The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-12
HEROES OF THE :s,!OC1H
A. COMPLICATION OF MUSTER
 ROLLS or coNFEpERAFEs.
Letter from Secretary of War; fRsot to. Governor Montague of vir-TA} a x ginia Regarding
 the. Work. s5'.,.-.....
Advertiser Bureau.
 coloraae Building

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 The recent changes in the War Depart ment's internal .orgafiEatton has in no wise affected the important work -whlch
 has been going .on,tn the Record and Pen sion office, under the supervision of Gen eral Frederick c. Ainsworth. Of compii- ing the muster reilsis of Cohfederate troops, as provided for by, the 2fifry-sey- enth Congress. Sf,.# ft ,'tt < These rolls, t. will. be-. recalled. wsie nrovtded to. be. pphlishkd +ss a, sort .oi
 supplement to the Records of the, Re- bellion." It was provided. Just as con templated, that the names on the rolls should corie from conteflporaneens loff- cial records and none. other. AS soon as 1t became known among the States that had furnished any cohsiderasie. number of organized, bodies of Confederate troops that the Federal Government would pno- fish their rosters, .numerops letters q in- ouiry and suggestions with proffers or aid were received from the South, atetne War Department. .; N5,' -tas,A..,a J..
 The offers of aid were, gladly received. but a large proportion Of the letters con tained suggestions and requests .tiint where. rolls were. defective, the hiatus be filled by those whose names were on the rolls from their own memofies. It was immediately attempted to be made plain by the Secretary of. War that it would never do to begin relying h any instance upon the memory of survivors, and that the publication of. the roster should ee pursued upon exactly the same fines! as marked the publication of the, Records of the Rebelifon,," which contained only the official correspondence and the iofii- cisl reports of troops of both sides.
 To have opened the door to nnisoeila- neous contributions. respecting cam- pafgns with all they involved; based for
 authenticity only upon the; memory of would-oe historians: would have involved an interminabie and valuelesss task. So it has been with respect Ito the publica- tion of the muster rolls of troops The good sense of the decision of the War Department can be seen when 1t Is stated that if the door should be opened tc the memories of survivors to- supply. alleged or admitted deficieneiess from memory. and Congress should. as. Is now attempt ed. pass a service, pension bill. th2re would be no end to tfie frauds That might be perpetrated upon the Government.
 One of the last acts of Elihu Root as Secretary of War was in furtherancc ot the publication of the rolls of soldiers of Confederate organization as provided for in the act of 19oS by the 'Fifty-seveF,tn Congress. It was. a work In which, from the beginning. MT. Root manifested the greatest interest Besides consideFapie correspondence had with. officers of the Southern States which furnished Confed- eratO troops in large numbers, Secretary Root was visited by many Southsrners who. discussed the, work, and sought to point out that shortcomings Tn the rolls could he supplied from memory; A few days before his resignation took emect the Secretary had occasion to write the following letter to the Governor of V!r- ginia which explains itself and iilurni- mates fully, the interesting subject: '.
 ,:.... War Department: !, s5 /. a ,WashinEton,yJap. 9, 19Qt.
 Hon. A. J. Montague. QeNernor ot Asns State of Virginia, Richnaond;'. Dear Sir-7In responsef 5tofsa HieaorEi recently banded me by youFaelf and Hon B. F. Dixon. State Auditor of, North Cur olina. in which it Is urged that. in con1- bling the recently authorized rasesr 0l | the officers and enlisted men of the Con
 federate army, there shall be no undue
 haste in pubishIng; the proposed %eomNi- latlon, that prior to the publication he representatives of the several States shall
 have an opportunity to examine proof
 sheets of the, compilation for the puFpt se | of correcting errors m names: oatFFs aiV aaV
 acts therein, and of suggesting coFrec-
 tions snd alterations, that each state be
 permitted to. submit :, to this Department | it's ConfederNe pension records for. uss
 in ;he compilation, that the Department
 furnish as soon as practicable to each
 state a check list Of the rosters or roiis
 of the commands from that State, that
 the detailed record of each seldiert be
 given in the compilation as far as pos
 sible. and that in every case in which
 no roster. or only, an inconplete roster
 of a command is found the ,pepaFtmen'
 shall admit for the purpose of the com
 piIation. compiled roster, certified by the Governor of the State offering the l nnr..n sut na arnfrlI,, acniirhfalv and. cnr-