Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 6.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

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[20] Their loss then from other causes than casualties in battle was a little over ten per cent. By an oversight in my article in the last December number of the Papers, the loss between the 10th and 20th of June was stated at twelve per cent., when it should have been ten per cent.

My return for June 20th showed 5,643 for duty, including five chaplains, and my return for July 10th at Hagerstown showed 4,144, giving a loss of 1,449, of which 1,181 was in battle, leaving a loss of 318, a little over five and a half per cent., from other causes than casualties in battle. My aggregate present on the 20th of June was 6,476, and on the 10th of July it was 4,791, being a loss of 1,685, from which the loss in battle being deducted leaves 504, or a loss of very nearly eight per cent. from other causes than casualties in battle on the aggregate present. The greater part of this doubtless resulted from leaving the sick behind, or sending them to the rear. As it took us only three days to march from Gettysburg to Hagerstown, at which latter place we arrived on the 7th, there had been time for all the men with the trains to join the division. In fact a return made on the 8th showed 261 less for duty, and 408 less in the aggregate present on that day than on the 10th. I may assume-therefore, that there was a loss of five and a half per cent. in my division from the 20th of June to the beginning of the battle, and that there was the same ratio of decrease in the rest of our infantry-during the same period. To show the likelihood of there being at least as much loss in Longstreet's and Hill's corps as in Ewell's, I quote from General Kershaw's report the following statement: “Tuesday, June 16th, the brigade marched to Sperryville; 17th, to Mud run in Fauquier county. These two days were excessively hot, and on the 17th many cases of sunstroke occurred.” General Hill started from the heights of Fredericksburg on the 15th, I believe, and his march had to be rapid to join Longstreet's corps, and hence the probability is that the loss in his corps exceeded the ratio in my division.

Take as the full strength of the infantry, May 31st	59,457
Deduct for chaplains, quartermasters and other non-combatant officers	786
	58,671
Off ten per cent	5,867
Probable strength of infantry on reaching the Potomac	52,804
Deduct 5 1/2 per cent. after that time	2,904
Probable strength of infantry at Gettysburg	48,900
Add for cavalry	6,000
For artillery	4,000
Probable strength in all arms at the battle	59,900

Major McClellan, Stuart's Adjutant-General, says that there was, at the beginning of the campaign, less than 6,000 for duty in the three brigades of cavalry that were with Stuart when he crossed the Potomac, there being about 4,500 in the two brigades of Robertson and Jones. He further says that the losses in action in these three brigades, which bore the brunt of the battle of Fleetwood, and the cavalry fights near the Blue Ridge, and from hard service and deficiency of forage, had reduced them to less than 4,000 when he crossed the Potomac; and he thinks to about 3,500. General Fitz. Lee thinks they were under 4,000 strong at the battle. This loss was not unreasonable, as will be seen when we come to notice that in the Federal cavalry. Jenkins' brigade, which was not embraced in the returns of May 31st, was about 1,600 strong before it crossed the Potomac, and White's battalion, which belonged to Jones' brigade, did not exceed 200. 6,000, therefore, will cover all the cavalry we had available for the battle. The artillery numbered 4,702 on the 31st of May, and some of it was very evidently left in Virginia with Corse's brigade, as the return for July 20th shows more present for duty in the artillery at that date than on the 31st of May. Some therefore must have rejoined the army by the former date, and very probably some that had been left with Jenkins' brigade near Suffolk had come back. We had 252 pieces with the infantry, as shown by a statement furnished me by General Pendleton, and allowing 15 men to a piece, which would be a superabundance, would give 3,780 men. Add 220 for the officers, giving nearly one to a piece, and we have 4,000, which certainly covered the artillery force with the infantry. There were 16 pieces of horse artillery with the cavalry, the men for which were returned with the cavalry, and as part thereof. They are included in the 6,000 allowed for that arm.

We had therefore not exceeding 60,000 men of all arms for duty at Gettysburg. In this estimate I do not include the cavalry brigades of Robertson, Jones and Imboden, which did not arrive in time to take part in the battle, and should not be counted as part of the force available for it. If they are to be counted as a part of our force at Gettysburg, then the 8,000 men under French at Frederick, which were employed in protecting Meade's communications