The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-01-05

wagon through. In the first place:
The total nusber of pensioners on the
roll Oct 1, 1892, was 910,028
This number was made up as follows:
Invalids. War of the Rebellion. TIP 4o6
| Widows, etc, War Of the Rebellion....... les l31
Revolutionary widows. %
war oil lSI2..'.- .............. 6.S3l
Mexican war. 263S
9l0,02s
In the "invalids, War of the Rebellion, y
the Regular Army and Navy who have been
| wounded or disabled in all the wars or
service for the last half-century. It must
! be kept in mind that we have constantly
had about $4,000 men in the Regular Army,
and they have seen some very hard service,
and done great deal of bloody fighting.
A single glance at the above table will
show that the San implies lie, if it does
not directly state it, when it says the pen
sioneTs exceed the total number for duty
Jan. 1, 1862, by more than 100000 There
are 49,, 622 pensioners who make no claim
to have been in the army during the war OF
the rebellion, 16S,131 of these being the
widows, children and dependent parents OF
soldiers
When we apply the Suns rule to the
Mexican pensioners, we find they number
twice as many as Scott had at any time in
his army during his advance on Mexico, and
more than the combined armies numbered
at any time on Mexican soil!
The next falsehood by implication is the
assumption that the numbers given at diff
ierent dates represent nearly all the men
who were actually engaged in putting down
the rebellion. Take for example the first
fght-Jan. ], 1862. The number 527, 204
represents all who were present with their
colors after the hard fighting and campaign
ing of the previous eight months. The
hospitals and homes of the country were
filed with young soldiers who had been
wounded OF broken down by the fighting
and campaigning at Bull Run, Balls Bluff,
Drainesville, Rich Mountain, Belmont, Will
sons Creek, Lexingt0n-in Virginia, West
Virginia, Missouri. and on the plains Thou
sands of those marked absent were prison
ers-of-war.
Over 100000 more men were called into
service during the Summer of 1862, but the
terrible losses on the Peninsula, at Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Shiloh, Perryville, Stone
River, Vicksburg, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove
and in Louisiana reduced this number until
the LIST of January, 1868, saw the number
present reduced to $500. During 1863
1868, 3S9 three-years men were added to the
army, but Charlottesville, Fort Wagner,
Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Chickamauga, East
Tennessee, Gettysburg and Mine Run played
sad havoc with the army, and at the close
of the year it mustered bat Gil $50 present
for duty. OF the absentees 10000 were
prisoners in the hands Of the enemy, and
new hospitals were opened everywhere in
the North to accommodate the remainder
So arduous was the service that an average
of so men in every 1000 were in the hos
pitsls, and the wonder now is among those
who went through the experience that the
proportion was not several times as large.
In March, 1864, 900 more three years
men, and in July 100000 three-years men,
under which calls over 100000 men re-
sponded. But even this vast number did
not last long in that terrific fighting, which
knocked out nearly 100000 men between
the Rapidan and the James, and when 10000
men fell in 10 minutes at Cold Harbor.
Another call for 100000 men WAS made in
December, and the $4,000 men who re-
sponded to this took the places of the men
who had been killed, wounded, or disabled,
or whose terms had expired, until the Gov
eminent had 657,747 men ready in March
for the final campaigns.
1t viii be noticed that while 20635 OF
the pensioners on the roll were placed there
on account of service in the Navy, the Sun
gives no credit whatever TO the $4,000 gal
LIANT sailors and marines who from first to
last gave the rebellion staggering blows at
Port Royal Roanoke Island, Fort Henry,
Memphis, New Orleans, Yicksburg, Mobile,
Fort Fisher, and many other places.
The Sun and its confreres pirate constantly
about the number of absentees from the
front They enlarge on the fact that ont OF
total strength of s5s,4l7, March 81, 1866,
only 657,7i7 were present for duty, leay-
| ing SO 800 absent Thsy would iuply