Their artillery ammunition was of poorer quality than our own.

These circumstances served to make the disparity less great than the actual strength of the hostile forces would imply.

Even with these considerations, the odds against General Lyon were quite large.
Our loss was a little less than one-fifth our whole strength.

Up to that time, a battle in which one-tenth of those engaged was placed _hors de combat_, was considered a very sanguinary affair.

During the war there were many engagements where the defeated party suffered a loss of less than one-twentieth.