Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1897-05-14
MODERN WARFARE.
Iong Campaigns VIII Give Place to single
but Decisive Encounter.

long Campaigns VIII Give Place to single |
but Decisive Encounters.
Summing up the whole question, an
between any two European peace
trained armies Of the present day. the
extreme percentage of loss to be antici-
pated locally, i. e.. on particular bril-
gades and divisions. will not exceed
one in three (of which one is killed to
four wounded), whereas for whole ar
mics Of quarter of million and
over one In ten Is the very outside pun
tshment We may reasonably expect.
When a paper speaks OF Munkac-
Compared to the slaughter Of the seven
years war. and the best contested fields
of the Napoleonic period. this Is very
little. indeed. At Zorndorf the Rus
SLAMS left $1,000 out of $4,000 ON the
ground, and this Is undoubtedly the
bloodiest battle recorded since the in
PRODUCTION Of portable firearms. Eylau.
Friedland. Wagram and Borodtno all
exceed the figures for any pitched bat
tie since the breechloader appeared IN
the field. Moreover, the horror OF the
whole thing Is not to be measured by
figures or percentages only, but by the
density In which the killed and wound
ed lie. and the fate of the latter after
wards. In q modern battle 10000 men
would fall on an area of about twenty
square miles: at Zorndorf the $1,000
Russians and 10000 Prussians lay on
single square mile, and of the wounded.
not one in three survived; whereas, In
1870 nine out Of TIN recovered. and the
Prussian medical staff anticipated even
better results next time. But death on
the battlefield is by far the least Of the
two evils the soldier has to face. There
Is death on the line OF march and in
hospitals along the road. Whereas.
formerly, particularly under Napoleon.
ten would die by the way for one who
fell in action. In the last Franco-Ger-
man war only one man died OF disease
for two killed in action. Indeed the
health Of men in the full prime Of life
was actually slightly better in the field
than In quarters. 1t may. however, be
argued that. even granted that battles
and marches may be less destructive,
there will be more of them, because
every able-bodied man being trained
for war. the resistance will be more
prolonged than formerly, but this pro-
longed endurance is only conceivable
under the superstition that the leaders
on both sides are hopelessly incOmpe.
tent, and both fear to stake all on q
single collision-a supposition thai
nothing tends to Justify. On the con
trary, every leader brought up IN thu
modern school is taught to understand
the vulnerability of all modern mill
tary organizations, and Is penetrated
with the conviction that one downright
knockout" blow effects more thar
weeks Of purposeless sparring. ant
where both start determined to brinl
matters to a climax, the decision can
not long be delayed. Judging from
what We know OF the relative efficienc.
Of continental armies, we believe tina
the first round Of the great encounte
will also be the last, for the momen
, tum Of the blow which decides will sim
, ply paralyze every nerve of the oppo
, nent's body. and. adding up all source
!, Of casualties that can occur in a shor
, campaign Of this description. We con
clude that at the very worst the actua
cost in human life to the powers en-
, gagged will not amount to more thai
= five per cent of their several popula
tions.