Manassas National Battlefield Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Signal Flag Activity:

This activity is designed to explore how signal flags were used to send messages at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861. In this activity, you will make a cipher wheel and signal flag; and learn how to send and receive coded messages. You will also get to decode actual messages sent in code in the Civil War!

To do this activity, you will need the following. If you do not have some of these items, that’s okay, check out the suggested swaps below:

1. Copies of “Signal Flags During the Civil War” reader and reproducible sheets for cipher wheels and signal flags.

2. Pencils/pens, crayons, and/or markers.3. Scissors; glue/tape4. Brads, paper clips, or fasteners (can be optional.) These are for the cipher wheels so that they

can be spun to crack codes. If you do not have these, just lay the wheels flat on a surface and turn them as needed.

5. Dowel/stick from your yard (can be optional.) Use a stick to attach your signal flag so you can wave it. Use tape or glue to attach your flag. If you do not have something a flag can be attached to -don’t worry- just use the flag in your hands and bend over when you signal. Be creative and become your own pole for the flag- have fun with it!

Note: To create the signal flag, you can either color the reproducible sheet, or make your own with fabric or construction paper. Just make the outer portion of the flag white; and the inner square red.

Directions

1. Make a cipher wheel and signal flag using the attached sheets/templates.2. If you have more than one person doing this activity, divide up tasks and rotate. You can have

someone operating the flag, a note taker, and a cipher decoder.3. Practice holding your flag in different positions using the attached sheets. You will find one

that explains how to move the flag to each position; and another you can use as a “cheat sheet” to help you send messages with your flag!

4. From there, use the cipher wheel to practice sending letters or words in code. Choose a number on the wheel that you can make line up with x. For example, x=1121. Have cipher wheels lined up so that x equals the number you choose, and you can decode and encode messages from there!

5. Complete the Cipher Code Cracking Sheet, which includes the message sent to Nathan Evans at the First Battle of Manassas. It prompts you to line up a particular number on the wheel to “x.” This may be good practice for starting to create your own codes that you can send at home!

Manassas National Battlefield Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Signal Flags During the Civil War

Throughout history, different methods have been used to communicate on battlefields. Communication is important; a message can mean victory, prevent disaster, or cause trouble if the information is not accurate. Some different methods of communication over the years that have been used include drums, trumpets, torches, banners, flags, telegraphs, hot air balloons, and telephones.

Discussion Questions:

Why is communication so important? In what ways do you communicate with other

people?

At the First Battle of Manassas, flags and torches were used by both sides to communicate very important information. Today, you will learn a little bit more about how that system of communication worked. You will get a chance to decode encrypted messages and use signal flags to communicate a message. As you do, think about what is good about using flags to communicate. Also, think about some of the problems that men in the Signal Corps would have faced when they used them to communicate during the Civil War.

Signal flags were used when it was difficult to communicate in an area using the telegraph. Because the men using this system of communication looked like they were just waving a flag, the method of communication that you will use today became known as “wig wag” signal flagging. This method for communication was developed during the 1850s by Major Albert Myer, an Army

surgeon who was looking to develop a system for communicating with the deaf. By 1860, the Army had adopted his method of visual signaling. For years, Myer would try to get the Army to create a professional group of men to run a proper signal service. By March 1863, Congress would authorize the first regular Signal Corps in the Army.

Gen. Albert Myer, USA

Did you know? Albert Myer unsuccessfully tried to use a large inflated balloon to communicate at the First Battle of Manassas in 1861?

One of Myer’s assistants as he was developing his “wig wag” signal flagging system was E. Porter Alexander. Alexander was a native Georgian who resigned from the U.S. Army in May 1861 to join the Confederate Army. By June 3rd, he would be serving under Confederate General Beauregard at Manassas Junction as his Chief

E. Porter Alexander, CSA

Engineer and Signal Officer. It was at the First Battle of Manassas in July of 1861, that Alexander would use signal flags to communicate some very important information.

Did you know?

The study of encoding and decoding messages is called cryptography.

There are two main ways to do this: codes and ciphers.

When a word or symbol replaces another word or phrase, that is a code.

When the letters in a word are swapped out for other letters or numbers, that is a cipher.

