The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-11-20

This shows that throughout the North
there was at least soldier to every s people.
In Illinois there was l TO every Z, and in
Kansas nearly to every s. Of course, of
every persons were females. OF the re-
manning 4, at least q were under or over
the military age, or were unfit, SO that sub
stantially every young man capable OF being
soldier went to the front This is pro-
portion of fighting men to the whole people
that the world never saw equalled, as many
European critics frankly admit. The British
Encyclopedia says: "These are figures
before which the celebrated uprising OF the
French Nation in 1893, or the recent efforts
of France and Germany in the war of 1870
II, sink into insignifcance. And within
three years the whole of those vast forces
were peaceably disbanded, and the army
had shrunk to normal strength of only
10000 men," 1t must be expected that
it will take no small amount to pension the
survivors of the grand total of 2,320,272
men who wore the blue between the 18th of
April, 1861, and the 3lst of December, 1865.
Secondly. The armies of Europe have always
been made up of the cheapest and poorest
paid men in the respective countries. No
man was found in them who was capable of
making decent wages in any other pursuit.
On the other hand, the Union Army was COM
posed of the best wage-earners in the cOun-
try. The earnings in civil life Of an average
American company would be more than that
of an average European regiment. This
fact bears on the sacrifices that our soldiers
had to make in order to personally serve
their country.
Thirdly Every other great and civilized
nation spends hundreds of millions of dol
lars every year upon its standing army.
This does not include the great drain upon
the resources of the country from having
hundreds of thousands of young men with
drawn from industrial pursuits and kept at
non-productive occupation. We avoid
this enormous expense by relying upon a
call for volunteers to meet any great emer-
gency. Therefore, while it actually costs
every man, woman and child in France $500
each every year, or $15.45 per family, to sup
port the army, it only costs the Americans
| 50 cents per capita, or 81 a family. While
6657 per cent, or two-thirds of the entire
income of the German Empire is expended
/ in maintaining the army, we spend on ours
but 1852 per cent, or less than one-sixth.
Certainly, if we get along SO cheaply in
ordinary times, we must expect to pay some
| what extra for emergencies.
F0arthly. No great military force was ever
called upon to fight as many and as bloody
battles as the Union Army in its four years
! of service. No modern war ever lasted so
long, Or was so full of desperate collisions.
No army ever staid so constantly in the field
for so long time, contended for so long
with the rigors Of climate and the hardships
of campaigning ever lost so large a
proportion of its numbers by wounds in
battle and disease in camp. Let us compare
our war with the Franco Prussian, to see the
difference in the bardships and dangers to
which the participants were subjected:
We actually put in the field for three
years service 2,32O,272 men. OF these We
! lost
Killed IN 93,2SS
Died Of 49.2Oo
Suicides executions, etc......-.............. 526
Died OF disease. ISo,2lo
Unknown causes 2iIsI
Missing and in all probability dead......... $1,000
Total............. ............... 33i, 1863
Our war began in April, 1861, and lasted
four years.
The Franco-Prussian war began July 10,