Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

1

Signal tower.

this is a picture of the signal tower at Point of Rocks, on the Appomattox River, from a drawing by the author, made in December, 1864. the one alluded to in the text, was similar in construction but not so high. That at Point of Rocks was 125 feet in height. It was built of pine timber, under the direction of General Weitzel. From its summit the writer saw the church-spires in both Petersburg and Richmond, and the sentinels along the Confederate lines, in front of Bermuda hundred.

signals and the signal corps have often been mentioned in this work, and illustrations of signal stations of various kinds have been given, the most common being trees used for the purpose. The value of the signal corps to the service during the civil war, has been hinted at; it can not be estimated. That value was most conspicuously illustrated during McClellan's campaign on the peninsula of Virginia; at Antietam and Fredericksburg;

Plate I.

at Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Fort Macon, and Mobile; during Sherman's march from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and his approach to the coast, and especially in connection with the attack at Allatoona Pass, mentioned on page 398. the system of signaling by night and by day, on land and on the water, in use during the Civil War,was the invention of Colonel Albert <*>. Myer, of the National Army, who was the chief of the signal corps throughout the conflict. He has written, fully illustrated, and published a volume on the subject, entitled, a Manual of signals, in which may be found a full description of the character and practical workings of the system. We may here consider only a few facts in relation to the system, by which the reader may have a general idea of its workings. It may properly be remarked, that it is so simple and flexible, that it may be used through the medium of sounds, forms, colors, and motions, all of which are regulated and understood by a Code.

the most common method of signaling during the war, was by the use of a waving flag by day, and a waving torch by night, which the figures in this note, copied from Colonel Myer's Manual, illustrate.

Plate I. Illustrates the manner of using the flag-signal. The operator has a flag of any color or colors that may make it conspicuous at a distance. He places himself in position of ready, or figure 1. the flag is held directly over the head of the flagman, the staff vertical. Suppose he is to make words or sentences, by a combination of Arabic numerals. To make the numeral “1,” the flag is waved from the vertical position to the ground, to the right, and instantly brought to the first position, as indicated in figure 2, the arrows showing the direction of the motion. To make numeral “2,” the flag is waved to the ground to the left, and instantly brought to the first position, as seen in figure 3. to make numeral “3,” the flag is waved to the ground in front, and instantly brought to the first position, as seen in figure 4. we now have, by a combination of the three figures, in this simple operation by three elements, the number “123.” there is a signal-code, which every operator carries with him, if he has not committed it all to memory, in which is given several hundred combinations of numerals, with the significance of each. As, for example, “123” may mean, a “mile to the right ;” “321” may mean, “the brigade has moved;” “1123” may mean, “cavalry approaching by the turnpike ;” and so on, in hundreds of combinations. Now, suppose a flagman is directed to signal to an officer, who is looking at the former from a

Signaling.

distance, through a telescope resting on the hilt of his sword, as seen in the above picture, or in any other position, the direction of certain troops, or of the range of a gun, “a mile to the right.” the flagman will make the

Plate II.

motions already described, and indicated ia Plate I. If the officer to whom the message has been sent, is not very familiar with the Code, he will consult it and he will find that the numbers given by the flagman, “123,” signify, “a mile to the right.” the officer wishes to reply to the one with the distant flagman, “the brigade has moved;” he will direct his own flagman, seen standing near him, to make the numerals “321,” by first making the motion of figure 1, for “ready,” then of figure 4 for “3,” of figure 3 for “2,” and of figure 2 for “1,” making the number, “321.”

the same principle is carried out in night-signaling, in the motions of a torch, instead of a flag, as seen in Plate II. the operator lights a stationary foot-torch, at which he stands firmly, it being the indication or “point of reference,” to the other operator, of the position of his correspondent. Then the torch is moved in the same way, right, left, and front. the waving torch is a large lamp, filled with turpentine, and wick'd. This is attached to a staff, the same length as that of the flag-staff, which is usually 12 feet. The foot-torch is made of a copper lamp, similarly equipped. Each torch has an extinguisher. At the end of each message, the waving torch is extinguished. With both the flag and the torch-signal, there are motions which indicate spaces between the combination of numbers. For example: when the flagman has made the motions for “123,” he makes a space motion, and then goes on to “321,” and so on.

a party in the field for signaling, need consist of only an officer, seeking or imparting information, a flag and torch man, and an orderly to hold their horses, as seen in the group on page 548. the orderly has charge of the supplies for the torches, the turpentine or camphene being carried in a large canteen, seen back of the saddle of the white horse, in the picture. The flagman's horse (the black one) is furnished with a case for carrying his staff in.

the signal service was always a most perilous one. And required much courage and fortitude, for those engaged in it were obliged, frequently, to be in front of the Army, and in the most exposed situations.