Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 2.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[16] “It will be difficult to get the world to understand the odds against which we fought;” and he has since in person assured me that the estimate which I had made of his force, in a published letter written from Havana in December, 1865, and in my published account of my own operations for the years 1864-5--which was 50,000--exceeded the actual efficient strength of his army.

The returns of the Army of Northern Virginia, which are in what is called the “Archive office” at Washington, are not accessible to me; but I have a printed copy of a letter written to the New York Tribune in June, 1867, which gives statements taken from the returns of the Confederate armies on file in said “Archive office,” which letter is understood to have been written by Mr. Swinton, the author of “The Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac.” I send that copy to you, in order that you may verify, by an examination of it, all my statements; and, if I appear a little prolix and tedious, I beg you to be patient, as I desire to show to you and your readers how officers of the United States army manufacture history.

In the first column of the letter to the Tribune you will find a table of monthly returns for the Department of Northern Virginia, which is in the following words and figures:

Department of Northern Virginia. February 28, 1862--February 28, 1865.

date.		Commander.	for duty.	present.	present and absent.
1862--	February	J. E. Johnston	47,617	56,396	84,225
	May	J. E. Johnston	[67,000]
	June	R. E. Lee	[100,000]
	July	R. E. Lee	69,559	94,686	137,030
	August	R. E. Lee	[95,000]
	September	R. E. Lee	52,609	62,713	139,143
	October	R. E. Lee	67,805	79,395	153,778
	November	R. E. Lee	73,554	86,583	153,790
	December	R. E. Lee	79,072	91,094	152,853
1863--	January	R. E. Lee	72,226	93,297	144,605
	February	R. E. Lee	58,559	74,435	114,175
	March	R. E. Lee	60,298	73,578	109,839
	May	R. E. Lee	68,352	88,756	133,679
	June	R. E. Lee	[100,000]
	July	R. E. Lee	41,135	53,611	117,602
	August	R. E. Lee	56,327	71,964	133,264
	September	R. E. Lee	44,367	55,221	95,164
	October	R. E. Lee	45,614	57,251	97,211
	November	R. E. Lee	48,267	56,088	96,576
	December	R. E. Lee	43,558	54,715	91,253
1864--	January	R. E. Lee	35,849	45,139	79,602
	February	R. E. Lee	33,811	39,562	68,435
	March	R. E. Lee	39,407	46,151	79,202
	*April	R. E. Lee	52,626	61,218	97,576
	June	R. E. Lee	51,863	62,571	92,685
	July	R. E. Lee	57,097	68,844	135,805
	August	R. E. Lee	44,247	58,984	146,838
	October	R. E. Lee	62,875	82,535	177,103
	November	R. E. Lee	69,290	87,860	181,826
	December	R. E. Lee	66,533	79,318	155,772
1865--	January	R. E. Lee	53,445	69,673	441,627
	February	R. E. Lee	59,094	73,349	160,411