The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-25
SACRIFICE OF LIFE.
The Cost in Human Life of the War o
the Rebellion.


the Rebellion.
The results obtained by Mr. Kirkley,;
statistician of the Adjutant Generals
office, compiling from all attainable
sources a list of the deaths on the Union
side during the war, possess melan-
choIy 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 might 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 a dozen South
ern prisons have not been secured
those at Americus, 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
"a npn bttn 70, Il
and thirty-eight officers and men were
killed outright or died of their wounds:
but 224, $50 died of disease. The num-
Der of those who are known to have
| died in captivity reaches the appalling
total of 20, 1913.
Another remarkable fact is that over
fifty per cent more men were killed in
| action than died of wounds, the re-
spectiye numbers being 1886 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 total of 46, 534; Ohio comes
next, with 30, 475; then Illinois, with 34,-
1884; then Pennsylvania with 80, 1873, and
Indiana, with 26.672. Michigan, Mis-
souri,, Massachusetts,, Wisconsin, Iowa
and Kentucky contributed between
10000 and 5000 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 Is from Georgia, ~ from Vir-
ginia, Is from Mississippi, al from
| Texas, 215 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 SO, S47 died. and does
| not take in nOn-combatantS of either
color.
The grand total of known deaths in
| the Union army was nearly $50, 900.
| Adding as many more for the rebel
| losses-probably not an overestimate-
and taking into account the navies on
| both sides, and the prisoners who died
| unaCcOunted, we reach a total of at
| least 100000 men as the cost of the war
to this country-nearly one-eighth of
its entire voting population. N. Y. Mail
| and ErDreSS.