The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-27
Grants Last Campaign.

From the ". Y. Tribune.
The Rebels and their Northern allies are so
fond of enlarging upon what they call Grants
"butcheries" in the final campaign of the war,
and so resolute in asserting that Lee was never
Outgeneraled, but simply overborne by tre-
mendOus preponderance OF numbers, that we
have been at the pains of procuring from the
official returns OF both armies now preserved
in the Archive Office at Washington the exact
figures, which show the true state of the case,
and we beg for them the readers careful at
tention. Lees field return for April 20, 1864,
shows a force present for duty of So S9l, ex-
elusive of Longstreet's corps, which joined him
few days later; the field return of Longstreet
for March 81, 1864, shows Is, 3S7 for duty;
making 72, 27S present for duty. These are
the returns nearest to the date of the battle of
the Wilderness which are in the possession of
the Government. The total present. including
sick, in arrest, and extra duty men, amount
by the same papers to S. 742 in the field with
Lee when Grant crossed the Rapidan. The
original papers now i'll the Archive Office, War
Department. are signed by both Lee and Long
street. Lees return states that HOke's Divi-
sion was absent, not reported, at the same
date, and HOke's return shows 1904 enlisted
men present for duty, or 1850 officers and men,
total present. The Valley district is also re-
turned as not reported.
The field return of the Army of the Poto-
mac for the same date as Lees, April 20,
1854, shows Y III present for duty equipped,
besides 9747 cavalry, also present for duty,
equipped. Besides these, Burnsides corps
joined Grant before the Wilderness This
corps was 10, 250 strong, for duty; but from
these FerIeTO's division, 3O95, must be de-
Quoted, as it was at this time never allowed to
80 into battle, being used as guards for the
trains. This leaves IL l55 as Burnside's real
strength for duty. Adding this and the cav
airy force to the strength of the Army of the
Potomac makes 96, 0l9 as the utmost limit of
Grants effective force at the Wilderness. 1t
should be remembered that Grants move
ments were constantly offensive, through a
der sely wooded country, and that during
every battle of the Wilderness campaign
except the first, Lee fought behind breast
| works, an advantage which nearly or quite
| doubles the strength Of the defendants. One
| other important consideration is that Grant
, had supply train sixty miles in length to
| guard, in hostile country, while Lee was
constantly falling back nearer to his base, and
through a region in which every white was
| his friend.
Grants losses up to the crossing of the
James, including the Wilderness, SpOttsylva-
MIA, North Anna, Cold Harbor, and all the
smaller fights between the Rapidan and the
| James, as reported in the regimental returns
on file in the War Office, were $3.50 killed,
! 2G,O47 wounded, and 6626 missing; total,
! 39,259. OF the wounded, very many were
| only slightly hurt, and not absent from duty
more than a day or two; and at least 20 600
out OF the &c, O47 eventually returned to duty;
so that Grants absolute loss, from the Rapi-
dan TO the James, was probably not greater
than ~. 600, officers and men. The missing
were, undoubtedly, most of them prisoners.
Grant took, during the same time, l0,462