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Lincoln in the telegraph office recollections The United States Military Telegraph Corps during the Civil War 1907 [Hardcover]
eng, Pages 446. Reprinted in 2015 with the help of original edition published long back[1907]. This book is in black & white, Hardcover, sewing binding for longer life with Matt laminated multi-Colour Dust Cover, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, there may be some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. (Customisation is possible). Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. Original Lincoln in the telegraph office recollections The United States Military Telegraph Corps during the Civil War 1907 [Hardcover], Original David Homer Bates
446 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1907
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 7, 2010
I found this book quite delightful, with all kinds of little stories about Lincoln and his interactions with the telegraph operators. It is an extremely unique book and should be read if you're into Lincoln. It would rate higher but the book does ramble on with a few unnecessary diversions. An Editor today could really tighten this up. Its a quick read and well worth it. I received a Nook for Christmas and used that to download it (free) from B&N website and read it electronically. The electronic version has some very minor problems with the text and figures but it is a straight scan from the 1907 published version and those small problems did not annoy me or detract from the overall text.
February 29, 2016
This is a wonderful book. David Homer Bates was one of the primary telegraph operators in the War Department, an office that Abraham Lincoln visited often during the war. By often I mean up to several times a day while waiting for news from the front. Bates had a front row seat and uses his own reminiscences and those of his comrades to provide valuable insight into the wartime life of Lincoln.
Bates begins with an introduction to the role of telegraphs, the organization of the military telegraph corps, the key people in the War Dept Telegraph Office, and the use of cipher-codes and messages. His far-ranging topics for the rest of the book include views into the relationship between Lincoln and his generals, in particular McClellan, and with Secretary of War Stanton. Bates provides examples of telegrams sent and received to support his views, while also incorporating information from his colleagues and other biographical sources available at the time of his writing (1907). In essence he takes us through a history of the war, its major battles and confrontations, and Lincoln's drafting of the first version of the Emancipation Proclamation, done at Major Eckert's desk in the telegraph cipher room.
Also covered are insights into Lincoln's interests in troop movements, his humor, and his forebodings at what appeared to be likely defeat in his 1864 reelection. Bates uses his inside knowledge to let us into the debates that led to the greatest troop movement achievement up to that time, using railroads to move 23,000 troops over 1200 miles in just 11 days. Similar inside information informs us of other conflicts between Generals and the Hampton Roads peace conference.
Overall the book is a highly valuable window into Lincoln, the telegraph office, and the war. Bates writes in an easy to understand style that informs and entertains while not missing out on insights and details that help the reader understand the behind-the-scenes ruminations sometimes omitted in other biographies. In short, it was a fun read with tons of information that should be on the reading list of everyone interested in Abraham Lincoln.
Bates begins with an introduction to the role of telegraphs, the organization of the military telegraph corps, the key people in the War Dept Telegraph Office, and the use of cipher-codes and messages. His far-ranging topics for the rest of the book include views into the relationship between Lincoln and his generals, in particular McClellan, and with Secretary of War Stanton. Bates provides examples of telegrams sent and received to support his views, while also incorporating information from his colleagues and other biographical sources available at the time of his writing (1907). In essence he takes us through a history of the war, its major battles and confrontations, and Lincoln's drafting of the first version of the Emancipation Proclamation, done at Major Eckert's desk in the telegraph cipher room.
Also covered are insights into Lincoln's interests in troop movements, his humor, and his forebodings at what appeared to be likely defeat in his 1864 reelection. Bates uses his inside knowledge to let us into the debates that led to the greatest troop movement achievement up to that time, using railroads to move 23,000 troops over 1200 miles in just 11 days. Similar inside information informs us of other conflicts between Generals and the Hampton Roads peace conference.
Overall the book is a highly valuable window into Lincoln, the telegraph office, and the war. Bates writes in an easy to understand style that informs and entertains while not missing out on insights and details that help the reader understand the behind-the-scenes ruminations sometimes omitted in other biographies. In short, it was a fun read with tons of information that should be on the reading list of everyone interested in Abraham Lincoln.
February 10, 2017
This book will be of interest to anyone who is fascinated by Lincoln, the Civil War, and developing technology. Lincoln spent a great deal of time in the War Department telegraph office and this memoir is written by one of the "boys" who interacted with the 12th president on a daily basis. It's too bad this book has been forgotten and overlooked for decades.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews