The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-12
THE LOSSES IN THE WAR.


THE LOSSES IN THE "A
The Greenville Mountaineer, March 8, 1902.
The editor of THE MouNTAINEER, in
responding to an invitation from the j.
l.. Cocker Camp, s. O. ", Of Huntsville,
s. c., gave to his audience an address
upon " Scraps Of Confederate History"
and among other topics presented he
furnished a compilation Of the losses in
the great wal between the States, which
will doubtless prove interesting to the
public generally. This portion Of the
address is as follows:
LOSSES IN THE WAR.
The Southern Confederacy was COM
posed Of eleven States, which in 1860
had a military population Of 1864, 1893
with which to confront the 4,559,S72 Of
the same class in the other States and
Territories. During the ncxt four years
the military population in the South was
Increased over 200, 900 from those reach.
ing their 18th year, and in other States
and Territories the military population
was increased over 100000 from the
same source. Those who were exempt
on account of physical infirmitics or
Otherwise, constitute in every country
one-ifth Of the military population, and
official figures show that 25 per zen of
the persons examined in 1886 by tho
United States authorities we're rejected
as unfit for military duty. The Confed-
crate recruiting officers did not insist
upon any high standard of physical re.
quirements, al the needs of the army
were too pressing, and they accepted all
recruits and conscripts except such as
were manifestly incapacitated for mill
tary service. The aggregate enrolment
OF the Confederate armies during the
whole war, according to an estimate in
the Southern Historical Society Pa
pers," which was approved by Adjutant
General Sam'l Cooper, numbered over
100000 effective men, of whom not over
100000 were enrolled at any one time.
The total enl;stments in the Federal
armies were equal to 2,326, 1853 men re.
cruited for three years service.
These figures substantially maintain
the ratio Of the military population as
ascertained by the census in 1860, and as
to the Federal armies they arc based up.
on the statistics of tho wal department
In Washington. The official rosters of
the Confederate armies at various dates
during the wal show the following mum.
Der OF organizations that were In almost
continuous service in the field: $50 reg
iments and So battalions Of infantry f;
127 regiments and AZ battalions of caval-
ry; 8 regiments and 6 battalions of
heavy artillery, and261 batteries of light
artillery. The aggregate is equivalent
764 regiments Of ten companies each.
Only q few new regiments were organ.
lied after 1862, and in most cases they
were cancellations of previous organi.
The recruits and conscripts
were assigned to the old regiments to
keep up an effective strength.
Tho total loss of the Confederate ar
mics In killed and MORALLY wounded will
never be definitely known, and can be
stated only In round numbers. A sum.
nary of the casualties in each battle and
minor engagement, using official reports
'nly, and in their absence tho estimates
rom Confederate sources, indicates that
1900 men were killed or mortally
on the Confederate side du.
Ing the war.
In the report made by Gen. James b.
Try for 1866, there Is a tabulation of
losses as compiled from the
iuster rolls on flo In the Bureau of
confederate archives at Washington.
he returns are incomplete, and nearly
the Alabama rolls are missing. The
cures arc worth noting, however, as
hey show that at least 74,524 wore kill. +:
Or died of wounds, and that 59,297
led of disease. Without meaning to
any invidious comparison, the
bulstion Of Gen. Fry's report shows
hat out OF the 1854 who were killed
+ died of wounds, North Carolina and
,uth Carolina are accredited with
800, or more than 40 per cent. of the
tai loss. The highest per centage of
in killed and MORALLY wounded,
ted according to the military popula.