Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-10-21
RIGHT MADE NIGHT.
REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF
THE REBELLION.
Not Because the South Lacked Re-
sources and Men, but Because 1t Was
Conflict for Justice, Humanity,
and Christian Civilization.
Grave Errors Corrected.


In the Century Magazine for Febru
airy, 1897, were published contributions
by FIVE Southern men, all officers of
rank in the Confederate army, discuss
ing the causes of the failure of the re-
bellion. One of these writer's, Lieut..
Gen. S. d. Lee. claims that the "South
was overpowered by the superior num-
bers and resources of the North" He
also asserts that from first to last the
South had not over 100000 soldiers in
her army with which to meet more
than 100000 men in the Union army.
Genera, Lees statement is based on an
estimate made by the adjutant general
of the Confederate States soon after
the war, an estimate which has been
copied and repeated for more than thir-
ty years.
1T is much to be regretted that this
creates the impression that the rebel,
lion failed. not because 1t was at war
with justice, humanity, and Christian
civilization and therefore ought not to
succeed. but becau~e it was Il contest
of physical resources in which the
North had nearly five times as many
men as the South and yet almost failed
to maintain her cause against the
South. 1t may be profitable to study
the problem for little while
There were fifteen save States, of
which eleven rebel,ed. Western Viz
ginia. having but few Saves. was
strongly opposed to secession. and in
1868 became an Independent State. In
the following calculations the e.even
States that joined the rebellion are
treated as giving their strength to the
Confederate cause. Delaware is count
. ed among the loyal States, though fur
nishlng some men to the South. Mis-
souri,, Kentucky, Maryland and West
Virginia are treated as border States"
whose people were divided in senti-
ment. The exact number of men fur
nshed by the border States to the Con-
federate army is unknown, but it is
safe to assign at least One-third of their
military strength to the South The en-
Hstments from the free States aggra-
gated GIL per cent. of the men of mill
tary age, while the border States gave
but 37la per cent. of their strength 20
the Union army
IN the following estimates the totals
are taken from the census of 1860, but
the ratios of male citizens of various
ages to the whole number are those of
the census of 1890. Greater accuracy
is thus secured. The male population
is therefore taken as 81 per cent. of the
whole, and 40 per cent. of males are
regarded Of military age. White troops
only are considered, as the South had
no others.
According to 1860 census the white
male population of the eleven seeding
States, plus one-third of that of the
border States, was 3,043, 1GS, with
1,232, SOC men of military age--that is,
Is to A, inclusive. Boys of 13 and men
of 10 in 1860 would be II and 40 re-
spective,y in 1864 and therefore subject
to the last CONSUMPTION. Hence there
must be added to the military strength
of 1860 all boys enrolled in the census
from ID to Is years of age and men
from 10 to 49, making 11.4 per cent. of
the white male population. We have,
then, 1,5S4,349 mes subject to the con-
scription, exclusive of 175,GOO to be en-
rolled in the military reserves, who
ought, in justice to be inclu,.eu as a
part Of the military population. That
this is 4 conservative estimate is shown
by the fact that Richmond estimate
in, no ~
tary strength of the South in 1860 as
1 ,299, 100, and those who had become
II years of age during the war as 331 :
$50, making 1,63O,35O, or 10000 more
than the above figures.
The white male population of the
thirds of that of the border States. was.
in 1860, 10,G4S,47S, with 4,259.391 n On
of military age. From this NUMBER
must be deducted men who We're A in
1860 and hence past military age in
1861 and there must be added $50, 1913
boys from II to II in 1860, who became
Of military age during the war,
These corrections being made, we
have a grand total of 5000, 1856 men as
the available military strength Of the
North.
1t is hardly necessary to remark that
the Southern military strength could
be drawn upon much more fully than
the Northern, because the four million
negro slaves in the South did most of
the agricultural and mechanical work
Of that region. In fact, if every white
man from 16 to o6 had been drafted in
to the army, the grain, cotton and rice
fields would have been been planted,
titled and harvested regularly, and all
Mechanical pursuits carried on.
But in the North entirely different
conditions existed. Every bodied
man taken from the .arms and shops
meant the abandonment of just SO
much productive industry. 1t became
nOSSible for the North and West to send