Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-26


southeastern states of the present
Union. 1t had taken four years
for this army to stretch itself from the
mouth Of the Potomac westward to the
Mississippi. southwark to the gull ana
thence along the coast to its starting
point.
In all parts of the vast territory which
they had engirdled and dismembered there
were armies and garrisons: Meade, with
13o 900 men, besieged Lee In Petersburg
sherman's army of 121OO0 men was walt
ing at Raleigh. n. c., for battle with
Joe Johnston: Thomas, who commanded
the i39 600 men in the Department OF the
Cumberland. was engaged In clearing the
states in his division of the few con-
federates remaining from the defeat OF
Hood In January: Candy with some l2z'-
OUO men, held the Mississippi from Memphis
to New Orleans and opposed Dick Tayiors
army then in Alabama There were forces
in Texas and Arkansas. in the forts ana
outposts along the captured lines, holding
towns. guarding hospitals, caring for pris-
oners and freedmen.
So long had it taken the federals 10
accomplish this work that even now, in
spite OF the positions they held and their
vastly superior forces-the million volun-
than 2OoOp confederates-theres was In
their ranks no general belief IN speedy
victory They had heard so many times
=, that the back of the rebellion was broken
that they had almost ceased TO expect an
end to the war.
That their skcpticism hinged on their
respect for the ability of a single one
Of the leaders opposing them-Gen. Robert
f. Lee-is evident from the effect pro-
duced on them by the news that on
April o. Lee had surrendered his army to
Grant. The war is over was the uni
versal chorus of the volunteers. And they
were right. Like a structure from which
tie keystone has been wrenched. the con-
federate army fell apart. Two weeks after
Lee surrendered his force at AppomattoX,
Joe Johnston surrendered to Sherman. On
May 1 Dick Taylor surrendered to Gen.
Candy in Alabama and on May 70 the
forces west of the Mississippi commanded
by Kirby Smith Were surrendered to the
federal authorities Smith fleeing to Mexico.
III six weeks all the organized forces of the
confederacy had laid down their arms and
the great majority of the men had given
their parole not to take them up against
the United States until properly exchanged.
The army of a million volunteers had fin
iShed its work.
Almost the first thought of the federal
War Department, when the news of Lee 3
surrender reached 1t, had been. Now We
can disband the arres''-a thought fol-
lowed Immediately by the question. How
can it be done?" The question was one to
tax the foresight. the experience. the
energy OF even Secretary Stanton. great as
was his skill i'll handling bodies OF men.
An element complicated the problem which
does not appear on its face. If each body
of soldiers in the field had been from one
part of the north-that is. If Sherman s
army had been made up of New England
trs: Thomas of New Workers.. etc. the
difficulty of d!sbanding would have been
less: but the armies were not made up in
that methodicai way. Shermans army
in April. 1876. was formed of six army
corps besides cavalry. In the 18th and
18th Corps eight states were represented
in the 10th Corps. nine states: in the Goth
ten; in the 18th and I'D. eleven. In the
entire army, seventeen. In all the armies
ton. The War Department thus had to
break up each army, select from II the
men from Maine, from Ohio. from Illinois
and arrange that each of these fragments
be sent on its way.
Ii was obliged. too. to do more than gel
must hold them long enough to secure the