The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-12-27
TALES OF MILITARY TELEGRApHERs
rangers Rraved by Operators in the Dis
charge of Duty.

of an operator in the United States Mill
tary Telegraph service during the civil
war was one of hardship. often of danger.
Many interesting and thrilling incidents i:
this branch might be told.
During Gen. Summers retreat from
Seven Pines 10 Hari'isOn's Landing. Opcr-
| ator Nichols accompanied the retiring
Union force. The field telegraph line ran
from McClellan's headquarters, at Savage
Station. Ia Gen. Smiths. at the farther
end. 10 the right of the railroad, near Sew
en Pines. Sumner, about Seven Pines.
was nearest the enemy. When the forces
of the latter retired he ordered Telegraph
/ or Nichols TO leave the wire intact belev-
ling that Smith might have occasion TO
communicate with Mcclellan.
! Upon reaching the railroad it was found
thar Gen. Thomas Wilson. Chief Commits
! Sary of the Army Of the Potomac. had ac-
cumulated vast quantities of subsistence
stores there. Gen. Sumner summoned
| Nichols to his temporary quarters and
said:
Il want TO have Geographic talk with
/ Gems. Mcclellan and Smith about impor-
! tant matters. Can you connect your in
struments with the wircs:''
Nichols informed Gen. Sumner that he
| had but three feet of wire with him, and
ii would therefore be impossible to make
| connections from the pole top to the
ground. The only apparent cXpedient was
to ground the main line hut to do this
might cause serious results. as it would
cut off either Mcclellan or Smith.
The war telegrapher at this moment
spied great stacks of bareback boxes in
| the vicinity of the railroad tracks. With
! the assistance of several men furnished
by Gen. Wilson the boxes We're piled up
to the top of the telegraph pole and an
office established on the Shaky and dizzy
perch. The three feet of wire was con-
| nectcd with the main line and commune
| cation established without breaking the
circuit.
This novel aerial Office was kept open
several hours after dark. In order that
Nichols might see TO write the messages
he received and 10 read those he sent, he
was furnished with a lantern. which he
suspended from the telegraph wire before
him. The light from the lantern afforded
the Confederates an excellent target. and
their artillery and sharpshooters soon
opened fire on the cracker-box station in
mid-air.
Bullets whizzed by Operator Nichols
and shells burst close TO his perch. Mimic
balls struck the bareback boxes, but the
brave Nichols stuck to his post and the
office remained open until Gen. Sumner
ordered it closed late that night.
This same operator during the battle Of
Mechanicsyille worked telegraph instru-
ment just in rear of the Union artillery,
which was firing all the time, and in turn
receiving heavy fire from the enemyS
guns. His position was one of the great
est danger. Many soldiers in rear of his
station sought shelter behind bales of hay.
Nichols maintained communication with
the commanding officers until his line was
smashed by a shell, when he was ordered
to retire.
The army telegraphers suffered Sc
yerely during the Peninsular campaign,
several being killed and wounded, while
others We're stricken down with feyers. 4
telegraph line builder, John A. Carson,
from Pennsylvania, was at the top of q
pole repairing the wire when a Parrot
shell passed directly under him and ex-
ploded short distance in the rear. The
shock and fright caused him to become in
sane.
June %, Gen. Mcclellan sent over the
military lines from his headquarters TO
Secretary of War Stanton this memorable
dispatch:
IF l save this army now, 1 tell you
plainly that L owe no thanks to you or any
other person in Washington. You have
done your best to sacrifice this army"
At the time this message was sent 5000
Union soldiers lay dead or wounded about
Gaines's Mill.
Duncan Il. Bacon, Chief of Military
Telegraphers with Gen. Halleck at Pitts
burg Landing, from necessity opened a
bI lHt river at IllaI
place. Soon after BacOn's arrival at the
Landing he assisted in laying cable
across the stream. The line having been
built from Savannah, communication was
completed to Nashville. The cable was
too short to cross the river, but long
enough to reach a fallen tree which pro-
jected from the bank some distance over
the water. Bacon quickly decided to es-
tablish his office on the outer end of the
tree. On this unique station Operator l..
ID. Parker, straddling the tree trunk,
opened his Office. The telegraph instru-
ment was placed on the trunk, while
limb of the tree held his writing-paper
and clip. Parker long sat astride the log,
sending and receiving dispatches of im-
portance, while great clouds of fierce mos
quitOes surrounded and attacked him.
There were numerous instances during
the war where military telegraphcrs by
rushing" messages of pardon from Presi-
dent Lincoln for prisoners condemned TO
death, and by using other eXpedicnts bare
ly saved the lives of the condemned ones
at the last minute. During Gen. Hunters
raid through Virginia two soldiers (substi-
tutes), exhausted from long marches and
the scantiness Of food, became stragglers
and fell into the hands of the COnfeder-
ates. Their captors by threats to kill pre-
vailed upon them to enter the rebel scrv-
ice They accepted with the purpose of
escaping to the Union lines at the first
opportunity. They were assigned TO Har-
ny GilmOre's raiders, and accompanied
this motley force on q raid along the B. &
o. Railroad. The two Federals were cap
tured by a United States force and taken
to Harper's Ferry in irons. There they
We're recognized.
The military authorities made out
good case against the unfortunate men,
and they were duly sentenced to be shot
to death. The day before the time fixed
for their execution the prisoners told their
story to Catholic Chaplain. 1t was cor
robOrated by a Confederate prisoner The
priest telegraphed to President Lincoln
full details of the case and urged his in
PREVENTION to save the mems lives.
The operator at Harper's Ferry, ID. J.
Ludwig, awaited patiently and anxiously
10 hours for reply from the kind hearted
President. But early on the following
morning it was found that all the wires |
TO Baltimore and Washington were down. |
They were still silent at noon, and the |
prisoners had but single hour longer TO
live. The operator constantly adjusted his
instrument, but could not get the slightest
current Of electricity.
While patiently waiting at his key. the
sad strains of the dead March" were
borne TO his ears, and the funeral process
sion passed his window. the condemned
men sitting upon their collins in a wagon.
A reprieve for the two men had been re-
ceived at the Baltimore Office at 10 o'clock
in the forenoon. But 80 miles interviewed