River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-05-06
MODERN WARFA
Long Campaigns VIII Give Place to
single Hut Decisive Encounters.

Long Campaigns VIII give fiac~ v"
single HUT Decisive Encounters.
Summing up the whole question, as
between any two European peace
trained armies of the present day, the
extreme percentage of loss 10 be an
ticipateJ locally, j. e., ON particular bril-
yades and divisions. will not exceed one
i'm three (of which one is killed to four
wounded). whereas for whole armies OF
a quarter OF n million and over one in
ten is the very outside punishment we
may reasonably expect.
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
Russians left 2I.0OO out of $4,000 on the
ground, and tins is undoubtedly the
bloodiest battle recorded since the IN
PRODUCTION of portable firearms. Eylau,
FriedIand. Wagram and Brodino all eN-
coed the figures of any pitched battle
since the breechloader appeared in the
field.
Moreover. the horror of the whole
thing is not to be measured by figures
Of percentages only. but by the density
i'm which the killed and wounded lie,
and the fate of the latter afterward.
In the modern battle 10000 men would
fall on an area of about 20 square miles;
AZ Zorndorf the 81 900 Russians and Ia
900 Prussians lay on single square
mile. and of the wounded not one IN
three survived; whereas. in 1870, nine
out of ten recovered. and the Prusslan
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
10 face. There is death on the line OF
iaarch and in hospitals along the road.
Whereas. Formerly. particularly under
Napoleon, ten would die by the way for
one who fell in action. i'm the lsat
Franco-Germau war only one man died
OF disease for two killed in action In
deed. the health Of men In the Full prime
IF life was actually slightly better IN
the field than in quarters.
IT NAV. 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 by war. the resistance will
I've more prolonged than formerly, but
this prolonged endurance is only con-
ceivable under the superstition that the
| leaders on both sides are hopelessly in
competent. and both fear to stake all on
/ a single collision - superstition that
nothing tends to Justify.
on the contrary. every leader brought
M i'm the modern schools is taught 10
understand the vulnerability of all mod
ern military organizations. and is pene-
trated with the conviction that one
downright ''knockout" blow effects more
than weeks Of purposeless sparring, and
( where both start determined 10 bring
matters to a climax the decision cannot
be long DELAYED. Judging from what
We know OF the relative efficiency Of
continental armies, we believe that the
I first round of the great encounter Will
I also be the last. for the momentum OF
I the blow which decides will simply
paralyze every nerve in the opponents
( BODY. and. adding mp all sources OF
casualties that can occur in a short
caniraigu of this description, we con
\ clude that at the very worst the actual
cost in human life to the powers en-
gagged will not amount to more than i've
per cent. Of their several populations
Pail Mall Gazette.