The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-15
His Report Shows That Re- treat Was One of the Most
 Mastery in History
SUPPLIES ARE GETTING
 LOW AT PORT ARTHUR
Soldiers Are Living on Black Bread and Rarely Get Soup-The Few Cattle Left Are Reserved
 for Officers.

St. Petersburg. September 14-(Mid- night)-General Kuropatkin's official re- port, which was given out tonight. comes as considerable relief, as setting at rest alarmist stories of loss of guns, the cut ting off of divisions and the death or cap ture of prominent commanders which have been freely circulating here.
 The report, which is a very long one, enters at considerable detail into the va- rious phases of the battle of Liao Yang and entirely bears out the declaration of the Associated Press at the time that General Orloffs failure to hold the vital position at the Yentai mines was respon- sible for the breaking down of the whole of General Kuropatkin's plan of battle and turned a victory into defeat.
 The manner in which the retreat was carried out in the face of a terrible con dition of the country and the determined pressure of the Japanese armies does much to restore to General Kuropatkins s prestige in military circles.
 Difficulties of Quagmires.
 The report dwells upon the terrible diff faculties encountered during the retreat at Liao Yang from positions on the southern front, when twenty-four horses and a whole company of infantry harnessed to a single gun were not able to remove the gun from a quagmire.
 It is shown that the retirement from Liao Yang to the north bank of the Taitse river was carried out in good or der, and with celerity under cover of night on August 31, when it had become evident that General Kuroki was making a determined effort to stay off the ad- vance at Liao Yang General Knropatkin pays high tribute to the courage and de- votion of every arm of the service under his command, and especially to the brav- cry of the troors, to whom was set the task of recapturing the Slywantun hiils, on the north bank of the Taitse river.
 Fighting in Squads.
 The engagement of the night of Sep tember was productive of the most se- were fighting of the whole battle. It was practically a company commanders fight, commands becoming separated in the darkness, and independent units acting upon their own initiative with the one object of carrying out the commander s orders to retake the heights This account puts the Russian soldier in a very dlf- ferent light from the generally accepted relief that he IS a mere military auto nation capable only of acting in a mass under specific instructions.
 The necessity of retaking the Sykwan- tun heights formed the first break in General Kuropatkin's plan, and lost him a whole day, September ?, and thus de- layed launching the blow against Ku- roki and when the Russians had just regajned a foothold on the coveted posi- ticn, Orloffs failure to hold the Japa- nese advance against the Yentai mines, threatened the envelopment of Kuropat- kin on the north, crippled the whole Rus sian scheme, and forced the now historic retreat to Mukden.
 Casualties Under 17,000.
 The report as given out does not state the casualties, but the Associated Press Is authoritatively informed that they were under 17,00O
 The war office is extremely reticent regarding the present situation and fu- ture plans at the front It Is stated in general terms that the army is concen- trated around Mukden, leaving the in- ference that 1t is ready to make another stand. There has been no rain the past two days and 1t is probable the country will now dry up and leave two months of good weather for the fall campaign.
 Many things may happen during this period, but the Associated Press U in- formed authoritatvely that preparations are steadily being pursued looking to the wintering of the Russian army at Har- bin.