Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-05-04

got on ut all. Fancy n driving business
man of Wall street sitting down to a lonely
bachelor supper at Delmonico's and chat
ting away with his wife and children at the
Worlds fair in Chicago over the events and
pleasures of the day; then fancy President
Lincoln and cabinet, the whole country and
all the armies not in the fight waiting for
hours and hours in suspense over the issue
Mt Gettysburg; imagine Grant proposing to
absent himself. from army headquarters in
the midst of the siege Of Petersburg and
travel nearly 1000 miles to Nashville in
order to be in close communication with
Thomas, and think of Lincoln staying in
camp at the front, roughing it through all
kinds of disComforts and dangers to save
himself anxiety over the slackness Of war
news
Today a general could ring up the presi-
dent and read off battlefield reports be-
tween maps, and u president could ring up
the general at Nicksburg or New Orleans
to explain to him that some kearsarge had
sunk an Alabama that morning in the seas
of the Orient and that a Russian contingent
of allies landed in New York at noon would
be in Virginia ready to attack Fredericks-
burg next morning.
Bismarck fought the six weeks war of
1866 by rail ard telegraph, but that was the
first time electricity played II part at all
analogous to its position in affairs today.
Nevertheless the telegraph was a big thing
in the civil war, and the fact that it was
comparatively new and in an experimental
stage made the life of these operating it
one of exposure and daring. Telegraphy
was on trial, and so with its champions, and
it was often individual pluck that called
the pent up lightning to the scratch in time
of need.
The aucients made use Of swift runners
or Of men with phenomenal voices to carry
battle news and orders, while Napoleon
used carrier pigeons, like Caesar before him.
The first method in orr war TO come to my
notice was primitive indeed-simply line
of men stretched across the field passing
messages by word of mouth. The theory
was perhaps that there would be ravine
or hill or some sort of shelter for the men,
but it turned out that our people were
hemmcd in on an open plain, and the teleg-
raphers made better targets than did the
combatants, for they stood the ordeal
bravely. They were soldiers detailed from
the ranks Shortly after that enlisted men
who could handle the key were put to work
on a field telegraph, and the wires, strung
up on bGyonets or pointed saplinSs set in
the earth, came into use on every battle
ground. Every risk was taken to get line
working. When Yorktown was evacuated
young Ohioan named Lathrop, who was
an operator at headquarters, entered the
works with McClellans skirmishers and
hurried to the telegraph Office to test the
circuit. The wires had been cut and left
dangling from pole. lie quickly sprang
Co the foot Of the pole, intending to climb it
and make splice, but landed on a buried
torpedo and was so badly injured by the
49, oh ~ tI,,A 1, ia
few hours.
The getting at wires and establishing a
circuit was the first thought of the operator.
In moving into the enemy's country the old
wires, poles and offices were looked after
first. If they were destroyed or damaged,
as was often the case, other means had to
be improVsed. The wits of the operators
were equal to every occasion. Operator
Nichols at Summers Headquarters during
the Seven Days battles on the peninsula
found that he had only three feet of wire
with which TO tap n line ~ feet from the
ground The main wire was in constant
use, so he dare not ground it to make a
circuit, and General Sumner was anxious
TO telegraph to his chief. A pile of cracker
boxes was lodged against the pole, upon
which Nichols climbed and opened his Of
flee. 1t was dark, and he was com PEELED to
hang lantern on the wire in front of him.
The light gave the enemy good target
and they shelled it briskly, but Nichols
held the Office open until General Sumner
ordered him down. The daring operator
was q lad under IS.
Another witty eXpedient was the work Of
W. G. Fuller in Kentucky early in 1862
Morgan, the raider, captured his instru-
ments, and on reaching Columbia the office
was found dismantled The commanding
officer, General j. +. Boyle, had some inn
portant messages to sepd, and thinking that
Fuller was trifing with him threatened to
have him shot, To vindicate his good in
tentions as well as save his life the unlucky
operator, seized the ground wire in one
hand and the main wire III the otner, using
the ends as a key, and sent the matter on
its way. That was not difficult, but it was
necessary to get a return, which could only
be done by reading the shocks on the wire
This he managed to do by using the tip OF
his tongue as receiver. When mechanical
expedents were out Of the question, the
brave fellows were nothing loath to tackle
the situation with naked hands.
After Burnside was shut up in Knoxville
end Chattanooga fell under the attacks of
Sherman and Grant the secretary of war
ordered Knoxville relieved at once by Sher-
mans army. As it would take some days
to move the troops there, everything de
pended upon getting word to Burnside,
The telegraph manager in Louisville re-
ceived the word at midnight, and wiring it
in cipher to the four Union Offices nearest
Knoxville ordered the men in charge to
secrete the messages on their persons and
make their way by hook and crook through
the hostile lines to the belsaguered town.
Some of them got through, and Burnside
held out until succor was at hand.
Stephen L. Robinson, an operator and
cipherer attached to General A. j. Smith
raiding expedition into Mississippi in 1854
had disastrous adventure while carrying
his dispatches across country on horseback
Smith sent his cavalry under Grierson on
ahead to clear the road Of Forrest S cavalry
and after giving him start ordered Rob
inson to overtake him with some important
dispatches The operator had two orderlies
for escort. When the party was well out Of
the army lines, it fell into guerrilla am