Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1898-08-19
rns rANk. E As 4 wAnn1on.

ON both sides have ed,Rupert Hughes
to write the Yankee down IA the
supreme warrior. The article is
highly laudatory IN style, but it o n
tuius figures md ob observations speci-
ally interesting at this moment.
Mr.. Hughes. after n high tribute to
the courage and skill OF the American
soldier. says in Criterion New York;:
-Tfe most noteworthy qu1li.y. how
ever. n The American soldier is what
Rochetort called a particularly Ameri-
ear trait. 'conteopt OF death 1t is
true beyond cayil that the world has
never known soldiers that hold or
gain ground in the face OF such high
percentages 81 ltSs.
-re word .lecima'Ion' is used for
slaughter, md the loss ~ one man in
ten is certainly heavy. In many ar.
mics it is believed to justify retreat.
But With us whole armies have SUIT
fered far greater losses. At Shiloh,
Murtroesboro, md Chickamauga the
losses in killed and wounded ranged
from l6 to 81 per cent. Al Santiago
General Skaters whole force has
lost Over % per cent. in killed and
wounded.
-.As for single bodies of men,, the
Light Brigade mhde u tooli, h charge
brnvcly md won immortality. thanks
to a great lyric; it suffered a loss Of
81 per cent. killed and wounded:
-In the Civil War 262 men in the
First Minuesots Vol Inteers charged
II whole division ut Gattysburs, and.
leaving 2l5 dead and woundpl be-
hind. brought away the rebel ~colprs.
While the Light Brigade last 81 per
cent. md accomplished nothing ex
cept to inmortaiiza Il blunder. the
FIRST Minnesota lost 81 per cent, md
gained Il vitality imroridnt point. And
as for useless bravery, what is the
Balal:lavan 81 per cent. to the 10 per
cent, Of the Maine Heavies in a seven
minute charge Mt Petersburg?
Two German regiments lost re-.
Fpectively 40 and 80 per cent. Mt
Metz and Mars ln-Tour. and the
Twenty-sixth Russian lost 10 per cent
at Plevna.
Shut there were fifteen Union and
five Confef crate regiments that lost
30 per cent. Tie First Texas lost
more than 81 per cent. Mt .Anticiam
and in one company NJ tie Twenty
sixth North Carolina only three men
escaped ont of eighty-sevep, IA loss of
more iiinn &c per cent.
This lideOus carnage was the re-
suit. not Of our fighting aliens, but
our lighting eace other. And the
history Of the world has 40 parallel
to it. Why. the total cas uplties NJ all
our Nars, French and Iudi ~, R"v9-
lutiopary, 1912, Mexican and Indian
10 no exceed the loss OF Grants
army in the week ending May l2,h
1860.
Grants killed and wounded in the
Wilderness and Spotisy Ivnnia were
five times Napoleon's loss ut Mnrcnro,
more than his losses IN Ill his Italian
campaign, three times the less in.
ilicted On Wellington at Waterloo.
~rhe reason for this unheard.of
slaughter? There is just Que reason
the most intelligent. the bravest. the
iiercest Eoldiery III the world'- history
WINS divided against itself. All that
straight shooting, that battle.fury
TINT determination which does not
faltGr when death is busy on all sides
all thnse qualities tlInt make up the
word '.Americanism' we're turned III.
ward at the nations own beart.
AThe indomitable mHgniiicence Of
the Yankee soldier has lost nonc OF its
luEier today. There Mt Snntiacu onr
forc. made n landing without the
lnss oi n life, invested the city and
drove the Spanish through the jungle
back to their laby rinth Of trenches
and were busily clearing them ont Of
these with n fatal persistence that did
not lack the genIleness TO plead with
the enemy to avoid useless sacrifice
to further battle.
"And another American regiment
hns gone up higher thnn the Bnlak.
lava or the Plevna heroes. For t'ap.
tain Ducnt OF ilr Twenty fourth R"g.
ulnrs led n g~lnTions charge M a
long hill nj San Juan: he started with
seventy. five men. md only twenty.
two of them reached the blncklousc
at tho top. But tho they lost iifiy-
seven killed, the important fact, the
American fact. il TINT they captured
what they went Tor. The percentage
Of loss in mon killed was Eeveniy.six
and IL tho number Of wounded were
known the percentage Of casualties
would be doubtless still greater.
"f1,"n there were the nineteen men
OF the Ninth Infantry ut FL Can"y.
who entered n hlorkhouse through
, tho roo: aud killed thir.y.Gve Srnn.
iarha. They lost the first ionr incn
that dropped in, but after twenty
minutes Of hand.tn.band conflict
! there were fifteen hale Americans aud
. no living Spaniirdl. Consider. too.
q. the high percentage of Losses among
, our officers. They have always Id.
= not follow ed
-------~-
/, IL Napoleon Bonaparatc had hnr.
, pencd Ia live now Instead Of about n