Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-07-14

Modern warfare differs from an
cient and medieval conflicts not only
in the weapons used, but in the per-
centage of the wounded who survive
a battle. In the days of hand-to-hand
fighting with pike and sword, battle
AK and dagger, the casualties of a
beaten army in holly contested bat
tie were apt to be final losses. The
wounded were usually taken prisoners
or slain. Few men hurt seriously es-
capped the fierce and close pursuit of
the victors.
Even the winning side had a far
smaller proportion of losses which
were merely temporary or technical
thal armies suffer in these times,
when every man hit by rife ball fig
ures in the list of casualties, and nine
out of ten reported wounded recover
soon and rejoin their commands. In
modern war the So-called losses pub
lished after battle can be cut down
to rs or 80 per cent. of the official
numbers in ascertaining the perma-
nent diminution Of the forces engaged.
In this respect, however, battles diff
fer widely. Sometimes actions fought
at close quarters under peculiar condi-
tons as, for instance, in cases which
involve the storming of strong works
defended by heavy artillery, the pro-
portion of casualties which mean
death may rise to something like the
terrible mortality rate of medieval
wars.
When the Russians flung themselves
upon the French and Sandman lines
at Tehernaya river, before Savastopol,
in the summer of 1855, they left about
$500 dead on the field, and their
wounded seemed to number only about
half that number. But these proper
tons are so remarkable that it must
be taken for granted that many slight
ly wounded Russians were sent to the
rear and never reported as hurt in rec
ords which the allies had the means
OF comparing with their own statistics
Keeping in mind then, the broad
fact that losses in battle may mean
anything, from death to slight hurts,
and the temporary abs ence from roll
call of troops which rejoin their col
ors later, and remembering that all
records of casualties in war are dis
puted by opposite sides and open to
more or less doubt, it is extremely in
teresting, at this time, to look over
list of losses. as the figures have gone
into history, in some of the more ia
nous battle of modern wars.
The following shows how greatly the
fighting which has taken place so far
in the Russo-Japanese war falls short
of the havoc which has marked many
notable battles of the last 200 years:
Borodino-French loss, 10000; Rus
sian, 10000.
Water,oo-French loss, $1,000; al
lies, $4,000.
Austerlitz-French loss, 1900; allies,
$4,000.
Wagram-French loss, 10000; Aus
trian, $4,000
Northumberland loss, 5000; al
lies, 10000.
Eylau- French loss, 10000, allies,
$4,000
ohenlinden-French loss, 5000;
Austrian, 10000.
Dresden-French loss, 5000; allies,
$1,000.
Leipsic-French loss, $4,000; allies,
$4,000.
na-Auerstadt-Fr loss, $4,000;
Prussian, $4,000
Blelheim-F French loss, 10000; al
lies. 10000
Malrlaquet-French loss, 10000; al
lies. $4,000
Rosebach-Prussian 500; allies,
$500.
Zorndorf- Prussian, 1900; Russian,
$4,000.
Kunerdorf-Prussian, $4,000; allies,
10000.
Magenta French Sandman, $4,000;
Austrian, 1900.
Solferino-F rench-Sardinian $4,000;
Austrian, 10000.
ndowa-Prussians, 5000; Aus
trian, $4,000.
Gravelotte- German, $1,000; French,
$4,000
sedan-German, 5000; French, 49,
600.
observation-disclosures, 5000; allies,
$500.
The Alma-Russian, $500; allies,
=. 500
sevastopol (inaD-Russian t?); al
lies. 10000.
Plevna- Russian, 10000; Turk, 55,-
900.
rcettysbrrg Federal, 23.1s6; confed-
te. 1851.
ltietanl-Federal, 1851; confed-
31.e21.
auga-Federal, 1851; con-
17,s04
orsviIle - Federal, 10000;
1881.
Federal, 12,469; confed-
fore Richmond-Fed-
Alerate, 1883.
aeral, 11,57s; con-