The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-05-24

lsit at our counting room.
MORTALITY IN THE ARMY-A statement
exhibiting the mortality of white and black
soldiers, has come under our notice in an ex-
change, which evolves a curious dispropor-
ton The federal army is stated to have
numbered, in white and black, 1858, 523
men. OF these, during the late war 2,408,-
1913 survived or came out from the army un-
harmed, or rather alive On the field of bat
tie and in the hospitals, $50, APO lost their
lives Disease seems to have been more Ia
tai, doubly so, than southern bullets; lor' IL
is reported that out of three who died, Two
died of disease In the Crimean war, we
read the statement that seven-elghths OF Ine
British troops who failed to return TO their
homes and tell the tale of privatlon and the
horrors of the campaign through which they
passed, lost their lives from disease, only
one-eighth having died from wounds received
in battle. As there were no negro troops en-
gagged on either side in this contest, no COM
parison can be instituted between the NOR
tality of white and black troops. But during
the late war between the North and the
South, the case is otherwise, and the statis-
tics of mortality enable the curious to insti-
tute comparison which exhibits remarka-
blesresuE.
In the Northern or Federal army, the num-
her of white soldiers is stated in round NUM-
bers. at 2, 100000. This, it is said, is nearly
the exact number OF these, there Is record
ed the number of PSI, 1872 who died, or about
one in ten. The number of colored troops is
stated at 1870, 900, of which, 49, 98 lost their
lives. about one in six. This is nearly
double mortality among the blacks. The dis
proportion is still greater between the whites
and blacks who died of disease. Of every
eight white soldiers who died, three lost their
lives in battle, and five persisted from disease.
Of every nine black soldiers, one lost his life
ON the battle field and eight died from dis
ease.
We are not prepared to assign the cause
for these results of the war statistics of NOR
tally, and we presume it cannot be demon
strated. We suppose, as a matter OF course,
that chronological elements are largely involved
in the estimate. The superior race of the
Caucasian type, was doubtless able to endure
greater fatigue and hardship, and capable,
from the superior structure of his organiza-
ton, of opposing more powerfully resistant
forces to the attacks of disease, than was the
inferior type of the negro, in a similar envi-
ronment.
The comparatively enlightened and culti-
waited Southern negro is far superior type
of man to the native African. This superior
ity is due to the accidental cause of the trans
plantation of the former from his rude, uncul-
tivated and barbarous native state and, I'M
der the comparatively beneficial regime Of
Southern slavery, to his contact with the
white man. At the South, we had had the
free negro and the comparison between the
latter and the Southern slave, as to manhood,
we have no hesitation in averring, was regard
ed both by master and slave as in favor Of the
slave. Indeed the slave of the Southron en-
tertained and expressed not infrequently, a
contempt for the free negro. When. there
FORE it is asserted by the negro worshipers of
the North that the cause or reason of the dis
erepancy in the mortality of whites and blacks,
50 much in favor of the white race, is to traced
to the :" enfeeblement" of the black man by
the system of slavery, the reason assigned is
an absurdity which no man of sense or refec-
ton will accept. For, the position does not
admit of doubt, that an army of Southern
blacks could put to fight an army of free but
rude native Africans twice or thrice its num-
Der, and thus demonstrate the superiority of
the African under the system or tutelage of
Southern slavery