The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-29

throughout our reunited country The citizen
who at this day cannot discuss the facts without
prejudice is a partisan and not patriot-ol
else a patriot enslaved by his passions
81 introduce these statistics by remarkirg thai
it is difficult to obtain any adequate conception
of the cost of that war to the country. Per
haps this gigantic expenditure will be more
readily appreciated when / state that if expend
ed in steel tracks it would have constructed
enough miles of railway to have reached more
than eight times around the whole earth.
But let US come to the details The original
colonies which rebelled against the mother coun-
try and established their independence were
thirteen in number. The Southern States which
sought their independence were also thirteen in
number. These thirteen. including the border
States, which were divided in sentiment, en-
braced territory of about 1892 COS square miles,
leaving the government of the United States in
undisturbed and unthrearened possession of a
territory of about 2, 1893 846 square miles.
"These thirteen Southern States possessed an
aggregate wealth of about S. 000, 0GO, 600 They
We're confronted by an aggregate wealth of about
SIC, 900 600. 900. OF the South's wealth, the
greater portion was represented by slaves. The
Southern States had. as a means of transport
ing, concentrating and distributing troops and
supplies, about 5000 miles Of railroads, while
the railroads in the section opposing them meas
ured 20, GAG miles. The value of this agency In
prosecuting war will be appreciated when it is
known that recent able writer estimates that.
with the aid of railroads, Napoleon would have
conquered Europe. The Southern States had
invested in manufacturing establishments from
which to supply the Southern armies about
$l36, 265, 984. while the North had in like estab-
lishments about $873, $780, 73l The South. includ-
ing the border States. contained population OF
11,441. O29. They were confronted by States con-
tanning population of l9,549 ia To add to
this disparity. the Southern States furnished to
the Union armies more than 800 600 men.
LET it be further remembered that the move
ment was made by the leading Southern States
without an organized central government, with
out an army or navy, practically without arms
arsenals, ammunition or artisans This embry-
onic power of poorly armed States was antagon-
lied in the incpiency of the movement by a
government thoronghly organized and equipped;
with at least the nucleus of an army and navy;
with magazines. munitions and manufactures
for supplying all the implements OF war.
when the future historian shall consider this
remarkable inequality in territory, in wealth. IN
means of TRANSPORTATION, in population-in all
the circumstances surrounding the sections
and when he shall add to these the still more
striking disparity in the numbers of men en-
listed by each, he will be lost in amazement that
the struggle could have been prolonged TO four
years of Southern resistance.
THE official reports from the Adjutant gen.
erals Office show that the number of men en-
listed in the Union armies during the war
was 1850 1872. The number enlisted in the
Southern armies during the war. as estimated by
the War Department, was about $780, 900 men.
Placing these man against man-600, 000 against
the 500, 000,-there was hurled against the South
more than 100000 of men in excess Of the
number she had enlisted.
'These official figures, absolutely startling in
their disproportion, will forever attest an unri-
vailed courage and conservation by Southern
troops Let him who can point to the parallel.
ITO the philosophic statesman of the future a
most interesting field for thought will be found
N RI OQf IN nf nhon nal
power exhibited by the South. Both armies
were composed principally of free-born American
citizens. The ranks of both were largely filled
by volunteers and not by mercenary hirelings.
Both gave allegiance to governments organized
under similar constitutions guaranteeing poiti
cal and religious liberty, trial by jury, taxation
only with representation, and all the fundamen-
tai rights of equality and republican freedom.
Both gathered inspiration from tie example Of
the fathers. Both were impelled by the authori-
tative sanction of genuine patriotism; and
every soldier who fell on either side turned his
pale face to heaven. martynto the right as he
understood it.
1T is necessary therefore, to find in some other
and peculiar elements of power the explanation
for this unexamped resistance made by the
South to one of the most supurb armies ever
mustered for battle OF the same race, born of
a common ancestry reared under the same free
institutions, it would have seemed safe to predict
that with the disadvantages under which the
render to force not greatly superior to her own.
1t is true that the rural life Of the Southern peo
pie was promotive of individual independence,
and this independence was productive of Judi
vidual heroism; which was one OF the marked
characteristics of the Southern soldier But, on
the other hand, the Northern soldier was more
vigorous in constitution, more robust in physical
energy, and was reared under a civilization and
domestic institutions which developed, in high
degree, the virtue of selfreliance. Where, then,
are we to find the explanation of the astounding
fact that it required to defeat the South in four
years an enlisted force more than twice as great
as the entire Prussian armies which in seven
months overwhelmed and Inundated France?
What is the explanation, L again inquire of the
record made by the Southern armies2
SIT cannot be attributed to any want of high
courage in the soldiers Of the North Independ-
emit of the exhibitions of individual heroism, by
which all were impressed who met them on the
field the ratio of federal losses in battle as COM
pared to the losses of European armies, the rush
ing and oftrepeated onsets of Northern phalanx-
es, with fixed bayonets, against the walls of fire
from Southern guns, and over the dead bodies of
their comrades piled in CHASTITY hecatombs be-
fore Southern forts and breastworks, bear wit
ness to federal courage aud devotion which
nothing can ever impeach.
'In seeking the source of this marvellous ex-
hbition OF resisting power shown by the South,
it is proper to take into the account the fact that
she occupied the interior lines of defense But,
to my mind the one sufficient explanation-the
causa causans-is to be found in the great, dis
tinctive, primal thought that moved, dominated
and inspired the Southern people, If the North
ern soldier was impelle1 by the thought that a
disruption of the Union endangered the per-
manence of our free institutions and that to
save the Union was to save republican freedom
on this continent, the South was moved on the
other hand, by obedience to natures first
law"-the law Of self-defense. If she sought
tn a cfa Cto<o cf
the North, it was in the belief that she would
find safety under government of homogeneous
institutions. Her declaration of desire for
peace and for continuance of friendly relations
was emphatic and sincere If in the progress of
succeeding war she crossed her borders and bore
her banners northward it was with the hope of
forcing the withdrawal of federal forces from
her territory and of compelling recognition of
her Independence The one controlling, all per-
vading thought that throbbed through every
fiber of the Southern brain was that the rights
of the States, the security of property, of home
and OF liberty were involved in the issue The