson Stager as
General MANAGE, subject only to the secretary o.
War He received shortly afterWard the rank oil
Colonel and his division subordlnates were COM
1nissioncd as Observation-Disclosures, Thomas l.
Tckert heading the list with the rank of MAJOR,
and having especial charge of the Department oil
the Potomac Colonel Siager and his cher
assistant soon acquired National reputation. vi
the former while be was sup rintendent of the
Western Union Company, MI. Plum tells the
following story
On one of Staccr's many trips in the interest OF
his compaur an engine on the PIttsburg, Fort
WAYNE and Chicago Railroad broke duwn at nighi;
nine miles from Office. Stagcr cut the WIRE ana
ly touching the ends telcCraphed toPlttsbnrg ana
Brighton for another engine. BY nXnG one end al
the line above and the other 1epeath MS tongue
which he pro iected out TO view the electric pulsl-
tions gave Vbrat0rv inoVcmcnt similar 10 thaJ
OF Telegraph arnatnIe. which Is oiteh useu TO
read from. Thus Mr.. Stagcr could see ana Icad
the involuntary oscillations OF his tongue. a. one
can those of an armature. which he may not near
and thus he received reply that another engine
would he sent at This feat has not ceased 10
be remarkable even in tie light OF frequent electric
surprises
A similar exploit is recorded in this work rs
having been performed by Captain W. G. Fuller
an operator with the army IN Kentucky, except
that Fuller interpreted the message by the length
of the shocks received the tongue instead OF by
watching the vibrations. On the day Of the battle
of Gainess Mills Jesse Bunnel, bOy-opcrator at
tached to Fitz John POrters headquarters, missed
his way during the retreat. After some wandering
he struck a road and Il telegraph, and dis overcd at
the same time that Porter's Corps, hand pressed by
the rebels was forming line of battle about a hun
bred yards in his lie AT once cut the wire
attached his instrument sat down behind a tree
and called headquarters:
Mcclellan and the officers abor him egarded the
opening of teegTaphc communications al mat point
and moment as a god>cnd. Bunneu having no
oIderlirs, General Mcclellan seut telegram to
him to STOP the first mounted officer or solder
passing that road. aud order him in McClellans
name to take "a message to General Porter 10 schu
Bnnhel fifteen mounted oTderlies. and 10 commuui-
cate with Mcclellan at once by telegraph. This
was done. and for several hours Bunnell sat very
close to that tree and sent and received many mes
sages az to the progress of the battle Of wDlCh
Bunnel himself receiving very fan sample
The battle in fact was fought by the telegraph
thus unexpectedly made available through the
pluck of a lad yet in his teens. Bunnell remained
at his dangerous post until the whole force fell
back. Operator Nichols age under eighteen, was
with Sumner during this campaign. On The retreat
from Seven Pines Sumner wished to communicate
with Mcclellan one direction and with General
Smith in the other Nichols had only three feet OF
spare WIRE and he could not cut the main line
without lnterrupiing communication between
Mcclellan and Smith He accordingly piled up
cracker-boxes to the top of a telegraph pole, and
tapped the wire without breaking the circuit. He
kept this Office open for several hours after dark,
using a lantern which made excellent mark for
the enemy The cracker boxes sustained consid-
cradle fire. but the Office was not closed until
ordered by Sumner"
Mr. Plum WAS an operator with the army of Gen
eral Thomas and when he joined the corps lie
only sixteen. Some of his comrades were still
Younger The record of the service performed by
the telegrapbers is arranged by military depart
ments and interviewer with narrative of the war.
and some notable dispatches which passed over the
military wircs-many OF them never before pub
lished-aie given in the course of the story. The
author has been fortunate in obtaining the personal
Ieminiscen of a great many army operators, so
that his book abounds with incideAts of a variety
of campaign life which has hitherto lacked a
chronicer. and is not without details which have
value Tor the military historian. He tells of
dor;ro al v.ntures breadth .scauas su0erinrs