Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/71

 Lftst Days of the Army of AV///<r// IV/y/////^. 63

which are included all the sick, all the officers and men " on extra or daily duty," and all the officers and men in arrest in Lee's army, Badeau subtracts only 8,433 f r men not available for line of battle duty, and asserts that the residue of 70,000 is Lee's effective righting strength !

The very return, on which Badeau bases his argument, shows that Lee, at that very time, had 5,330 officers and enlisted men sick, and 7,179 enlisted men detailed in the various staff depart- ments, and 830 men in arrest a total of 13,728 soldiers, as Badeau himself estimates the number who are never counted anywhere in ascertaining the line of battle strength of any army, except when Badeau estimate Lee's effectives. Substract this number, 13,728, from 78,433, the aggregate Badeau ascribes to Lee, and Lee would have only 64,705 effectives, including the 5,169 effectives stationed in the Valley and on the railroad defences. These latter, we have seen, were not and could not be present at the final assault on the lines. If we deduct them (Badeau' s own figures) after allowing an exagge- ration of Ewell's effectives, would give Lee only 58,906 effectives on March 25, 1865.

In volume 3, page 686, of the work, Badeau gives an official table, from the Adjutant-General's office, " of the strength of the forces under General Grant operating against Richmond from March, 1864, to April, 1865, inclusive." From the official record it appears that in March, 1865, Grant had: " Present for duty officers, 5,288; enlisted men, 123,225; on extra or daily duty, officers, 1,060; enlisted men, 19,731; sick, officers, 77; enlisted men, 5,214; in arrest, officers, 77 ; enlisted men, 510" a grand aggregate of 155,254, around Petersburg and Richmond. If we apply Badeau's rule for estimating Lee's effective strength, by deducting a little over one- eighth from this aggregate of 155,254 for men not available for line of battle duty, and treat the residue as Grant's effective force, it would give him over 135,000 effectives. If we deduct from Grant's aggregate, all of his sick, extra duty men and those in arrest (which is generally considered a fair test of the fighting strength) it would give him 123,225 effectives on March 25, 1^865. Badeau shrank from applying this test, which he used to ascertain Lee's effectives, because it would show that Grant had at least 24,000 more men than Badeau gives him. He does even worse. Grant's own returns, as we have seen, show that Grant had at this time (after excluding all sick, extra