The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20
CIVIL WAR LOSSES.
Remarkable casualties Of Some of the
regiments North and south.

Regiments, North and south.
Charleston News and Courier.
In a speech in the House last week Mr..
Warnock. of Ohio. gave some facts relat-
ing to the war for and against the indie
pendence OF the Southern States which are
Of general and lasting interest. We give
the substance of some of his most strik-
ing statements, all of which are worth pre-
serving for reference.
There were 1,SS2 general engagements, bat
ties and skirmishes in which at least a
regiment was engaged on either side. There
were III general engagements in which the
loss on one side or the other exceeded 500
killed and wounded. Including both sides
half a million men were killed or MORALLY
wounded on the battlefield and a million
permanently disabled.
The losses are compared with those in
European wars. In the famous charge of
the Light Brigade at Balaklava there was
a loss of 247 out of 6S men, or 1861 per cent.
There were $50 regiments in the American
war-seventy-five on each side-that lost
over 40 per cent. In the Franco-Prussia
war the greatest loss of any regiment in
any engagement was hat of the Third
Westphalian at Mars la Tour. 49.4 per cent.
In the American war 120 regiments of both
sides lost more than 80 per cent. of the
numbers engaged, some as high as 90, 20 ana
20 per cent, and one on each side lost over
81 per cent.
At Waterloo Napoleon had $1,000 men and
256 guns, Wellington, with the allies, had
1900 men and over 200 guns. The loss on
each side in killed and wounded was about
g. ZOO, or from 30 to 81 per cent. At Gettys-
burg Meade had $1,000, with the Sixth Corps
in reserve, and $50 guns. Lee had 1900 anC
IN urTnC Tho lnSCQC wore ~ mi nm PaGn
side. The greatest battle fought in Europe
was that at Leipsic. Napoleon had 10000
and the allies 330. 900. The losses were about
10000 on each side.
Mr.. Warnock noted two instances of ex-
ceptional bravery and loss by a Federal
and a Confederate regiment, respectively;
on the second day at Gettysburg, when
the Union army was driven back from
the Emmitsburg road in disaster and de-
feat, General Hancock was making a Won
derful effort to establish a new hne. lie
had but one regimen at hand-the First
Minnesota, numbering 22 men. While he
was having the endorsements hurried up,
he saw suddenly marching from a clump OF
| trees WilcoX's Confederate brigade. He
saw from the position and rapid move
ments of that brigade that they would oc-
cupy, unless he could prevent 1t. the pc
sition that he regarded as the key to that
part of the lines, the position at Little
Round Top. Seeing the extremity 10 which
he was reduced, he rode to Colonel Colville,
commanding the First Minnesota, and,
pointing to the advancing colors, gave the
order: Take those colors.' Without a mo-
ment's hesitation the gallant Minnesot1anS
charged upon those colors.
"A desperate hand-to-hand conflict en-
sued. The advance of the Confederate
brigade was checked, but 215 of the First
Minnesota Regiment were left upon that
battlefield, dead or wounded and bleed
ing. The forty-seven, however, who went
back carried the colors with them. That
check saved that line from disaster on that
day. General Hancock, speaking OF 1t aft
erwards. said it was the most gallant deed
recorded i'm history. L needed. he SAID,
"A few minutes in order to repair my lines.
I saw that if / could not check the brigade
that was advancing. my line would be
broken and the position be lost. j would
have ordered the regiment TO make the
charge if L had known absolutely that
every man would be killed. / was glad that
/ had a regiment so near at hand and will
ing TO make this great sacrifice The loss
TO that regiment on that day was S2.S per
cent.
In reply to a question as to the conduct
of the T~wenty-sixth North Carolina on the
| same field. Mr.. Warnock said that he re-
garded il as lone of the most remarkable
Instances in all history" and he explained:
THAT regiment was $40 strong. 1t had
eighty-six killed and SOP wounded, making
a total of 5S6. or Ill per cent. That was
on the first days battle. But the most re-
markable part of it was that this regiment
on the third days fight, turned up with A
little remnant of 26 men out Of their $50.
participated in that gallant charge and
came out with only eighty men left. That
l regard as the most remarkable loss in
history. There was a company in the reg
iment-Captain Tuttle's c~ompany-that
went in with three officers and eighty-four
men. They came out with only one officer
and one man.