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Neathery's figures, but he published what
Major Neathery did say, not what some one reported him as saying.
I find in ‘Our Living and Our Dead’ for June, 1875, an editorial signed by
Dr. Kingsbury, in which the
Doctor uses these words:
‘When we were connected with the Raleigh
Sentinel, we stated that we had heard it estimated that
North Carolina had furnished as many as 103,000 troops (independent of the Home Guards and Reserves) and then asked if any one could supply us with the exact number.
This inquiry brought us an answer the next day from
John B. Neathery,
Esq. We avail ourselves of the statistics kindly furnished, as we wish to place them among permanent records of our magazine.’
On November 19, 1864,
General R. C. Gatlin,
Adjutant-General of the
State, made an official report to
Hon. Z. B. Vance, then Governor, in which the following numbers are given:
| Number of troops transferred to Confederate States according to original rolls on file in this office | | 64,636 |
| Number of conscripts as per report of commandant of conscripts, dated September 30, 1864 | | 18,585 |
| Estimated number of recruits that have volunteered in the different companies since the date of the original rolls | | 21,608 |
| Number of troops in the State service for the war | | 3,203 |
| | —— |
| Total number of troops | | 108,032 |
| To these must be added: |
| Number of Junior Reserves | 4,217 |
| Number of Senior Reserves. | 5,686 | 9,903 |
| — | —— |
| | 117,935 |
| Number of troops in unattached companies and serving in regiments from other States | | 3,103 |
| | —— |
| | 121,038 |
| Home Guards and militia | | 3,962 |
| | —— |
| | 125,000 |
This official report from so accurate an officer as
General Gatlin, ought to settle this matter for all time.
