The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-12-29

Comparative Numbers Of the Two Armies
Of Gems Grant and Lee.

Comparative Numbers of the Two Armies
Of Gems Grant and Lee.
The report Of the Sycrrtar, Of War
throws iighton matter of history in re-
gard to which much Interest has been
felt by the public. We refer to the
strength of the Army of The Potomac, TN
der the command of General Meade but
directed by The Lieuieuaut General, at
the two important periods of the Spring
of 1864, AMI the Spring of 1865 Gen.
Meade crossed the Rapilan oa Tie 4th
of May, with 120, $50 men
General Grant says, in Lis report, that
"by six O'Clock Of the morning Of the 9th,
be General Burnside) was leading his
corps into action near tie Wilderness t4v-
ern.' Burnsilo's force che Ninth Corp>)
numbered twenty thousand men. Thus,
Ill the second battle (Widcrness) after
crossing the Rapdan, General Meade had
under his Immediate command, one hun
drrd and forty thousand troops.
From the best information we can OBJ
tain, Lees army commenced this series
OF battle about seventy thousand strong,
and received Eo relItorcements, except
tie small torce Of three or four thousand
that came from the Valley under Breck-
lprdge shortly before The battle of Cold
tlarbor After the battle of Spottsylva-
uil Court House, rcInforcemeutS, in large
numbers, were sent to Gen Grant from
Washington and upon his forming a
Junction wirh Gen raj Butler, he WIS rc-
lnforced by the whole strength Of the
Army of the James.
In the meantime General Lee had been
compelled to weaken himself BY sending
Brecklnrdge back to the Valley, aud des-
patching Early, with some fifteen Or
twenty thousand melt, to meet Hunter,
then moving on Lynchburg, This reluc-
ton OF force was not compensated by the
accession gained from the garrison of
RiC hmond and the force between this city
aud Petersburg under B,aurcgard.
On the lst Of March, 1868, mouth
before the final and successful assault on
General Lees lines, the strength If
the Army Of the Potomac is given by
Secretary Stanton as 103,273. This was
the available force present for duty, -
The exact strength Of the army OF the
JPmes, at that date, is not stated but
the number cf troops present for duty in
the Department of Virginia was As, 98G.
These, without doubt, were nearly all
with General Butler. Added to the army
of the Potomac, they make 1920.
1t was understood in Richmond that in
addition to the numbers here given, Gen
Grant was receiving heavy reiaforcemeuts
all through March, and it is known that
towards the close If that month be was
joined by General Sherman with bis splen.
did cavalry. Altogether it seems proba-
Die that the force in front of Richmond
and Petersburg nearly appropriated if it
did not reach, 100000. 10 meet this
immense array, General Lee could muster
not more than 10000.
The number surrendered to him is sta.
ted in the report as 27,US5 but we be-
lieve the number on Gutv, with arms ia
their hands, the morning Of the day Cd
" hlch the snrrnnGer was made, did not
reach 5000, Ii it be said that 10 900
men behind such deienccs as had been
constructed around this city ought to have
been able to resist 100000, the reply is
that the skilIful mnn@nverlng Of General
Grant compelled Gen Lee SO as to extend
his lines that his works were at no point
sufficiently manned Where his line was
first broken the men stood ten or fifteen
PAGES apart
These figures are given as matters Of
general and historic interest, and not for
the sake Of making comparison or suggest
ing conclusions to the disparagement OF
either side.