F. W. Chesson File: MONROE.HTM
144 Fiske Street, New: 3-28-1999
Waterbury, CT 06710 Rev: 2-14-2001
SECRET WIRES
*
Fort Monroe Connections
Guarding the entrance to Hampton Roads and the James River stands
Fort Monroe, whose size has frequently upgraded its title to that of
"Fortress." Its correct designation was periodically the occasion for
controversy.* Yet, in 1861, it was indeed a most formidable structure,
having a mile and a half of ramparts and some sixty-five acres within
its walls. Started in 1821, Monroe was still not completed forty years
later, when another fort down in Charleston Harbor made a far greater
impact on history during the fateful early morning of April 12th.
Had Virginia militia forces been able to seize Monroe, it would have
indeed become a Fortress of the Confederacy, ensuring passage up the James
to Richmond, leading to foreign recognition and even eventual Southern
Independence.
Anticipating this potential threat, commander Colonel Dimmick had
taken preventive steps as early as January 16, 1861 by requesting 30 guns
to bolster the 40 already mounted. He also investigated those officers of
questionable loyalty and kept in constant touch with General Scott back in
Washington.
With War underway, the 3rd and 4th Massachusetts Militia arrived,
with the 3rd taking part in the destruction of the Gosport Navy Yard.
Thus, by May 1, Monroe's garrison stood at over one-thousand troops,
apparently closing the James to any commerce (and subsequent foreign
recognition) from sailing up to Richmond.
One hope for breaking the blockade lay in the hulk of the former
U.S.S. Merrimac, reposing in the Gosport Navy Yard and destined to
reappear ten months later as the C.S.S. Virginia. Protection of the
yard and the Norfolk area hinged mainly on batteries on Sewalls Point.
Thus it was here on May 18-19 that two Union steamers went into action,
as seen by the following telegram:
The Magnetic Telegraph Company
Morse Line
Dated: Washington May 20, 1861 Rcvd: Washington
To: JPS
"Howard of the Tribune in his dispatch, says battle on the
Chesapeake near Seawells (Sewalls) Point opposite Fort Monroe, the point
where the river which leads from Norfolk unites with the Bay. That
secessionists who can be seen all along the shore in tents and huts, had
been engaged there two weeks in throwing up strong and heavy works at
Seawells Point, but had only succeeded in mounting one gun.
A steamer was sent by Commodore Stringham to examine it when the
mounted gun opened fire. The steamer returned fire from a 32 pounder.
Then another steamer was sent to look after the first and Captain Eastwood
who opened (fire) on (the enemy) work with an 8 inch Columbiad and shells.
The fight lasted three and a half hours. (The enemy) work was entirely
demolished and silenced. The steamers did not receive any injury whatever.
Howard says Senator Chandler and Secretary Nicolay brought this
information. Stine." (20-265,266)
Butler's over-forceful occupation of restive Baltimore caused the
general to be sent to command the new Department of (Southeast) Virginia.
Arriving on May 22 at Fortress Monroe, he further ruffled War Department
feathers only two days later by refusing to give up several fugitive
slaves. In claiming that, as property of owners now in rebellion against
Federal authority, they were lawful "contraband of war," a precedent was
established. The expression caught on, and "Contraband" became an often-
pejorative word for any black person for the duration of the war, and long
after in certain quarters.
In June, a "Conflict of Mission" arose, harbinger of future and more
disputatious between the official army and the quasi-official Military
Telegraph, and its nearly all-civilian staff. This came in the form of
the newly-established U.S. Signal Corps.
Its commander, Major Albert Myer, had set up visual communications
between the fort and its outlying camps. As useful as the light and flag
system was, telegraphic connection was deemed even more vital, and James
R. Gilmore was sent down to direct line building. Myer apparently felt
upstaged and protested to Butler. Thus, the following telegram went forth
to Superintendent David Strouse....
Telegram
War Dept. June 25, 1861
David Strouse Ax H.
"Gen Cameron directs me to telegraph you to suspend all operations
in reference to the laying of wire at Fort Monroe for the present."
(signature unclear, looks like "P. Stone Anderson."
(20-843)
However, line building soon resumed, and by early July, a twelve-
mile wire linked Fort Monroe to Hampton and thence to Newport News.
Gilmore was backed by five new and youthful operators, including young
Richard O'Brien at the fort itself. And now occurred another episode of
that unfortunate conflict between Signal Corps and Military Telegraph Corps.
As an exercise of his unlimited authority, General Butler ordered
Gilmore to report to Myer and conduct his telegraphic operations under
military regulations and discipline, the operators to be identified by
number, rather than by name, just as in prison. Sending off a dispatch
to Strouse and Scott for backing, Gilmore was advised to temporize, by
issuing Official Directives as ordered, while letting the operators
maintain their usual level of "casual efficiency." Matters came to a
head when Myer gave notice of inspecting the Hampton Office and its
operators, "No. 1 and No. 2," namely Jesse Bunnell and Henry L. Smith.
Arriving, he was dismayed to find the "inmates" in shirt sleeves and
bare feet, sitting on the sandy floor in a corner of the disheveled room,
playing Seven Up with a greasy deck of cards.
However outraged the major was, the telegraphers'insouciance went
unpunished, as the next mail brought instructions from Secretary of War
Cameron, "requesting" Butler to "permit no interference with the
telegraphers."
On the 27th, Butler's men captured Newport News at the mouth of the
James and commenced to fortify it. But on June 10, a seven-regiment
probing attack north was routed at Big Bethel, ending Butler's efforts
for a quick up-river drive on Richmond. One year later, however, far
greater forces would be locked in combat along the flooded Chickahominy.
On July 17th, Myer was detached to General McDowell and in the
following month became McClellan's Chief Signal Officer. As for the site
of Myer's defeat, it was abandoned, due to many troops being sent north
after Bull Run, and was burned by Magruder's forces on August 7th.
Late July saw the introduction of another innovation in military
communications, the observation balloon of one John LaMountain, aeronaut-
promoter. Thus, on July 25th, hydrogen-powered captive balloons began to
rise at Fort Monroe, harbingers of the telegraph-equipped battlefield
aerostats eight months in the future.
AUGUST 10, 1861. [4-600]
Maj. Gen. BENJ. F. BUTLER:
SIR: I have the honor to report that on the 10th of August I made two
ascensions, in which I attained an altitude of 3,500 feet, and made
observations as follows:
About 5 or 6 miles northwest of Hampton I discovered an encampment
of the enemy, but owing to the misty state of the atmosphere, caused by
the recent rain, I was unable to form a correct idea of their numerical
force, but should judge from 4,000 to 5,000. There were no vessels or
encampments of any kind either at York or Back Rivers or at New Market
Bridge.
