Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-25

The estimate of the killed and missing
at Sedan is Is, 900 and the wounded 22,-
900. This makes a grand total of 81, COS
killed and missing and 119, $50 wounded,
being an army OF 2l0, 655 that the Prus-
slams have lost since the beginning of the
war. To this must be added the losses
suffered by the army through disease, and
the killed and wounded in the number
less skIrmishes and little fights that have
occurred. The army has suffered with
dysentery ever since the invasion com
menced, and it is believed that to the
above total should be added at least TO-
900 or y, 600 for those who have died of
this and other diseases, or who are now
lying sick in the hospitals 1t is not
improbable that the total losses
of the Prussians will foot up a
quarter of a million of men. The New
York Bulletin says: On the French side
the losses must have been much less in
proportion to the number of troops placed
in the field. They began the campaign
with an available fighting army of not
more than $50, 900 men, while the Ger
man army of invasion was fully 6OQ 900
strong. Owing to defensive attitude which
the French commanders have been COM
PEELED to assume from the first, they have
been able to avail themselves more gen
orally of field fertilization and temporary
earth works, which are a great protec-
ton to infantry and artillery, and
they have scarcely even made a
stand in open field. Where their
position has not possessed natural
advantages, says German writer,
they have concealed themselves in Grille
pits of enormous length and systematic
continuity" Notwithstanding this, how
ever, their losses have been enormous.
In the great battles near and around
Metz, their killed and wounded are said
TO have numbered as many as twenty
five thousand; in the last struggle at Sc
dan they cannot have lost less than thirty
thousand, all told; and it may be safely
assumed that the French losses will ag-
gregate the enormous total of one hun
bred and fifty thousand in killed, wounded
and permanently disabled. Thus, we may
estimate the total losses of the war on
both sides at four hundred thousand men,
in round numbers.
To this frightful carnage must be added
the enormous expenditures of treasure,
the destruction of property, the inevitable
waste attending the distribution of vast
quantities of clothing, food and costly
equipments through the quartermaster's
and commissary's departments, the sus-
pension of commerce in nearly all its impor-
tant branches, and 50 on through the long
ist of evils which follow in the track of
Iwar, and we may comprehend in some
slight degree what the Prussian victories
have cost. 1t may be well asked, does
war pay and whether any possible ma
tional benefit can be gained from a dynss-
tic conflict like that upon which France
and Prussia entered two months ago That
car Justify such enormous national saCri-
tic s. Like all other great problems of
hu nan government, tn csc questions must
sooner or later be answered by the voice
Of The people; and we may hope that
no iODal military cr1Orv now Durphaspd at
such fearful sacr ifices of blood and treas
urc, will be lost sight of and forgotten
among the grandcr achievements of the
biaher and more comprehensive civiliza-
tirn of the future.