Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-19
Rattle STATISTICS.


From the New Orleans Crescent
Some idea of the terrific obstinancy and
the sanguinary character Of the great CAM
paign of 1864 may be formed from the Off
! cial returns of the casualties of the tive great
Federal armies under Grant and Sherman.
| No detailed report of the Confederate casual
ties during the same period has yet been pub
lished but we presume that, at least as far as
the army of Northern Virginia is concerned,
the statistics may be embodied in General
Lees forthcoming work. The losses in the
Federal army of the Potomac, as it appears
| from the official report, was immense. 1t is
only on looking over the figures that we can
| duly estimate the terrific obstinacy of the
struggle, from the Rapidan to Petersburg
| of the tenacity with which the Federal cem-
mander adhered to his general object in face
| of repulses and losses which would have
disheartened almost any other man; and OF
| the skill with which Gen. Lee must have con-
| Quoted his defense in order to parry with sue
cess the tremendous assaults which were di-
rected against him by his adversary. Nor
| will we be less amazed to reflect on the en-
ergy and the resources which must have been
brought to bear to repair the extraordinary
depletions suffered by the army of the Poto-
mac and the constancy of the army of
Northern Virginia in maintaining for so long
a time a resolute and unbroken front against
an enemy whom no defeats seemed to deter,
and no losses to discourage.
The battle of the Wilderness was the
greatest battle of the war; estimating. its i'm
portance by the number of casualties suffer-
ed by the Federal army 1t appears that
the loss of the army Of the Potomac in that
sanguinary struggle was nearly 10000 men,
of which 3, 2SS were killed and 1928 were
wounded. In the battle of the Wilderness
Gen. Lee was the attacking party. He struck
the Federal army on the flank while it was
on the direct march TOWARD Richmond,
its immediate objective point being
Spc ttsylvania Court House. The result
was that Gen. Grant was thrown off from
his line of advance, and forced to re-
tire toward Fredericksburg, which he
made his new base of supplies FIR the
moment. General Lee took up his posi-
ton at Spottsylvania Court House and there
awaited the attack of his adversary-from
that point adopting purely defensive poll
cy; Gen. Grant afterwards either marching
boldly up to the attack in front, or conduct
ing his flank movements at a safe distance
from the Confederate lines. In the various
actions at Spottsylvania Court House the
Federal loss is put down at 10,3Sl men, of
whom ,, LAG were killed and 1915 wounded.
The almost unparalleled bloodiness of these
terrific encounters is illustrated by the rela-
tive proportions of killed and wounded
The killed are twenty-seven per cent. of the
wounded at Spottsylvania, while in the san
culinary battle of the Wilderness they are
only seventeen per cent, which is about the
average in well-contested general engage
ments
At the crossing of the North Anna Gen.
Grant made only a demonstration. Find
ing his antagonist too strongly posted he
drew off and continued his flank movement
until he found himself in front of the de-
lenses of Richmond, at Cold Harbor, Gen.
Lee meantime moving along nearly paral-
lei line, and occupying the works in ample
time to anticipate Gen. Grant. The result
was, of course, that the Federal commander
was to abandon at once his direct approach
to Richmond, or continue his flank move
ment all the way to the James, and finally
to the front of Petersburg on the south side;
or else either make another direct assault on
Lees lines, or settle down on McClellan's
abortive plan of gradual advance by the
Peninsula, with the York river as his base.
He chose in the first place to hazard the at
tack on nearly the same ground on which two
wears before the severe action had been
fought between McClellan's forces, under
Porter, and the Confederate troops under
Longstreet, the Hills and Jacksons. Cold
Harbor, which was then the key of the Fed
eral position, was carried by Jackson's col
umns after desperate and bloody struggle.
In 1864 the Confederates occupied the posi-
ton and the attack devolved upon the Fed
erals. The battle which ensued was not at
the time admitted to have been a general
engagement by the Northern newspapers !;
but was called reconnaissance. And even
in Richmond, so small were the Confederate
losses, amounting to only few hundred men,
that this statement was not generally dis
puted. 1t appears, however, from the official
report of the losses on the Federal side, that
the second battle of Cold Harbor was really
a serious attempt to break through the Con-
federate lines. Indeed, the number of cas-
ualties, amounting to 13, 153, of which num-
Der sos were killed and 9,032 wounded,
wo,z4d make it rank az one of the heaviest
battles of the war.
After this engagement the struggle was
transferred mainly to the Southside. The
first battle in front of Petersburg, which the
Federal loss is stated at 1865 men, was
fought, on the Confederate side, mainly by
Gen. Beauregard's forces.
The summing up of Gen. Grants losses,
from May to October %, amounts to SS,3S7
men, of whom 1852 were killed, 53,957
wounded, and %, 1853 missing.