Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-03-28
lFR0W .THE IG0NFFDRRAGYY.

: FROM THE C0NFEDERACY. .
Official Revelations Of its Seersts.--Its Mil.
tary IStTezgth-ZRs TsstimOoa,y of Gsn
Lee.-He Believes tie ReBetlion Hopezes.
-UniOnist, at the SoutA. .-T6s Lats Peqe,
coryerenee.-Rr. SssVess's; H71ersiiOn Of it:-
a Plan for Peace, o VS.. a5ai *. s-e.i
From the New York TIibune::
a. Hl- WAsH1NeFoS, March 2s,s 1865.
Information has been placed in my hands
touching several points of great Importance
in regard to- the Rebellion, its military
strength, its condition. tho opinion, and
hopes of it's political and military lesders,
and the judgment of one Of It's most prom
inent men upon the possibilities and terms
of peace. Without comment of mine, I
submit them to you, with theaipgle remark
that for every fact am about to state
Z there is unimpeachable authority, and that
these statements bear in themselves evil
dence of their an thentcity end eredibility.
First as to the military strength Of the
Confsderaoy. The fgureswhiGh I give do
H d.
which date they were nUtmetely accurate.
but were compiled from the official of the
Confederate War Department. -sa- Ei7
On the l4th of February, 1866, the e6-
tire EVailable force of the OdhfedeFacy was
l52 900 men. They were distributed as
follows; ' '-'a s'a1s 10 ia 'z'a
Lees army q C0O
Bragg, including Hoke's division n.,..,,..,. . siI
BeearegArd and HAEdse. GOO
Wsst 0fASdssiPpi
. Total, $4,000
The $4,000 under Beauregard and Har2
dee includes the late army Of Hood, aud all
the forces which evacuated Savannah and
Charleston. The 8, 900 Of Bragg INCLUDE
all the garrison of Wilmington These
81 900 men constitute the bulk of the army
now under Johnston in North Carolina,
with ouch additionss as have lately been
made. The 900 under Taylor, Hill and
Cobb, are or were scattered through Geor-
gia' Alabama and Mississippi, part ofthem
constituting the present garrison at Mobile.
OF Hoods army the following is cor.
rect numerical statement: 80
2 Entered Tennessee......,. .....-......~47,0Oo y
Sapne ,,,..,.,.lI 500
Net loss ot that gp............ q, 500
In East Tennessee and West Virginia
there were in February but 4,50O men al
together, and the greater part OF them were
transferred March l, and fhefeabout, to
Lynchburg. - Ear7
IL sES. LEE's TESTIMONY. .,4 @
A Committee of the Rebel Senate was
eugaged early in the present year in a. in
quiry into the condition of the Confederacy.
Among the witnesses summoned before
them was Gen. Lee, and the following are
extracts from, his testimony, on the Gath
January, 1865: s@tF
Question by Senator H2Rter.-Wha at is
your opinion as to evtcuatinR Richmond,
aud vithdEaHipg the army to North CARO-
lina2 ,f ,g,r Il, -a,- n-..,., s7st1
Anssssr.-In7 my opinion. ftwould be q
bad movement. The Virginia troops would
not go to North Carolina; they would 60
home. n tf7Er Z g7Es
Qusstton-Doyou think we have troops
enough for tho next campsIen Z
AnSWsr.-I do not. Wescannat last till
midsummsr. ,a7 yi MS isl4 do
Questton.-What do you think of the
| policy of armiug 200, 900 neRroes2
ARstoer.@If-We dreNto- carry on the War,
that is they least of -RYils b1E in such an
leyent the negroes must have tRefF liberty
A. sQltestioH.-Do you think We conld sue,
eehd by putting the negroes into the field
AHSWer,-That would depend On cfrcum.
stances. We could at least carry on the
war for aaotheF year. zoGa II
,QYestiOR by Senator Riu.;-Wkst ia th,
Ise1timeut of the army in relation 10 rieace
q sARsaVeT.-It Is Glhpst trsti io1ts for peacs
The men will fght longer if necessary, bu
they believe We cannot continue the wal
through another campaign. 5eta dsbl
Qusstfon by Senator, Graham.-What il
ySSnF individual al opinion on the subject o
s4asp,s.r.-1 think the best bia ipaoliuy 4 Is q
make peace on the plan proposed by Mr.
Stephens. The people aad the, country
fought to pc saved further sacrifices.
QuesttoR By Sehat0r1 FalL j, u Ifsbeace be
not made before Spring v i'll you consent
I 70 take command of all tt 8 aftfbies bf the
ConfederacY, with aplimiu d ooRersi
AastreF.-I will take say position to
which my conntry assigns ne ntiIl- do the
best can, but do not th Ak d cad SAN
the cause now. No human power can saw
1t: Had been assigned ID sit,sh alplace
one year ago, IAththk1 could have made
our condition better thSp it now is.
QIeStioH Soy SendtoF OTr.4You think
then, General, that the best s6inti66 6f ouii
difficulties is to make peace on Ihd Ste
pheus plan Z .ai i,isa
F AHsptT.-Fes, that is the best polieJ
now. I think the army andsf the bSopil
ought to be saved if all else isiost,I
DBsERTioNsR RRoh THl RlssL ARMT.
From records, ip the Adiufan. and In
ispeStor Generals otiee il appears tha
from the 1sr of October, 1864. 10 Februar,
s 8. 1865, IA 600 men had desakfed ffom th
tConfedsrate armies east Of the MiSSi ssippi
: Daring Prices recent invasion 81 AIissouri
nearly all the NissOurians in his arr,ay de
serted7 sud he lost during tiTe-csuIInaifZ
j 1880 men. -. - = Z ESQ .'l5