GDG- BMI

[Tim Gennett]

Tom, 2 questions for you.

First, when did it become "known" that the BMI data was accurate?  We know 
today that they had the numbers nailed pretty well.  Obviously, Meade didn't 
know it.  At what point in history did it become generally understood that 
the BMI was providing accurate info?

Second, was there other intelligence available to Meade?  In other words, 
instead of accepting the BMI numbers, was he in fact accepting as accurate 
other numbers that we know, today, were inaccurate?

Regards, Tim


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Ryan" <pennmardel at mchsi.com>
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 17:14
Subject: RE: GDG- BMI


> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> <<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,
>
> As the King of Siam said to Anna "It is a puzzlement."  I have argued on
> this board in the past that any competent corps commander should have been
> able to determine fairly accurately after three days of fighting the size 
> of
> the forces he had in front of him.  Yet this seems to have eluded all of 
> the
> AoP commanders including Meade.  This does not take into consideration the
> resource of the BMI that had those figures nailed, but no one seems to 
> have
> bothered to ask them what they discovered through their interrogation and
> analysis (with the exception of Meade's request through Butterfield about
> what size force Ewell had on the Union right).
>
> I will probably get taken to task for saying this, but it was as if they
> did not want to know the truth about the size of Lee's army.  Better to
> believe they were as strong if not stronger than the AoP.  That seems to
> have provided cover for not going on the offensive.
>
> Regards, Tom
>
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