The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-12
rom the New orleans PIcayune.

From the New Orleans Picayune
1t is of little practical use to discuss
the apparent or real causes of the fall
ure oft he Confederacy of the Southern
States Of the American Republic to gain
their independence In the war of 1ssl-e5;
nevertheless it is a subject that will for
a long time continue to be pursued with
interest. sI.ssa2..ss ..s-sz
In 1861 the population of the United
States was about 30.000,OO souls, of which
2O0O0,0oO. or two-thirds. were in the North
ern States and 100000, or one-third, were
in the Southern. OF these 100000 about
100000 were whites and 100000 were
negro slaves. In view of the fact that the
war was being waged to great extent
to liberate the Southern slaves, 1t might
be supposed that they would have been
a great source of weakness to the South
.ern people engaged in the struggle. since,
when the white men went to war, they
left behind them the 100000 negroes.
who could. If they had been ably led,
have constituted a dangerous enemy in
the rear of the Southern whites who were
already confronting heavy odds in the
large and well equipped armies of the
North.
This supposed danger was never real
lied, however, for the negroes staid at
home and worked on the plantations
until the regions occupied by them were
occupied and held by the enemy. Then
the Slaves, for the most part. were set
free by the military authorities, or as
sumed freedom on their own account;
but, with the exception of those who en-
listed in the Federal army, they remained
non-combatants. From first to last
there were $500 negro troops In the
Northern armies; but much of the South
ern country was for a considerable time
| free from hostile invasion, and there the
negroes remained at their homes and at
| work. as ah ,fs ~
The negroes were, therefore, by no
means source of weakness to the South
| ern cause; but necessarily many white
men, who otherwise might have been
| with the army at the front, were kept at
| home by the necessity for proper super
| intendence of the working of the planta-
| tons I
| AS to the opposing forces In the civil
war, the enlistments in the Northern
armies were 2s59,O00, of whom $1,000 were
negroes while the South had from first
| to last about 100000 men IN the field.
| The odds of numbers were about one
| Southerner to four and two-thirds
| Northerners. or nearly one to five. New
| ertheless this was not htegreatest diff
Guilty with which the Southern people
had to contend. Their most serious
trouble was their deficiency in material.
resources The South was an agricYI-
tural country, destitute of manufactures.
and dependent for almost every criticize
of use, except food upon the PSlnufac-
lures of the Northern States Or of for
eign countries. Early IN the war the
Southern ports were blockaded and sup
piles from all outside sources were, with
the exception of what was brought in bv
an occasional ship, entirely excluded
In connection With the matters mem
tioneo, therelrs Misunderstanding article in
the Atiant& Monthly for December, 1901,
entitieo The Resources of the Confeder-
acy' /'by William CARROT Brown Mr.
brqwn is a native of Alabama, born after
Re close of the civil war, student and
professor of history, and at present as
sistant librarian at Harvard University.
In his article, Mr.. Brown cites as sources
of information, "A Financial and Indus
trial history of the South in the Civil
| War" by j. G. Schwab, and a History
| OF the Confederate Treasury" by Earnest
| A. Smith.
| The facts established are that, on the
| battlefield, the South always gave a good
account of herself Her field marshals
were generally up to the mark of ability.
some OF them being the ablest in the
world. The men were brave, accustomed
70 the use of arms and were matchless
as shots and riders. But the South had
no money. The paper put in circulation
after the first loan which was made to
the South's own people, had no basis, and
became steadily of decreasing value until
1t had declined to 10 and 20 to 1.
When flour cost $50 to 500 a barrel and
| other necessaries of life rose to corre4
| spending prices, not alone did the armies
in the field suffer. but the people who
made up the main body of the popula-
ton, with the exception of the proprie-
tors OF farms. were practically reduced
to restitution, since the wages earned nv
their labor did not increase to meet the
rise In the prices of necessaries. and the
paper pay which the soldiers in the field
sent home for the support of their fam
lilies proved to be pitifully insufficient to
supply the most urgent needs If the SOL
| diers at the front could have had any as
surance that heir wives and little ones
were supplied with ordinary food and
| clothing, there would have been vastly
| FEWER sick men. while desertion would
| have been almost unknown but when
men knew that their darlings had not
| even bread, their heroic hearts that had
braved the storm of battle and scorned
| every personal privation broke under the
| strain, and thus thousands were no longer
| able to bear their burdens and became the
| prey of diseases which hitherto their