The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-03-27
the Confederate army twice that mum

the Confederate army twice that num-
Der?
By adding together the number OF
prisoners in the hands of the United
States at the close of the war, the sol
diers who surrendered in 1865, those
who were killed or died of wounds,
those who died in prison, those who
died of disease, those who were dis
charged and the deserters we get a
total of 624,503.
The official report of Gen. Cooper
March /, 1862, states the aggregate
number in the Confederate Army, In !
Guiding the militia, officers and men,
as 340,250 Gen. Preston, Superinten-
dent of CONSUMPTION, reports the total
number of conscriptions as 1898; en-
listment east Of the Mississippi as 49,
206; estimated conscriptions and en-
listment west of the Mississippi River,
100 900; total $4,000. 1t is true that
the estimates recently given by repre-
sentatives of the several seeded
states would show much larger num-
Der than 100000, but it can be demon
strated that these writer's, in their
zeal to glorify their several states,
have with honest intentions made
egregious errors.
The writer's to whom I have alluded
have overlooked some important con-
siderations bearing on the problem
discussed. Let me point out some of
them.
During the first year of the war the
Confederate Government could not
have availed itself of even half a mil
lion of men for its armies, inasmuch
as it was unable to arm and equip
them.
Bv May, 1862, the Northern armies
were in permanent occupation of about
one-fourth of the territory of the Con
federacy. The population thus ex
Guided from the support of the Con
coo. leaving 100000 to bear the bur
oen OF war. Hence the arms bearing
population would be not 100000 bu
$50 600 and of this number One-fifth
or $4,000, would be exempted (accord
ing to the proportion recognized by al
wrtersl for physical mental defects.
The Southern States furnished tn
northern States, according to the re
turns of the War Department, $500
men.
There was a large element of dislo!
atty especially in the mountainou
regions of the South.
There was also a large element {
base metal, men who begrudged ever
sacrifice for liberty and shirked da1
ger.
The writer's to whom reference hf
been made assume that the conscril
laws in the South were strictly al
successfully enforced. This is a gray
mistake 1t can be shown from of
cial reports that in three or fol-
states east of the Mississippi the la
was a failure. Only 1893 men we
put into the army through the co
scrption law in the states east of Il
Mississippi from the beginning to Il
end. The conscript officers had
meet the opposition of the Governo
OF some of the states notably the &C
ernor of Mississippi, the Governor
North Carolina and the Governor
Georgia. South Carolina passed
exemption law which nullified to
certain extent the CONSUMPTION laws
the Confederacy. Thus the doctri
OF State Rights which was the bedro
of the Southern Confederacy became
law.
The letters of General Lee down
. within a few months of the end sht
by that he was receiving very few m
om through the action of the conscrt
in law. On Sept. 26, 1864, he wrote:
get no additions"
We must also consider the lar
49, numbers of men employed on the r;
-, roads, in the Government depa
=, ments, in the state offices and in
80 various branches of manufacture n
essary for the support of the army a
: :, the people.
Let us now consider the questi
~ from the standpoint of the Gems
- There were 100000 white people
-. the seeded states at he beginning
~ 1861, but by May, 1852. as just stat
at least one-fourth Of the Southt
49, territory had been wrenched from
II. control of the Confederate Cove
=. ment. In the territory remain1
H..