Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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HOW MY SOLDIERS H Impossible to Tell Hx South Had---jVToderai M. V. Moore i.i New Ot i How many mea were there in tho Confederate armies? This appears to be one of the problems of hi?tory which will never have an entirely sat isfactory solution. There are widely diverse opinions touching the facts. And it is a matter of lament that all the official material necessary to re move the obstacles of doubt has long -ince passed into the abyss of obliv ion. In the final collapse of the Con federacy, the essential data-the cor rect rosters revealing its true military power from beginning to end-were either purposely or accidentally de stroyed. In the Confederate archives falling into the hands of thc viotors, we have only the fragmentary remains of thc army rolls-the imperfect ma terials now irr the bureaus at Wash ington. These fragmentary records are se v- rely tantalizing and disappointing. Tl.e eye of an expert at once detects in them great gaps, which 30-odd j rs of effort have failed to fill in properly. The Federal authorities, io attempting to recover the missing data, placed the vast mass of matter in its possession in the hands of a distinguished Confederate officer, Gen. Marcus J. Wright, in the hope that in his sympathy with the work the tangled skein of the history there could be eventually thoroughly straightened out, and the clear facts given to the world. But the missing records have never been discovered; and the labors of Cen. Wright, though long and hope ful, have never resulted in ultimate success. It has been observed that in all their utterances in connection with the military strength of the Confed eracy the member* its immediate civil government have given expression to simply vague generalities. Not a word or a line has come from any of thc survivors that savors from positive knowledge, with possibly a single ex ception. In my personal correspon dence with Mr. Davis, the ex-presi dent, I endeavored to obtain from him an expression as to definite facts. In one of the very ?a9t letters he ever wrote with his own hand he informed me that he could not speak from mere memory, and that all of the official papers he had bearing on the subject had been filched from him. It will be remembered that Mr. Stephens, the ex-vice-president, in his history, says that the Confederacy raised for its defense "only about 600,000 men." This statement of Mr. Stephens has long been ignored even by Georgians and other Southern writers who have essayed the task of writing the naked truth about the Confederacy. And yet I have never been able to under stand why the vice president's utter ances should not have been oredited with their fullest value. Mr. Ste phens was a man oareful in all his statements; and he seldom uttered an expression pertaining to any history until after he had taken time and trouble to inform himself as to the truth of his remarks. In a recent letter to me, the Hon. John H. Rea gin, the solo survivor of the Confed erate cabinet, writes that in accord ance with his recollection the strength of the Confederate armies was "about 700,000," all told. Only a few months ago I made another inquiry of Gen. Wright, in charge oz the Confederate archives in Washington, in hope of obtaining the latest revised reports from that source. He writes in reply that the records are still incomplete, hut that from the evidence obtaina ble it does not appear that the total enlistments in the Confederate armies, from beginning to end, will exceed 700,000 all told. . " . There remained to me one more hope. IQ the efforts to secure the very fall ?st facta from unquestionable sources, I addressed typewritten cir cular letters to the governors of all the different Southern States that had contributed to the military forces of the Confederacy. I asked that I be furnished, through the official bureaus of the respective States, with the in formation at hand respecting the r"--ber ?? troops contributed by the States to the Confederate armies. Tn not a single instance have the replier, received been definite and satisfac tory. ,-. Many readers are aware of the faet j tiat a few of our Southern States haye Juade praiseworthy efforts to seoure correct rosters of thoir soldierly seiv l0S in tho war over secession. But it *ould seem" that the facts are against tho undertakings-as the fates were against the Confederacy. In not a single instance reported waa there on file in the State archives absolutely correct daky pertaining to tho State ^lunteers. Tho records from South karolina, only recently completed, .?Ppear to bo freer from fault than AB THE CONFEDERACY ? )w Many Soldiers the te Estimate 650,000. leans Times-Democrat. ? Vi non nf V?? ni a* ai- Q*?