The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-12-09
AS 10 "BLooDIEsT BATTLE.
Modder River Nowhere Near the Head OF
the List IN Casualties.

An unAuthenticsted cable dispatch
from London contained statement
that a message sent by Gen. Methuen
to Queen Victoria ssid that the Mod.
der river battle was the "bloodest OF
the century" tits not probable that
Gen. Msthuen said any such thing,
unless, possibly, he spoke with refer
ence to the losses in comparison with
the total number of men engaged
No report of the losses has reached
the public yet. AS the number OF
Beers engaged was only about 5000,
according to the British reports, and
Gen. Methuen is in command of only
one division of the British army sent
to the Trausvaal, no battle between
those forces could have been the
bloodest of the century unless the
slaughter of both armies was COM
plete. At the battle of Austerlitz,
December 2, 1905, the French lost
1000 officers and men and the killed
and wounded of the allies numbered
more than 3.00e. Tue French losses
A. Bautgan, ia 1913. were l3 900, AID
at Wagrsm, in 1909. they lost is, 900,
although in that battle they took
10000 Austrian prisoners. At the
Moscovs on the retreat from Moscow
they lost 10000. At the great battle
of Lsipsic, in 1913, three.days' bat
lie, the French losses we're $4,000.
More than 10000 of the French per
ished on the field, altogether SO, 900
men perishing on the field.
At Waterloo the British lost 1882,
the French 2S,S50. The total losses
of the allied armies there were 1926
killed and IA $50 wounded, besides
4 ,23l missing. In the last great at
tack on Sevastopol September s, 1855
the French lost !, GAG killed and 4,500
wounded, besides l 400 missing, and
the English lost 3S5 killed, 1856
wounded, and 176 missing. At
Plevna between $4,000 and 10000
Russians we're killed and wounded,the
Turkish loss being about 5000 less
than the Russian. About l6, 900 men
were killed on both sides. In the
war between Germany and Austria.
in 1866, the Prussians lost 9,l72 and
the Austrians Al, ,3l4 at Koniggrutz,
at Nschod the Prussians 1882 and
the Austrisns 4 7S7, and at Skslitz
the Prussisns |, 1865 and the Austrisns
5,577.
In the Franco. Prussian war the
Germans at Weissenburg. Worth lost
1914 and the French 5000 in killed
and wounded, besides which the
French lost $4,000 prisoners. At
Vlonvile Mars la Tour, the Germans
lost 10. 100, or % per cent. of
their army, the French loss being
equally great. The Germans at Co
lombey Nouilly lost 1907, and at
Spickern 4,S7l. At Grsvelot-St.
Privst the German loss, according to
a Germsnl authority, was 2O,l73.
Another authority puts it at %, 900,
and the French loss at 10, 900. At Sc.
dan :the Germans lost S,93l. The
French Army of the North consisted
of l50, 900 men and three armies Of
Germany of 250,000 men, in that
three days battle, in which $4,000
French we're taken prisoners.
In our Civil War the aggregate
losses at the battle of Stones river
we're 13,249 on the. Union side. and
1926 on the Confederate side. These
figures include killed, wounded, cap
tured and missing. The Union killed
we're l 730 and the Confederate ], ,294.
At Antietam the Union killed num-
bered 2,108, the wounded 9.549. At
the 6rst Bull Run battle 470 Union
men were killed and 1071 were
wounded, the Confederate figures be.
ing 387 killed and 582 wounded. At
Fredericksburg 1884 Union men
were killed and 500 Confederate, the
wounded numbering $500 on the
Union side and 4.068 on the Confed.
crate. The total losses at this battle
were IL, ,653 for the North and 5.345
for the South. Five hundred were
killed on the Union side at Fort Don
elson and 466 on the South, the
wounded numbering respectively,
2,l08 1 554 The South lost in captured
and missing 13, S29 and the North 224
Ia the two-days' battle of Shiloh the
Northern dead numbered 1,754, the
Southern 1923; the Northern wound
ed s, 408 and the Southern 8,012, At
Fair Oaks 100 Northern men and $50
Southern were killed, the North los
ing in wounded g. .594 and the South
4,74g. At Gaines Mill the North's
aggregate loss was 6,837 and the
South's 8,75l. At Cedar Creek 64
were killed in the Northern army
and 800 in the Southern, the wound
ed being 3.430, and l,540. Chicka-
mauga's two days bLttle resulted in
dead, 1866; wounded, 9,749 on the
Union side, and 2,3l2 dead and a.