Colonel Taliaferro Preston Shaffner (1811 in Smithfield, Virginia – December 11, 1881 in Troy, New York)[1] was an American inventor and entrepreneur who promoted telegraphy during its infancy.
[1] Later, he organized the North Atlantic Telegraph Company, which projected building a line from Labrador to England through Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
[2] The British government took some interest in the project,[3] but doubts about the long cable's feasibility undermined its funding, and the line was never built.
[1] He wrote histories of the United States Civil War and was active in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
[1] Shaffner's books and journals: This article incorporates facts obtained courtesy of the Signal Corps Association (1860–1865).