Show j SUBJECT jl Some Some friend has sent us the Confederate Veteran Magazine t published in the south with a marked arlei ar- ar lei purporting to be the statistics of the time enlisted solin sol sol- irs in both armies by Gen Gage P. P Thurston U. U J A I i w f burden of all this is that according to the his his- ym i 1 ti of oft the o United States b by Mr Ir Waddy Thompson t Atlanta Ga published III in 1904 1901 Gen John B. B Ida dot n. n states It is probable that the total num- num 4 j of enlistments in the five confederate armies was 1 r fa million The writer of the article says The union army aImy i from to and the con feder- feder increased ed from to men is too 4 it fI b a difference Southern authors should be very f il lof of their figures A compromise from both 1 to actual year three soldiers might be nearer r t Uth n i fen the e estimates of one Dr John B. B Deering of ofton ton Ky Ivy express the opinion that the esti- esti Jb C Of od f the veterans It is correct I believe save saye 3 gU iL does not include as part of the union strength i meal wan serving on the northern side in the navy of ted States The author of Lee and His Ilis to uses uses the same figures for the time forces of the time States StateR engaged on land but increases them by her her- of men in the naval l of the union aggregated strength opposed d to the south is is' represented by y his figures figures he he quotes from froDl the Encyclopedia Britannica thorny of high reputation for fairness and p and it states that 19 men were called federal government and in actual service ervice k Den ion Then this master of figures says i is is done and men be accepted as ite strength it will ill be seen that we ve fj good fight of the fearful odds in that un un- y jT almost fh five e to one that is it lacked but buti ry i of being exactly five to one Rather ther unprofitable work It is true no doubt large number of men were engaged in the Anice of the United States but save SKye the little ant ent of Fort r and the fight at Forte Forti Fort 4 e a i naval service of the United States had bad but its one was to clear the Mississippi this 0 took Mobile bay and ana th the Kearsarge sunk s 's llama ima The principal duty was to blockade rand and keep supplies from being run in by forThe for for- that was effective service for it reduced f Ees of the confederacy but he impression article is to give to southern youth the idea season reason the south was beaten in the war was southern soldiers had five to one to fight fighte e- e r we finally finaDy worn out by those tremendous 1 The northern J army army was very large coun counting ing t the e. e it numbered nearly neady soldiers but II IH-II there were tre ninety day men amen there wore were year one there were wr year three mien men and the names num's of many thousands fur for that matter maUrI were on the roll three or 01 four tom times General Gordon thinks the confederates nearly nearl a million men The south will wiH admit admit admit ad ad- mit we presume e that about all its available fighting men were in the ranks and the tho south num numbered ered of white men when the war wal began hIRU Tho The north had to have garrisons it had ha hato to fight an nn offensive warfare and keep open its it communications with the r rear According to the laws of all nations th they were justified ed in having baying two to one ono to make that offensive warfare but the point which is sought by byI bythe bythe I the veteran is to show slow that in actual combat the south had about five to one ogle to contend con ond against which I is not VOl very credible because there is no battle of the I war and there were a thousand from beginning to toI end cull where the northern soldiers had an any large superior supe supe- superior I riol force and was beaten bateu At Antietam and Gett Gettysburg there was not any serious serious serious se se- rious discrepancy y and military critics have havo ever since thought that Leos Lees arm army ought to have been ben captured in both battles In the wilderness fights Meade orca de had a superior force but Lee was fighting behind i ments on chosen ground At Stone Stono River at Chicka- Chicka at Chattanooga there were no great discrepancies discrepancies discrepancies dis dis- in iu the forces on either side and amI the south south- southern ern historian if ho really wants to be absolutely fair ought to have added one more paragraph to his article article article ar ar- that is that the forces of the enemy were much munch superior to the southern forces in numbers because because because be be- cause they had communications to guard they badI had bad I southern sympathizers all over the time north to look after but in actual battle hattle the time south never whipped five to one never two to one never noyel one and one half to one in any battle of the war Avar That would have Jave made it all right I |