The Soldiers' journal. (Rendezvous of Distribution, Va.) 1864-1865, 1864-03-23
Strength of our Armies.

According to the official report of the Proves
MarshaI-General to Congress- 62.243 yoluntaar
ENLISTED In the army from the LIST of January +
the LIST of November, 1868. The draft DURING tn
same period realized sc, 900 men. A total ofabou
loo,ooo new men were thus added to the army i,
the len months mentioned Our losses in th,
same Cme, by battle, disease, capture and dis
oiiause, olo not exceed that number; SO that or
the LIST of November last the strength of the Fed
eral army was substantially the same as on the
preceding LIST of January. Since the LIST of No
vember up to last Monday, between 10000 and
ll2O00 volunteers, under the Presidents last cali
nave been formally mustered into the United
STATES service. About 10, 900 more are enlisted
OUT as they are not formally mustered in, 1 do
not include them in my calculations. Thus orr
army is at this moment liz, 900 stronger than it
was on the LIST of January 1863 nearly fourteen
months ago. Nor is this ALL UP to the end of
last week, no less than 900 colored troops have
oeen reported as regularly organized, to the de-
partment. About Is, 900 more are enlisted. but
no' YET FORMED into regiments. Of the former
NUMBER at least one-third are already so efficient
III all military duties that they can safely be
employed in offensive operations. The remain
ing 10000 are proficient enough to be used for
garrlsoning towns, and Notifications, guarding
oepots, protecting lines of communications &c
AS they I'LL the places of an equal number of
WHITE troops, that would be required for the
same services, they can be well regarded as a
corresponding accession to effective strength
Next comes the Invalid Corps. 1t numbers at |
thls time nearly %, 900 men. Here and elsewhere
It's services have proved invaluable and as it has
renewed an equal number of troops fit for field
duty, 1T may likewise be put down as clear gain
TO the army Its usefulness is great, not only in
garrlsonlng, guarding &C., but also in doing away
with the principal cause of depletion of our ar
mics in the first and second years of the war viz |
absence without leave, by the system of provost
marshals, and provost guards, now extended to
every county in the loyal States. Since its crea-
ton, some 10000 deserters and absentees have
been sent to their regiments, of whose services
the government was deprived at the beginning
OF the year, and whose return is tantamount to a
OF the army to the same number. |
mus 1t appears that the Federal army must
nave at the present tme-the losses in 1868 being
balanced as shown, by voluntary enlistments
and the draft in the same period-strength great
OF by at least 100000 men than it had on the LIST
of January, 1868 This may seem large figure
but know that it is rather below than above the
ootings up of the War Department.. That we
have gained 10000 men-112, 900 whites the bal
ance colored-in the last two months, is abso- |
utely proved by the official returns There are
still other reasons for hopeful contemplation of
the future. A misimpression prevails among
the public at large in the North as to the number
If old soldiers that will be lost to the service in
,he course of the year, by the expiration of :
heir term of enlistment. The total number ,
If men whose three years service will end pre- :
ious to the LIST of January next, is not over 200
700. Only about one-sixth of these are entitled