147 year old Civil War message opened, decoded: No help coming

[Woolly Bugger]

A glass vial stopped with a cork during the Civil War has been opened, revealing a coded message to the desperate Confederate commander in Vicksburg on the day the Mississippi city fell to Union forces 147 years ago.

The dispatch offered no hope to doomed Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton: Reinforcements are not on the way.

The encrypted, 6-line message was dated July 4, 1863, the date of Pemberton's surrender to Union forces led by Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Siege of Vicksburg in what historians say was a turning point midway into the Civil War.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/25/national/a073441S81.DTL#ixzz198nrLPEI

[troutphisher]

At that time  most Vicksburg resedents were living in holes and bunkers cut into the bluffs to escape the constant shelling from union troops. It was no wonder they finaly surrendered to Grant on the 4th of July hoping to get better terms on independence day.

Vickburg did not celecrate the 4th of july afterwards for 70 years............. 

[flatlander]

I don't know what's more interesting: the article itself or some of the comments following the article

[Al]

I am still reading 5x's favorite Union Generals memoirs (Personal Memoirs of Gen'l W. T. Sherman written by himself) Now on Volume 2 where he is about to commence his march through Georgia.

Fascinating stuff. Lots of letters going back and forth between himself, Gen Grant, many of his subordinate officers, etc, then comentary by Gen Sherman many years after the war as he looked back on each action. No radios or INTERNET back in those days - they had telegraph but it was very unreliable so most of it went by letter via courier. Very difficult to coordinate movement, supplies, etc. Lots of time what ever they wanted to convey was over come by events before the letter or order arrived.

One thing that comes across right from the begining was Sherman's view of warfare, ie "make em hurt enough and they won't be doing that again anytime soon"

[Woolly Bugger]

At that time  most Vicksburg resedents were living in holes and bunkers cut into the bluffs to escape the constant shelling from union troops. It was no wonder they finaly surrendered to Grant on the 4th of July hoping to get better terms on independence day.

Vickburg did not celecrate the 4th of july afterwards for 70 years.............

Hey, phish, have you visited Vicksburg recently, now that you'll living in the deep south?