On the morning of July 21, 1861, a Confederate signal station was about to witness something that was vitally important to share with the Confederate Army. Union General Irvin McDowell had wanted to march his army under the cover of darkness in order to disguise their movements. Their goal was to find and fight the Confederate Army near Manassas Junction that morning. These Union soldiers were behind schedule because they made mistakes and were not moving as quickly as they could- we know they were even picking blackberries off of bushes as they marched- and they had to repair a bridge so they could get one of their cannons over it. Because they were so late, the sun had come up and a Confederate signal station saw the Union equipment shining in the sunlight!

The Confederates knew that the Union Army coming down Sudley Road posed a threat to some of their own men who were guarding a Stone Bridge along one of the local roads, called the Warrenton Turnpike. Today, you will get to learn what that message said when it was sent to the Confederate commander near that bridge, Major Nathan Evans. The information that he received was very important for the Confederates!

Nathan Evans, CSA

The problem is that the message he was sent was encrypted, so that no one in the Union Army could figure it out! The type of encryption the Confederates used was called a cipher (see definition above.)

To crack the code, you first need a device called a cipher wheel that will allow you to figure out how the Confederates substituted the numbers sent by waving flags and turned them into letters. You will also need some practice with signal flags to understand how they were sending these messages!

Cipher Code Cracking: Try your hand at cracking the code! Use the cipher wheel to find out what these messages say!

#1: Find out a fact about the First Battle of Manassas! Line your wheel up so that x=1222:

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

211 111 1212 212 11 2122 122 211 22 112 211 211 2 1212 12 212

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ---- ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

1122 112 222 112 122 122 112 122 211 111 1212 212 11 2122 122 211 12 212

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____.

211 111 1212 1221 11 1121 11 2 1 112 2122

#2 Below is an actual message sent by Confederate spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow before the first battle that happened here in 1861. To find out what she told General Beauregard about the Union Army, line your wheel up so that x=2:

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

221 22 212 2121 2111 21 1222 1222 2122 2211 2212

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

22 21 111 1121 2211 2212 1211 1222 1111 1221 21 21 1211

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

2121 111 212 21 111 21 212 1121 2121 2211 212 211 2211 1211 22 21

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ .

2121 1211 1121 2122 21 2212 2112 2 1121 21 21 1121 1121 2122 .

____ ____ ____.

111 2121 2222.

#3. This is the message that Colonel Nathan Evans received on July 21st, 1861. It allowed him to know that the Union Army was coming, and that he had to prepare. It was a very important message for him to

receive!

Line up your wheel so that x=211:

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ _____ ____ _____

1122 1221 1221 1 1221 12 122 112 1221 2 111 1221 12 2

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____.

1122 212 112 122 111 1221 12 2111 2 212 122 12 2 1111 212 2211

Cipher Wheel Sheet: 1. Print the sheet.2. Cut out the outside

outline of one of thewheels.

3. Take one of the wheelsand cut it along the linein between thenumbers and the lettersshown below:

4. Attach the two wheelstogether, smaller wheelon top with a brad orpaper clip through themiddle of the wheel.Make sure you canmove the top piece ofyour wheel. Be carefulwith any sharp metalpieces!

5. Now you’re ready todecode! Have fun!

Signal Flag Positions Guide When using a signal flag, there are three different positions that you use to indicate 3 different numbers- 1,2, & 3.

First Position is you at rest with the

flag in between waving it. To do

this, hold the flag up in front of you.

__________________________________________

For the number “3,” you will lower the flag

and raise it up. This is how you show that

you have stopped. For the end of the word,

tip down once. For the end of the sentence

tip down 2 times. At the end of the

message, tip down 3 times.

For the numbers “1” and “two,” you are going to move the flag to

the left for “1”, and to the right for “2.” Raise the flag back to first position to show that you have clearly signaled either “1” or “2.”

Signal Flag Template

Post Activity Questions:

1. What was the hardest part about using the signal flags?

2. What are some things you think went wrong when using these flags?

3. Do you think that the job of men in the signal corps is dangerous? Why or why not?

4. What tips would you have for someone learning to use signal flags during the Civil War?