The Yale expositor., 1898-06-03


farewell group stood weeping at many
a cottage door" yet with souls undaunt-
ed and hearts undismayed at the CO.
lossal character of the struggle they
answered the Nations President.
"we are coming Father Abraham by Rich
To Law us down for freedoms sake our brothers
bones beside,
Or from foul treasons savage grasp to wrench
And in the face of foreign foes its fragments to
parade
and they kept coming until they found
mighty army whose martial tread
shook the continent and the thunder
of whose artillery in action reverber-
ated around the world They beheld
eleven stars torn from the heavenly
blue of that glorious banner whose
crimson stripes had been'painted in the
life-bloo of our revolution sireS and,
believing it was better to die in man
ly contest than to live and behold the
calamties of their country, they went
out and barred their breasts to the
storms of battle until they recaptured
and restored each one of those stolen
stars to its place in the Federal con-
stellation where God grant they may
continue to shine forever.
The marvel of German fighting IN
the Franco-Prussian war was III the
battle of Vionville by the Third West
phalian regiment. Its loss 49.4 per
cent was the heaviest of any in the
German army during that war. AS
these figures exceeded those OF any
others in the campaigns of that contest
! they became celebrated throughout
that army. Contrast with that the re-
cord of the Second Michigan at Knox
vile which lost 50 per cent or the
Twenty-fourth Michigan at Gettys-
! burg which lost so per cent, nearly
double that of the famous German
regiment, and you gather an idea OF
the fidelity with which these men fol
! lowed the flag. Aye, compare 1t with
the Fifth Michigan which lost oil per
cent of its lighting force in the wilder
ness and as the cannon ceased 10
! thunder on that field went into the
battle of Spottsylvania Court House
and lost 5315 per cent OF the remain
der Why in our war there were over
sixty regiments whose losses exceeded
the highest German figures of 40 20
per cent. seventeen lost over GO per
cent and quite number ranged from
20 to So 4 half a dozen regiments at
!
on each side at Chickamauga lost more
men in proportion to their fighting
strength than did the celebrated West
phalian regiment.
Nor is the comparison less striking
by armies. The greatest battles of the
British army during the present cen
fury have been Alma, Inkerman, Wat
erloo. Viltoria, Salamanca, Talvera,
Buasco and Abuera. The aggregate
number of the English and their allies
on these fields is 44S,000 men, and their
losses $4,000. or an average loss of ii
per cent of the fighting force. Taken
in the same way the Union army in its
eight greatest battles shows an average
loss of about 20 per cent to the English
eleven. Inthe decisive battle of KONG
gratz or Sadowa the combined losses
of the Prussians and Austrians were
only 1115 per cent, while the armies OF
Grant and Lee in the wilderness sus-
tanned a loss of III per cent and were
then ready to renew the contest at
Spottsylvania. In the great battle OF
Wagram, where the veterans of Napo-
leon broke the power of Austria, the
combined losses were 1877 per cent of
the men engaged. while the green boys
from our homes of the North and South
met on the field of Shiloh. after losses
of % per cent, the latter Sullenly retired
from the field and neither army woulC
acknowledge itself whipped. In the
/, great battles of Gravelotte and Union
vile the aggregate losses of the French
and Prussians were IL per cent in TIT
former and Ii per cent in the latter
: while at Charlottesville the armies o.
Hooker and Lee suffered an aggregate
} loss of 1715 per cent, and then the arm!
} of the Potomac was withdrawn undel
: orders. presenting the spectacle of
! steadfaSt army under a defeated gener
= al. In the great conflict at Preuss
: Eylan, the opposing French, Russian
: and PrussianS lost "a per cent and boil
= armies were so exhausted that the cam
S paign was interrupted for four months
t while at Stone River the losses of tn
f contending hosts were 30 per cent ant
: the men in both were still ready 70
S fight. At Jena, where Napoleon DIES
= troyed the power of Prussia, the los
: was II per cent; at the decisive battl
y of Friedland III per cent; at Solferin
: II per cent: and at Leipsic, the grea
o battle of the nations, "a SO per cent
n while at Chickamauga 30 per cent O
: the men engaged were killed, wounde
: or missing. Against Waterloo wher
e $4,000 men contended against eac
e other with losses on both sides c
G $1,000, or 27e5 per cent, we present Ge
o tysburg with its 100000 combatant
d and a loss of 54S00 or 81 per cent, an
5. against Austerlitz, the bloodiest of M
r poleon's victories with a loss of % pc
IS cent; we present Antietam with los
t. of about 80 per cent, and the soldiers {
G both armies were dissatisfied with the
r commanders because the conflict We
It not renewed. Make the comparison
II any way you please, with the proude'
D. feats Of arms of the century that y
Old World has to offer. and you 81
W how; in magnificent fighting, the cit
f. zen soldiers of this Republic towt
ID above them ALL Why it was the con-
~ dent expectation of the military criti
ID of Europe to see our armies go TO piec
i after some of their terrible conflicts b
ID cause they know that an Old Wor
s army which had suffered such awf
N blows as these boys in blue gave al
IL