Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-05-12
An Idea of the Condition of the
.''r eUif .'-lI South. .-r.

From the special correspondence of The
Cincinnati Gazette, dated Greensboro, N. c.,
May 8, we make the following extract
which furnishes an idea as to the suffering
the South has sustained in this War, and an
opinion as to what the social condition of
the South will be after the War: gi
+, There are many facts revealed by the
surrender, of great interest and deep sig
nilicance. Some of these have already
been referred to in these letters. The ap-
proximate annihilation OF the. able-bOdied
population of the South, is set forth in a
Startling light by the following figures ta-
ken, from the rolls of Gen. Uardee's corps,
representing both present and absent. A
general consolidation of companies and
regiments took place a few months since,
and in most cases whole regiments were re-
uuired to make companies of forty men,
and often even more than this. The fol-
lowing instances were selected at random
from large pile of rolls: Ten regiments
consolidated, 237 men; three regiments 2l5;
twenty regiments 621; eleven regiments4l9;
five regiments 3S7; ten regiments 456, rep
resenting 10000 men on the original rolls;
one regiment 20l; eight regiments 424, rep
resenting 10000 Texas troops; one regi-
ment 40 left out of 1900; reserve artillery,
ten batteries, $50; seven regiments 4l9;
eighteen regiments 7l9. Single regiments
unconsolidated, and not represented above
showed the following numbers on their
rolls: q. 81, 16, 46, 1874, %, 80, 81, 1S5, "a,
Al, G5, $50, 80, so. IL, AZ, 40. 100. j.H' al
Eight companies consolidated amounted
to 3S men; five companies G6; ten companies
So; eleven companies, SO; ten companies
Go; fifteen companies 81 ten companies in
one case 81, in another 3d.. The average in
Lees corps before consolidation was abont
so men to the regiment, and these corps
represented over half the army.
Gen. Bates division has lost every Gener-
, al and field officer and three-fourths of the
men in battle, since the army left Dalton.
1t lost thirty per cent at the battle of Ben
tonville alone. Other facts of the same
kind might be stated, if it were possible to
place the matter In stronger light.
- This loss of men is but an Indication of
the exhaustion of all the resources of the
land. The leaders have been in deep earn
est, and have held the army and the people
to the support OF the war until nearly every
dollar and every man has been sacrificed.
Nothing has been spared or overlooked
that could in any way contribute to military
success. The money Of the country Is ut
terly worthless, the people have been re-
duced to the verge of starvation, all means
of restocking their farms gone, and
the labor of the entire country render
ed useless for this year at least as
the blacks will do little, and the
whites will not be back, from the armies in
time to attend to planting. Forever year
past it has been unlawful in mary sections
to raise cotton, and but few of the States
except Virginia and North Carolina have
any tobacco on hand, and these, with the
little tar, rosin and turpentine, Ofthis East
ern coast, represent all that can be changed
into available funds. The credit Of the land
Is gone, its factories iE great measure
worn outor destroyed, its business relations
completely broken up, and nearly every
house of business closed, with no stock on
hand or means of replacingit. Their pun
ishment is heavy, very grievOus to be borne,
and will weigh upon the land for half a CEN
tury at least; but one lesson has been well
learned The South viii never forget the
cost OF rebellion. r- f,..... H. M
Her full punishment, however, has not
yet been meted out. In one respect it will
only begin when the armies reach their
homes, and society begins to reconstruct
itself. The feuds and mutual recrimina-
tions growing out of the war will last
through two generations. The rebel sol.
diers are very bitter against most at home,
because the people everywhere lost heart
more than year before any discourage
ment showed itself in the army. In some
sections deserters will never be able
TO reside in peace, in Others those
who have been active in the war
will be driven out Political leaders VIII
be charged with the suffering entailed by
the war, and military men accused of not
using well the means placed in their hands.
No more unsettled state of society ever ex-
listed, than will be inaugurated In the South
the moment the war is entirely at an end.
Wherever it has ended the indications of
this reign of terror have already manifested
thameo1vae flN fF