Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-06


gagements, or an average OF six fights
every four days. or. In fact. really one
and a half fights every day. including
| Sundays, OF the four years made so glo-
rious by you. 1 may be pardoned for
adding that 5i9 Of these fights, or over
one-fourth. were fought on the soil OF my
native State-virginia.
But the remarkable fact exists that
notwithstanding our greatly inferior num-
bers. we according TO the Yankees) al
ways outnumbered them-that is when
| we whipped them, and. as an old rebel
said, Which most In gineral was always
But we shall see that when one is look
| ing through the glasses OF superior strate-
gy and tactics. as well as superior stay
ing and fighting qualities, they magnify
numbers greatly.
1.-THE Yankees enlisted 2.e00,062 men in
their army. No exact records exist Of
the number enlisted by the Confederates;
6O0.O 900 is a full estimate, however, but
give IL as 10000. Here they were four 20
one, or 4S3 per cent. more in numbers.
and yet with one We always $50 they SAID
outnumber four
The census OF 1850, twenty years after
the beginning OF the war, showed that
the male population Of the Confederate
States between the ages OF IS NJ A. in
Guiding negroes, did not reach tM monu-
mental sum of the enlistments In the
Yankee army. and Il can thus be easily
seen that the number in 1861 was much
smaller, and that 10000 men would really
be an over-estimate.
'Tn the seven days fight Lee had 5000
men, the largest army he ever COM
manded. which included the men in the
defence Of Richmond Mcclellan had $780,
900. II is true Lincoln detached Mcdowell
with $4,000 men from McClellan's army
but still kept them on his right flank
The defeat OF the Federal army magni-
fled our number to 10000 and yet 1t is
now we'll established that General Lee
never used more than $1,000 during the
seven days, and II is equally well estab-
lished that Mcclellan had over 100000 men.
Everybody who has read the official re-
cords knows that Pope had 10000 men
at the Second Manassas, and that Lee,
all told had only 1900, and yet he placed
1900 Yankees on the pension rolls, rout-
ing their grand army. all BIZ bis superior
numbers CD At Fredericksburg Burnside
had 10000 and Lee 1900, but our over
whelming numbers compelled him TO re-
cross the Rappahannock. leaving Wa
terloo behind him.
AT Charlottesville. the greatest OF
Lees victories, the scene OF Jackson's last
Hooker had $4,000. while Lee had only
5000. yet his Qooker'S inferior force
caused his withdrawn 90. or over
whelming numbers against him did the
work.
From the wilderness TO Petersburg
there was not a day but that Grant had
from 10000 to 10000 more men than Lee.
Yet Lee placed more Yankees on the pen
sion rolls between those two points than
he actually had men In his army, includ-
ing all additions to it up to the surrender
at AppOmattox. And our usually 'su-
perior numbers" forced Grant to abandon
his plan ION to Richmond" and finally
adopt McClellan's plan to starye the
Confederacy out
What a treat" said Major Otey, "it |
would have been to any old rebel TO have !
been behind the scenes here in Washing |
ton, to have heard the talk, and witnessed |
the CONSERVATION produced now and then |
by the mere mention Of the names of Lee |
and Jackson.
Even Mr. Lincoln could not forbear |
giving way TO his keen sense of humor |
at times as you will see II have time. |
On June IS. 1862. the anniversary OF the |
battle of Waterloo, the Federal army |
was marshaled to give Lee battle. Nc
Clellan was called at one time Napoleon.
Whether the 18th Of June and the con-
necton Of Napoleon, &c, influenced this
Of the Federal forces I do
not know. However, it was reconsidered, |
perhaps because there were visions of |
another Waterloo. So Lincoln was tele-
graphed to as follows: After tomorrow
we shall fight the rebel army as soon as
Providence will permit "
REBEL! WELL, LIKE
THAT.
One week having passed, and Provi-
dence. that CLOTHES the lily and feeds the
sparrow" having for some reason mot
made known not permitted the afore-
said attack. another telegram was sent
Mr.. Lincoln as follows: II regret my great
of numbers" Revelation
from Providence, no doubt.
But somehow Providence had let old
Stonewall Jackson slip down from the
Valley, and on the 9th Lincoln got the
telegram: Heavy fighting all
lay against greatly superior numbers"
Lincoln knew what that meant. He
always had had suspicious of Jackson
since his "erratic' movements in the
Valley, and he telegraphed at once to the
Federal commander:
Save your army"
On the 18th Lincoln received another
me: Have lost this battle because my
orce was SO small"
Lincoln knew that his force was largely
superior TO Lees. but he simply repeated
lis telegram:
"Save your army"
on July the list he received this tele-
ram:
II now pray for time"
Save your army" said Lincoln.
Pope superseded Mcclellan, and he
anne announcing that he had never seen
nything but the backs" Of his enemies,
nd that henceforth his headquarters
you'd be in the saddle :
Jackson (old StonewalD gave part of his
rmy a taste (Which was not pleasant
{ Cedar Mountain, and some days after
'ope telegraphed Lincoln that jackson
ad disappeared from his front.
Now Lincoln was more than ever sus-
lclous OF Jackson, and remembering
'ope's order about backs" of his enc
MES. he telegraphed Pope in reply:
Watch your back"
However true this may be, we do know
hat Lincoln's suspicious were well
and that Jackson did get in
zones rear. or at his back" and routed
he grand army, which Mcclellan had to
@ called back to On order to save it,
About the same time that Pope tele-
raphed. that Jackson had disappeared,
&C., he also telegraphed Reno as fol-
)ws: March at earliest dawn on Ma
assas: Jackson and Ewell are between
gainesville and that place. and we will
az the whole crowd" Gle wanted 10
urprise Lincoln by letting him know that
q bad baooad Jackson after his diSau- |