Evening star., 1897-03-26
LINCOLN STORIES
How He Told Them While Waiting
for War Dispatches.
MANY LONG HOURS SPENT IN WAITING
The "Cave of AduIIam" Incident in
1864.
AN AFTER-DINNER- SPEECH

At dinner recently given by the Metho-
dist Social Gnion at the Windsor Hotel
New York, Mr.. d. Homer Bates now vice
president of one OF the great New York
banks, was among the speakers, and gave
some interesting "reminiscences Of that
great. simple, wise and benefcent man.
Abraham Lincoln.
The rebel guns had scarcely ceased their
ominous firing upon Sumter in April
1851 said Mr. Bates, when, a lad of sew
enteen. | called to Washington for
service in the United States Military Tcle
graph Corps, where l remained until after
the close of the war. Those four years of
my early manhood were crowded with
events of momentous Importance. For the
first time III the conduct of a great war
the telegraph was brought into use, and
this use was constant, not only between
Washington and the headquarters Of the
commanding generals in the field, but also
between the several corps and brisades.
In the early part of the civil war some
of the old army officers were opposed TO
the use of the telegraph. as they favored
the old courier plan, but their objections
were soon changed to high praise when
they found the immense value of the tele
graph in army operations.
Grants Tribute.
General Grant in his memoirs says. re
ferring to the Military Telegraph Corps:
Nothing could be more complete than
the organization ard discipline of this bodv
of brave and intelligon mt men. Insulated
wires were wound upon reels-about 200
pounds to each reel. Two men and one
mule were detailed 10 each reel There
was a wagon with a telegraph operator,
battery and instruments for each divis-
ion, each corps, each army, ard one for
my headquarters. Thore were wagons load
ed with light poles with spike in one end.
used TO mold uD the wires, so that wag-
ons and artillery would not run over them.
The moment the troops were in position 10
go into camp all the men connected with
this service woad proceed 10 put up the
wires. mule loaded with a cell OF Wire
would he led TO the rear of the nearest
flank OF the brigade to which he belonged,
and ould be led il Il line parallel thereto,
while would hold end of the wire
and uncoIl il as the mule was led of. This
would be done in the rear of every brig
ade a the same time. Thus in few miii-
utes' longer tii.ic thar. ii .akes mule TO
wax the length Of its coil. telesl d phic
communications would be effected between
all the headquarters of the army. No
ders ever had 10 be given to establish the
tels gTapn.
During cer:ain eyentful periods our
practice was 10 maintain contin:o.is com-
munication between the War Department
and the headquarters in our immediate
front in Virginia. The operators at either
end were always duty: messages be-
ing transmitted without the sending office
being required TO go through the form of
calling or signaling the other operator.
who was expected to be hand to copy
the messages at any moment of the day or
night. We read with never falling inter-
est of the wars of Frederick the Great and
OF Napoleon. but there was no telegraph
in dave u
slowly. In our civil war however the tele-
graph brought al the armies close to-
gether. and although thousands of miles
apart. they were moved in conjunction al
mcst simultaneously, and news of victory
or of disaster was flashed instantly all
over the land. The history of our civil war
was thus written largely by telegraph.
Lincoln In the Office.
II am proud to have been in that service
respecting which Stanton. the great war
secretary. said IN one of his annual re-
ports as | find recorded in my war diary:
None have surpassed and few have equal
ed the diligence and faithfulness of the
United States Telegraph Corps
"All kilograms 10 and from the several
departments of the government passed
through the Var Department telegraph Of
flee, ana during those years the tail home
ly form of beloved President was seen
to cross the wel.shaded lawn between the
morning, afternoon and evening, with
ceaseless regularity. in order that he might
be on hand to hear the latest news from
the front. When a battle was imminent or
in progress he would remain in the tee-
graph office sometimes for hours together,
awaiting the news that would mean SO
mucE to the country and to himself. In
the Intervals of waiting he would write a
message of inquiry. counsel or encourage
ment to the general In command at head
quarters.
Thus in July, 1851, while the frs; Bull
Run battle was in progress. Lincoln sat
with Chase, Cameron, Winfield Scott and
others i'll the little telegraph office a, the
head of the stairs, half way between the
first and second floors. There they waited,
first with eager hope, then silently, al
most breathlessly, until the message came
announcing check to our arms: then with
glowing anxiety and fears, the SWELL
Ing tide of disaster swept over the wires
from Fairfax Court House. our nearest
station to the scene of the conflict
Significant Dispatches.
In the Yorktown campaign, May, 1862
after weeks of patient waiting for a for
ward movement of our forces, he tele-
graphed to General Mcclellan: Your call
for Parrott guns alarms me- because it ar
gues indefinite procrastination. Is any
thing to be done? And in December, 1863
he .telegraphed TO General Grant, Under
nooga and Knoxville is now secure, l wish
tc tender you and all under your command
my Tore than thanks-my profoundest
gratitude-for the skill, courage and per-
severance with which you and they over
SO great difficulties have effected that ina-
portant object. God bless you ALL
In the intervals also, he would tell one
of his inevitable stories. or converse on
special topics in such a way as to lead
some of his hearers to think him wholly
Indifferent to the awful questions of the
hour.
Once recall him speaking of the func-
tions OF the eye and brain. when one was
reading aloud from a newspaper or book
He said that in his boyhood days he had
come across a volume in which 1t was stat
ed that as each letter of the alphabet ap-
peared before the eye 1t was photograph
ed upon the retina, that the particular
letter was actually spoken aloud at the
exact moment its printed form appeared
before the eye. He discoursed at some
length en- this marvel, remarking upon the
attendant fact that the eye is capable of
receiving several distinct Impressions at
the same instant, and that these numerous
and oftentimes radically different impress
sions are Immediately communicated from
eye TO brain by means of the most deli
cate nerve centers; for instance, said he,
the eye may rest at the same instant of