1865 General William H. Emory Investigates the Murder of Lieutenant John R. Meigs—“Rebel Sympathizers” and Confederate Guerrillas
Historically important two-page autograph letter signed by Union Major General William H. Emory, concerning the investigation into the killing of Lieutenant John Rodgers Meigs, General Philip Sheridan’s chief topographical engineer, and the difficulty of prosecuting suspected Confederate guerrillas following the Civil War.
Written from Headquarters, District of West Virginia, Cumberland, Maryland, August 30, 1865, the letter is addressed familiarly to an unidentified colonel. Emory discusses a suspect named Neil, who was reportedly living and recently married in a West Virginia county south of Cumberland. Because military regulations prevented travel without a pass, Emory believed the suspect could still be located.
Emory reports that he had directed a detective to determine whether Neil participated in Meigs’s killing. He also cites information from a brevet colonel who had served on Sheridan’s staff and was at Harrisonburg when the incident occurred.
Lieutenant John R. Meigs, the son of Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, was killed near Dayton, Virginia, on October 3, 1864. He had been conducting a topographical survey between Dayton and Harrisonburg during Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Sheridan believed that Meigs had been murdered by Confederate guerrillas and ordered retaliatory destruction near the scene.
Written almost eleven months later, Emory’s letter demonstrates that the United States Army was still actively investigating Meigs’s death after the Confederacy’s collapse.
Emory further reveals that he held several members of the suspected guerrilla gang on allegations of “horse stealing, murder &c.” The restoration of Virginia’s civil courts, however, required him to surrender the prisoners to local authorities. Emory predicted that juries composed largely of former Confederate sympathizers would allow the accused men to escape punishment:
“Any jury they can summon will be three fourths rebel sympathizers and of course the men will escape what they so justly deserve.”
The letter offers a revealing view of the uncertain transition from military occupation to civil authority during the opening months of Reconstruction. It also illustrates the continuing hostility and distrust between Federal officers and communities that had supported the Confederacy.
William H. Emory was a West Point graduate, celebrated topographical engineer and veteran of the Mexican War. He directed important surveys of the United States–Mexico boundary before commanding Union troops during the Civil War. As commander of the XIX Corps, he served under Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley and participated in the battles of Third Winchester, Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek. He commanded the Department of West Virginia when this letter was written.
Complete transcription
H.Q. Dist. W. Va.
Cumberland, Augt. 30th 1865My dear Colonel,
Mr. Neil has been living in one of the Counties of W. Va. to the South of this place and it is reported married there about a month since. Whether he is still there I do not know but will ascertain. Probably he is, as by our regulations he can not move from one place to another without a pass, and none such has been given.
I have made enquiries in relation to the participation of this fellow in the murder of Mr. Meigs, and cannot ascertain he was present or had any thing to do with it. There are many private acquaintances of young Meigs about, who would have heard something of it if Mr. Neil had been the person who committed the murder. I have directed Detective Brown to ascertain if Mr. Neil is still in the Dist. of West Virginia and to ascertain if he was present or aided in the killing of Lt. Meigs. You shall know as soon as he reports.
Bvt. Col. Melvin, who was then on Sheridan’s staff and with us at Harrisonburg when the thing happened, thinks Mr. Wells’s gang were then not in that vicinity.
I have several of that gang now in custody for horse stealing, murder &c., but having been officially notified the civil courts are in operation, I will be obliged to turn them over to the civil authorities for trial. Any jury they can summon will be three fourths rebel sympathizers and of course the men will escape what they so justly deserve.
Very truly yr friend,
W. H. Emory
The integral blank is docketed:
“Gen. Emory / Letter No. 5”
The readings of “Detective Brown,” “Bvt. Col. Melvin” and “Wells’s gang” are provisional and may benefit from further comparison with military records.
Two manuscript pages on one folded sheet, signed “W. H. Emory.” Original mailing folds, light toning, minor scattered stains, a small contemporary ink blot and slight weakness along the central fold. The writing and signature remain dark and legible.
