Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-04-24

mentS thus dlspOses OF LOngstreet's
statement, - showing that Lee COM
manded S2,3O4 men at that battle:
To the Editor Of the Cincinnati CONNER
cial: The monthly return of the Army
of Northern Virginia, dated May 81,
1868, on file in the archive Office of the
War Department, at Washington, shows
present for duty" officers and men:
| General and staff. II
Longstreet's command. ....................ss II
a. =. nlIis command ....................3O ~, 2!6
Stuart's cavalry. .... 49,. ....... IL, $50
Artillery-206 pieces. Observation-Disclosures. d. ~.
| Total. 47s
Alexander's battalion of artillery,
twenty-six pieces, and Garnett's, eight
cen, are not included in this return.
Estimating them at the same number
Of men per gun rs those reported, gives
1908 to be added to the total, making it
75,4S1.
Early in June, 1868, the infantry of
the army was recognized into three
corps. The First, under Longstreet,
comprised the divisions of McLaws,
Hood, and Pickett, and numbered by
the fore going return 21,718 officers and
men for duty.
The Second, under Ewell, contained
the divisions of Early, johnson, and
Rodes, and numbered by the same re-
turn 2O,99O officers and men. A. p.
Hills old division was increased by g.
600 men in the brigades of Pettisrew
and ]. r. Davis, and divided into two
divisions, commanded by Heth and
Fender. These, with Anderson's divis-
ion, aggregated 22,700 officers and men
for duty, and formed the Third Corps,
under A. p. Hill. The total effective
infantry strength of Lees army when
the forward movement to Pennsylvania
began was, therefore, a little over 65, 600;
Corse's brigade of Pickett's division and
one of Pettigrew's regiments. $500 men
in all were left at Hanover Juncn. In the
action at Winchester, June Is, EwelPs
corps lost 269 men. Three regiments,
about ], 100 strong, of Early's division,
were left at Winchester to guard prison
ers and garrison the town. At Win
chester the Second Maryland Battalion
Of infantry, 500 men, was added to John
sons division, leaving the effective in
fantiy strength of the army when it
crossed the Potomac 81 1881. The loss
by sickness and desertion was fully
made up by accessions from recruits,
conscripts, convalescsnts, and return of
furloughed men.
The cavalry loss in action in the
month of June at Beverly Ford, Aldie,
and Upperville was 995 men. 1t was
reinforced at Winchester by the First
Maryland Battalion of eight companies
and by Jenkins Brigade, the strength
of which is officially stated by Gen.
Stuart as $500. Imboden's command,
2, 100 effective cavalry and mounted in
fantry, joined the army at Williamsport
The commands OF Mosby and Gilmore.
and battalion under Col. White, were
also added to Stuar;'s corps, making the
effective strength of the cavalry full
$4,000, with an ample allowance for
losses from all causes previous to the
battle of Gettysburg. Two batteries of
six guns each were added to the artil-
lery. One, the Baltimore Light Artil-
lery, at Winchester, came with I'm
boden.
The effective strength Of Lees army
available for the battle of Gettysburg
was: Infantry, 61,331; cavalry, Is, 900;
artillery, 1913; total, 82,3O4.
All of these figures are based upon
reliable confederate authority, EXCEPT
the strength of Davis brigade, which is
estimated at 8, 200. Two of its regime nts,
the Forty-second Mississippi and Fifty
fifth North Carolina, were new to the
army, and probably had full ranks.
The other two, the Second and Eleventh
Mississippi, had not been engaged in any
OF the battles of the army since Antie-
tam. The Second Mississippi, which
had suffered most severely in the battles
in which it had taken part, had 45O men
in the line at Gettysburg.
Iron ia the currpncv If tho iron roU;o,,