The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-11-19
Our Casualties.
New York Times. J

According TO an estimate. made with
official sanction in Washington, the
losses of the American expeditionarv
forces in the war will not exceed 100
ooO from all causes. The total given
out on Nov Is was $4,000, including
4,o26 casualties in the marine CORPS.
Concerning the figures reported from
Washington it must be understood that
the count does not cover losses of the
heaviest fighting on the Meuse as the
war was drawing to an end. The pre-.
sumption is that casualties in Russia
and Italy are not included, but they are
negligible. For several days before
Nov. 10 there were no returns from the
marine corps. According to the report
of that date the total of killed in ac-
ton and dead of wounded excluding
the marines), was 1850. and the
wounded were given as 40,491; the miss
ING, including prisoners, numbered
',340; disease accounted for 5,775 more,
and accident and other causes for .463 /:
the lost at,sea We're 625. an item apart
from campaign casualties.
1t must have been on the basis of
these figures that an estimate of total
losses for the war was made in response
to request which seemed timely when
the armlstlee was announced Before
many weeks elapse, fighting having
ceased, there should be a complete re-
port of casualties suffered by the
American eXpeditionary forces in
France. This will be supplemented by
returns from European Russia, Siberia
and Italy. 1t seems not improbable that
the war department allowed sufficient
margin for unreported losses when it
indicated final total of 100000 for the
eXpedltlonary forces in France.
For the present the American people
Will have to be satisfied with these
round numbers. Assuming them to be
somewhere near the truth, there is no
means of knowing yet whether our
losses in battle have been relatively
heavy or light, or about what was to
be expected. 1t is probable that ma
Jorlty of the American soldiers in
France Gn number certainly not more
than 100000 all told), have not been
III battle. OF late the first and second
armies have been engaged in some of
the severest fighting of the war, and
before Chateau Thierry there were units
that had their baptism of fire, notably
at Cantigny, which shed great luster
upon American arms
If the full strength of our forces in
France is considered, 100000 casualties,
probably more than two-thirds of them
coming under the head of wounded,
seem to be lighter than the American
people had any reason to expect when
more than 100000 of their soldiers
had disembarked in France. At that
time Marshal Foch s strategy was
triumphing, but the end of the war was
not in sight; moreover, the fighting was
of very desperate character. If the
Washington estimate>is accepted as re-
liable, it means that only one of every
% to % American soldiers has been
killed, or is dead of wounds or disease,
or is prisoner, or unaccounted for.
Probably when all the returns are in it
will be found that our killed in battle
and dead of wounds do not exceed
10000
In the Civil war the Union armies
alone lost in killed and dead of wounds
10000, and the number of wounded
was 5,l75, making a total of 3S5,245.
Disease in the Union armies carried off
1919, 120; in Confederate prisons 1865
Union soldiers died; to accidents and
drowning 9,05S succumbed, and under
the head of deaths from all other
causes except battles 1854 have been
listed. The United States, entering the
great war in the third year, and the de-
Gliding factor in it, is fortunate in the