Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-07-12
sTRENGEH or TIE REBEL ARMrEs

A summary Of the Confederate mus
ter-roIls recently published, and repro
duced on our first page, shows the nu-
merical strength of the Confederate ar
mics to have been much less than has
been generally supposed. Commenting
on these statements the Cincinnati Ca
zetts says: ''There are many figures in
these returns which will be found more
interesting historically than gratifying
to military pride. In spite of our pre-
ponderance of numbers the rebels gen
orally managed to be strongest at the
point of attack" We have no doubt
that the numbers of the Rebel forces
were greatly exaggerated during the
war, but we can discover nothing in this
fact, as developed by the figures refer
red to, which ought to humiliate our
military pride" 1t should be remem-
bered that the greatest element Of
strength in the rebellion consisted in
immense territory which it encompass
ed. The Union armies were immense,
but their line Of battle was fully two
thousand miles in length, and they pos
sessed no interior line Of eommunica-
tion. Our army in the East had no direct
connection with that in the West, and
neither could send re-enforcements to,
or receive them from the other, except
by vastly roundabout routes through
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana
Whereas, the rebels, having interior
lines of communication, could easily
and quickly transfer e-enforcements
from one point to another, and having
also much the shortest line to defend, it
is not at all marvellous that they ''gen-
orally managed to be strongest at the
point of attack
Another element of strength added to
the rebellion by the vastness of terrific
ry was the immense reduction from our
fighting force required 10 guard our
communications with the rear, and keep
up the connection of our armies with
the base of operations. Sherman, for
instance, had to guard over 600 miles of
railroad over which every pound ofsup-
plies had to come, and every foot of
which was exposed to the excursions Of
the enemy. Every mile he advanced
required a new reduction of his force in
order to guard his Iengthened line,
while at the same time the enemv's
fighting force and facilities where cor
respondingly increased by the troops on
guard duty relieved by his retreat, and
by his shortened lines Of communica-
tions Common sense will teach any one
that in these respects our enemy had Pc
culiar advantages fully equal to, if not
far SURPRISING all that which accrued to
US by our superiority in numbers. But
it must also be added that the Rebels
had possession of 5000 miles Of sea coast,
all of which we were compelled to block
ade and repossess.
Napoleon was employed many months
with trained army in suppressing a
pitiful insurrection in the province of
La Yendee, even after he had conquered
Italy and had spread the terror of. his
name to the banks of the Nile and the
Niemen. But had the shareholders re-
bellion been confined within territory
no larger than that of France, and other
things been equal, we could have crush
ed it in little more than "sixty days. -
The area of France is only 2II, ,I60 square
miles, while the Southern rebellion ex-
tended over an area of ss5, ,736 square
miles, and the loyal territory. of the
Union amounted, exclusive of the Pa
cifc States, to only 681, ,240 square miles.
Our armies were doubtless much larger I
than those Of the enemy, but any un-
mind can see that he possess |
ed advantages more than eompensating
for the difference.