The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1859-07-13
From tie Scientific American.
Curious Facts About the Cost of War.


When we dies. war Of the heroic and
chivaIric associations which unfortunately
give Il a charm tc man, from the roman
tic element that IL "A portion Of every ones
composition, and bring it down to a mere
question ofproh and loss, expenses and
receipts, We slail iind that war is Il waste.
inl amusement aud a luxury that should
be to" dear fer the richest nation TO in
du'ge IN. The cost Of the present war,
and the mateneI necessary 10 carry it on,
may be roughly estimated from the de.
tails OF the supply Of men, ammunition,
Provendcr, etc, which were sent To the
French army N the Crimca. At the pres,
ent time such calculations are interesting.
aud wc are enabled 10 give these details.
which have been furnished 10y the Minis,
ter OF War IL France, NJ. Valiant.
The whoe force sent 10y France 10 the
Black Sea was 3O9,2GS soldiers and A..
974 horses, Of the former 10000 were
killed or died in the hospitals, or were
| otherwise missing. 1t is considered that
$4,000 were wounded and survived. OF
the horses only 5000 returned 10 France
The great guns, howItzerS. &c, were G44
besides COS furnished by the navy. The
light artillery foi field service furnished
800 guns mere. and in Nil there were
4.SOO Wheel vehicles for cannon sent from
France. The missiles Of death, too, were
ieartuIiy vast; 100000 Of shells and
cannon balls, 100000 pounds of gun
powder, and 100000 OF bali cartridges
One hundred batteries and ff,v miles oI
| trerch were constructed. besides ten mile,
OF defensive works, and five miles of sub
tctranean galleries in the solid rock.
The food sent from France, besides
items of smaller quantities, was 10000,
600 pounds of biscuit; 96,OOO,OOO o
ticur, equal to 10000 barrels 1000,
. 600 pounds of preserved beef; 100000
| pounds OF salt beet and lard; S,UUU,UUt
pounds Of rice; 100000 pounds Of cof
fee 6,0U0,O pounds of sugar; 10000
head live cattle; 100000 gallons 0
wine, and nearly 100000 pounds o
ChOlet's preserved vegetables were anon!
the larger items of supplies. The hors
feed, too, WAS immense; l70,O00,OOC
pounds (equal to $4,000 tuns) of hay
ls0,OOO,00O pounds 100000 tuns) o
oats and barley 10000 ,uns Of coal
charcoal aud coke. There were l5C
ovens to bake bread, and 40 presses t,
press hay. The clothing was anothe
branch Of large supply, comprising gar
ments in such hundreds of thousands tina
it would be tedious to enumerate them
but as some clue to the matter, the mum
Der ranged from 100000 to $4,000 O
each article Of clothing. For the pierc
ing cold of the Crimea there were l5, ,OO(
sheepskin paleto,s, 100000 sheepski,
gaiters, and cents for 100000 men. Th
harness and farriery departments presen
An immense quantity of supplies among
them were $4,000 horsc.shoes, ard 6,
| 100000 horseshoe nails.
In nothing do the French so much ey
Gel AS in hospital arrangements. The,
/ sent 1000 hedsteaCs for invaIids, as ma
ny mattresses, and 10000 coverlets. -
| There was the material for ambulance
/ for - 900 sick men, and 600 cases Of in
struments, and 100000 pounds $3.50 ,uns
of lint. bandsges and dressings OF variou
kinds. Then for the sick there were tn
most liberal supplies for their sus,enaucc
such AS concentrated milk, essence @
bouIlon, granulated gluten, g.. Tn
money expended AZ the seat Of war wa
/ 56,0O0,000. Marshal Valiant also tell
Of the vast maritime preparations for ION
Yeying the army and its supplies over til
sea. Ar"ong the vessels employed be
tween France and the Crimea, though
not stated in the report, were 10000 tun
Of American shipping, embracing som
OF the finest and largest clipper vessels, a
well as some steamers of the America
mercantile marine. and for whose service
liberal compensation was made. TAX
ing the ,otality of all the voyages mad
| by all the men, horses and materials, ther
were conveyed by the French govern
ment during the two and half years o
the war, $4,000 men, $4,000 horses
and 100000 tuns of materials.