GDG- BMI

[Richard M Kadas]

Fishel's book is excellent in style and content. Fishel is an intelligence wonk who is exceedingly careful about making assertions that he didn't corroborate through use of multiple sources. From reading his review of BMI's role in the GB campaign, it can be argued that Gb was as much an intel victory in the ACW as Midway was in WW II. IMHO telling the AoPs generally unaggressive group of corps commanders that they outnumbered the ANV probasbly woildn't have sold as they were convinced of the opposite and didn't wish to be confused by the facts.
  Dick
James Cameron <cameron2 at optonline.net> wrote:
  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


<< ""I wish that someone would write a book that would discuss this subject 
in
more detail.>>

There are two books that deal with BMI operations. Edwin C. Fishel's "The
Secret War for the Union" and William B. Feis' "Grant's Secret Service."
Fishel covers the BMI up to and including the Gettysburg Campaign, and Feis
picks up from there and describes BMI activities until the end of the war.

Tom Ryan >>

Fishel's book is by no means a light read. It's the kind of work where you 
really need to pay attention as you go along. But the time and effort 
involved is well worth reading one of the most seminal books on the AOP 
(despite the title, its focus is heavily on that army) to come out in recent 
years. In my opinion, it does not go too far to say that anyone who has not 
read Fishel is at a serious disadvantage in understanding the Gettysburg 
Campaign.

It is interesting, though, how the intelligence gathered and, more 
importantly, so accurately evaluated, by the BMI still seems to have such 
limited influence on the mindset within much of the senior command of the 
AOP that the ANV was so much larger than it actually was. Almost as if the 
AOP's "corporate culture" was predisposed to act on the basis it was 
outnumbered, even when, objectively, it should have known better.

Jim Cameron


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