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

torical Society, confirmed by Adjutant-Gen-
eral Samuel Cooper, that the effective
strength of the Confederate armies was
never greater than 200, 900 men, and re-
marks that sat the time Of Lees surrender
s.hut 100. 900 Confederates were in the field,
Gin opposition to Union army million
s.strong." The New York Tribune copies
the article of the World, and expresses the
firm conviction that 'the Confederacy necer
s.put 100, 600 men IN line of battle at ans
ss,souent" The Tribune says further that
the Confederacy had not so, 600 men in its
encampments around Manassas when Nc
Clellan stood '.inactive and irresolute" fol
months before those encampments 'at the
s.head of $50, 900 to 200, 900 Of the best men
..tbat ever shouldered arms" The Tribune
laws upon Mcclellan the whole blame and
shame of three long years OF devastating
war, and declares that Mcclellan, had he
been "a fit commander, would have demol-
..ished the Confederacy in 1862" Upon this
point we quote the words Of the Tribune:
ssThere is now no decent pretext for con-
cealing or Disgusting the truth. We hold that
Mcclellan had ample force to have whipped
Lee in fair fight-a force that ,oo,ld have
whipped him inevitably, If their General had
had the pluck to fght-nay, that did whip him
lat Malvern HilD whenever their General on
his gunboat could nagaonger prevent their
fghting-and that only fit commander for
such an army was required to insure the de-
molition of the Confederacy in 1862. We hold
that, while Mcclellan was constantly calling
for more men, he never gave those he had q
fair chance at the ehemy, and that they would
have taken Richmond directly after Fair Oaks,
and again after Malvern Hill, if he had not pre-
vented"
These admissions are frank and signifi-
cant; but the truth of the Tribune is not
always the truth of history. There. was
enough Of of.timidity and lethargy in the Con-
federate military councils to make US unwil-
ling to cast the first stone. Ths, s,,south. at
least, did not blame Mcclellan, nor under
rate his worth as a thorough soldier, an ear
nest patriot and an honest man. The Young
Napoleon understood, far 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-
Ian did the Confederacy far more injury by
converting dispirited mob into thorough
ly efficient army than he could have done
by premature ''On to Richmond. Had
Mcclellan hurled his raw battalions against
the unframed but martial troops Of the Con-
federacy, the glorious tale Of the first Ma.
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, CONT
dence and discipline which saved it's banners
from trailing in the blood-slaked dust Of
many h&rd-fought field. From him the
Northern army gained the qualities which
enabled it to the last to assimilate the new
levies which came thick and fast, making
of the raw recruit with unwonted rapidity o
trusty veteran soldier.
4. 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
braggart 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 McClel-
Ian again set his squadrons in the. field, the
Confederate army was checked at Sharps:
burg. The wave Of invasion broke at the
foot of the living rampant which Mcclellan
builded up, but even the master spirit was
powerless to arrest the backward sweep of
the tide. At Fredericksburg, when the
100, 600 soldiers of the Army Of Northern
Virginia had dwindled away to three-foupths
of that number, Burnside was smashed and
shattered and driven over the river. Later
still, at 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 Federals 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
leply retired. When the throw had been
made and lost; when Virginia calling for
her children would not be cOmforted; when
there was mourning in every homestead,
and a pail of gloom overhung the whole of
our sunny South; even then General Meade
did not demolish the Confederacy. At Will
derness at Spottsylvania and at 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 the
war-worn Captain of the Host yielded up his
spotless sword only pitiful remnant was left
of the army OF gallant soldiers whom Nc
Clellan learned to resM& in the marshes
of tho Chick ahOminv i'm Sipht NJ tba snires