The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-05
ROLLS OF CONFEDERACY.
ROOTS WORK COMPLIMENTARY
 TO THE SOUTH
Fifty Clerks Now Engaged on the Task, and More Will Probably
 Be Employed-outline of the Scheme.

Washington. April 4-(Spectal.)-The work or compiling the muster rolls or tue men who served In the Confederate armies. Under the direction of the Sec retary or War the work Is carried under the supervision of General Frederick c. Ainsworth. Chief of the Records and Pen- sion on1ce. Fifty clerks are now engaged ID the work and more will doubtless De added.
 The countless friends of the Confederate soldier, great or obscure famous or for gotten, owe much to Secretary Root for rescuing from oblivion the names of hun dreds Of thousands of those who wore the gray. Some time during the last congress- Senator Hoar introduced reso- luton looking to the publication by the government of the records of the War of 1872. the Mexican War and the various Indian wars in the same way and style as the records of the rebellion. The resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Printing. The Committee made an adverse report, influenced by the Secretary of Wars suggestion that inc records of those wars were not yet In such condition as to undertake their publicationS that as far as war history was concerned the public interest in the records of the Civil War was paramount. Secretary Root cited the fact that the
 war Department had been in frequent re- ceipt of requests from authorities for copies of rolls of troops furnished both the Confederate and Union armies, and that 1t would be timely first to publish these rolls as an important supplementary work to the records of the rebellion. Con- gress adopetd the suggestion embodying 1t in the legislative appropriation bill.
 The department branch having charge of the task at once went to work and h. stftuted incidental correspondence with the Governors of all the States which furnished Confederate troops. All of these Governors have now been heard from except the Governors of Maryland, Florida anu Arkansas. The letters re- ceived invariably show a cordial disposi- ton upon the part of the States to CO., operate.
 Governor Jelks responded promptly for Alabama and designated Thomas M: Owen of the Bureau of Archives and History. to look after the interests of the State in the compilation of her quota.
 In view of the fact that most of the gleaned a clear idea of the scope of the work as authorized by Congress 1t should be of interest to know what Secretary Root has just written Governor James B. Frasier of Tennessee. Governor agent of the State of Tennessee to copy the rolls of that States Confederate troops. promising to supply discrepancies from survivors in the State.
 Secretary Root, replying to the letter, said:
 "One of the principal objects of compil- ing and publishing roster of the omcers and men of the Union and Confederate armies is to save to the various States and to the United States the great labor and expense that would be involved In furnishing the States separately with lists of their officers and men. When the recently authorized roster shall have been completed and published, the State Of Tennessee and all other States that furnished troops to either the Union or Confederate armies will have, In con- veniently accessible form. lists of all their officers and men whose names are borne on the records of this Department as well as of those whose names are borne on original records that are not now in the
 possession of the Department, but that 1t is hoped. by loan, to obtain through the cooperation of the various States. | The Secretary said that Tennessee's rosters numbered 5000 and 1t had been estimated 1t would cost to compile them | alone S27, ,000 a work which 1t would take
 an agent of the State years to complete; "The Department cannot begin tne | work of compiling and consolidating the l records of any State" writes the Secre- | tary until 1t shall have gathered | together all the records that are to | sreve as the basis of the work and that
 are obtainable from any source. It ts
 earnestly hoped that your State, there | fore, will lend Its aid toward making ar, early beginning on the Tennessee roster | by temporarily loaning the Department | for the purpose of copying all original | official rolls lists and other documents
 that show the names of Confederate or | fcers and men and that arc now m tne | custody of officials of your State, or that may be obtained by the State. by loan oI | otherwise from historical or memorial as'
 sociatlons. public or private libraries or | private citizens.