Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-07-06
Great Battles.

Flailed by Thy thundsrI, hsaped with ehahieas
grain
..'-. Great Batties. rG7
While all our minds are 80 intent upon
the fierce Virginia fights, and of speculae
ton upon their probable consequences, II
will be useful to remember the facts Of
other great historic battles. lgg
The details of the old Greek and Per-
sian and Roman contests are, OF course,
more or less fanciful, but they doubtless
indicate the relative forces. At Marathon
the Athenians are said to have had II, 900;
the Persians 100000. The Athenians lost
1872; the Persians 6, 400, and were defeated.
Then came Xerxes with his fabulous army,
which is given in detail, horse and foot,
fleet, army, and followers, at 2,500,000.
Against this invasion 1000 Greeks held
the Pass of Thermopyle, and upon the
marble lion of Leonidas was the inscrip-
ton: {" Here 1000 Peloponnesians fought
with 8 100000 Of foes" Herodotus, who
loves generous measure, says there were
5000, 900. At Arbela, the tradition makes
Alexander the Great, with $4,000 horse
and foot, defeat 100000 Persians. At
Canna Hannibal had $4,000, and OF the
so, 900 Romans he destroyed $4,000. so
that only fragments of the Roman force
escaped. At Pharsalia, Julius Cesar, with
$4,000, routed Pompey with $1,000.
In later times, Gustavus Vasa, at Lut-
zen, with IS, 500 horse and foot, defeated
Wallestein with 100000. At Blenheim,
one of the pivotal battles in European his
tory, the final check to Louis the Four
teenths ambition, the French and Bava.,
rians under Tallard were 10000, with 81
guns; the Allies under Marlborough nnd
Prince Eugene were $4,000, with 81 guns.
The battle wavered at intervals during the
day, but at last, with loss OF 5000 IN
killed and 5000 wounded, Marlborough
almost destroyed the French army, which
lost IL, 900 killed, $4,000 prisoners, all its
guns, with its General and l,200 officers.
Not more than 10000 of its effective men
ever re-assembled. At Pultowa, Charles
the Twelfth, with $4,000 men, fought
nearly $4,000 Russians. Charles was de-
feated, and lost nearly half of his army.
The Napoleon campaigns are the story
of the most sanguinary battles. Yet In
Egypt, at the famous battle of the Pyra-
mids at the beginning of his career, Ma
poleon, with 10000 French under Kleber,
routed $4,000 Egyptians and destroyed
the Mamelukes and the French loss, ac-
cording to Patton, the latest authority,
after nineteen hours of severe exertion,
was no more than 10 killed and 80 wound
ed. At Marengo Napoleon, with %, 900,
defeated 81, 900 Austrians, killing 1000
and capturing 5000, with artillery and
standards, and losing about 1000. AT
Austerlitz the Allies were $4,000 strong.
Napoleon $4,000. The Allies were OYER
whelmed, losing 10, 900 killed, $1,000 pri-
soners, 1856 guns, 400 caissons, and 40
standards. At Wagram Napoleon had q
magnificent army Of 100000 foot, 10000
cavalry, and 750 guns. The Allies
brought into action more than 10000
The battle was ipdecisiye. The loss ON
each side was Habout $4,000, and the
French captured few guns. At Boro-
dino the French counted l25,o00, the
Russians 10000. The latter lost 1000.
the former 10000. In the whole Russian
campaign, of an army which is round
ly reckoned at 100000, Napoleon lost
i25, 900 killed, $4,000 captured, and
1872, 900 dead of hunger, disease, and ex.
posure. Yet the next year he crossed the
Rhine again with an army of 100000. At
Leipsic, with 10000 men and $50 guns,
he was defeated by the Allies with nearly
800, 900 men snd more than 1900 guns
The battle ragged for three days, and was
one of the most fercely contested ever
known. The French lost more than co.
900, the Allies more than 10000. The
tough old Tory Alison says that it was
this battle which delivered Europe from
French bondage" But Napoleon made
one more and final effort. He began the
four days campaign of Waterloo with
10000 men. Upon the actual field the
best authorities give the English 49,60S
foot, l2,4O2 horse, 5645 artillery. with
loo guns in all, 67.655, of which about
$4,000 were British. The French had
4s, $50 foot 1876 horse, 1882 artillery,
with 246 guns in all, 9l,947. The bat
tie lasted for eight hours. The British
loss $4,000 killed and wounded. The
French army was virtually destroyed, and
Napoleon Bonaparte with it. s
The battles of our Revolution were
hardly more than skirmishes. On Long
Island the Americans had about 5000 men
of which they lost 1000. The British had
$4,000 men. with 40 guns. Their loss
was about 400. At Trenton we had
about 2,4O0 engaged with $4,000 Hessians
They lost 36 and we 4. At Monmouth
the forces were about $4,000 on each side.
Ane Americans lost 200 killed and woln-
ded, the British about 300. In the battle
of the Brandywine Washington had about
IL 900 effective men, Lord Howe about
Is, 900. The British lost about 600 killed
and wounded. The American loss was
greater, but no exact returns were ever
made. At Saratoga, perhaps the most de-
cisive battle of the Revolution, our force
was 10000, militia and regulars. and Bur-
goyne's not more than 5000. At Camden
Cornwallis, with little more than 1000
routed our miscellaneous force Of 5000.
We lost 900. killed and as many prisoners.
The British lost in all 1928. In the Reyo-
lutionary siege Of Yorkton the Americans
and French were 10000, the British 5000.
During the siege our loss was about 300
killed and wounded, the British about
$50. .....-.... -ss.l.
OF all these contests those Of Marathon,
Arbela, Pultowa, Blenheim, Waterloo,
and Saratoga are ranked by professor
Greasy as among "the decisive battles Of
tide world" If the great campaign of the
spring in this country shall result in full
triumph of the national arms, II VIII not
be the least of those decisive battles.
The late Judge Pease was noted wag.
A younp LAWYER was once MAKING hia f,rst