Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/207

 Reunion of Virginia Division, A. N. V. Association. 201

infantry and 4 of cavalry — 57. From Georgia, 34 regiments of infantry and 7 of cavalry — 41. From South Carolina, 28 regiments of infantry and 6 of cavalry — 34. From Alabama, 16 regiments of infantry. From Mississippi, 13 regiments of infantry. From Lou- isiana, 10 regiments of infantry. From Florida, 6 regiments of infantry. From Texas, 3 regiments of infantry. From Tennessee, 3 regiments of infantry, and from Arkansas, one regiment of infantry. I have not been able to ascertain the number of batteries from the different States.

In the assembling and gathering together of this great army we have seen that the)' came in companies — not regiments — except in the case of the " South Carolina brigade of veterans from Fort Sumter," as they were called, and Colonel Blanchard's regiment from Lou- isiana. The volunteers at first came to Virginia in companies, and were organized here into regiments. This was not altogether acci- dental. It was the result of the manner in which our troops were raised, and had lasting effects for good and evil upon the organiza- tion of our army.

Troops are generally raised by appointing the officers of regiments and companies, and leaving to them to enlist the rank and file, who, as it has been said, are usually " the enfants perdu of the world, men who have lost all taste for civil life, who are no loss to civil society."

Such, doubtless, were the men who have composed most armies of the world, and such m'en formed a large part of the Federal army in our war. There were, it is true, in the first regiments raised at the North, especially in New England, such men as Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., describes in an exquisite address delivered at Keen, New Hampshire, memorial day, 1884; men representing all that was highest in the Puritans alike of Old and New England. Such men, doubtless, composed Grover's New England brigade, which made the famous charge on us at Manassas, and no doubt many of the Western regiments were composed of the true yeomanry of the soil. But I rather think the composition of the Fifth New York infantry (Duryee Zouaves), as given in the history of that regiment, was more of the average of the Union troops. Mr. Dav- enport, who wrote the history of the regiment, says :

" There were men among us who could respond to any duty ; representa- tives from all trades with a sprinkling of the lawyers, book-keepers, sailors, and members of the volunteer fire department, many of the latter belong- ing to Company G. There were also veterans who had served in the British