Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-10-06
SOME HEAVY LOSSES.
THE BATTLES OF OUR CIVIL WAR
WERE FIERCELY FOUGHT.
The Number of Killed, Wounded and Mis-
sing Was a Largo Percentage of the
Forces Engaged-Hardest Fight Was at

Forces Engaged-Hardest Fight Was at
Gettysburg.
The bloodiest battle of the civil war
was the decisive one at Gettysburg,
which turned the tide in favor OF the
North. The losses were enormous to
both sides. Though they nearly bal
anced each other in actual numbers,
the Confederate loss was proportion
ately the largest footing up the almost
unprecedented total of thirty-siX per
cent, while the federal loss was twen-
ty-seven per cent. 1t is estimated that
the federate force numbered 81 900 men
and the Confederate $4,000.
The official reports of the losses are
precise enough. They place the federal
loss at 1884 killed, 13,709 wounded and
6,645 missing-23 1856 men in ALL The
Southern loss is given as 2.665 killed,
1889 wounded, and 7,464 missing, or
22,72S men in all, which, with the 300
on July 2 and 8, foots up their total
losses at more than 25,000.
Yet these official figures are rather
below than above the total amount of
damage done to and by both armies
in these bloody struggles. Thus, while
the federal reports acknowledged 1884
killed, the reports made by the hospit-
ais bear evidence to the burial of 3,575
Union corpses. The number of fed
erals who actually perished at Gettys-
burg may be estimated at 1000, some
1000 or LOO having died of their
wounds.
On the other hand, Meade had 1852
Confederate prisoners. But there were
1862 wounded among them. Hence,
there only remained $3.50 able bodied
prisoners. The number of 7,464 reck-
oned by Lee as the number of men
sides these able bodied prisoners, most
of the men seriously wounded during
the attack made by Pickett and Heath,
and abandoned on the battlefield. 1t
is obvious, therefore, that the total
number of Confederate wounded was
more than 13,600 And it is reasona-
bile to suppose that after the combat
the wounded were for a few days more
rapidly decimated than their federal
companions in aflliction.
1t was not until the official reports
of losses came in that it was shown
tie of Manassas is sometimes called,
though it ended in a disastrous panic
on the Northern side, was bravely and
stubbornly contested on both sides for
many hours. The Confederate army
of $4,000, reinforced at the nick of
time by 5000 men, drove the federal
army of $4,000 back on Washington
with loss of 1850 men. But they
themselves lost 1,G52.
In the second battle of Manassas the
Union forces of 49, 900 men were de-
feated by $4,000 Confederates, with a
latter of 7,241 men.
At charlottesville, where the fed
eral army under Hooker, was defeated,
its loss was ,606 killed, 9,762 wounded,
and 5,9l9 missing, or II ,2S7 men in all.
The Confederate loss amounted to less
than 10000 men, of whom $500 were
wounded, / ,5Sl killed and from 1000
to 500 taken prisoners.
AT the battle of Shiloh, or Pitts
burg Landing, the total Confederate
loss was reported at 1869 The fed
eral loss, made up from official state
ments, shows ZOO killed, 1916 wound
ed, 3,022 prisoners; aggregate. 10,050.
Grants capture of Fort Donelson
was effected with $4,000 men, 5000 less
than the enemy. The latter was
strongly intrenched and fortified. AS
at Santiago, the fleet came to the as
sistance of the besiegers. Their total
loss was some 1900 men. The Con-
federates captured were more than
Is, 900 men.
The indecisive battle of Fair Oaks
side of 5,739 namely, $50 killed,
3,627 wounded and 1922 prisoners.
The total Confederate loss was 6,120.
At Gaines Mill. or Chickahominy,
the losses were heavy on both sides.
Out of 81 900 men engaged, the federals
u.
Their victorious assailants, who num-
bered some $4,000 men suffered even
more.
The seven days fighting which sue
c1eded Gaines Mill, and in which the
entire armies of Mcclellan and Lee
were engaged, were all bloody. On the
4th of July, when the former reached
Harrison's Landing he found himself
with $4,000 men under arms, which
meant a loss, since the Goth of June
preceding, of 1929 men. OF these,
1852 had been killed, 200 wounded
and 1858 missing. The losses of Lees
army during the same period amounted
to some $4,000 men, more than one
fourth of it's effective force.
McClellan's final great victory at
Antietam was the bloodiest that had so
far been fought in the war. The fed
eral losses amounted to 2,010 killed,
9,416 wounded. and 1,043 prisoners
altogether 12,469 men, among whom