Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/102

 94 Southern Historical Society Papers.

who were not captured, since the wounded, as well as the unwounded, who fell into the enemy's hands, were enumerated among the prisoners.

As to the battle of Five Forks I have adopted Colonel Taylor's estimate, although it is greater by far than developed by the subse- quent proof in the Warren Court of Inquiry, where everything con- nected with that battle was elaborately investigated.* The official reports show that not over 4,500 prisoners were captured there, and that our killed and wounded were about 1,200. Nevertheless, a num- ber of men were without rations, and lost their way in the darkness and the demoralization of the rout, and were prevented by the sub- sequent movement of the armies from rejoining their commands, if they desired to do so. Judging by the strength of their commands next day, and sifting contemporaneous accounts, it is safe to say that 1,300 men above those killed, wounded and captured, were lost to Lee as the result of that battle. The same observations apply with like force to the losses at places where the trenches around Petersburg were carried at the break of day, and in the rout at Sailors Creek, after Gordon's persistent stand there just at dusk on April 6th, and when Ewell's and Anderson's forces were captured. Our losses there can be fairly put at more than the number of killed,

number of rations needed for his army, replied that he could not tell among other reasons because no returns " had been made for several days." Yet Badeau goes on to say " in spite of this statement of his chief," Taylor speaks of the men " who, in line of battle on the gth day of April, 1865, were reported present for duty." But Lee did not say that no returns had been made. General Porter, of Grant's staff, gives Lee's exact words : " I have not seen any returns for several days." This conversation took place on the 9th. On the i2th, three days later, Lee had evidently seen returns, for on that day he wrote his official report of the surrender, in which he says, "according to the reports of the ordnance officers, there were 7,892 organized infantry with arms," &c. Ordnance officers were required to issue a full supply of ammunition to the infantry before the line advanced on the gth, and this is probably the time when they ascertained the number of men needing it (men with arms in their hands) upon which were based the reports of which General Lee speaks. This is quite a dif- ferent report from the returns of the strength of the commands which comes through the Adjutant-General's, and not through the Ordnance Department. the capture of the same prisoners, and the official reports of both corps therefore show a much larger number of prisoners than were actually taken.
 * It seems both the Cavalry Corps and Warren's, in some instances claimed