The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-02-08
A BIG WAR HISTORY:

A1Ia WAR HISTORY:
The Story OF the Lsto War to DO Flnisne d
| WASHINGTON, d. g., Jan. 21.s-The
biggest literary work ever underta ken
In America Is the military history now
being produced by Uncle Sam, under
the title Of "War Of the Rebellion, a
Compilation Of the Official Records of
tho Union and Confederate Armies"
1t Is the largest history ever published
In the world. Itwas begun Just twen-
ished at the end of the next fiscal year.
The whole work when completed will
embrace 12O huge royal octave volumes
OF l,OOO pages each, and gigantic at
| las, and the ultimate cost will be some
thing like SS2,500,OOO. Each separate
book In set is three inches thick and
weighs from SO to 90 ounces, and the
combined weight Of an entire set will
be $40 pounds, while the volumes, If
sot up In a row on single shelf of
ones library, would extend distance
Of 30 feet. Eleven thousand copies will
be printed, so that the edition will
comprise 100000 books of 1000
printed pages. aggregating 1,320,0O0,OO0
pages OF matter, exclusive OF the atlas.
Up to this date 80 serial volumes
hay been published and about $780,
OOO has been spent in all branches of
the work, or about $4,000 per volume.
The printing and binding alone cost
$4,000 per volume, while the previous
preparation Of each volume for the
printers hands cost an equal sum of
$1O,O0O..
The completed work will embrace
four series. The first deals in regular
chronological OrderIw1th all the military
operations in the 1eld the second with
| official correspondence and reports on
both sides relating to prisoners Of war;
the third will cover matters not spec
tally related to the subjects treated in
| the first and second, while the fourth
| will exhibit the correspondence, Or
ders, reports and returns of the Con.
federate authorities In the same line as
those Of the Union officials set forth in
| the third series.
The method of treatment pursued
| throughout Is altogether impartial and
non-partisan. Nothing is printed in
the volumes except duly authenticated
contemporaneous records Of the war,
| and newspaper accounts and private
reports are rigidly excluded.
The story of this story of tho war
the most extra ordinary history Of the
most extraordinary war on records
full Of interest. The manner of its
publication is In many respects unique,
and some of the methods employed are
peculiar to itself. The first definite
step to execute the gigantic work were
taken In 1874, when Congress passed q
law providing the necessary means to
enable the Secretary of War to begin
publication; but some essential pre-
liminaries were gone through with ten
years before that date. Since then the
work has passed through many inter-
esting stages; but 1t has all been so
carefully done as to be perfectly har-
monious and complete.
Every available source Of frst-hand
information has been ransacked, and
contributions of official papers that do
not happen to be on file in the DEPART
ment are being recovered In all parts of
the country. Many of these papers are
autograph messages and reports writ
ten by the officers In command of the
various armies and divisions engaged
ID the struggle, and altogether they
form priceless collection.
The distribution Of the printed vol
umes as they come out Is conducted on
an unusual plan in accordance with q
law OF the 47th Congress, passed in
1882. Or the ii 900 copies ordered to be
printed l,OUO are set aside for the vari-
Gus executive departments; 1000 are
reserved for distribution by the Secre-
tary of War among army officers and
contributors to tho work; $500 copies
are being sent to such libraries, posts,
organizations and individuals as were
designated to receive them by Senators,
Representative and delegates OF the
47th Congress, and the 700 COPIES over
are for sale at the war department.,
with possible 500 more, owing to the
death Of original beneticiaries) at 10
per cent above the bare cost Of print
ing, the proceeds to be covered into the
treasury. The books can he had at the
department by purchase at from SO to
80 cents per volume, If bound IN black
cloth, and 81 extra per volume if
bound in half Turkey. None can be
had free on application. The 80 serial
parts already published can be got for
$S6l0 in cloth. The atlas, when com
plete, will cost $12, or 10 cents part,
there beng 30 parts.
Supplemental to this vast mass Of
war records, now nearing completion,
will be "Naval Records of the Rebel.
lion," which is about to be begun on a
plan similar to that Of the army rec.
ords, though on much smaller scale.
|
Con .GordOns Lecture.