The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-11-04
MORTALITY IN THE ARMY.


Monthly on the National Homes for Disabled Sol
ders," figures given taken from the official
records of the number Of those in the Federal army
who were killed during the civil war. which must
prove a surprise 10 those who read them. The
whole number of soldiers engaged was 2,77s, 3O4,
but the number OF those who were killed In action
only 67,O5s that is 10 say, but about in 30
of those who served. Now. If any one not knowing
these exact calculations were asked the question: we
venture 10 say that he would put the proportion
very much higher. There were about 5000 who
died Of wounds received in action but the statistics
show that quite two and half times many sol
diers died from disease during the war as there
soldiers who were killed outright or who died
from wounds received in battle And yet, what
soldier. when he enlisted, weighed the chances of
life death in the light which these figures sug-
gest? At such a time IL the unlikely chance Of
death by the bullets Of the enemy, and not the
likely chance Of death by disease that foremost
IN his mind.-Boston Herald.
These figures, like most OF those furnished
and commented on by writers who have not
made careful study Of the war, are mis-
leading.
In the first place the total aggregate Of all
the enlistments, 2,772,4Os, includes tens of
thousands of men who re-enlisted once OF
oftener, and is an oyerstatement That is,
where a man, for example, went out under
the first three-months call, re-enlisted for
three years, and then yeteranized, lie is
counted three times.
Reducing the aggregate 10 an average Of
three years, it is 2,32O272. OF these were
lost, according TO the best fguers obtainable
Killed In 23s
Dleo OF Mounds- ss,2Jo
Suicide 526
Disease ls5,2l6
sOa. 1863
These figures are far below the truth, for
several reasons. The first is, that thousands
Of men reported as missing were in reality
killed out Of sight or knowledge Of their
comrades Next, thousands of men died a,
their homes or elsewhere Of wounds who dc
not figure in the total Of "died from
wounds" which is mainly made up from the
reports Of Surgeons Of regiments and hospi.
tails. Again, the War Department has only
reports 29,729 men having died in rebel
prisons, when the probability is that nearly
double that many persisted there. There
are several thousand more dead gathered
into the National cemeteries where the peni
were located than viii make up the aggre
gate of ,72s.
: Instead, therefore, Of total loss Of 304,
800, the figure is probably in excess Of $50,
600.
The proportion of j to 40 killed in action
and in 80 dying Of wounds received II
battle, does not give a fair idea of the dan
gers of battle. For example, Grants imme
date command at Shiloh numbered abou
$4,000. OF these 1,4S7 were killed outrigh
on the field, and 5,679 severely wounded
= making ZIG in all who were seriousl,
struck. That is, about one man in every
engaged was killed, and one man in ever
five was hit SO badly as TO take him out G
= the fight. Rosecrans had on the field q
!. Stone River 43,400 men. OF these 1,55
4 were killed, and 7,245 seriously wounded
D making 6,79S seriously struck. That i
about one man in every "a was killed, an