On a branch of James River, about 5 miles from Newport News, on the
opposite side, there is a vessel at anchor. On the left bank of James,
about 8 or 9 miles from Newport News, is a large camp of the enemy, from
150 to 200 tents, also an encampment in the rear of the Pig Point batteries
of from 40 to 50 tents. At Norfolk two large ships of war are lying at
anchor in the stream, one of which appeared all ready for sea, with sails
bent, &c. No operations at Tanner's Creek.
I illustrate what I saw by the accompanying hasty diagram. The guns
which I discovered in a previous ascension proved to be only heavy field
pieces mounted on carriages. Along the coast below Sewell's Point no
batteries or enemy were visible.
With respect,
JOHN LA MOUNTAIN, Aeronaut.
LaMountain's success was dampened by Butler's departure on his Cape
Hatteras Campaign. His replacement was the elderly but competent General
John E. Wool, whose arrival was noted in the Official Record:
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 1
HDQRS. DEPT SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA, Fort Monroe, Va., August 17, 1861.
By direction of the President, the undersigned this day assumes
command of the Department of Southeastern Virginia.
JOHN E. WOOL,
Major-General.
Otherwise, relative tranquility descended on the area and the fort's
communications with the Union continued to rely upon dispatch boat service
to the nearest telegraph outposts. With the tragic, early death of first
Superintendent, David Strouse, Gilmore returned to Washington, replaced by
a far younger operator, as will be seen.
By the end of the year, interest in the James River as an invasion
route into the very heart of the Confederacy increased, as did telegraph
traffic. In late December, one N. A. Zabriskie submitted a proposal for
constructing a line to Fort Monroe for $35,000. Cameron thought that
existing Government services might do better, and Stager accordingly came
up with an estimate of some $15,000 less.
Two direct routes were in competition. Both Stager and Cameron
preferred extending the Washington-Budd's Ferry Line, which served Hooker's
large command, on to Port Tobacco and down through St. Mary's County to
Point Lookout, and thence by a seventy-mile cable across Chesapeake Bay to
Fort Monroe. Cable procurement difficulties, however, intervened and it
was decided to extend the Lewes Line in Deleware to Salisbury, Maryland,
then down to Cape Charles and across twenty miles of Chesapeake Bay to
Fort Monroe.
Begun in mid January, the line was completed to Cape Charles (160
miles from Wilmington) on February 5th. Until completion of a submarine
link, however, a three hour trip by dispatch-boat was still necessary.
Transit time had thus improved, but physical security at the Fort
was still on the casual side, when Operator John O'Brien, barely thirteen
years old, arrived after a chilly steamer trip from Baltimore, viewing
the fortress with appropriate awe before entering.
Unaware that he should have followed the other passengers to the
Provost Marshal for inspection of credentials and Oath of Allegiance
taking, he casually continued on across the moat and through the grim
main portal. Entering unchallenged, he then proceeded across the parade
ground, guided by an overhead wire, leading to the telegraph office. Not
finding his older brother Richard, he sent an interrogatory signal, as
soldiers and officers in the room regarded him with growing wonderment.
He was answered by George Cowlam at Newport News, who was preparing
to send Richard a message, addressed to the commandant.
Pulling out a U.S.M.T. message form, John proceeded to write down
the sounder's clickings, as the spectators wonderment changed to awe.
Their muted comments were silenced as a white-haired officer with
two shoulder stars came forward...Major General John E. Wool...veteran
of the nation's two previous wars and now commander of Fortress Monroe.
"My boy, the general addressed him, "you are very young to be able
to do that," he observed.
Coming to attention, John replied that he was all of thirteen, and
had operated at fifteen Pennsylvania Railroad stations over a three year
period.
Wool's amazement then changed to wrath upon hearing of John's
impromptu arrival. "So this is how our main portal is kept!" he raged. "Why,
this boy might have been Beauregard or Jeff Davis, himself!" Directing a
finger at a nervous lieutenant, he ordered: "Whoever is at the gate now,
throw him in the guard-house and put in somebody who will stay at his post!"
One February day, John came under the onus of dutiful post-keeping,
himself. He and Richard were out on a line-repairing chore, replacing the
usual mile or so of wire which the local rebels repeatedly carried off,
sometimes in broad daylight. Accompanied by some of General Butler's new
Contrabands, they were on the Newport News Road, beyond Camp Hamilton.
Suddenly, up towards New Market, they spied a cavalry force bearing
down on them. Properly fearing a return to slavery, the assistants fled
into the woods, and headed for the sanctuary of Old Point Comfort.
Richard was caught up in the panic and joined the flight, until he saw
John calmly standing his ground. Chagrined, he returned to his brother,
who had known in advance that a patrol of the First New York Mounted
Rifles was on its way back from a scout.
Young O'Brien had further cause for embarrassment in early May,
when he strode into the telegraph office loudly whistling Dixie, whose
lively tune had captured many otherwise loyal Union hearts. There were
stovepipe-hatted civilian dignitaries among the usual officers this day,
present for an important conference. A few looked up, but none was more
aghast than brother Richard, who gestured in painful agitation.
"John, where is your sense of decency? Dashing in here, whistling
that rebel ditty right in the face of the President!"
His demand was in an angry whisper, but had been overheard. One of
the black-clad dignitaries stood up tall, then even taller...and waved
a tolerant hand and smiled. "Don't worry, son. it's all right. Dixie
is one of my favorite tunes, too!"
Abashed, John subsided into a corner, where he watched intently the
distinguished company, which included the Secretaries of State, War and
the Treasury, along with Major Eckert. It was his first and last encounter
with Abraham Lincoln, visiting there from May 7 to May 11, 1862.
Mr. Heiss Lays a Cable
Submarine telegraph lines were almost as old as the service, itself.
As early as 1851, Dover and Calais were united by a 27-mile cable under
the often storm-blocked Channel. Ten years later distances had increase
some sixty-fold, with a 1,535 mile link between Malta and Alexandria. In
1858, following prior attempts, Cyrus Field managed to complete a 2,500-
mile cable between Valentia, Ireland and Trinity Bay, Newfoundland.
Starting August 10th, some 400 messages were exchanged, though often under
intermittent conditions, before the line failed for good on September first.
