Bodart (1908) battles of the American Civil War¶
| name: | bodart1908_battles |
|---|---|
| path: | bodart1908_battles.csv |
| format: | csv |
Bodart (1908) Militär-historisches kreigs-lexikon data on battles of the American Civil War
These data are from Bodart (1908) Militär-Historisches Kreigs-Lexicon (1618-1905). The Kreigs-Lexicon includes over 600 battles from European wars 1618–1905.
The most important Engagements, meetings, battles, sieges, assaults, capitulations all wars, with the exception of the colonial wars in periods of 1618-1905.
This data only includes the 50 battles that are part of the American Civil War (pp. 522-542, ). In Bodart, the war is called Nordamerikanischer Bürgerkrieg, the Conderacy is referred to as Konföderierten (Suudstaaten), and the US as Unierten (Nordstaaten).
His criteria for including battles in his list is that they were either
- of great consequences, e.g. termination of a campaign, lifting a siege, taking a capital city or surrender
- or involved great number of losses
- land battle: Losses of greater than 2,000 men on both sides
- sea battle: Because sea battles had fewer men, some with losses of less than 1,000 were included.
Bodart determines the victor of the battle as follows
- the side that claimed the battlefield or achieved purpose of fighting
- else, the side which had a lower percentage of casualties
His description of the data (p. 45-47, Google Books translation from German to English):
On admission, the statistically treated battles meeting, sieges, etc., the author has been guided by the principle that only those battles were included, who have played in the history of individual states a greater role.
There were so taken up such fights, which attracted great consequences for themselves (such as termination of the campaign, lifting a siege, taking a capital city, surrender, and so forth), or without regard to such consequences such battles, which, either by the Assembly of a large number of combatants on the battlefield or as result of their great losses appeared worthy of inclusion.
As a basis for the great loss by the host position to be taken to the author, the total loss figure of 2,000 men served together on both sides.
An exception was held regarding the naval battles and Seetreffen, even those which were taken up by what were only 1,000 men or less of total loss and for the reason, because the author wanted the neglected, fighting to give the lake one of its important place.
In the naval battles of modern wars has been the tonnage of the ships, the number of indicated horse-power of the machines, the size, type and number of guns, and the Bemannungsstand account. With the loss of information in addition to human losses appear the ship’s gun and loss account.
The place of the victor in the comparisons is always on the left side, the search for the right of the vanquished. In so-called indecisive battles that party was considered a winner, which claimed the battlefield or the purpose sought by the fighting reached, even if their material loss was greater. If the above factors were not available, the party was given the victory, which scored a minority of the same success as her opponent with a larger Struiterzahl. Since the loss data provide absolute figures for the size of the sustained loss of any scale for the comparative assessment was performed in all loss of Perzentsatz determined the same by the G esam t-Strei terzah 1, which allows an immediate comparison of the enemy’s losses to their relative amount is.
Where it was feasible, the loss of trophies and war material were attached.
The strength information those forces were always given, which were disposable for battle, and therefore in an emergency could still be used, and not merely those which really came into the fight. The author went here based on the consideration that even the presence of a number of troops at one of the battle-field not too distant places affect the enemy in his dispositions, and could act affecting the course of events, therefore, those troops when they where also fight and the decision took no part, were included.
The next to each conflict in the parentheses point to emphasize its meaning at first glance in the manner that the paragraph in question “Lio category called, in which ranks of battle.
For the rank classification or categories of fighting, the total amount of losses (bloody and bloodless) both opponents were decisive for the author, taken together, u. ZW. Range from the
Fight on land in the
- 1st category, those in which the total casualties reached at least 30,000
- 2nd category ... 20,000
- 3rd category ... 10,000
- 4th category ... 5,000
- 5th category ... 3,000
- 6th category ... 1,000
In the battles at sea in the
- 1st category, those in which the total casualties reached at least 10,000
- 2nd category ... 5,000
- 3rd category ... 3,000
- 4th category ... 2,000
- 5th category ... 1,000
- 6th category ... 500
Left the battles which the first three categories innate (about 250 in number), and which represent the greatest fights of modern times and the most recent time, was already at the point where they reach the treatise, a bouncing into your eyes preferably sooner so that readers will point out at once that he has to do here with a meaningful fight.
