by Ben Vernia | March 12th, 2012
On March 10, 1862 – when the New York Times was reporting that rebel pickets were under ten miles from Washington, D.C., and that Southern sympathizers had set on fire six Alexandria, Virginia, stores belonging to Unionists – the paper reported of wholesale fraud in Army uniform procurement:
WORTHLESS ARMY CLOTHING. The Clothing Inspection Board made a partial report yesterday. They have ascertained that $1,300,000 worth of clothing now on hand, received principally from Philadelphia, is wholly worthless. Gen. MEIGS has issued an order for the contractors and inspectors to appear and explain apparent frauds.
