Image from the American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress.
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Flags have been used for signaling for thousands of years. There are several methods of using flags, one of which is the
International Standard Semaphore Code which uses two flags
held in specific positions to indicate letters of the alphabet.
The picture to the left shows members of the Union Signal Corps aboard
Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren's flagship receiving a message from the Georgia shore during the Civil War.
The use of flags during the Civil War was begun by a young surgeon, Albert J. Myer,
who became the Chief Signal Officer with the rank of Major. The remainder of this Maryland Exploration
will investigate the use of flags in the Civil War.
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