The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-06-12
DEATHS BY BATTLE AND BY DISEASE.

Tables reported to originate in the War
Department, show some surprising results
when compared with similar official re.
turns ofother armies, foreign and our own.
In the Mexican war our losses In deaths
from disease were, compared with the
deaths in battle and from wounds,a as about
eight to one in the Crimean var those
of the French were as nearly seven TO one
those of the English as nearly four to
one. In our war the deaths from disease
were as to the deaths in battle and from
wound little over two to one.
These ratios are the BEST proofs we could
have of the splendid efficiency of our ar
my sanitary regulations, of the skill and
faithfulnes Of the army medical corps, and
of the thoroughness and great usefulness
of our sanitary Commissions work.
1t appears that we lost, in officers and
men, killed and died of wounds, 96,099
and by disease, 1S4,321; or altogether
2SO, ,42O,s out of total given in these
tables at 2,I54,311. In the Crimea, Of
nearly $4,000 English soldies, 4, ,419 died
by battle, and 1928 died of disease at
the seat of war, while nearly $4,000 more
were sent home sick. Thus the Euglish
losses by disease were nearly four times
those BY battle. The French, whose san
itary regulations were much praised were
even worse. They lost $500 men by
battle, $4,000 by disease-nearly seven
times the number of casualties, instead
of less than twice ,as with US and $4,000
more were sent home to be discharged as
inTalids, considerable portion of whom
no doubt died of their diseases.
To show what good management, thor
ough sanitary regulations ,and the efficient
and organized work of the Sanitary Com.
mission did for our soldiers in this war,
we will compare further with the results
of the Mexican war. Intbat war; accor-
ding to government returns, ouly 1,54S
men died in battle or of wounds, but H.
348 died of disease, and 1882 were
sent home sick. This was worse even
than the Crimean returns. We sec By
these statistics what the country owes to
the wise and noble men who, at the open
ing of the struggle, undertook to care for
the health of the troops; who, in the SER
vice, and in the Sanitary Commission, la
bored increasingly to spread sound sani-
tary information, to establish and enforce
sanitary regulations, and who, with the
help of the patriotic women of the land,
gathered and expended nearly one hun
dred millions of dollars for supplementary
supplies and relief.
If our losses by disease had been in the
same proportion as those of the Euglish
in the Crimea 184 900 more men would
have encountered the death rolls; if they
had been in the same proportion as the
French in the same war, We should have
mourned over 100000 more deaths than
actually occurred. And ,all these lives
were saved by the excellence of the hos
pital service, the care aud skill of the
medical staff; and, not least, by the uu.
tireing providence of the Sanitary Com
mission. Surely there is no more glorious
passage in the record of the war than this
of lives saved to the country and to their
friends, by intelligent and humane care.
There are some other interesting facts
shown in these tables. 1t seems that
all the states except Georgia and South
Carolina furnished troops for the Union
armies. Of the loyal states New Englaud
lost the heaviest proportion of killed aud
wounded, nearly As per 1000; the Wes-
tern states next, nearly 81 per 1000, the
Middle States nearly 80 per 1000 and
the berder states 25 per 1000 Kansas
heads the list of individual states-uors
than half the able bodied men of that state
entered the army, and 81 of every 1000
of them were killed or died of wounds
Vermont stands next in the list-her
losses in killed and those who died Of
wounds amounted to over SIS per 1000
Massachusetts, lost nearly 48 per 1000;
New Hampshire over47 ; and Iowa, which
furnished larger proportion of her pop
ulation to the army than any other state
but Kansas lost 453 per 1000 10 killed
and dead from wounds.
Iowa heads the mournful list of deaths
from disease; her losses amounted ID over
ia per 1000, Vermont 81, Maine 50,
Michigan 81, little Delaware but II per
1000 New England lest, from disease,
over 70 per 1000, the Western States
nearly 81 the Middle States nearly 32 ,and
the Border States over 25 per | 900
1t appears thus that both from battle
and from disease New England sustained
the heaviest losses; and those who cried
out, for while, that "Yankees" did not
fight are forever silenced by these sad
tables.
nsa-.The people of West Virginia, near