Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-08-11
The Rebel strength.

the South. But inasmuch as the rebels
ny concentration of their forces in Vir
s...... have So CIR continued to oppose 1
stout resi-,nn TO our army operation,
in that quarter, many are disposed, with
out much examination or reflection, L
give them credit for almost inexhausti
bic res, lrceS The figures of the census
however tel an undenlable story, anC
the conclusions drawn from them are
confirmed by all the indications of the
Spring and Summer campaign, Atlanta
with its connections, is of vital lmpor,
lance TO the confederacy, yet the rebels
could muster no sufficient force TO op,
pose Sherman's advance upon it. Gov.
Brown of Georgia, could only call upon
old men and young boys to aid the rebel
troops in defending that city. No other
fighting material was left in the state.
Mobile, Charleston and other important
points of the rebel confederacy are al
most stripped of troops. To defend
Richmond it was necessary TO leave
ehSll as well 40 liC apDiOalHth W ab>
lanta comparatively undefended yet if
Grant merely maintains his hold upon
Lee while Sherman takes Atlanta, the
campaign is most successful one In
the language of the rebel Gov. Brown,
ait throws the Gulf states open to the
enemy and we 1.-THE rebels) are ruined"
1t practically reduces the area of the re-
bellion to the three states of Virginia,
North Carolina and South Carolina.
But TO the figures. At the beginning
of the war the eleven confederate
states" contained, according to the cen
sus of 1860, five and half millions of
white persons, of whom one and a quar-
ter millions were white males between
the ages of fifteen and fifty years Grant
ing that three fourths of these-a large
allowance-were capable of bearing
arms, and there were nine hundred thou
sand men in all those states of whom
soldiers could be made They have lost
since the commencement of the war, in
killed and disabled, half a million, which
leaves the confederacy total fighting
force of four hundred thousand men.
But there have been sources OF loss to
the rebels, as for instance through the
occupation Of rebel territory lin Ten
nessee, Arkansas, etc. etc. since the
opening of the war, which are not taken
into account above, and the present ac-
tual lighting strength of the "confed-
eracy" is considerably less than above
stated. Against this, the loyal states
have, by the same process of figuring, a
fighting population at present of thirty
two hundred thousand men, excluding
entirely the negro troops from consid-
Grafton.
We alluded yesterday, to an estimate,
made short time ago and based upon
the census, which gave the rebels re-
naming lighting strength of only 1885,
900 men, This estimate, from the Bos-
ton journal, goes more into detail thai
that above, and calculates more accu-
rately the rebel and loyal districts, (parts
~ states as we'll as states) takes into
account matters not above considered,
and we give it entire below:
The census of 1860, with emigration
and the annual increase of births, gives
us population of 81 100000 in the Sum-
mer OF 1864. OF this population, 4,000.-
900 of whites and 100000 of slaves ex-
list in therebel districts, and 10000 900
,,ff IN, ha -,
districts The contest Is now between
forces standing in the ratio of 4 to 80,
with ready to aid the successful party.
In comparing more closely the relative
strength of the two districts, we find
that one half Of the whites are males,
One-half of the males are under 16, and
one-half of the residue, from old age,
youth, physical inarmity or sickness,
unfit for service in the field In this
state we have never been able to bring
more than 10 per cent. of the people into
the militia, and if we allow II per cent.
for the capacity OF the rebel dis
tricts, 1t is a liberal allowance. In
the Southern districts which are still
loyal or have been subdued such
as Missouri Kentucky, Tennessee,
Maryland and portions of other states,
there is a white population of 100000,
and Ii Is q fair presumption that four
per cent. Of the population, or one third
of the lighting men of these regions,
have joined the rebel armies. We can
not allow more, as the rebel conscrip-
ton has operated but little if any on
those districts.
The war has been in progress for three
years, and an allowance of 10000 year
for the excess of young men growing up
over men becoming superannaated or
dying by ordinary disease, is a very lib
eral allowance Further, by the best in
formation in our possession the rebels
have lost in the last three years, down
. 20 the 9Th of May last, by deaths in the
ield, camps and hospitals, by wounds !,
and captures-and most of this is con-
ceded-120,O0O a year, or 100000 men.
During the present campaign, since
May ], Lee is understood to have lost
10000 NOV, o-d TohYe-on. Mapruder.
Forrest ana ....s, at least 10000
more. The following table gives the