The strength and casualty figures have been rounded up by the author after u. Btw. In such a way that a number of less than 50 men on 50, such a of less than 100 men were rounded down to 100.
And on page 601:
With regard to the rank classification of fighting in six categories, is with regard to the land battles, and -meeting -Gefechte, and referenced with respect to the sea-battles, and -meeting -Gefechte to the “Explanatory Preface” in the on page 47 apparent explanation.
With regard to the rank classification of fights included in the column “attack, siege, storming, surrender fortified places” is expressly noted that not as the sum total of the mutual losses as a basis of classification used in the battles, meetings and engagements in these battles, but the strength of the occupation of the fortified place in question, so that a besieged fortress with a garrison of more than 30,000 men under the struggles 1st order, one with 20,000 to 30,000 men in the 2nd order, etc., as set out on page 47 included, has been. With regard to the “capitulations in the open field,” so the overall strength of the resultant army served as the basis for the ranking classification, again after the numeral regular gradation of the six categories, as discussed on page 47 concerning the fighting on land.
Locations of data on the American Civil War
- The costliest battles of the war leading states since 1618: p. 843
- The largest victories and commanders. p. 774
- Generals killed in battle. p. 911-
Translations of the German terms used in Bodart
- Streitkräfte = “armed forces” - “hievon im Kampfe” = Forces engaged in combat (“thereof in conflict”) - “infanterie” = infantry - “kavallerie” = cavalry - “artillerie” = artillery - “Gesamt - Stärke” = “Total - Strength” - “geschütze”, “gesch.” = guns
- “verluste” = casualties - “tot” = killed - “verwundet”, “verw.” = wounded - “blutige einbusse” = killed or wounded (“bloody casualties”) - “tot und verwundet”, “tot u. verw.” = killed or wounded - “vermixßt, gefangen” = missing, captured - “gefangen”, “gefg.” = captured - “gesamt - verslust” = total casualties (killed, wounded, and missing or captured) - “offz.” = “Officers” - “Gen.” = “Generals”
- “Gefallene Generale” = generals killed in action
- “Verl. an Trophäen” = “losses of materials”
- “Kan.”, “Kanonen” = “canon”
- “Fahnen” = “flag”
- “Wagen” = “wagon”
- “Geschutze”, “Gesch.” = “artillery”
- “Munitionswagen” = “gun wagons”
- “Gewehre” = “guns”
- “kanonen”, “kan.” = cannon
- “fahnen” = flags
- “geschütze”, “gesch.” = guns
Bodart classifies battles into the following cateogies:
- Belagerung : siege
- Einnahme : taking
- Gefecht : battle
- Treffen : meeting, encounter
- Schlacht : battle
- Kapitulation : surrender
- Erstürmung : storming
- Einschliessung : confinement
- Überfall : raid
- Vergebliche belagerung : unsuccessful siege
- Seeschlacht : naval battle
These battle types are placed into 4 larger categories (see pp 602-607) with subcategories.
- “Land-schlachten, -Treffen, -Gefechte” (“land battles”)
- “See-Schlachten, -Treffen, -Gefechte” (“sea battles”)
- “Angriff, Erstürmung, Belagerung, Kapitulation befestigter Plätse” (“Attack, assault, siege, capitulation fortified places”)
- “Kapitulation auf freiem Felde (“surrenders (not after a siege)”)
There is also a category entitled “Summe der” (total of the ...)
