Evening journal., 1900-03-23
SLAIN IN GREAT Battles.
Loss Of Life Not Heavy In the
TranSYaal War
A RUNNING COMPARISON
Kitchener Destroyed 1900 Human
Souls In a Day--A Comparison Of
the Fiereest Battles Of the World
The Matter Of Workmanship.


the Fiereest Battles Of the World
The Matter Of Marksmanship.
In proportion to the number of men
engaged upon both sides there have
been practically no marked losses of
life In the Transvaal campaign, says
the Chicago Times-Herald. The forces
OF England In South Africa are rapid
ly approaching 100000 In number. The
highest estimate placed upon the size
Of the Transvaal army is $4,000 Eng
ishmen and Beers have confronted
each other in battle since October II
The number of English killed. wound
ed and missing or taken prisoners
does not yet exceed 10000. In all prob
ability, owing TO their intrenched posi-
tiOns and mountain embattlements
which surround them, the Beers have
not lost over two-thifds this number
IL Is fair TO suppose that the total
losses on both sides in l20 DAYS OF
fierce campaigning do not exceed H.
GOO men. The killed on both sides do
not number 1900. This is merciful
war 80 far as taking human life is
concerned. Just as all war Is beneficial
IN its destruction of waste forces and
vitalizing power upon the best which
survives. The words carnage" and
slaughter have no real place so far
in the Transvaal fighting. Why, Kit
chener, on one day alone-Septembe
2, lS9S--destroyed at Omdurman. IT,
600 dervishes-miserable, Ignorant
fanatics, who thought they had a right
10 live. That is slaughter
Let as see how men killed each 9th.
/ er In the past when firearms were not
modern or did not exist. and when
the opportunity TO kill In battle was
much greater than IL Is at the present
time. Edward III and Philip vi tilted
with each other at Crecy August &c.
1876. and the killed and wounded and
prisoners amounted in all to $4,000
men. The English. although victori.
Gus. lost 1900. This was right royal
fighting and would have given war
correspondents remarkable material
for bloody dispatches. At Hohenlin-
den December 3. 1900. the French loss
was approximately 5000, while the
Austrians, in killed and wounded, lost
5000 and $1,000 prisoners were taken.
Thus the killed and wounded Of that
one day equaled the total losses In
J the Transvaal war of both sides In 120
/ days. One might infer that the marks
| manship of 1899 and 1900 was of poor
| quality. This is not true. The fact Is
that armies meet less in hand-to-hand
, conflicts to-day than ever before. At
Marengo, June IA. 1900, the French
loss was 1000 and the Austrian loss
between 10000 and 10000. or 10000
IN all, which figures for a single twen-
ty-four hours of fighting make the bat
Ting at the Tugela and Modder rivers
seem like a skirmish. But greater car
mage than this has been recorded. At
Charlottesville, May 2, 3 and 4, 1868,
the Union loss was 16 6030 the Confed-
crate loss 12.2S1. In other words 2S.-
500 men were put out OF active SER
vice in three days. At Chickamauga.
September 19 and 20, 1868, the Union
loss was 1881 and the Confederate
loss 1884. an average OF about IT,.
900 day. Still human life is OF more
value in 1900 than It was in 1868. The
work value OF man is greater to-day
than IL was then, and it is said to bo
a law OF the Fates that as work val
ue increases the mortality wrought in
warfare decreases. Which may or may
not be SO.
July 1, 2 and 3, 1868, at Gettysburg,
the Union loss was, killed 2,S34,
wounded 1900, missing 6,63i. and
there was an average loss per day on
that battlefield OF 1900 men. At An.
tietam September II, 1862. the Union
loss was - .469 Confederate loss 9 1000
to 10000, or a total of at least p 500.
The second Bull Run was fought on
August 20 and 80, 1852. The Union
forces lost $4,000 men and the Con-
federates S,40O. In the battle of the
Wilderness, May and 6. 1854, the
Union side was crippled by the loss
Of $4,000 men and the Confederate by
a loss of 1000 men. The Germans
and French did equally as well at
Mars-la-Tour August 16. 1870. The
German loss in killed and wounded
was 5000. The French loss in
killed, wounded and prisoners was H.
700. One regiment lost 40 officers and
1,736 men, but this regimental loss
does not compare with the Union loss
at the time Of the first discharge OF
the Confederate batteries and musket-
~ at the battle Of the Wilderness,
when II is estimated that IN five min
utes 5000 Union soldiers were wound
cd and killed. Gravelotte, August Is,
1870, was a carnage to be remem.
bered. The Germans left upon the
field 0.159 dead or wounded men. The
AooN 00AWNNAA AafeNN anu LotuNNs
Plevna, in the SHOWS of the Bull
garian mountains. was a battlefield
in July, 1877 where the mountain side
ran streams of blood, and Turk and
Muscovite died with their set teeth
fixed in each others flesh. The total
Russian losses in ten days fighting
were $4,000. The Turkish losses have
never been accurately known. They
have been estimated at 10000.
Last but not least of the fierce bat
ties Of the world where life was treat
ed as a bauble comes Waterloo, June
IS. 1915. The loss Of the English and
Prussians was $4,000 and OF the
French $4,000. Wellingtons army
could not have survived the ravish-
es of the French guns but for the sup
port Of the allies, and England as an
Empire has never come so near an
Inhalation on the field Of battle as II
did at Waterloo.
Rosa Bonheur's Monument.