Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-01-21

cago Post, says: Many OF your read
ers are interested in the war between
Russia and Japan, and folkwing the
accounts of the battles are appalled,
by the great losses reported in each
or the armies. These losses seem enor-
nous. and the impression Is general
that the world has not seen before
such desperate lighting. Comparative
ly few of your readers are old enough
to remember the fighting in our own
civil war, and fewer still have made
any study OF the statistics of our own
losses In battle. Modern weapons, es-
pecially the small arms with their
small bullets, are much more merciful
than those used in our great war,
when the bullets were one inch long
and fifty three -hundrc,lths inches
in diameter, causing fearful wounds
Tho papers report that a very large
proportion of the men wounded on
both sides of the present war have al
ready recovered and returned to the
ranks, The newspaper accounts oF
the great slaughter in these battles
are usually exaggerated and the fig
ures greatly reduced by the official re-
ports.
Perhaps your readers would be in
terested in some statistics OF the civil
war. comparing them with reports of
battles In the East The following fig
ures are taken from book complied
by William +. Fox, entitled "Regl-
mental Losses in the Civil War" This
book is accepted as authoritative, and
by far the most reliable publication In
the statistics presented. The figures
are not estimated losses, nor taken
from the accounts of sepcial CORE
spondents In the field. They are com
piled from the muster rolls and official
reports ON file In the War Depart-
mpnt
The following table gives the per-
centage OF loss In several regiments
IN one battle In tho number of men
engaged In that battle, ranging from
80 per cent to 81 per cent OF the men
who entered any one battle. In the
table from which | copy these figures
there are a large number OF other
regiments IN which the losses exceed.
ed half the number engaged, but this
list Is long enough TO show what stun
our American soldiers were made of.
The list Includes killed. wounded and
missing. A small portion Of those re-
ported missing were taken prisoners.
but the greater part were reported
missing In battles where no prisoners
were taken, and were SO reported. be
cause at the time the report was made
It was not known absolutely whether
they were dead or severely wounded
ana left on the field:
Per 81
Regiment and Battle loss
one Hundred and FIFTY hrst Peunsyl.
vania -Gettysburg ............... II :
ono Hundred and First New York
MANASSAS ,..t.,.... ..-..-........... n Y
Twenty NTH Massachusetts, cold liar
Dor .:......--........................ 20
thurfh -.............. On 2
Twentieth Massachusetts FrederlcEs
burg 49,. -.................,... ss 4
Eighth Vermont Cedar Creek ,...,,.. 81 -
Eighty first Pennsylvania FrederIcks
burg ..,,.,......,... ................ 81 4
Twelfth Massachusetts Autiptam 49,. 81
First Malue II. A Petersburg ... eS 3
Ninth Louisiana CoIoredl Milken's
BEND .................. a.
One Hundred and Eleventh New York "
Gettysburg .......-............. 81 8
Twenty fourth Michigan Gcttysburg az :
Fifth New Hampshire Frsdprlcks
burg ...., ......'................... 68 6
Ninth Illinois shiloh ................ % 3
Ninth New YorT Antictam ...... a.
Fifteenth New Jersey Spottsylyauia e.. 9
Eighty Second New York Gettysburg g. .
Fifteenth Massachusetts, Gettysburg ~ -
SIXTY ninth New York AniIetam .... 81 y
I'ifty first Illinois ChicbAmaugR ... 81 .
Nineteenth indiana Manassas ..... 81 &.
One Hundred and Twenty 1rst New
YORK Salem Church ,.............. ~ y
Elfth New H"rk Manassas ..,..,..,... ~. Is
Nlnety-thlrd New York Wilderness ~