The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-12-22


e est OF where the
- NJ .J FaaA@S. percentage of
* ~ i;Ys:-,@s..s. 10: victims to the
. ..s n &, Il. rs total number en-
LII ~ ~, 49, gagged is great
%ss GS } U Fe-s est? 1t is i'll the
R\;,~I..:... H.. .s..es:ss. n = last case that a
* man takes the
II se-s.e,s tmost chances.
Soldiers comfort
themselves on going into battle with
the thought that at the worst they
have nine chances out of ten in favoi.
of escape from bullets. But it is not
necessary TO go further than our civil
war to find many battles where the in
dividual had but four chances out of
five.
Ii really depends upon what is con
sidereQ real warfare this matter OF
bloody battling. Some battles are sim
ply slaughters. AT Marathon 10000
Athenians killed 5000 Persians out
right on the field and lost but 1872 in
their own ranks. Arminius, on the
banks of the Lippe, slaughtered the
legions of Caesar, leaving a legacy of
horrible names holding to this day, like
Bone Lane" Bone Brook" and
slaughter Kettle" valley. 1t was
this frightful event which led Caesar to
wall addressing the vanquished gen
eral Bring back my legions, Varus!"
Out of the 10000 Normans led to vic
tory at Hastings by William the Con
queror $4,000 were killed, and at Blen-
helm, field of famous victory" where
Louis XIV staked the prize of univer-
sal dominion, the vanquished French
lost $4,000 killed, while Marlborough
lost but 5000.
These examples are taken from the
days of battleax and club and spear.
Since the introduction of gunpowder as
factor IN warfare records have either
been better kept or more sought after.
and fairly good average of percent
ages may be given to support the claim
of any battle for honors in ghastliness.
In the seven greatest battles of the sew
enteenth century, when the masses car
ried muskets and pixies. the average
casualties were 26 per cent, so that
each man stood but four chances in
five of escape. The figures given for
casualties may include prisoners, but
in those days heavy surrenders were
not common. The exceptionally bloody
battles of the period We're Lutzen, 1852;
Rocroy. 1913. and Seneffe. 1914. At
Lutzen 31,O00 imperialists lost 1000,
and 10000 Swedes lost 11,OOO, total
of $4,000 out of $1,000, or 35 per cent.
At Rocroy $4,000 French lost 1000,
while $1,000 Spaniards lost 1900, be-
ing totally defeated by the great Con-
de. At Seneffe, Belgium, in a battle
between 10000 Dutch allies and $4,000
French under Condo the total losses
were $4,000, or 81 per cent
In this period belongs Marston Moor,
where the casualties, all told, were
$500. The civilians said that they
buried 1000 bodies on the field. Lut-
zen was victory for Gustavus Adolf
phus over the great Wallenstein, but
he was killed, and one Of his regiments,
called the "Yellows," lay dead on the
ground in the order where they had
stood in fighting. Wallensten left
5000 dead on the field, half of the 49,
600 casualties Of the day. At Rocroy
out Of $4,000 infantry the defeated
Spaniards lost 5000 killed in the ranks.
"How many of you were there before
the battle?" a French officer asked
Spaniard. you have only to count
our dead and prisoners"
In the middle of the seventeenth cen
tury the bayonet superseded the pike.
There were % great battles fought
with the smoothbore musket and
bayonet from Fontenoy, 1745, to Wa
terloo, 1915. Napoleon's loss at Wa
terloo has never been officially com
puted, but the estimates adopted make
the loss "a per cent, including prison
ers. Borodino, 1912, was long consid-
cred the bloodiest battle of modern
times. the loss being apparently 36 per
cent, but it has been shown that the
figures are deceptive. The average of
the period of smoothbore and bayonet
was about 20 per cent in the 90 great
battles. Prisoners are often included
in the casualties of that period; but,
taking those where the percentages
equal the exceptional percentages of
the civil war, u out Of the % were as
bloody as the bloodiest of the era of
the muzzle loading rifle barrel, which
held until the Franco russian war.
AT Kolin, 1857. $4,000 Austrians and
Prussians struggled with loss of 20
per cent. At Zorndorf, 1858, $4,000
Prussians and Austrians fought with
a loss of 40 per cent, including prison
ers. AT Sillery Wood, 1760, the Eng
lish and French, numbering but 5000,
lost 80 per cent. At Marengo $4,000
French and Austrians struggled all
day with varying fortunes and lost %
per cent. Eilau, 1907. was battle
where the figures are quite authentic
There were $4,000 French against TO-
600 Russians, and the total loss 2G
! per cent. The battle was probably
| as bloody as any in historic times.
Marshal Augereau charged with 10000
men, and but 1900 ever returned to
duty A sudden snowstorm blinded
his path, but the Russian cannon had