A Brief History & Guide
To The Signal Corps,
During The American Civil War.
This information was compiled by Second Lieutenant Brian D. Mellor a member of the Confederate and Union Re-enactment Society (C.U.R.S.)
Although the information on this page has been collected and compiled from official sources it is only intended to be a brief guide.
The Signal Corps
The system of sending messages by the use of waving flags or torches, Known as the "Wig Wag" system, was first tested in border warfare against hostile Navajos by a non-combatant, Surgeon, Major A. J. Myer and his helper and pupil Second Lieutenant E.P. Alexander. When the war between the North and the South broke out, Alexander, a Georgian, resigned from the U.S. Army and accepted a Confederate commission. From there he went on to train Southern signalmen.
Major Myer continued developing his signal system with the North, but at first his work met with indifferent reception and evoked hostility in the Federal government. Because of this Alexander and his signalmen were the first to see action at the first battle of Bull Run on the 21st of July 1861. Beauregard's report after the battle acknowledges the aid rendered his army by Alexander and his men.
On the 19th of April 1862 the Confederate Congress authorized a Signal Corps, but Alexander turned down its command, wishing to use his U.S. Military Academy training in a combat role. The job of Chief Signal Officer went to Captain William Norris. The Federal Congress did not authorize the formation of the U.S. Signal Corps, to be commanded by Major Myer, until the 3rd of March 1863.
The officers of the signal corps.
Left : An artists sketch of the inventor of the signal system, General (then Major), A.J. Myer, U.S. Army. Right : Brigadier General, E.P. Alexander, Confederate Army (picture taken after he left the signal corps).
A signal corps field office in August 1862.
The signal officer is writing a message, for the runner to take to the flagman, who will then send the message.
The signal corps flags were the following colours :
White with a Red center, for use against a dark background.
Red with a White center, for varying backgrounds.
Black with a White center, when snow was on the ground.
How a message was sent.
Combinations of three separate motions sent signal messages. The flag or torch was initially held upright. "One" was indicated by waving the flag to the left and then returning it from the ground to the upright position, "Two" by a similar motion to the right and "Three" by a wave or dip to the front. Where a letter was composed of several figures, the motions were made in rapid succession without a pause. However a very brief pause was used to separate letters. One or more dip motions to the front distinguished words or sentences.
Torches were used at night in a similar way as the flags were in the day, the only difference being that a second torch was placed at the signalman's feet as a point of reference, as the sketch overleaf shows :
Notice the signal officer to the left, reading an incoming signal with the use of a telescope. The flag that would be used in the daylight hours, hangs from the signalman's stage.
Keeping your message secret.
A Confederate cipher disc.
Being able to send and receive messages quickly over a large distance, was all very well and good. But keeping your massage out of the enemy hands was just as important. This was done by encrypting your message by means of a cipher disc. Two concentric discs, of unequal size and revolving on a central pivot, were divided along their outer edges into twenty six equal compartments.
The inner and outer disks contained in their compartments the letters to be sent. By the use of prearranged keys, and through their frequent interchange, the secrecy of massages thus enciphered was almost absolutely ensured.
A dangerous job.
Both Federal and Confederate Signal Corps had other duties. One of the most important but dangerous jobs that the signal corps had to do was scouting. In fact Captain B.F. Fisher, who was the acting Chief Signal Officer for the Army of the Potomac, was captured while on a Scouting mission near Aldie, Virginia on the 17th of June 1863.
A visitor to the Union signal training camp at Red Hill, Georgetown, upon viewing a group of signalmen lounging comfortably, feet in the air and drowsing against the sides of their tents, was reported to have asked the officer on duty what the men were doing. The officer explained that the mens work for the day was finished and that he would not grudge them these few moments of peaceful comfort, for soon the men will leave for the front.
The signal training camp at Red Hill.
I am sure that if the visitor to the camp knew that the ratio of killed to wounded in the Signal Corps was one hundred and fifty per cent. as against the usual ratio of twenty per cent. in other branches of the service, he also would not grudge the signalmen these few moments of peace and comfort too !
A more affective way of gathering information about the surrounding terrain and any enemy units was by telescopic reconnaissance. A signal party would take up position on high ground, from which, using a powerful field telescope they would obtain information about the surrounding landscape and any enemy positions or troop movements in the area. This information would then be signaled back to H.Q. where the appropriate action could be decided upon.
A signal party conducting telescopic reconnaissance.
Second Lieutenant Mellor using a telescope to read incoming signals.
A word from A.W. Greely, Major General, U.S. Army.
No other arm of the military services during the Civil War excited a tithe of the curiosity and interest which surrounded the Signal Corps. To the onlooker, the messages of its waving flags and its winking lights were always mystic in their language, while their tenor was often fraught with thrilling import and productive of far-reaching effects.
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The Signal Corps
The signal alphabet, numerals and code signals:
A = 11
K = 1212U = 221
K = 1212U = 221B = 1221 L = 112 V = 2111
L = 112 V = 2111C = 212 M = 2112W = 2212
M = 2112W = 2212D = 111 N = 22 X = 1211
N = 22 X = 1211E = 21 O = 12 Y = 222
O = 12 Y = 222F = 1112 P = 2121Z = 1111
P = 2121Z = 1111G = 1122 Q = 2122& = 2222
Q = 2122& = 2222H = 211 R = 122 tion = 2221
R = 122 tion = 2221I = 2 S = 121 ing = 1121
S = 121 ing = 1121J = 2211 T = 1 ed = 1222
T = 1 ed = 1222121212 = Error.
11,11,11,3 = Message received (or understood).
3 = End of word.
33 = End of sentence.
333 = End of message.
Constant and unbroken waving = Attention, look for signals.
12221 = 1 or Wait a moment.
21112 = 2 or Are you ready ?
11211 = 3 or I am ready.
11121 = 4 or Use short pole.
11112 = 5 or Use long pole.
21111 = 6 or Work faster.
22111 = 7 or Did you understand ?
22221 = 8 or Use white flag.
22122 = 9 or Use black flag.
11111 = 0 or Use red flag.
To help speed up the work of sending flag messages, there were many abbreviations, such as the following examples :
A = After.B = Before.C = Can.N = Not.
B = Before.C = Can.N = Not.Q = Quiet.R = Are.U = You.Y = Why.
R = Are.U = You.Y = Why.IMY = Immediately.
Find out more or even join the Signal Corps.
The C.U.R.S. are looking for volunteers to help boost their numbers. One thing that we are looking to set up is a Union Signal Corps to act as a counter weight for the Confederate Signal Corps.
If you are interested in joining the C.U.R.S. please contact us on www.curs1-uk.com or if you have any questions about the Signal Corps you can contact me by phone on Cardiff +(44)029 20563620
