MAJOR GENERAL MONTGOMERY C. MEIGS - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 11/22/1877 - HFSID 258678

MONTGOMERY C. MEIGS
He recounts the effort to sell "rebel grey" cloth in Europe to the U.S. Army during the Civil War.
Manuscript LS: "M.C. Meigs", 4p, 8x10. Washington, D.C., 1877 November 22. To Senator H.B. Anthony. In full: "In reply to your inquiry of this morning I have to say that my recollection of that part of the correspondence between this office and Mr. Geo. P. Smith in 1861 & 2 which is not to be found on file is not distinct. Mr. Smith was selected by the War Department, I had not then known him, as Agent to procure Army Cloths in Europe at a time of great scarcity & of suffering for want thereof in our Army. He did his work faithfully, skillfully and honestly, and the acquaintance which has grown up grew up out of this business has continued. I have great confidence in his integrity of purpose & believe his memory to be accurate. Of the correctness of the inferences which he draws from the facts he recollects & alleges others can judge as well as myself. He certainly left on me an impression unfavorable to our Minister to Belgium. Yet it is not for me to sit in judgment on that gentleman. I recollect an attempt to force on the War Department rebel grey cloth and that I objected to it as involving a ominous waste of money. We could not safely use a cloth which exposed our troops to be fired on by their comrades, we could not afford to enter on the business of bringing up at high prices every article of Army equipment alleged by European speculators to be intended for use of the enemy, such a course would have exhausted the Treasury. The lot of cloth which Mr. Sanford urged Mr. Smith to purchase would have been worthless to the U.S. and would have cost some $400,000 in gold besides exchange. If my letter to Mr. Smith, which has been published, does injustice to anybody I shall very much regret it. He did certainly leave upon me an impression unfavorable to the American Diplomatic Agent in Brussels, but all I know on the subject came from Mr. Smith and not from personal knowledge so far as I recollect. I do not think that I even know the personally the then Minister to Brussels." HENRY B. ANTHONY represented Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate from 1859-1884. HENRY S. SANFORD served as Minister Resident to Belgium from 1861-1869. Army engineer MONTGOMERY C. MEIGS supervised the building of the wings and dome of the national Capitol from 1853-1859. Brigadier General Meigs served as Quartermaster General of the Army from May 1861 to February 1882. He gained a reputation of being an efficient, hard-driving and scrupulously honest administrator, which is evident in this letter. Shaded at margins touching text and signature. Repairs reinforce a 7-inch tear (all paper and letters of text intact). Tape stains and repairs at blank mid-vertical fold of first and last page. Lightly soiled. Usual folds. Pencil notes (unknown hand) on last page