The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-10-28
HUMAN SLAUGHTER.
The Losses Sustained In Sesae Of thS
Great BATTLES Of the WOTld,

HUMAN ShAU UGHTEk- Zee
The Losses Sustained In Sosae OF saae
Great Battles Of the World.
From the n. Times. .-....s.-
The shocking slaughter which has
characterized recent European battles,
has naturally directed attention to the
comparative bloodshed of these and
former struggles, and suggested esti-
mates of the practical bearing on the
question of the new weapons of war
fares Whether rifled cannon, the
acknowledgements and matrailleuse, are
or are not, as the guillOtine was alleged
to be, benefcient inventions, appears
to depend on. these calculations. For
if it should appear that, while war costs
no more men than formerly, it is much
sooner over, and that this is in an ap-
pTeciable measure consequent upon
the use of better or more effective Wea-
pOns, the affirmative of this proposition
must be accepted. War concerns nom
combatants as well as others, and the
shorter it is the better, of course, for all
industrial Interests. If 100000 men
must be killed, it is better for their
country that they should be killed in
month than in a year. A recognition of
the principle would seem in part to
have inspired the existing PTussian
military system, The accounts that
reach us the current strife are certainly
terrible and distressing. The details of
mangled bodies, of +" cOlOred rags, glued
together with blood and brains, and
piOned in fantastic shapes with bits of
bOne," are sickening beyond measure.
It is, however, q debatable question,
granting that war must still be, wheth-
er a soldier is worse off for going through
a great danger for short time, rather
than considerable danger for q long
time.- An examination of some details
of the loss of life, in past ard recent
battles, will assist the formation of in
telIigent opinion.
For the losses, as well as the numbers
engaged in the battles of antiquity, we
have but uncertain data Such history
as we possess asserts that at Marathon
100000 Greeks overthrew. 500, 900 Per-
slams, and that 200, 900 of the latter
were slain. This, of course, is the
Greek history, and not the Persian.-
At the taking of Jerusalem by Titus
more than 100000 are believed to
have perished. At Naissus, when
Claudius defeated the GOths, it is said
100000 Of the latter were killed. The
siege of Acre cost an equal number of
Christian soldiers. At the battle of
Hastings 80, 600 were killed-a vast pro-
portion of the numbers engaged. The
famous struggle at Bannockburn was
one of the most disastrous for England
that ever occurred before its date on
since, the total loss being $4,000, or one
half of King Edwards whole army
At CreSsy the English under the Black
Prince killed nearly as many as their
OWN number of the French, i. e., some
what over $4,000; and at AgincouTt
Henry V. did even better, for, with only
5000 men, he is declared to have beat
en- 10000, of whom 10,000 were killed
and 1000 taken prisoners. The re-
cords state at Blenheim the English
under Marlborough slew q 900 of their
adversaries, and took Is, 900 prisoners.
At FOntenOy, where Marshal SAKE, at
the head of the French, defeated the
English under the Duke of CumbeF-
land, both sides confessed to a loss of
about II 600. At MalpIaquet the Allies
lost one-siXth of their whole force of
$4,000 men, and the French One-fifth of
theirs, or 10000. The loss of tie Allies
at AusteTlitz was 0,000-One-third of
their whole array; while that of the
French was 0-One-seYenth of
theirs. OF the 10000 Austrians at
WagraIn, %, 600 were wounded or slain,
and of the $50, 900 French, 10000. At
BOrOdino, the awful number of A. 600
Russians were put iJoTS otlG combat, be-
ing one-third of their whole army, and
$4,000 French, or One-fourth of theirs.
The Allied loss at Leipsic was is, GOO
one-siXth of their army, and that of the
French, 45, 5,OO0-One-fOurth. AT Wa
terIoo, of the 10000 Allies, the loss
was 26, 600, and of the y, 600 French,
50, 900, or more than OneShalf.
In the present generation the great
European battles may be considered to
have been SOlferinO, KOniggratz or Sa-
dowa, Metz and Sedan. At SolferinO
the French and Italians had I52, 900
men, and lost II 600, or One-ninth, and
the Austrians had $50, 600, and lost 90
600, or one-eighth of their total force
Os 220, 900 Prussians at SadOwa, but O.
coo, or one-twenty~third, and of the
10000 Austrians, 81 600, or one-sev-
enth, We're lost. The present estimate
is that there We're 200, ,000 French in the
three days battles before Metz, and
that so, 600 of them were destroyed :;
and that of the 250, 900 Germans, 40,-
600, or ,one-siXth represent the losses.
1t is difficult as yet to pronounce upon
the number of killed and wounded at
Sedan. 1t is YaFiOusly reckOned at
from 10000 to 0,000 men. The French
who We're made prisoners numbered
some $1,000, the first instance Of the
surrender of so large a body of troops
since the Romans capitulated to the
Samnites at the Caudine Forks. In
our American civil war the most san
culinary battles exhibit mortality of the
same relative proportions as the NEST
bloody of the European Struggles
About I00, ,O00men-5 IS, 600 FedeTals and
/ 10000 Confederates-are recorded to
have been engaged at Atietam; the
national loss. is set down at II, ,426, the
/ Confederates at about 10000; the ag-
| gregate loss thus being more than a
| quarter of the whole number of the
| combatants. Nearly the same mum
/ bers, with the, same relative casualties,
were seen at the second Bull Run. AT
| Gettysburg the national lossi S recorded
! at 43, lie, and IthatOf tie COnfedeTates
at about 36, 600. The numbers on each
side having been about equal, or, say
| 10000. each, more than One-third of the
whole were missing or destroyed at the
end of the battle.-e It is common
ly reekoned that the american oivi
war cost, by death in action, dis
ease and wounds, about / 900, coo able
bodied men, which is also the nunIbe
said to have been expended IN the war
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