Nothing turns on this, in terms of a point being made by me by posting this, but I noticed today a statistical chart at CNN on the US war dead over history.
Iraq's USA losses now stand at 1,433. In the War of 1812, 2,260 members of the US military died. In the 1898 Spanish American War 2,446 died. For me, the 58,200 lost of Vietnam truly stands out. I can't find a figure for the total US popuation in 1776 so do not have a sense of what the loses of 4,435 represent in terms of a percentage.
Comments
John of Argghhh! - December 10, 2004 4:40 PM
The US population in the 1790 Census (9 years after the war ended)was 3,929,214.
If you want to do the math, here's a breakdown by state (why they don't total is beyond me) of all census data:
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/newlong2.php
Alan - December 10, 2004 6:49 PM
Thanks John. Doesn't that strike you as a pretty low number for the Revolution? I know the normal perception is 1/3 were Loyalist/Tory, 1/3 were Rebel/Heros and 1/3 wanted nothing to do with it. But 4,435 to create an empire is pretty small. Must mean only regular forces as opposed to the state militias and irregulars and First Nation allies.
NYCO - December 10, 2004 7:04 PM
It shouldn't be forgotten that many key battles were fought in the wilderness (and many skirmishes as well) and it probably didn't take a whole lot of men to gain and/or hold a strategic position. (I mean, Ethan Allen walked up to Fort Ticonderoga and just knocked on the door.) It's not as if there were many massive, protracted battles to gain control of cities, either. But you might be right about the regular forces thing.
NYCO - December 10, 2004 7:06 PM
PS- When I visited Fort Ti this summer, I couldn't help imagining:
<Knock Knock>
BRIT: Who's there?
VOICE: Candygram.
BRIT: Who?
VOICE: Candygram... Maple candy.
BRIT: Oh, all right.
Alan - December 11, 2004 12:15 AM
That is true I suppose. I read an account of the attempt by, that hero of the True North and the Crown, Benny Arnold on Quebec in the <i>Maine Reader</i> and the account is profoundly immediate and small scale. The candygram message sure did not work there, however, or anywhere else at least for folks in these parts [please note Ann Coutler...like you want shotgun-totting cedar-tea-drinkin' dried-meat-chewin' 30 million canoe jockies coming at you in the quiet of the night] until..mmm...about 1917 when you joined in the war we had been fighting for a while.<p>Honestly, I was actually more surprised by John's population total than the losses. Millions in 1776? Amazing.
Alan - December 11, 2004 8:54 AM
I was going to add, NYCO, did you know that our version of the Great Peace was signed in good old Ogdensburg, NNY? It is quite amazing that we have only had the treaty finally creating the longest undefended border in the world 60 years ago. I do believe there is a clause prohibitings hotgun-totting cedar-tea-drinkin' dried-meat-chewin' canoe jockies from being employed by our side.
NYCO - December 12, 2004 9:29 PM
Good old Ogdensburg! My grandpa used to live there. I was only there once when I was five or six. I remember we visited a Sears and I was amazed they were just like the Sears at home. Yes, I was a provincial little child. (Still am...)