The National tribune., 1901-10-24

After our army had recrossed the river
and had assembled at Bunker Hill, the
report that Pickett's Division of dead
men, had drawn more rations than any
division in the army, excited good deal
of good-natured laughter. Among the Of
ficers of our army, to whom the casualty
lists were familiar, the question was often
discussed. why it was that some OF Petu-
Crews Brigades, marching over the same
ground at the same time, should nave
suffered so much more than ten. flck-
ett's? This question was never satisIac-
torily answered till after the war. The
mystery was then explained by the Union
General, Doubleday, who made the state
ment that ''all the artillery supporting
Webb'S Brigade (which, being on the
right of Gibbons's Division, held the pro-
jecting walD, excepting one piece, was
destroyed, and nearly all of the artillery
men either killed or wounded by the can
nonade which preceded the assault.
OF course, there were exceptions, but
the general rule was that those troops
who suffered the most themselves int1lct-
ed the greatest loss on the enemy and
were consequently the most efficient.
Col. Fox says: The history of bat
tie or war should be studied in connec-
ton with the figures which show the
losses. By overlooking them an indefinite
and often erroneous idea is obtained. BY
overlooking them many historians fail to
develop the important points of the con-
test; they use the same rhetorical de-
scriptions for different attacks, whether
the pressure was strong or weak, the loss
great or small, the fight bloody or harm
less"
As it was the custom in some COM
mands to report every scratch as wound
and in others to report no man as wound
ed who was fit for duty, the most accu-
rate test for courage and efficiency is
the number Of killed. In the eight bri-
gades and three regiments from Virginia
in this battle, 3I5 were killed, and 1,9Il
wounded. That is, for every one killed
five and 25-hundredths were reported
wounded. In the seven brigades and three
regiments from North Carolina, $50 were
killed and 1854 wounded. That is, for
every man killed only four and 4O-hun-
dredths appeared on the list as wounded.
REHABILITATION.
If it be a fact that from Gettysburg
to the close of the war, among the dead
upon the various battlefields compare
lively few representatives from the Vir-
ginian infantry were to be found, it is
not always necessarily to their discredit.
For instance even at Gettysburg two
such brigades as Mahone's and Smyth's
had respectively only seven and IA men
killed. 1t was not for them to say wheth-
er they were to advance or be held back.
Their duty was to obey orders. In the
same battle two of Rodes's North Caro-
lima Brigades-Daniels and lyerson's-
had, between them, 246 men buried upon
the field. Here we see that the eight
regiments and one battalion which formed
these two North Carolina commands had
% more men killed than Pickett's Is. And
yet Virginia history does not know that
they were even present at this battle.
- Now for a brief reorganization. The
left of Garnett's and Armistead's Bri-
gades, all of Archer's and Scales's Cbut
that all means very few, neither of them
at the start being larger than full regi-
ment), a few of the 9th and the right
of Pettigrew's own brigade took posses
sion of the works, which the enemy had
abandoned on their approach. Pettigrew S
and Trimble's left and Pickett's right lay
out in the field on each flank Of the pro-
jecting work and in front of the receding
wall and from 40 to 80 yards from it.
There they remained for a few minutes,
till a fresh line of the enemy. which had
been lying beyond the crest of the ridge,
approached. Then, being attacked on both
tanks, and knowing how disorganized
they were, our men made no fight, but
either retreated or surrendered. Archer's,
Scaless and Pettigrew's own brigade went
as far and stayed as long or longer than
any of Pickett's. Davis's Brigade, while
charging impetuously ahead Of the line,
was driven back, when it had reached a
point about 100 yards from the enemy.
Lanes, the left brigade, remained few
moments longer than any OF the other
troops and retired in better order
NO REFLECTIONS.
Now, it must not be inferred from any |
thing in this paper that there has been |
any intention to reflect upon all Virginia |
infantry. Far from it. The three regi !
ments in Steuart's mixed brigade and Ma |
homes Brigade were good troops. Per |
haps there were others equally good. But |
there was one brigade which was their |
superior, as it was the superior of most |
of the troops in Gen. Lees army. And |
that was Smiths Brigade of Early's Di- |
vision. These troops, in spite of the Rich |
mond newspapers and the Partially of |
certain of their commanders, had no su-
periors in any army. Never unduly elated |
by prosperity, never depressed by adver- |
sity, they were, even to the last, when en-
thusiasm had entirely fed and hope was |
almost dead, the models OF what good sol |
diers should be.
DEATHS THE TEST.
at is not precisely those who know
how to kill" says Dragomiroff, ''but those
who know how 10 die, who are all-power- |
full on field of battle"
The proportion of wounded to killed |
was 4.S TO one. That is, if 100 are killed |
4S0 will be wounded. When 100 men
are killed, there will bee among the wound !
ed "a who will die of wounds While |
this may not always be the case in q sin |
gle regiment, yet when a number of regf- |
inents are taken together the wonderful |
law of averages makes these proportions
rules about which there is no varying
AMAN's WEIGHT TO KILL HIM.
There is an old saw which SAYS that
sit takes a soldiers weight in lead and
iron TO kill him" Most people believe
that this saying has been taken with
grains of allowance, but ii was shown
during the war to be literally true. In
the battle of Murfreesboro the weight of
the 2O,307 prOjectiles fired by the Union
artillery was 225,0OO pounds, and that of
the something over 100000 musket balls
exceeded 10000 pounds, and their com
bincd weight exceeded that of the 23l9
Confederates who were killed or mortalIy
wounded.
In the Union armies deaths from
wounds amounted to 10000 and from
disease and all other causes about 100000. |
a total of about 100000. For deaths in
the Southern armies only an approxima-
ton can be arrived at. Probably 100000
died of wounds and as many more of
disease, total of about 100000 which, !
added TO the Federal loss. makes about
100000. This number of soldiers drawn |
mp in battle array would make line 1I2
miles long