40 Southern, Historical Sodefi/ Papers.
New York Tribune and other papers, to the effect that secession was the proper course for the southern people to pursue, and his 6ft- repeated expression, " Wayward sisters, part in peace," seemed to meet the full approval of the great body of the people of the North. In obedience to all this advice, the Southern States did secede, and almost immediately the vast Federal armies were raised, battles were fought, money expended, and this, let me tell my friend from New York, was the cause of the vast appropriations regarding which he asked an explanation.
These appropriations were made to carry on the most stupendous war recorded in modern history. From April 15, 1861, to the close of the war, there were called into the service of the United States 2,865,028 soldiers. Besides this we have had evidence placed before Congress of numerous organizations called into service by the Gov- ernors or other officials of border States, which would probably num- ber 500,000 men.
That these men were brave is proved by the terrible casualties of the battles which they fought.
The struggle from May 5 to May 12, 1864, at the Widerness and Spotsylvania, which should really be called one battle, was a good index of the sanguinary character of the conflict.
The losses of Grant's army in that conflict, as reported in Scrib- ner's statistical record, was 9,774 killed, 41,150 wounded, and 13,254 missing.
It gives an idea of the magnitude of this conflict to recall that General Grant's loss in killed and wounded in this battle was greater than the loss in killed and wounded in all the battles of all the wars in this country prior to 1861.
The loss in all the battles of the seven years of the Revolution was 2,200 killed, and 6,500 wounded.
The loss in the army of 1812 was 1,877 killed and 3,737 wounded.
The loss in the war with Mexico was 1,049 killed and 7,929 wounded ; in all, only 19,227 men.
Now, if we add all the losses of the Indian wars, including the French and Indian war, the entire loss would be less than half the killed and wounded in this great battle.
As another evidence of the gallantry of the officers and soldiers, I will mention that during that war forty-six generals of the United States army and seventy-six generals of the Confederate army were killed at the head of their commands in battle.
