The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-07-11

THE HUMAN COST OF THE CIVIL WAR.

I'VE HOWNN Ouot VI IUE OtvIL VNns
The results obtained by Mr.. Kirk
ley, a statistician of the Adjutant-
Generals office, in compiling from
all attainable sources a list of the
deaths on the Union side during the
war, possesses a melancholy, but
very strong, interest at this time.
1t has been Il very difficult task to
gather the 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 compiler might well despair
of ever completing his task with any
thing like an approach to accuracy.
Patience and perseverance have at
last accomplished the difficult task,
however, and we have in Mr.. Kirk
ley's tables what is at least the most
accurate and complete death-roll yet
published, if not one that is abso-
lutely without error. The registers
of dozen Southern prisons have not
been secured-those at Americas, At
lanta, Augusta, Charleston, Lynch
burg, Macon, Marietta, Mobile,
Montgomery, Savannah, Shreveport
and Tyler-and only partial lists
were obtained from Cahawba, Column
bia, Florence, Millen and Salisbury !;
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 diseases 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,-
$50 died of disease. The number of
those who are known to have died in
captivity reaches the appalling total
of 29,49S.
Another remarkable fact is that
over so percent more men were
killed in action than died of wounds,
the respective numbers being G2 1896
and 4O,777. At least three-fourll :
of the wounded must have recovered
partially at least, so that they die
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 on theil
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 JUS
how many lives each one contributed
to the cause. New York, of course
heads the list, with total of 46, 1874
Ohio comes next, with So AS; thel
Illinois, with "a 1884; then Pennsyl
vania, with 1888, and Indiana
with 26,672. Michigan, Missouri
Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Iowa an,
Kentucky contributed between 10,
900 and $4,000 each; all the res
less than 1000 each.
1t is worthy of remark that ever,
State now in the Union, except Sout
Carolina, is represented on the list
and every Territory except Utah
There are only Is from Georgia, A.
from Virginia, IS from Mississippi
al from Texas, 2l5 from Florida
345 from Alabama, and $50 from
North Carolina. Arkansas contri
buted 1,713 and Tennessee GIFT
This is exclusive of colored troops
of whom 36,S47 died, and does no
take in non-combatants of eithe
color.
The grand total of known death
in the Union Army was nearly $50,
900. Adding as many more for tn
rebel losses-probably not an ovel
estimate-and taking into accour
the navies on both sides, and til
prisoners who died uncounted, W
reach a total of at least 100000 me
as the cost of that war to this cour
try-nearly one-eighth of its entir
voting population.-N. Y. Ma
and Erpress.