*a- ~e tka Hnn - Ul ubi nioici i/iuita ui tua vuu~ j federacy. The work of sifting and ' securing the truth has been long and full of patient and heroic endeavor. But after all the reward ' is not wholly satisfactory. The first of the Southern States to attempt anything like a history of her soldiery was North Carolina. But the work was done so hastily, and without the fullest co-operation of the different county authorities and the interested surviving Confederates, that it is grievously full of great errors. The official records at Wash ington show that thc State had in the Confederate service Cl) infantry regi ments, 6 cavalry regiments and 10 or ll miscellaneous commands of artil lery and other troops. The State authorities claim that the total esti mate of the different commands was 123,000 men-this the number of sol diers given by that one State to the Confederacy. The evidences show that this esti mate is erroneous. There were in the State of North Carolina io 1860 only 115,369 persons liable to military duty -persons between the ages of 18 and 45. It would have required all these and about 8,000 more, minors and seniors, to have brought the estimate up to the figures claimed.- And it must be borne in mind that there were several thousand men of miltary age. io the State who weie not in the Con federate service. These were the State and county civil officers, rail road officials and employees, and other manufacturing and mill men, and other exempts, in an average of moro than 100 to each of the 90-odd coun ties of the State. Then- there were more than 3,000 of the North Carolina men of military .agc, who were in the Federal armies from that Stale. When the conscription acts came the "jun ior" and "senior" reserves from the State numbered only about 5,000. Another source of error in the esti mates of the North Carolina authori ties is in counting the same troops twice in the process of consolidation of battalions aod depicted regiments. I personally know of entire commands counted twice in the published official rosters from which the estimate of 123,000 is drawn-the count made i once in "battalion" and also in "regi ment." In this one instanoe there is an error of abont 1,000. There are instances wit err. one name has been counted three times. Now I am sure that in these revelations I have no desire to detract from the glory of North Carolina for having contributed more troopB to thc Confederacy than any other State. I am satisfied she had but few, if any m ire than 100,000 troops, all told, in the oexvica of the Confederacy. If all the North Caro lina regiments entering the Confeder ate armies had contained originally 1,000 men, it would have required about 500 additional recruits to have brought up the commands to the esti mate claimed. But there were only a very few regiments that started out with a full thousand. Some entered the service with about 700, and very few received more than 300 recruits, all told, froabeginning to end. Regi ments that were organised as late as ?863 took at once the bulk of the re maining war material of the State these never afterward having any ac cessions oF consequence to their ranks. The sots bf consolidation began in 1863. At the close of the war in 1865 the great majority of the North Carolina troops remaining in the field were surrendered by Gen. Lee at Ap pomattox, and there were only 45 regimental organizations embraced, their total strength being 4,875--a little over 100 men to the regiment. There is not a man living in North Carolina or elsewhere who believes those 45 regiments had lost, each, more than 1,000 . men in the whole period of the war. This feature of the subject will be reverted to in an other illustration bearing on the point at issue. The Bame general observations re feiring to the estimates from North Carolina apply with equal fore? *? the estimate of the South Carolina troops. There is one conspicuous .exception'. To the everlasting glory of her sons, be it said, South Carolina is the only Southern State that had no organized command of native white troops in the Federal armies of invasion and conquest. The Palmetto State gave all ?he had to the canse for which she starttd tho war-for secession. Mas sachusetts and ??ttr York got the credit for most of tho "colored'* en listments from the State. According to the official rolla at Washington, South Carolina had in the Confederate service 40 regiments of infantry aod cavalry, exclusivo of artillery and detached commands, amounting tb about 2,500 men? State authorities, iu the receot publication, place the grand total at 65,000 men, round numbers, embraced in 50 regi ments, irrespective of some small local organizations; all this out of a mili tary population of only 00,000 in 1800. The figures of the gallant and ac complished historian, Col. J. P. Thomas, appear to me to be excessive, and for the same general reasons I have given in the references above to the North Carolina estimates. To claim that South Carolin:? had 05,000 men in her 50 regiments would bo to givo each of the organizations an original force of 1,000 with subsequent recruits of 300 each. Speaking from something of a personal famili arity with thc facts, I would say that "recruiting" was a slow business ia South Carolina after T801 and 1802. When the war drums beat there first, early in the struggle, there was an impetuous rush to the front. After the first oall for the volunteers but few of the men of military age were left behind-the only source of supply being in the maturing youth. The conscription act scarcely affected the result in that State, for the men were already gone to the front. The neces sary exemptions were, however, ?arge, as was apparent to those passing through the State, as I had occasion to do several times during the war. I think tl.a. a liberal estimate of