Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1885 — American and Foreign Soldiers. [ARTICLE]

American and Foreign Soldiers.

It is no doubt true that the FrancoPrussian war is the only one of modern times which can be compared to our own civil war in size of the armies engaged, or in number of men killed and wounded. For instance, in the three battles near Metz—Courcelles, Aug. 14; Thionville, Aug. 1(5, and Gravelotte, Aug. 18, 1870—the Germans lost on the first dhy 4,000 in killed and wounded; on the second, 17,000, and on the third, 25,00 >, a total of 40,000 men from an entire fighting force of about 200,000. The French had 130,000 men, and lost a total of 40,000 men. In the bloody battles before Sedan, Aug. 20, 30, and 31, McMahon had a force of 150,000 men, and the Prussians had 250,000. The loss is variously stated, but was probably about 20,000 for the Germans and 25,000 for the French, including all wounded. We can give no figures for our own war more probably accurate than those of Gen. Dodge in his “Bird’s.eye View of Our Civil War.” For four battles, which we may regard as typical engagements, these are as follows:

UNION. : CONFEDERATE. ■S . . 33 . •d ad co DATE AND BATTLE « « a a 'g h ci; O Ofc -Z " fl to O fl so W to S to to ? April 6-7, ’62, Shiloh 53,000 13,000 50,000 11,003 May 1-4, ’63,thancello.sville 125,000 17,001 58,060 13,000 July 1-3, ’63, Gettysburg ... 80,003 23,000 70,0C0 25,000 Stone River. Dec. _3i,'62-Jan.2, 6^.. 43,03 12,000'1 47,00 i 10.000 In connection with these figures we may quote Dodge’s comparison of American and foreign soldiers. The percentages that he gives cover sufficient ground to be a most valuable proof of his point. He says: “To attempt to give the American his proper place among the soldiers of other nations, ancient, or modern, is an inquiry demanding a volume by itself. But the stanehness of the American in ’battle may be measured to a fair extent by a few statistics. Courage is only one of the necessary virtues of the soldier, but it is an important one, and if we take the average number of killed and wounded in the prominent battles of the past century and a half, we arrive p.t a conclusion reasonably secure. The following percentages of men killed and wounded are from the most reliable sources. They comprise the most noted battles since 1745. Only those whosr statistics are wanting are omitted: Percentag Up to Waterloo, the Prussians in eight battles lost in Killed and wounded of the numi» r engaged (mostly Frederick si.. .18, At Koniggratz they 105t.0336 Up to \vaterloo the Austrians lost in seven battles 1117 Since in two 1 attles 0356 Up to Waterloo, the French lost in nine battles iNapoleon'si .2238 Since, in nine battles 0883 The Germans, s.ncel74s, in eight bat- • 1e5.1153 The English, in four battleslo36 During our civil war, the Union forces lost in eleven battles 1283 The Confederate forcesdig “It thus appears that in ability to stand heavy pounding, since Napoleon’s Waterloo campaign, the American has shown himself pre-eminent. Of course there are other factors in the problem. But these figures may surely be looked upon with pride—even if no absolute conclusion can be drawn from them.”— Inter Ocean.

From an examination of several skulls found in North and South America, and believed to have belonged to inhabitants living before the glacial period, Dr. Kollman concludes that the races of that ancient epoch are those of to-day, the same cranial and facial forms being found, in spite of lapse of time and change of environment. Angle-worms, fish, otc., are often caught up into the clouds by revolv ng storms, and then dropped again many miles from the place where they were taken up. Small fish have often been found in puddles of water in villa <e streets, to the astonishment of people who are unacquainted with the phenomenon. Singers should be above climatic influences. It is easy for them to have a change of air,