The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-03
TO REPORT NUMBER OF
AMERICAN CASUALT|E
Exact Information as to Our Losses
In Present Offensive Soon
VIII BE forthcoming.
PTRsHING TO SEND DATA
Postoffice Department Makes Ar
rangements for speedy Transmits
sion OF the Reports to Parents and
Relatives of Killed and Wounded

| Washington, Aug. EXACT infor-
nation as to the losses suffered by
our army in the present offensive VIII
be given the American people within
a day or two.
| General Pershing is beginning to
get complete data on casualties,
which he will cable to this country
as soon as possible. This announce
ment Uas made today by Secretary
| OF War Baker.
/ Arrangements have been completed
/ by the postofice department, which
now controls the telegraph and tele-
phone systems and by the committee
on public information for the prompt
transmission of the reports to parents
and relatives of men killed and in
iured in battle
1t is admitted at the war depart
ment that the daily casualty lists of
I the past two weeks have rot ade-
quately reflected our losses abroad.
The reason for this has been the diff
ficulty faced by General PershnS in
collecting the information. His first
list. however, is practically ready FOR
the cable
While our losses in the present of
fensive are expected to be serious,
and may even appear enormous to
the casual observer, they are really
only commemorate with the hghtinE
now tn progress. They win be large
because Of the terrific iEhtirg of the
past two weeks and also because of
the large number Of American troops
engaged in the conflict. f51te:7c re-
ports give more than 500 090 of our
men along the line OF battle
Our troops are widely scattered.
however. and when injured are re-
moved to the nearest base hospitals,
which may be our own. OF the
French or the British. This together
with other obstacles, was explained
by Secretary Baker as follows.
Il have received cablegram from
General Pershing with regard to re
ports Of casualties, He points oat
that our troops ara still widely sepa-
rated serving in many places. and
that our wounded are taken to French
and British hospitals as well as our
own. caus'n" the difficulty and com
plIcation r. securing accurate infor-
nation. In addition to this the troops
are separated from their records
while IN the area of conflict and must
depend upon very inadequate and
temporary telegraph lines which are
subject To- frequent interruption and
must for the most part he devoted
entirely 70 the urgent business of the
battle itself,
General Pershing assures me that
he is making every effort to collect
casualty lists, have them confirmed
and verified and that they VIII be
transmitted promptly
The high water mark in our cas-
ualty list thus far has not exceeded
800 names in a single day and thosa
lists represent only the daily toll OF
average warfare The present battle
how ever, according to General March,
chief Of STAFF, has resolved itself mo
a conflict wherein both sides 'ara try
ms to xii! as many of each other as
possible"
There is no disposition in the war
department. though. to attempt 10
keep the truth OF our losses from the
American people. On the contrary
every effort has been made to let them
know it. 1t was to correct the false
impression in some parts of the coun-
try that we were shielding losses that
caused Sect etary Baker to cable
General Pershing requesting all in
formation possible concerning our re-
cent and present casualties.