The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-12
The Confederate Armies.

ment OF the secretary OF tho Southern His
torical Society, confirmed by Adjutant-G Gen.
eral, Samuel Cooper, that the effective
strength OF the Confederate armies was
never greater than 200, 900 men, and re-
marks that "at the time of Lees surrender
''but 100, 600 Confedcrates were in the field,
Sin opposition to Union army million
''strong." The New York Tribune copies
the article Of the World, and expresses the
firm conviction That 'ahe Confetleraoy nere,.
'.pus 100, 900 men in line Of battle at any
''nomen." The Tribune says further that
the Confedcracy had not SO, 600 men i'm It's
encampments around Manassas when Nc
Clellan stood tinactivc and irresolutc" for
months before those encampmcnts 'at the
''head Of $50, 900 10 200, 600 OF the best men
''that ever shoudcrcd arms" The Tribune
lays upon Mcclellan The whole blame and
shame OF three long years OF devastating
war, and declares that Mcclellan, had he
been 'ta fit commander, would have demol-
'ished the Confederacy in 1862" Upon this
point we quote the words OF the Tribune:
.Therc is now no decent prctext for con-
cealing or Disgusting the truth. We hold that
Mcclellan had ample force to have whipped
Lee In falr fght-a force that toould haye
whipped him inevitably, ii their General had
had the pluck to fght-nay, that did whip him
(at Malvern Hill) whenever their General on
his gunboat. could no longer prevent their
flghtlng-and that only fit commander for
such an army was required to insure the de-
molition of the Confedcracy in 1862 We hold
that, while Mcclellan was constantly calling
for more men, lie never gave those he had a
fair chance ut the enemy, and that they would
have taken Richmond directly after Fair Oaks,
and again aftcr Malvern Hill, If he had not pre-
vented"
These admissions are frank and signif-
cant; but the truth of the Tribune is not
always the truth of history. There was
enough of timidity and lethargy in the Con-
federate military councils to make us unwil-
ling to cast the first stone. The South, at
least, did not blame Mcclellan, nor under
rate his worth rs n thorough soldier, an ear
nest patriot and MI honest man. Tho Young
Napoleon understood, fur better than the
Tribune, the weakness of his forces. we
only express the general opinion OF the SOL
diery of the South when we say that McClel-
lan did the Confederacy far moro injury by
converting dispirited mob into thorough
ly efficient army than he could have done
by premature ''On to Richmond" Haa
Mcclellan hurled his raw battalions against
the unframed hut martial troops Of the Con-
federacy, the glorious tale OF the first Mo-
nassas would have been told again, and Mr.
Gladstone would not have erred in declaring
that 'Mr. Jefferson Davis had created ma
"tion." From Mcclellan alone the army of
the Potomac gained the steadiness, conti-
dence and discipline which saved its hannors
from trailing in the blood-slaked dust of
many hard-fought field. From him the
Northern army gained the qualities which
enabled it to the last to assimilate the new
leyies which came thick and fast, making
OF the raw recruit with unwonted rapidity q
trusty veteran soldier
And il the irresolution and Inactivity of
Mcclellan were the only reason why the Con-
federacy was not demolished in 1862" is it
not somewhat strange that his immediate
successors met with no better fortune? The
braggGrt Pope was defeated more disastrously
at Manassas than Mcclellan was at Rich
mond. And when the fears OF the admins
tration were thoroughly aroused and SfcClel-
Ian again set his squadrons in the field, the
Confederate army was checked ut Sharps-
burg. The wave of invasion broke ut the
foot of the living rampant which Mcclellan
builded up, but even the master spirit was
powerless to arrest tho backward sweep of
the tide. At Fredericksburg, when the
100000 soldiers OF the Army of Northern
Virginia had dwinded away to three-fourths
Of that number, Burnside was smashed and
shattered and driven over the river. Later
still, mt Charlottesville, Hooker, who grasp
ed the baton which had been snatched from
the hand Of Burnside, was smitten on the
flank and hurled back to his entrench-
ments. The conquering army was broken,
bruised and scattered, whether led by
Mcdowell, Pope, Burnside, Hooker-or Nc
Clellan. AT Gettysburg General Meade won
for the Fcderals their first great success in
the East. Even then the Army OF Northern
Virginia, terrible in defeat, watched the
enemy unmoved for two dark days, and sui
lenly retired. When the throw had been
made and lost; wien Yirginln calling for
her children would not be comforted; when
there was mourning in every homestead,
and pail Of gloom overhung the whole OF
our sunny South; even then General Meade
did not demoliah the Confederacy. AT Will
derness at Spottsylvania and Mt Cold Har-
Dor, the Confederate army killed and
wounded greater number OF the enemy
than there were in its own ranks. And
when the final battle was fought and tho
war-worn Captain Of lhe Host yielded up his
spotless sword, only a pltiful remnant was left
OF the army OF gallant soldiers whom Nc
Clelan learned to respect in tho marshes
OF the Chickahominy, in sight Of the spires
OF Richmond.