Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-10-09
Misesllansuus Beading.
BATTLES OF THE PAST
Where Mighty Hosts Were Material
ICED to Kill.


and armies are "annihilated" every
few days in the present war in Eu-
rope. The battle of Marine, because
of the number of fighting men en-
gagged, the extent of the line Of bat
tie and the terrible slaughter, is das-
cribed as the battle of the ages,
the greatest battle in history" and
it is predicted that even greater bat
ties are yet to be fought.
1t is the way we have. The armies
are the largest, the generals the most
skilful, the soldiers the bravest, the
losses the biggest, the battles, the
most decisive. AS a matter Of fact,
none of this is true. There were
brave men before Agamemnon; there
were great armies before Wilhelm.
There was Xerxes, the Persian, for
example, who invaded Europe and en-
tered Greece with an army, counting
the servants, eunuchs and women who
accompanied his hosts, that number
ed 5,2S3,220, and whose retreat into
Thrace was marked by numerous
birds of prey that lowered around
him, and fed upon the dead carcasses
of the Persians."
There was Alexander and Attila and
Hannibal and Napoleon and half a
score of other military leaders who
commanded great armies and fought
in their turn the battle of the ages. :"
At Cannae, 10000 Romans were kill
ed by Hannibal, and three bushels of
gold rings were taken from the fingers
of Roman knights slain in that battle.
At Zama, Scipio slew 10000 of the
Carthaginians.
In the Napoleonic wars 100000
men were killed. Then there was
Julius Caesar. who conquered 800 ma
tions, captured and destroyed 500
cities and defeated 100000 men.
1t was Caesar who wrote in his
commentaries: "Gallia est omnis di-
visa in parties tres, quarum imam
incolunt Belgae, allan Aquitani,
tertiam, qui ipsorum lingua Celtae,
nostra CALI appelluntur.
Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Bel
gaze"
AS they were in Caesars day, so are
the Belgians now, but it is idle to say
that they are brave and better SOL
diers than their fathers.
Before XerXes and Caesar and Ma
poleon and Wilhelm there was Joshua,
a mighty man of valor who numbered
his slain 81 kings, five of whom
were hanged to five trees, tree for
his great armies, with the edge of
the sword" slaughtered his enemies
until there was not any left to
breathe" Their cities were destroy
ed, their horses were 'houghed,"
their chariots burned with fire, their
countries desolated. In one Of the
minor engagements 10000 men and
women were put to death by the
sword, and of the hosts that were then
in the field it was said that they were
like the sands of the sea in multi
tude.
fought each other hand to hand and
nations perished from the face Of the
earth because of the men that were
slain in battle Fighting then was
quite a different thing from what it
is now, excepting in the bayonet
charge of modern warfare or in the
clash of sabre of contending horsemen.
With the size and equipment Of the
armies now engaged in the European
war no modern comparison can be
made, but it is not true that the bat
ties fought or the number slain, or the
cruelties practiced, or the destruction
wrought are the greatest in history.
The results have been positive, not
comparative; certainly they have not
been superlative. Indeed, there nave
been military achievements in later
modern times that loom very large
even when compared with the achieve
ments of the present war in Europe.
1t has not been very long since the
Russo japanese war and the defense
and capture of Port Arthur The
United States is paying out annually
over $15O,0O0,000 in pensions for the
war that was fought in this country
so years ago, and has paid out on this
account already s4,294. .596,944. In
this war; 2,772,40S soldiers were en-
gagged in the Union armies and 75O,-
600 in the Confederate armies, a total
of 3,522,4OS. The total losses in the
Union armies were 349,944. OF the
Union soldiers 67,05S were killed in
battle.
In twelve of the principal engage
ments of the war, 169,7l3 Confeder-
ates, or one seventh Of the whole mum
Der enlisted in the service during the
four years conflict, were killed and
wounded-killed, 1886; wounded,
9l.977. In the armies of the contend
ing parties the total losses aggregat-
ed about half a million men, and that
was in a war among friends. A great
deal has been written about the siege
of Liege and the splendid resistance
of the Relgians. and they have deserv-
ed it all: but in the ardor of present
description it is well that account
should be taken of a memorable siege
during the war in our own country.
For four years, Fort Sumter, in
Charleston harbOr, resisted every at
tempt at it's capture. For 2SO days,
the fort was actually under fire.
THE duration of the three principal
and eight minor bOmbardments was.
altogether, 157 days and 1l6 nights"
The total weight of metal thrown
against the fort from land and sea
aggregated $500 tons, and of this
great mass the fort was actually
struck by 2.400 tons The number of
projectiles fired against the fort was
46.O5S.-J. c. Hemphill, in Philadel-
phia Ledger.
MILITARY OBSTACLES
Used on the Battlefields in the Pres