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THE CASUALTY RETURNS OF THE GERMAN ARTILLERY 
AT THE 
BATTLES OF COLOMBEY, MARS-LA-TOUR, & GRAVELOTTE, 
BY 
IME oS Oia I, 565 SIP OUN i), 1, A 
Even as the Devil can quote Scripture, to serve his own ends; so can 
a less talented individual draw deductions from statistics, which are 
calculated to deceive the unwary, and lead them to jump too hastily at 
conclusions. 
A few years ago a certain statesman, who was laudably desirous of 
proving the superiority of our short service army, over its long service 
predecessor—compared the death-rate which had obtained in our army 
in India in the preceding year, with that which had obtained twenty 
years previously: the result was much in favour of the more recent 
death-rate, and proved (so said the statesman) that our short service 
soldier was less liable to succumb to the Indian climate than the old 
soldier of the bygone days. ‘I'he argument was certainly plausible on 
the surface, and the statistics were undeniable; but some uncertainty 
in the infallibility of hasty deductions from statistics, was caused, by 
an eminent hygienic authority making use of precisely the same figures, 
a few days later, to prove that “ sanitary science and hygiene had ad- 
vanced so greatly in India, in twenty years, that the death-rate in the 
army had been considerably reduced, and this, notwithstanding the fact 
that our soldiers were younger, and therefore more prone to disease.” 
With this preliminary caution to myself and my readers against 
drawing hasty conclusions or waxing dogmatic over statistics, let us 
proceed to examine the casualties and expenditure of ammunition at the 
battles of Colombey, Mars-la-Tour, and Gravelotte, and see what in- 
ferences may reasonably be drawn therefrom for our guidance (see 
appendix A.). 
Ihe three battles selected are of special interest for the purpose, in- 
asmuch as they took place in close succession to each other, on the 
14th, 16th, and 18th August; they were all offensive actions, com- 
mencing with comparatively small forces at Colombey, where only 26 
batteries were engaged; developing into the more important battle of 
Mars-la-Tour in which 37 batteries were engaged, and which probably , 
represents the most severe strain both in fighting and marching of any 
battle during the war; and culminating in the gigantic contest at 
Gravelotte on the 18th, when no less than 115 batteries were engaged, 
and in which the result was so nearly being a success for the French 
IDL, \/Oiy SO-05%, 
