EXPENDITURE OF ARTILLERY AMMUNITION IN MODERN BATTLES. -----+-----------+---------+--------+------------------------------ Year.|Battle. | Days' |Army. |Rounds of artillery ammunition | |duration.| |expended. -----+-----------+---------+--------+------------------------------ 1863|Chickamauga| 2 |Union | 7,325 | | | | 1863|Gettysburg | 3 |Union | 32,781 | | | | 1870|St. Privat | 1 |German | 39,000 | | | | 1904|Nan Shan | 1 |Japanese| 34,047 | | | | 1904|Liao Yang | 9 |Russian |= 134,400 | | | | 1904|Sha Ho | 9 |Russian |= 274,300 | | | | 1915|Neuve | [1]3 |British |= 197,000 |Chapelle | | | | | | | 1915|Souches | [2]1 |French |== 300,000 | | | | 1916|Somme | [3]7 |British |==================== 4,000,000 | | | | 1917|Messines | [3]7 |British |============== 2,753,000 |Ridge | | | | | | | 1918|St. Mihiel | [2]4 |United |===== 1,098,217 | | |States | -----+-----------+---------+--------+------------------------------ [1] Artillery preparation lasted 35 minutes. [2] Artillery preparation lasted 4 hours. [3] Artillery preparation intermittent 7 days. One of the most striking developments of the present war has been the great increase in the use of artillery to precede infantry action in battle. This is illustrated by a comparison of the expenditure of artillery ammunition in characteristic battles of recent wars with that in important battles of the present war. The special features of the several battles should be kept in mind. Chickamauga was fought in a heavily wooded region; Gettysburg and St. Privat over open farm land. The latter battles, together with Nan Shan, and all the battles of the present war considered below, involved artillery preparation for assault upon armies in defensive position. The expenditures, therefore, are roughly comparable. The high mark of the use of artillery in offensive battle was reached at the Somme and Messines Ridge, before the effective use of tanks was developed.]