Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-07-16
lFrOm the Waterman and Reflector
Severe Fighting.

about severe fighting and heavy losses
Nearly every battle that occurs is, we are
told, ''the greatest battle ever fought Oh
] this continent. For want of a standard
of comparison we are apt to exaggerate
the valOr of cur troops and the severity oi
losses. The following table may serve to
correct our notions on these subjects. Ii
shows the forces engaged. and the losses
on each side in the thirteen principle bat.
tie of Napoleon:
Marengo-June IA, 1900. Austrians,
81 600; French, 9,000.-Austrian loss,
1000 killed and wounded, {, 200 prisoners;
French loss, 1000 killed and wounded,
1000 prisoners.
AnsterLts-Dec. 2, 1905. French 10000;
Allies, $4,000. French loss, 1900 killed
and wounded; Allies, loss, 10000 killed,
wounded and prisoners.
| Jena and AVerstadt-0ct. IA, 1906. st
Jena, French. 10000; Prussians, 10000.
French loss, 1900 killed and wounded ;
Prussian loss, 10000 killed and wounded.
At Auerstadt, French, 10000: Prussians,
10000. French loss, 1900 killed and
wounded; PruSsian loss, 10000. In these
two battles, which were fought on the
same day by different wings of the same
armies, the Prussians also lost 90, 900 pris-
oners and 200 cannons.
Eyldu-Feb. 8, 1907. French, 5000,
and $50 cannous: Russians, $1,000, and
400 cannens. French loss 10000 killed
and wounded. Russian loss p, 900 killed
and wounded.
Fredland-June IA, 1907. French $4,000;
Russians $1,000. French loss, 5000 killed
and wounded; Russian loss, 1900 killed
and wounded.
Aspen-May 2l and %, 1909. 1st day.
French, $4,000, Austrians, S0,000 I'd day.
10000 each. French loss, 10000 killed
and wounded.-Austrian loss, 10000 kill
ed. , .rt
Wqgram-July G, 1909. French $50, 900;
Austrians 10000 Losses on each side,
25,000 killed and wounded.
Borodno-Sept.7, 1872. French 133, 900,
and 500 cannons; Russians, 1872, 900, and
640 cannons. French loss, 1900 killed
and $4,000 wounded, and 1000 prisoners.
Lat-eH-May 2, 1913. French, lis, 900;
Allies, 10000. French loss, $4,000 killed
and wounded; Allies loss, $1,000 killed
and wounded.
Bna-en-May 90 and 81, 1913, French.
100000; Allies, 100000. French loss, %, 600
killed and wounded; Allies loss, 5000
killed and wounded.
Dresdc1,-Aug. q, 1913. French 80, 900;
Allies, 100000. French loss, $4,000, kill
ed and wounded; Allies loss, $1,000, of
whom $4,000 were prisoners.
Lapsic-Oct. l6, Is, 10, 1913. French,
l75, 600, and 30 cannon. Allies, l29, 900,
and 1900 cannon. French loss, $4,000, of
whom 2S 900 prisoners. Allies loss, 49,
600 killed and wounded.
WaterLoo-June Is, 1915. French, So,
600 and 252 cannon. English, &C., 12,-
900, and lS6 cannon; who were reinforced
by Prussians, $4,000 and 100 cannon
French loss, 10000 killed, wounded and
prisoners. and 225 cannon. Allies loss,
1866 killed and wounded.
In only two of these actions was the
loss in killed and wounded so small as one
tenth of the forces engaged in the others
it varied from one-seventh to nearly one
half. But in none of the battles of this
rebellion have our losses in killed and
wounded been so great rs one-tenth, ex-
cent Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge. At
Pittsburgh, after two days fighting, our
losses in killed and wounded, according
to General Grants estimate, were but
Soc. 5(1jca or about one-thirteenth of our forces
y. is simply puerile to call this
severe fighting. Gcc..o''nare the battle OF
Pittsburgh VIII: the battle =. Aspern'
which it resembles in many fits features.
At Aspern, Napoleon fought two days VIII
his back to the Danube. The first day
with $4,000 troops, he was attacked by the
Arch Duke Charles with $4,000; the sec
ond day there was 10000 on each side
At the close of the second day, Napoleon
was compelled to retreat to the island of
Lobau, with loss of 10000 killed and
while the Arch Duke lost 90
900. Here the victor lost one-fourth of
his army, and the vanquished nearly one
half. The truth is that, however great
may be the intelligence or the natural |
bravery of troops, it is only after years of
experience on the battlefield that they |
will fight with that terrible energy which !
vas exhibited by the grand armee of Ma |
Doleon, by the Austrians at Aspern and
Wagram, and by the Russians at Fried |
and and Borodino.
Of course we can do what others have
lone when we have had the requisite ex-
Our armies have fought well
Turing the last six months-well enough
o be uniformly victorious but the small
less of our losses shows that our fighting
las not been very severe yet, compared
With European standards.
Since writing the above, we have seen
he official account of our losses at Pitts
,urgh, which shows that nearly 10000 of
'ur troops were killed and wounded. As
most of these losses occurred the first day.
his may justly be called severe fighting.