The National tribune., 1883-09-13
SCRANTON, PA. Signal Corps, .. S. A
CASUALTIES OF WAR.
Some Remarkable Instances OF Regimental Decima-
tioH In Battle.

tiOU 5i tSatGies
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In THE TRIBUNE of August Is, J. S. Bos-
worth mentions that the Eleventh Ohio battery
lost ffty-four men, and offers the pastry" to
anyone that can beat it.
Comrade White, of company C, Seventy
fourth Illinois volunteers, claims it with loss
of sixty-tbree men, but he cannot have that
pastry yet. The Filth regiment, New York
State volunteers, lost at the battle of second
Bull Run, 1l3 killed or mortally wounded;
four missing that have never been heard from
since by any OF the comrades or their friends;
$50 wounded-a total of 297, including almost
all the line officers-out of 490 men engaged If
any of the comrades can beat this record he
can take the cake. L. h. CARNEY,
Co. g. 5th Regt, n. Y. S. ", Daryea Zeu-
aves, Sd Brig, I'd Div, 5th A. c.
PITTsFIED, Mass.
A VERMONT NAN WANTS THE PASTRY.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In The TRIBUNE of August Both I notice
letter from a. j. White, Co. G, Seventy fourth
regiment, Illinois volunteers, in regard to a
charge made by that regiment before kenesaw,
June y, 1864, which reminds me of charge
made by part Of the old veteran brigade on
the rebel works at Lees Mills, Va, April 16,
1862. The charging party was composed of
two companies of the Third, with a part of the
Fourth and Sixth regiments, and the charge
was across creek the water in which was
waist deep. The rebels were driven out OF
their works, but, not being supported, our troops
were obliged to fall back Ia general engage
ment not being desired). Our loss in the
charge was eighty-seven to the Third, thirty
three to the Fourth, and eighty-eight to the
Sixth Vermont regiments If Comrade White
has not devoured the pastry" will he please
hold it until we can hear from others.
l.. 4. PRICE,
Co. A, Sd Regt., Vt. Vols.
GRAND Crossing, ILL.
MINNESOTA VETERAN WANTS IT TOO.
To the Editor NATIONAL. TRIBUNE:
/ saw in The TRIBUNE of August 10Th Com
rade Bosworths account of the casualties of the
Eleventh Ohio battery, but / think | can beat
that, for Co. K, First Minnesota went into the
charge at Gettysburg with twenty men
and lost twenty -four-nine killed and fifteen
wounded. . A. II. PICKLE,
DOVER, MINI. Co. K, 1st MINI. Vols
I'm the matter Of casualties in battle, many
regiments can lay just claim to loss of 80 per
cent. of their effective strength. The losses at
Fredericksburg in the following regiments viii
best Illustrate the truth of this statement. The
first figures alter the name of the regiment
show its effective strength, and the next its
losses
Twelfth Massachusetts, 258, los; Twenty
sixth New York, 260, 155; Ninetieth Pennsyl-
vania, 189 SO; One Hundred and Thirty y-siXth
Pennsylvania, POP, SO. These regiments were
all in Second brigade, Second division, First
Army Corps, In the attack on the enemy's
right General Hancock states the loss in his di-
vision of the Second Corps (5,006 mem, at 2,0l3,
OF which 156 were commissioned officers. The
Fifty-third Pennsylvania, 314, 155; Seventh
New York, ass, 245; Fifth New Hampshire
3G3 162; Fifty-second New York, 100, 45;
Sixty-ninth New York, 238, 128; Eighty
eighth New York, 252, 127; Sixty-frst and
Sixty fourth New York, 435, los; One Hun
dred and Forty-ffth Pennsylvania, 900, PA ];
One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsy lvania, 247,
50; Twenty eighth Massachusetts,, 49, 156; Sec
ond Delaware, pa, "a; Twenty-seventh Con-
necticut, 3S4, 113; Eighty-first Pennsylvania,
26l, 176; Fifty New York, 1872, II ;
Sixty-third New York, 162, A; Sixty-sixth
| New York, 23S, 81.
In several cases the regiments were with
drawn from the battlefield by their fourth
commander, the first, second and third having
been killed or wounded. In the seventeen
regiments composing Hancock's corps, twenty
four commanders were placed hOrs dR combat
Ed
BeswoRTR WON'T HAND IT OVER YET.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
| Comrade A. J. White, Of the Seventy-fourth
I
pastry" which I rendered to anyone who
could show record of casualties greater than
| those sustained by the Eleventh Ohio battery
in action at Iulza, Miss, September 10, 1862,
which l thought pretty heavy for battery,
and cites IN proof the losses of his regiment at
| Kenesaw Mountain, June ~ 1864. He gives
their loss at sixty-three Now, | don't think
| there is such great difference between fifty
| four and sixty-three, especially when you re-
member that battery, when full, is composed
| OF only 1l0 men, and regiment, when full, OF
1000 men. / hardly think it fair to put a
! whole regiment against single company. Let
/ Cemrade White pick out any two companies of
| his regiment and pit them against my battery,
and then, if they have lost one-half the men
the Eleventh Ohio battery did on that bloody
field, viii hand over the pastry willingly. |
| was not member of tie Eleventh Ohio bat
| terry, but was at Iuka, Miss during the fight
and know they lost that number OF men. Try
again! j. S. BoswoETH.
THEY WILL TAKE THE WHOLE BAKERY.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In THE TRIBUNE of August 80 'S3, A. j
| White, of the Seventy fourth Illinois volun-
| teers. cl9ims the pastry offered by j. S. Bos
| worth for the largest number of casualties
| Cornrade white says his regiment lost sixty
| three men at Kenesaw Mountain, Va. June 27
| 1894 In that same charge on kenesaw the
! Fortieth regiment, Indiana veteran volunteers
went into action with three hundred and sixty
men and officers, and lost Officers killed
three; wounded, four; men killed, twenty
one; wounded, sixty-eight, and ten missing
total, one hundred and six men; died
of wounds afterward SIX. The same regi
ment lest il the assault on Mission Ridge
Tenn, November %, 1863, twenty men killed
and one hundred and thirty wounded ten mer
dying OF their wounds in short time after
the assault. The pastry should be held in re
serve until we hear from more of the boys.
think some Of them will yet take the Who'll,
bakery. G. III. WooD,
CO. K, 40th Reg't Ind. V. ", Cd Brig, q
Div, 4th Army Corps.
METZ, Mo.