Had Field's Third Atlantic Cable remained in service for at least
three years longer, the outcome of the Civil War could well have been
considerably affected. For one thing, diplomatic exchanges with Great
Britain and France could have been made almost instantaneous, and tensions
over such international incidents as the Trent Affair quickly resolved.
On the other hand, the hasty dispatch of an ill-considered response to a
purely local crisis could have lead to dangerous escalations. Like any new
weapon system, danger comes maonly from the user and not the device, itself.
Thus, the need for a telegraph cable to be laid on the sea bed
presented difficult but not impossible engineering requirements. Lincoln,
himself, was very interested that Fort Monroe not only be connected to
Washington, but that the line be extended to New Orleans, the better to
co-ordinate Army-Navy operations and manage the far-flung Blockade Fleet.
This was approached by Assistant Secretary of War Scott as early as
April 30, 1861, when Washington was still in some danger, itself....
The Magnetic Telegraph Company
Morse Line
Dated: April 30, 1861 Rcvd: Wash.
To: T. A. S.
"Mr. Joseph D. Potts says he can get parties who will furnish us (with)
a submarine Telegh Wire for a moderate price. Col. Porter and Mr. Evans
called on General Patterson in Phila concerning it. The Gen said he had no
authority but approved of the idea and suggested that some one be sent
over to N. York to look into it immediately. Would it not be well to make
the necessary enquiries at once(?) W.J.P."
On the bottom of the second page, Scott made reply: "WJP--I sent a
messenger to (Edward S.) Sanford, President (of the Magnetic) Tel. Co.
at New York by train yesterday--will know tomorrow. T. A. Scott"
(12-901,902)
It is interesting to note that Bates reports Government purchase of
fifty miles of former Atlantic cable, a twenty-mile section being used for
the Fort Monroe-Cape Charles connection.
Preparatory to submarine cable laying, additional land lines were
required and early in February, 1862, Anson Stager was able to report to
Assistant Secretary of War Scott:
"Land line to Cape Charles completed on Wednesday (the) 4th inst.
Commenced Monday, Jany 13th, distance 160 miles. Cable will be laid next
week if weather permits, and will complete the work inside of thirty days
and the cost will not exceed the estimates. Nothing new here, the wretched
condition of road delayed the work considerably. Anson Stager" (20-145)
The lower reaches of Chesapeake Bay are especially treacherous in
winter, as Heiss' diary shows what the waters around Hampton Roads were
capable of....
The Journal entry of William H. Heiss for February 24, 1862 read:
"Wrecked on Cape Henry." This laconic comment was amplified three days
later by a Baltimore news-paper, which announced:
"The steamer "Hoboken" was taking soundings when a severe gale sprang
up about noon. Her steampipe soon broke and she drifted upon Cape Henry
where she broke in two. All hands were saved, but some fifteen miles of
cable were destroyed. About an equal quantity has been laid in the bay and
the end buoyed up. Mr. Heiss, who was superintending the cable laying, goes
to Washington to-night."
Not mentioned was the fact that Cape Henry was then in enemy territory,
and the cable-layers might well have become guests of Richmond's Libby
Prison, instead of but temporary cast-aways.
William Henry Heiss, whose family name varied from Hess to Heiss over
the generations, was no stranger to the art and perils of line building.
Born in Philadelphia in 1826, the youngest of nine children, he was
promoted to Superintendent of the Morse Line at Harpers Ferry in 1849.
At age 29, he laid his first cable, across Cape Fear River at Wilmington,
North Carolina, and extended the line on to Kingston. He then built a line
from Agusta to Millen, Georgia.
In 1860, at age 34, he was appointed Superintendent of the American
Telegraph Company's Southern Lines and commenced line-building between
Charleston and Savannah.
Then, on the fateful night of April 11, 1861, he was in his
Charleston office with correspondent George Salter of the New York Times,
reporting under the pen-names of "Jasper." Five minutes before the local
authorities were to confiscate his equipment, he managed to get off a
single word "War," thereby giving the Times a "scoop" over its rivals.
Ten months later Salter would repay the favor with an effusive tribute.
A more prosaic account has it that in late afternoon of that fateful
Friday the telegraph embargo was lifted, allowing Heiss to transmit a
report by one Felix De Fontaine to the New York Herald. As De Fontaine
was also a friend of General Beauregard, the opening of the line was
perhaps well-assured.
Out of a sense of duty to the company, he finished the line on May
15th and then promptly resigned. When ordered to take a Loyalty Oath to
the new Confederate government, he refused and was ordered arrested. But
when officers appeared to seize him, he plied them with his best wine and
then made his escape, spending anxious days making his way north to
Washington.
On January 6, he joined the USMT on Jan. 6 as Assistant Manager at a
salary of $125 per month. Just over two weeks later he had commenced
building the vital Fortress Monroe-Cherrystone Cable.
On February 19, 1862, Jasper's tribute appeared in the Times:
"The Contractor of the Fortress Monroe Telegraph--A Tribute to Mr.
W. H. Heiss.
To the Editor of the New York Times:
As the name of W. H. Heiss is now prominently before the public in
connection with the telegraph which is to connect Fortress Monroe with New
York City, your readers may like to know that it was owing to his loyalty
that I was permitted to send from Charleston the single word War," on the
night of the 11th of April, 1861, five minutes before the wires were seized
by the authorities there, which, published on the 12th, told them, in
advance of other sheets, that the war had already commenced. Mr. Heiss
was chief of the American Telegraph Company at Charleston, and when asked
to take the oath of allegiance to the Southern Confederacy a short time
after, peremptorily refused, preferring rather to lose a very lucrative
situation than perjure himself. His present position, on the Staff of the
Army Electric Corps (U.S.M.T.) is an important recognition, though a
somewhat tardy one, of the trust reposed in him, for the last fifteen years,
as a telegraphic operator.
JASPER."
The progress of the cable-laying can be appreciated through the
following telegrams: The numbers at end refer to NA Microcopy 504 Reel &
Frame, or to Official Records (OR) Volume and page numbers.)
Ca: Early March, 1862: Heiss to J. R. Party at Middletown, Del. with
directions for telegraph line construction down the Delmarva Peninsula.
(57-792,793)
Early March, 1862: Stager to Heiss at Harrington, Del. "Cable will be
loaded next Thursday. What men if any do you desire to accompany it? I
have order for speedy transportation. Answer quick. A. Stager
(20-122)
Early March, 1862:
To W. H. Heiss, Baltimore:
Your two dispatches received. Thank you. (You had) better proceed
to Fort Monroe and with steamer "Express." Fd buoys. Make necessary
soundings. By the time this is accomplished, the cable ought to be ready
for you at Old Point. Bishop shipped three miles by express this morning.
