The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-11-19

Strength Oh ene keOel Arnsc
Public sentiment ut the
south.-The Question Of
n Arming the slaves.
1rro.:shs New y orh World
~ Bff4rxoRr, Nov. Is.
PRESENT EFFHsTIvE STRENGTH OF THE
SOUTHERN ARMIES.
The armies Of the South now in the field
are COMPOSED Of the following bodies Iof
troops: Longstreet's corps, A. P. HiIPs
corps, and the troops recently under Beau
regard. holding the lines defending Rich>
mond and Petersburg, AS 900 infantry, l0,s
600 cavalry and 300 guns, in oil $1,000
troops; Early's corps in the valley, l5,0W
men, total of Lees army proper, 10000
men. Brecksnridge's force in Southwest.
ern Virginia 10, QUO men; militis ct Lynch
burg, 8, 600 men; at Wilmington and Wei
don, 5000 men; total under General Lees
Immediate orderss 100000 men, Troops
under Beauregard and Hood in the West.
so, 900 men; in Arkansas and Missouri, I'm.
der Sterling Price, 10000 men; at Charles.
ton and Ssyanpah. is, 900 meD; in Texas
and Louisiana, is 900 men; ct Mobile, IL
600 men; total $4,000 men. Grand total
of the troops of the confederacy in the field,
2l4, 900 troops. 1855 81 D''f' % ss''''."
AVAILABLE MILITARY STRENGTH OF THE
SOUTH.
The above 10 the present actual strength
of the confederate armies, but it 10 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 (including
the above two hundred and fourteen thOus-
AMI, and City or sixty thousand more, who
are now prisoners in our hands, aud five
hundred and ssventy-six thousand men
who have been killed and disabled during
the progress Of the war If the tables 10
nv letter of September Is are correct, and
their accuracy have never been disputed,
the South still has, therefore, reserve of
nine hundred and City thousand white
men of the proper military age. The ex-
perisnce Of four years Of war, therefore,
shows that the South Is abundantly able to
keep on foot armies equal in numbers to
those now in the field for four years more
at least. These facts will be brought before
the confederate congress at an early day,
and in an elaborate and detailed shape, al
arguments against the proposed measure
of arming the slaves a. soldiers.
THE sLAvEs AT THE. SOUTH WILL NOT BE
ARMED AT PRESENT.
There is no probability, however, that
that measure will be adopted, or even
pressed for adoption. Tue universal senti-
ment of the South is against it. All the
public men of the South, now at Richmond,
concur in the conviction which is enter
tanned by General Lee and all the other
prominent military leaders, that the slaves
have been, aud will continue to be, far
more useful to the confederate cause, as
agricultural laborers, than as soldiers. 1t
is absolutely necessary that certain por-
ton of the community shall be employed
in raising grain and rearing stock, or, in .
word, IN productive industry; and the expe.
risnce Of four years has demonstrated that
slaves constitute that portion of the south>
ern community which can be SO employed
to the best advantage OF the state at large,
To withdraw them from these pursuits
would make it necessary to withdraw white
men from the army to take the places OF
slaves on the farms and plantations.
THE SLAVES WILL INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY
OF THE SOUTHERN ARMIES,
1t has always been the practice of the
South to employ a limited number of slaves
in a certain inferior capacity in the army;
as laborers upon Qualifications, as cooks as
teamsters, as officers servants, &c. The
Notifications at Williamsburg, at Richmond,
at Petersburg, at Mobile, and some of those
in Texas, were all built by the labors of
negro slaves, directed by white engineers.
And in this way the soldiers in the confeds
crate armies have been relieved from a
great portion of the camp drudgery. In
this manner, and TO this extent, slaves will
continue to be employed in the southern
armies, for to this extent they can be EN-
ployed without injury to the agricultural
interests of the South. In every one of the
Union armies, there are thousands of SOL
diers employed in duties which take them
away from the ranks, and weaken the effeo-
tive strength ofthe army. In the southern
armies these duties are, aud will continue
to be performed by slaves, and thus the
effective force of the southern armies
greatly strengthened.
THE SLAVES WILL BE ARMED As SOLDIERS
HOWEVER, IF NECESSARY.
There are some prominent members Of
the confederate congress who contemplate
the possibility that the war may continue
for five or six years yet, and that ultimate
ly it may be necessary to arm limited
number of the slaves, and to discipline
them as soldiers. 1t may be regarded as
settled that this step will never be taken,
as long as the southern armies can be re-
cruited by white men. If the time should
ever come, however, when difficulty begins
to be experienced in keepi' 6 the ranks of
the old regiments full, then this step will be
taken, unhesitatingly
But THEY WILL REMAIN SLAVES, NEvERTHE-
The status of the slaves thus armed and
Disciplined, will be very different however.