Lincoln In The Telegraph Office

As the Civil War raged, President Abraham Lincoln spent many hours in the War Department's telegraph office, where he received all his telegrams. Morning, noon, and night Lincoln would visit the small office to receive the latest news from the armies at the front. The place was a refuge for the president, who waited for incoming dispatches and talked while they were being deciphered. David Homer Bates, one of the first military telegraphers, recollects those presidential visits during times of crisis. Lincoln in the Telegraph Office, originally published in 1907, shows history in the making and personalities at their most unguarded: Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Andrew Carnegie, General George McClellan, and many others. The reader is with Lincoln at the scene of dramatic tidings: of the Northern disasters at Bull Run, of Meade's victory at Gettysburg, of Grant's capture of Richmond. Lincoln wrote the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation at the telegraph office, and from there the news of his assassination was relayed. Wartime human-interest anecdotes, the wonder of the new technology, the unraveling of ciphers and codes, conspiracies and rumors, a heightened sense of onrushing events, the tragedy of Good Friday 1865-all are conveyed in this classic of Lincolniana. Introducing Lincoln in the Telegraph Office is James A. Rawley, Carl Adolph Happold Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His works include Turning Points of the Civil War, also available as a Bison Book.

Published in 1907, these are David Homer Bates recollections of his time serving as the manager of the War Department Telegraph Office and all the time that Abraham Lincoln spent there during the Civil War.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Excerpt from Lincoln in the Telegraph Office: Recollections of the United, States Military Telegraph, Corps During the Civil War The kindly, earnest, brave, foreseeing man, Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame New birth Of our new soil, the first American. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Given the amount of time that Abraham Lincoln spent in the telegraph office of the War Department next door to the White House, it is unfortunate that there are no photos of him there. But we have this fascinating account of his time there. During times of crisis, tension, and victory, Lincoln spent hours and hours in the company of his "boys" in that office.There are many Lincoln anecdotes you will not read anywhere else and they help to complete a view of this extraordinary president.David Bates was one of the boys. From 1861-1866 he was the manager of the War Department telegraph office and a cipher (code) operator. In this intimate and interesting book, first published in 1907, Bates relates what it was like working alongside Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton (Secretary of War). He also discusses the codes and methods used during the Civil War to transmit important messages.One of the unsung heroes of the American Civil War was Major Thomas Eckert, who was in charge of all military telegraphic operations. Greatly trusted by both Lincoln and War Secretary Stanton, Eckert was employed in many very important actions during the war.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.