thc troops i.ciuJly in the service of the Confede;.tey from South Carolina would be 50,030, this not including the thousands of citizens of Charles ton who did occasional military duty there. The State authorities claim that over 20,000 of her sons wero slain in battle or died of wounds and sick ness during the war. Tho majority of the South Carolina troops were with Gen. Lee in Vir ginia. At the surrender at Appomat tox there were only 17 regiments left in the consolidations; these had a force of only 3,800, a little over 200 to the regiment. This would show, according to the claims of tho State authorities, a general loss of more than a thousand men to eaoh of those regiments for the whole period of the war, this including deaths and the captive prisoners confined in the Northern stockades and dungeons. Tho btattsttes bhow that the per centage of unexchanged prisoners lost by thc Confederates was about one in every seven of the enlistment. If South Carolina lost 20,000 in fatali ties, and 10,000 in piis'-ners, she should have 35,000 men yet in the field, according to her historian, an average of over 700 to the t< ?iment. Instead of this, we find that the aver age is only a little; over 200. Now, I have been thus explicit ic the two illustrations, in order that we may have som? bases for determining tnt correct faots with regard to those and other estimates whioh pardonable State pride passes upon the State sacrifices, in the termination of ans obscure problem, the elements of first value are always the known factors ic the problem. In mathematics th? unknown is measured by the law governing the known figures. And lei me repeat: In what I am saying ] have no desire to detraot from th? glory or valor of the soldiery from anj of the States. I justly claim an inter est in the State pride of fonr of th) Southern commonwealths contributif to the glory of the Confederate sol dier. First there is my native land Tennessee, theo Virginia, North Caro lina and South Carolina, within whos< borders I have lived, and whose son are kindred with my own blood. But historio truth should be as pre oiouB to us all as State pride. Wha I want in this matter is simple justin to the real few who did the fighticj against the unparalleled odds fightini against them. I am not figuring for ? list which can appear in competitioi and rivalry. I am using statistic that cannot be ignored-figures tha tell their own tale of terrible troth The cold and irrefutable papers in th Confederate archives at Washingtoi show that, r?duoing all the Southon commands to the bases of "regiments, there were less than 900 of the differ ent organizations from the Souther States in. the Confederate annice The known facts also show that th regimental average was far below 80C In some State's it was higher than i others. Hence the great difficulty i making a general application for th development of troth. Alabama, for instance, had about fi regimental organisations; and yet ! Cannot be shown that the State had t many a? 65,000 of her sons in the w( service. Offini*i publications of ?fc?i half of her regiments show an aggr? gate of only 27,314 troops-all sei to Virginia. Of these Alsban regiments, there w^re only 20 re] resented at Appomattox, with 3,1( veterans surviving at thesnrrender. Virginia had 57 regiments aad ? artillery commands represented i Appomattox,. their totsl snrvivii st rene th being only 4,814. Th grand old commonwealth had contri uted from beginning to end abo 60,000 men to tho Confederacy. Mu* of her territory had actually secedi from the State, sending tho milita population ioto the Federal armit which, strange to say, although fig! ing secession elsewhere, welcome with open hearts and arms, that Vi ginia secession-actually sustainiug it with Federal bayonets after the war. Mississippi had about 80 regiments in the Confederate armies-less than 75,000 men total. At Appomattox there were left only ll regiments, with a total of GOO men surrendering. The trans-Mississippi departments had in the Confederate armies less than 135 regimental organizations, and with less than 100,000 soldiers all told. Georgia furnished a total of about 100 regiments, with a little less than 100,000 troops. The State authorities claim 120,000. At Appomattox there were represented 37 regiments and some smaller organizations of (ieor gians, with only 5.028 veterans sur viving in the surrender. Louisiana had 40 regiments in the service, with about 40,000 soldiers ail told; 10 of the regiments were represented at Appomattox, with only 400 survivor?. Thc official statistics at Washington show that the State of Tenuessec had about 100 regiments in the Confeder ate service. The State authorities claim a total of over 110 regiments of infantry and cavalry, exclusive of several batteries of artillery, and mak ing the aggregat) of all thc State's contribution to the Coufederacy 1*3,000 soldiers. This another estimate which I think is largely overdrawn-. In 18G0 the military population of Tennessee was about the same as that of North Caro lina, 115,301); and yet Tennessee sent one-third of her soldiery into the Federal armies-the official figures giving the contribution at 31,002. The conscription acts were not en forced in Tennessee as they were in North Carolina. After the fall of Fort Donelson, Memphis, and