Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-25
Curious Statistics.

General Shanks, a member of Con-
gress, who served in the Federal army
during the late war, has gotten up
some Interesting statistics, relating to
the army during the war.
The aggregate enlistments in the
Federal army from the beginning to
the end OF the war was 2,33j, 951. OF
this SO, 1914 were commissioned officers.
including nine colOred. OF white
men enlisted there wera2 ,073, I12, and
of blacks IT'S, S95.
The General shows the proportion
ate casualties and the relative dangers
of officers and men in battle, the pro-
portiOnate mortality from disease aud
from other causes, and other interest
ing comparisons.
There were 83,S44 commissioned
officers employed, and of them 1891
were killed in battle, or about one out
of every twenty-One. OF 2,673,I12 en-
listed white men, IS, 793 were killed
in battle, or about one out of every
f%fty-four. OF the 1855 enlisted
blacks, 1914 were killed in battle, or
about one in one hundred and
eighteen.
OF the mortality from wounds we
have this comparison: 2O69 officers
died of wounds, or about one in forty
one; 30,SS7 white soldies died from
wounds, or about one in sixty-seven /;
and 1887 blacks died from wounds,
one in n hundred and seventy
three. 1t is thus seer that the wounds
of the officers were more fatal than
those of the white soldiers, and they
were far more fatal than the wounds
of the blacks. The officers are con-
spicuous marks, and this may account
for their proportion of mortality.
The comparison of mortality from
disease between fine officers and men
entirely reverses the figures. OF Off
GERS about 1923 died of disease, or
about one in every forty-nine. OF
white soldiers, III, 100 died of disease,
or one out of every seventeen, and of
the negroes 26,21I died of disease, or
one out of every seven.
The Interpretations here are great,
the deaths among the negroes being
than among the white soldiers, and
seven times more than among the of
ficers, while the mortality from dis
ease among the white soldiers was
nearly three times as great as among
the officers of their race.
This disproportion between officers
and men is partly owing to the greater
hardships and exposures of camp life
among soldiers than among their
officers, partly TO the disregard of
health among the priYates, and partly
to the reckless lives of men before
they enter the army; and this last
cause, it is supposed, accounts fox the
greater mortality among negroes.
These statistics show how great an
error it is to suppose that reckless
exposure and irregularity make a
people hardy.
The combined numbers of those
who were killed and those who died
of wounds received in battle, COM
pared with the deaths from disease.
show the following results ; COCO
officers lost their lives from injuries in
battle, while only I723 died from dis
ease; 6S,6S0 white soldiers lost their
lives by battle injuries, while 121, 100
died from disease, or nearly two
deaths by disease from one in battle.
The blacks lost 2551 for injuries in
battle, while the large number of 90
~ died from disease, or more than
ten from disease for one in battle.
The aggregate deaths from all causes
were: Officers, 1914, or one in nine;
enlisted whites, 25l, 722, OF one out Of
eight and a quarter; and enlisted ne
groes, 39,379, or n out of every five
and One-third. Deaths from all causes
in the army, 294,415.