Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-23
CHANCES OF A SOLDIERS DEATH.
Not More Than One in Thousand
Projectiles Take Effect.
From the London Mail.

From the London Mail.
1t is certainly a crumb Of comfort to a
man about to fight for his country to know
that in battle not more than one in every
thousand projectiles of all descriptions and
weight take effect.
Competent authorities state that on the
average it takes a ton of shot to kill one
man. For instance it has been estimated
that in the Crimean war the British and
French troops fired between them the enor-
nous amount of 45,n0O.D0 projectiles, re-
suting in the death of only 81 900 Russians
while on their side the cZar'S adherentS
killed some 5000 Of the allies with an ex-
penditure of over 50.Op,000 projectiles, this
representing a death for every 1857 shots
fired.
The American civil war returns which
were got out with very great care, showed
that the loss to both the federais and con-
federdteS was about per cent of the forces
engaged, to bring about which involved the
expenditure of nearly twenty-five hundred
weight of ammunition per man.
AT the siege of Mezieres, in the Franco
German war, the Prussians threw no fewer
than 1877 600 projectiles into the Inflated
town, but, strange to say, less than 400
people were killed by them. Then at Trou-
Vile two people only We're killed after some
1900 odd shells had been discharged AT
Sedan, however, the aim of both the Ger
mans and the French showed marked i'm
prOVement, Cor after 100000 projectiles had
slams were killed.
For the Spanish-American war the re-
turns showed a tremendous amount of shot
and shell fired for very meager results. Of
course, in This case. although the mortality
was not great, the damage to earthWorks
Notifications and government buildings
generally was enormous, and there can be
little doubt that il the Spanards had not
made themselves scarce the death roll
would have been appalling.
Again, when the American marines land
ed at Santiago, during a fusilade upon the
enemy lasting two nights. the machine guns
and rifles alone accounted for the consump-
ton of over 5000 rounds of ammunition
SlXty-eisht dead Spaniards were found as
result of this enormous expenditure of
ammunition.
Our own experience In our little wars"
has been very little, if any, better than the
results just recorded. Take. for instance
the Chartered Company's expedition into
Matabelelaai. Every one will remember
how the warriors of Lobengua We're moved
down by the Maxim guns like skittles, but
even in this instarce, which, perhaps, is
the most effective on record, as the impi
advanced on the British lines in solid
masses 1T would have puzzled blind man
to have missed shooting some of them. The
mortality was very small considering the
vast number of cartridges expended but
this is accounted for by the fact that on
examination some of the dead bodies con-
tanned more than fifty bullets in each On
another occasion, at an attack on a laager
soihc '"oitS iiiic6 soutH VI buluWdyO,
IA 600 rounds of ammunition We're disposed
of. with result of 346 dead Matabele
Military authorities now regard rapidity
of fire as being more essential than range
and precision, and content themselves with
giving general orders to aim low and this.
perhaps, accounts for the fact that most
wounds are inflicted on the enemys lower
extremities, statistics showing that on the
average As per cent of the wounds occur
in the legs, 33 per cent in the abdomen, 81
per cent in the arms and chest and only /
per cent in the head.
1t will be Interesting to learn how many
Boer bullets it takes to kill British SOL
der and vice versa If only for the sake
of really ascertainng whether the Trans
| vaal burghers' abilities as crack shots have
| not been considerably overrated.