While researching the life and military service of Capt. James Pierre Drouillard, West Point Class of June 1861, I discovered a cipher addressed to him in the files of the National Archives. Thus began a journey to decode and contextualize it. Here's what I found.

Read "Route Ciphers in the Civil War" by Jim Sauerberg: ww2.amstat.org/mam/06/Sauerberg_route-essay.html

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Images: Ronald S. Coddington Collection. Fold3.com

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