Great care must be exercised in using schooner or scow. Rather dangerous
way of laying cable unless weather very favorable. Arrange so that cable
will not be delayed en route. Will send money to Fort Monroe. Stager.
(23-10)
The "Monitor" and "Merrimac/Virginia" episode of March 7-9 brought a
flood of telegraphic activity, just when the cable was inoperative. The
local wire from New Port News, opposite the mouth of the Elizabeth River,
was quite intact, however. So, from a precarious vantage point, operator
George D. Cowlam gave young John O'Brien at Monroe a blow-by-blow account,
even as several rounds tore through his office. The sinking of the
"Cumberland" was grim enough, but it was followed by the burning of the
"Congress" and stranding of "Minnesota," "St. Lawrence" and "Roanoke." The
threatened wholesale destruction the Federal fleet and the transport armada
for McClellan's impending Peninsula Campaign rippled out in shockwaves as
news of disaster trickled out.
Panic gripped Washington and the Cabinet, as rumors had it that the
unstoppable Rebel Ram might then steam up the Potomac and wreak its wrath
on Capital and Capitol within forty-eight hours. Even the stern-visaged
Stanton was unnerved and issued orders for obstructions to be sunk in the
river at various strategic points to bar the monster and its troop-laden
consorts.
Only Lincoln seemed composed, analyzing each dispatch as it trickled
in. Perhaps he realized that the ponderous, slow-moving floating battery
would be quick to founder in any but the quietest waters, especially if it
dared pass Fort Monroe's batteries and take to the open sea. His hopes
were realized when the "Monitor" arrived late that evening, after a
harrowing voyage in which she, herself, was almost swamped in a stormy
passage from New York.
General Wool's up-beat telegram, delayed by the cable break, reached
Washington the next day.
Fort Monroe, (Saturday) March 8, 1862.
"The Secretary of War: The iron-clad Ericsson Battery "Monitor" has
arrived, and will proceed to take care of the "Merrimac" in the morning.
John E. Wool, Major-General, Commanding."
The old general was not indulging in mere morale-boosting.
His confidence in the "Yankee Cheese-box on a Raft" was vindicated, as
eye-witness Richard O'Brien reported in his diary.
The "Merrimac" having sallied forth at 6:00 A.M., Wool placed the
fort in combat readiness, then rode with his staff through Camp Hamilton
and the ruins of Hampton to a shore point near the grounded "Minnesota,"
where the "Monitor" lay to await her first and greatest combat mission.
The duel has been extensively examined as to tactics, technical
aspects and outcome. Suffice it to say, that "Merrimac" never seriously
challenged the Federal build-up in the two months of life remaining to
her; nevertheless, her ominous presence seriously interfered with
McClellan's campaign timetable, ultimately influencing the outcome of the
Peninsula Campaign, and the war, itself....
Repair of the cable under combat conditions was cause for a
congratulatory telegram from "The Top."
March 9, 1862: Sanford, Stager and Eckert to Heiss:
"I congratulate you heartily on the successful completion of your work.
The connection is made just in time to save the country great anxiety.
Protect the (cable's) shore ends and have the most stringent regulations
issued regarding anchorage in (its) vicinity. (Signed) Anson Stager.
"And me too. The completion tonight saves the country millions of
dollars. (Signed) E. S. Sanford.
"And me too. And if it falls short of the million, Mr. Sanford and I
will make up the balance. (Signed) Eckert."
[Harold Heiss copy]
On March 12, two directives went forth from the War Department to
Monroe's commander, both of a "Political-military" nature....
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 18, 1862--9.40 a.m. (14-13)
Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, Fort Monroe:
Ordered that, in recognition of faithful service by a gallant and
distinguished officer, the name of the fort on the ripraps be changed
from Fort Calhoun to Fort Wool, by which name it shall hereafter be known
and designated.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.
WAR DEPARTMENT, March 18, 1862----10.20 am. (14-14)
Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, Commanding Fort Monroe:
SIR: The prospective operations of the portion of the army under the
immediate direction of General McClellan may possibly extend over some
part of the district within your command under existing orders.
If such should be the case, it is the President's desire that the
efficiency of his action should not be put to hazard by technical adherence
to the strict letter defining your geographical command, and you are
therefore requested, should the case occur, to waive the exercise of your
authority temporarily in his favor.
The President does not doubt your recognition of the necessity for
these instructions, and confidently trusts in your patriotism to give
effect to them.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.
With the Merrimac/Virginia neutralized by Monitor's presence,
the tempo of preparations for the campaign increased.
PHILADELPHIA, WILMINGTON & BALTIMORE RAIL ROAD.
Magnetic Telegraph - Morse Line
Office, Broad Street & Washington Avenue, Philadelphia
No Messages Received Except on P.W. & B.R.R. Company Business
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BY TELEGRAPH
Delaware Telegraph Line
Dated...March, 1862:
"Heiss to J. H. Party at FM (Fort Monroe) Put down cable at Seaford
and if any is left have the R. R. Agent take care of it. I want 6 coils of
wire left at St. George Station, one coil at Wilmington with J. White the
linesman, and the balance left at Salisbury, all to my address. When you
have finished Seaford cable, send all your tools with tent, etc. to T. T.
Eckert Esq. Baltimore. Mark them to him (and) send them by freight cars
(and) take a receipt for them from R. R. Agent and send me by telegraph a
memorandum of everything and keep an account for yourselves. I want Davis
to remain at Newtown for the present. After this, walk over the line
between Harrington and Middletown and make such repairs and write to me from
Middletown. Draw rations at Salisbury for the trip. Heiss."
March 17, 1862: Eastville, Virginia. To A. Stager:
"Steamer just in from Fort Monroe. Telegraph line is sufficiently
guarded by cavalry, and there is a guard night and day at the end of the
cable, but there is no field piece at Cape Charles to bring boats to (a
halt) and being but 12 miles from Cape Henry, the blockade is easily run.
When cable failed it was foggy. If not cut, it was damaged by anchors.
If (the) weather be calm it (the cable) will be underrun from both end
to-morrow (Tuesday). Boule goes to Fort Monroe and I to Cape Charles. In
event of interruption, we must rely principally on Fort Monroe. I will
make a suggestion to you tonight in cipher. W. H. Heiss"
(OR. V5, P 764.)
