The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-17
THE WORK OF WAR.
A Comparison Of Some of the Bloodiest Bat
ties of Ancient and Modern Times.

a COlupdrlSOH Ol OOulo OI bu6 DlOOulcSb Ddt.
ties of Ancient and Modern Times.
Written for the indianapolis Journal.
General William Gibson. the eloquent orator,
in his splendid lecture entitled "Along the Lines"
makes the statement that Shiloh was the blood
lest battle of the century, in proportion to the
number Of combatants engaged. This state
ment was certainly incorporated in his address
without proper investigation, as the history of
the late war. to say nothing of the Napoleonic
campaigns, affords instances in contradiction.
The battle Of Shiloh was fought on the 9th
and 7th of April 1862, upon the banks of the
Tennessee river, at Pittsburg Landing, in Ten
nessee. The Union forces were commanded By
Generals U. S. Grant and D. c. Buell., and CON-
prised total of So, 900 combatants. while the
confederate army was commanded by Generals
A S. Johnston and G. T. Beauregard, and num-
bered 10000. The contest ragged during two
days with great fury, and ended in the defeat of
the rebels with loss of 9, TAO men in killed and
wounded, while the national forces lost 1926
hors du combat-making total casualty of 90
SCI, or 20 per cent of ali the forces engaged.
The battle of Chickamauga was by all odds the
bloodlest field of American war; and was fought
on the 10Th and Goth OF September, 1863 Tho
Union troops, numbering $4,000, were COM
manded by Gen. w. S. Rosecrans, while the
confederates were commanded by General Brax
ton Bragg, and aggregated TO- 900 soldiers. The
loss of the two armies amounted to &c, 600, ex-
elusive of prisoners. This would indicate the
ratio of mortality at % per cent, or per
cent more than fell at Shiloh. The casual
ties of the confederates in this battle
were especially severe, General Bragg in
two-ffths of his entire army, or 40 per cent.
General Longstreet reported the loss of sc per
cent. In his corps during one days contest and
that chiefly in the afternoon. During the after
noon Of the Goth not more than 20 600 Union
troops were in line under fire. The defensive
attitude maintained by the Union forces lessened
their losses in the aggregate, though General
Steedmans division reported loss as high as a
per cent on the afternoon of the 20th and Sher-
idans and Daviss divisions sustained a loss of 40
per cent within period of four hours fighting
The battle of Franklin, which was fought on
Nov. 80, 1864, between the confederate forces
under General Hood and the Union troops under
General Scho6eld, is entitled to rank third in
point of mortality among the battles of the civil
war; Thirty five thousand confederates and less
than 10000 Unionists were engaged, and the
fight only lasted from o'clock P. M. until dark
yet G, 772 men were killed and wounded. COM
prisng ID per cent. of the aggregate numbers en-
gagged
At the siege and storm of Fort Donelson 90 600
rebels and 30 600 Unionists were engaged. The
casualties amounted to 1900, or 10 per cent of
the combatants.
In the battle of Gettysburg. so often Wanted
as one Of terrible carnage. 40 600 combatants
were engaged for three days, yet the entire loss
was only 8,000 a proportion of less than per
cent of those engaged.
Upon the fields of Europe. during the nine
teenth century, there have been fought many
more bloody battles than Shiloh. Among these
may be mentioned the battle of Marcngo, in
Italy fought by the French, under Bonaparte,
and the Austrians. under Melas, on June Is,
1900 OF total of So 900 men engaged, 13 000
or % per cent, were killed OF wounded.
The battle of Eylau. fought in Prussia on Feb.
s. 1907 between 81 600 French under Napoleon
and ~, 900 Russians under Bennington resulted
in the killing Of II, 600 and the wounding of
80, 900, making total Of 80 per cent. of both
armies This battle occupied but one day, and
an unusual proportion of the carnage was
wrought by the artillery. The battle of Freid-
land, fought on June ID, 1907, between the
same armies and under the same command
ers as encountered at Eylau, presented grand
total of 1l5, 900 men under fire. of whom 80. 600
were either killed, wounded or drowned. This
would indicate % per cent of loss.
AT the battle of Borodino, on Sept. Z, 1911, be-
tween Napoleon and the Russians, under the
walls of Moscow, $500 soldiers were engaged,
|
placed hors du combat.
The battle of Waterloo which witnessed the
final overthrow of Napoleon, was participated in
by 145, 600 French English, Prussians and other
nationalites, and 81, 600, or 81 per cent, were
killed or wounded.
The bloodest battle of the century. however,
was that of Essling, which, while not coming
under the41ead of an important affair, was the
occasion of display of such indomitable
bravery and heroic fortitude as is seldom chron
n in m history I on Ma
and q, 1910. during Napoeon's second invasion
of Austria. and was fought under the following
circumstances: While Napoleon was endeavor-
ing to cross the Danube in order to attack the
30 900 of his troops had effected a crossing,
sudden rise in the waters caused
the bridge to part. thus preventing the remain
der of his army from crossing. These isolated
divisions were assaulted during two days by the
whole Austrian army, comprising 10 600 troops,
and resisted successfully all attacks. When
night closed after the second days carnage, 40,
600 dead or wounded strewed the bloody plain
and village of Essling, constituting 3S per cent.
of the entire force engaged.
Most of the battles which have occurred in
Europe since the overthrow of Napoleon have
been less destructive of lfe though fully as i'm
portant as any in the annals of history. The
battle of the Alma. during the Crimean war was
participated in by loo, 600 combatants with cas-
ualtes approximating s per cent At Solferino,
fought in 1852 between the French aud Sardin.
ians and the Austrians, 240, 900 soldiers were
present, while the loss was less than per cent
Sadowa, fought in 1866 between the
Prussians aud the Austrians witnessed
the collision of the largest masses of armed men
ever chronicled in authentic history, the total
being 402, 900, of which number 8 per cent. were
killed wounded. Gravelotte, which saw the
triumph of Germany over France. was fought in
1870. There were 800, 900 troops engaged, of
whom Is per cent, or As, 500 men were killed or
wounded.
OF battles OF rye olden time" which have been
distinguished for greatness Of slaughter the read
er might be cited to Thrasymene, in
the. Punic wars, wherein $4,000 men
engaged and II, 900, or ~ per cent, were hors
du com hat. or Gamma In tha sama war wharAin