The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-14
SECRET SERVICE Or THE
CONFEDERACY.
Some Mysteries of War Times.

spoke from personal observation and
experience. which made his lecture all
the more interesting The speaker was
introduced by DR.. w. O. Mcdowell who
took great pleasure, he said, in intro
ducing his friend and former instructor.
A large audience greeted DR.. Taylor
and he held their attention for about
an hour, and the audience was sorry
when he stopped.
DR.. Taylor shows the marks of great
student: and when you see him stand
before an audience you feel at once
that you are in the presence OF one OF
natures pure and scholarly noblemen
whose thoughts are on an elevated plane
and whose every ideal is high one.
DR.. Taylor described the unpreten-
tiOus building on Bank Street IN Rich
mond in which was the Signal Service
office during the years of the Confed-
eracy. Here centred great deal Of
interest of those who were in high au-
thority in the Contederacy. and others,
as it was the point from which impor-
gathered Several hundred men were
engaged in the secret service. All were
mounted and each one carried behind
his saddle three flags, white and red and
blue. These flags were used by these
secret service men as signals to different
parts of the army at different points in
the valley or on the hill tops. They
had a mysterious alphabet which they
made by certain waves OF these flags.
When the secret service man reached
point from which he wished to signal
he cut him staff some or 10 feet
| long and attached his flag to it. The
white flag was used when the back
ground was the blue sky, the blue one
was used when the background was
the green foliage OF the hills or noun
tains and the red was used when the
background was snow-covered noun
tain. Sometimes signals were sent
several miles in as many minutes. One
on the hilltop would signal to one in
the valley, who In turn would signal to
the next hilltop, and son on.
BY this means the army In the valley
was frequently informed by the signal
man on the nearest eminence. Certain
waves of the flag were certain letters.
At night these signals we're made by
torches which were made with wick
and a canteen of turpentine which
every signal man carried.
DR.. Taylor described also the system
of signals for blockade boats on the
Potomac river. These were lanterns in
the hands of the signal man on the
shore. There we're cipher signals also
which were sent by telegram to all
parts of the South. Various other
things were described in the lecture
such as the work of spies and the mail
service DR.. Taylor said there was
almost as regular mail from Richmond
to Washington and Baltimore during
| the war, until near It's close, as there is
now. Papers printed in Washington
and Baltimore one morning were read
in Richmond the next. Many letters
we're sent through from the South to
the North and from the North to the
South. DR.. Taylor closed with de-
scription of thrilling incident OF a
young lady coming across the lines into
Richmond, and when she was escorted
| to hotel she took scissors and clipped
the buttons from her cloak and when
| the buttons fell of there was found in
in each one message written on white
silk, and so artfully was the work done
that it perhaps would never have been
| discovered until the cloak had worn
out.
The lecture was greatly enjoyed by
all who heard it.
DR.. Taylor was here in the interest
of the Royal Chair endowment which
he is working up for Wake Forest, and
he feels hopeful and encouraged tc
press on in the work. He raised some
money here.