As an Assistant Manager of the U.S.M.T., William Heiss had been
entrusted with his own cipher. It was intended for communicating with
Generals Dix, Wool and other military leaders. Like Wool's own cipher,
it was a simplified version of the standard U.S.M.T. Cipher Operators'
issue. Its transposition block had only five columns and a single route
(with the exception noted below for a "private cipher" for telegraphing
to General McClellan.) The list of codewords or "arbitraries" was also
limited and contained specialized items such as: ALDEN = Denis Doren,
a line builder, BAGDAD = Insulators, BARBER = Wire, DARBY = Cape Charles.
Heiss, himself, was ARNO.
(see Appendix for details of Heiss Cipher)
The initial success was not with out its follow-up failures and
subsequent repairs and improvements.
March(?) 30, 1862: Eckert to Heiss: "What is (the) distance from cable
(head) to Newport by the beach, (and) also (the) distance from cable to
nearest point on the Newport News Line?"
(at bottom of form) "About three miles distance to nearest point."
Ca: March 28, 1862. Heiss to Stager in Cipher. (Fort Monroe)
Translation:
"Mr. Watson (Peter Watson, Asst. Sec. of War) left tonight for
Washington. He is a man and I appreciate his kindness. Please inform
me by telegram in cipher how much (money) I may use for my own benefit
per month, as I need some money at home. I shall continue (to build the
telegraph) loop to Cherrystone as soon as (a) house is built there.
Please consider iron-clad cable, (the) sooner the better. W. H. Heiss
(57-768)
See also Watson's enciphered telegram to Stanton, sent from
Cherrystone, Md. dated March 28, 1862. Roll 102, Frames 220, 221, 222.
On April 2nd, 1862, General George B. McClellan, Commander of the
Army of the Potomac, arrived at Fort Monroe, and was followed the next
day by eight more operators. These were headed by A. Harper Caldwell,
McClellan's personal Cipher Operator, and included Jesse H. Bunnell,
John R. Emerick, Charles Jacques, Brainard Lathrop, Henry Smith, Charles
Snyder and War Department Chief Operator Charles A. Tinker.
Tinker recounted the morning arrival from on board the steamer
"Commodore," McClellan's flagship.
"Ships of perhaps three or four hundred, of all nations and climes,
are now in view. The warship Rinaldo, famed for its part in the Trent
affair, is just to our stern, English Ensign flying and all sails set,
as if in defiance. Two French men-of-war lay but a short distance to
leeward, Tri-colors flapping and steam up, As if ready to take a hand
in any game that chance may invite them.
"The little Monitor, that monument to Yankee genius, lies hardly a
stone's throw on our larboard bow. She is being visited by many a skiff-
load of officers from our steamer. The Merrimac is expected out of
Norfolk hourly, and we are looking forward for another grand fight and
the glorious defeat of rebel ingenuity. The Monitor, Minnesota, Vanderbilt
and many smaller gunboats are all ready to receiver her when she appears.
"We have brought five miles of cable to put a splice in the one now
laid between here and Cape Charles, and, if successful, we hope to be in
direct communication with Washington next week.
Now comes the tug to take us ashore, bag and baggage. We go right into
camp between Hampton and Newport News. I must finish now...."
Exciting and even dangerous adventures awaited the young telegraphers,
with one all too soon becoming a Silent Key....
The naval impasse had McClellan fretting about his plans and wired
Lincoln one of his many pleas for additional reinforcements...
NEAR YORKTOWN, April 5, 1862--7.30 p.m.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President:
The enemy are in large force along our front, and apparently intend
making a determined resistance. A reconnaissance just made by General
Barnard shows that their line of works extends across the entire Peninsula
from Yorktown to Warwick River. Many of them are very formidable. Deserters
say they are being re-enforced daily from Richmond and from Norfolk.
Under these circumstances I beg that you will reconsider the order
detaching the First Corps from my command. In my deliberate judgment the
success of our cause will be imperiled by so greatly reducing my force
when it is actually under the fire of the enemy and active operations have
commenced. Two or three of my divisions have been under attack of artillery
most of the day. I am now of the opinion that I shall have to fight all
the available force of the rebels not far from here.
Do not force me to do so with diminished numbers. But whatever your
decision may be, I will leave nothing undone to obtain success. If you
cannot leave me the whole of the First Corps, I urgently ask that I may
not lose Franklin and his division.
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-General.
The stability and relative safety of seige warfare also seemed evident
in "The Commanding General's" mindset, as evidenced through his Adjutant-
general's telegram....
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Big Bethel, April 5, 1862.
Brig. Gen. STEWART VAN VLIET, Acting QM-General, Fort Monroe:
GENERAL: I am directed by the commanding general to say that he finds
the enemy in force a short distance in front, and too strongly intrenched
for his positions to be carried by assault.
It probably will...be necessary for the commanding general to resort to
siege operations, and he wishes you to forward without delay to Shipping
Point the siege train and mortars; and also Colonel Tyler's regiment.
He also desires you to establish a large depot for all kinds of
supplies at Shipping Point, and thinks it would be well for you to send
Colonel Ingalls at once to that place to make extensive arrangements for
the forwarding of stores up the Poquosin River to the vicinity of Howard's
Brigade. Boats drawing about 5 feet will be necessary for this purpose.
Troops that may henceforth arrive at Fort Monroe will, until further orders,
be sent to Shipping Point.
Warren's regiment may come up that route, unless he has transportation,
in which event he can march. General Casey, as soon as you can supply him
with transportation, is to join General Keyes.
The commanding general desires me to impress upon you the necessity
of throwing forward supplies of all kinds as rapidly as possible. You are
desired to inform Mr. Eckert that the general wishes him to establish a
telegraph line at once between Headquarters and Shipping Point.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. WILLIAMS,
Asst Adj-General.
In the meantime, Secretary of War Stanton urged General Wool to speed
Heiss' cable repairs....
WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, April 5, 1862. [11-71]
Maj. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, Commanding Fort Monroe:
Please say whether you have received Adjutant-General's order placing
Fort Monroe and vicinity entirely under your command. Send a boat across
to-night with full report of to-day's proceedings. Direct Heiss and the
party engaged in laying the cable to lose no time, if weather calm, in
getting ready. They should leave Fort Monroe early in the morning and be
at the break by daylight.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.
Open circuits were still present four days later, when operator
Sheldon sent the following enciphered message from Wool to Stanton in
response to the Secretary's urgent inquiry.
April 9, 1862: "Stanton. I have just received your dispatch of this
date. The Metamoria is the fastest boat we have in the Cherrystone Line.
