The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-04
25, ,000 MEN SURROUNDED
Siberian Commander Failed
 to Obey orders.
AS . Result . Body of Blows is Dealt KurOpatkinI Army-LiaOyang Abandoned After the De-
 structi0n of Ammuni-
 ton and Supplies.

St. Petersburg. Sept. 4.-G2:12 A. M. All Russia will learn by the morning newspapers that General Kuropatkin'. main army is in full retreat to the northward. that Liaoyang has been abandoned and that General StakeI- berg's corps of 25.000 men is surround ed and cut off
 The hopes of victory raised in Rus sian breasts by the telegram from Gen. eral Kuropatkin. the commander in chief, published this afternoon, saying that the Russians had advanced against General Kuroki Friday and that an attack on the Russian right had been repulsed. proved short lived. General Kuropatkin had scarcely be- gun the offensive against General Ku- rokfs army when he was compelled by the overwhelming force of the Japanese Ranking movement to give up all idea of continuing his advance. and hurried ]y with drew in the direction of Muk- den.
 StaI<eIberg Made BIunder.
 The retreat is of the logial cause of the Russian plan of leading on and tfring out the Japanese at the success sive stations of the road northward. thus placing their foe at the consant- ly growing disadvantage of heightened lines of communication The success of this plan was marred by a blunder of General Stakelberg. who. in the words of General Kuropatkin. insisted on placing his own interpretation on orders, instead of fulfilling them.
 General Stakelberg erred in failing to cross the Taitse river when General Kuropatkin desired that the whole ar my should retreat to its northern bank as was exclusively reported in despatches to the Associated Press Sep- tember 9.
 This blunder. it is feared, will in volve the loss of the whole of the first Siberian army corps, consisting of the first. second and sixth rifle divisions, the Usuri Cossacks brigade, the first riberian artillery brigade. and a sapper battalion.
 The abandonment of the whole posi- ton at Iiaoyang involves the loss of a great accumulation of stores. though 1t Is believed that many of these had already been sent north before the commencement of fighting. It is pos Eible, however. that the Russians de- stroyed what they could not remove.
 Port Arthur Must Fall.
 Something akin to consternation pre- vails among Russians who have learn ed of the disaster to General StakeI- berg's corps. All realize that there is small hope now for the relief of Port Arthur but the military officers are unanimous in the belief that ii will be folly for General Kuropatkin to re- main and run the risk of being sur rounded with his whole army and that the commander in chief by his with drawal north has actually converted what might have been disaster to him. sef into what is regarded as a reverse for the Japanese, for the faiure of the Japanese to hold Kuropatkin's army and infict a decisive blow, it Is said cannot be regarded otherwise than a reverse.
 Field Marshal Oyama's tenacious frontal attack and the clever flank movement could not have had any oth- CT object than to compel the Russians 10 accept a decisive engagement.
 General Kuropatkin's retreat will undoubtedly have a discouraging effect on the garrison of Port Arthur which can no longer hope for relief from this quarter.
 It is not believed, however, that the Japanese are in a position to press the siege and 1t is more than probable that they have diverted q portion of the beseiging army to reinforce their corps operating in Manchuria. This in the fighting at Port Arthur It Is noticeable that the siege reports do not mention further assaults on the fortress but only speak of lombard ments.