This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Message in a Civil War bottle decodes Pemberton aid fate
A corked glass vial from the Vicksburg siege yielded a six line Confederate dispatch dated July 4 1863. The decoded message warned Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton that reinforcements and supplies would not arrive. The note, found with a .38 bullet and white thread, was deciphered by a CIA veteran and Navy cryptologist, confirming no help was coming as the city fell to Union forces.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Richmond
Vicksburg
Mississippi City
John C. Pemberton
Pemberton
Ulysses S. Grant
Mississippi River
Museum of the Confederacy
Catherine M. Wright
William A. Smith
King George County
Wright
Scott Nolley
CIA
David Gaddy
Navy
Gaddy
John B
Hunter
Pacific
John G. Walker
Texas Division
William Smith
L Pemberton
Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Grant