Crazygrams

 

We have all seem the internet meme with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln about not believing what you see on the internet. However, there is this little story about Lincoln from the book, "Lincoln in the Telegraph Office; recollections of the United States Military Telegraph Corps during the Civil War," by Homer Bates, that reminds me of internet craziness. It was a portent of the future.  But first, I want to discuss this remarkable book and some other books a bit more. 

The Bates book is fascinating. You get a detailed look at what happened in Washington, DC from the perspective of the clerks that saw every telegram that came in. It makes the shenanigans that go on now look like kids play. I tell people, "the  more I study the Civil War (and Revolution) the more I realize very little has changed in Washington politics."

For example, at times the clerks edited messages that came in from senior officers, or even withheld some to avoid trouble. One time they deleted a paragraph that contained an insubordinate remark that McCellan sent to Lincoln after the Seven-days campaign. The clerk freely admitted he could be shot for doing it, but he thought it was the right thing to do.  

There is another incident described where a Norfolk doctor murdered a Union officer, who was in charge of a colored regiment,  on the streets of Norfolk because the idea of African American soldiers incensed him. The doctor was quickly captured, tried and sentenced to death. First the doctor tried to escape prison by exchanging places with his daughter. That didn't work. Then the defendant appealed to Lincoln, but he did not grant clemency. The allies of the doctor tried to bribe a telegraph agent to write a false message of clemency, but the bribe was not accepted. The doctor was hanged.

The book covers a series of incidents where Democratic supporters were trying to organize military officers to become political opponents to oust Lincoln. Then they would end the war and let the south secede.  The plot failed when General Rosecrans and others did not support them and their plans were upended.  However, later they did get former General McCellan to run against Lincoln, but Lincoln defeated him in the election.

Of interest to my railroad, there is discussion a rebel spy who was tapping the telegraph line on the Aquia Railroad. The union telegraph clerks actually heard him but could not physically find him. The telegraph operators used ciphers so that the spy couldn't understand what they were saying. He eventually did give up and they later found where he had tapped the line.  

The book goes into great detail about ciphers that were used to encode messages. The telegraph lines around the nation were not secure and could be tapped anywhere. At one point, Grant's men intercepted several messages near Vicksburg. The messages where in a crude code used by the rebels. Grant's men sent the messages to Washington. There, the telegraph staff decoded them and sent the clear text back to Grant.    

In addition to eavesdropping, the opposing sides also used to send spoof messages. These were often not effective because the operators could recognize each other by their telegraph key technique (what we would call electronic signature now) and could tell when messages were from others. 

Union telegraph operations were much more sophisticated that the rebels. By 1864 Grant's signal corps was laying telegraph line at a rate of two miles per hour. Not only was Grant in constant communication with Washington, DC and hence the rest of the United States, but he also had lines from Army to Corps HQ for more tactical communication. The rebels had no such capability.

You can download the book for free from the internet archive.  

I also recommend, "The Northern Railroads in the Civil War, 1861-1865, " which I reread this past week. I am in the middle of "Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage by Noah Andre Trudeau." It's a highly readable account of the campaign and battle which combines great prose with a nice assortment of original quotes.  

Another book that I just finished and recommend for anyone interested in the Aquia Line is "Seizing Destiny: The Army of the Potomac's "Valley Forge" and the Civil War Winter that Saved the Union," by Albert Conner Jr.,  Chris Mackowski. The book goes into great detail on the reforms that General Hooker introduced to re-build the Army of the Potomac into a war-winning force. Some of Hooker's reforms still persist, such as the wearing of unit patches on uniforms, and a centralized military intelligence staff. 

Now, back to original story I cited at the start. Here is some background. Maxwell, an ordinary citizen from Philadelphia, would constantly telegraph President Lincoln with criticism and complaints about various political issues. Lincoln would often respond to them out of courtesy. This message came in after the Battle of Chickamauga, where General Thomas earned the nickname, "Rock of Chickamauga." The following is an extract from the book. 

"...The next Maxwell telegram of record was as,
New York City, 1:30 p.m., September 23, 1863.His Excellency A. Lincoln, President: Will Buell'stestamentary executor George Thomas ever let Rosecranssucceed? Is Bragg dumb enough to punish Thomas severelyand disgracingly ? Robert A. Maxwell. 

The President held this impertinent telegram until his evening visit to the War Department. Meantime, no doubt thinking that some defense of General Thomas by the Administration might serve to allay the already evidently wide-spread distrust and anxiety, he wrote the following despatch at the White House and brought it to the telegraph office and handed it to Tinker for transmission: 

"Cypher"Executive Mansion, Washington, Sep., 23, 1863.Robert A. Maxwell, New York: I hasten to say that inthe state of information we have here, nothing could bemore ungracious than to indulge any suspicion towards Gen.Thomas. It is doubtful whether his heroism and skill exhibitedlast Sunday afternoon has ever been surpassed inthe world. A. Lincoln. 

But the message had been in Tinker's hands only a few minutes, when Lincoln came over to the cipher-desk and said, "I guess I will not send this; I can't afford to answer every crazy question asked me." 

Thereafter, adopting Lincoln's description, we always referred to these officious despatches as "crazygrams." 

Tinker, of course, did not send the message which Lincoln had written, and deeming it of curious interest as a memento, preserved it carefully with a copy of the message from Maxwell. Several years afterward, he met General Thomas in Washington, and thinking he would be especially gratified to see and possess the documents, he had the pleasure of delivering them into Thomas's hands at Willard's Hotel, Washington, with a letter, of which the following is a copy.  

May 27, 1867.Major-General George H. Thomas,General : I have had in my possession since the day it was written, a telegram penned by our late beloved President. Its history is this. Robert Maxwell, a quixotic individual, residing in Philadelphia, has during the war, and since, humored a propensity for addressing dictatorial and sensational despatches to the President, his cabinet and prominent officials of the Government. By those who were familiar with his character, no consideration was accorded them. On receipt of one of these, a copy of which I enclose, the President wrote a reply, which he handed to me for transmission, but afterwards concluded not to send.I have preserved this precious autographic document, hoping some time to be honored with an opportunity to present it to you in person, to whom it justly belongs—a priceless tribute to a noble hero, whose dauntless courage on that fateful day saved the Army of the Cumberland.Very Respectfully Yours,Charles A. Tinker, Cipher Operator,War Dept. Telegraph Office.