The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-05
The Military Strength of the European
Beliigerents.
From the Herald.

We published on Monday some interesting
statistics, collated from official sources, show
ing the military strength of the present Euro
pean belligerents From these figures it would
appear that vast armies are in the field, and
that the clash of arms, when it comes in earnest,
will be tremendous, and rock Europe to the
centre.
1t is a we'll established fact but one not gene.
rally noted, that the numerical strength of armies
in actual and active service is greatly eXagge-
rated. The immense armies OF the ancients,
numbering IN some instances, according TO sacred
and proiane history, millions OF men, were un
doubtedly composed more of camp followers and
other non.combatants than men capable OF bear
ing the rude and cumbersome arms of the
period. The tabled myrads included in the
armies of the ancient Persians, TartaTs, Egyp-
1ians, Assyrians, and the other warlike powers
of the early ages, were no doubt impeded in their
marches and battles by the great number of
useless and unserViceable characters that hung
upon the rear and fanks of the main armies 1t
is a curious circumstance that while ancient his
torians mention the lEtermlnable numbers of
those ancient hosts, they neglect to state how
the men were supported; how the commissariat
was supplied while traVersing through unknown
and desert regions; where the quartermaster
replenished his stores for his famishing horses
elephants, camels, and other beasts of burden
ard transportation. They had no railroads
in those, days. They had no magnetic tele
graph then. They could not talk from
point to point and transmit orders with the
regularity and despatch of personal communi.
cation. They had no light artillery then. They
had no spherical shot or five-hundre l-pounder
shells; no torpedoes, no two.mile rifles, no sub.
marine batteries, no iron clad war ships no
electric fuses, no gunpowder-exce the Chi
nese-no gun cotton, no nitro,glycerine and
other explosive material. They had huge bat.
1erlng rams, weighing some tons; immense bow
guns, mounted on carriages and thro wing very
heavy arrows; stone slngs, iavelius, and ali
inoSe articles of warfare the Careful student nj
ancient military history is familiar with. But
although it would require great physical force
TO manage these implements, we doubt very
much whether history is correct in placing the
numbers of these ancient armies at The large
figures it does, for the simple reason that lie
hordes could not be led in the hostile countries
they traversed.
We presume the extent and condition of the
armies IN the United States during the Rebellion
were larger in number and better equipped
better fed and clothed, and better diseiplned
than any armies of half the number in ancient
or modern times In April, 1866, the Unior
armies had on their rolls one million three hun
dred thousand men. At the same time thu
Rebels had on their rolls seven hundred thou
sand men-making together two millions o
troops. OF this number at least onethird wert
not In the field at any one time, but were en-
gagged in doing garrison duty, occupying fort