The operator on that account desires her to be retained and I will do so,
agreeably to your telegram of this morning until further orders. All is
quiet and nothing of importance has occurred since my last telegram
yesterday. The terrible storm for the last three days had stopped all
movements. The roads are almost impassible. Wool." (added as filler:
Gale makes us blue.)
By mid-April, historic Yorktown was again under siege, this time by
Americans against other Americans. Nearby sprawled Camp Winfield Scott,
interestingly named for the elderly hero whom McClellan had helped oust as
General in Chief back in October, culminating with his formal resignation
on the first of November, 1861.
On April 19th, Caldwell telegraphed to Eckert in cipher a summary of
the day's activities and problems.
April 19, 1862. "Five operators arrived today. (Their) instruments
(will) be here tomorrow. Able and Smith's offices (will be) open tomorrow.
(Parker) Spring (line builder) delayed all yesterday on Cheesman's Point
Line by guards refusing (to recognize his) special pass from Head Quarters.
(This) office (will) open tomorrow morning. (We) begin to see our way now.
All going well. No news. Raining little. Caldwell. (33-683)
A connection to Acquia Creek on the Potomac was evidently under
also consideration at about this time as a concerned Eckert wired the
Cherrystone cable terminal.
April 22nd, 1862. "Baldwin or some operator (at) Cherrystone. I
telegraphed Boyle and Sheldon on Sunday (April 20) to get in readiness
some cable to lay at Acquia Creek. I have not had any reply from Boyle
as to his understanding of my message. I have recd two messages from
O'Brien. I fear this matter is getting mixed up. What is the trouble?
I want Boyle to take not less than six miles of perfect cable to Aquia
Creek and lay it at that point. What prevents his going? Ans. Eckert"
(43-399)
Late April, 1862. Eckert to Heiss. "Distances from cable head to
Newport and Newport News requested." (form has notation on bottom of
"about three miles") (43-119)
The above telegram was probably in anticipation of the Confederates
evacuation of Norfolk on May 9. On the 10th, General Wool occupied the
place, along with Portsmouth and the Navy Yard. Because of her 23-foot
draft, the "Merrimac's" ability to escape up the relatively shallow James
was in serious doubt. Her fate was sealed when she grounded at Craney
Island and was destroyed by fire on the following day.
Heiss' next cable laying operation was to connect Newport News to
Portsmouth and thence to recently captured Suffolk. On May 19th he
entered in his journal: "Laid heavy cable."
The cable, four miles in length, was laid across the James to Sewell's
Point and then to Norfolk and Portsmouth and on overland to Suffolk, a
distance from Fort Monroe of about forty miles.
April 15, 1862: Eastville, Va. Enciphered telegram to Eckert.
The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Rail Road Co.
Delaware Telegraph Line.
"One of McClellan's aides telegraphed me last night that Mc requests
that there should be another operator at Fort Monroe. That the duties are
too arduous for two, stating that the necessity caused by Fort Monroe
becoming the base of operations. Sheldon wishes (the) O'Brien Brothers be
sent there. What think you. Advise."
(57-856, 857)
Young John O'Brien was recalled from his tranquil posting up at
Eastville and joined his brother Richard along with James Norris and
Lemuel Sheldon as the "frantic four" of Fort Monroe's burgeoning
telegraph central.
As the Army of the Potomac grew, so did its need for operators,
line builders and repairers. Plum lists some thirty-five operators under
McClellan through June, with another dozen manning the Cherrystone to
Wilmington Line up the Delmarva Peninsula.
Expenses thus multiplied, as they did in all the expanding branches
of the Union's armed forces. As a consequence, Eckert sent an urgent
enciphered wire off to Stager, whose immediate location was uncertain,
due to his many travel commitments.
June 1, 1862: Eckert in Washington to A. Stager, Pittsburgh and
Cleveland:
"Heiss is here. (He) has vouchers amounting to fifteen hundred
dollars, many of which he says have not been paid. He wants $1,500 to
pay operators' salaries and incidental expenses. Fighting at Richmond.
Thomas T. Eckert. (44-362)
On June 4, 1862: A Pass was issued by the Office of the Provost
Marshal, Dept. of Virginia at Fort Monroe in the name of: "W. H. Heiss,
Supt. of Military telegraph, To: Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk. By
Command of: Maj. Gen. Wool." Its Counter-signatures included the Provost
Marshal and an Asst. Adj. Gen.
Personnel and technical problems on such a long line were to be expected.
Martin V. B. Buell, a "charter member" of the U.S.M.T. was operating
at Dover, where he would be in charge of the Eastern Shore line two years
later. On June 29, 1862 he wrote to Eckert concerning the problems of
delicate relays and cable capacitance problems, as follows:
"According to your instructions I went to Wilmington to consult with
Messrs. Westbrook and Schnell on Friday morning. On my arrival there, I
found that they had examined one of the magnets of the repeater and
discovered that it had been burned by lightning.
With their authority of Mr. Westbrook, I immediately proceeded to
examine the rest of the apparatus, and after some little testing found
that only one coil, of one of the magnets was in working order. I took it
apart and began to unwind it and after getting it half unwound, found it
badly burned in half a dozen places.
I immediately put a new coil in and then put the repeater in circuit.
It was not until about 9 or 10 o'clock that I succeeded in getting it in
proper shape, as it requires considerable patience to get it adjusted,
but when once fixed, there is no necessity for being further adjusted....
The operators on the line between the War Department and
Fortress Monroe forget there is a cable between Wilmington and the Fortress.
I think that this line is as good a working line as any in the U.S. The
cable at the Fortress is, as you are aware, the longest any operator ever
worked in the country, and they must not expect that with the cable and
repeater that it will work perfect at all times. But with a good operator
at Fortress Monroe and at the War Department, each possessing that most
necessary virtue, Patience, which all telegraphers ought to possess. I
will not hesitate in saying that the line will work ten times better than
the N.Y., Albany and Buffalo Line, or in fact any line that I have ever
seen. Our operators at Di (War Department) and F (Fort Monroe) seem to
think that as the line once worked hard, that it must necessarily do so
all the time.... I get F. beautifully, not only here, but from Wilmington
as well.... M. B. V. Buell" (JH)
Payroll records now list Heiss as Supervisor, at the same rate, for
July. The month opened with a jurisdictional question, if not dispute,
between Eckert and Heiss over the disciplining of an operator.
July (1 or 2), 1862: USMT-War Dept. Form. Eckert to Heiss,
at Dover, Del.
