The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
LOSSES AT GETTYSBURG.
THE CONFEDERATE ross KNOWN NOW
TO HipE BEkN QUITE 10000.

The Federal Loss was .S,uAos
WAsHrxGToN Sept 3O.-Some publications
called out by the late Grand Army reunion Mt
Philadelphia have started again the old dis
cussion about the Confederate strength and
Losses in the Gettysburg campaign OF 1888.
both moot questions and both Of historical
Importance as well ~ of general interest The
numbers engaged and the losses otthe two OPP
posing armies In tho battle OF Gettysburg are
set out in the Government publication OF rec
ords OF the war, being embodied in Vol. p. in
three parts
The aggregate Of Union losses. compiled
from complete official returns OF every Federal
command engaged in the Pennsylvania cam
paign. was %. Oi9 men killed. wounded and
mi,ong These figures are undisputed: they
have been accepted and quoted unchanged by
all writer's on the subject ever since Gen.
Meade made his official report in August 1853.
Now unfortunately FOR historians there was
no like aud corrcspondlngly complete official
report OF tho Confederate casualties. covering
IN detail all tho commands engaged. The
document. so-callrd. most often cited in his
torcal discussions is a mere summary Of Con-
fedorate killed and wounded. made up by Sur
geon l.. Guild. Gen. Lees Medical Director. IL
Is very unsatisfactory. being palrably incom-
plete and inaccurate, and so indicated by tho
conscientious CONT pliers OF the official publIca-
Several comman.l Ia are entirely omitted: others
estimated are inconsistent with known facts.
md still others are irrncOnclabo with the de-
tailed reports Of the commanding officers. DIR.
Guilds summary accounts for only 2.GS3 killed
and IL. 800 wounded; total 1862. II makes
no record OF the missing. large numbers OF
whom were known to be killed and wounded.
Following DR.. Guilds compilation Of killed
and wounded is second summary Of Con-
81, oh pa1, tl, ,,,ta eipy
This IS compiled from the general official
reports Of the various commands OF the army.
As in DIR. Guilds report some OF these were
Incomplete. while from many OF the subor-
dinate commands no reports whatever are on
file in the Department archives. In this sum-
mary the killed and wounded do not vary
much from the totals In Guilds report, which.
in fact. was the main authority on these heads.
The aggregate Confederate loss is summed
up in this statement as follows: Killed. 1892:
wounded. 2.7O3; missing. 3. $50 total. 20. 45l.
In n bracketed Introductory note to this on
cial summary Of Confederate losses, the Govern
ment compilers. observing numerous discrep-
Rncles between the totals Of Dr.. Guild and
others and those OF the reRmental. brigade
and other commanders ofthe Confederate army.
remark: Owing to the absence OF subordi-
nate reports such disagreements cannot be
explained. Whether taken in detail or az
whole. the compilation can only be regarded as
npproXimatiye. Several Of the reports Indicate
that many Of the missing were killed or
wounded" Some idea OF the extent OF these
variations and consequent misleading charac-
ter OF this report may be gathered from the
returns relating to Laws brigade. differ
enco of 122 Is shown by the rcgimental reports
of losses over the brigade summary totals.
This excess occurred in the returns OF four
regiments. The detailed rcgimcntal report OF
the Fifteenth Georgia OF Bennng's brigade,
shows n loss OF III killed. wounded and miss
ing: in the official summary the total loss OF
this Georgia regiment is carried at only 70
precisely the number OF killed and wounded
reported in Surgeon Guild's summary. As
there were 40 regiments Of Confederate in
fantry at Gettys burg, it will be seen what wide
door Is thus opened for speculation Gen.
Lanes brigade Is sot down in the summary
with loss Of 3S,l: Lane himself reported his
entire loss at $50 difference OF 27l. Again.
the Confederate official reports state their ng-
gregate missing at only $3.50 men, whereas the
Union rolls Of prisoners OF war carried the
names OF l2.227 wounded and unwounded
Confedcratcs captured at Gettysburg from
July to July 3. a difference OF 1917.
Students OF such matters have long thought
II very singular that on the face OF the returns
Gen. Meade's losses at Gettysburg should ex-
coed Gen. Lees bv more than $500. They
have very good and sufficient reasons for their
surprise and doubts. There are some facts In
connection with Gettysburg fully agreed upon
by the partisans OF both North and South
They are these. The fighting was at close
range generally. and Of the most destructive
character twas the great artillery battle OF the
war and the Federal artillery. always superior
was here handled with cOnsummate skill. cour-
age and tremendous effect. The Federal army
fought mainly on the defensive in mutually
strong. well-defcnded position. Il Om which the
Army Of North Virginia. throus hout two days
attempted to dslodge it. To he sure. this was
not the case on the first day. when tho battle
was in the open, yet on this day the Confeder-
ates. at first badly handled. suffered more
heavily than their enemy Therefore. aside
from all other considerations. in view OF these
undisputed facts, no one of intelligence now
doubts that the Confederate losses were very
much greater than the totals shown by the on
cal summaries quoted above. Very few doubt
that they really exceeded the Federal losses by
at least 5000 mon. On the first aud second
days the losses were not very different: or
the third day the Confederate losses were al
least $500 in excess OF the Federal On the re-
treat Lee also made some heavy losses
More than ten years ago. before the Gettys.
burg volumes of the official war records were
issued. MAJOR l.. c. Dawes of Cincinnati haC
u
resume Of the Confederate strength and losse.
at Gettysburg, showing almost conclusively
that Leo had not less than 1000 men on field
and that his losses were not less than 2G,OOC
In the campaign. Col. Llyermore OF Boston
another able commentator on tho Civil War
has made II clear that the Confederate losse.
were not less thnn $1,000. Mr. J. W. Kirkley
Of the War Records ONCE, with all the records
now oxtant at his command. has concluded
that the aggregate exceeded $1,000.
| have made n careful study Of the question
examining reports and correspondence. ant
other official and unofficial data relating to Get
tysburg.c Ollating and com pairing the results OBJ
tainet by others with my own data accummu
lated during several years membership OF tn,
War Records Publication Board. by this pains
taking can definitely assert that the Confel
crate records themselves contain the absolute
proof that the Confederate army mum be red a
Gettysburg fully 10000 men Of all arms. anc
that its losses exceeded 27OO0 men killed