Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-07-23
SACRIFICE OF LIFE.
The Cost In Human Life Of the War Of
the Rebellion.

the Rebellion.
The results obtained by Mr.. Kirkley,
a statistician of the Adjutant Generals
office, compiling from all attainable
sources list of the deaths on the Union
side during the war. possess melan-
choly but very strong interest at this
time. 1t has been very difficult task
to gather names for this roll. So many
persisted unseen and unknown; so many
rOtted away in Southern prisons of
whom every trace is lost, that the COM
piler mi ght well despair of ever complet-
ing his task with anything like an
approach to accuracy.
Patience and perseverance have at
last accomplished the difficult task,
however. and we have in Mr. kirkley's
tables what is at least the most accurate
and complete death roll yet published,
if not one that is absolutely without
error. The registers of dozen South
ern prisons have not been secured
those at Americas, Atlanta, Augusta,
Charleston. Lynchburg, Macon, Mari
eta. Mobile. Montgomery, Savannah.
Shreveport and Tyler--and only partial
records were obtained from Cahawba,
Columbia, Florence, Millen and Sails
bury; but with these exceptions the roll
is substantially complete.
One of the most remarkable results
arrived at. at least to the reader who
knows nothing practically of war, is
that more than twice as many men died
from disease in the army as from the
shot, shell. bayonet and sword of the
enemy. One hundred and ten thousand
and thirty-eight officers and men were
killed outright or died of their wounds;
but 224, 5S6 died of disease. The num-
Der of those who are known to have
died in captivity reaches the appalling
total of 29.49S.
Another remarkable fact is that over
fifty per cent. more men were killed in
action than died of wounds. the re-
spective numbers being 81, S96 and 49,
III. At least three fourths of the
wounded must have recovered. partially
at least. SO that they did not die during
the period covered by the inquiry.
which ceases with the mastering out at
the end of the war. How many veterans
there are still among us who carry
about their bodies the marks of violence
suffered during the war, let the long
pension rolls testify.
Mr.. kirkley's tables are arranged by
States, so that we can tell Just how
many lives each one contributed to the
cause. New York, of course, heads the
list, with a total of 46, 534; Ohio comes
next, with 35, 475; then Illinois, with 3d.
3S4: then Pennsylvania, with 33. 1873, and
Indiana. with 1852. Michigan. Mis-
souri,, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Iowa
and Kentucky contributed between
10000 and 1900 each; all the rest less
than 1000 each.
1t is worthy of remark that every
State now in the Union, except South
Carolina, is represented on the list. and
every Territory except Utah. There
are only ID from Georgia. AZ from Vir-
ginia, IS from Mississippi, 141 from
Texas, 2l5 from Florida, 345 from
Alabama, and 800 from North Carolina.
Arkansas contributed LIB and Tennes-
see GIT. This is exclusive of cOlored
troops. of whom Sc, S47 died, and does
not take in nOn-cOmbatantS of either
color.
The grand total of known deaths in
the Union army was nearly 100000.
Adding rs many more for the rebel
losses probably not an Overestimate-
and taking into account the navies on
both S'deS, and the prisoners who died
unaccounted, we reach total of at
least 500, 900 men as the cost of the war
to this country-nearly one eighth of
its entire voting population. E.Mail
ami E'rprPSS