Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1863-02-21

From The National Intcgoncef
Mortality ana Sickness the UnitOd States
Volunteers,

Volunteers,
We have received copy Of tho Preliminary
Report on the Mortality and Sickness Of the No!.
Unteer Forces 0l the United States Government,
during the present war; by q B. Elliott Esq,
Actnory Of the United States Sanitary Commits
sion,
The data from which this paper is compiled are,
as MIR. Elliott premises undoubtedly somewhat
understated, because Of defects aud omissions In
the regmenta returns under this head, There is
also On addiJionalreason for such undersatement
to be found in the fact that deaths which occur
during the year among those discharged from or
otherwise quitting the service are not here taken
into the account,
From a careful comparison and discussion Of
the monthly casualty returns" made to the ofiice
Of tho Adutant General, aud altsr certain allow
ance for estimated deficiencies 10 such imperfect
returns, it is calculated by Mr.. Elliott that the
number ofdeaths in the volunteer forces of the
United States during the present war Chome-
guards and other bodies not in active service be-
ing excluded has been at the annual rate Of fifty
three l532) per thousand men, OF which about
forty four (l4.6) were from disease aud accident,
and nearly niue Is g from wounds received in
action.
Assuming that the rate Of mortality experienced
by those who quit the service 10y discharged for
disability, desaHion or otherwise) is the same o.
those continuing 10 the service to wit, SO per
lO00--a very moderate estimate since those dis
charged for disabilityare justly presumed to be at
the time, in point Of health, inferior to their com.
rades who remln-Mr Elliott rcckOns tho an
nua rate Of deaths at about 65 per 1000,
II appears from the returns that while tho death
rate from wounds in action is greater in the case
OF officers than Of privatea (being respectively
+ IL ID and IL per l,OOO,) the death rate Of
officers from disease and accident is much less than
that of pryates--22 orthe former to 46 for tho
nttor--ani that the rate from all causes lembrac.
ing both disease and violenceD is less with tho
mon-the entire rate for officers being 80 aud for
, men 81 per 1000.
t The excess Of tho mortality due to disease and
\ accident, over that due to wounds 10 action, s a
3 noticeable fact in tho volunteer army Of tho Uni.
1 ted States, as in all other armsa--two thirds Of
the deaths orthe oilicer5 and Eve axths Of those
b Of the men resulting from disease and accident;
+ tho remaining one third and one sixth, respective
h y, being caused by wounds received ia battle.
" 1t appears from the returns that the general
e mortality Of the army has been gradually incrcas-
o ing since the commencement Of the war, and that
1t tho rate for tho auumnal months ia about twico
l. az tines that indicated by the returns for the
10 sumner period aud the winter rate in turn double
m 8 times that Of autumn.
ID It's also observed that the mortality OF tha ar
a. mics recruited at the West and which operate at
tho West, is almost precisely three times (30l)
that Of the troops recruited in the Middle and
New England States, aud which serve in tho
armies ut the East; the Western rate from wounds
n received in action beng five t9) times, and that
10 from disease aud accident little less than thres
il l28l times as great as the corresponding rates 10
ar tho East.
le It has been well said by Jomini that the first
u necessity of an army in active service is "a good
10 recruiting system to preserve It's efficiency IN.
impaired. To supply losses among the enlisted
'e men in our Eastern armies requires recruits at the
u rate Of nineteen tl8s) per 1000 per month, or
y 226 per 900 per onnum; Of which latter proper.
ton 81 is tho number required to supply tho an.
81 nual loss by death; 100 the annual loss by dis.
ut charge from service, chiefly from disability; 70 tbs
le annual loss from missing in action and from deser.
le tons and 10 TO supply the loss from other causes
o To supply such losses in our Western armies
ID requires recruits at the mto ofnoarly twenty Il 81
'e poi 900 per month, or 23i per 1000 per annum;
iS Of which latter proportion 96 are required to SUP.
10 ply the annual loss from deaths lO the loss from
discharges from service, mainly from disability 35
v the loss from missing in action and from desertions
- and from other causal,
% 1t will be observed that the number Of missing
X and Of "dcserters in the Eastern volunteer army
II . moro tnan double the number Of these classes ia
va the Western volunteer forces.
10 Taxing tho returns of the period from tho lat
ID ofJune, 1861, to tho LIST Of March, 1862, as the
~ basis of calculation it is estimated that to secure
a. in tho field constant force of 100000 effective
ls men, tho nation must not only maintain $4,000
n, sick men, but must also recruit the tanks Of The
m enlisted portion Of these forces with new material
D, at the rate Of $4,000 per annum so long as tho
N war shall last-a rate somewhat exceeding 10000
" recruits per month"; OF these 10000 annual 70.
II crut5 $1,000 are to supply losses by death aud
discharges from service, exclusive Of discharges
lie for expiration Of term Of onlistmont) $4,000 f5r
to dOsertions and missing ia action; and 5000 to
III supply other losses specified and unspecf.d,
ur i've hundred thousand effective men are eqai.
X, vaent 10 number to the number Of men 10 57s
US regiments Of the average numerical strength, THAT
On is, s72 men each the $4,000 sck nre equivalent
,r- to g. regiments Of average numerical strength,
and the entire force Of 55S0OO men necessary to
it be maintained in order to secure the service OIL
ch 100000 effective men, is equivalent to GAO re.
ny gimeuts Of average strength.
as A..