The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-11
CORRECTING SOME
WAR FIGURES

Inc 1lmeS-On10n makes a conf i
parison between Belgium in the pres
ent war and the South in 1861 |
showing the South had the hardest /
fight and suffered most. The figures Of /
our civil war, particularly OF the fight |
ing in northern Virginia, should be
kept in the minds not only of South !
erners, but all Americans. About the
only time the opposing armies were
anywhere near equal were in the six
days fight near Richmond in 1862
and the second Manassas, when the
Confederates lacked only about TO-
600 men of having as many soldiers
as their opponents At Antietam, Lee
had $4,000 men against McClellan's
$4,000; at Fredericksburg he opposed
about $4,000 to at least twice as
many; at charlottesville he had 49,
600 to Hooker's $4,000; at Gettys-
burg he had 10000 to Meade's sc, 900;
in the Wilderness he had $4,000 men
against Grants 10000 The record
Of the army of Northern Virginia had
not been equalled in history. Ocala
Star.
There are some corrections / trust
you viii permit me to make in the,
figures you use. You say: about
the only time the armies were any
where near equal were in the six days,
fighting at Richmond and the second
Manassas" At Richmond the army.
of Northern Virginia was a little less
than 10000 strong Mcclellan. in
GLIDING the troops under his command
at Old Point, mustered $4,000, and
in every engagement was on the de-
fensive; and in some of these battles,
behind formidable works which in
tensifed his strength. At second
Manassas, Lees army numbered A.,
O60, d. H. Hill's, McLaw's and Ander-
sons divisions and Hampton's cavalry
being left to protect his line of com
munication, and failed to reach Ma
nassas in time for the series of en-
gagements. M. Quad places Pope's
strength at 125,O00 Your Sharps-
burg figures approximate correctness.
3d. 900 and $4,000.
| At Fredericksburg Lees army was
at its maximum, being between 10000
and $4,000 strong. Burnside's army
totaled above 10000. In his testi-
mony before the committee on the
/ conduct of the war, he testified he
had crossed with 100000 of his men
to attack the Confederate. position.
The result is history. NJ Quad, the
authentic federal historian, admits
| General Lee employed only about 20
600 of his troops to repel the assault
ing columns of the enemy.
Charlottesville is the brightest
gem in the halo of Lees imperishable
glory. With Longstreet and three
brigades of his cavalry absent, his
fighting force totaled 53,303. The day
Hooker took possession of Chancel-
louisville, his monthly field report was
filed as "133,708 present for duty
equipped" and his beaten army glad
~ sought shelter on the neither banl
of the Rappahannock.
i Gettysburg found the exultant arm,
of Northern Virginia $4,000 strong
Meade had 1866 of the '.file," am
the full complement of officers which
made his total about 10000. As tn,
causes of Confederate repulse is still
debatable question, argument vii
not be used here. Mine Run was
fasco. Stanton reported to the sec
ond session of the Thirty-ninth Con
gress 149, 16O men were enrolled un
der General Grants banners Swim
, ton, the able historian of the Potoma
army, gives Lee "52, 626 of all arms.
History is not silent as to eth
Wilderness" When Grant had we
enmeshed his huge army in the den
sity of that tangle, Lee struck wit
the audacity of giant. After thre
days, Grant yielded the field after
night attempt to flank Lee, but mis-
took the genius of the great Virgin
ian.
Spottsylvania, North Anna an
second Cold Harbor we're points whel
= the ponderous hammer sought
e break down the Confederate defense
but the tickle goddess wrote failure
e upon Grants banners. There is COZ
n siderable parallel between the inves
L ment of Petersburg and the presel
L campaign in Belgium and easter
g France, except in regard to the forc'
le employed. In the great Europes
le struggle, the belligerents are near
N equal. At Petersburg the disparii
was nearly four to one in favor
n Grant. AT Appomattox, of the elast
re Army of Northern Virginia, 8,7:
he muskets were in line when the COME
D. crate banners were draped in the c
press of final disaster.
The total enlistments in the Co
n federate army approximated 700,0
err in the four years of strife. 1885,