Fatalities in War

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIII, Issue XVII, 22 October 1904, Page 8

Fatalities in War

INTERESTING COMPARISONS. Modern warfare differs from ancient and mediaeval conflicts, not only in the weapons used, but in the percentage of the wounded who survive a battle. In the days of the hand to hand fighting with pike and sword, battleaxe and dagger, the casualties of a beaten army were liable to be total. The wounded were usually taken prisoners or slain. Few men escaped the close pursuit of the victors. Even the winning side had a smaller proportion of losses, merely temporary or technical. than armies sutler* in these times, when every man hit by a rifle ball figures in the casualties and nine out of ten reported wounded recover ami rejoin their command. In modern war the losses published after a battle can be cut down to twenty-live or thirty per cent, of the official numbers in ascertaining the permanent diminution of the forces engaged. In this respect, however, battles differ widely. Sometimes actions fought at elose range under peculiar conditions, as. for instance, where the storming of strong works defended by heavy artillery is involved, the proportion of casualties which mean death mav rise to something like the terrible mortality of mediaeval wars. When the Russians flung themselves on the French and Sardinian lines at the Tchernaya Rivejt before Sebastopol. in 1855. they left about 3300 dead on the field, and their wounded seemed to number only about half that number. These proportions were so remarkable that it must be taken for granted that many wounded Russians were sent to the rear and never reported as hurt. The following shows how greatly the lighting in the Russo-Japanese war falls short of the havoc which marked many notable battles of the last 200 Borodino French loss. 30.000; Rus sian, 40,000.

Waterloo—French loss, 31,000; allies, 22,000. Austerlitz—French loss, 7800; allies, 35,000. Wagram —French loss, 30,000; Austrian, 35,000. Friedland—French loss, 8000; allies, 19,000. Eylau—French lose, 20,000: allies. 18,000. Hohenlinden —French loss, 5000; Austrian, 20,000. Dresden —French loss, 3000; allies, 27.000. Leipsic—French loss, 55,000; allies. 5.‘,000. Jema-Auerstadt —French loss, 14,000; Prussian, 45,000. Blenheim—French loss, 40,000; allies, 13,000. Malplaquet — French loss, 20,000; allies. 18,000. Rossbaoh—Prussian, 500; allies, 7500 Zerndorf —Prussian, 11,000; Russian, 24,000. Kunerdorf—Prussian, 18.500; allies, 10,000. Magenta— French-Sardinian. 4000 ; Austrian, 17,000. Solferino — French-Sardinian, 18.000: Austrian. 20,000. Sadowa — Prussian. 9000: Austrian. 44.000. Gruvelotte— German, 21.000; French. 14.000. Sedan—German. 9000; French, 38,000. Inkermann — Russian. 9000; allies. 2500. The Alma — Russian. 5500; alies. 3300. Sebastopol (final) — Russian (?) ; allies. 10.000. Plevna — Russian. 40.000 : Turk. 55,000. Gettysburg—Federal. 23.180; Confedefederate, 17.804. Antietam— Federal, 12.500: Confederate. 25.900. Chickamauga — Federal. 15.851: Confedderate. 17.804. Chancellorsville — Federal. 16,000 : Confederate, 12,821. Wilderness — Federal. 12,409 ; Confederate. 11,400. Seven Days Before Richmond—Federal. 15.249; Confederate. 17.583. Stone River — Federal. 11.578 ; Con federate. 25,560. Petersburg — Federal. 10.5.86 ; Confederate. (?). Shiloh—Federal, 13.573; Confederate. 10,699.

Spottsylvania — Federal, 14,931; Confederate, 9000. Cold Harbour—Federal, 14,931; Confederate, 1700. Fredericksburg—Federal, 12,353 ; Confederate, 4576. Chattanooga — Federal, 5616 ; Confederate, 8684. Bull Run--Federah 2952; Confederate, 1751. A little comment is required. Borodino had the most casualties of any single battle in modern times. The fighting at Leipsic lasted more than three days. In the latter battle the French lost about 25.000 ill and wounded men. whom they had to abandon in hospitals as they retreated. These are not included in the figures given. At Borodino. Leipsic, and other battles of Napoleon’s wars the French force included many nationalities such as Poles, Italians, Belgians, etc. In the wars of Frederick the Great the army he defeated at Rossbach was mainly French. At Kunerdorf the force which routed him was chiefly Russian. The French defeat at Sedan was followed immediately by the surrender of an army of 86,000 men. The losses at Plevna cover a siege of months, but the Russians and their Roumanian allies lost 16,000 in four days fighting. The Turkish losses were chiefly inf. he surrender of 40.000 men with the fortress.

The worst ten minutes of the civil war was the first rush of the Union army against Lee’s works at Cold Harbour. In half an hour the federal loss was about seven thousand. Probably thirty-live hundred fell in ten minutes. At that rate 21,000 men would be put out of action in an hour, or 250.000 in a day. such as the struggle at Waterloo covered.