Atlanta
Appendix A.--Strength Of The Confederate Army.
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The Confederate official returns above referred to and on file in the War Department, show that on April 30, 1864, the force of General Johnston "present for duty," not including men on "extra or daily duty," but only officers and men available for action, was as follows, viz.:
Officers. Privates. Total.
General Johnston's staff 14 14
Hardee's corps 2,000 18,634 20,634
Hood's corps 1,575 18,614 20,189
Wheeler's cavalry 757 7,679 8,436
Artillery 164 3,113 3,277
Engineer battalion 17 425 442
4,527 48,465 52,992
This force was increased before the opening of the campaign. General Hood ("Advance and Retreat," p. 79) says that General Hardee and himself, in comparing notes about May 7th or 8th, found they had about 42,500 "effectives," infantry and artillery, in their corps besides the reserve artillery. The "effective" enlisted men in those corps on April 30th was shown to be 38,104, infantry and artillery. The increase, therefore, in one week was about 4,500 privates, or 5,000 officers anal men. This is confirmed by Hardee's memorandum of operations during the campaign, in which he states the force of his corps at the beginning of the campaign at "about 20,000 muskets and four battalions of artillery." (Johnston's narrative, p. 578.)
Mercer's brigade joined Johnston May 2d. It consisted of four Georgia regiments (First, Fifty-fourth, Fifty-seventh and Sixty-third), which had been on garrison duty at Savannah. The last of these alone had an "effective" total of 814. It is safe to estimate the four regiments at 2,800, officers and men. About August 1st, after passing through the terrible battles about Atlanta, the division (Walker's) to which Mercer's brigade belonged was broken up because of its heavy losses. A note to the return of that date gives the "present and absent" total of the brigade, 3,583.
Loring's division joined the army at Resaca, May 12th. General S. D. Lee's return of May 10th shows that it numbered "for duty" 429 officers and 4,716 men.
Canty's division also joined Johnston at Resaca about May 7th or 8th. This division was composed of Canty's brigade and Reynolds's, formerly McNair's. Canty's old brigade was made up of the First, Seventeenth, Twenty-sixth and Twenty-ninth Alabama and the Thirty-seventh Mississippi. Reynolds's contained the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Arkansas and Thirty-ninth North Carolina. The division had also two batteries of field artillery (fourteen guns) and two organizations of cavalry commanded by colonels. The return of General D. H. Maury for the "Army in the District of the Gulf," April 22, 1864, gives the effective strength of this division at 5,564 privates, with 421 officers. It contained a brigade of heavy artillery which had been in the forts about Mobile. The sketch of the Seventeenth Alabama in "Brewer's History of Alabama" says that, while at Mobile, it was drilled as heavy artillery and had charge of eight batteries on the shore of the bay. The Twenty-ninth Alabama had also been on garrison duty at Mobile from July, 1863, till about the date of this return.
French's division joined at Cassville. It was composed of Cockrell's, Ector's and Sears's brigades. By General S. D, Lee's return of May 10th, it numbered for duty 385 officers and 4,028 men.
Quarles's brigade, as Johnston himself tells us, joined him near New Hope Church, with 2,200 "effectives," to which must be added 200 for officers.
Jackson's cavalry division joined at Adairsville, with a strength in line of battle, as given by Lee's return of May 10th, of 405 officers and 4,012 men.
A division of Georgia militia also joined before the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. It consisted of two brigades and one battalion of artillery, the whole commanded by General C,. W. Smith, who reported them ("Advance and Retreat," p. 352) as "a little over 3,000." It is safe to call this force 3,300, officers and men, and it was increased to over 5,000 subsequently. Avery's "History of Georgia" says there were ten thousand in the trenches of Atlanta.
SUMMARY.
General Johnston's force at Dalton, May 1, 1864, being officers and men then present for duty 52,990
Increase in Hood's and Hardee's corps 5,000
Mercer's brigade, May 2d 2,000
Loring's division. May 12th 5,145
Canty's division (except First Alabama), May 8th 5,400
Total at Resaca 71,235
Jackson's cavalry, Adairsville, May 17th 4,477
French's division, Cassville, May 24th 4,413
First Alabama (Canty's division), May 24th 650
Quarles's brigade, New Hope, May 24th 2,400
Georgia militia, Kenesaw, June 20th 3,300
Total before crossing the Chattahoochee 86,475
There must still be added the constant and large increase in all the corps of the army from recruits, conscripts, convalescents, and return of men from detached service. As the life of the Confederacy was at stake, it is unreasonable to suppose that any effort was spared to increase Johnston's strength to the utmost. At the end of April, there were troops under General S. Jones in the Department of South Carolina Georgia, and Florida, numbering 25,498 "effectives." In the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, there were under S. D. Lee, on June 1st, present for duty, 16,562 officers and men, as shown by his official return.
The last return of General Johnston in this campaign, dated July 10, 1864, shows the number of troops to have been as follows, viz., aggregate present and absent, 135,092, present 73,849, effectives 50,932.
The first return of General Hood, dated July 31, 1864, shows aggregate present and absent, 136,684 present 65,601, effectives 44,495.
Here is an apparent diminution of the number present, while there is an increase of the aggregate. This is accounted for as follows. Three battalions of reserves joined, numbering 1,348, and 193 recruits, making an increase of 1,541 in aggregates. But the number of "absent without leave" (prisoners) increased by 5,047, "with leave" 300, sick 3,752, detached 700; total decrease in the "present" 9,799. The sudden increase in sick (wounded), and absent without leave (prisoners), tells part of the story of the battles of Peachtree Creek and Atlanta.
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