Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 06.djvu/40

30 cavalry from the 31st of May, and the brigade of regular batteries to the 112,988, and the aggregate present would be smartly above 120,000.

In order to show how fallacious is the Comte's theory that there was a decrease of the number for duty in the Army of the Potomac on the march, it is only necessary to compare the returns of June the 20th and 30th together. At the former date, the return shows, in the seven corps, a total present for duty of 78,889, whereas at the latter date the return shows a total present for duty in these same corps of 84,135, being an increase of 5,246. The only evidence of any addition to these corps in the way of new troops is in regard to the addition of two brigades of Crawford's division to the Fifth corps, and the increase in the present for duty in that corps is only 2,908, in the aggregate present 3,234, and in the aggregate present and absent 4,495; whereas there was a total increase, in the present and absent of the seven corps, of 5,560. It appears that there was an increase in the Second corps of 2,355 in the aggregate present and absent, and an increase of the present for duty of 1,681. In the Eleventh corps there was an increase in the aggregate present and absent of 190, and in the present for duty of 42. There must, therefore, have been some additions to the Second and Eleventh corps in the way of recruits, or new organizations attached to them, of which no account is given. In each of the other corps there was a small decrease in the aggregate present and absent, and in all of them, except the Third corps, there was an increase in the number present for duty, showing that the additions to them in the latter respect were from the return of convalescents or others to duty. In the Third corps there was a decrease of 22 in the present for duty. Now, when the returns show a gradual increase in the numbers present for duty, and the aggregate present also, from from the 20th to the 30th of June, though the army was moving all the time, that increase being independent of any recruits or addition of new troops, the Comte de Paris has undertaken a task simply impossible in attempting to show that there was a decrease of thirteen per cent, in the numbers reported for duty on the 30th of June, or stated to have been present for duty on the 28th, in so short a space of time. In order to succeed, he must first show that false returns were made out by both Hooker and Meade.

The return for May 31st showed 10,192 present for duty in Pleasonton's cavalry, and there was added to it Stahl's cavalry of 6,100 sabres, making the whole about 16,300, and this the Comte reduces