Evening journal., 1900-04-04
SLAIN IN GREAT BATTLES.
Loss of Life Not Heavy In the
TranSvaal War
A RUNNING COMPARISON
Kitchener Destroyed 1900 Human
Souls In a Day--A Comparison Of
the Fiercest Battles of the World
The Matter Of Workmanship.

lne TicTCcSl DdlAiCo VI buC WI
The Matter Of Workmanship.
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 I
ly approaching 100000 in number. The I
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 IL
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 embellishments
which surround them, the Beers have
net lost over two-thirds this number.
1t is fair to suppose that the total
losses on both sides in l2O days of
fierce campaigning do not exceed H.
600 men. The killed on both sides do
not number 1900. This is a merciful
war so 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 ut MOIu0 NdluukG anu
slaughter" have no real place so far
in the Transvaal fighting. Why, Kit
chener, on one day alone-Septembe
2, 189S-destroyed at Omdurman, IT,
600 dervishes-miserable ignorant
fanatics, who thought they had a right
to live. That is slaughter
Let us 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 it is at the present
time. Edward III and Philip vi tilted
with each other at Crecy August &c.
1346, 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 10000 prisoners were taken.
Thus the killed and wounded of that
one day equaled the total losses in
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.
"a Il A
Charlottesville, May 2, and 4, 1868
the Union loss was 5000 the Confed
crate loss 12,281. In other words 2S,
800 men were put out Of active ser
vice in three days. At Chickamauga
September 10 and 20, 1868. the Unior
loss was 1851 and the Confederate
loss 1884, an average of about IL,
900 a day. Still a human life is of more
value in 1900 than 1t was in 1868. The
work value of a man is greater to-day
than it was then, and 1t is said to b'
a law of the Fates that as work val
ue increases the mortality wrought il
warfare decreases. Which may or MAJ
not be so.
July 1, 2 and 8, 1868, at Gettysburg
the Union loss was, killed 1884
wounded 1900, missing 6,634, ant
the Confederate loss q ,621, so tina
there was an average loss per day ol
that battlefield of 1900 men. At An
tietam September II, 1862. the Uniol
loss was 2,469, Confederate loss 900
to 10000, or a total of at least 21,50C
The second Bull Run was fought o
August 20 and 80, 1862. The Unio
forces lost $4,000 men and the Cor
federates S,400. In the battle of tn
Wilderness, May 8 and 6, 1864, tn
Union side was crippled by the los
of $4,000 men and the Confederate b
a loss of 1000 men. The German
and French did equally as we'll q
Mars-la-Tour August 16, 1870. TIL
German loss in killed and wounde
was 10000. The French loss
killed, wounded and prisoners was II
600. One regiment lost 40 officers an
1875 men, but this regimental los
does not compare with the Union los
at the time of the first discharge ,
the Confederate batteries and muske
~ at the battle of the WILDERNESS
when it is estimated that in five mi
utes 5000 Union soldiers were woun
cd and killed. Gravelotte, August
1870, was a carnage to be remer
bered. The Germans left upon IL
field 20,159 dead or wounded men. III
French lost between 10000 and 1900
Plevna, in the SHOWS of the Bt
garian mountains. was a battlehe
in July, 1877, where the mountain si'
ran streams of blood, and Turk al
Muscovite died with their set tee
4 fixed in each others flesh. The tot
Russian losses in ten days fightiI
were $4,000 The Turkish losses ha'
never been accurately known. TIT
have been estimated at 10000.
Last but not least of the fierce bi
ties of the world where life was ire;
ed as a bauble comes Waterloo. Jul
IS, 1915. The loss of the English al
Prussians was $4,000 and of Z
French $4,000. Wellington's arr
could not have survived the ravis
es of the French guns but for the ST
port of the allies. and England as
Empire has never come so near
inhalation on tho field of battle as
did at Waterloo.