St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1870-10-21
The Increase in rhe Horrors OF
Wdr.

NllC itIOIlNNllOilNO VI Oul wv II Wal, " BiOIl-
erly apprehend:
The policy of arming whole nations,
whatever its merits, has, it is clear, one
enormous drawback. 1t may, and in
the end we believe WILL make wars more
rare, but when they occur it will enor-
mOuSly increase their resulting horrors.
so vast are the numbers which it com
pciS generals to handle, so direct is the
tendency arising out of those masses for
battles TO become pounding matches" -
tactics on the field being actually i'm
pcded, as at Rczonville, by want OF
space that the care OF the wounded
tranScends any possible organization,
aud to be wounded means for the ma :
Jority to die i'll lingering pain OF under
the sharp torture of thirst. SuppOsln@,
for example, what Is extremely probable,
that after Gravclottc and RezonvilIc there
were 10000 wounded on the ground
around, what number of surgeons and
attendants must an army carry 10 1--WE
them anything like effective aid. and
transport them Oft the tield-whcre, he
IL lNiIOillb'iN lIItN Nsl!lllDl ne Olllpu8
the dead without dyng from the effects
q! pc-tilcncc! The work must be done
at once, within twcuty-tour honr-, or
thousands will expire of exhaustion and
oi thir,t-that most terrible OF all tor
lures To- the sick-and done by one ar
my only, for the other ha, rctrcated off
the field. We believe that we do not
ONrr>talc the case when we say that
800 surgeons AMI 10000 men would not
be- too many for the work. No army
pn-Sc->.- a medical organization OF this
maguitude, or could possess one without
an addition to IL imprdmcmtS winch
generals would lind un,nlurablr. IL en-
dangrrlng the very safety OF their armies
aud the countries they defend. No
hospitals, however extensive. could con
tain such crowds. and no army i yet III
a position t. furnish sufficient attendants,
means of conveyance, appliances, or re-
turn transport t. the cities selected Il
/ the dcpots for wounded. We venture
to say that. in this campaign OF twenty
| day. the losses, including dead. wounded,
AMI sent to hospitals TO die there, have
exceeded lJU.ouO men. On M extent
81 the area such sU.tr.Iu" must cover,
. It j. unnecessary - 'i!IItr, but IN ter
many everywhere, and to lar-h extent
in France, it ! intensified 10y tLr local
sm observed IN recruiting. In Germany.
,verv regiment i recruited on H. own
/ riouul, firstly. to intensity ils esprit Il,
c,y,>. the soldiers ii-h,in%, IL it were.
among the klnsman and nci-hDor>
/ secondly. to keep up social discipline. tn,
squire commanding the peasants. who
! think he ought 10 command and third
/ ". 10 make the evasion OF Il summon,
more difficult. ndcr this system heavy
slaughter in Il corps d'uu.et may throw
a province INTO InonrnlnL-umIc-s We
ml>rrai telegram. Tor example. all
|IXpuy viii iccI the victory OF Recon.
>Iilc-and the los Ut a division may
>,Iip i district OF liz youth. Iuc Ger
man papers avoid dwelling upon tn,
subject. but it i. we believe. true tina
at Wuerth one small Bavariau town lps
the wuoic OF its youth. an entire genera
ton, - t. speak, and not 4 house wa
without lis mourncrs. We do not know
that real loss Is increased 10y tins tac'
but the imaginative appreciation OF to>
certainly Is. Il province feeling IL If
had been struck 10y the final EgyptIal
plague. Nor l. Tie immense increase II
The arr1 oi bod!ly suffering the only 'Nl
consequence OF the armlng OF entire IA
uon>, lr area OF suffering OF anothe
hnd l. equally enlarged Formerly
.. when an army ot 10000 men was
grtat one. It was possible, II their header
had motives Tor lenlency. To carry iop'
{ tor them, (" abstain from requlNItlou-
"r to conline rvIul>lIlons. 10 compare
tNciy limited area. Now. when a
army may number quarter OF Il mil
lion, whole provinces must be piunderc'
to keep 1t led. 1t Is next 10 lmpUS>Ibi
to carry provisions with 1t, and II 1t wer
/ possible, the burden III military sense
OF Such vast Trains oi carts Would be uiI
endurahie 10 the generals. Ii WouI
taNc 500 carts 4 day merely TO carry eat
ahiea ior such an army, and the tram
, would III tile end be more burdenSoin
than the army itself. The army, there
fore, rays out cavalry, who, partly b.
menace, partly 10y bribery, partly by
T. regulated form OF pliiage, bring IN TO IN
| centre all that the country can supply
I and i'll tliS instance ''thc country cover
/ whole departments. At least ten de
, partments OF France are at this momer
: under foreign rcquisitlon 50 Searchln
and severe that the unhappy peasantr
G are deprived not only of all they OWL
: their cattle, their crops, their carts, AN
=. their horses, but ol all the stores upo