The Camden confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865, 1864-06-01
statistics of Rebellion y

:
BALTIMORE, April. 2S-From conver-
sation with gentleman directly from
the South have obtained considerable
interesting and valuable information i'll
reference to the future. prospects 81 the
South. | give it as a complete state
mcnt of the facts upon which the rebels
base their hopes of ultimate success.
ARE TIE REBELS EXHAUSTED?
There arc two questions of paramount
Importance to thinking men, and partlc-
ularly to. statcsmen, at the North at the
present time. These are: What are the
capabilities Of the SvItl. this year for
feeding their armies, aud to what extent
have the cotton plantations, aud sugar
plantations, of the South been converted
into wheat fields and corn fields? And,
second, what is the condition ofthc stock
ofhorses in the South, and by whatmeans
do the South expect to obtain remouuts
for their large cavalry force; and how
do they expect to keep up the efficiency
of this arm of their service? Aware for
months past of the Importance of tue
issues involved in these questions, have
spared neither time nor labor in arriving
at the truth concerning them, and the
results of my Investigations, are embodied
below. It will require but a moments
reflection to convince intelligent men
that the ability of the South to carry on
the war, or, in other words, that the du-
ration of the war itself, depends upon
the facts which vii! be made apparent
by the investigation Of the above qucs-
tions. 1t is fact, by no means crcdita-
bic to the Intelligence of the country,
that the dclusion 'that the South is star
wing the South is exhausted; that the
backbone of the rbclion is broken that
the Southern soldiers are discontentcd
aa mutinous; that the South has It's
whole available military strength now, in
the field for a last, final struggle. :"
should be shared, not by the igu9raut
audun:hinkiug alone, but by men who
have some claims to sjntcliigence. The
excuse for the latter is, however, that
they only believe what has been set
down for them in the newspapers which
they have been accustomed to read and
believe in; and, also, because such has
been the constant tone of every Federal
official, from the President aud Secretary
of State down to the bottom of the list.
For the shameful and willfuld deception
on the people, thus practical by these
newspapers and these officials, there is no
excuse and no paliation.
TERRITORIAL AREA OF TIE SOUTH.
In arriving at the truth in regard to
the above points, it is necessary to take
into consideration the vast territorial cX-
tent Of the South; the comparative
small number of the Southern people
who have been withdrawn from produc-
tive pursuits during the last three years;
and the temper and feeling of the South
ern people in regard to the war
The States of Massachusetts,, Connect
cut and New Hampshire occupy an area
of quite respectable size on the map.
Yet these three States together only occu-
py an area of2l, ,754 square miles, while
the State of South Carolina alone has an
area of "A, 800 square miles. The great
State Of Indiana contains 80 800 square
miles. But North Carolina, with its
$4,000 square miles. is larger in territorial
extent than Indiania and Massachusetts
together. How many people in the
North believe that Louisiana exceeds in
territorial extent the Empire State itself,
with the $4,000 square miles of the latter?
Yet such is the fact. The State of mis-.
sissippi has 1900 sq'arc miles, and is,
Therefore, larger than New York OF
Pennsylvania. The State of Alabama
contains $1,000 square miles and is,
therefore, larger than New York and
Connecticut together \ person who
has travelled over the whole length ofthl
y shaped Illinois central Railroad, from
Chicago and Galcna on the north, to
Cairo at the south, has some idea of tho
vast extent of that State. Yet Georgia
has $4,000 square miles, and is, therefore
larger than Illinois And Florida, which
the President sent Nr. john Hay to
conquer, contains 80, 900 square miles,
and is therefore, larger then Pcnsylyanir,
Ma sachusctts and Connecticut, altogctll-
er. Finally, Virginia is still larger,
containing I'll 600 square miles; and even
when the bogus Estate of West Virginia"
is taken off, the Old Dominion is still
larger than Ohio. say nothing of Texas
in this connection, because, although it
contains the enormous extent of 237 900
square miles (and is, therefore, larger
than the seven great States of New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio Illinois, Indiana,
Massachusetts aud Connecticut, altogcth.
err, still, it is practically useless to the
South at present.
AREA UNDER CULTIVATION.
So much for the territorial extent of
eight of the Southern States, which, vast
as it is, is the least important feature in