Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-01

of the Lutheran seminary, which COM
manded an extended field of operations.
The most important Union signal sta
ton on the second day of this titanic
struggle was at Little Round Top, on the
Federal left flank, which commanded a
view of the country occupied by the right
of Lees army. Heavy was the price paid
for fagwork at this point, where the men
Were exposed to the fierce shrapnel of
artillery and the deadly bullets of Con-
fedcrate sharpshooters in Devils Den.
ON or beside this signal station, on bare
rock about 10 feet square seven men
were Killed or seriously wounded.
"At Fredericksburg hagwork and teIe-
scepie accommodating were supplemented
by the establishment of field telegraph
line connecting army headquarters with
Franklins grand division on the extreme
left. The flag station at headquarters
kept Burnside in constant touch with the
federal attacking force on the right under
Couch and Hooker through their signal
men in the court house steeple. One sta
ton near a field hospital was under fire
which killed about 20 men and wounded
many others near by. until the surgeons
asked suspension of tagging to save the
lives of the wounded.
THE fleets of Farragut and Porter,
while keeping the Mississippi open. car
ried signal officers to enable them to
communicate with the army, their high
masts and lofty trees enabling signals
to be exchanged great. distances. Doubt
less the leftiest perch thus used during
the war was that ON the United States
ST. Oh fah, 90
quits fleet at Port Hudson The
Richmond was completely disabled by
the central Confederate batteries while
attempting to run past Port Hudson, her
signal officer working meanwhile in the
main top. As the running of the bat
teres was thus found to be too danger
Gus, the vessel dropped back and the Sig
nal officer suggested that he occupy the
very tip of the highest mast for his
working perch, which was fitted up 1856
feet above the water. From this great
height it was barely possible to signal
over the highland occupied by the foe
and thus maintain uninterrupted com
munication and essential cooperation be-
tween the fleets of the central and lower
Mississippi.
An amusing application of signal
stores was made at the siege of Knox
VILE when Longstreet attacked at dawn.
Sending up a signal by roman candles
to indicate the point of attack, the sig
nal officer followed it by dscharging
the candles toward the charging Confed-
crates which not only disconnected some
of them, but made visible the advancing
lines and made possible more accurate
fire by the Union artillery.
while at Missionary Ridge the fol-
lowing message was tagged at a critical
point: Sherman-Thomas has carried
the hill in his immediate front Now IS
the time to attack with yigor. DO So
Grant Other signal work of value in
tervened between Missionary Ridge and
Allatoona. so that the signal CORPS was
placed even more to the front i'll the At
lanta campaign and during the march to
the sea. The Confederates had changed
their cipher key, but Sherman's indie
fatigable officers ascertained the new
key from intercepted messages. thus Civ
ing the general much important informa-
ton.
Several stations for observations We're
established in high trees, some more than
100 feet from the ground from which
were noted the movements of the various
commands, of wagon trains, railroad
cars, etc. Hoods gallant sortie from At
lahia was detected at its very start
and despite the severity of the fight, dur
ing which one flagman was killed mes
sages We're sent throughout the battle
even over the heads of the foe
I'm the approaches and siege of Peters
burg the work of the signal corps was al
most entirely that of telescope recon-
noiterins. While an occasional high
tree was used for a perch, yet the coun-
try was 50 heavily timbered that signal
towers were necessary. There were
nearly dozen lines of communication
and hundred separate stations. The
most notable towers We're Sobb's Hill. f25
feet; Crows Nest, 126 feet. and Feeble $
Farm, 145 feet, which commanded views
Of Petersburg, its approaches, railways
most notable towers We're Cobbs Hill. l25
AppomattoX was particularly irritating
and caused the construction of an ad-
vance Confederate earthwork mile dis
tant, from which fully $50 shot and shell
We're fired against the tower in q single
day with slight damage, however Sim
liar efforts were made to destroy Crows
Nest. Gen. a. w. Greeley in american
,eYieW of Reviews.