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THBCivil War Manuscript "Keys" for Telegraphing Messages
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Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveSep 8, 2017 - Sep 9, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (427)
- Lot Description
Lot of 2 separate sets of Civil War-era codes, written in different hands, illustrating the careful methods used to convey and encrypt messages during the Civil War.
Unknown author. Detailed list of coded phrases and a key for telegraphing additional material. 3pp, 5 x 8 in., n.d.
Unknown author. Detailed list of arbitraries to be used in telegrams and other instructions. 2pp, approx. 5 x 7.5 in., n.d.
The telegraph become a crucial piece of technology to both sides during the Civil War, allowing for the first time real-time battlefield communications. The North, acting through the United States Military Telegraph Service, handled over 6.5 million messages and built more than 15,000 miles of line. However, the South was never able to fully utilize this resource as it had a much smaller telegraph network and used the telegraph on a more limited basis. Sending telegram messages via telegraph required caution and encryption, as a telegraph line was able to be tapped by enemies on either side, and so both North and South used detailed codes to protect their messages. The keys to these codes were only accessible to a very limited number of individuals thereby helping to maintain the secrecy of high-level military communications.
This first set of codes lays out specific phrases and their actual meanings: "Hood has flanked Nashville" translates to "Will see you" whereas "Thomas has been repulsed" translates to "Cant see you." Following a series of these explanations the author states, "If you wish to say anything more in detail you can use the Key herewith marked 'A'...." The accompanying key is headlined with a bold scripted letter "A" under which the author notes, "I send you a new Key which is very simple. You can write thru Key. Telegraph anything in detail./ In telegraphing use the 2d word 1st the 4th word 3d the 6th word 5th and so on through the whole dispatch. The author then provides a word for word example of a sentence encoded using the key.
The second set of codes features a detailed list of words known as "arbitraries." Arbitraries were common words or punctuation marks that were used to replace other words in a message. Arbitraries included in this list include "Rebel - shares/ Union - Bonds/ Gen Lee - Pacific Mail/ Longstreet - certificates/ Hood - oil stocks." The author of this document concludes, "...last 3 words in message will be hour, & fraction of hour, with following for ten - Salem / eleven - Trenton / twelve - Newark - In acknowledging receipt of telegram give tie it as rec'd in same cypher...."
Condition
The first set of codes is in good condition. The second set of codes has a matching damp stain running vertically down both pages, not affecting readability of text.
Both birds have been reattached. Small chips and losses to surface, consistent with age.
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