- Kämpfe zu Lande (“battles on land”)
- Kämpfe zur See (“battles at sea”)
- Belagerungen (“siege”)
- Kapitulation (“surrender”)
Final total category “Gesamtsumme der Kämpfe” (“total fights”)
- “die bedeutendsten niederlagen der Foo gegen die Bar” : “the most significant defeats of Foo against Bar”
- “die größten Siege der Foo gegen die Bar” : “the biggest victories of Foo against Bar”
Corrections
- Bodart listed the date of the Battle of Ringgold as 1863-11-13 to 1863-11-25; I changed this to 1863-11-23 to 1863-11-25, the correct dates for this battle.
Several “battles” in Bodart are campaigns. For exmample, Petersburg spans June 9, 1864 (First Battle of Petersburg) to April 3, 1865 (capture of Petersburg after the Third Battle of Petersburg). This includes parts of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign and Appomattox Campaign.
While most entries are presented in an almost tabular form, some entries only have a paragraph of text. An example of this is from p. 528, Schlacht bei Perryville,
Sieg der Konföderierten (68.000 M.) unter Gen. Bragg über die Unierten (54.000 M.) unter GM. Buell.
The Google Books translation of this passage is
Victory for the Confederates (68,000 meters) under General. Bragg on the Uniate (54,000 meters) in GM. Buell.”
The relevant data that I extract from this text is,
- Confederates are the victor
- Confederate force - gesamt-starke = 68000 - commander = “Gen. Bragg”
- Union force - gesamt-starke = 54000 - commander “GM. Buell”
The sources cited by Bodart are (p. 29):
- Badeau “Military History of Ulysses S. Grant”
- Century Company “Battles and leaders of the civil war”
- Lee-Childe “Le general Lee, sa vie er ses campagnes”
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate armies
- Paris, comte de “Histoire de la guerre civile en Amerique”
Notable quirks of this dataset:
- Seven Days Battles are combined into a single battle: Chickahominy (June 25-July 1, 1862)
- There is a single battle for the Siege of Petersburg (June 9, 1864 to April 3, 1865)
- There is a single battle for the Siege of Charleston (April 1, 1863 to February 18, 1865)
- It includes a battle for the surrender Joseph E. Johnston at Durham’’s Station in North Carolina.
Sources: [Bodart1908]
Schema¶
| battle_id | integer | Battle number |
| battle_name | string | Battle name |
| other_names | string | Other name(s) |
| start_date | date | Start Date |
| end_date | date | End Date |
| location | string | Location |
| state | string | State |
| category_schlacht | boolean | Battle |
| category_treffen | boolean | Meeting |
| category_belagerung | boolean | Siege |
| category_kapitulation | boolean | Surrender |
| category_einnahme | integer | Capture |
| category_size | integer | Size |
| page | integer | page |
battle_id¶
| title: | Battle number |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| type: | integer |
||
| format: | default |
||
| constraints: |
|
start_date¶
| title: | Start Date |
|---|---|
| type: | date |
| format: | default |
end_date¶
| title: | End Date |
|---|---|
| type: | date |
| format: | default |
state¶
| title: | State |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| type: | string |
||
| format: | default |
||
| constraints: |
|
State in which the battle occurred. Two-letter abbreviation.
category_schlacht¶
| title: | Battle |
|---|---|
| type: | boolean |
| format: | default |
Was the battle a major battle (“Schlacht”)?
category_treffen¶
| title: | Meeting |
|---|---|
| type: | boolean |
| format: | default |
Was the battle a meeting or encounter (“Treffen”)?
category_kapitulation¶
| title: | Surrender |
|---|---|
| type: | boolean |
| format: | default |
Was the battle a surrender (“Kapitulation”)?
category_size¶
| title: | Size |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type: | integer |
||||
| format: | default |
||||
| constraints: |
|
Category of the battle based on total casualties. For land battles the categories area 1. > 30,000 2. > 20,000 3. > 10,000 4. > 5,000 5. > 3,000 6. > 1,000