The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-01-05

perhaps 7O,000 OF S0,uUu prisoners OF war
or rather the survivors Of that number; that
tens of thousands were sick or wounded in
the hospitals; that thousands more were
enjoying well-earned MISUNDERSTANDING but
the editor of soldier-hating paper wants
to fight all the tims-and that thousands
Of others were on recruiting or other
detached duty. 1t is significant fact that
2S5,245 men were discharged for disability
during the war, of which number 1883
were for gunshot wounds and similar in
jures. The wounds severe enough to cause
absence from duty for greater or less
period must have been several times as
numerous as this, and over 100000 men were
actually killed on the field of battle. Is it
any wonder that, though the army was con-
stantly swelled by hundreds of thousands Of
recruits, its numbers on any given day were
always terribly shrunken?
| The charge of general desertion will not
| stand the test of examination. The number
of assertions is surprisingly small consider
ing the number of enlistments, the length
of the war, and the vicissitudes of the ser
| vice Ont of a total of 2,859139 enlist
ments the Provost Marshal General reports
199,045 "desertions." The number of real
desertons fell far below half this number,
for the reason that under this head were in
cluded all who were irregularly absent from
their communicated men who failed to
report, men who were taken prisoners when
alone and in small squads sick and wound
ed who were unable to return at the expira-
ton of their leaves men who had been
killed and wounded and not reported, men
who had been irregularly transferred to
other commands, musters-out which had
been disapproved by the inspecting officers,
etc. etc, through all the multitudinous de-
tails of red-tape regulations which the vol
understand especially those west of the
Alleganies-had little patieuce with. Thou
sands of veterans left the service at the
close of the war without waiting for dis
charge, because they believed the Govern
ment was treating them unfairly. They
had enlisted "for the war;" and believed
that at its close that they had a right to 60
home Many thousands had veteranized at
the close of their first three-years service.
But instead of being discharged they were
ordered to the plains to fight Indians, or to
the Rio Grande to watch Macmillan. They
felt outraged, and went home on French
leaven by thousands All these were put
on the deserters' roll. Thousands of others
got into trouble with their officers or COM
rades, and transferred themselves to other
regiments. They felt that they were right
in doing thus, as they were still serving the
Government There was more of this in
the West, and the Far West, than in the
East, because the men there felt less bound
by rules and regulations when they felt that
they were doing what in itself was right,
though the form migt be irregular. All
told, there were less than 100000 real de-
serters, or not one to every % enlistments,
which is very small proportion in any
army.
Against these figures set the following:
Killed in battle 10000
Died OF disease.
Wounded in action 2s0040
Missing and captured lSi79I
Discharged for disability 2S5245
Taking the total number of 2, $50 1872 en-
listmepts, it has been found that one man in
every % was killed, one man in evey Is died
of disease; SO that one man in every nine
died while in service If those could be
counted who were discharged and sent home
to die, the mortality would appear still more
awful
One man Of every Is was captured or
missing, and one man out of every 10 was
wounded These facts show how constantly
all were in the presence of the enemy.
During the war 6, O49, Gas cases were treated
in the hospitals. OF these 3,G55,035 re-
suited from the miasma of the unhealthy
country, and 108,687 of those sickened died.
There were 425,3O0 wounded and injured
men treated, of whom 49, rs died; 1866
men died of typhoid and typbo-malarial
fever; A, 558 of diarrhea and dysentery;
81 600 of Inflammation of the lungs and
consumption.
These startling figures make one wonder
that the pension-roll is no longer than it is.
1t is these facts, however, that the soldier
haters sedulously refrain from mentioning.
THE sensational story sent out last week
that Secretary Foster, of the Treasury De-
partment, was about to issue $4,000 900 or
$100,G00,000 bonds, but was stopped by an
authoritative telegram from the President,
was undoubtedly originated by the soldier
haters, who are working SO hard 10 alarm
the country over deficit in the Treasury.
There was absolutely no basis for the story.
The Treasury is not in need of money for