The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-01-05
The War Fifty
Years Ago
TContinued from Fourth Page. ]


Forces were concentrated at points In
Virginia Kentucky and Missouri. with
detachments at Port Royal, $. O., and
Pensacola, Fla.
The lnrgest force was In Virginia
and the next largest IN the depart
ments commanded by General Buell.
ana General Halleck. with headquar-
ters at Louisville and st. Louis re-
spectlvely. The force IN front Of
Washington intended for the defense
OF the capital numbered from 10000 TO
100000 men. Buell. had about 100000
and Halleck nearly as many under his
command. The entire force. including
the troops under General I. w. Sher-
man IN South Carolina and the regi-
ments designed for the expedition to
New Orleans under General Butler,
made not more than 100000 to 475.00O
in the field.
The Confederate Array.
The Confederate forces were natu-
rally distributed In the same field as
their enemy's. At Norfolk and York
town, Va, at the eastern end OF
their line, they had about 10000 men.
Confronting Washington, they had a
line extending from the lower Poto-
mae 10 the upper. with the center and
headquarters at Centerville, twenty
miles from Washington. This position
was strongly fortified and held not less
than $4,000 troops. This entire force
was estimated at 175O00 men. Its com
mander was General j. E. Johnston.
The Confederates also had troops con-
fronting Buell. in Kentucky and Ten
nessee and at various points In Mis-
souri,. also in Florida. Small forces
were held at Vicksburg, Natchez, New
Orleans. Mobile. Savannah and Charles
ton. The total force under arms was
not far from 100000 men, although It
was estimated at the time that about
100000 men had rallied around the
Confederate dag.
The Federal authorities thought that
G0,000 cavalry was too large a force
Of that arm Of service for the kind Of
warfare ahead. The recruiting Of cav.
alrymen had stopped. but it was not
long before the war department heads |
changed their mind. The Confederates |
were expert hOrsemen and used mount !
ed troops in such q daring way that
their enemy could not cope except with |
mounted men. In the north was a great |
rush TO ''iine the cavalry" OF course |
the government furnished the horses, !
and it was the tremendous outlay |
of money necessary to fit out mounted |
troops which had caused the govern |
ment to halt. In the Confederate cav |
airy the trooper furnished his horse.
Cavalry service was also popular with |
southern men. and the Confederate |
government accepted horsemen as fast |
as they organized.
In the matter of the navy the United |
States again had the better of the |
Confederate states. All Of the sloops |
and frigates of the old navy, with the |
exception of the Merrimac, which was |
burned to the waters edge in the de |
struction of the Norfolk navy yard, |
were in its hands. They were steam |
and screw propellers, fast sailers and |
right up to date. The government de-
cided to construct new gunboats pro-
tected by armor plate. Strange to say, |
the Confederates, in spite of the scar
city of material in the south, were |
pioneers at the building Of armored |
warships. They had them fighting be-
fore the Federals were ready. John
Ericsson. the Swede. was already
building in New York the little iron
clad which was to become famous as
the Monitor Even with the largest
navy the United States was not in
position to push the war adoat be-
cause the best ships were stationed on
blockade service. In the shallow wa
ters of the sounds and on the rivers
the light draft river steamers. even
ferryboats, were pressed into service.
Early in the war the general senu-
ment north and south was in favor OF
severe punishment for prisoners taken
in the war. To the southernery the
men in blue were invaders and hom-
CONTINUED on eighth page