Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-08
96.Os9 ls4. .SSl 2SO.42O 2.154 sl1


COMPARATIVE MORTALITY OF OFFICERS AND MEN.
VI the grand total of deaths from all causes (two
hundred and eighty thousand four hundred ard
tNenty) there died, IN action and of wounds, one
hundred and fifty seven officers OF the regular army
and i've thousand and sixty four Of other white and
colored troops. and OF disease, eighty three of the
former and two Thousand two hundred and thirty
eight OF the latter. making aggregate of seven
enlisted men comprised in the above grand total
there died, in action and of wounds ninety thousan
eight hundred and sixty eight and Of disease. one
hundred and eightytwo thousand and ten.
From this it appears, first that of killed in battle
ana OF wounds there was one officer to every eighteen
chances OF battle of officers who. with full ranks
constitute about twenty part of the army than
Of enlisted men Secondly, it appears on the other
hand, that only one officer to every ninety men has
died OF disease. The several of this remark
able disproportion are evident. Officers are better
sheltered than enlisted men. Their food is general
ly better In quality and more varied in kind They
are not so much crowded together in tents and are
therefore less subject TO contagious and epidemic
diseases. They have superior advantages in regard
to personal cleanliness. AS prisoners of war, too
they are generally treated more lenently Another IA
Vorlng and by no means least potential cause of psy
&hoogica nature, is the superior elasticity of spirit
and moral power of endurance which is given to a
man by investing him with a commission and its ac
advancement.
EXTRAORDINARY MORTALITY FROM DISEASE AMONG
CoLoRED TROOPS.
A very noteworthy feature of the above tables is
the extraordinary mortality among the colored
troops from disease it exhibits 1t is seen that while
but two thousand niue hundred and ninety-seven
died in action and of wounds. the enormously large
number of twenty six thousand three hundred and
one died of disease. Among the white troops the
proportion of deaths in action and from wounds to
the deaths from disease is about to two; among
the colored troops as one TO eight About one hun
dred and eighty thousand colored men were enlisted
In the army during the war. of whom, accordingly
nearly one out of every seven died of disease. The
general proportion among white troops is one to
fifteen.
These figures indicate conclusiyely that the negro,
in the condition III which the found him. was less
capable than the white man of enduring the trials
physical and moral, of military service. 1t may be
assumed that where died of disease at least five
others were seriously sick, so that large proportion
OF the coored troops must have been constantly upon
the sick list A close analysis of the of this
difference of physical fitness for military service in
the two races, however, would no doubt show that
they were in the main of psychological character
that the great susceptibility of tho coored man to
disease arose from certain lack of mental activity
and buoyancy Of feeling, and that higher. moral
and intellectual culture would diminish the defect
InlS view Is sustained by the Professional vpinion of
medical authorities.
PROPORTION PER THOUSAND CONTRIBUTED TO THE
TOTAL OF DEATHS IN ACTION AND FROM