The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-02
THE SOUTH.
STRENGTH OF REBEL ARMIES.
Public Sentiment at the South on
the Question Of Aiming
the Slaves.
From "Druids" Letter to n. Y. World.

BALTIMORE, Nov. H.
PRESENT EFFECTIVE STRENGTH OF THE SOUTH
ERN ARMIES.
The armies of the South now in the field
are composed of the following bodies of
troops: Longstreets corps, A. P. Hills
corps, and the troops recently under Beau
regard, holding the lines defending Rich
nond and Petersburg, $4,000 infantrys
10000 cavalry, and 800 guns, in all 81, 900
troops; Early's corps in the valley, $4,000
men total of Lees army proper, 10000
men. Breckinridge's force in Southwest
ern Virginia, 10000 men; militia at
Lynchburg, 5000 men; at Wilmington
and Weldon, 5000 men total under Gen.
Lees immediate orders, 102,000 men.
Troops under Beauregard and Hood, in the
West, 10000; in Arkansas and Missouri,
under Sterling Price, 10000 men AT
Charleston and Savannah, 900 men in
Texas and Louisiana, $4,000 men at Mo-
bile, 10000 men; total, $4,000 men.
Grand total of troops of the Confederacy
in the field, 2l4 600 troops.
AVAILABLE MILITARY STRENGTH OF TIE
SOUTH.
The above is the present actual strength
of the Confederate armies, but it is by no
means the extent of the available military
power of the South. The South has had
in arms, since the beginning of the war,
eight hundred and fifty thousand men Gn-
Guiding the above two hundred and four
teen thousand, and fifty or sixty thousand
more, who are now prisoners in cur hands,
and five hundred and seventy-six thousand
men who have been killed and disabled
during the progress of the war;. If the
tables in my letter of September Is are
correct, and their accuracy has never been
disputed, the South still has, therefore, a
reserve OF nine hundred and fifty thousan!
white mtn at the proper military age.
IT, experience OF four years OF war, there
fore. shows that the South is abundantly
able TO keep on foot armies equal in num-
Der 10 those now in the field for four years
more at least These facts will be brought
before the Comic derate Congress at an
early day, and in an elaborate and detailed
shape, as arguments against the proposed
measure of an ing the slaves as soldiers.
THE SLAVES II THE SOUTH WILL NOT BE
AENRD AT PRESENT.
There is no probability, however, that
that measure Will De adopted, or even
pressed for adoption. The universal SEN
timent of the South is against it. All the
prominent public men OF the South, low
at Richmond, concur in the conviction
which is entertained by General Lee and
all the other prominent rebel military
leaders, that the slaves have been, and
will continue to be, far more useful to the
Confederate cause as laborers than as SOL
diess. 1t is absolutely necessary that a
certain portion of the community shall
be employed in raising grain and rearing
stock, or, in word, in productive indus
try; and the experience Of four years has
demonstrated that the slaves constitute
that portion of the Southern community
which can be SO employed to the best ad-
vantege OF the State at large To with
draw them from these pursuits il
would make it necessary to withdraw white
men from the army to take the places
of slaves on farms and plantations.
THE SLAVE WILL INCREASE tn. EFFICIENCY
OF THE SOUTHERN ARMIES.
It has always been the practice Of the
South to employ limited number OF
slaves in a certain inferior capacity in the
army; as laborers upon Notifications, as
cooks, as teamsters, as officers servants,
SC The fortications at Williamsburg, at
Richmond, at Petersburg, at Mobile, and
some of those in Texas, were all built by