Signal Corps

What does the Signal Corps have to do with infantry? Actually a lot. When used properly, the Signal Corps can enhance a reenactment for both the spectators and the participants.

For the spectators, the Signal Corps can provide a means to explaining how communications were carried out over long distances, prior to the telegraph or where telegraph wasn’t Spectators are often intrigued by the flag waving and are caught by surprise when they find out that there was no Morse code at the time. They can be brought to a modern understanding form of signaling is still used, particularly on ships with flags (semaphore) and at modern airports, where the flags are replaced by orange flashlights.

For the reenactor, the use of signals affords the opportunity to rely less on modern means of battle control (via radios) yet still get the message across in a timely manner. Sometimes signals can get a message out faster than even mounted couriers can. Signals can be used either for coordinating the Union and Confederate movements in a battle, or for each side’s battalions, or companies individually.

Flagging signals is as easy as 1-2-3 if you can remember that 1= down to left side, 2 = down to right side, and 3 is down directly in front of you. An attention signal is waving the your head in a large figure "8", and an error message is holding the flag up over your head and to the left side. The harder part is reading the signals when you are answered, because sequence is some what reversed. (Mirror image)

The code is primarily based on a series of 1’s and 2’s. (For you computer geeks, this is almost like binary code!) A 3 is used to separate words, 33 separates sentence or phrases, separates ends of messages.

For example:
2/3 11/2112/3 121/1/1122/22/11/112/2/22/1122/333 translates as

I a m s i g n a l i n g .
(In this case, the end of the sentence is the end of the message, therefore a 333 is used instead of 33.)

Open Text Code (For spelling out words)

11 A	2 I	2122 Q	222 Y
1221 B	2211 J	122 R	1111 Z
212 C	1212 K	121 S	2222 AND
111 D	112 L	1 T	1121 ING
21 E	2112 M	221 U	1222 ED
1112 F	22 N	2111 V	2221 TION
1122 G	12 O	2212 W
211 H	2121 P	1211 X

12221 1	11121 4	22111 7	11111 0
21112 2	11112 5	22221 8
11211 3	21111 6	22122 9

As you can see, signaling by use of individual letters and their corresponding numbers could take quite a bit of time; EXCEPT that the people who came up with signals up with a kind of signal "shorthand", called a preconcerted code. Using this, entire sentences can be reduced to three (more or less) series of flag signals. Thus a command, "recall skirmishers" comes out to nothing more than "12112/3 12212/333"

There are approximately 62 different orders that can be given using preconcerted signal code.

Some examples of preconcerted code:

1 Advance	12111 Repeat	2211 Infantry
11 Ammo Exhausting	12121 Reply at Once	2122 Left
12 Artillery	12112 Retire / Recall	2121 Minutes
111 Attack	12122 Retreat	2112 Move / proceed
112 Begin Engagement	12211 Right	22221 Wait
1121 Center	2 End engagement	22212 When
1122 Clear	22 Extend	22211 Yards
1211 Close	21 Faster	22122 Yes
1212 Concentrate	222 Federal	22121 Your
1221 Confederate	221 Final / last	11212 Relay (or) Pass
211 Fire	11221 Reinforce (ments)	11222 Renew (or) Resume
212 Flank	2212 Identify

Numbers can also be signaled, using the preconcerted code:

22112 One	21221 Four	21122 Seven	21111 Zero
22111 Two	21212 Five	21121 Eight
21222 Three	21211Six	21112 Nine

It is unfortunate that some regularly armed reenactors see signalmen as "those silly guys out there waving flags". Those "silly guys" are telling them where to go and what don’t ever get a signalman mad at you, - he could end up sending your brigade into oblivion!