Knox ville the Confederate power in Ten nessee was broken, and the regimonts already in the field dwindled away without even a hope of recuperation or recruit. At the surrender of Gen. Lee Tennessee had only nine regi ments there, and these numbered only 419-less than 50 to each command. I am satisfied that a generously fair estimate of the Tennessee troops in tho Confederate service would not ex ceed 80,000 men all told. I havo already reff rred to statistics representing thc States of North and South Carolina. What stirs us most is that showing of the direful mortali ties. We have seen 62 regiments going out from those States with an original strength of, say, 900 or 1,000 each, with only 8,675 surviving vete rans bidding good bye to their long defended flag at Appomattox. This makes an average of less than 140 to eaoh regiment. The official figures I show that about 10,000 of those regi I menta were in Northern prisons. \Yo are told also that more than 25,000 of the original volunteers were in sol diers' graves-their hallowed dust in every State, from_the lakes to the gulf, and from the Fort Warren ceme tery in Massachusetts to the Mexican border on the Rio Grande. And yet still, after adding every possible - JU contingent figure, we cannot make the original muster rolls give an aggregate such as is claimed by the State pride. The faot is, the State authorities get ting up the figures have been over generous in their estimates. Let us make a recapitulation show ing the different mere "estimates" ?iven for the troops from five of the outhern States contributing tho bulk of the fighting material to the Con federacy. After presenting the fig ures we shall give another tabulation showing the statistics from sources that are mainly official, and cannot be questioned: My esti mate in Regiments Troops max. State, claimed, claimed, figures. South Carolina.. 00 65,000 50,000 North Carolina.. 80 123,000 100,000 Tennessee.115 113,000 80,000 Georgia.100 120,000 90,000 Louisiana. 40 50,000 40,000 385 471,000 800,000 Alabama:.;..85 60,000 Mississippi. 80 65,000 Virginia..:. 75 60,000 Transmis8issippi.l35 100,000 Other States. 50 45,000 Total.810 6*90,000 It will be seen by these figures that I have made an advance on the origi nal estimate based on the first exami nation Of the archives in Washington -the change, in deference to the data furnished by State authorities. No satisfactory reports, or estimates even, were received from any exoept the five ? first named States. I feel quite sure that the estimates I have given are excessive, if not maximum, figures in j every instance. Let us see how the aggregates comfort o.- harmonize with those drawn from statistics of a some what different character. There are, first, an array of official reports emanating from the Federal authority which, in this instance, fortunately cannot bo questioned fairly by anyone. We have the total number of the Confederates surrender ing to the victors. The muster rolls were made at the time when there was no tnotiv? for ecscc&lse?ts or exag gerations-when a discovery of such motives would have doubtless given trouble to some one. The total official figures giving the numbers surrendered are 139,356, or, in round numbers, say 140,000. There were in the Northern prisons, in round numbers, 98,000 more. Twonty-seven thousand, in round numbera, are reported to have died in am! were buried from thc Northern prisons. About 20,000 more are to be added for the numbers ol the Confederate soldiers taking thc oath of allegiance to the Federal gov eminent and going into the Federal annies of the Western frontiers, oi going peaceably elsewhere. This gives us a total of 285,00( known and accounted for. The re maining element accounting for thc full complement of tho original volun teers-the unknown factors in th? problem- must be determined by com parativc testimonies, and by mere es ti mutes without the comparative bases. The figures under this head refer to the Confederate soldiers represented as "absent" with or without leave, and who were not embraced on the muster rolls made at the dates of thc various surrenders. The number has been generally placed at 50,000 men. And yet I have never seen any South ern authority that admits the accuracy of thc estimate. It is an exaggera tion; but the figures can go in thc recapitulation as "approximately" true. For the numbers representing the "slain" on the battlefields and "died of wounds and disease," wc can only approximate the Confederate losses in comparison with the official Federal fatalities of similar character. Out of the total enlistments of tho Federals, about 2,800,000, the mortalities re ported do not reach quite 12 per cent. ! The Federal loss in tho killed in bat tle is 07,058. according to government statistics. Federal authorities place the Confederate killed at 75,(100, an estimate doubtless near the correct mark; although there were only a few of the great battles of thc war wherein the Southern troops were the heaviest sufferers in the killed. Franklin and Nashville (Tenn.) aud Atlanta (Ga.) were among them. At Fredericks burg and Cold Harbor. Va., and at Vicksburg, Miss., tho Federal losses in killed were many times greater thau the Confederate. The Southern loss in "deaths from wounds and dis ease" has been placed at 235,000 - about tho same as thc similar casual lies in the Federal armies. Thc facil ities for curing disease and healing wounds were fearfully restricted and limited in the Confederate hospi ,; and hence the percentage of losses on this tcore wa-) against tho Southern soldier. Io a recapitulation of all the items referred to the following appear: Confederate troops Surrendering, round numbers... 