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Sooudlng Tht'ir Only Retreat.The following article, showing therapid decrease of the members of theGrand Army of the Republic, we takefrom the Minneapolis Journal SundayMagazine;The Grand Army of the Republic Is passing In Goal review. The total ^umber of survivors is now' 1120,000. This figure is obtained as follows : The lastofficial enrollment, made by the pensionluthorltlcs at Washington. June 30.1007, was 044,358. Deducting 2.500 amonth, for nine intervening months,there were 22,000 deaths. The OldGuard is dying off at the rate of 90 a day; but the death losses for eachmonth are often atgher. In lOOtl.Grand Army survivors died to the number of 29.208; and In 1907 the loss was31,201; for the year that closes June 1,190$, the death rate will be unquestionably between 35.000 and 37,000, tf nothigher. For the old soldiers of the Republic now have reached the averageage or 03. At that rate, the deaths willcome faster nnd faster still; and withinten years the noble army will be allbut a memory.Had the soldiers of the Civil war not been mere lads in their teens, the GrandAnn would lung ere this perished fromthe earth. But the Union was saved literally by hoys—hoys In their teens;and many hud not even reached their teens.Startling as this statement seems, itis indisputably* born out by the officialrecords :There were 2,773,309 enlistments, asfollows;At the age of 10 and uadrr............25At the age of 12 and under. .....225At the ago of 14 and under............1.525At the age of 10 and under...... S44.S**1At the age of IS and uuder......1.151,458At the ago of 21 and under......‘2,15*5,705Twenty-two years of age and over 618,511Adding the number under 21 and over 22—that is, 2,159.798 and 618,511—thetotal enrollment was 2.778,309.But there are some very old men Inthe Grand Army of the Republic; andI M II j - f »-•*that la all the more reason why tue death losses will be exceedingly high inthe years near at hand. There willcome a time when the last call will beresponded to each month by no essthan 5,000 of the brave heroes ot 01■.r % T Ed _|a,l%di \ fi W1 iu ' ' 2’— ■for already that tigiire has been touchedby one-half and over* and Is growing with alarmlog rapidity.Here ar** startling official figurespointing to the rapid vanishing of the Grand Army;Xnialier nnd age of survivors passed on by Commissioner of Pensions Warner, to June 30, 1907.Survivors. 1.121#......... 733• • I • . m t»*{6Age.Survivors.Agi*62 .........13.31518163 ., 4 1 18264 ........ . 11,2828363 ......... 9,4838466 .Q Oitt4 41 9 • * » m * v t m ¥ 1J856786m ._______ .. 3.20987698870 .K 111**8971 «........5.8819072 .^11*9173 .i • 4 • • • « #• 4lLf^M.®Sr9274 .----.... 3fctt010373 ,4■ m * * % #4 - T | fc 1/ ' ♦9476 .t V**m ■ * * » a « • * 1 | ■ 1 «p 19377 ,4a 1 #1967s ,* 1)4111977U .98HO ......... 2,031108Never in the world's**■*•«* Mf ■ P 9 • I I I I ■ 81......... a:s......... 230......... 12760 362324It8 •3 . 1 5 1* * * . - * r •* *» 1 «»**'#■ 4 4• * * * « 4our day, was a nation saved by youths in their te« us. In the stirring years of Father Abraham, these boys came forward by the tens of thousands, in response to the call to arms.War expenditures reached $0,000,000,-000, \ * ( ' ,n j During the war 07,000 were killed Inbattle. ?'■ . ^ ‘ The records also show that 43,012died of wounds.Disease claimed 224.580.And 24,772 perished from othercauses.There were 280,000 wounded In battle.Between all these dread disasters, itIs a wonder that even a remnant of theGrand Army of the Republic survives ;and (t should ever be the pride amiof this American Republic toremember the debt owed to the boy of •61.Happily, all soldlere who hare survived “furty years after the close ofthe war (to quote the language of the law) are now entitled to a service pension.
Newspaper Details
Plymouth Tribune
Plymouth, Indiana, US
Thu, Jul 16, 1908
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 30 Jul 2020
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