The times., 1901-06-09
RECORDS OF THE CIVIL WAR
A Publication Which Cost the Gov
ernment Upward of S3,O0O,000.
Last Volume of Text just Issued
The Tnsk Begun in 1874 - The
Prediction of General sherman
Regarding the Works Completion

The Tnsk Begun in 1874 - The
! Prediction of General sherman
Regarding the Works Completion
The last volume of text of the Union
and Confederate Records of the Rebel
| lion has just been issued and the work
| is completed except for the general in
deXes and supplemental volume of statis-
| tics, which Will be finished within the
coming fiscal year. 1t has cost the Gov
ernment upward of 100000 to collect,
compile, and publish these records. which
| in their printed form include, as the pref
ace states, everything having an 'ap-
parent historical value" such value be
ing determined by the compilers. The en-
| tire issue. excluding the general index
and statistical volumes now in press, is
comprised in 127 books of an average Of
| !, 900 pages each, or an aggregate of $4,000
pages of printed matter.
| In the preface to the first edition of
his personal memoirs dated in st. Louis,
January q, 1875, General Sherman re-
ferred somewhat sarcasticalIy to the de-
| lay in. issuing the book. At that time
| not a volume in it's present form had ap-
| peared. He said: AT the rate of prog
ress for the last ten years it is probable
| that a new century will come before they
are published
This sneer was doubtless thrown out for
| the purpose of expedit.ng the work. Little
did the general imagine at the time that
| twenty-five years would be consumed in
its publication and, no more did he COM
prehend the scope of the work. At that
time it was estimated that forty volumes
would fulfill all The requirements.
Ten years later in a preface to the sec
ond edition of nis revised memoirs Cen
eral Sherman, in a similar strain. again
| reverted to the war records u am
| afraid, he said, IF I assume again the
character of prophet / must extend the
| time deep into the next century, and pray
meanwhile that the official records of the
war may approach completion before the
next war, or rather that we. as people.
may be spared another war until the last
one is officially recorded
His prayer was not fulfilled; there was
another war ere the records Of the rebel
lion were finished in book form, but their
| completion will not extend any deeper
into the next century" than few
months hence There has perhaps, been
| cause for complaint. although It was
critical undertaking, which required care
and tima.
The Job was started tentatively thirty
six years ago, but it did not take actual
form until 1874. Volume ] was issued In
! 1880. The compilation was at first in
| charge of civilians connected with the
War Department. but afterward was
more fully organized by an army officer
Lieut. Col. R. n. Scott. After Scotts
dcath,-a board Of publication was pro-
vided for by Congress, composed of an
army officer, who was president and two
civilians.
In December. 1888. the greater part Of
the books being completed, this board
was dissolved by the Secretary Of War,
and the unfinished volumes. handed over
to an army officer again.
From 1891 to 1898 more than one hun
dred persons were employed in the War
Records Office. It has been a gigantic
undertaking, but after all has repaid its
cost. 1t is largely by means Of this vast
Government publication. involving such
enormous outlays and so many years Of
paiEstaking labor, that the true great
ness ard patriotism Of the people on
both sides of the line are now more fully
understood and appreciated, and the ami
mosities of the war days greatly allayed.
The first series, with set Of maps,
Of which there are thousands, deals prin-
cipaIy with the battles and campaigns,
and includes official reports, orders, re-
turns, letters and telegraphic dispatches
on every conceiva bIe subject relating
thereto. The second series embodies the
same sort of documents relating to
prisoners of war and state The third
series embodtes the official calls for
troops and the documents covering the
history Of the drafts, orga anization Of
armies, and related subjects on the Union
side. The fourth series embodies similar
matters on the Confederate side. There
is copious index with each book. besides
which there is 10 be the general index to
the whole
Congress provided for the issue of an
edition Of ll,p05 copies Of each separate
volume, the greater number of which
were distributed through designations
made by Senators and Representa- tives.
The beneficiaries have been receiving the
books for twenty years at an average
rate Of about six volumes per annum. As
more than l.%JJ,egO books in the aggregate
have been printed and thus distributed,
large force has been constantly required
for the mailing service alone ever since |
1880, work which has been done in the
War Department. a certain portion were
reserved for sale at cost, and each execu-
tive department Of the Government also
received d complement
All the sets for free distribution were
long ago exhausted. but the public pres
sure for the work stiil continues. Con-
gress has already hcin importuned to re-
print the entire set, but it win hardly |
ND 50 -NfdIiE every DlDilc library IN the |
country Of any consequence has been
supplied with a set OF the rebellion rec
OTds.
Many people suppose the records are |
running history Of the civil war writ
ten by competent historians appointed |
by the Government. They are nothing of |
the sort. Not a line was written by |
the c0mpilers. other than fOotnotes or |
headings, explanatory OF the documents |
The war recorIs so-caled are colIec- |
uon Of all accessible official documents |
whether reports, returns. letters taIe- |
grams, or what not. relating to the rebel |
lion, arranged in chronological order in !
the sequence Of events
They are printed exactly as written. |
the cOmpilers merely correcting bad |
spelling and subjecting them To a general |
rule of punctuation and address. They |
were not otherwise edited Occasionally |
a footnote is ventured TO explain some |
obscurity. or reference which otherwise |
would not be understood. The work |
great feature Is tslat the documents re- |
lating to given event like Gettysburg, |
for instance are all brought together II |
is therefore a york of enormous value |
TO the historian of today and for all time. |
as well as 10 the country but 1t is not |
a history in itself in the common accep- |
tation Of the term. otherwise than as the |
documents themselves tell the story of |
great events, which in fact they do.
ANIMALS MAN HAS DESTROYED. |