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

[8] but when the report of Mr. Edwin M. Stanton, the United States Secretary of War, made at the opening session of Congress for the years 1865-6, is critically examined, it will be regarded as most surprising that General Badeau should have committed such gross blunders in regard to the strength of Grant's army. In order to expose those blunders, and to enable you to verify the extracts which I shall make from Mr. Stanton's report, I send you an official copy of that report printed under the authority of the United States Congress.

On page 3d of his report, Mr. Stanton says:

The national forces engaged in the spring campaign of 1864 were organized as armies or distributed in military departments as follows:

The Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major-General Meade, whose headquarters were on the north side of the Rapidan. This army was confronted by the Rebel Army of Northern Virginia, stationed on the south side of the Rapidan, under General Robert E. Lee.

The 9th corps, under Major-General Burnside, was, at the opening of the campaign, a distinct organization, but on the 24th of May, 1864, it was incorporated into the Army of the Potomac.

The Army of the James was commanded by Major-General Butler, whose headquarters were at Fortress Monroe.

The headquarters of the Army of the Shenandoah, commanded by Major-General Sigel, were at Winchester. [It is not necessary to mention the other armies for my purpose.]

On pages 5th and 6th of his report Mr. Stanton says.

Official reports show that on the 1st of May, 1864, the aggregate military force of all arms, officers and men, was nine hundred and seventy thousand seven hundred and ten, to wit:

Available force present for duty	662,345
On detached service in the different military departments	109,348
In field hospitals, or unfit for duty	41,266
In general hospitals, or on sick leave at home	75,978
Absent on furlough, or as prisoners of war	66,290
Absent without leave	15,483
Grand aggregate	970,710

The aggregate available force present for duty May 1, 1864, was distributed.in the different commands as follows:

*Department of Washington	42,124
Army of the Potomac	120,380
*Department of Virginia and North Carolina	59,139
Department of the South	18,165
Department of the Gulf	61,866
Department of Arkansas	23,666
Department of the Tennessee	74,174
Department of the Missouri	15,770
Department of the Northwest	5,295
Department of Kansas	4,798
Headquarters military division of the Mississippi	476
Department of the Cumberland	119,948
Department of the Ohio	35,416
Northern department	9,546
*Department of West Virginia	30,782
Department of the East	2,828
Department of the Susquehanna	8,970
*Middle department	5,627
Ninth army corps	20,780
Department of New Mexico	3,454
Department of the Pacific	5,141
	662,345