Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-02-14
For the Herald.
Mr.. EDlToR:-
| should like TO review

portion of the ECLECTIC HISTORY of
THE UNITED STATES. that treats OF
the war between the states. This
book you are aware, is taking the lice
OF Holmes history in ihe public schooi'
Of the county.
Let us examine, first, 484, p. 27l
of SAID book
Washington itself was the head
onarters of secession during the winter
of 1861. Many leaders OF the move
ment were in the cabinet OF Mr.. Bnch-
snan and in the senate OF the Unl'ea
STATES. The national government was
narolizcd. lis navy was scattered to
tho most distant seas, and great part
Of ,ts cannon, rifle aud military stores
were in southern forts and arsenals'
which were taken almost without ex-
ception by the authorities of the Con-
federate States' IEclec. HIST. Z. .. !
Again s 497, p. 279:-
Though she (the Souih) had begun
the war with abundant supplies VI
money and material &C. lI5rd.J
That ls one side Of the question.
Here is another. a writer in the
Eclectic Magazine for April '69' gives
an article published in the R'ch"od
Esquirer, the Saturday before the mem-
orable Apr. 2, 1865 from which l
select the following paragraph
AT the beginning of the var we had
no musket caps. no improved arms, no
s,bres aud carbines, no po"der' no
powder mills. no cap machines, no
armories sod no organized ars'
nails. aud no impr owed cannon ihe
sea rcity ofcaps at Manassas and the
still more alarming want Oh powder
were too keenly felt at the time 70 De
soon forgotten, &c.'
Now, let us peep at the sta'lS'lcs'
The census of 1860 reported the p"pn'a-
tion Of the U. S. at 3l,445,08O. Of this
number II. OOO. 900 belonged to the slave
states: while four out Of these eleven
millions we're negroes, leaving seven
millions of whites. In the very oe-
ginning of the war. Maryland, Ken
lucky. Missouri aud W. Va were lost,
leaving about FIVE millions to contend
with twenty-five millions. 1t Is true
that. for a time the negroes cultivated
the soil: but that was counterbalanced
by their Joining the Federal army to
the amount of 200 900. Again, during
the four years Oft war, over $50 600
immigrants landed at New York.
Take a map and look at the United
States. Behold the Southern Conteder'
acy. bounded on the east bv the
Atlantic. on the south by the Gull Of
Mexico divided by the Mississippi
with ils Zoe pressing II OH TIE n"' :"
and west, fairly coruerng it.
Then loak at the resources of The TWO
powers; the North with its siganuc
Industries; .he South, with iis great
agricultural interests; the North with
lts coalields. its mines OF gold and
silver. and lead and copper and iron,
with i,s hundreds Of factories OF things
Of every description, with Its great
mercantile marine. with It's thousands
of skilled mechanics and its fertile grain
fold. of the west; the South, With Is
scanty population its agricultural pur-
suits. its lack of mechanical Industries
It is no wonder the Mr.. Seward SAID
be war would BE- ended in ninety days
Mr. Ssxard was no fool. H. took
poli,ical. logical view Of the case. lie
evidently had in view the resources Of
Tie two powers.
Ifthe Confederates cap ured the u
: o,scnals in the south, they only go'
arms that were ouL Of date. 1t was
said hy n writer in THE LAND WE
LOVE. directly afer tic var, that the
Southern troops were never, TO the
last d.y of the war more than ma
armed that for more than Two year.
of The war. they had TO depend entirely
IN N tie old smooth bore musket' th'
rusty sabre and The short ranged Can
non OF past age and that their cue
mics were furnished in the greates'
nro.u on with weapons OF the lates
invention. procured, by the cargo iron
Europe, or made IN their own manu-
f,c,ories in the Northera and western
r States
i As an instance Of the extremity
which the ConfrderAcy was reduced
p atler the capture of the copper mines
Tennessee. by the Federals, the castln
of bronze guns was stopped; oecauS
o there was great danger of failure !
lie supply of guu-caps through lack
o copper. Finally, the {. 5. goVernmen
r ,eized the brandy and turpenilne stll
of North Carolina. In fact' all III
a cans used By the Confederates dur'n
the last year of the var we're mac
e from the copper stills OF the old Nor'
-e State. This is only one OF the mar
L expedients adopted by the South Iro'
the very beginning of the war. DO"
le ever. MI. Editor, one great source
ID supplies OF arms, ammnnition' pre-
o. ,i.,ons &C., at The beginning oi II
war must notbe omltted. A Confedera
IN oeneral named Slonewall had cor
Il missary named Banks, who came lro
l. The laud of wooden nutmegs to the res'
D. Of racehorses' and who used to bril-
ID abupdant supplies fresh from l
10 Nortbern markets aud factories
IS tho nae of sad Stone galPs troops.
MANASSAS. s 493. The southe