NARA Collection lc — Collection lc

Original caption: On our more permanent lines tall towers were erected on high and commanding positions. From the top of these towers our signal corps could transmit messages by means of waiving of flags by day and torches by night. These were in plain sight of the enemy, but were utterly unintelligible to them, as the messages were all in cipher; the very men who were waving the flag did not know the tenor of the messages they transmitted; they of course knew how to wave their flags so as to make certain given figures, but they did not know what those figures meant. Only the Officers of the signal corps had the "key" to the cipher. The members of the signal corps were brave and cool as any soldiers who were doing the fighting, for when the lines of battle were shifting, the signal corps was pushed away out at the front where they could better observe the movements of the enemy, and transmit intelligence to the generals; they had to post themselves in tree-tops or on house-tops, in most exposed positions, and were constantly made the target for sharpshooters. When our troops were sorely pressed, sometimes a message from the little flags was like an inspiration, telling of reinforcements coming to our help.

Original caption: These immense sling-carts are used for moving heavy cannon. The wheels have double spokes and very broad heavy tires. Some idea of the size of these immense wheels can be formed by comparing their height with that of the officer who stands near. It will be noticed that although he is a tall man, yet his head only comes up to about the hub of the wheel.

Original caption: This is the smoke-stack of the Rebel Ram Virginia, and shows how our batteries peppered the ram when it made its famous raid down the river and attempted to run by our batteries. When Richmond was taken, this smoke-stack was found at the Rocketts. The Rebels had taken it out and was repairing the ram when they got orders to evacuate the city. The ram was blown up by them when they left.

Original caption: In the history of all the world, there can be found no record of so grand and noble an organization, as the United States Sanitary Commission. It had its branches in nearly every town and village during the war. It sent its members (noble women and men) to every battlefield; it saved thousands of lives; it relieved untold misery and suffering. No old soldier can look at this picture without having awakened in him bright memories of the grand old Sanitary Commission, blessed of God and man.

Original caption: A Union soldier killed by a shell at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. His arm was torn off, and can be seen on the ground near his musket, and entirely separated from his body. The shell also completely disemboweled the poor fellow, and killed him so quick that he never knew what struck him. Think of a battlefield covering nearly twenty-five square miles, and covered with thousands of dead, many of them mangled even worse than this one and you can have a faint idea of Gettysburg in the early days of July, 1863.

Original caption: This is a view of the famous Vicksburg Levee; photographed in February, 1864.

Original caption: Scene of the assassination of Colonel E. E. Ellsworth, Commander of the N. Y. Zouaves. He was shot and instantly killed by Jackson, the landlord, for pulling down a Rebel flag from the flag-staff on the roof. Colonel Ellsworth's death was immediately avenged by Sergeant Brownell of his Zouaves, who shot and bayonetted Jackson almost at the same moment that Jackson shot Colonel Ellsworth; their dead bodies fell within three feet of each other. This occurred on May 24, 1861.

Original caption: This view shows part of the deck and turret of the "Monitor;" near the port-hole can be seen the dents made by the heavy steel-pointed shot from the guns of the "Merrimac." As the old war time ditty has it: "The Rebel shot flew hot, but our boys they answered not, Till they got within a distance they called handy; Then says Worden to his crew, boys, let's see what we can do, And up spoke little Yankee Doodle Dandy." "The Rebels shook their head, and to one another said, The bottom of this river is quite sandy, We had better turn about, and for Norfolk quick set out, For we have found the very Devil, in this little Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Original caption: Around each fort is a line of "abbatis," and back of that a broad, deep ditch, or moat, partially filled with water. To enable the garrison to cross this ditch, to pass in and out of the fort, there is one narrow draw-bridge at the sally-port or entrance of the fort. When an attack is made, the bridge is lifted or drawn inside the fort, like a gang-plank; the sally-port is then closed and blocked, and the garrison are thus protected on all sides, both by the line of "abbatis," and the ditch or moat, making the fort like an island doubly surrounded, first by the moat, and then by the line of abbatis. To advance on this fort under a heavy fire from these cannon, to stop directly before the muzzles of the guns and remove this line of "abbatis," while men were falling like leaves on every side, to struggle past the obstructions, cross the slippery moat, and attempt to scale the walls of the fort in the face of a deadly fire from the well-protected garrison, required brave men, indeed, for the attacking party were far more likely to find their graves in this treacherous, slippery ditch, than they were to scale the walls and capture the fort.

Original caption: In the early Spring of 1862, the Army of the Potomac laid a very heavy siege to Yorktown, Va. Immense batteries of enormous guns and mortars were planted all along the line by the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery. This is a battery of 13-inch sea-coast mortars.