Civil War Telegraph Dispatches – Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Co., May 1864 

Description

Civil War Telegraph Dispatches – Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Co., May 1864 

A remarkable pair of original Civil War telegraph messages, transmitted in May 1864 over the Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company’s “Caton Lines”, relating to the movement and coordination of Illinois volunteer regiments during the war.

Both dispatches are addressed to Lt. Col. S. S. Sumner, and reference the 38th, 41st, and 63rd Illinois Infantry Regiments, units that served with distinction in the Western Theater. The first message, sent from Mattoon to Springfield, instructs that the regiments be retained at Mattoon and Centralia until further orders, while the second, dated May 14, 1864, reverses those instructions — ordering the troops to “start for the field as soon as possible in accordance with previous orders.” The communications are signed by James Oakes, a senior U.S. Army officer who served as a mustering and disbursing officer for Illinois troops.

Each message appears on the printed Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company form, headed “Caton Lines” and featuring the names of the company’s regional superintendents. These early commercial telegraph forms are among the most sought-after Civil War communication artifacts, reflecting the intersection of military logistics and the dawn of modern electronic messaging.

Expertly framed and matted as a pair, preserving both dispatches in excellent legible condition with minimal fading.

An exceptional and historically rich set of Civil War telegraph dispatches, documenting troop orders transmitted via the nation’s expanding telegraph network — a defining feature of Union command efficiency during the war.  

Inventory Number: PRI 218