The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-09-26
BENTON, LA.
Battles of the Civil War.

$1,000 troops to advance against
a week fort, manned by less than
100 men, at Fort Henry; $4,000
with naval cooperation to over
come $4,000 at Fort Donelson;
10000 to secure a victory over
10000 at Pittsburg Landing (Shi-
loh); 12O, 900 to enforce the retreat
of IS, 900 intrenched after a month
of fighting and maneuvering at
Corinth; 100000 repealed by 8O,-
600 in the first Peninsular cam
paign against Richmond; 10000
with a powerful naval force to
inspire the campaign which
lasted nine months, against 49,
600 at Vicksburg; 10000 to barely
withstand the assault of 10000
at Gettysburg; $1,000 sustaining
a frightful repulse from 10000 at
Fredericksburg; 100000 attacked
and defeated by $4,000 at Chan
cellorsville; 1000 held in check
two days by 10000 at Antietam;
$4,000 retaining the field uncer-
tainly against $4,000 at Stone
River (Murfresboro); 10000 de-
feated at Chickamauga, and be-
leagured by 10000 at Chattan-
ooga; eighty thousand merely to
break the investing line of forty
five thousand at Chattanooga, and
one hundred thousand to press
back fifty thousand increased at
last to seventy thousand from
Chattanooga to Atlanta, a dis
lance of 120 miles, and then let
go-an operation which is COM
memorated at festive reunions by
the standing toast of 'One hun
dred days under fire.; fifty thou
sand to defeat the investing line
! of thirty thousand at Nashville;
and, finally, one hundred and
twenty thousand to overcome
sixty thousand with exhaustion
after a struggle of a year in Vir-
ginia."
In some of the battles enumer-
ated by Gen. Buell. the odds were
greater than he states them.
General Buell. adds: "Individ-
ually the Northern soldier was in
no sense inferior to the Southern.
What then is the explanation of
this rule which is so nearly inva-
riable as to show that superior
numbers were generally essential
to Union victories? Much was
due to the character of the con-
test. Revolution is calculated
to inspire bold and desperate &C.
ton, and wars of sentiment, of
the nature of which this partook
more in the South than in the
North, are always marked by I'M
usual energy
''The Southern Generalsrecog-
nized that the odds must be gen.
orally against them and that they
must find some means of over
coming the effect of the fact upon
the spirit of their troops and
themselves set an example of
audacity.''
General Buell. continues: cat
Cold Harbor the Northern troops
who had proven their indomita-
Inequalities bylosses nearly equal
to the whole of their opponent,
when ordered to another sacrifice,
even under such soldier as
Hancock, answered the demand
as one man, silent and stolid
inertia; at Gettysburg, Pickett,
when waiting for the signal which
Longstreet dreaded to repeat, for
the hopeless but immortal charge
against Cemetery Hill, saluted
and said, as he turned to his
ready column: 4 shall move for
ward, sir.
Gen. Buell. concludes: "Nor
must we give slight Importance
to the influence OF the Southern
women, who in agony of heart
girded the sword upon their loved
ones and babe them go. It was
to be expected that these various
Sy.E