Today in History:

880 Series III Volume V- Serial 126 - Union Letters, Orders, Reports

Page 880 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.

TABLE Numbers 8.-Showing measurements of chest, heights, and, ages of recruits and substitutes accepted, as classified into Americans and aliens, white Americans and colored Americans, while aliens and colored aliens, examined for July 4, 1864, to April 30, 1865.

Measurement of chest.

Average Average me Greatest

Class. Number measureme asurement measureme

accepted. nt at in- at expi- nt at in-

spiration. ration. spiration

Americans. 1,616 In. In. In.

35.10 33.17 44.0

Aliens or 139 35.49 33.60 41.0

foreign born.

Total number 1,755 35.13 33.20 44.0

accepted.

White 1,383 35.05 33.04 42.5

Americans.

Colored 233 35.43 33.91 44.0

Americans.

White aliens

or foreign 138 35.48 33.59 41.0

born.

Colored aliens

or foreign 1 36.50 35.00 36.5

born.

Total. 1,755 35.13 33.20 44.0

CONTINUATION:

Measurement of chest. Height.

Class. Least mea Greatest Least mea Average

surements measureme surement height of

at inspi nt at ex at expira all exa-

ration. piration. tion. mined.

Americans. In. In. In. Ft. In.

29.5 42 26 5 7.39

Aliens or 30.0 39 27 5 6.35

foreign born.

Total number 29.5 42 26 5 7.31

accepted.

White 29.5 41 26 5 7.45

Americans.

Colored 30.5 42 29 5 7.05

Americans.

White aliens

or foreign 30.0 39 27 5 6.32

born.

Colored aliens

or foreign 36.5 35 35 5 10.00

born.

Total. 29.5 42 26 5 7.31

CONTINUATION:

Height. Age.

Class. Greatest Least Average Greatest

height of height of age of all age of any

any exami any exa- examined. examined.

ned. mined.

Americans. Ft. In. Ft. In. Years. Yrs.

6 4 5 0 24.58 44

Aliens or 6 6 5 0 27.05 43

foreign born.

Total number 6 6 5 0 24.78 44

accepted.

White 6 4 5 0 24.43 44

Americans.

Colored 6 4 5 1 25.45 44

Americans.

White aliens

or foreign 6 6 5 0 27.09 43

born.

Colored aliens

or foreign 5 10 5 10 21.00 21

born.

Total. 6 6 5 0 24.78 44

CONTINUATION:

Age.

Class. Least age of any examined.

Americans. Yrs.

16

Aliens or foreign born. 18

Total number accepted. 16

White Americans. 16

Colored Americans. 18

White aliens or foreign born. 18

Colored aliens or foreign born. 21

Total. 16

The muscular development of the limbs of those examined has been good. If there is a deficiency of the gastrocnemius peculiar to this race, those having this distinctive mark have failed to appear before the Board.

Their feet are flat, but not of a nature to disqualify them from performing well active infantry service.

This experience touching their physical qualifications and the comparisons that may justly be drawn would tend to establish the conclusion that they present a greater physical aptitude for military service than any other nation, and even greater than the white population of the same nation.

ENROLLMENT LAW.

Several sections of the present enrollment act as amended might be subject to some improvement in their working operations; and no one stands more at fault perhaps than section 21, amended act, February 24, 1864.

This section is intended to prevent or punish the fraud before the Board of Enrollment; and nineteen-twentieths of all violations come under the observation of the surgeon, and who must become informer of chief witness; and a few cases and the attendance upon subpoenas at long distances will satisfy any reasonable person or any other man that few prosecutions or convictions, however prevalent this evil may exist, as it has existed before every board of enrollment in this country, will ever be made.

The experience obtained in prosecutions under this section has been satisfactory upon one point at least--that there should be a provision fully compensating witnesses for the time and expense necessarily


Page 880 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.