The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-04-26
every man who served in the army that
it hardly needs comment.

figures first given by the New York Sun
as to the strength of the Union army at
different times during the war, and says 4:
1t is not necessary to 60 at length in this
article into the unpleasant details which
show how largely tainted is the pension-roll
with fraud, or how serious a burden Is thus
loaded upon the industry and enterprise OF our
citizens, not to speak of the Generalization
produced by such part Of the expenditure as
goes to support unmeriting dependence. The
records of the Pension Office show that there
are now more persons drawing pensions from
the United States On account of the civil war
than was mustered out of service as late as
Nov. %, 1865, nearly % years ago, and there
are in add .tion more than 10000 applica-
tons for pensions on file awaiting the action
of the Bureau.
From statement of Provost Marshal Gen.
Fry of the number of soldiers enrolled and in
active service and absent at various times dur
ing the war, there were in active service on
March 81, 1865 not more than 657,74 men,
and there were only $50, 0S6 enrol led and 322,
339 absent 1t will thus be seen that, without
taking into account the 100000 applicants
who desire to be placed upon what should
he "ro!l of honor" pensions are now
being paid to nearly 100000 more persons
than were engaged in active service in the
Union army at any time during the war not
withstandiug many hundreds of thousands
of Union veterans have died since the war
closed, and many thousands of survivors
have declined to be paid for their patriotic
services in behalf of the Union.
We disseeted these figures as the Sun
published them, and showed their falsity
in inference.
For example, 792,496 men were
called into service in 1851. Yet, JAN
l, 1862. there were only 527 ,204 present
for duty. The reason was that 1856
had enlisted for three months, had served
out their time, and were discharged ;
2,715 were six months men, and also
discharged. The remainder had sue
cumbed to the hardships of camp life
and campaigning in Virginia, West
Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri, and
were in the hospital or had been dis
charged. In 1862 523,9S0 men we're
enlisted. With those in service Jan. /,
this would make 1851, 1874 men. Of
these I5,007 were three months men,
and 1888 nine months men. In 1862
we had the terrible Peninsular Cam
paign, the battles of the Second Bull
Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg in
the East; the campaigns against Roa-
noke Island, Charleston, Savannah and
Florida in the Southeast the campaign
in Louisiana by the Army of the Gulf,
and the battles and campaigns of
Henry, Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth,
Perryville, Stone River, Chickasaw
Bayou, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove and
others in the West. Naturally, there
were only SOS, 802 men present for duty
Jan. !, 1863.
During 1863 vigorous recruiting went
ON; 1851 six-months men were en-
listed; 10000 three-months men came
out, etc. But during the year the time
of the nine-months and two-years men
expired, and we fought the battles of
Charlottesville, Gettysburg, Chicka-
manga, Mission Ridge, the Vieksburg
and Port Hudson campaigns, and hum
dreds of minor battles. Thus, in spite
of the steady stream of men into the army
its strength only numbered Gil $50 JAM
/, 1864. The draft in the Fall of 1863,
and the call of Feb. I, 1864, furnished
661, 573 more men, but 10000 of them
were lost in the first days of fighting in
the Wilderness, and 10000 more fell in
20 minutes at Cold Harbor. The terri
bic campaign for Richmond devoured
men as fire does stubble, besides which
there were the sanguinary battles in the
Shenandoah Valley, the great Atlanta
campaign, the heavy fighting in Mis-
souri, and Arkansas, the disastrous Red
River campaign, and the battles of
Franklin and Nashville. The time of
most of the original three-years regi-
ments expired, and many thousands Of
these were discharged.
Jan. 1, 1865, saw the army nominally
937, All strong, but 338, 536 were absent,
mainly sick and wounded in hospital or
in rebel prisons; the real strength was
only 620,924. Recruits were hurried to
the front to strengthen the army for the
final effort, but it was being reduced
nearly as fast by the fighting around
Richmond, in the Carolinas, the cam.
paign against Mobile, and minor opera.
tons. May 1, 1865, saw the army