The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-06-17
From he Richmond Dispeath, June |.
Southern Estimate of Fed eral Losses.

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A cotemporary says Grant lost moro
men on the 18th than Napoleon lost in
the battle of Waterloo. In the ninth
volume of his memoirs, dictated at Sc.
Helena 10 Gen. Gourgaud, Napoleon SAYS
the loss Of the French army, from the
opening of the campaign to the gates of
Paris, was 4l,00O This statement en-
braces the battles of Ligny and Quatre
Bras 90 the 10th of June, the battle of
Waterloo on the 18th, the action of
Grouchy with Bluchcr's rear guard on
the same day, and the pursuit to Paris.
In the battle of Waterloo, according to
Col Siborne, the French lost $4,000 men
killed ard wounded aud 6, 900 prisoners.
According to Napoleon, the allies lost in
the campaign $4,000 men. In the battle
of Waterloo their loss was nearly equal to
that of the Frencb--that is, it was about
$4,000 men in killed and wounded. A
very large proportion of the French loss
was incurred after the rout, the Prussan
huzzars giving no quarter, but sabring
the fugitives without mercy. Before the
arrival of the Prussians, or rather of Blu
cher, the aliied loss, had evidently been
much heavier than the French.
Now, in the battle of Spottsylvania
Court House, on the 18th, the lowest es-
Inmate we have seen made of the enemy's
loss was 10000. A correspondent of the
New York Herald rated it ut $4,000 to
10000. One Of our own general officers,
we have heard, expresses the belief that
at least 1000 men were killed dead in
front OF our position The usual proper.
tlon of wounded to killed is FIVE to ONE
LII this estimate be correct, then Grant
must have lost $4,000 men on that day
alone. aF,s.,,.. e. ,..-. ,.-
This estimate, however, is as evidently
too bigI as that of 10000 is too low
The probability is that truth lies in tho
mlddle-that is, that Grants actual loss
was about l30, 900. This estimate agrees
with all the accounts we have from tho
North, where, in private circles nobody
according to the Petersburg Cypress
places his loss in the entire campaign at
less than 10000, and few believe that, in
eluding. straggers, it falls short of 80, 900.
Evcp. at the how estimate ofthe New York
4Neps-sixty thousand-these losses reach
the figure assigned by Napoleon to the AL
lie ins the campaign Of Waterloo, and ex-
ceeds that acknowledged by the Allies
5l,OOO--by nine thousand men.
But there is this difference between the
campaign of Waterloo and that of Spott-
sylvania. In the fnrmer, the slaughter
on both sides was tremendous. The vic
tors even suffered greater loss than the
yanquished. Ia the latter, the defeated
party lost four times as many men as the
victorious party, according to the lowest
computation, and nearly six times as
many, according to the highest. It il
true that Wate,loo ended in a rout, and
that Spottsylyauia did not. But the rea-
son is obvious. Napoleon had no heavy
fortificatous in his immediate rear, us
Grant had. But the indisposition to at
tack our men in their entertainments,
since the lesson taught them on that day,
tells the tale as intelligibly as headlong
fight and an overwhelming pursuit coulu
have done. The campaign of Waterloo
was, for its length, the bloodipst in Euro
pean history. This campaign, on ono
side at least, has been blooder still.