The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-12

which, for the nrSt time IN over a nan |
century, the United States has been |
lined up as a whole against an oppos-
ing foe it Is interesting to glance back |
to the American conflicts, and as well |
to some of the more important wars of
the century now closing. There has
been a general impression, erroneous,
to be sure. that Uncle Sans battle
month is April and that he has always
begun his scraps with his neighbor
during the month of showers. This is
not a fact, although the Revolution
started April 81. 1884, and the rebellion
April II. 1861, although really the first
blood shed was in the streets Of Balti-
more when the 9Th Massachusetts en-
countered the mob April 10, while en-
route from the Hub to the capital
Some comparison of the number of men
ana the cost of these various struggles
serve to show the growth of the coun-
try
The revolution cost in round num-
bers, according to the best estimate
obtainable, $135, ,7O3 and in this
struggle, which lasted within eight days
of eight years, there were employed,
during the whole time, 294,791 men,
divided as follows: Regulars, 130,7l1;
militia and volunteers, 164,0S0. No ac-
cUrate figures, as to the number of
men lost, can be obtained. The first
battle was at Lexington and Concord,
and the cessation of hostilties came
April IL, 1888.
The next time that your Uncle Samu
el had occasion to call upon his boys to
show the stuff they were made of, came
in 1912, war being declared by the
president June IS Of that year. While
there had been no battles fought pre-
Vious to the declaration Of hostilities,
vet Great Britain had angered the
young nation by insisting on it's claim
ed right to impress into the British
navy former subjects OF Great Britain,
wherever found. This war closed on
Feb H. 1915. There were engaged in
the strife Il total force of 4I1,622 men,
of whom only about $1,000 were regular
soldiers and seamen, the rest being
volunteers. This war of nearly three
ycals cost in round numbers $107159,-
600
The next could hardly be called a
war, although it is designated in his
tory as the Black Hawk war. There is
no data preserved by which an accu-
rate estimate could be given either as
to the cost Of the number of men en-
gagged The war lasted a little over a
year, beginning in April, 1881 and end
ing Sept. 30, 1882. The Seminole war
is hardly worth the name of more than
a series of sCrimmages,
1t was fifteen years after the out
break with the Black Hawk Indians
that the American eagle again became
war-lille and plumed itself for battle.
| President Polk notified congress, in
| May, 1916, that less than a month be-
| fore q small detachment of United
| States troops had been captured by the
| McXiCans. Congress at once declared
| war. and authorized the president to
! raise an army of $4,000 men and to
| spend $10,O00,0O0. From the best rec
| ords Obtainahle in the war department,
| it is shown that the United States put
| into the field an army Of 30,954 regulars
| and 1916 volunteers. This war, which
| ended in 1913. cost about 500, 100000.
The great struggle, which came in
| 1SGl-65, was the most expensive the
country ever saw, both from its cost
| in priceless human life and in the
| money spent ReCkoned as a whole,
| the country spent Tor this war no less
than $74OO, O0O,0OO of which the North
| expended $j,lC0, 900 600, and the devoted
| people Of the South the balance in up
| holding u hopeless cause. 1t is esti-
mated that, during the whole Of the
war; Uncle Sans boys numbered alto
| gether 2,OlS.@Q0 men, but the number
| of men which the South put into the
| field could only be estimated, at best.
The losses sustained by the armies in
| the war of the rebellion have been
| stated as high as 100000 men, but ex-
| - iGS ,F u Ill
! states that this is greatly exaggerated,
as the best figures obtainable show the
total losses did not exceed 1O1, 500. In
| citing instances of cXaggeration he
| said it was claimed that at Gettysburg
something like 10000 men We're lost,
while. as a matter of fact, in that three
days fight the union forces had killed
| 1884 men and the COnfederates $500 men.
| The battle Of the Wilderness, accord
ing to this authority, had much great
| er fatalities, as the union loss then was
| 5527 and the Confederate loss about
2o0O Thus it can he seen that Uncle
! Sam altogether has spent for wars
| $7,742 352 7O6, and has put into the field
| in various ways a total Of 1855 16S men,
armed and equipped for lighting, not
counting the indian affairs.
VI HEN h''ll-INN w AlkS.
The cost TO other nations of impor-
tant wars has not been as large as
| this. The FTanco-Prussian war was
| waged AT 4 cost TO France OF about
| 81, 500 0O0, 600, and the number of killed,
| wounded ana sick amounted to G3?, ,42l
! men. Germany's expense was much
| less, as the war cost her but 5000 000,-
| 600, and the number Of killed was co.
600
The RussO-Turkish war was compar-
| atiVely a cheap affair, costing but $l25,-
aOn ,00O, with a total number killed and
| disabled, as CLEANED from semi-ofticial
| sources, 100000 men. Much more ex-
| pensive in money was the war between
| Prussia and Austria, which cost $780,
0O0 900 and loss of life of $1,000. The
| Servo Bulgarian war cost Sl7G, 600 OOO
| with no approximate estimate OF the
number of men lost. The Afghanistan
| war SIS, S,250O0O and the African war
| about $S,770O0G, none of them appreci-
ating i'm cost and fatalities to the civil
war.
| 1t may not be amiss TO schedule the
wars of the century beginning with our
own trouble with Britain in 1912, the
Grecian war of lS2O-2l the French,
Rclgian and Poland revolts Of 1880, the
Rritish-Chinese opium war of 1S40-42,
when Britain went to war because Sin,
| the great mOgul Of China, demanded
the right of the Chinese to seize opium
from the subjects of Great Britain
without pay, the Mexican war of 1916,
| the Afghanistan wars OF lS46-7g and
1850, the French revolution of 1s4S, the
| -. ag-n