My grandmother’s only brother died, at age 19, at the Battle of the Bulge. I find it extraordinarily humbling to read about the casualities of WWI and WWII - just the sheer numbers. It puts into perspective when we hear, for example, “100 dead in 2011” in Afghanistan. Please realize, I mean no disrespect towards or belittling of the even a single loss of an American soldier or sailor. It just reminds me how nearly impossible it is for us now, collectively, to understand the kind of sacrifice that was given by prior generations. To lose 100 men a day - or ten times that - was the norm not so long ago.
I understand what you are saying about historical vs modern warfare carnage. Moreover, the casualty figures in the Civil War are ghastly and unfathomable anymore.