Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 | Page 9

of killed and wounded in some former campaigns
while older forms of weapon were in use.
With regard to the numbers in Tables I. and II. it should be at once said
that they are only to be regarded as approximate, since they do not
exactly tally with those officially reported in the 'Times' at a later date.
Sources of error may, however, have crept into both, and as there is
little difference in the gross numbers, I have preferred to retain the
series compiled by Major Burtchaell, R.A.M.C., as Table II. contains
interesting information as to the proportionate number of men who died
during the first 48 hours, after being wounded.
TABLE II
SHOWING PROPORTION OF MORTALITY AMONGST MEN HIT,
(a) ON THE FIELD, (b) DURING THE FIRST FORTY-EIGHT
HOURS
---------------------+-------+------+------+------+-------+----------------
|Number |Total | | Died | | Percentage | of |number| |within| | mortality --
|troops |of men|Killed|forty-| Total +-------+-------- |engaged| hit | |eight |
|To men |To force | | | |hours | | hit |employed
---------------------+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------
Belmont: | | | | | | | Officers | 297 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 2.02 Non.-com.
officers | | | | | | | and men | 8,396 | 265 | 55 | 8 | 63 | 23.77 | 0.75
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------- Total | 8,693 | 291 |
58 | 11 | 69 | 23.71 | 0.79 | | | | | | | Graspan: | | | | | | | Officers | 326 | 10 | 3
| 1 | 4 | 40[2] | 1.22 Non.-com. officers | | | | | | | and men | 8,213 | 188 |

18 | 3 | 21 | 11.17 | 0.25
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------- Total | 8,539 | 198 |
21 | 4 | 25 | 12.62 | 0.29 | | | | | | | Modder River: | | | | | | | Officers | 335 |
22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18.18 | 1.19 Non.-com. officers | | | | | | | and men | 9,856 |
462 | 67 | 9 | 76 | 16.45 | 0.77
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------- Total |10,191 | 484 |
70 | 10 | 80 | 16.53 | 0.78 | | | | | | | Magersfontein: | | | | | | | Officers | 379 |
68 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 32.35 | 5.80 Non.-com. officers | | | | | | | and men
|11,068 | 918 | 148 | 20 | 168 | 18.30 | 1.51
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------- Total |11,447 | 986 |
166 | 24 | 190 | 19.26 | 1.66
---------------------+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------
The high death rate among the officers will at once arrest attention, but
this has been noticed in other campaigns, particularly in the
Franco-German war. It is mainly attributable to the circumstance that
the officers, as leading, are always in the front and most exposed
position. I much doubt whether at the end of the campaign the entire
abandonment of distinctive badges will be found to have had any very
important result in decreasing the relative number of casualties as
between officers and men. At close quarters distinctive uniform is no
doubt a danger, but at the common ranges of 1,000 yards and upwards
the enemy's fire is rather directed to cover a zone than to pick out
individuals.
The especially high mortality among the officers at the battle of
Graspan was attributable to the casualties among the naval officers, and
the men of the brigade suffered most severely also.
It will be noted that the most expensive battles were those of Belmont
and Magersfontein.
If the numbers of the men actually taking part in the fighting in these
battles as given in Table I. are massed, we get an approximate total of
12,420.[3]
Of this number, 1,959 or 15.06 per cent. were reported as killed,
wounded, or missing. Thus: killed, 315 or 2.53 per cent.; wounded,

1,512 or 12.17 per cent.; missing, 132 or 1.06 per cent. Reference to
Table III. shows that these percentages almost exactly correspond with
those obtaining in the entire Crimean campaign, and are greater than
those observed in the German army during the entire Franco-German
campaign.
The mortality statistics given in Table II. are of great interest, since to
those dying on the field are added all men dying within the first 48
hours in the Field hospitals. From the surgical point of view these men
all received mortal injury, and are therefore properly included among
the fatalities. Their inclusion, moreover, makes an appreciable
difference in the percentage proportion of mortal injuries to wounds.
Thus, if the numbers are massed (omitting the 'missing'), we find that in
the four battles 1,827 men were hit, of whom 315, or 17.24 per