The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-09-03
rHe MILITARY TELEGRAPH CORPS.
Great Assistance Rendered During the
War-Telegraph Operators.

Mr.. T. B. A. David, well-known
electrician of PittsbIrg, was one OF the
five men commissioned by the govern
ment during the war of the rebellion to
manage the military telegraph service.
Speaking on the subject recently, Mr..
David said: "At the beginning OF the
war some of the prominent old army
officers were opposed to the use OF the
telegraph, favoring the old courier plan.
In constructing the first military tele-
graph line, we therefore bent all OF our
energies to break down this prejudice,
and before had completed it following
McClellan's army into West virginia.
these very men came to me in high
praise of its usefulness. They were en-
phatic as to how impossible it would be
to conduct war on large scale without
It. This may seem incredible in our
day, but it is nevertheless fact"
During the war the military tele-
graph corps, consisting of about 1,200
operators and a sufficient force of line
men, built and operated 10, ,3S9 miles OF
telegraph lines exclusively devoted to mil
itary purposes. In addition many lines
of commercial companies were tempo
rarily from time to time made use OF
by the government. When Mcclellan
sat before Yorktown the wires became
his trusty sentinel. 1t was at this place
that well-known operator, Mr.. Lath-
rop, was killed by torpedo. The wires
followed Mcclellan into the wilderness,
and, threading the forests and swamps
of the Chickahominy, by day and night
kept him advised of events, and made
known at Washington by frequent daily
telegrai11s his hopes, his fears, and his
wants Here the field telegraph was
first practically tested for tactical pur-
poses. and here at Gaines Mill it saved
the Union army from utter rout. From
Harrisul's Landing it maintained COM
munirution with the north until the
army went t. reinforce Pope. 1t fol-
lowed VI Dawel's cooperating force to
Frodc 'irkslptrg. Banks up the Shenan-
do, a lo. Fremont in the Alleghenies,
an a: Il j them to cooperate to drive
j. :. out of the valley, and protect
P. vania and Washington. 1t fol-
ln, e. Gen Cox to Gauley Bridge, w.
v. and via Raleigh to Princeton, and
it brought Federal Gen. Morgan, operat-
ing against Cumberland gap, Kentucky,
into the telegraph union, and soon kept
that Sebastopol OF America in communi-
cation with Buell. at Shiloh, via Lebanon
junction, KY, and Nashville, and an
nounced the defeat of Beauregard's
army.
1t followed Foote to Fort Henry, and
Grant to Donelson, whence it was ex-
tended, making two routes, to Nashville.
The corps quickly gladdened the Union
people with Mitchels wonderful sue
cesses in northern Alabama and en-
abled him to capture valuable railroad
trains by false kilograms transmitted
over confederate wires, by means of
which eighty-four miles of Memphis &
Charleston railroad were captured in a
few hours and Corinth and Chattanooga
menaced. 1t was by the use of the tele-
graph that Grant at jackson subse
quently overlooke affairs in his depart
ment, prepared Rosecrans for his splen-
did defense at Corinth, and brought
Ord to Bolivar to cooperate with Nc
Pherson from Jackson in the pursuit of
Van Dorm deafted army. Even Curtis,
at Pea Ridge, Ark, was but Il few miles
from the telegraph builders. who were
rushing their work with the greatest Ia
pidity while he was fighting "a magniti-
cent battle. After completing this line,
that from st Louis to Pilot Knob, Mo-,
was extended over 200 miles to Bates
vile, Ark, Curtis new base. Thus all
along the armed front sped the electric
tongue Over 1000 miles of
military telegraph were in operation,
embracing parts Of the states of Pennsyl-
varia, Ohio Indiana, Illinois, Maryland,
Delaware, Virginia, Mississippi, Arkan-
sas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri
Kansas, and soon after also North Caro-
lima, Louisiana, and Indian Territory.
BY the efforts of personal friends the
history of the telegraph operators has
the entire number 199 were either killed,
died of disease, or We're captured while
in the line of duty 1t is estimated that
more than 100 others suffered from the
casualties of the service. The fact that
at least twelve members of the corps
were killed by the enemy, that probably
fifty died in the service, that not less
than ten were wounded, and full 200
captured, attest beyond question the
danger incident to service in the mill
tary telegraph corps of the Union army in
the war of the rebellion. OF the 1,150
operators engaged in and surviving the
service, there were, four years ago, when
society was organized, over 440 alive.
-Pittsburg Commercial Bulletin.