, 1870-08-14
Chances In Eatttcs
-. ~ y, -

In the DAYS Of the old d-fashioned musket, or
81 I,o~n Bese," a. it was popuiafIT nick
nsmed. the chances Of = mans teing hut bv =
bullet we're slight. It has t'cen estinaatei that
IN Wcllington's campaign in Spain it took $40
bullets to kill one Tan. bnt much Of this waste
Of lend md powder was due to carelcssueaa
and ignorance on the part Of the men some
fred 80 high that the balls vent over the heads
Of the enemy, others 20 low that they vent
With greatly improved firearms, the lumber OF
killed md wounded waa very small compared
with the immense number Of ehotA dEad.
Nj. Francis Galtou, in lis recent work on
hereditary genius, prcsenta tome cur1oai
calculations - to mana chance OF nel'g
struck By bullets in battle. One man differs
from smother in height and il width, there
fore, the chance Of tue one - compared With
that IT the other varies "a the sectional area
Of hls boGy-that is to say, IS hs heighs nn!-
tip1ied into bis Average bEeadth: Das tl'e -
It: Tor large men are more likely u be hit,
not merely on account Of tie greater area OF
their todiee. but also on acconnt OF their be-
ing more conspicuous from their size. anal,
a.. . mark. The principle OF natural
selectiol." on the part Of the enc
my'e bu1lets, here comes into operation. and
Mr. Cation endeavors to correct his estimste
Of chances by taking the weight Of the ruan
into seeoupt It Is pot e.s5 to Ps1ee,Sss I've the
! sult OF it u, that the chance OF q man's being
accidentally ehot in battle is the e!uarn root
| OF ihe product Of his height multiplied into
\ weight. Thrs, soppcssng EnAn to BE- -
! pounds in weight, and six feet two and half
~ ofl1 NO 1esrr, while MN Of liz pooros
| wa;rht. md fire feet s71 irehes high, WOULD
eseape for three. Tbs total Tslatlse ehaaeet
srsil,st being ehot in battle Of Two men o.
| thess respective heights and weights are "a
thTee to o,e in fayer Of the smaller man. IN
rtsrect to accidental thots. and IN y de>adeAy
1nore favorable proportion in respect 70 dafect
,;m. the latter chance being eonpoundea o.
the two following Fuss. het.ef nope lrf;. o. H.
tIa less thsn tree to two, OF not being hit
when made the object OF IN AIM.
Had Nelson been large tnAn, instesd Of 8
nere feather weight, il is probable thss 30
vou!d not have gurviyed 30 long the e1Hao1dt-
usIy dangers ha encountered IN the coqsae
and twenty actions .. sea, including tha
Eatt,es Of Cape st. Vincent and the Nile,
| and il them he lost an arm and an aye IA
vas ultimately killed At Trafalgar (after es-
eapipg death 1T Copenhageu( By one OF naanY
lhots aimed directly 1t him by tiaetnan
ehould at the same time be added thst, on this
occasion, be greatly increased the chances
| against him, by pa:ing the quarter deck N
| full uniform, with al his medals and orders
| fastened On his breast When the famous
Marshal soult visited England, story sp.
peared In the newspapers to the eject that
some English veteran had declared the hero
| must bear charmed life, for that he {tha
eoIdier} bad covered him with his ride up
wards Of thirty times, and get never bit him:
Il Is not at ali surprising that the uneaacstel
| believe come men to bear charmed lives,
when We remember Napoleon at the bridge Of
| Lodi, and again At Arcols, where. it Is ees
down in history, the Austrian artillery swept
i ! OF eyerE body but himself, get he 1ed the Tsy
. | ac1oes the bridge unharnaed-thoush tug
, grape 11ttied IN perfect bail storm rouna
him. The sane NAV he s1id OF Wellington as
Waterloo, where It is reported. that eEefY
man OF his staH vas either killed OK Wo1ndsd;;
, and be had for vhile to do their ~ork uptn "
, otEers could be brought up from tue otnes y :
/ ED Of the line, he escaping ;a.,,ces ~ @
. vhils untouched. Many more r.. instance n.Tee
: ro;ns on iii around c7u be toana "a. -
> fist5ly. but these ire two rem.tkEsGSts e. S e,nrj
.n;I;.srr ~ most people. It viii oe 1o4nu
: .lat .Ls w.ioritT Of officers OF rue MSnet
= Ts5es srrrife not ouly one bat naan. oa.'!es.
r. G.i,on estimates this ualon.y . PR
: a.rt mi his figures do not be1s y! ~ tueo.
: ~ ue has selected a nst " w w ~ .t,oa ~.
: inc mos. Ea,, I;sJ on the battle field, which
! onls s,5 msIe fhe proportion Is per cent. TIE
9 %.s.t % formidable enemies IN aImT has Are
: nm.mn.feyer. priratiou, oEer-fahgue, and too
cr-af e1poeuIe to hest, cold, and damp, and
the careiessress OF the men. These Ell three
| Zines a many as the bullet does; ard Ter tho
. ballet kills its thousands, notwithstanding the
| large chances IN favor Of tbs escape OF my
| irdiv;dusl soldier.