The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-03-29
The Opposing Armies.
Auo,,sta Chronicle.


A valued correspondent of Selma, Ala,
forwards the following query:
"a few days ago I read in the Chron-
icle the speech of Mr.. Ingalls, of the
Grasshopper State, and in it be states
that Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant
over $4,000 men at Appomattox. Now
I say that Gen. Lee did not surrender one
fourth of that number, by throwing in the
artillery horses and the few mules We
had in the bargain. Now, MIR. Editor,
will you please decide this, who is right,
and give me the exact figure as near rs
you possibly can"
It is very difficult to reach the exact
figure, as the Confederate army vas very
much crippled and scattered at that time.
Mr.. Stephens in his "War Between the
States" gives the force that surrendered
at Appomattox at less than ten thousand
men. President Davis in his book vol. ii,
o. 658, says when Gen. Lee left Peters.
burg, April I'd, 1S65-exactly one week
before the surrender-his command mum.
bered but 5000 men. Soldiers and horses
were all reduced below the standard of
efficiency by exposure and insufficient
supplies. Every dsy the army was west
ing away or being scattered so'that We are
prepared to accept the statement of Gen.
Lees biographer, Thomas Jordan, that
his command at Appomattox numbered
q, 900 men, about 5000 of whom were
armed: On the 5th ofApril Gen. Sheri.
dan reported that Gen. Lees army-hor-
seq, foot and dragoons-as 10000, much
demoralized, snd Gen. Grant expressed
the hope that in few days this could be
reduced one half. Gen. Horace Porter,
in the Century sketches, gives the number
at $4,000.
Senator IDgall's estimate of $4,000 is,
of course, false and absurd. The whole
Confederate army at the close of the war
did not number much over that amount.
General Johnson's army in North Car
lima numbered $4,000; in the Georgia,
Florida and Alabama department, about
10000 and in the Trans. Mississippi about
10000. This comprised the available
forces of the Confederacy in April, 1865.
General Grants forces in Virginia alone
would have numbered 100000.
The extended scale upon which The
great national drama was enacted will
surprise the compiler Of future histories.
The war department of the Federal gov.
ernment spent two and half billion dol.
lars, about half as much in four years as
Great Britain spent in twenty three years
in b. wars against the French and Ma.
poleon. In the FSanco-Pussian war the
outlay on both sides was not a billion
aollars-not more than one-third the
American outlay. The total number Of
men called into the Union armies between
1861 and 1865 amounted to 2,759, ,049 men.
The total number called into the Confed-
crate armies was about l 100000, or near:
ly 4, ,0O0,000 men drawn from population
of thirty million. Germany, with pop
ulation of Al 100000, can in time of war
furnish an army of 1,250,000 men.
France, with population of $4,000. 900,
claims to be able to set 100000 a6eld.
The area over which the civil war was
fought was as large as Germany, France,
Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Holland
combined. It is estimated that in the
civil war of America half million men
laid down their lives.