{"value"=>"<p>Letters received from regimental officers concerning men of extraordinary height under their command. In November 1864, the Statistical Bureau began an investigation into the accuracy of men’s heights listed on descriptive muster rolls at the offices of state Adjutant-Generals. In the post-war period, Bureau clerks sent form letters to the officers of state regiments in which any men of “extraordinary height”, below 61 or above 75 inches, were enlisted. Officers were asked to confirm the accuracy of the descriptions of height of these individuals within their regiment, and to remark on the relative impact of fatigue and exposure on them as compared to men of average height.</p> <p>The Statistical Bureau grouped the letters roughly by state and numbered them sequentially 1-680; the last item is lettered “A”. The bulk of the letters are written to officers of Illinois (1-275) and Indiana (276-476) regiments. The remainder (476-680, A) are responses from officers of Maine, Connecticut, and Ohio regiments, but also include some letters concerning men from Illinois and Indiana regiments.</p>"}