The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-01-10

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"a Uonfsd etate General @ &c War.
osn.J. A. 1siy, q yhe;uia. h. wit
I'm alett9; tlum Hayana % u New York
|lSswa Hls objects afe.afst, to correct
the statement that lie hid applied Tor or.
don, and next, TO reply to certain portions
LOT the recent reports Of Secretary stanton
and Cen Grant.
b From his position ii the Confederate ar.
|my, Gen. Early enjoyed unsurpassed oppor-
tunities for ascertaining the facts in rela-
ton to that army, and We may therefore
take it for granted that his statements are
entirely consistent with the facts. At the
lsarne time, there is no reason to suppose
that Gen. Grant wiifully distorted the truth,
in his report. The kindly expressions
which he uses towards the Confederate SOL
diers, and his graceful recognition Of their
heroic deeds, are quite sufficient to relieve
him from the suspicion OF unwillingness to
give credit to his adversaries. Gen. Grant
we'll knew that there was great disparity
IN force between his own army and that Of
Gen. Lee-hut he may we'll be excused for
not conceiving Of SO great an inequality a.
that which Gen. Early demonstrates to
have existed. .e,9 s.iss.ffs
1t would not have been reasonable for
him to act on the presumption that the ire
mendous battles Of the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania Court House and Cold Har-
Dor were fought by force scarcely one
third Of his own. He had no access to Of
fetal Confederate documents, and he had
no other means Of estimating the strength
of the Copfederates than by the energy
with which they contested his advance, and
the extraordinary losses which they inHict-
ed on his army.
II with these lights before him, and with
these alone, he estimated the strength Of
General Lees army ut double it's real num-
Der, surely no higher tribute could be paid
By him to the valor and hsroism of his ad-
versaries.
General Early says that at the beginning
Of the memorable campaign ofls64, Gene-
I<al Lees army consisted Of two divisions
OF Longstreet 8 corps, EwelPs corps, A. p.
Hills corps, three divisions Of cavalry and
the artillery, Ewell's corps did not exceed
l4,Oc0 u,uskets at the beginning Of the
campaign. Hits corps, On tie Sth Of
May, when General Early assumed CON-
raand of It, Was barely l3,0O0 strong, aud
could not have exceeded $4,000 in the be-
ginning. Longstreet 8 effective strength did
mot exceed Sung nauskets. General Lees
infantry force, therefore, was barely 10000
muskets. At the opening Of the campaign
he had 10000 men Vt oil arms. No REIN
forcenients were received BY him until he
reached Hanover Junction Gu the 23d Of
May. AT that place he was Joined by Pick.
etts division, one email brigade from
Hokes division, and two small brigades
and . battalion Of artillery under Breckin.
ridge. This force IL estimated by General
Grant ct l5.O00. General Early, who had
good means oftknewing, as it subsequently
Joined him at Lynchburg, says that it did
not exceed 1000 muskets. AT Cold Har.
|bor, the remainder Of Hokes division join
ed General Lee: but Breckinridge's corps
was Immediately afterwards detached and
sent to the Valley. and, on the 18th Of
June, Ewells corps and two battalions Of
artillery, under command Of General Early,
were sent to meet General Hunter, then
threatening Lynehburg. -
General Eariy says that the disparity be.
tween his forces and those Of General Sher-
idan, in the Valley campaign, was even
greater than the inequality between Lee
and Grant. Whenhe arrived before Wash
ington, on the 18th Of July, 1854, bis force
amounted to 5000 muskets, three small bat
talIons of.rtillery. with about forty field
pieces, of which the largest were l2,poun-
der Napolsons, and about two thousand
badly mounted and badly equipped cavalry,
| Of which the larger portion had been de-
tached to cut the railways to- the north of
Baltimore. Two divisions Of the Sixth
Corpsaa and q part Of the Nineteenth Corps
had already arrived attfWashington, and
/ Mr.. Stanton says that General Early WAS
met there BY the Sixth Corps, . part Or The
Nineteenth Corps under General Emory
and a part Of the Eight Corps under Gene
Iml Gilmore. General Early,s forces had
then marched FIVE, hundred miles, moving
twenty miles every day; except when they
defeated General Wallace, OF Monccacy, on
which day they marched fourteen miles.
Gen. Larry informs US that at the battle
Of Winchester. Or Opequap. as it is called By
Gen, Grant, his effective strength was about
$500 muskets, three battaGo nsgof, artillery,
and less than 5000 cavalry. Gen. sheri-
assls infantry consisted ofthe Sixth Corps,
the Nineteenth Corps, and Cook's Corps,
composed Of one division Of the Eighth
Corps and the " Army Of West Virgins. +"
Gen, Early estimates Gen. Sheridan's in
fantry at The battle Of Winchester at 81, GOO.
The Federal cavalry, as shown by doca-
ments captured two days before the fight,
numbered lO,l00 present for duty. Gen.
Early says that the Sixth Corps alone
must have exceeded his entire strength.
At Cedar Creek, the Confederate forces un-
der Gen. Earlys conlmand--he having been
Ereinfored by Kershaw's division of27O0
muskets, one, small battalion ,of artillery,
and about 600 cavalry--anountsd to SIS
% muskets, about 40 pieces otArtillery. and
about l2S0 Cavalry. The rest Of the cav.
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