140,000 In Northern prisons at close of war. 98,000 Deaths in Northern prisons. 27,000 Released from Northern prisons. 20,000 285 000 Killed outright in battle. Tsiooo Died of wounds and disease.235,000 Absent from roll at surrenders.. 50,000 Estimate for maimed soldiers re tired from service. 10,000 Total.655,000 The world has never seen just such an. exhibition of valor and heroic re sistance as displayed by the Confed erate soldier in that long struggle for Southern independence-iu thu fight to settle the question of secession. The records show that it was a conflict wherein the aggregated forces engaged were in a ratio of about five to one - the Federal enlistments in army and navy running up to more than 3,000, 000, as against six hundred and fifty odd thousand Confederates. The feature of the lon?; struggle which the friends of the Confederate soldier should never forget nor fail to keep before the eyes of the world ? that whic'i shows that th* southernei was not defeated by his northern bro thers alone. Early in the struggle thc Federal government realized the fact that tho South could not be beaten by thc North in a single-hand contest. And hence the great array of oraton cal talent and "business" diplomats with full purses, to tempt, with offer! of seductive "bounty," the soldiers ol fortune in the Old World. Nor die Mr. Beecher and his able coadjutor) go to Europe to plead for the cause o "the Union." They went having oi their lips the battle cry of "Humai Liberty" and "Human Freedom" and snob. And it was that cry -there tha settled the fate of the Southern Con federacy. For in addition to the na tive-born Americans of the Northen States who offered their lives in de fense of the Union, there were-ao cording to the official statistics fur nished by the Federal secretary of wa -more than 720,000 foreigners whi came over and enlisted in the figh against the South. If the South hat not been divided the issue even thei might have been different. But sue! was cot the case. Instead of present: ing a united front to the enemy w were rent in twain over the issues and States which sent less than 700, 000 soldiers to fight for the Souther! independence sent also more than 500, 000 of their sons and their negroos t aid the northerner and the foreigoe in crushing the Confederacy. Nevertheless, the story of the strug gie over secession is one in whiol every true American can feel a jua pride; for the conflict was but a dc velopment of the American valoi And not the least important feature o the conflict was io tho fact that i opened tho eyes of the outside worl to the power and possibilities of th American soldiery. It certain! placed tho Uuited States governmen in ih? highest position among th most formidable of all the militar, powers of the world.. It led to th downfall of Spain; for without the prc c?dent of the past to deter them, w would have had other nations of Eu rope behind the Spaniard in 1898. It is a debt we owe to our nations pride lo keep the story of the Con federate soldier and his record befor the world. It will not do for his ol foes to decry his valor or his sacrifie? It is an attack on the American spiri to discredit the southerner's patriot ism, and it is also a reflection on th American motherhood; for patriotisi is not the heritage confined to an singlo section of the common country ? remember well that when a bo: in 1817, I heard a discussion in whic one of the orators was referring in di rogatory terms to the Mexican soldiei over which our national troops ha gained such immortal victorie "Sir!" said a man of wisdom and n tional pride, as in reply he turned a? leveled his finger in a withering r b?ke direoted at his antagonist-"Si when you impngn the valor of tl Mexican soldier, fighting on his nati1 soil-fighting an invasion-you once strike a blow at Gen. Scott ai Gen. Taylor and the brave America! fighting under them!" I have never forgotten thc remar nor have I ceased to treasure tl spirit giving it birtb. * And I have also thought th nt wh ever impugns the valor of the Confc ? era?c soldier; whoever puts a slur < his patriotism: whoever denies hi justice, aims a blow at Gen. Grant ai veterana of thc Union. BILIOUS, DROWSY, LOW SPIRITED, BODY AND BRAIN WEARY? PRICKLY RELIEVES AND INVIGORATES. It cleanses thc liver and bowels, strengthens the kidneys ?nd aids digestion, thus the system is regulated and the body fortified to resist disease. ... A VALUABLE REMEDY TO KEEP IN THE HOUSE ... SOLD BY ALL DRUGGISTS. Price $1.00 Per Bottle. EVANS PHARMACY, Special Agents. Fruit Jars, To put up your Fruit in. Preserving Powder, To keep Fruit from spoiling. Fruit Jar Rubbers, To put on your old Jars. Tartaric .A-cid, To make Cherry and Blackberry Acid. Sticky I^ly Paper, To catch the flies while working with your fruit ALL AT HILL-ORR DRUG CO. E G. EVANS, Jr. R. B. DAY, M. 1). PENSSLSTOSi, S. ?. 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