The Portland daily press., 1863-07-31
Friday Morning, July 81, 1868.
The Rebel Consumption.

From the ". y. Erening Post.
The rebel chiefs, Justly alarmed at the mag
nitude Of our recent victories and their own
losses, but determined, like desperate men, TO
fight TO the last, have called out the entire
white male population remaining in the States
under their control, TO reinforce the disunion
armies still In the field. Mr.. Davis has or
dered under arms all white men between
eighteen and fosey-fve who are not yet under
arms. IL becomes an interesting question
how manx this last call will produce.
With the - - the census tables we can
tell nearly the number.
In 1861 the rebels drew men from no less
than thirteen States, including Missouri aud
kentucky. These States contained u white
male population oil 4,43S,29 persons. The
end OF the first year OF the rebellion saw this
source OF supplies very materially reduced
Kentucky aud Missouri were no longer avail
able TO Davis; and with them white male
population OF 1857 ,324 persons, of whom
a third were probably capable of bearing
arms. Thus, since June, 1862, the rebel
chiefs have been forced TO raise and re-
cruit their armies from the men of eleven
States, whose total white male population
was, in 1860, but 2,s00969; less, by several
hundred thousand than the white male popu-
lation of the two States New York and Ohio,
which is 3,0sl ,9I7. We see here the reason
for the tenacity with which the rebel chiefs
chung TO Kentucky and Missouri.
But another year has brought about still
more serious losses. When Mr.. Davis last or
dered conscripton he drew men from eleven
States, whose aggregate white male popua-
tion In 1850 was 2,S00,969. The wholesale
conscription he has just ordered can be exc
cuted only in i've States aud parts of two 9TH
crs, namely, in North and South Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, Florida and In parts Of
Virginia and Mississippi. The white
male population of these was, in 1850, 1.462,-
95l-about half the number Mr.. Davis was
able 10 draw from last year.
We find, then, that in 1860 the arms bearing
population of the region now under rebel con-
troll amounted TO 4S1 $50 men. If all of these
were alive, and still able 10 bear arms, they
would make up almost the entire available
force OF the rebellion; for 1t has been found
already that the troops Of those States In
which the rebel authority has been extin-
guished, will not remain In the rebel ranks
they desert, or are untrustwortby.
But OF these four hundred and eighty-seven
thousand six hundred aud fifty men large
number are already under arms. 1t is esti-
mated that at least two-thrds of the arms
bearing men in the South have already been
drawn.into the army; this wonld give three
hundred and twenty-five thousand one hun
dred men as the number furnished by yolun-
tcering and under the repeated conscriptions,
by the cotton States and Virginia; and no one
will think the estimate exaggerated Count
ing the whole number OF men drawn into the
Southern armies, from the beginning TO this
time, at six hundred and fifty thousand, this
would give but a fair proportion 10 the States
we are considering.
There would remain then, according to es-
Inmates based on the census, l62y550 men of
the requisite age in those States. But from
this number are to be deducted those who