Encrypted message to John Pemberton, 1863-07-04

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Encrypted message to John Clifford Pemberton, 4th July 1863 (1863)
by John Grimes Walker

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This note, probably from General John Grimes Walker, to General John Clifford Pemberton, was sent on the day Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg. It was encrypted with the Vigenère cipher, and was sent in a glass vial along with a lead bullet: the intention may have been to weight it down in case it had to be thrown into the river.

775667Encrypted message to John Clifford Pemberton, 4th July 18631863John Grimes Walker

Ciphertext

SEAN WIEUIIUZH DTG CNP LBNXGK OZ BJQB FEQT FEQT XZBW JJOY TK FHR TPZWK PVU RYSQ VOWPZXGG OEPH BK WASFKIPW PLVO JKZ HMN NVAEUD XYF DWRJ BOVPA SF MLV FYYRDE LVPL MFYSIN XY FQEO NPK M OBPC FYXJFHOHT AS ETOV B OCAJOSVQU M ZTZV TPIY DAW FQTI WTTJ J DOGOAIA FLWHTXTI QMTR SEA LVLFLXFO.

Key

The key is "MANCHESTERBLUFF", repeated until the end of the message.

Cleartext

GENL PEMBERTON YOU CAN EXPECT NO HELP FROM THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER LET GENL JOHNSTON KNOW IF POSSIBLE WHEN YOU CAN ATTACK THE SAME POINT ON THE ENEMYS LINE INFORM ME ALSO AND I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO MAKE A DIVERSION I HAVE SENT SOME CAPS I SUBJOIN DESPATCH FROM GEN JOHNSTON.

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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