Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-22

rection of asinglecommander," on the
9th of May; then subtract the number
turned over to me on the 18th of July,
and we shall finally have the actual
loss. Since the cavalry Increased SO
greatly in numbers after the LIST of
May, is it not reasonable to suppose |
that our infantry and artillery increas-
ed also after that date, and before we |
left Dalton ? It was telegraphed over
the country that Gen. Sherman was
about to advance; this information |
must have caused quite a number of |
absentees to return, as Gen. Hardee |
and myself, a shcft time before leaving |
Da'ton, found by comparison that we |
had about AZ, 600 effective infantry and |
artillery in our two corps. If n tri- !
monthly return had been made up on
the 10th of May, the numbers have
stated would have appeared upon it.
Having the strength of Gen. Wheel
er's aud Gen. Martins cavalry, of Har
dee's and Hoods corps, we must now
| ascertain what reinforcements joined
Gen. Johnston in order to arrive at the
effective total of all arms at and en-
route to Dalton, on the 9th of May.
OF these troops, Gen. Wigfall speaks
thus, page 500 1.-The last of these re-
Inducements joined Gen. Johnston at
New Hope Church, the Goth of May,
nearly three weeks after they were al
| legged to be at and near Dalton and
amounted to less than $4,000 men,
Col. Douglass West, Of this city, gen.
tleman of high character, and who was
the assistant adiutant general of Gen.
Polk, IN answer to a letter from me in
regard to the strength of Folks corps
when 1T joined Gen. Johnston, says: II
furnished Gen. J. E. Johnston with
the exact strength of each arm of Lieut..
Gen. Folks command, very soon after
his REIMBURSEMENT of the army of
Tennesse. but 1 retained no copy" 81
feel safe in stating in general terms
that the average strength was about
II, 600 to Is, 200 infantry, 1000 artil-
lery, and 5000 cavalry. We bore ON
the rolls an aggregate of. about "a 900
present"
This seventeen thousand, az, OOO) in
addition to the twenty-five hundred
$4,000 which joined the army at New
Hope Church on the Goth of May,
would give about the same estimate as
that formed by Gen. Wigfall, i. e.,
nineteen thousand Qa,OOO,) Gen.
Johnston says, page 352 ''The troops
received by the Army of Tennessee
during the campaign, were those sent
and brought to it by Lieut.. Gen. Polk,
and formed the corps of the army
, which he commanded. Of these Can
tvs division of about three thousand
, 10000 electives, reached Resaca on
, the 9th of May Loring's of five thou
sand 10000 on the 18th; French's of
four thousand $4,000 joined us at Cass-
vile on the 18th and Quarles's brig
, ade of twenty-five hundred (22OO) at
New Hope Church on the Goth. Ac-
! cording to this statement we have four
: teen thousand two hundred IA, POO eff
fectises from Gen. Polk and 1 find,
page 319, Gen. Johnston admits hay
ing received more from the same
source, as he says i'll referring to the
: operations near Adairsville, on the 18th
: of May During the day the
division of cavalry commanded
: by General W. H. Jackson join
e ed the army at Adairsville 1t had
f been ordered to it from Mississippi by
= Lieutenant General Polk" This 'dvi-
: sic 2 as before stated, was est mated
t by Major Falconer at @ 900 three
8 thousand nine hundred, which, added
| to the fourteen thousand nine hundred
: "a, POO, would give. according to
g general Johnston's aud Major Fai-
e coner's statements, GS, 100 eighteen
thousand one hundred reinforcemt nts.
: BY the following extract from Gen
f Gustayus ". Smiths official report, we
find an additional force of about three
a thousand $1,000 State troops:
: HEADQUARTERS GEORGIA MILITIA,
v Macon, Ga, Sept. Is, 1865. !
t ffe,e ! q. HOOD, Co,5fn'ano1i'.g A'nay
> Gf If1'b'e&&ee, nea,, L1Fcjoy Sta
/ GENERALITY appointment was
: dated tie lst Of June. took com
q mand few days thereafter, relieving
e General Wayne, who returned to the
f duties of his office as Adjutant and In
l spector General of the State The
' force then in the field was composed
1 entirely of State officers, civil and mil
e itary. They had been formed into
4 two brigades of three regiments each,
: and one battalion of artery: making
= in al little over 5000. 1.-The com
D ipand had reported for duty to Gen J..
4 E. Johnston and had been ordered to
4 guard the crossings Of the Chattahoo-
| chez River from Boswell bridge to
t West Point"
/ Thus we have "at and near Dalton, -
! in the tWo corps of Harlee and Hood,
: about -, 500; in Wheeler's and Mar
| tins cavalry 6,239, whilst Polk corps
| with about Is, 500 is moving rapidly to
join us, and 5000 Georg State troops
. are ready, if called upon, to move TO
: Gen. Jolnatan'G support, ell of which
) forces give us grand army of over
10000 electives lat and near Dalton, ~
within the easy direction of single
commander. This summary accords
with the following from Gen. Shoupe,
| i oT
Tenn, in answer to u recent letter in
which / requested information in re-
gard to the strength of the artillery
before we left Dalton:
Il should think Major KinIocke
Falconer, of Holly Springs, could
give you Il return OF alt the forces. I
remem Der Speaking with him about
the subject shortly after the close of
the wars, when he said that the en-
tire force after Folks corps joined was
about about T0,Q0l, at least, such is
nv recollectica."
Maj. talconer | presume referred to
the strength of the Army of Tennes-
see proper, exclusive of the State
troops, commanded by Gen. Wayne,
and lastly by Gen. Gustavus w. Smith.
1t should be remembered that an Adj
infant General is as familiar with the
strength CT his array during any cam
paign, or soon the1 eater, as a cashier
of bank with it's capital This officer,
in his return. page 574, admits an
army of 65, 900 after Polk joined.
Thus my third and last summary of
the available strength of tue army cor
responds with the first and second; and
[ will here state that have been CON-
PEELED to make these various estimates
in order to demonstrate the actual
strength of Gea. .Eolsnston's army,
| since he furnished The War Office with
no returns after the 1st Of May until
June 10th, and SINCE he, as stated by
his own Adjutant General, took with
him [all 1.-The books, records.
etc, of that array when he relinauished |
the command. Major Falconer is sus- |
tanned in his statement in regard to |