The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-02-07
A BIG WAR HISTORY:

ABlG WAR HISTORY:
The Story OF the Lste War to be Finished
Soon.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 21.-ThG
biggest literary work ever undertaken
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
the Union and Confederate Armies
1t is the largest history ever published
in the world. Itwas begun just TWEEN
ty years ago and will be practically fin
ished at the end of the next fiscal year.
The whole work when completed will
embrace 120 huge royal octave volumes
OF 1000 pages each, and gigantic at
las, and the ultimate cost will be some
thing like S2,500,O00. Each separate
book in set is three inches thick and
weighs from so to 60 ounces, and the
combined weight of an entire set will
be $40 pounds, while the volumes. if
set up in a TOW on single shelf of
ones library, would extend distance
of % feet. Eleven thousand copies will
be printed, so that the edition will
comprise 100000 books of 1000
printed pages, aggregating 1920, 100000
pages of matter, exclusive OF the atlas.
Up to this date SO serial volumes
have been published and about 81, ,800,-
600 has been spent in all branchea of
the work, or about $4,000 per volume.
The printing and binding alone cost
$1,000 per volume, while the previous
preparation of each volume for the
printers hands cost an equal sum of
$4,000.
The completed work will embrace
four series. The first deals in regular
chronological order;wlth all the military
operations io the field; 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 firSs and second, while the fourth
will exhibit the cores 2ondence, or
der5, reports and returns of the Con-
federate authorities in the same line as
those of the Union officials Sc: firth 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
contemp mporaneous records Of the war,
and newspaper accounts and private
reports are rigidly excluded.
The story of this story of the war
the most extraordinary history Of the
most extraordinary war on records
full Of interest. The manner CT its
publication is in many respects unique,
and some of the methods employed are
peculiar to itself. The first deinite
step to execute the gigantic work we're
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 it has all been so
carefully done as to be perfectly har-
monious ano complete.
Every available source Of frst-hand
information has been ransacked, and
contributions of official papers that do
not happen to be Oh 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
in 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 a
law of the 47th Congress, passed in
1882. Of the II: 900 copies ordered to be
printed 1000 are set aside for the Yari-
Gus executive departments; 1000 are
reserved for distribution by the Secre-
tary OF War among army officers and
contributors to the work; $500 copies
are being sent to such libraries, posts,
organizations and individuals as were
designated to receive them by Senators,
Representatives and delegates Of the
47th Congress, and the 100 copies over
are for sale at the war department,
with possible 500 more, owing to the
death of original benefciaries,) at 10
per cent above the bare cost OF print
ing, the proceeds to be covered into the
treasury. The books can be had at the
department by purchase at from 50 to
IS 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 SO serial
parts already published can be got for
$3.50 in cloth. The atlas, when COM
plete, will cost S12, or 40 cents part,
there being 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 arny rec
ords, though on much smaller scale.
Hang Him.