Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-02-21
ANNIHLATION CF ARMIES.
A Catastrophe That Has Never Yet
Befallen.

Than ''annihilation" there is no more
favorite word with the critics of ma
neuvers and sham-fights In notice
of a mimic battle near Portsmouth in
the London Times OF the day / write
these lines occurs this observation:
THE guns of the fleet would have an
initiated Colonel Thompson advance
on the left along the seashore." In
truth it is as hard thing to ''annihil-
ate" a body of troops rs it is to kill a
scandal In literal sense, there IS
scarcely record of such 4 catastro-
phe; if used in figurative sense to
signify q loss so great as to put the
force suffering it hors du combat, there
IS amazing testimony to the quantity
of ''annihilation" good troops have ac-
cepted without any such hapless result.
Here are four instances taken almost
at random. The Confederates, out of
6S,0 600 men engaged at Gettysburg,
lost Is, 1000. but Meade held his hand
from interfering with their orderly re-
treat. OF that battle the climax was
the assault of Pickett's Division. 1.-The
flower of Virginia" against Webb's
front on the left of Cemetery Hill. Be
''cold steen' and carried Gibbons bat
terry with q rush. the division had met
with a variety of experiences during
its mile and half advance over the
smooth ground up to the crest. when
it first came into sight it had been
piled with solid shot; then half way
across it had been vigorously shelled,
and the double canisters had been re-
served for its nearer approach. An
enflading fire tore through the ranks;
the musketry blazed forth against it
with deadly effect" This is the evil
dence of an eye witness on the opposite
side, who adds, 'but it came on mag
niticently." Yes, it came on to cold
steel and dubbed muskets. and after
desperate struggle, it went back foiled,
to the accompaniment which had
marked its advance. But, heavy as
were its losses, it was not "annihilat-
ed. Pickctt's division survived to be
once and again a thorn in the Federal
side before the final day of fate came
to it at AppOmattox Court House. At
Mars-la-Tour Alvensieben's two infant
ry divisions, numbering certainly not
over 900 men Gor they had already
lost heavily at the Spicheren Berg),
sacrificed within few of Z, 200 during
the long summer hours while they stood
unsupported athwart the course of the
French army retreating from Metz.
But SO far were they from being ami
hiIated that forty-eight hours later they
made their presence acutely felt on the
afternoon of Gravelotte In the July
attack on Plevna, of the 30,000 men
with whom Krund9uer and Schahov-
skoy went in, they took out under 21,-
900.
One regiment OF the latter's COM
mand lost 725 killed and 1920 wound
ed-about 70 per cent. of the whole
number-yet the Russian retirement
was not disOrderly; and next day the
troops were in resolute cohesion await
ing what might befall them. In the
September attack on Plevna, of "a, 900
Russo-ROumania infantry engaged, the
losses reached Is, 900. Skobeletf COM
manded $4,000 men, and at the end of
his two days desperate fighting not
10, 600 of them were left standing. But
there was no humiliation, either liter
ally or conyentionally, if one may
use the term. The survivors who had
fought on the 18th and 18th of Septem-
Der were ready at the word to 90 in
again on the 18th; and how they march
ed across the Balkans later is one of
the marvels of modern military history
|--ArchjbaLd Forbes, a11 F'0rtnightEy
ReUieoO.