A Memoir of the Last Year of the War for Independence in the Confederate States of America/Statistics showing the relative strength of the two Sections during the War
B.
STATISTICS SHOWING THE RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE
TWO SECTIONS DURING THE WAR.
The census of the United States for 1860 showed an aggregate free population of 27,185,109; of this, 488,285 were free blacks, of which the larger proportion were in the Southern States; but it is not necessary to consider that element in this estimate, though to do so would make it more favorable for the Confederate States. Of the above 27,185,109 of free population, there were in the States forming the Southern Confederacy, as follows:
| Alabama | 529,164 |
| Arkansas | 324,323 |
| Florida | 78,686 |
| Georgia | 595,097 |
| Kentucky | 930,223 |
| Louisiana | 376,913 |
| Mississippi | 354,690
|
| Missouri | 1,058,352 |
| North Carolina | 661,586 |
| South Carolina | 301,271 |
| Tennessee | 834,063 |
| Texas | 420,651 |
| Virginia | 1,105,196 |
| Aggregate | 7,570,224 |
Kentucky undertook to assume a neutral position, but she was soon overrun by Federal troops, and her government and a very large proportion of her population took sides with the North. Those of her citizens who were not awed by Federal bayonets, formed a State government and joined the Confederacy—many of her young men going into the Confederate army; but, in fact, whatever may have been the sympathies of the people, her moral influence as well as the benefit of her physical strength were given to the Federal Government. The legitimate Government of Missouri sided with the South, as very probably did the majority of her people, but she was also overrun at a very early stage of the war by Federal troops, and her legitimate Government subverted by force; and the benefit of her resources and physical strength was likewise given to the United States, not-withstanding the fact that a large number of her men joined the Confederate army. Perhaps the number of men added to the strength of the Confederate army from Kentucky and Missouri did not exceed the accession to the Federal army from Western Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, and some other of the Southern States, and that, in estimating the relative strength of the two parties at the beginning, it would be proper to reject Kentucky and Missouri from the estimate of the Confederate strength. The free population of these two States amounted to 1,988,575, and without them there would be left on the Confederate side a free population of 5,581,649 against a similar population of 21,603,460 on the Federal side, which would make the odds against us very nearly four to one. But I will divide the population of these States equally between the parties, and this will give a free population of 6,575,937 Confederates, against a similar population of 20,609,172 Federals, which makes the odds more than three to one against us in the beginning, without considering the fact that the Northern people had possession of the Government, with the army and navy and all the resources of that Government, while the Confederate States had to organize a new government, and provide an army and the means of supplying it with arms as well as everything else. Not-withstanding this immense odds against us, I presume there is scarcely a Confederate, even now, who does not feel confident that if it had been "hands off and a fair fight," we would have prevailed; but an immense horde of foreign mercenaries, incited by high bounties and the hope of plunder held out to them, flocked to the Federal army; and thus was its size continually growing, while the Confederate army had to rely on the original population to keep up its strength. Any accession of troops from Maryland was more than counterbalanced by those obtained from Western Virginia by the Federals, without counting East Tennessee or other quarters. The Federal Government was not satisfied with recruiting its army from abroad, but, as the country was overrun, the southern negroes were forced into its service, and thus, by the aid of its foreign mercenaries and the negro recruits, it was enabled finally to exhaust the Confederate army.
To show the immense strength of the Federal army, the following extracts are taken from the report of the Federal Secretary of War, Stanton, which was sent to the Congress at its session beginning on the first Monday in December, 1865. In that report he says:
"Official reports show that on the 1st of May, 1864, the aggregate national military force of all arms, officers and men, was nine hundred and seventy thousand seven hundred and ten, to-wit:
| Available force present for duty | 662,345 |
| On detached service in the different military departments | 109,348 |
| In field hospitals or unfit for duty | 41,266 |
| In general hospitals or on sick leave at home | 75,978 |
| Absent on furlough or as prisoners of war | 66,290 |
| Absent without leave | 15,483 |
| Grand aggregate | 970,710 |
"The aggregate available force present for duty May 1st. 1864, was distributed in the different commands as follows:—
| Department of Washington | 42,124 |
| Army of the Potomac | 120,386 |
| Department of Virginia and North Carolina | 59,139 |
| Department of the South | 18,165 |
| Department of the Gulf | 61,866 |
| Department of Arkansas | 23,666 |
| Department of the Tennessee | 74,174 |
| Department of the Missouri | 15,770 |
| Department of the North-West | 5,295 |
| Department of Kansas | 4,798 |
| Head-quarters Military Division of the Mississippi | 476 |
| Department of the Cumberland | 119,948 |
| Department of the Ohio | 35,416 |
| Northern Department | 9,540 |
| Department of West Virginia | 30,782 |
| Department of the East | 2,828 |
| Department of the Susquehanna | 2,970 |
| Middle Department | 5,627 |
| Ninth Army Corps | 20,780 |
| Department of New Mexico | 3,454 |
| Department of the Pacific | 5,141 |
| Total | 662,345 |
And again:—
"Official reports show that on the 1st of March, 1865, the aggregate military force of all arms, officers and men, was nine hundred and sixty-five thousand five hundred and ninety-one, to-wit:—
| Available force present for duty | 602,598 |
| On detached service in the different military departments | 132,538 |
| In field hospitals and unfit for duty | 35,628 |
| In general hospitals or on sick leave | 143,419 |
| Absent on furlough or as prisoners of war | 31,695 |
| Absent without leave | 19,683 |
| Grand aggregate | 965,591 |
"This force was augmented on the 1st of May, 1865, by enlistments, to the number of one million five hundred and sixteen, of all arms, officers and men, (1,000,516)." And again he says:—
| "The aggregate quotas charged against the several States under all calls made by the President of the United States, from the 15th day of April, 1861, to the 14th day of April, 1865, at which time drafting and recruiting ceased, was | 2,759,049 |
| "The aggregate number of men credited on the several calls, and put into service of the United States, in the army, navy, and marine corps, during the above period, was | 2,656,553 |
| "Leaving a deficiency on all calls, when the war closed, of | 102,596" |
This does not include that portion of the Federal forces consisting of the regular army, and the negro troops raised in the Southern States; which were not raised by calls on the States. It is impossible for me to state the number of troops called into the service of the Confederate Government during the war, as all its records fell into the hands of the United States authorities, or were destroyed, but I think I can safely assert that the "available force present for duty" in the Federal army, at the beginning or close of the last year of the war, exceeded the entire force called into the Confederate service during the whole war; and when it is considered that the troops called into the United States service during that time, numbered more than one-third of the entire free population of the Confederate States, men, women, and children, the world can appreciate the profound ability of the leaders, and the great heroism of the soldiers, of that army which finally overcame the Confederate army, by the "mere attrition" of numbers, after a prolonged struggle of four years. They can be excelled only by the magnanimity of the conquerors.