Fort Gordon

Fort Gordon is the home of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. There's a lot to be studied here; from Ft. Gordon taking its name from Gen. John B. Gordon, to the story of the Signal Corps, the Confederate Air Force, and communications in the Civil War era in general.

Originally Camp Gordon, the Fort was named for C.S.A. General John B. Gordon of Georgia who pioneered early communications in the War. He is credited with the idea of using the semaphore flags from ships to convey messages on the battlfield.

The U. S. Army Signal Corps Museum has articles relating to tactical communications since 1860. The two Confederate 12-pounders in front of Alexander Hall were cast from church bells in New Orleans and were used by Semple's Alabama battery during the War (the other two from Semple's battery are on the ASU campus). Several other Civil War cannon are displayed in the immediate vicinity of the museum.

The Museum offers one of the most complete and comprehensive collections of communications material in existence in the U.S. The U.S. Signal Corps, a separate branch of the army born of necessity during the Civil War on March 3, 1863, played a key role in the conflict through the use of wig-wag flags, signal balloons, and telegraphs. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain is reportedly the first time an army used telegraph to communicate between generals for the movement of troops.

Civil War exhibits include the personal items of Albert J. Myer, the father of the Signal Corps and inventor of the wig-wag system of communication, a Beardslee Magneto, Confederate Signal Corp items, and other artifacts and displays.

References:
Thanks to Tom Sullivan for providing the details for this article.