"Did you represent the matter in such shape as to cause his discharge
from the R.R. (P. W. & B. Railroad) service. If so, it is a great mistake
and should be corrected at once. All we are called upon to do is protect
the Telegraph. He deserved discharge from (the U.S.) Telegraph service
for repeating (a) word of any kind that came over line. Eckert. (43-361)
The matter was clarified shortly by a July 3 telegram from Heiss to
Eckert, appended to a cable delivery problem.
July 3, 1862. From New Castle (Delaware) 11:08 AM. T. T. Eckert, Esq.
"(I) Inquired at the B. & O. R.R. Depot yesterday about that wire.
It had not then arrived. I left directions with Mr. England, the Freight
Agent, to notify me of its arrival at that point, this morning. I learned
that it was delivered at the B. & O. R.R. Depot at Baltimore. Please give
Mr. England directions for its disposition.
Inform the Secretary (of War) that the party here was promptly
suspended by Mr. Small, the Superintendent, of the Delaware R.R. upon my
informing him of the matter.
The party says he can purge himself. He will go to Washington.
He will not be allowed in the office here. I go on to Dover.
W. H. Heiss, Supt."
The end of McClellan's attempt to take Richmond via the James was
heightened by anxiety over Pope's overland movement. Movement of the
Army of the Potomac was further impeded by "trouble on the lines."
CHERRYSTONE, August 13, 1862---11.30 p.m. [12-88]
(To General Halleck)
Please come to office; wish to talk to you. What news from Pope?
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-General.
CHERRYSTONE INLET, August 14, 1862--12.30 a.m.
Started to Jamestown Island to talk with you; found cable broken
and came here. Please read my long telegram of August 12--11 p.m. All
quiet at camp. Enemy burned wharves at City Point yesterday. No rebel
pickets within 8 miles of Coggins' Point yesterday. Richmond prisoners
state that large force, with guns, left Richmond northward on Sunday.
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-General.
WASHINGTON, August 14, 1862--1.40 a.m. [12-89]
I have read your dispatch. There is no change of plans. You will
send up your troops as rapidly as possible. There is no difficulty In
landing them. According to your own accounts, there is now no difficulty
in withdrawing your forces. Do so with all possible rapidity.
H. W. HALLECK,
Major-General.
Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN.
Before I had time to decipher and reply to this dispatch, the
telegraph operator in Washington informed me that General Halleck had
gone out of the office immediately after writing this dispatch, without
leaving any intimation of the fact for me, or waiting for any further
information as to the object of my journey across the bay. As there was
no possibility of other communication with him at that time I sent the
following dispatch, and returned to Harrison's Landing:
CHERRYSTONE INLET, August 14, 1862---1.40 a.m.
Your orders will be obeyed. I return at once. I had hoped to have had
a longer and fuller conversation with you after traveling so far for the
purpose.
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-general.
With the end of the Peninsula Campaign, the fort's frantic
telegraph activity abated and most of its operators dispersed to other
sectors. Heiss' services were also winding down. His payroll record
shows that between August 13 and 23, he was paid a daily rate of $5.00,
no doubt in anticipation of impending termination.
One more act of service remained. On August 21, his Journal entry
reads: "Cable cut by axe and repaired by me."
The last Payroll record reads: "Discharged, Aug. 23." Heiss was not
necessarily "fired" but could have resigned voluntarily from the U.S.M.T.
At any event, he would continue play important roles in telegraph
line and cable construction, plus an even more significant role in events
of that Good Friday Night of 1865.
The vital Fort Monroe line would continue to have its problems,
including man-made and natural interruptions...
FORT MONROE, July 11, 1863--10 p.m. Rcved 11.50 p.m. [45-655]
Major-General HALLECK, General-in-Chief:
I sent you a dispatch by mail this evening, the telegraph line by
Cherrystone being interrupted, in which there was a mistake. Please
accept this instead of it. Ten thousand men have been sent you since
yesterday morning. I shall send from 4,000 to 5,000 more; enough, with
Spinola's brigade, to make about 17,000.
I am waiting for transportation. Expect transports to-night.
JOHN A. DIX,
Major-General
FORT MONROE, August 7, 1863--11.30 a.m. Rcved 5.15 p.m. [49-16]
Hon. E. M. STANTON:
I have this moment returned from a reconnaissance toward Fort Darling,
and your dispatch requiring immediate action to protect the Cherrystone
Lighthouse, telegraph station, &c., has just this moment been received.
The cable having been cut, I regret that steps had not been taken before
to place the lighthouses in this department under guard. I was not aware,
owing to my recent arrival here that they were in such a state. The
necessary steps are being taken by General Potter to protect the remaining
light-houses, and a force goes over with him to endeavor to catch the
marauders.
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
J. G. FOSTER,
Major-General, Commanding.
Perhaps the most daring foray on the Cherrystone cable center came
on early in 1864 and was reported by "an innocent onlooker" to the event,
one William Webster....
[107-1150]
ON BOARD STEAMER FROM CHERRYSTONE TO FORTRESS MONROE, March 5, 1864-
-4 p.m.
General BUTLER, Commanding at Fortress Monroe, &c.:
GENERAL: I take the liberty to send you an account of a little matter
that happened at Cherrystone this morning.
I left my boat, the Iolas, at the lighthouse last evening, and came
on shore on business; found the telegraph both ways out of order, and had
to remain there.
Mr. Dunn, the telegraph operator, kindly furnished me with a sleeping
place, and we sat up late, he having much business to attend to. We retired
at about 3.30 a.m.
About an hour later we were all taken prisoners, including, I believe,
six men of the guard on the wharf. We were kept till my boat came in, about
7 o'clock. They took possession of her and kept her till the Titan came in.
They then exchanged boats, after taking all they wanted from my boat, and
taking my bond for $10,000; took register and papers, flag, &c., with all
my money, clothing, &c., and three of my (colored) crew, and before leaving
injured the machinery so that my boat could not follow them. They paroled
me with the balance of my crew; also the operator, who started for the
nearest telegraph office. We don't know where that is, but he will find it,
and I suppose send the news to Washington.
By a quick moving of Mr. Dunn and his wife I believe none of the late
official dispatches were taken. Mr. Dunn told me so as we parted. It was a
perfect surprise. They burned all the commissary stores and set fire to
the goods, but otherwise they behaved well toward us, using no violence.
The captain of the party happened to be the brother of an old friend of
mine in the Pacific, named Fitzhugh. By that my boat was saved by the bond,
&c. When the Titan left the wharf our cavalry were within a few hundred
yards, but just in time to be too late. If you require any more particulars,
send for me at Kimberly & Bros. The boat shakes so I cannot write.
