News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-11-12
THE LATE WAR.
Armed Forces That Took Part i'm r..
Couaict-Great BaEtles.

In the four years that followed the
uprising of the South the esople Of the
North furnished to the armies Of the
Union nearly 5000, 600 of men, and the
South gave to the armies Ct the Confed-
eracy over 900, 900 more. From less
than %. 900. 900 of inhabitants. and
within the space of four yeFs, A, 600, 600
of men were under arms u that terrible
conflict. Contemplates pct that one
in every eight - - .--.stii7...,
or one in every four Of our hahn popula
tion, was actually engagedin the con-
test, and you get some ida of the ter
rible drain that the war was on the flesh
and blood of our countryaen. In the
entire military history of theworld there
is nothing to be compared tothat martial
enthusiasm of our nation. The cele-
brated uprising of the French people in
1898, and that of nearly century later
in their war with Germany, sink into
ihsignifcance when compared with the
tide that moved southwark and north
ward to join the armies of the Union and
Confederacy. tits the boast of Germany,
the greatest military nation of modern
times that with population of Al, 900, 900
she can in time of war furnish an army
of 1, $50, 900 men; but in the war of the
Rebellion the North, with population
of only %, 900, 900, had in actual service
at the close of that contest more than
1,000,0 600. The hero of Appomattox,
during the campaign of 1854 and '65,
commanded more soldiers than any other
general since the fall of the Roman EN-
pire. We are accustomed to think of
Waterloo as the greatest battle of modern
times, but in six engagements of the
war of the rebellion the loss upon one
side or the other was greater than that
of Wellington and the allied forces at
Waterloo. The loss of the Union army
in the battle of the Wilderness nearly
equalled the entire loss of both armies
on the field of Waterloo. No battle has
ever been fought on the continent of
Europe with crater determination or
with as much loss as that of Gettysburg.
But the sacrifice of blood kept pace with
that of treasure. Our war expenses dur
ing the last year of the Rebellion ex-
ceeded 81, 900, 000,0 900. The expenses
of the great war between France and
England during the career of Napoleon
and the French Revolution bore no COM
parison to that of our war. The great
est sum of money expended during a
single gear was by Great Britain in 1915,
when it amounted to $131, 900, 900, or
less than two-thirds of the expenditure
of the North during the year ending
1865. For half century
Waterloo has stood in history, song,
and story without parallel 1T was re-
served to the descendants Of the men
who fought under the Duke in that
famous engagement to convince the
world that courage and tepacity had not
1egenerated since the 7aS.S-as-SYistI erIoo..
Gettysburg may fairly be fsaio 20 be the
greatest battle of modern times. The
numbers engaged exceeded those of
Waterloo; the duration of the battle
longer, and the loss greater. More than
of the Union army, and nearly
one-half of the Confederates, were killed,
or missing in that engage
The famous charge by Pickett
on the third day, and its subsequent re-
pulse, will live for all time in military
history. The famous ''0ld Guard"
veterans in the service of France, victors
on many hard fought field, possessing
the courage and spirit peculiar to their
nation and race, wayered before the
first volley from the English batteries at
Waterloo, and at the second fell back in
confusion. But Pickett's division at
with less men than COM
posed the ''Old Guard, advanced mile
under the calling fire of our batteries,
its lines unbroken, the living stepping
into the places of the dead, and engaged
our forces in hand-to-hand fight for the
possession of Cemetery Ridge.