The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-30

some $4,000 each in Maryland and West
Virginia and not quite 5000 i'll Della
ware. So the total number of pensioners
i'll the SO called loyal border states is this
month fluctuatiny iii the neighborhood
OF $4,000, having come very near to that
figure on two or three occasions.
Deducting these and adding those now
in the District of Columbia, but origi-
nally from the south, we have about
Ga 900 for the late confederate states.
OF these there are 1888 in Tennessee,
which had 81 900 white men in the I'm
ion army and has received great many
Immigrant veterans from the north
Arkansas comes next with nearly 10000;
then Texas and Virginia have today just
about $500 each; North Carolina and
Louisiana, about 4,500 each; Mississippi,
sometimes little above and sometimes
little below 1000; Alabama and Geor-
gia, something over 5000 each, and so OH
down to South Carolina, which has never
quite got up to 1880. Of course NIL
Jority of those from the far south are
colored, and the law in regard to colored
widows is perhaps the most technical
and difficult of any part of the general
act. This grew out Of the social condi
ton of the colored people in slavery, re-
curing peculiar adjustment of the
laws rs to proof of marriage.
Curious Facts.
And how many men, excluding re-en-
listments, were there in tho Union army
and how many men were in battle, and
what are tho chances for the future of
those not now pensioned? All these
things can be and are calculated with
much greater exactness than is generally
supposed. Taking counties here and
there over tho United States, the percent
ago of re-enlistments can be calculated
to minute fraction. Thus it is known
how many of the three month men re-
enlisted; how many Of the one year men;
how many of the three year men who
We're disabled early in the war recovered
and re-enlisted; how many Of the 80 day
men of the emergency calls and of the
six month men and 100 day men had
served before or afterward enlisted
Taking the percentage thus obtained
it is shown that, excluding e-enlistments,
the number of actual men in the Union
army was not far from $50, 900. OF
these it is estimated that nearly or quite
one-third never saw battle. 1t is also
estimated that between and per cent
of the entire number never stood a picket
guard or fired gun even at Il target,
and surprisingly large number, but of
course less than | per cent, never did any
kind of military duty at all OF course
it was not the fault of these, either of
the third or the lesser per cent that their
case was as it was.
1t appears from the record that regi-
ments began to lose men by actual disa-
bility Immediately after they were sworn
i'll, and of these losses the percentage of
kinds of accidents can be estimated.
Thus few men were accidentally shot
and disabled when the raw companies
first drew their arms. A few were shot
by nervous sentinels on guard for the
first time; few more were thrown or
kicked by army mules, run over by ar
tillery wagons, run down by escaped
horses, knocked off bridges or disabled
in any one of so ways too numerous
to mention. Some men lost toes or fin
gers by the queerest possible of acct
dents. a few had an eye put out. and
others had their teeth knocked out by
the awkwardness of men who were han
ullIH Cannon or Olner arms,
Havoc of the Measles.
But rs near as can be determined by
examination of II few hundred cases at
random. it seems that the measles played
more havoc at the start than anything
else. Along with the measles were 9th.
er seasoning" sickncsses, and then came
the regular camp sickness, winter fever,
mumps, whoopinS cough and variety
of contagious ailments. Numerous cases
are shown of recruits who were fine speci-
mems of perfect physical manhood just
from the farm and accustomed tothe Sc
verest labor who We're taken sick in a
few days after reaching camp and never
entirely recovered. Add to these the 100
day men, six month men and others who
guarded railroads. and it is easy to be-
lieve that onc-third of all the enlisted
men never fired Il shot in battle
1t further appears that the average
age ut which veteran soldiers have died
is fraction less than 81 years, and as I'm
overwhelming majority of the survivors
have either passed that age or are very
near it the ratio of deaths must increase
rapidly. 1t is darkly limited about Wash
inSton that the department has great
surprise III store for the country, and il
is occasionally alleged by the opposition
that they will spring such surprise about
the time the campaign Of this year gets
heated.
1t is said that this surprise is to consist
of II general series of prosecutions which
will rival those of the whisky frauds of
1876 and create sensation equal to that
created by the Credit NIobilicr 1t is
probable, however, that this is only talk.
But since the beginning of this wear 70