Thomas T. Eckert Papers

The collection is made up mostly of items related to Eckert's duties as part of the United States Military Telegraph Office during the Civil War, including 35 volumes of telegram ledgers containing roughly 16,000 telegrams from 1862 to 1866. These include telegrams both still in code and decoded (the sent messages are ciphered; the received telegrams are mostly decoded).

Series one includes 14 United States Military Telegraph volumes containing telegrams received by the War Department (1862, Feb.-1867, August) and 7 volumes of telegrams sent from Washington (1862, Feb.-1867, July). Included are messages to and from Abraham Lincoln, Edwin M. Stanton, George B. McClellan, Henry W. Halleck, Ulysses S. Grant and others. Subjects include: the campaigns of the Union armies in the Eastern and Western theaters; intelligence and covert operations; transportation; communications; hospitals; troop provisioning and logistics; personnel issues; fugitive slaves; etc.

Series two includes four volumes of telegrams sent and received from the Army of the Potomac and Fort Monroe (1862-1865).

Series three includes eight volumes of telegrams received and sent by Major Thomas Eckert (1864-1866). Subjects include the construction, repair, and maintenance of the Union telegraph lines; transportation; relationship with the press and the agents of Reuters and Associated Press; intelligence and covert operations in 1864 and 1865; the elections of 1864; etc.

Series four includes two volumes of telegraphs from special investigating agent and Assistant Secretary of War Charles Anderson Dana sent from Chattanooga and Knoxville (1863-1864).

Series five includes 32 volumes all related to ciphers and cipher codes used by the United States Military Telegraph. This series consists of: a volume giving location of ciphers and cipher keys arranged by Colonel Anson Stager; miscellaneous handwritten cipher books; cipher books for generals and places; eight copies of cipher book #1 (1861-1862); two copies of cipher book #2 (approximately 1866); 18 copies of cipher book #5 (1865-1866); and 1 copy of cipher book #9 (approximately 1865). These cipher books often have a listing of the holders of that particular cipher written in the volume, as well as letters and telegrams regarding the cipher.

Series six includes five miscellaneous volumes related to the United States Military Telegraph, including: a pass book; two volumes related to supplies and requisitions; a ledger of telegram costs and numbers of words sent; and an account of money collected for the American Telegraph Company at the Military Telegraph Offices in the Department of the Potomac.

Series seven includes four volumes belonging to Major Thomas Eckert dealing with his post-war career. This series consists of: a money receipt book, accounts of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company, and two copies of the cipher codes for weather by the U.S. Signal Service, Division of Telegrams and Reports (1877).