New-York tribune., 1903-03-17
4 CTYTL VAR ROSTER.
Var Department to Compile a Last
of Union and Confederate Soldiers.

-r,..A.-..,r March is-By direction of Secretary
Root the War Department to-day oegah 'he .N
tansive work Of compiling complete roster ol 1i'
ofHcern and enlisted of the Union ana Co
Sodor.9a aroies This is Secretary Roots own
protect and he succeeded in tmpressing Consl
with the flea that it would be only just en- -. -
to the South to place the names Of the CohAe0e,a
soldiers on the of1ciai lists in order that lheE M
s.~.r6.nts NAV trace their family histories win
accuracy The North, through separate 0'Ate puo
NcatIons has pretty well covered thls slOuO "
ia own sol6ers. But the Southern recoros anu
srcnives never very complete. were scattered anu
DESTROYED and IL IS known that many HauuS az
nrscsed on the benevolent and many faInllleS lach
important links In their histories because OF @ ,le
loss Of these records. Secretary Root' III caitiHe
this matter tn the attention Of Congress SAID thae
the dapartment was constantly In receipt Oh APP
peaIs from State oficIas. historical societies ana
patriotic or memorial associations for uanscIipss
of the military records Of State troops to a's"el |
which would cost more than 81 9OoVVo so 'nat INC
most economical way would be to pdollsn coil-
plete roster. =,
The publication will be OF enormous She' III
cuding no less than thirty volumes as large az INC
Rebellion records. The Northern names wiz 10
published with the Southern. because 1t Is desreo
TO have all OF them IN one compilation lnsteao o1
being scattered through various state DOCKS more
over, It Is felt to be a graceful thlng 10 of"oMo
together the names Of the men who wore the pIuo
and the gray. in order to carry oue 'hs s1,
Secretary Root to-day sent to the Governors OF ai
the States which furnished troops for the Con
federate armies a letter which Is in part as roi-
lows:
war Departnent: VAS Wsshington March lS 1875
SIR TSere is % Very general desire the part
of the surviving participants Of the great s Strugse II FL
I'm which the country was engaged from lSoi 70 1eS
and the part of the Of 6. fhSss ae be
have Psssed away va for pe and Shall show
the names Of those who. either as ofacers or en- en-
confederaoy s during the great the opinion
that this desire is onethst should De eranneo S % aE
ng and publishing as 81 tRa of
fa0n no1 and nnOEn Gonfederate ed Armias Complete list
or roster Of the Gcefs and % men s wnG ths dspart
ment recommended at the last session OF CongresS Cg
the Of lay % 6 rossr 'ne fer pubea
ton. That recommendaton was followed py afnS SnS
in the legislative, executive and judicial appr0pra
the work Of making the compilation thus sHthor-
a and tT beqs viii II tS Be t or no dS
making the 4 Union part ct the t reSad to
th 9He 0e part the
Of the collection Of Confederate recoras tbe IN
Pst Ps peFsance OF neFefoTe that no be
spared to secure the temporary loan 10 the er S1v
and ali authentic Gonfederate records that be
Of the Various states and it hoped
will be made readily accessible 6mI Rhetorical
and memorial ASSOCIATE tons and private CITIZENS; Iaa
er 6ow Teco2a to nG IS a
fs one that must be solved in order that the Con-
federate soldier shall receive the fun cred that Is
due him In the roster that is to be compiled, =,
I earnestly invite your cooperation with the oe-
pertment in effort to make this compilation as
shall be glad to have the benefit OF any sugseSb fab
fIong that YOU can make to the manner in Wnlcn
that end can be best attained. The work will be
in the Immediate charge of Bfigadier General r:
once Of this department, ana beg leave to sug-
1est that If the plan herein outlined meets your
SpnroVaI you designate some official Of your State
to communicate with him relative to the details OF
the work and the steps to be taken in furtherance
~ - VerIr resnectfIiIly ELIHTJ ROOT,
Va - ' Secretary of War.