Comparing Confederate soldiers in the eastern theater, western theater, and far west theater.

I'd only add that Blanton Duncan's KY regiment served in VA in 1861.
Thanks Bruce...good catch. I had to "snap the chalk line" somewhere, so that chart is based on both army organizations' OOB in the May-June 1864 timeframe. I may have missed Duncan's KY regiment as an oversight unless it wasn't with the ANV by 1864.
 
The low-number regiments, those with the most eager volunteers and volunteer militia experience, tended to be sent to VA in 1861. The western armies had a much higher percentage of the 1862 regiments, raised more from older men and men who volunteered after pressure from the draft. To name but one factor, the older men tended to break down physically more than the younger.
That is very interesting information. The impression I got from my reading of daily life in the 2 armies ("Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee," by Larry Daniel, and "Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia," by Tracy Power), was that there might have been more similarities than differences among the rank and file.
 
That is very interesting information. The impression I got from my reading of daily life in the 2 armies ("Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee," by Larry Daniel, and "Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia," by Tracy Power), was that there might have been more similarities than differences among the rank and file.
As you say, the differences were small, but there were differences.
Another study of the two armies I did compared the average PFD of regiments in each army in 1864, and despite higher battle casualties, the ANV regiments were stronger than the ATNs (325 vs 299, if memory serves). Show the effect of non-battle losses (illness, desertions etc.) on the 2 armies. These statistics also argue that Lee did not bleed his army to death in the VA battles despite the high casualties, that success and high morale kept the soldiers in the ranks.
 
Back
Top