[
25]
far different proportion, will in its aggregate of battles, show the usual ratio; particularly so if its losses are not complicated by too large a number of missing.
The exact number of wounded who die of injuries received in any battle is an important element in this matter of losses in action.
The man who dies under the surgeon's knife should be included with the killed as well as the one who, a few hours before, slowly bled to death upon the field.
The mangled soldier who survived a day belongs with the killed as much as the one who was buried where he fell.
And, yet, they never are. Take
Gettysburg, for instance.
The official figures for the
Union loss at
Gettysburg have lately been revised and corrected at the War Department.
This final statement shows that the
Union Army lost at
Gettysburg 3,063 killed, 14,492 wounded, and 5,435 missing. But, as usual, the mortally wounded are included in the 14,492 wounded. As no further statement of this loss will be made by the War Department, the question arises as to how many of the wounded died of their injuries.
How many of the
Union Army were killed or died of their wounds as a result of the
battle of Gettysburg?
What was the actual loss of life?
Hitherto, this important question has never been answered.
The writer, impressed with its importance, has examined the rolls of each regiment which fought at
Gettysburg, and picked off, name by name, the number of those who were killed or died of wounds in that greatest of historic battles.
As a result, it appears that 5,291 men lost their lives, fighting for the
Union on that field.
To the recapitulation of losses, as published by
Mr. Kirkley in 1886, I have attached here the number of killed, as increased by those who died of wounds, three-fourths of whom died within a week.
Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.
| | Killed. | Wounded. | Captured or Missing. | Total. | Killed and Died of Wounds. |
| General Headquarters | ---- | 4 | ---- | 4 | ---- |
| 1st Army Corps | 593 | 3,209 | 2,222 | 6,024 | 1,098 |
| 2d Army Corps | 796 | 3,186 | 368 | 4,350 | 1,238 |
| 3d Army Corps | 578 | 3,026 | 606 | 4,210 | 1,050 |
| 5th Army Corps | 365 | 1,611 | 211 | 2,187 | 593 |
| 6th Army Corps | 27 | 185 | 30 | 242 | 46 |
| 11th Army Corps | 368 | 1,922 | 1,511 | 3,801 | 724 |
| 12th Army Corps | 204 | 810 | 67 | 1,081 | 320 |
| Cavalry Corps | 90 | 352 | 407 | 849 | 152 |
| Reserve Artillery | 42 | 187 | 13 | 242 | 70 |
| | | | | | |
| Total | 3,063 | 14,492 | 5,435 | 22,990 | 5,291 |
From these figures it appears that the Second Corps sustained the greatest loss in killed, although the First Corps is credited with the largest number of casualties.
The strength of each Corps, in infantry, present for duty equipped, June 30, 1863, was:--
| First Corps, | 9,403 | Fifth Corps, | 11,954 | Twelfth Corps, | 8,193 |
| Second Corps, | 12,363 | Sixth Corps, | 14,516 | Cavalry Corps, | 14,973 |
| Third Corps, | 11,247 | Eleventh Corps, | 9,197 | Artillery, | 6,692 |
It is extremely doubtful, however, if any one of these corps carried into action four-fifths of this reported strength.
The returns for the First Corps do not include
Stannard's Vermont Brigade (three regiments), which joined July 2d; the two other regiments of this brigade were with the wagon train.
