The military telegraph during the civil war in the United States, with an exposition of ancient and modern means of communication, and of the federal and Confederate cipher systems; by Plum William R

Author:Plum, William R[attle] [from old catalog]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Military telegraph, Telegraph
Publisher: Chicago, Jansen, McLurg & co.
Published: 1882-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

T\xo days and nights Robinson was in the saddle before overtaking Grierson. At Okolona, important telegrams announcing the coming of reinforcements, were intercepted. The Federals

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promptly attacked the enemy at Egypt, nearby, and while whipping the force m front, other troops turned against and repulsed another which had just arrived.

Robinson frequently connected his instrument with the main line as Grierson moved on toward Meridian. One night, taking two orderlies, he went beyond the troops, and attached his pocket instrument to the wire, and listened for two hours to the passing telegrams. In this way the operator was of very great service, as he gained much valuable information.

During this trip, Grierson, Captain Woodard, Robinson, and perhaps six others, chanced to precede the command several miles, to find themselves suddenly confronted by a company of rebel scouts who would surely have captured the little party, had not the General audaciously commanded a charge. The Confederates, like sensible men, supposed the Federals had more coming, and hurried off, as they ought, leaving Grierson and his party to lionize themselves.

Striking across the country south-westerly, the Mississippi Central Road was badly damaged, and finally after several minor conflicts, the force reached Vicksburg with five hundred prisoners, eight hundred beeves and one thousand negroes.

An immense drove of hogs was captured en route^ which the soldiers tried to drive into Vicksburg, but the swine were obstinate; they preferred all ways but the right one and once in a while it seemed as if the devils had again entered these "unclean " beasts; now they are in the very midst of the force, tumbling horse and the rider, who usually rose with blasphemy escaping from his lips, while the laughter of the more fortunate drowned the wickedness, so that no record was ever made against the fallen ones. Anon, the quadrupeds were in the bush where horses could not go, and then his hogship began rooting with provoking nonchalance. It was ultimately decided to corral the animals in a lot and shoot and bum them. Accordingly they were killed, the fire applied, and that great mass cremated.

In the Gulf Department where General E. R S. Canby was located, and concerning which, we have in this chapter had glimpses, but little (unrelated heretofore) of special moment occurred until the summer of 1864. Canby was energetic, but

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^ THE MIUTABT TELEGRAPH DURING THE

crippled as we have seen, when about to advance. However, he expressed himself to General Washbume as determined to make the most of the forces left him, and as a consequence, extended his actual jurisdiction in all directions, thereby requiring of Superintendent Bulkley the building of many miles of tele-gmph.

About the 1st of August, 1864, Captain Bulkley at his own suggestion, was relieved and furloughed indefinitely without pixy or emolument, to enable him to enter upon the quasi public work of building the American portion of an international line called ^'The Collins Overland Telegraph," which, east of the Amoor River, was to be constructed under the auspices of the Wcstt^m Union Telegiaph Company, and from the mouth of that river to St.

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