Why Is The Telegraph Important To Communication

The telegraph was first widely used during the civil war it allowed the Union to communicate and coordinate directly with President

Unlike the Confederacy army, the Union had the telegraph system that established a rapid network of communication. Before the telegraph system, the Northern army had no direct communication with the President, which led to unnecessary stagnation. For instance, “General-in-Chief, Winfield Scott, was so accepting of the tradition of being unable to communicate rapidly with the front that he took a nap during the battle” (Wheeler). However, with the telegraph, President Lincoln was able to directly communicate with the battlefield

Here, as well, the Confederate army was at a disadvantage: They lacked the technological and industrial ability to conduct such a large-scale communication campaign” (Civil War Technology 2). Though these types of innovations changed the way wars are fought they also changed daily life. “Even more important were the technologies that did not specifically have to do with the war, like the railroad and the telegraph. Innovations like these did not just change the way people fought wars–they also changed the way people lived” (1). One other thing, the Union Army had established an entire government office dealing with the telegraph system and had trained many operators. “In 1861, the Union Army established the U.S. Military Telegraph Corps, led by a young railroad man named Andrew Carnegie. The next year alone, the U.S.M.T.C. trained 1,200 operators, strung 4,000 miles of telegraph wire and sent more than a million messages to and from the battlefield” (3). The telegraph was “the way” to communicate before the later invention of the telephone. “Also, there was a telegraph service for people to communicate before the invention of the telephone around 1900” (Dorr 2). It is clear that, the telegraph really helped the North get an edge on the South.

The weapons, machinery, and communication changed the future of the North and the South. The biggest invention was the telegraph. The telegraph used a secret code called Morse Code that was created by Samuel Morse. Morse code was used to send letters secretly using combinations of long and short signals of light or sound. The telegraph was a way to send coded messages from one place to another in limited time. Generals used it to send messages about plans of attack and battle information. Even President Abraham Lincoln used the telegraph. President Abraham Lincoln had a special room made that was hidden from the rest of his people, where he would go to send messages to generals to give information and commands. Other Technological Advances were bullets. One bullet used in the Civil War was called the Minie Bullet. The Minie Ball was a shaped large bullet that went through enemies killing them instantly. Over ninety percent of all casualties in the Civil War were caused by the Minie Ball. Another large advance was transportation. Railroads were created to move supplies from one place to another in short time. Railroads were made from state to state to move supplies to battle

Transportation was a necessity during the battles and wars. Transportation that was done by horses or by foot, made for a slower and inefficient way to arrive at the planned location. Also, if the troops needed extra supplies, it must come by foot and that left room attacks where they were not prepared or have enough equipment to fight adequately. When trains and railroads were created this provided a new way of getting

The first telegraph was invented during this war to help Abraham Lincoln command troops. Since the telegraph was invented due to this war, Abraham Lincoln managed to command his troops through it over long distances. The telegraph was extremely successful during this time that it eventually became what phones are today. Many new weapons, like the first machine gun, were invented, that shoot faster and further, helping the troops in battle. Many weapons that people use for hunting and other wars today derived from the battles of the Civil War. The weapons that the soldiers used to use were single-shot guns that could not shoot far, but since those weapons have drastically improved during this war, it has changed the way people use weapons today (History.com Staff). Not only was the Civil War the reason the telegraph and better weapons were invented, but it was also the reason many machines that helped in battles were invented. Weber notes that the hot air balloon was first invented during this war in order to assist troops who were fighting on the ground, thus the reason hot air balloons are abundant today. Also, the submarine was extremely enhanced during this time in order to assist many battles along with the hot air balloons. Since these machines have greatly improved during this war, it is the reason they are more abundantly used today. All in all, the Civil War has had a

The telegraph was widely used during the Civil War, and was an important resource used by the Union. The immediate need for long distance communication was apparent on both sides. In spite of this, the corps, which at the outbreak of the war consisted of Major Meyer alone, eventually grew to some three hundred officers and twenty-five hundred men, and performed a vital service to the Union. Signaling on both sides was done with flags, rockets, flares and torches. Messages were often coded and then deciphered due to the fact that they were visible to the enemy. But these codes were changed constantly because cryptographers on both sides were constantly trying to decipher the messages. Because of this, the Union was able to keep messages coded and was able to execute maneuvers in

