Civil War Message in a Bottle Decoded: Big Pic
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Dec. 27, 2010 -- A message placed in a corked glass vial dating back to the Civil War was finally decoded 147 years after it was originally sent.
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The intended recipient was Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton, who was under siege in Vicksburg, Miss., by the forces of Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Pemberton's troops, more than 30,000 Confederate soldiers, were eventually defeated. The Siege of Vicksburg would essentially split the Confederacy in half and became one of key turning points of the Civil War.
The message was dated July 4, 1863, the same day of Pemberton's surrender. The encrypted note was deciphered with the help of the CIA codebreaker David Gaddy and later confirmed by a Navy cryptologist.
Had the note reached Pemberton, it wouldn't have brought him encouraging news. The six-line note tells Pemberton that reinforcements would not be forthcoming to help the beleaguered general weather the siege.
The full message reads: "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 endeavor to make a diversion. I have sent some caps (explosive devices). I subjoin a despatch (sic) from General Johnston."
BIG PIC: General Lee Surrenders at Appomattox
The message in the bottle is currently in the collection of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va. 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Museum of the Confederacy
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