Hi colliedug,
Here's a macro to do the work. Simply select the column then run it.
Code:
Sub SubtractOne()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim i As Long, Rng As Range
With Selection
If .Information(wdWithInTable) Then
For i = 1 To .Rows.Count
With .Columns(1).Cells(i)
Set Rng = .Range
With Rng
.End = .End - 1
If IsNumeric(.Text) Then .Text = .Text - 1
End With
End With
Next
End If
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub