The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-07-31
Russian Soldiers Enraged by the Order to Retreat After
They Had Held the Heights at Tatchekiao Through
out the Day in the Face of Terrific Fire
From the japanese Guns

TOXIC, July 30.-The Japanese casu-
alties at the battle of Tatchekiao were
u officers and 1876 men willed and AZ Of
ficers and s4S men wounded, total of
1O43 killed or wounded.
MUKDEN, July 3O.-A correspond
ept of the Associated Press who wit
messed the battle of Tatchekiao, July
20 to- July 25, and who rode more than
a hundred. miles on horseback, all the
way to Mukden. to bring the account.
gives the following description of the
engagement:
The correspondent was awakened at
3 o'clock in the morning of July %
by the booming of guns. He had slept
in the village of Tientsin four miles
south of Tatchekiao, where the regi-
ment to which he was attached was
stationed. He hurriedly rode to the
Russian outposts and found them en-
gagged in a hot artillery duel, which
continued for six hours. Then the
batteries slowly retreated on the main
position, where General Zaroubaieh
decided to accept battle. The Rus
sian gunners thence poured we'll di-
rected hail of projectiles, effectually
stopping the Japanese advance and
enabling the various outpost detach-
.ments to fall back in safety. The ar
tillery fire ceased at about IL o'clock
and then for three hours the Japanese
Weres engaged in placing their bat
teries in position and in disposing Of
their forces in order of battle.
At ? o'clock in the afternoon the
~,
ed until 5 o'clock. The Japanese had
several guns of large caliber and all
their batteries were sending out
streams of shrapneI on the Russian
positions but not causing much harm.
IN fact the total losses at first were
insignificant.
ALL-DAY ARTILLERY DUEL.
The night was perfectly quiet The
correspondent slept in the village of
Sinmintin, DIRECTLY behind the Rus
sian positions.
The real battle opened the next
morning. The first gum was fired at
y o'clock and thenceforth the roar of
artillery did not cease for an instant
until $3.50 o'clock in the evening. At
times the firing acquired extraordin-
airy violence.
The site of the battle was about
three miles south of Tatchekiao and
two miles east of the railroad. The
sea was plainly discernible from the
heights overlooking the battle But
nothing occurred in that direction. The
Russian positions fronted south, with
a slight inclination eastward. About
two artillery corps were engaged.
The correspondent was able to follow
only the experiences OF General Zarou-
baieff's corps, and so confines himself
to recording the incidents of that por-
ton Of the Russian troops. Zarou-
baieff's corps occupied a position on
two hills, of which the larger was
crowned by three SUBMITS The COM
mander and his staff stationed them
selves on the highest point, the center
one, whence they had an uninterrupted
view Of the surrounding country. The
general had placed batteries on the
plain beyond these hills, the guns being
cleverly masked by lofty Chinese corn.
The Japanese tried vafnly the whole
day to locate thenE and the Russian
losses therefore were slight. The men
suffered more from the scorching heat
of the sun than from the japanese. pro-
jectiles.
NO JAPANESE IN. SIGHT.
1t was essentially an artillery battle.
but it was remarkable, and even un-
canny, that during the thirteen hours
it lasted the Russians could not make
out a single Japanese soldier, even with
the most powerful glasses. From the
position occupied by General ZarOu-
baieff's troops not a single rifle shot
was fired, but the gunners on both