Sunday 26 December 2010

Message In A Bottle

On the 4th of  July 1863 a soldier wrote a coded message and placed it in a bottle ..... the intended recipient was Gen John Pemberton, the officer in charge of the defences at Vicksberg, which was under siege from the Unionist forces.

General John Pemberton
General John Pemberton

The message was never delivered because that same day the Unionists marched into Vicksburg and the fate of the 'Confederacy' probably assured .... they lost the Civil War two years later.

The Fall Of Vicksburg
The Fall Of Vicksburg


However the message was presented to the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, by a former Confederate soldier in 1896. It lay un-deciphered for over 100 years until this year when it was finally examined.

Message In A Bottle


And in one of the "No Shit, Sherlock!" moments from history it said "You can expect no help from this side of the river"

The full text was:

"Gen'l Pemberton:

You can expect no help from this side of the river. Let Gen'l Johnston know, if possible, when you can attack the same point on the enemy's lines. Inform me also and I will endeavour to make a diversion. I have sent some caps (explosive devices). I subjoin a despatch from General Johnston."

Ah well, better late than never, eh?
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous4 January 2011 at 12:33

    Typical, that important letter always arrives too late!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No PC16 February 2019 at 12:17

      Not enough postage. Sorry for the late response ... even emails aren't noticed.

      Delete

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