The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02

things came near causing a revolt in some
Of the States, especially in Georgia; where
the laws seemed to bear most heavily.
Something OF this is to be found in the his
tory OF thai period, but nothing approach
ing the real facts has ever been published.
This reads worse for Southern ~unantmity
than the draft riots in New York city read
for Northern reputation, for the South was
native born. all except about ? per cent,
while New York, in 1863, was so shorn OF
natives by reason of enlistments that IL
was. as to population, a foreign city.
As 10 the characteristics of Southerners
! can write i~ntelligently. having been ac-
qualnted with young men from every state
south of Mason and DiXon's line during
the period Immediately preceding the war.
This was an experience especially valua-
bic to the making up OF estimate OF chaf-
acter, having been in the nature OF board
ing-school life and extending over two
years. The young fellows were OF those
who went early to the field. having arrived
at that rather raw age when the young
sters' minds keenly turn to thoughts of
glory, and are utterly Obvious 10 the pains
and penalties attached thereto, either to
selves, to mothers. sisters and humanity
generally. 1t is not overdrawing to describe
them, as a whole, as s~elf-contaIneq, cour-
ageous, ready for personal fight and stay
ers when in It, but not quarrelsome.
While Northerners fought occasionally
among themselves. and SOutherners ike
wise. tne two sections seldom or never
clashed, and there was no perceptible diff
ference between the two as REGARDS cour-
age.
However, it must be confessed that the
SOuIn mas UtFElOpeU a DOdSlIuiiltSS WHICH
does not infer to the impartial mind a true
courage. This spirit may be an outcrop of
lack of knowledge of the wal and OF the
science of war. The South was on the de-
fensive. War experts say that III attack Of
ordinary earth defenseS, such as We're
thrown up in a night. the forces should be
I to 10 to eQualize them, and that In the
case of elaborate rifle pits protected by
abbatis the assailing force should be double
that of the defenders to make an equality.
In the ordinary operations of an invading
army the force should be 10 to { of the de-
tenders, this in order to maintain COM
munication with the base. The SOuther
armies did not have the daily reports re-
quired by the Federal a|djutant generals
department.
In figuring the forces in a battle or series
of battles everybody counted in the Fed
erals train men, ambulance men, surgeons,
etc, while the Southern army reports omit
ted even the officers. II at AppOmattoX
Lees army had reported as fully in detail
as did the United States army, the differ
ence in numbers would have dwindled very
materially, for such report would have in
cluded all present and absent, and as every
man of military age. and physically fit was
either under enlistment or conscripted, the
absent and the detailed would have gone
far to balance the Federal absent and de-
tailed, whom a rabid class in the South
still figure as part of the Federal army,
and as a reason why Lee had to finally
surrender. But there is no use in rSuing
this point; nothing short of ~refighting the
war would convince men who We're not in
the army. or, having been there, succeeded
in keeping safe from the front.