Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-16
Our Loss o. LIE.

e.
Now We can pause and count the
cost Of the war. Considering It's great
results the cost has been very small.
As regards the money outlay it is
roughly estimated that to date the cos,
of the war has been about $3.50, 900. 600
only a trifie for country like this. but
there. y another item of expense which
cannot be reckoned in dollars or mil
lions of dollars. This is the loss Of
life; and though 1t is not possible al
this time to give the exact number Of
our brave boys who have died in battle
or in camp. it Is safe to say that the
total of American lives lost in the
whole of the war with Spain. from
wounds and from sickness, Is consider
ably less than 1000.
: Those who have fallen in battle have
peen remarkably few in number. con-
'sidering the important engagements
that have taken place on both land and
water. and the great loss which the
enemy has sustained. At the battle
of Manila, the first of the war, not @
single American life was lost, though
Captain Gridley died soon after as the
result of the strain of that conflict
The first blood of the war on the
American side was shed on the torpedo
boat Winslow. which engaged three
Spanish gunboats and the shore bat
.teries at Matanzas.> There Ensign
Worth Bagley and five seamen were
killed. SIMPSONS bombardment OF
San Juan cost two more lives.
Then came the landing at Guanta-
namo. where the American marines
proved that they were first-class fight
ing men. They lost four men killed in
that work. Following this was Gen
eral Skaters Santiago campaign,
where the American forces suffered
their severest losses. In the first en-
gagement with the Spaniards there 1G
Americans were killed, including six of
Roosevelt's Rough Riders, and more
than so We're wounded. The battle OF
Ell Caney and San Juan were the sever
est OF the war, and the American
losses in those hot fights were fully 200
men killed. Quite a number who were
then wounded have since died. The
losses in Porto Rico have been very
small. The death roll from the land
battles with the Spaniards near Manila
foots less than a score.
So. taking the whole war through.
the American losses in battle have less
than 300 men. The fever in Cuba has
been recently carrying off soldiers at
the rate of from 10 to Is a day, and
there has also been a high mortality
at more than one of the Southern
camps. The deaths from sickness by
the time the work of these soldiers ia
done will equal, if they do not outnum-
Der, the deaths from wounds caused by
Spanish bullets. Taking this as a
basis for an estimate. the American
losses of lives in the war will be about
600. No doubt there will be some more
deaths as the effect of wounds and per-
haps many more from sickness in
camp. Add to this the loss of 266 lives
by the blowing up of the Maine, which
the American people will always re-
gard as one Of the events Of the war
and the total will not be more than 800
On the Spanish side. while figures are
not available, the losses will be nearly
as many thousands as the American
loss is hundreds. Sickness has played
a more horrible part with Spain
forces than with ours, and the Span.
ish death roll in Cuba, as at Manila
was very long one. 1t was a short
war, and the American loss of life was
very small compared with the great
victories and the great results. Blu;
the sacrifice was heavy enough to sad.
den many happy home and to breal
the loving hearts of many who were
left behind