The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-11-11
The Battles of the wilderness.

Lee, at the beginning of the Wilderness
campaign, had only $4,000 men under
his command, while General Grant had
three times that number, General Ba-
deau has written letter to the London
Standard, the paper that made the state.
ment. He says that all the original
documents, still in existence which
once belonged to the Southern War or
flee, are in the possession of the United
States Government, having by the ex-
press direction of Jefferson Davis been
surrendered by General Joseph f.
johnson to Lieutenant General Sher-
man. From protracted and careful
examination of these captured docu-
ments, and of the private and official
papers of General Grant, the following
statements have been collated of the
forces engaged in the Wilderness cam
paigns.
The field return of General Lee of
April Goth, 1861, gives SO, ,991 men pres.
ent for duty, but does not include the
strength of Longstreet's Corps. Long
street joined Lee after April Goth, and
prior to the battle of May 9TH, in the
Wilderness. General Longstreet's field
return of the date nearest to May 9th,
shows 1887 men present for duty, so
that 70, ,27S men were under Lees or
ders at the battle of the Wilderness.
At the same time, the whole force, as
shown bv the field returns, present for
duty under Grant was 9S,0l9, or pre-
ponderance in favor of Grant of %, 741
soldiers. General Badcau says that the
calculation that Grant had three times
as many men as Lee has been worked
out by emitting Longstreet's Corps al
together from the estimate, and by Civ
ing only Lees forces present for duty
on the Rapidan; while in reckoning
Grants numbers, not only those pres
ent for duty are counted, but also the
sick and the extra-duty men, which 90
to make up the grand total.
The London Standard also asserts
that Lee marcned out of Richmond at
its fall, on April ID, 1860, with 26 900
men. In reply to this assertion Gen
,
return, made in February, 1865, and
signed with his own haud, gives 50 ,O94
men as present for duty, and 1880 AS
the total. This return did not include
the local MALTA of Richmond and the
crews of the gunboats on the James
river, who, it is believed, numbered
several thousands, and who were al
ways placed in the trenches to resist
| assaults. In the battle of Five Forks,
and the subsequent assaults which led
to the capture Of Richmond, it is esti.
mated that Lee may have lost 10000
soldiers, so that he moved out of
Richmond with at least 1000 men.
The London Standard also asserts
that 5000 men were surrendered by
General Lee at Appomatox Court
House. In reply to this, it is stated
that the official records show that o.
4l6 soldiers were actually paroled at
that place, besides the tens of thous-
ands of members of Lees army who
came in afterwards and surrendered as
prisoners of war. General Badeau,
who was present at the surrender, says
that after the capitulation was signed,
General Lee Immediately requested
General Grant TO supply the prisoners
with food, as they had been living sew
eral day on two ears of Indian corn
day. In reply to an inquiry as to the
number of troops under his command,
Tin,, 7 I
had received no returns for several
days, and his troops had been killed,
wounded and captured in such num-
bers, that he could form no estimate.
1t was, however, agreed that $4,000 ra-
tions should be issued daily, but it was
soon ascertained that this number was
far from sufficient.-Ledger.