Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-29
The Prosecution of the War-7h o
Military Strength of the Confede-
From the Richmond Examiner.


1t is the boast OF the North that they have
succeeded in putting five hundred thousand
men into the field. They have probably an
army really numbering from three hundred
and fifty to four hundred thousand men,.
They have equipped these men In the most
thorough manner. At an immense and most
extravagant cost they taye supplied their
soldiers and armies with every appliance
that could ensure success. Their arms are OF
the most superior kind; and everything which
money could purchase or art supply has been
brought into requisition, and included in the
admirable outfit of their forces.
Their plan of campaign seems to be to sur
round the South on every. side, with Immense
ornaments, military and naval, and TO risk
as few engagements as possible; especially
engagements on a general scale. They hope
by mere numbers to overawe our armies and
to terrify our people. Especially are they
pressing forward these vast numbers now 10
order. If possible, to produce some decisive
result before the rigours of winter set in =
Whoever will reflect upon the resources of
the South will be at once convinced that we
can successfully oppose even as large force,
of the enemy as his pretended five hundred
thousand. Other things being equal, man
fighting on his own soil for home property
and liberty, is equal to three men marching
long distances from home to invade a people
standing on the defensive. By this rule the
South might safely expect to beat back the
enemy's five hundred thousand with less than
two hundred thousand good Southern sol
diers. We have considerably more than that
number already in the field, we'll armed, and
provided with a good outfit OF artillery and
the ether usual military appointments. it i
Behind and besides our regular military
force OF somewhere above three hundred
thousand men, We have the militia force of
the Confederate States, which will be forced
out and brought into play by this general
plan Of invasion adopted by the enemy
Say that the army of the Confederate States.
independently of the volunteers of Missouri,
Maryland and Kentucky embf aced ia it, num-
bers two hundred and seventy-fve thousand
men. What is the militia force left in re-
serve, after the subtraction from it OF the
regular force now in the field? The entire
militia force of the eleven Confederate States,
reported in 1860, was six hundred and ninety
six thousand men. If we subtract from this
aggregate of men over the age of eighteen
and under that OF forty five, one-fourth of
the Virginia militie belonging to that part
of the State which has submitted to the en-
envy, and the present strength of the Confed-
crate Army, as already estimated, we shall
have still in reserve, as the militia force of
the country remaining at home, three hundred
and eighty-four thousand men. But the re-
turns of the militia force of the States to the
Federal Government fall short of embracing
the whole number of men of the age liable
to militia duty. Ii we We're to add ten per
cent to this number, the aggregate would
still be short oil the fact. And ii, also. we
should add a number. say ten per cent, of
the males, representing the men between six
teen and eighteen. and between forty five and
fifty years of age, we should have an aggre-
TO in tho Jahl 70 ha
brought against the invader, as follows:
Balance of militia first stated :. 1884, 600
Deficiency of militia returns. -. IS 900
1 Youths below eighteen, and men above
forty-five. available for service to - :
repel invasion. -. ..s.. zoo 600
Aggregate reserve. ...... .649 ,000
Thus it is clear thas the South has num-
Der of men at home available to be drafted
for the repulsion of an invading force, of six
hundred and fifty thousand men, and this,
exclusive of the aid in men which We receive
from Maryland, Kentucky and the heroic
State OF Missouri. If. therefore, the enemy
have, in fact, succeeded in raising an army
of five hundred thousand troops for our sub
,jugation, and if they shall find themselves
able to drive before them the armies we have
marshalled in the field to oppose them, yet
leaving their own country and marching by
long distances into ours, they will find re-
serve force rising up by the side of our regu-
lar army to fight, annoy and harrass them,
itself more than equal in number to their
whole aggregate of forces
/ 1t is true that this reserve force of the
South is without the regular Implements Of
war. 1t is true that they are not organized
and drilled into an effective military force.-
We ooncede that they will be able to act
only as auxlliaries to our regular forces.