The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-21

extent, whether incapacitated from duty
or not, and judging from the nominaI re-
ports cabied by Gen. Otis from day to dav
an unusually large percentage Of the
wounded is classed as slight I observe
mat great many newspapers are making
this report the test of lugubrious comment
upon the frightful sacrifice of life and
iiIno, etc, in this campaign, and express
ing the ooinion-some of them at least
that this bloody sacrifice of bright Young
American lives must soon bring our people
to new sense of the horrors of this cause
less and purposeless war! This quotation
II is hardly necessary TO say is from a
Boston newspaper. Whether or not such
comment goes very far or exc!tes any ap-
preciable influence upon the public mind
IL is at least interesting to compare the
fate OF our troops in the Philippines with
that of their predecessors in other fields
of our military history
Tine total number of troops engaged in
suppressing Aguinaldo's revolt is given at
1000 In nearly two months of almost
constant fighting, mostly on the offensive
against an enemy in the trenches the to-
tai loss is 1,O21, or less than per cent. of
the force engaged. However this NAV an
pear to the f1atulent phiianthropists of
Boston, 1t does not strike the average vet
eran OF any genuine war as particularly
II 9SHt1ui SdcIlllce Oh lie ana limb.
For example, in the last real war waged
by American troops, an organization call
ed the Iron Brigade reached a position
west of the town of Gettysburg about $50
to a M, July l, 1883. They found there
the advance of Lees army. The Iron
Brigade, with other Union troops. gave
battle to the advancing Confederates for
about six hours, or until between and 4
O'Clock p. m. the same day The total
strength OF the Iron Brigade present for
duty equipped when il began to fight was
1928 of all ranks 1t lost In six hours
l,l6S men, nearly all killed or wounded
or Il per cent. of the total The brigade
was composed of five regiments the Sec
ohd, sixth and Seventh Wisconsin. the
Nineteenth Indiana and the Twenty fourth
Michigan, and excepting about a dozen
old regulars and half dozen New York
volunteers, Stewards Battery B. Fourth
regular Artillery, was manned by volun-
teers from the five regiments named
stewards battery was in action along with
the brigade but only for an hour or so
at the finish. The battery lost forty men
out OF lOl of all ranks present. and This
loss was mainly suffered in the last thirty
minutes OF the fight. One of the reei-
ments-the Twenty-fourth Michieen
which was the largest regiment in the
orlgade-lost 1853 men out of total pres-
eht Ior DUTY equipped of All, all ranks a
percentage of 81. This was the. result &c
| have already intimated NOT of near1,,
two months lighting, but of about six
| hours. 'o"' SIX
II we consider a larger unit. the First
army corps as whole-the Iron Rrieada
| being part of 1.-THE facts are even 49,
striking. The First Corps went into ac-
tlon at Gettysburg July 1, 1853. with q
strehsth OF lOOO2 all ranks 1t bore tho
pIu"l ol the nrst days battle, and was
not much engaged in the actions OF the
second and third days. It's Josses eIr,or.
wholly suffered in about six hours the
nrst day. were its commander car
Reynolds, and 6,055 other officers and me-,
killed or wounded. the missing bsing
less than 10 per cent. of the total. Thus
we see that in one days lighting at
gettysburg the First Army Corps lost GO
per cent. of its force present for ,lutv
This is the greatest loss ever suffsred ~,
so large unit as an army corps in anv
single battle in the history of warfare
But it must not be inferred that the
iron Brigade or the First Corps as a
whole did nothing but suffer loss Of
Gettysburg. The Confederate troops on
posed TO them were two divisions of Hrs
Corps, part of Heths and Pender's WeonS
part of Rodes' Division of Ewell's CORPS
As result of their contact with the Erirst
Corps the first day Heth's and Pender,s
divisions were practically put out Of ac-
ton and Rodes' division was badly Grin
pied, neither of them taking any iunpor-
tant part in the fighting of July ana
For example, the Twenty-sixth North
Carolina Regiment In Heth's division
lost j6S men, all killed or wounded be-
tween II a. M. and 3 p. m, out Of a total
strength Of $50, or n per cent, and Com
pany II. of the Twenty-sixth North caro-
lima, 60 strong. was totally wiped out ON
the field, not one man Of II ever AFTER
ward reporting for duty.
III we pursue these historical conparl-
sons further We observe that the Old Yer
mont Brigade Second Division. sixth
Army Corps went into the Battle Of The
Wilderness. May 5-6, 1861, consisting Of
FIVE veteran regiments-the Second Third
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Vermont--,nd
mastering 2,s76 men present for duty
equipped Ia the course OF the battle ne
Vermont Brigade was ordered 20 drive
IN thc Confederate Hire on eile piaHS roma
They did Il IN q charge. Of more than
mile through dense brush losing .2ss In
about thirty-hve minutes and breaking
HilFs Corps practically IN two This loss
was a little over ls per cent. Of the total
force engaged la q single charge, but me
NermonleTs. IN spite of H. earrled