The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-06
Historic Comparisons

|
 great deal has been said about the
 losses. At Cold Harbor, Grant lost 15.oOd
 men, Lee 100. On that basis the British l loss at Mons and Landrecies of 5000 men would mean 8 casualty list to the Germans of 45.000 But machine guns, improved rifles and the German fondness for the
 massed attack may have resulted in an even more disproportionate loss to them.
 One more detail it is well to remember. After Cold Harbor, Grants army was temporarily demoralized. In four weeks
 he had lost 60,oOO men. half his army. If
 the German force was 600,0O0 at the start,
 as has been said by some observers, this
 ratio would mean a loss of S0O,0OO Those
 who remember civil war days will recall
 the wild outburst of dennciation in the country after Cold Harbor, when Grant
 was called a butcher"
 In 1864 Grant could afford to lose half
 his army and still be sure of a numerical
 superiority over Lee sufficient to pre-
 vent any counter strike In men, in
 money in resources he was surely better
 off than his opponent. But his army was shaken and he had to take 1t south of
 the James and it was many months be- fore a siege reduced Richmond.
 The Russian Menace
 Today Germany has no such adyan- tage over France and England. More soldiers she has than France and Eng land combined, but she now has to send against Russia nearly all the number she has in excess of France and Eng
 land Again, as Russian mobilization be- comes more and more effective she will "a tO a
 some of her army in France, toward the east. For France and for England, on the contrary, the whole reserve and sec- ond line can be used against the armies before Paris.
 Indeed, there is now in many quarters to
 be detected the belief that when the Ger man advance has worn itself out by its great exertion and its first line troops
 have been greatly reduced by the cas- ualties, the allies even now equal in numbers, will take the field and deliver
 a fatal counter strike.
 Some notion of the Russian tactics
 against Napoleon in the Moscow cam paign is clearly In the minds of many
 military observers, and for reasons that are obvious, yet such conjectures are al- ways dangerous. Unluclsy General Tro- chu, defender Of Paris in 1871, always had "a plan," but Paris fell none the less.
 But whether a brilliant counter stroke Is to be expected shortly, whether still further retirement, continued resistance behind entrenchments and slaughter of Germans advancing in mass formation are to come, the purpose of the allies in the west is not mistakable or difficult I to fathom. Consciously or unconsciously ! they have modelled their campaign on that | of Lee 50 years ago; enthusiastically they | expect the same result when the last Ger | man regiments arrive before Fort Du-
 mont, northernmost of the forts of Paris. 1 It is still possible that in the final des- | perate attempt the Germans may pene- treate the left wing and stand between Paris and the French armies and on the | line of communication going north to
 Reims and east to Nancy. But the chance Is far slighter than 1t was a week ago. Time to Review Campaign | The time to review the campaign will 1 be when the French have got home safe | ly to Paris and their sorely battered left rests on the forts of Paris, with the cen- | ter and right intact. But if they do, and | 1t now appears as if they would, it is
 plain that they have escaped deadly peril. thwarted the most desperate and