The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
LOSSES IN MODERN BATTLES.
Less Slaughter Than In the Days BE-
fore the Invention of Improved
Ordinance.
From chambers' Journal.

Ordinance.
From Chambers Journal
Compare the slaughter In Napoeon's
campaigns with the worst within living
memory--with Gettysburg and Antietam
in the American civil war; with KONG
gratz, In the Austro- Prussian war; with
Sedan and Metz, in the Franco-German
war. At Jena. Ia 1906, the Prussian loss
was q 900 out Of total of 10000 ana the
French 1900 out Of a total Of SO,0O0-that
is to say, 1000 casualties out OF l95,WO en-
gagged or, roughly speaking, one in five
At Eylau, I'm 1907, the Russians lost 5000
men out of 1900; the French $1,000 out OF
S5,00O-that Is, for both sides, the appalling
proportion of one ian three At Wagram,
In 1899, the Austrian loss was $4,000 out Of
100 OO0 the French 1900 out Of the same
number Al Aspern, where Napoleon suf-
fered his first defeat, on May q ana ~, 1903
the carnage was still greater, for the
French lost $1,000 men out Of 7O.OO0-one-
half their cumberland the Austrians 90,
900 out Of $1,000. But even this awful
butchery palos before that Of Borodino
in the Moscow campaign, for on that field
the French left 5000 dead and wounded
out Of l32.OOs engaged, and the Russians
5000 out Of the same number-95, 900 men
slain or mutlated out OF 26f.0
Now, the only battle in the latter half
Of the nineteenth century which can COM
paro with Borodino IN slaughter Is that
Of Koniggratz, or Sadowa. In 1896, which
ended the Austro-Prussian war. Out Of
10000 men engaged 5000 we're killed or
wounded-40,O00 Austrians and 10000 Prus-
sians-one In eight only as against one
In three.
The most sanguinary battle In the Amer
lean civil war was that Of Antletam
creek, fought between Mcclellan and Lee
on Sept. H. 1862. when, after repeated re-
pulses, the federals compelled the confed-
crates to retreat out OF 10000 men en-
gaged, 6.iG0 were left on the neld--the
federal loss being 12469 and that or the
confederates 1900: and that remember,
was before the era OF breech leaders. At
Gettysburg the combined losses were az
600, but the number OF men engaged was
nearly double, ana the proportion, there
fore, was not quite 80 great as az Antie-
tam.
Take, again, Leipzig and Waterloo, and
compare them with sadowa and Sedan. At
Leipzig the Fronch lost 5000 men out Of
10000, and the allies 600 out OF 2Ss. 600
i02 900 out OF "A total OF N8.O00-more than
double the ratio OF SadoWa. Then az wa.
terloo tho losses OF the allies amounted 70
2,G6 out OF 5000 and those OF the French
to upward OF 5000 out OF 730O0-in other
words, one man out OF every three that
wounded. Now, at Sedan, under the aw-
ful crushing FIRE OF the German guns. the
French lost 1000 out OF $1,000 before they
Hurrendercd-a far smaller proportion
than a. Watcrloo-whno the Germans
stated their losses NJ 3023 Killed ana 6, 900
wounded out Of the 10000 brought into
action.
These facts and figures seem 10 us TO
prove couclusively that war ~ no longer
10 murderous as it was The alteration
IN tactics aud In the formation OF troops
attacking has counteracted the superior
precision and range OF modern firearms.
The she'll, though is moral effect Is
greater, Is not 80 destructive AZ the round
shot, grape and canister or the old days
playing upon troops advancing In line or
column. The magazine rife. inoalcuiably
superior IN accuracy and penetrating
power 20 the old Brown nosa, n not 10
deadly IN lts effect, for, when Il fails TO
XIII outright, the wounds Il nnlcts with
Ia tiny pr0Iectilo are not nenrly 80 ugly
and crippling az those Of the old spherical
bullet which smashed where the other
glancc8 on.