Career US Army officer, civil engineer, construction engineer for a number of facilities in Washington, DC, and quartermaster general of the US Army during and after the American Civil War (1816-1892). Civil War-dated ALS signed “M. C. Meigs, Q.M. Gen.,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.75 x 10, Quarter Master General's Office letterhead, July 28, 1862. Handwritten letter to Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck, providing important military intelligence on rebel troop strength. In part: "From the Richmond & Wilmington published notices of the Battles of 26 & 27 June north of the Chickahominy I have with some care made out the following organizations of the attacking forces. The Division of A.P. Hill is spoken of as 14,000 strong. I find notices of Regts. 2d Florida went into action 250 strong, 12th Miss. 397, 18th Va. 625, 8th Va. 185, 47th Va. 275. From this it is evident that the old Regts are weak. The new conscript regts may be strong but the strongest Regt here named is less than 400 muskets.
I find: four Divisions—12 Brigades & 9 Batteries named as in the battles North of the Chickahominy, as follows. Hood. 5th & 3 other Virginia Regts. Whiting. 11th, 16th, 2d Miss. & 2 other Regts. Pender. (5 Regts?)} Jackson Stonewall, (Brigades not named)} D. H. Hill, Ripley 44th & 48 Ga. 2 & 3 N.C., Gregg—5 Regts., Branch. N.C. 27th, 28, 33, 37 & 1 other} A. P. Hill, Featherstone 11 & 19. Miss. & 2d Miss. Batt'n, Pryor 14 La. St. Paul's La. Batt'n 3d Va., 14 Ala., 2d Florida, Wilcox. Alabama Regts.} Longstreet…
These notes may be of use in dealing with this army. Gives the distribution of some 60 Regiments which must be nearly one half the whole Richmond Army. An intelligent writer of Branch's Division writing in the N. Carolina Wilmington Journal of 8th July, claiming credit for N. Carolina says that Carolina & Ga. contributed full one half the Regts. engaged in the Richmond battles from 36 to 40 Regts. each. This would make the whole army in his opinion 162 Regts. which at 700 men average would give a total force of 105,000 men.
Permit me to suggest that a careful comparison of the notices which appear in the newspapers, lists of prisoners of war & deserters if made by an intelligent educated man would soon give us a tolerably correct idea of the forces opposing us. If this has ever been done in this part of the country there is I fear reason to believe that it has been done by incompetent or unfaithful hands." In fine condition, with toning along the folds. A significant Civil War-era letter that names several leading Confederate officers—Stonewall Jackson, James A. Longstreet, and A. P. Hill—and advocates for the early use of 'open source' intelligence.
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