The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-21
TRULY SCIENTIFIC WAR.
" SHOCK OF BITTLE ENDED
BRISSO-dUSTRIC4N CONFLICT.

BfISNO-
Statisticians Were in Command on Both
Sides and Caused the Trouble-The Bris-
SLAMS Retired when Their Percentage of
Losses Was Reached and SO Did the
ustricans-Then the Fort Was Empty!
Documents discovered recently throw light
on the hitherto hoty debated question as to why
neither side won q victory at the great battle
Of WeIssnlChtwO, which ended the next wor be-
tween the Brissians and the Austricans The
documents seem 10 have been the private diary
Of all officer Of high rank, kept like that Of
Pepys. In q cypher, they were for years l. the
possession Of the authors family, which tried
TO sell them as old paper The old paper dealer
recognized their value at a glance, and insisted
on paying three times the price put on them by
the owners. This action aroused their suspi-
cion and the old paper dealer was held as a danger
GUS person, until the Librarian OF the Imperial
Republican Library was able to pass on the paper.
On his report the paper dealer was discharged
with a warning, and the Government took the
diary, paying the price originally asked by the
late owners.
That part Of the diary referring to the battle
OF Weissnichtwo is as follows, q few too techni-
col words having been made over into modern
English. but the language being unchanged
otherwise:
The battle Of Weissnichtwo was the FIRST land
lasted fought under strictly scientific condi-
tons. The BrissiAns held q strongly fortified
hill, with long and admirably planned lines Of
trenches, counter trenches and echelons extend
ing on either side as far as the eye could reach
without the aid Of an opeTaglass. They may
have extended further. A private soldier told
me afterwards that they did; but I AM writing
only Of what | know by personal experience.
THAT is why this diary is SO valuable. Ed
We had been waiting for more than a week
for re- endorsements. We had all the infantry,
artillery aad cavalry that our general knew how
10 handle. but the statistical DEPARTMENT was
wofully weak, and not until yesterday did
that depa rtment reach the strength In
Dictated by all authorities on war as that without
which an army should not give battle. But
with the arrival Of the General commanding the
statistical department in person, the distn-
guished and famous Gen, Addemmup, all this
was changed. lie brought with him TO enforce
ments Of trained accountants aud s,atisticians,
In such numbers that every regiment had at least
o sta usticiaG on its Colonel's stat, As an in
stance Of the completeness Of our personnel. let
me say thai, though the regulations allowed =
Major 81 tistician only to a brigade, yet we had
Major St,tsurians attached to each regiment.
Immediately on his arrival Gen. .A%ddemmup cx-
amined carefully the preparations We had made.
lie expressed himself ~ satisfied on the whole.
lie directed me--for | was serving as Chief Quar-
termaster From this fact may be gathered the
name Of the diariSt Ed, J. TO enlarge somewha
the Accommodations for the Minor Statisuciaus,
who tAbulNte the returns rs they are brought N
from the lnng line, but he assured me that ! had
done very well, that he needed more room simply
because ut the last moment he had brought with
him more stalsuciaus than he had expected
So | had several more tents erected. AMI Calculat
ing machines installed, and soon Gen iddemmup
was SeuSilel
Aftnr looking over the field Gen Addrmmup
called n council II Deputy StatlSuuuns. 1T winch
all over the rnnk oi MAJOR were present Present
officially, | mean, for ia" nghGus officers wer al
lowed to attend, though they had no voice IN the
debate 1t was very interesting TO see III" inner
working of war machinery The General and
his chief assistants, Lieut. Gen. ID" LuEauthm
and Major Gen. kubcrout, placed the problem be
fore ia" council. Gwen the strength ~ orr army.
aud the estimated strength II the rucmy, tho
style, strength and Arnament Of the foruilcauouS,
and our own Hrmament, what percentage uf losses
must We encounter or submit to before w. should
retire. The DrpuueS, each OF whom had the rauA
Il Brgndict General or Colonel, consulted the sta
tSucal histories ~ former wars. and within an
hour were prepared tO report GU can hardly
imagine the excitement Of vs. fighting men a. We
waited tut the decision. W" sal there m silence.
holding our breath, not a sound WAS TO b." heard
except the uIStllug Il leaves N histories and tables.
the Slight EnIp!lNs a. some distinguished officer
turned the handle " a calculating machine, then
one after another reported IT, teen. AddemmupHH and
handed in hls sHIuuun II the problem At last
only one deputy WAS left lie was only Colonel
At the head ui the long table sat the three Gen
erals. looking carefully at each paper as I wNs
placed before them Would that Colonel never
iinish' 1t was dreadful, the suspense ~
last he rose, took 81 his speCt1cles. wiped them
with eNaSprtaunS SlowncSs and reported IN .e
Generals! There were twenty nlne reports. The
Generals glanced over them rapidly. | could not
tel from Their looks whit ther feelings were. those
impassiv" men They directed m orderly 10
hnng a SPECIAL calculating machine, into which
they put the returned reports only twenty ~lN,
for four Deputies had agrerd ia their solutions,
Then Gen. kuhrrooi himself turned the handle,
sull as ! saw the machine ~ motion, aud shut
my eyes. Gen Addrmmup took up the paper. and
IN a voice qulvenng With suppressed excitement,
announced the percentage
Gen NarhOSs, the percentage II losses that
orr army must suffer before You can retreat ~
29' Twenty nlnc and decimGl uaught three"
Again We could breathe The strain once al,
some ~ useyrn lestd on the matter Col JudgIus
Won Puckendr RI said in nv hearing That .
and the decimals Tor the three big chiefs"
IN" battle began. All day N wagrd. and very
hot work 1t was The thermometer in my ice box
was 81; you can imagine whatit was In tho sun
The poor stntisicians had a hard time e H. all
day thoy were rushing from one part of the field
10 another, gathering figures, ard making de-.
~ductions, II is easy enough 10 add two and two
together In n quiet office; to substractis harder any.
way than 10 add. and 10 subtract under fire is