Samuel Morse designed the Telegraph in 1835, which was used as a means of communication from Washington DC to Baltimore and later to Maryland. The telegraph was a breakthrough in the communication, and this contributed to economic growth because it transformed the long distance communication. With the introduction of the telegraph, communication was made easy as the traders and the settlers could communicate with other people across the continent. Apart from the Telegraph, the US postal service was used, which enhanced how information was shared among people thus strengthening the growth of the US economy. Moreover, the improvement of communication systems helped in information dispersal in the field of transport and agriculture (Lindert & Williamson, 2016). In addition, farmers moved into large markets where they could exchange their products with manufacturers thus expanding their trade, and advancing the American economy. Therefore, the changes in the communication systems with the use of the telegraph and postal services improved trade throughout the country thus improving the

In the early 1860’s, new inventions and technology in the United States would completely evolve during the Civil War. One of the several technological advances at this time was the telegraph and it changed the outcome of not only the war but the future, by providing faster communication between the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and his Union Generals. This essential apparatus was constructed by Samuel Morse and Lincoln was the first president to communicate efficiently to his generals. More importantly, this device increased the Union’s chances of winning the war since the Confederates lacked the technology that allowed information to transmit to their own troops.

From the onset of the Civil War the South possessed two advantages. One was geography and the other was that it did not have to “win” the war. The vastness of the United State presented command and control challenges and logistical challenge for both Union and Confederal forces. This before mentioned challenge played into the Confederate forces other advantage which was they could simple keep the Union forces to a draw during the war and thus ensuring their future as an independent country. For the Union forces to overcome the challenge of geography and to not result in a draw they used innovations such as the telegraph to communicate orders to Soldiers over vast distances and thus making geography and the tyranny of distance a less of an advantage for the Confederate forces. The ability for leadership to convey timely orders to their military

The telegraph system was so commonly used and popular that by 1862, the United States Military Telegraph Corps had over 1,200 operators, built more than 4,000 miles of telegraph wires, and transmitted a million messages between the battlefields (“Civil War Technology”). Taking advantage of the speed and availability of the telegraph, President “Lincoln used [it] to reinforce his strategic redirection away from the acquisition of real estate to the destruction of the enemy” in 1863 (Wheeler). For instance, he reminded General Joseph Hooker, who saw Confederacy’s northward movement as an advantage, that their “true objective point” was General Lee’s army (Wheeler). In other words, the telegraph system helped President Lincoln to understand the most recent situations both in the battlefield and in the commanders’ offices and allowed the North to quickly change its military tactics in response to any sudden news, contrary to the South (Wheeler). All in all, the telegraph system granted the Union communication benefits that the Confederates lacked, including direct mandates that prevented inactivity, meetings to plan specific strategies, and immediate news sources. These benefits allowed the Union to save time, outsmart, and advance its army before the Confederate army. Therefore, without the telegraph system, the Union would not

Northern United States Railroad System The northern railroad system has help the north so much during the war. Without the railroads the North would have had a major disadvantage. The north relied on the railroads for so many different things. The north used them for moving troops very far and very effectively as well.

The war between United States and Mexico witnessed use of technological innovations at the strategic level. This was more evident in communication. Mounted couriers carried battle reports and were dispatched safely inside sandbags. In the period from 1821 to 1854, steamboats, railroads, and telegraphs advanced critical communications at speed beyond imagination. Tactical communications for armies remained unchanged. Drums and flags marked the progress of units. Unit at distant places received written or verbal orders delivered by the officers. The volunteer messenger formed the critical link between the commander and his command.

The North’s access to transportation devices was a very big pro which the South did not have. The North had more railroads so they could get around a lot faster than the Southern troops. This gained them a huge advantage by getting them to the next battle site faster than ever before. The South had to take horse drawn carriages or even walk to their destination. The North gained a massive advantage over the South with their transportation system.

About 20 years ago, Samuel Morse innovated the most important form of military communication of the war. The telegraph is vital to the war as it is used to report battle information instantly from one area to another. Telegraph lines are being hung everywhere and more than 15,000 miles of telegraph lines are being built yet alone just for military purposes. Thus far, the North has won several battles due to the telegraph, including when Southern forces got tangled