Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-10-15
Total.
.53,773 1874 ,02G

Ii the deaths from disease be added, the
sum total will represent the entire loss.
The returns of the field and general hos
pitfalls are known for 1861 and 1862.
Confederates killed in battle, 1912 10 1897
Deaths caused by wounds in field hospitals j, ,62a
Deaths caused by wounds in general do .. 2 61s
Deaths caused by disease in field hosp's IA 597
Deaths caused by disease in general DO. 1874!
Total deaths in the q. S. A., 1912 .... So, ,47t
Total wounded in G. =. A, 1861 72,71G
| prisoners ........ or
| discharged ' d" ...... 16 94(
Total wounded, prisoners and discharged
| III 1cOl- q ..-...,........ 11U, ,7EG
| If it be fair to assume that the total
mortality of '63 was fully equal to that
of 1862, then the total deaths in the Con
federate army, 1861 5, was at least 16O, coo,
exclusive of the deaths in Northern
prisons, which would swell the number to
to near 1S5, 600; and if the deaths amongst
the discharged for wounds and diseases,
and amongst the sick and wounded on fur
lough, be added, the grand total of deaths
in the Confederate army during the en-.
tire war did not fall far short of 100000.
According to this calculation the deaths
from disease were about three times as
numerous as those resulting from the cas-
ualties of battle.
4u0 hVdlHtUl0 OOQIOuorat0 1OfCo CaD0-
bic of active service in the field did not,
during the entire war, exceed six hundred
| thousand men. OF this number not more
than four hundred thousand were enrolled
at any one time; and the Confederate
States never had in the field moro than
two hundred thousand men capable of
bearing arms, at any one time, exclusive
| of eick, wounded and disabled
If the preceding calculation be correct,
we have the following figures, illustrating
the losses of the Confederate armies dur
ing the war:
Confederate forces actively engaged,
| 1861-5 1-5....................... 100000
Total deaths IN q. 3. .A............... A. 200, 900
Losses of G. 3. A., ia prisoners, 'GI-5
| which may be considered as total
losses, on account of the policy of non.
! exchange by the United States ..... 200, 600
Losses of G. 3. A. by discharges, dis
ability and desertion. ................ 400. .00O
If this calculation, which is given only
as an approximation, be correct, one
third of all the men actively engaged on
the Confederate side were either killed
outright upon the field or died of disease
and wounds; another third of the entire
number were captured and held for an in
finite period in Northern prisons; and of
the remaining 100000, at least one half
were lost to the service by discharges and
desertion.
At the close of the war the available
force of the Confederate States numbered
scarcely 100. 600 effective men.
| The resolution, unsurpassed bravery and
skill with which the Confederate leaders
conducted this contest is shown by the
fact that out of 600, 900 men in the field
about 10000 were lost to the service.
At the close of the war 1OO,O 200 Confed-
crates were opposed to one million FEEDER
al troops.
| Yonr approval or disapproval of this
calculation is most respectfully solicited.
The distinguished ability with which
you discharged the responsible and ardu-
GUS dnties of Adj't General of the Confed-
crate army, qualities you above every other
officer of the late Confederate States to
decide how far such calculations may ap-
proach to accuracy.
With great respect and the highest es-
TEEN, I have the honor to be, your obe-
dent servant
JOSEPH JONES, M. D.,
Secretary and Treasurer Southern Histo-
rical Society, Professor Chemistry Med
ical Department, University of Louisi-
ana.
NEAR ALEXANDRIA, Va, /
August 20, 1869.
DR.. Joseph Jones, Secretary and Treasur-
er of the Southern Historical Society,
New Orleans, La:
DEAR SIR:-l have the honor to receive
your kind and interesting letter of the I'd
instant, and beg you will accept my best
thanks for the same.
I have closely examined your several
statements in respect to the Confederate
military forces during the late war, as well
as the casualties incident thereto, and I
have come to the conclusion from my gen
eral recollection which those statements
have served to enlighten. that they must
be regarded as nearly critically correct
Most of the returns from which you most
probably have derived your information
must have passed through the files of my
Office in the COnfederacy. and if reference
could be made to all the records of that
Office, they would, have no doubt, ena-
bic you to give nelrly complete history
of the strength AMI operations of our arm
les III detail. The files Of that Office which
could best afford this Information, were
Cal efully boxed up aud takuu on our re-
treat from Richmond to CharlottC, n. c.,
where they were finally unfortunately cap.
tured, and as learn, are now in Washing
ton, where they are properly arranged ln
separate building, with other records ap-
pertaining to the Confederacy. Ipresume
that by proper management, reference
might be had to them. Indeed, [ had al
one time contemplated 10 make an effort
to renew my acquaintance with the records
by O personal application to the authori.
ties in Washington, but finally abandon.
ed the idea.
1t would afford me much pleasure to
furnish yOu with the information in the
tabular form you have suggested, but il
would be quite impossible Tor me to dt
this without reference to those records.
can only state from general recollection
that during the two last years of the wal
the monthly returns of our armies received
at my Office exhibited the present activ,
force in the field nearly one-half less thar
the returns themselves actually called for
on account of absentees by sickness, extr
lduty, furloughs, desertions, and othe