How the Telegraph Helped Lincoln Win the Civil War Research Paper

The telegraph was an invention that would lead to many more. Before it we had to send letters that took days, weeks, or maybe even months. Because of it we could communicate long distances almost instantly. It changed the civil war completely and it will change many wars ater. It also will change the way we fight. You could be in a different state and still give commands. Because of Lincoln’s dedication to the telegraph, the fact that it was the earliest form of long distance communication, and military pressure, Morse code had a huge impact on the Civil war.

How did Lincoln use the telegraph to win the war? That’s a great question. According to records Lincoln wrote over 1000 bite sized telegraph messages. If you think about that, it is almost one message per day for the whole war. He slept in the operating room so if a message came in he was right there to receive. According to Christopher Klein, “Lincoln spent more time in the operating room than any other place outside the White House.”(Klein 3). The telegraph allowed Lincoln to give orders during a battle without actually having it to be in the midst of the battle. 

Another way that has had an impact was because long distance communication was quicker. There are many reasons that the telegraph was better than mail. According to Britannica, “The International Morse Code was quicker and simpler.” (Britannica 2). First it was quicker, mail took too long to send. A Morse Code operator could orchestrate a message in minutes. It was almost instant and it was more reliable. Your letter could get lost in the mail and that can’t be happening if there is important information in it. You could validate that your message was sent no matter what. It also was the start of an era. It was one of many things that led up to the telephone in 1876, which would forever change our history.

Finally, it was used for military purposes. You could be in the middle of battle  and send a message to a commander on the other side of the state. When the first message was sent from Washington D.C. the government was on it right away. According to Wonderopolis, “The line from D.C. to Baltimore was the only one for years.” (Wonderopolis 5)The Union could send messages from anywhere at any time. It was used as military communication for lots of reasons. You could talk to someone who was in a battle and give them commands. There also was the fact you didn't have to put a messenger's life on the line.

The telegraph forever changed the history of this world and it impacted the Civil War in more ways than you could think of. It was the start of an era that has led to more things imaginable, like the telephone that eventually made its way to the internet. Morse Code and the Telegraph was the start of technology that will continue to be used for thousands of years. If it wasn't for Lincoln or military pressure the Telegraph may have never been something. It helped both sides in the Civil War and it evoked more people to also innovate. It changed not only the Civil War but also history.