Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-11-21
,,.. A, p.o,o.r.rh the Roll.s

"
The letter that Ne published YESTERDAY
from an old member Of the Third 'o''-
pany OF Richmond Howtzers. VINO 10 "o"
"a resident OF Baltimore, shows t"a'' WIZ"
some there is more than passing inter-
est In the matter OF securing cot'p'e'e
muster-rolls OF the Virginia troops
Thirty wears have now passed since
the war closed. and this state mas "''
vet taken the first business-the S'P
TO secure complete roster OF the o"ice''
and men who served her In that long anu
bloody struggle. North Carolina, LOUISE
ana. and many other States nave pro-
vided themselves with copies OF tlelr
muster-rols but Virginia has dohe h'N'
10 nothing in that direction. Yet inc
information that We want IL easily &C
ccssibl. II is In the War-Records of-
fee mt Washington. At any time up ~
a year or two ago Virginia mieht haNo
sent a clerical force there and copied
these rolls at Il cost OF a few thousand
dollars. Now, however, unloss we can
get Congress 10 make an exception III
our case. we shall have 10 pay the resu-
lar copylng-rates az the War Depart
mcnt. and il is estimated that what We
could have done "A few years ago ior
about $1,000 will now cost us about si"-
co..
n NAV be that Congress will permit us
TO do our own copying-at least we
might see II It will nots.but. IN all frank
ness. we must say that We doubt II II
will. II could not well grant rs this
permission and refuse like permission to
other States-"loyal States." particularly.
But Virginia ought Ia secure copies OF
her rolls. no matter what the cost may
be. The expenditure need not be in bulk,
but in instruments. year by year, as the
work is done.
We are sorry TO say that there has not
been as much interest manifested in this
question as we had hoped there would
be- Few OF our veterans camps have
considered IL. Perhaps our Old soldiers
do not know Though We have often pub
lishcd the facD that the rolls on file in
the War-Records' ONCE are genuine. orr
ginal rolls: not copies. but rolls MADE
out 10y our own officers. under their own
signatures. Some OF these rolls were on
file in the Confederate War Department
when Richmond fell. Other OF these
rolls were captured by the enemy whilst
Lee was retresting from Petersburg to
AppomattoI Courth 2. Yet others
were captured at Danyile. where they
had been sent with other Confederate
archives in advance Of the evacuation OF
Richmond and Petersburg. Yes; they
are genuine rolls. and they include nearly
every command and they were made out
from time 70 time during each year or
the war.
II has occurred to us that it might be
possible FOR us TO make Photographic CO.
pies Of these rolls cheaper than typo
script copies. II so, they would be quite
as useful TO us for compils ton and pub
LEGATION as typoscript copies. and We
should think would be much cheaper.
We wish that our veterans would give
earnest thought to this matter. and would
appoint committee. or committees,
TO come TO Richmond and discuss the
question with representative members OF
the Legislature. They would find Cow
ernor OFerrall and Adiutant- General An
derson ready TO help them in every pro-
per way.
The time has now come when We ought
10 declare in favor Of one Of two
things either that We will have the rolls
copied. or viii drop the subject for good
and ave. and let Virginia bear the odium
Of being one OF the few states that
have not taken the trouble to put among
their archlye, the names OF the officers
and men who served them in the war Of
rsgi-'fT