The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-06-06
Total, 1s6i-65.. 1898

/ ls6}................ 1l,s76 5L3l3 1l.2ll
Total. 1soi-65.. 58,g78 l9I,o26 2o2,2ss
During the period of 10 months, January,
1862, to July, 1868, inclusive, over 900, 900
cases of wounds and disease were entered
upon the Confederate field reports, and over
10000 cases of wounds upon the hospital
reports. The number of cases of wounds
and disease treated in the Confederate field
and general hospitals WERE however. greater
during the following % months ending
April, 1865. 1t is safe TO affirm. therefore
that more than 3, 600, 900 cases of wounds and
disease were cared for by the officers Of the
medical corps Of the Confederate army
during the civil war Of 1876 The fig
ures, of course, do not indicate that the Con-
federscy had in the field an army approach
ing 100000. On the contrary the Con-
federate forces engaged during the war,
1S61-1S65, did not exceed 100000. Each
Confederate soldier was, On az average, dis
abled for greater OF lesser period, by wounds
and sickness, about six times during the
war.
LOSSES OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY, 1S61-'65.
Confederate forces actively engaged during
the war, ls6l-ls65 ........ $500. .... COO 600
Grand total deaths from battle-wounds and
disease 100000
Losses OF Confederate army in prisoners
during the war, on account OF the policy
OF noD-exchange adopted and enforced
by the United States. .... ....... 100000
Losses OF the Confederate army from dis
charges for disabilities from wounds and
disease and deseriion during the years
1o6l-leO5 100000
If this calculation be correct one-third of
all the men actually engaged on the Confed-
crate side were either killed outright on the
field or died of disease and wounds; another
third of the entire number were captured
and held for indefinite periods prisoners of
war, aud of the remaining 200, 600 at least
one-half were lost TO the service by discharge
and desertion.
At the close of the war the available active
force in the field and those fit for duty
scarcely numbered 100000
Now, the hospital records of the Con-
federate Government which the Ne,cs
is studying are VIGOROUSLY incomplete
Our own are bad enough, but the Con-
federates' were inconceivably worse.
Quite large proportion of our dead
and wounded never came under the
Surgeons notice, and unnumbered thou
sands reported missing" were either
killed or MORALLY wounded. 1t must
have been worse beyond all calculation
with the rebels, whose hospital service
did not begin to approach ours in or
ganization or effectiveness. Toward the
last Of the war it got much worse than
ever, as the Confederate official ma
chinery rapidly broke down under the
enormous strains upon ii. During the
incessant hammering Of 1864 the rebels
had neither time, inclination, nor means
for careful reports Of any kind. All
their energies were strained to get every
man In the country before Grant or
Sherman, keep him there. feed him, and
supply him with ammunition. No man
will ever know, 40 man can more than
guess, how many rebels were killed de-
Tending Richmond and Atlanta. When
one was killed he was gotten under
ground with as little ceremony as posi-
bic. If he was severely wounded his
comrades carried him to the best shelter
available, and left him. During the
Wilderness campaign Virginia was one
vast hospital. Every farmhouse for
hundreds of miles in rear of Lees lines
was filed with his wounded. 1t was
the same in the rear of Johnston in
Georgia.
Therefore, if the rebel Surgeons Off
cially reported 1898 dead, there is
every reason to believe that the actual
number was nearer double that.
The same must be even more true OF
the wounded. The rebel Surgeons were
discouraged from reporting the number
Of the wounded. Gen. Lee issued an
order prohibiting them from returning
as wounded men who were only disabled
for short length of time, and would
afterward be fit for duty. Even with
all this shrinkage Of the customary re-
ports of casualties, the News finds that
every rebel soldier appears to have been