Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-10-21

statements show that Alabama and
North Carolina furnished $4,000 and
$4,000 respectively. This was 81 per
cent. of their military strength If the
other States supported their cause as
we'll as these two. there We're at least
1.2S3.0O0 men in the Confederate
armies.
Most writer's give the total death
losses of the Confederate armies as
nearly If not quite equal to those Of the
Union armies. Beyond doubt they
We're relatively greater than those of
the North. Hospital and medical sup
plies, and every resource to care for
the sick and wounded. were less album
dant in the Confederate than in the
Union camps, and their men were less
comfortably fed and clad.
Gen. Emory Upton, yho was sent by
the United States Government to in
spect and report upon the military sys-
TENS of Europe and Asia, in his official
report to the War Department, estimat
Ell the total Union loss. white and col
ored, at 30f. 400. the Confederate loss
at 100000 to $1,000; that is. from two
thirds to five-siXths of the Union losses.
Hut exact figures published by the War
Department, 1885, after Upton's esti-
mates were made (see Mitchie's Life
of Gen. Upton. and Battles and Letad-
ers of the War;" vol. w., page 767), give
the Union death loss as 36O,222, Of
whom 323,'4o were white soldiers. AS
this official total exceeds Upton's esti-
mate by $4,000, his higher estimate of
$50 900 for the Confederate death loss
may be taken rs Il very conservative
one and entirely within the facts. The
Union loss given is II 40 of total
white cnliStments. At the same ratio
of deaths to total Confederate enlist
ments, Upton's estimate would give
1,229.C0O as the strength of the Confed-
crate army.
Finally. when the United States CEN
suS Of 1890 was taken, an attempt was
made to find the number of surviving
soldiers of both Union and Confederate
armies with the following results:
There were then living 9S0,274 white
Union soldiers and sailors, or 43 2-10
per cent. of those who survived the
war. At the same time there We're liv-
ing 1920 Confederate soldiers and
sailors. If we suppose as large a pro-
portion of Confederate survivors of the
war to be living in 1890 as of Union
soldiers. there must have been .1,000,
600 Confederates living at the close of
the war. Adding 100000 dead gives us
1,250,G00 for the Confederate army.
Looked at from whatever point of
view we may, but one sound conclu-
sion can be reached. The Confederate
army numbered at least million and
Il quarter of men subject to orders by
the Richmond government, and the
true number is more likely to have
been much above than at all under
these figures. This is exclusive of the
militia reserves, and of men above so
and under II who served in the ranks.
The writer of this paper had served
almost one year in the Union army be-
fore his seventeenth birthday, and
there We're thousands of such lads in
both armies.
Two old Confederates were once
overheard discussing this question. At
ter advancing the usual arguments
about superior numbers, etc, they
turned to third Confederate, who sat
listening to their talk, and asked his
opinion He said: I'VE fought four long
years and did all that men could do to
succeed, but we failed because God Al
mighty was against us, and we might
as we'll acknowledge it," His answer
deserves the thoughtful consideration
Of all who would know and wisely
teach the philosophy of history.-Prof.
Albert Loughbridge, Cedar Falls, Iowa.