The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-12-22
The Confederate Armies
Not More Than 100000 Men Served With
the Colors-Rev R. H. M'Kim Washington,
d. G.. in New York Sun.

WORK in the various branches OF manu-
facture necessary for the support OF the
a5aY snq gs9pig rs a 90 also We ie' have no
accurate statistics Of the men detailed
for these purposes but General Kemper
in q report made ia December. 1854
states that the returns of the Bureau
obviously imperfect and partial.
show 2s.035 men between eighteen
and fOrty-hve in the State of Virginia
detailed for all causes In view of this
number detailed in single State IL is
deemed q conservative estimate 20 put
the number of men detailed in eleven
These deductions make 3s5 400. Deduct.
ing this number from the grand total
naming available for military duty
81 so. To this we must add possibly
80 go for men who came 70 the Confec-
crate cOiOrs the first year OF the war
from that part of the territory which
by May. is52. was completely controlled
hy the Federal armies. This will give
an aggregate OF s2i 800 men actually
enrolled for war purposes by the South.
II seems 10 be overlooked by Col
Livermore and others In their estimates
Of the available population for military
purposes that the confederate stare
government had not only 70 organize
AN army but also 20 establish manu-
featuring plants for the equipment or
the army and 70 MAINTAIN me com
men in eleven states We know ap-
prOximately the respective numbers IN
the great battles OF the war, ana SUD
nit that these numbers are more con-
sisfent with the maximum OF 60, OOo
20 10000 men serving win the coiofs
than with 10000. If. indeed. the Con
feGeracy had been able 70 muster IN
arms. 200. go men, IL would have been
greatly 70 the dis1redit Of its able
generals that never were they able %
confront the enemy with over HOO
men
In estimates by Southern writer's
occur conflicting statements as TO the
strength OF the Confederate armies
President Tyler. OF William and
Mary College. writing in the South
in the Building Of the Nation" says
In round numbers the South had on
her muster rolls from nTSt 10 last ABOUT
coo 90 men
This estimate agrees with that Of
Adjutant- Genera. Cooper. DR.. Bledsoe
Vice President Alexander 4. stephens,
Preston But other writer's in the same
publication alleges that Ala bama. Mis-
sissippi, North Carolina South Carolina;
Tennessee Texas Virginia. furnished
7.5 coo men. and other Southern writer's
represent that Georgia. Louisiana. and
Florida furnished the Confederate army
in addition 70 these. 100 900 men, making
Z total of ss5 900. II Is almost commonly
asserted that the border States fur
nished the Confederate army. not less
than III 900 men. which would make a
total of esq 90 in the Confederate
army This enormous discrepancy
between COO 900 and ,oS2 .oool suggests a
CarciHi revision OF the ~LOic c4OJra-t
Some Northern writers-eg-. A b
Casteliman-have placed the number
as high as ! 500. 600. Even our good friend
Mr. Charles Francis Adams, puts the
number a. high as l.2T1 600, and argues
that the estimate given by Southern
writer's of 600 coo Is highly discreditable
10 the devotion and patriotism OF the
Southern people
Now. the strongest argument brought
forward by Northern historians in sup
port OF his opinion Is found in the claims
made by the historians OF the eleven
seeded States 20 which ! have just
alluded. is u not more probable that
these writers IN their zeal for the honor
and glory of the several States which
they represent have made serious errors
than that the leading men IN the Con-
fe0erafe armies whose names 1 have
mentioned above. who were at the
sources OF information and who ought
TO have been we'll Informed. should have
so enormously underesrImated the num-
Der OF men actually in the Confederate
army
Now the Military Secretary OF the
War Depart mert in a circular issued
May Is 1905. states that although the
aggregate mum Der Of credits for enlist
? rs 600, that Office estimates that the
whole mum Der of individuals in service
IN the Union army and navy during
the civil war was only 2.2l3Uo. The diff
ference ,565 ODD n accounted for by re
enlistments May not this principle
explain the hardly credible mum bers
claimed by the several State writers
AZ the present times
But there are several other matters