Historically important two-page autograph letter signed by Union Major General William H. Emory, concerning the investigation into the killing of Lieutenant John Rodgers Meigs, General Philip Sheridan’s chief topographical engineer, and the difficulty of prosecuting suspected Confederate guerrillas following the Civil War.
Written from Headquarters, District of West Virginia, Cumberland, Maryland, August 30, 1865, the letter is addressed familiarly to an unidentified colonel. Emory discusses a suspect named Neil, who was reportedly living and recently married in a West Virginia county south of Cumberland. Because military regulations prevented travel without a pass, Emory believed the suspect could still be located.
Emory reports that he had directed a detective to determine whether Neil participated in Meigs’s killing. He also cites information from a brevet colonel who had served on Sheridan’s staff and was at Harrisonburg when the incident occurred.
Lieutenant John R. Meigs, the son of Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, was killed near Dayton, Virginia, on October 3, 1864. He had been conducting a topographical survey between Dayton and Harrisonburg during Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Sheridan believed that Meigs had been murdered by Confederate guerrillas and ordered retaliatory destruction near the scene.
Written almost eleven months later, Emory’s letter demonstrates that the United States Army was still actively investigating Meigs’s death after the Confederacy’s collapse.
Emory further reveals that he held several members of the suspected guerrilla gang on allegations of “horse stealing, murder &c.” The restoration of Virginia’s civil courts, however, required him to surrender the prisoners to local authorities. Emory predicted that juries composed largely of former Confederate sympathizers would allow the accused men to escape punishment:
“Any jury they can summon will be three fourths rebel sympathizers and of course the men will escape what they so justly deserve.”
The letter offers a revealing view of the uncertain transition from military occupation to civil authority during the opening months of Reconstruction. It also illustrates the continuing hostility and distrust between Federal officers and communities that had supported the Confederacy.
William H. Emory was a West Point graduate, celebrated topographical engineer and veteran of the Mexican War. He directed important surveys of the United States–Mexico boundary before commanding Union troops during the Civil War. As commander of the XIX Corps, he served under Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley and participated in the battles of Third Winchester, Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek. He commanded the Department of West Virginia when this letter was written.
Complete transcription
H.Q. Dist. W. Va.
Cumberland, Augt. 30th 1865My dear Colonel,
Mr. Neil has been living in one of the Counties of W. Va. to the South of this place and it is reported married there about a month since. Whether he is still there I do not know but will ascertain. Probably he is, as by our regulations he can not move from one place to another without a pass, and none such has been given.
I have made enquiries in relation to the participation of this fellow in the murder of Mr. Meigs, and cannot ascertain he was present or had any thing to do with it. There are many private acquaintances of young Meigs about, who would have heard something of it if Mr. Neil had been the person who committed the murder. I have directed Detective Brown to ascertain if Mr. Neil is still in the Dist. of West Virginia and to ascertain if he was present or aided in the killing of Lt. Meigs. You shall know as soon as he reports.
Bvt. Col. Melvin, who was then on Sheridan’s staff and with us at Harrisonburg when the thing happened, thinks Mr. Wells’s gang were then not in that vicinity.
I have several of that gang now in custody for horse stealing, murder &c., but having been officially notified the civil courts are in operation, I will be obliged to turn them over to the civil authorities for trial. Any jury they can summon will be three fourths rebel sympathizers and of course the men will escape what they so justly deserve.
Very truly yr friend,
W. H. Emory
The integral blank is docketed:
“Gen. Emory / Letter No. 5”
The readings of “Detective Brown,” “Bvt. Col. Melvin” and “Wells’s gang” are provisional and may benefit from further comparison with military records.
Two manuscript pages on one folded sheet, signed “W. H. Emory.” Original mailing folds, light toning, minor scattered stains, a small contemporary ink blot and slight weakness along the central fold. The writing and signature remain dark and legible.
