Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-21

much improved in intelligence by their ex-
perience and observation, as well as by
drill and discipline.
"The Russians have put up a wonderful
fight. We have not given them half the
credit they deserve You have heard q
great deal about the valor of the Japanese
but very little about that of the Russians.
The organization and the handling of the
Russian army has been much better than is
generally believed, and the health of the
troops has been much better than experts
expected. The records show that up to the
close of the war there were admitted to the
hospitals 352, 412 soldiers, and the following
table will show what became of them:
Admitted to hospitals. Observation-Disclosures. s52 4I2
Recovered and returned duty. .......... 173 645
Transferred west of Lake Baikal. ....... 100 1894
Discharged as permanently disabled a. 235
DIED of wounds or disease .....:......-. 1888
sui IN hospital ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2o,13S
These figures show pretty good record.
much different from the popular impress
sion. The daily average of the sick report
through the war has been only about two and
half per cent of the total strength of the
army. This, however, is exclusive Of Port
Arthur. l have no returns from that point
whatever, and was not able to get any. 1
do not think the Russians have any reports
or know anything about the mortality OF
the sick and wounded there. for they could
not give us any information.
1.-The official records of the Manchurian
army. outside of Port Arthur, show that
The killed in battle ere................. 49, 467
Dfeu Vi NOuuuS. S,o41
fsepofteu missing. .....-......... ~, I29
Doubtless all of the latter were buried
by the Japanese on the battlefield. where
their bodies were left on the retreats of the
Russians.
Percentage Of Casualties.
Calculations based upon the losses in
particular battles in which the strength of
the Russians is known show that the per-
centage of the killed and wounded was
40 of the total number of men engaged.
According to Woolsey. who is the highest
military authority we have. this is very
large percentage. He gives the total losses
of the Germans in the Franco-Prussian war
as 412 per cent of the army present,
whether engaged or not. At Gettysburg,
which was one of the bloodiest battles in
the history Of the world. 20 per cent of the
troops engaged were killed or wounded. At
Gravelotte. which was one of the bloodiest
engagements In Europe, the German loss
was 7.S9 per cent of the men engaged. Thus
you will see that the percentage OF killed
and wounded In the Russian army during
the recent war was the largest on record,
and that Is the best possible evidence of the
courage and discipline of the troops. There
was never any more desperate fighting in
the history OF the world than that of the
Russian army from the beginning to the
end Of the war"
How about sickness-did they have
They had about 2O,0O0 cases Of typhoid"
replied Col. Hoff. which is rather less than
might be expected. The mortality was
about 10 per cent, which is about ordinary.
The hospitals were admirable They were
right up to date In every partfcuiar-in APP
pliances as well as methods. The organiza-
ton OF the medical corps of the Russians
Is peculiar and quite different from that of
any other army. Their sanitary department,
as 1t is called. Is made up of several divi-
sions. The surgeons compose one, the Red
Cross nurses another and the Evacuation"
as they call 1t Chat Is. the distribution OF
the wounded In and back of the theater of
war; composes a third division At fire.
quent intervals the patients In the hospi-
tails are inspected and distributed according
to convenience and the best Judgment OF
the surgeon in charge. Some of the wound
ed and diseased are sent from one place
and some to others. according to their con-
dition and the condition of the various
hospitals. This inspection and distribution
is done by a distinct corps called the '.evac-
uation." The fourth division is the veteri-
nary service.
The chief or the sanitary service IL
Lieut.. Gen. Ivanhof. who Is an offlcer of
the stan OF the commanding general and
has under him stan OF experts represent
ing the four divisions. each having his par-
ticular jurisdiction. Under them Is sim
liar organization for each army, and still
farther down one for each corps. There
were five Russian armies In Manchuria--
not including Port Arthur. for, as have
said. do not know anything about the
work there and was unable to learn any