The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-07
OF THE

After Meade's failure at Mine Run Va, late in 1863, both armies there went into winter quarters; the federals on the north side of the Rapidan river, near Culpepper, the confederates south of that small stream, at points between it and the line of the Virginia Central railroad. Neither made any movements of consequence un- til the following spring; but both were busy in preparing themselves for the mo- mentous struggle which all knew must come with the mild weather.
 Lees army had then present but two corps, Ewelrs and Hills. Longstreets had been sent away, the divisions of Hoods and McLaws to Chickamauga, and Pickett's to North Carolina. The troops retained of all arms. counted not more than 35,000 men. Excepting their arms, with which they had supplied them- selves largely from captures on their bat tlefields, and those qualities which made them the equal of the best soldiers the world has known, they were in want of al- most everything thought needful or useful for successful campaigning. If not naked and barefoot, they were poorly shod and
 
 been their fare: and, even these were not always good and forthcoming They were woefully short in blankets and tents, for common soldiers. at least, had long been out of fashion. Even the amun- ition furnished them, though better and more plentiful than anything else issued by their government, was much of 1t greatly inferior to that they captured from the enemy. Their condition was hard, their outlook unpromising. They could not hope to strengthen themselves by recruits, for there were few of those in the country. In fact. on May 4, 1864. the whole army that wintered In Vir- gii.ia, could show only about 40O0O men for duty in the field.
 Even worse than the plight of Fields formerly Hoods) and McLaws divisions of Longstreet's corps-probably 12,0O0 men in all-on their return to the army of Northern Virginia late in April, 1864 Both of these, with very brief intervals, had been in constant active service for a full year-the first named, several months more. Both had gone to Gettysburg, thence to Chickamauga, and thence to Knoxville, and were just out of that hardest and most dismal of winter cam paingns in east Tennessee, where for five months in 1S63-4. they had been almost wholly isolated, amidst a bitterly hostile and vindictive population, cut off from all regular sources of supply, and compelled to live upon a region largely exhausted, which yielded nothing to them except upon compulsion. Their food was scanty and uncertain their clothing in tatters and it was stated on high authority, that at one time 200O men in Feild's division, nearly third of its numbers, were with out shoes, and marched on frozen and stony roads with bare and bleeding feet, | or with no cover for them but rags to l fight a well-equipped and aggressive foe. McLaw's men were in but little better condition. It was natural that after such experiences these brave men should be glad to leave such a country and such a people to rejoin their old comrades with Lee, although all knew that they were going into the hardest struggle of the war, and many of them to death.
 Thus stood matters south of the Rapi- dan where on May 4. 1864, according to Swinton, the most intelligent and truth full of northern historians, Lees utmost | exertions had assembled under his orders of all arms, only 52. 626 men ready for duty. The most exaggerated hostile statement places the number no higher | than 5000.
 In March, 1s6i, Grant had been appoint ed lieutenant general. and commander-in- chief of the armies of the United States then nearly million in number. At Shi