The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-04-28
STILL AT THE HEAD.
An English Army officer Says the
World May Still

Turn to American Battlefield for
Examples OF the Highest Mill.
tary Efficiency and Valor.
1t takes a long time to size up the
merits and results Of tremendous
conflict like the civil war, and it is
not surprising that the verdict Of
foreign military students Is CONSTANT
ly changing and drawing closer to a
true estimate Of the facts. a fresh
review OF the last stage OF war, from
Gettysburg to Appomattox, has just
; appeared in England from the pen of
Captain Battine Of the kings hussa s.
In writing Of the most critical phase
OF the contest In America Captain
Battine has in mind the recent great
military events, and he holds that
the world may still turn to American
battletields for examples OF the high
est military ifllcIency and martial
valor. He says:
The history Of the Amrican civil
war still remains the most important
theme for the student and the states
man because 1t was waged between
adversaries Of the highest Intelligence
and courage, who fought by land and
sea over an enormous area with every
device within the reach OF human in
genunitY and who had to create every
organization needed for the purpose
after the struggle had begun. Justice
has hardly been done to the armies
which arose time and again from san
culinary repulses and from disas ers
more demoralizing than any repulse
In the field because they were cluse1
by political and military incapacity
In high places, to redeem which the
soldiers freely shed their blood, as IL
seemed, In vain. II the heroic en-
durance Of the southern people and
the fiery valor OF the southern armies
thrill US today with wonder and ad.
miration, the Stubborn tenacity and
courage which succeeded in prescry.
ing intact the heritage Of the Ameri.
can patton and which tIiumphed over
foes sc formidable are not less worthy
Of praise and imitation. The Amcri.
cars still hold the worlds record for
hard tightiug."
The val01 Of the southern soldiers
has long been extolled at home as
we'll as abroad, and at one time the
eulogists seemed to forget that valor
in any army presupposes equal valor
In the foe. The fighting records Of
the combatants In that great war do
not rest upon mere speculation. They
were written In blood, and the hooks
are open to tie worlds inspec ion
And every elite regiment and elite
corps on either@side nuet ana-oAn
without loss OF prestige stand c>m-
parison With an elite equivalent in the
ranks Of tie foe. The North had
more regiments in the field than di6
the South, but the "atio uf hard fight.
ing r, GIN. nts was the same. There
were seventy northern regiments
which lost from so to 80 per cent. Of
their strength in single engagemaNtS
and t,Iy-three southern giments In
the same clnsS.
Figures showing losses in actual
battles are eloquent witncss6s Of The
valor Of individual organization. TIE
highest brigade loss recorded in i e
confederate ;rmy WAS that OF Grerg'a
South Carolina brigade, wh.ca is
credited with 279 killed in b.t,lc.
In the norJhera army Vermont
brigade takes highest piacA, With a.
loss Of LIP killed and the Iron nri
gade Is q close second, With l,l32
deaths on tie batllch. Id. AS tile
northern regiments were regularly re
cruiJed, the losses fen upon grea or
| m riru1 = h
IN the South, where recruit were
scarce. The famous "Kantucky
Orphah" brigade OF the Soutn, being
made up Uf expatri4tcS from the land
OF lighters, was never recruited and
literally fought Itself to 'frlZzle, -
as tile sOuthcrners expressed it.
Gregg's brigade had the banner regi.
ment In the South for loss In battle
during the whole war-the First S h
Carolina. lis record was 28l killed,
and the banner regi ment Of the Nurtb,
the Fifth New Hampshire, went a
notch higher with loss Of 295 dead
on the field OF honor
And when 1t came to losses In single
engagement Balaklava and all the
old world records were cutdone boti
: | Wy GAh dIu JilUiillIc. III
single charge at Gettysburg the First
Minnesota emerged with less OF s:
per cent. killed and wounded, wbilt
the First Texas at Antietam lost 8:
3 ler cent. In the highest numeri
Cal loss sustained in a single engage
ment the lighters OF the North anC
, South also showed their common line
age and equal valor. At Gettysbur.
the Twenty sixth North Caroiiua wen
into action July l with $40 mn ant
lost $50 killed and wounled At COlt
q HarbOr the First Maine heavy artil
lerY charged an intrcnct ed line viii
! 932 rank and file and lest $50 killed
and wounded in the space or sever
y minutes. Both OF these regiment
q continued lighting in tie same cam
paiGns until the enc Of The war.
is singular fact tina. over the who'll
field and throughout the war ever
phenomenal diGplaY OF valor, tenac t.
and stubborn courage on one side wa
S duplicated at some time by the othe
y side. For the Bloody Angle" hell
n by Lee at Spottsy,vania, there wa
y the Horseshoe Ridge" defended b
+ Thomas at Chi, akamauga, and 70
k Pickett's charge at GETTY sburg ther
!. was the rush for the stone wall a
y Fredericksburg. In the long ru
d neither side was outfought. Boz
o sides sustained the prestige OF Amer
e Gals in battle. e.-Spartanburg Journa