Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-21
TIE LOSSES,

1t is prclanic that 4 good many of the fifth
corps reported missing were killed and
wounded. rs they lost the ground over which
their lighting of the frs: day sas done.
Lee mas no o..c "a: return of his losses ut tho
Wilderness. but they were quite heavy. On the
E:h dc4l.,c~s :hey were considerably less than
tLos" If Grant, cut Lee reported 70 Rich
mOnd that night: I'VE have to UlcGrn the
loss OF many brave officers and men" On the
9th tkev certainly nsust have equaled if they
do not exceed those of Grant, as epe.t cd and
desperate assaults were made or tine Unior.
lines. and those en- tia Brcck road especially
were rel alsad i'm siangh ter. Lon ys.rCet's re-
pcr; indicates heavy loses. while claiming sue
cesses. The report OF kersEaw's brigade shows
teal loss OF 322 killed wounded and missing;
&eGowan's brig AIDE, 4S1, and Lanes Jripaae
ilJ. These losses average up with those of the
Union bric;ades. They arg not selected because
they show heavy losses; they quoted SIM
ply because taey are the Only commands con
corning whose losses there are any Official re-
ports ex:aD. In these brigades the loss il killed
was greater ID avercov r-oportion than the
wSundo'i. bot the night of the 9th Ger
Lc~ Reported tia! the ''loss IL killed is not
IL: sc. but we have many wounded" The effect
OF the battle indicates severe losses sCme-
;h.nr worse because after that event Lee. nat
Urally aggressive. seldom attacked in the open
but generally Kept close within his field works.
/ estimate his loss IN killed and wounded of ali
arms AT ficm lD,tOJ TO l2.Uvii. but In addition
there were 1900 or more missing.
Jefferson Davis. IN his Rise and Fall"
speaks Of confederate successes in this battle
but significantly observes that 1.-The cost to Us,
however. was so serious as to enforce, by addi-
tional considerations, the policy of Lee to spare
MS men rs much possible"
A CXIos TRI-MPir.
The Wilderness Is GENERALLY assumed to have
been "a drawn battle. but in fact it was Union
triumph True, Gran. had not actually driven
Lee from the HcId. bnt hc had maintained him
self south Ct the river, Offering il not again
delivering battle 1t We almost a vital ueces-
sity On Lees part to defeat and drive back
Grant. but he had signaily failed to do So The
result ut Charlottesville, in this same region,
had been entirely different. Withcat tho aid
o! Lorr7iTeSt Lee hal there encountered q
larger force By 5000 than aUw. beat :. lack
across the rive. HitE iQsses ncarIy equal to
Grants and -hcn, calling up Longstreet, had
boldly assuInCG the offensive by Invading tho
north.
While safely Covering his own can;..i G.ant
still menaCed tho cue.ny's. -. he held the
roads leading son.iI gnd at once actually pre-
ceeded 20 advance further into TIE interior o,
Virginia. lie had hc,.i the enemy a. BAY in
f!cting such staggering blows as to at last
chang the pclISy o, That enemy from hith-
erto generally successful offensive defensive
into purely aud very c.re.uI and timid de-
feDsive one. Lees army thereafter Rugged its
breastwOrks closely. Mere, Gen. Grant had do
s:foyed the illusion in the Union army that Leo
was absolutely infaliiDle and .Eat the h:spidan
was sor; OF Chinese wa.. ~nich could not be
successfully pa:sed white Lee defended -
This WA a victory il !:self.
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