Very respectfully, &c. WM. WEBSTER.
P. S.--They shot all the horses, six or eight, and took their riders off
with them as prisoners. Mr. Dunn, the telegraph operator, and his wife
behaved nobly.
The Official Report, by Captain Duvall, commanding the relief force
which "arrived just in time to be too late," appeared two days later....
EASTVILLE, VA., March 7, 1864. [60-231]
Maj. R. S. DAVIS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Eighteenth Army Corps.
MAJOR: I have the honor respectfully to report that at daybreak
upon the morning of the 5th instant my guard at Cherrystone was attacked
by a band of guerrillas, numbering from 40 to 50 men, commanded by
Captain Fitzhugh, of the rebel cavalry.
The guard, numbering 8 men, in charge of Corporal Ozmon, was over-
powered and captured, with the exception of 2, who were on guard over
the telegraph box, 1-2 miles distant. The rebels destroyed commissary
stores to the amount of about $2,000, the guard-house, the telegraph
instrument and apparatus at Cherrystone; killed and wounded 8 horses;
seized and bonded the steamer Iolas, at that time lying near the
Cherrystone wharf, and captured and escaped in the Government steam-tug
Titan.
As soon as information reached me at Eastville, I proceeded with
all possible dispatch to Cherrystone with all the available men at my
command, but the guerrillas were just leaving the wharf as I reached
there, and having no available boat at my command I was unable to
intercept them.
From information received I am satisfied that the rebels came from
Mathews County, Va., and have doubtless returned to the neighborhood of
Mob Jack Bay.
I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
R. E. DUVALL,
Captain, Commanding Post.
===============================================================
APPENDIX:
"Are We a Fort, or a Fortress?"
The designation "Fortress Monroe" was examined in a Letter to the
Editor of the Century Magazine for July, 1885, in connection with a series
of Civil War articles recently authored by some of the war's still-living
leading participants.
Writing from Philadelphia, one John P. Nicholson observed:
"In The Century for March, 1885, Colonel John T. Wood and Mr. W. L.
Goss speak of 'Fortress Monroe.' Except that these contributions to the
history of the War are widely read and quoted, I should refrain from
calling your attention to the error. The proper designation is Fort
Monroe, in honor of President Monroe, who was in office when its
construction was commenced. The first appropriation bill in which it is
specifically designated as Fort Monroe is dated March 3, 1821. By General
Orders, No. 11, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant-General's Office,
February 8, 1832, it was called, by orders of the Secretary of War,
'Fort Monroe.'
There is a tradition in the Engineer Department, U.S.A., that the
plan of the fort was designed by General Simon Bernard, an ex-officer in
the French Army under Napoleon (who was) appointed Assistant Engineer,
U.S.A., with the rank of Brigadier General, November 16, 1816. The
drawings were made by Captain W. T. Poussin, Topographical Engineer,
acting aide to General Bernard."
Nevertheless, "Fortress" had become ingrained by the time of the
Civil War, perhaps in connection with the growing number of dependencies
springing up about the fort's protective ramparts. Monroe's strategic
value also enhanced its name then and down through the great years of
the masonry sea-coast fortification.
An 1862 lithograph aerial view of the fort bears the title
"Fortress Monroe." Likewise, two picture postcards, dated 1908 and 1909,
both have "Fortress Monroe" postmarks. They were mailed during the 1880-
1942 period when the Post Office Department renamed Old Point Comfort as
"Fortress Monroe."
A survey of the CD version of the Official Records reveals almost
twice as many appearances of "Fort Monroe" to "Fortress Monroe;" or
1,064 to 531.
The "Merrimac(k)/Virginia" sortie of March 8, as seen by Cowlam,
and the "Monitor" and "Merrimac engagement of March 9, as witnessed by
O'Brien, are described on pages 139-141, Vol. 1 in PLUMB.
U.S.M.T. Code Used by Wm. H. Heiss, 1862
Photocopy of two pages of cipher table of "Form No. 1." W.
R. Heiss
Route Directions: U-4, D-2, U-3, D-1, U-5
Note: At the bottom of the first page, following the line indicators
and suggested "check words" (brass, lead, gold, walnut, oak, cheat, slander,
etc.) is the notation: "H to McC: Up-1, D-2, U-3, D-4, U-5." This would
indicate a special or "private" cipher for Heiss' communications with
General McClellan, the line indicators and other codewords apparently
remaining unchanged.
Line Indicators:
AMERICA 2
AUSTRIA 3
AFRICA 4
AMBOY 5
BREMEN 6
BURMAH 7
BURLINGTON 8
CHINA 9
CRIMEA 10
DENMARK 11
DACOTAH 12
EUROPE 13
EGYPT 14
FLORIDA 15
FREDONIA 16
GEORGIA 17
RUSSIA 18
TURKEY 19
Note: The encoding instructions on the card state that messages
exceeding ten lines should be divided, such as a thirteen-line text being
enciphered in blocks of six and seven lines. But the above Commencement
Word list gives indicators for texts up to 19 lines, containing a total
of 95 words.
CODE WORD LIST
Code Word Plain Word
ADAMS T. Scott
ADONIS Gen. Hooker
ALDEN Dennis Doren (line builder)
ALVORD Gen. Dix
ANDES Gen. Wool
ANTHON Gen. Burnside
ARCTIC Col. Anson Stager
ARNO Wm. H. Heiss
ASIA Edw. S. Sanford
BAGDAD Insulators
BALTIC Laying (cable)
BARBER Wire
BERLIN Underrunning
BREMEN Instruments
BRUTUS Cable
CAMBRIA Sailing ship
CARTHAGE Tugboat
COLOGNE Steamer
CUBA Operators
DALTON place... (Farmington or Harrington, Delaware)
DARBY Cape Charles
DAWN Fortress Monroe
DEVON Norfolk
DIANA Portsmouth
EAGLE (indistinct)
Code words available, but without written-in meanings were:
ABEL, BADEN, BRUSSELS, BANGOR, BADGER, CAMDEN, CLIFTON, CARROLL,
CHESTER, CANARY, COMET, DAMON, DANUBE, DOVER, DAMASK, DIMPLE, EMPIRE,
EMBLEM, EDDY, EARNEST, ESSEX, ELLEN and EMBRACE.
Other alphabetic code words not available, but the total was
probably around 120-125, based on similar codes.
(Harold R. Heiss photocopy)
RETURN TO INDEX