Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-12-22
Comparative Numbers OF the Two Armies
Of Generals Grant and Lee.

We refer to the strength of the Army of the
Potomac, under the immediate command of
General Meade, but directed by the Lieuten-
ant General, at the two important periods Of
the spring of 1864, and the spring Of 1868
General Meade crossed the Eapidan, on the
18th Of May, 1861, with 1870, $50 men
General Grant says. in his report, that "by
six o'clock Of the morning of the 9th, he
General Burnside) was leading his corps
into action near the Wilderness tavern. y
Burnside's force (the Ninth corps numbered
10000 men. Thus, in the second battle
(Wilderncss) after crossing the Rapidan,
General Meade had, under his immediate
command, one hundred and forty-odd thou
sand troops From the best information we
can obtain, General Lees army commenced
this series of battles about seventy thousand
strong, and received no reinforcements, ex-
cept the small force Of three or four thousand
that came from the Valley under Breckin-
ridge, shortly before the battle Of Cold Har-
Dor After the battle Of Spottsylvania Court
house, reinforcements, in large numbers,
were sent to Gen Grant from Washington
and upon his forming junction with Gen.
Butler, he was reinforced by the whole
strength Of the Army of the James. In the
meantime Gen. Lee had been compelled to
weaken himself by sending Breckenridge back
to the Valley, and dispatching Early, with
some fifteen or twenty thousand men, to meet
Hunter, then moving on Lyncyburg. This
reduction of course " not compensated by
the accession gained from the garrison Of
Richmond, and the force between this city
and Petersburg, and Beauregard.
On the list of March, 1865, month be-
fore the final and successful assault on Lees
lines, the strength Of the army Of the Poto-
mac is given by Secretary Stanton as 103,-
273. This WAS the ''ayajlabie force present
for duty" The exact strength of the army
Of the James, at that date, is not stated but
the number Of troops present for duty in the
Department Of Virginia, was IS ,906 These,
without doubt, were nearly all with General
Butler. Added to the army Of the Potomac
they make 149 ,239. 1t was understood in
Richmond that, in addition to the numbers
here given, General Grant was receiving
heavy reiuforcements ali through March, and
it is known that towards the close of that
month, he was joined by General Sheridan
with his splendid cavalry. Altogether. it
seems probable that the force in front Of Rich
mond and Petersburg nearly appropriated,
if it did not reach, POO 900. 70 meet this
immense array, General Lee could not muster
more than forty thousand men. The num-
Der surrendered by him is STATED in the re-
port at IS ,805, but we believe the number
A. IL, l.. ~
ing Of the day on which the surrender was
made, did not reach 5000 fit be said that
such defences as had been constructed around
this city, ought to have been able to resist
200, 900, the reply is that the skillful mannu-
very of General Grant compelled General
Lee to so extend his lines that his works
were at no point sufficiently manned Where
Or fifteen PAGES apart
These figures are given as matters of gem
eral and historic interest. and not for the
sake Of making comparisons or suggesting
conclusions to the disparagement of either
side.
ADDITIONAL FIGURES.
We may add, from information CLEANED
from the report Of the Secretary of War. that
on the 1st of May, 1861, the
Entire force Of the armies Of the
| United States, was o7O,71e
Total effective force, G62 ,345
Effective force. army Of Potomac, 1908
To which add Burnside's Corps, 20,780
Total, 141, 100
March lst, 1865, the United States armies
numbered 965 ST. men,
May list, 1865, the United States armies
numbered | GOO SIG men.
The effective force of the Army Of the Po-
tomac, March LIST, 1865, was 1O3, 252.
The effective force Of the combined armies,
March LIST, 1865, was COZ $50.
A WOMAN SHoEMAKER-A Hartford pa
per publishes the following: ''Some time last
fall l sent you an account Of a woman shoe
maker, living in Union, Holland county,
Connecticut, and who in four months, besides
doing her household work, had, with the help
Of her boy to do the pegging, earned one
hundred and eighty dollars in bottoming
thick half double soled boots. There is an
other chapter to the story. After that time,
during the winter she made shOemakinO a