Abraham Lincoln and the Telegraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Abraham Lincoln and the Telegraph - Essay Example For instance, in 1962, the president of the United States telegraphed a military general in the battlefield of second Manassas (Bull Run). Abraham Lincoln was exhausting the new mode of automated communications in an unparalleled manner to modernize the nature of state leadership. Since information moved at much greater rates than on foot, the military became more convoluted and facilitated the transformation of the medium industry to an entirely new level. Abraham Lincoln was the first President to use this technology in a time of crisis, putting the fate of the nation back in the hands of the nation’s leaders and allowing for instantaneous strategic modifications. This essay seeks to discuss how Abraham Lincoln's use of the telegraph revolutionized warfare by revolutionizing national leadership in the Civil War. The Telegraph and Abraham Lincoln Before telegraphy, the urgency for communication was not so much complex. Telegraphy revolutionized communication in long distances since it beat the physical exchange of letter. With this, Abraham Lincoln made great strides in his national leadership through the use of this technology. Through this, he revolutionalised national leadership and secured his status during the civil war ear in the United States. When Lincoln reached the 1861 inaugural, there were no current telegraph networks to the War Departments and even in the White House (Allen et al. 112). This situation did not prevail for long since rapid changes were implemented. Wires were mounted in the War Department and other related important installations virtually straightaway. During this time, the telegraph room in the war department was considered Abraham Lincoln’s favorite. He spent much of his time in this room strategizing the war and doing his personal time. Interestingly, the white house had no telegraph system and Lincoln made numerous visits to the war department’s cipher room. It is in this quiet seclusion that Lincoln did h is introspection about the war, brewing new ideas and strategies. Here, he would have some quiet, undisturbed and undivided attention while thinking of the way forward for the war. In the telegraph room, he awaited inpor6ant news and messages from the ground. The forecasts and messages gave him the exactness of the activities of this dragging war. Clearly, this was a challenging time for Lincoln, the translation of these cyphers, the development of the new type of communication and the dynamism of the war, the loss of lives in battle and the little victories. All this he had to take in at the same time. This needs a real heart to take in without feeling overwhelmed. With this influx of information, Lincoln pondered on every little communications he received without leaving anything to chance. All these military and political messages needed to be addressed for the good of the public. The telegraph turned out to be a tool to triumph the war and the symbol that will move the country t o the declaration of emancipation. Importance of the Telegraph Communication The setting up and use of telegraph communication was essential, during the American Civil War. Despite the rising interest for the new technology, during that time, the telegraph's potential was acknowledged with uncertainty and was not that much appreciated. The commencement of the work was not easy because personnel had to be assembled to attend to its use and implementation. However, Lincoln used this opportunity to tap and capitalize on electric communications. This is seen as something significant because it is used without preference and was majorly used, during in a time, where war was waged, during the Civil War (Hochfelder 231). Through telegraph communi