Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-09-24
5 FROM EIGHTEEN TO FORTY FIVE VI
~ The FREE STATES.
% NALLo IlUH LIHH ILLN TO 7
~ THE SLAVE STATE

military strength of the rebels. They cannot
claim all the slave States, but only those which
render allegiance to the Confsderscy. Mary
land, Delaware, kentucky aud Missouri must
therefore be omitted from the list, which would
| then give the following result:
Eleven Confederate States ............ LOG 600
-Four border slave states 900
But as, on an average, three-louTths of the
population in these four border slave States may
1 be set down in favor Of the Union, and one
fourth in favor Of the Coniederacy, the popula-
/ ton of the military age on either side would
! stand as follows:
For tbs Union. $50
For the onlederaey 900
The foregoing figures are at the rate Of about
one in five Of the populstion-men, women and
children. But as large allowance must be made
for sickness and incompetency, one in seven Of
tbs population would be as high a figure as
! either section could bring iutO the field. Such
IS the experience Of natious even one in ten be-
ing regarded an extremely high CONSUMPTION.
| The figures would stand, ia round numbers,
with one fighting man in seven:
For the Union effective 99I 600
For the ConfedeTscy .so0 600
We are thus nearly three and half to one,
after making the most liberal estimates in favor
of the enemy. This is the highest amount of
military strength, in white men, the Southern
I
very utmost it could ever command. OF this
number one hundred thousand at least have
been placed h0rS dH combat in the battles and
skiTmishes Of the war. According to the esti-
mates Of the Soathern papers. there are now in
ihs field $4,000 effective men, distributed as
follows:
On the line of the Potomac. 300 600
On the line of the 0hio---.... 80 900
IN route lor heht eky @O0OO
En- route for Western Virginia aud Mary land 10000
"a l.oul9aIa.. -.-.'...'.'. IOOO0
In ATk1sas 5000
About Charleston. 5000
About Savannah. ..........---. 5000
On the line Of the Mississippi ,.----------.. 10000
Total in the 900
Before the conscrption, JEFF Davis, in his
message, said there were four hundred regi-
ments in the field These regiments have been
.swelled by the conscripton. OF these, three
hundred thousand men are in Virginia, and the
remainder elsewhere. For instance, it is ascer-
tanned that the rebel troops who fought on James
Island were lately on the Rspidan and Kappa
hammock, and are now on tn Potomac. Ali the
exiles from the South agree that previous to the
movements against Pope, there were not less
than two hundred and fifty thousand in and
around Richmond. Oae of the Virginia oppo-
sition papers estimated the number at three hum
dred thousand fighting men. According to these
calculations there would only remain a reserve
of 331 600 out Of the S36 600 fighting men orig
iually controlled by the COnfederacy. But even
from this We ought to deduct the following able
bodied men:
In the Union sections of Virginia 600
Dodging conscrption. 10000
In New Orleans $1,000
IN Nashville 5000
in Memphis. 5000
Other paris of Tennessee COO
Other sections Of the Confederacy. 1000
In thp fniCu army from he q &
Escaped 10 the North. 1000
Total al............,.......................I0o 100000
The balance would bs 23I 600 men and to
make this up it is necessary to draw upon those
ranging from thirty-i five to forty-fve years of
age who are by no means so efficient in war as
men from eighteen to thiTty-hve years. There
fore, $50 600 men, In round numbers, are all the
rebels have in reserve TO fill up their ranks and
supply the leSses to be experienced in the COM
ing casualties Of war. jeff. Davis, in his late
message, urges that the conScription should be
amended to include men between thirsy-tive and
forty-fve years of age-the forced draft hitherto
extending only to men from eighteen to thirty
five years-in view of the large increase of forces
recently called into the field by the President Of
the United States Prudence" be argues,
dictates some provision for the increase of the
army, in the event of contingencies not now an
tieipated wise foresight requires that if ne
eessity should be suddenly developed during
the recess of Congress uiriAg increased forces
/ for defense, means should exist for calling such
forces into the field without awaiting the reas-
sembling of the legislative department Of the
government On the heels of this message 1t Is
| proposed In the rebel Congress to raise imme-
/ diaiely 250,000 men. But this additional force
will avail little for line extending from the
Mississippi to the Chesapeake It would require
every available man in the Confederacy, to say
nothing of the project Of northern invasion. with
which we are threatened, and which would re-
| quire double the number of men. The Rich
1 mond papers are elamoring for an extension OF
the draft below the age Of eighteen, down to
i sixteen, the youth between these two ages to be
taken in the cavalry service, and the older men
now in the cavalry to be transferred to the IN
! fantry.
/ Such are the straits to which the leaders of the
rebellion feel themselves reduced IN view of the
4 call Of the President Of the United States for
! 100000 more men, and the ready enthusiastic
! response given by the Northern States Against
the last reserve therefore, of the rebels $50 600
Mr.. Lincoln has called out 600,000 in addition