Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-10-18
BATTLE OF MUkpEN.
Ten Days Of Fighting and the End
Not Yet.

NOT Yet.
The long expected battle Of Mukden,
which had been in progress three days
last Thursday. continues with SEEM
ingly unabated fury, and the issue is
still In doubt. At times fortune has
seemed to favor one side and then the
other: but which will be the victor re-
mains to be determined. There is no
doubt, however, that the carnage has
been greater than in any previous bat
tie of the war. The Russian losses are
estimated at no less than 10000 men,
and the Japanese losses are also pref
ty close to that figure.
Following up their successes at Lao
Yang, the Japanese went after the
Russians with three great armies. Be-
cause of the necessity Of securing re-
|inforcements and additional supplies,
they proceeded deliberately. They took
every precaution not to strike until they
were ready. In the meantime General
|Kuropatkin also busied himself getting
reinforcements and establishing him.
self to the best possible advantage.
During the progress Of the maneuv-
ers of the opposing armies for advan-
tage in the battle that to both appear
ed inevitable the battle lines were ex-
tended for about fifty miles. and the
number of men increased to not Less
than 100000 on side. 1t is commonly
conceded that the Russians had the
advantage In both numbers and posi-
tion.. It is probable that Kuropatkin's
army was not far short Of 100000 men.
The battle was precipitated by the
Russians. 1t is said that Gen. Kuro-
patkin received orders from st. Peters,
burg to go forward or return to Rus
sia. This Is rumor. How mucn
foundation it has, cannot be ascertain
ed; but It is a fact that he went for
ward and precipitated the fighting as
already stated, and, at first he had the
advantage; but in day or two all that
was changed.
The dispatches concerning the bat
tie have been sufficiently voluminous
to fill columns of the daily papers; but
they have been for the most part one
sided, representing on the one side
the situation as colored from st. Pc
tersburg and on the other side as col
ored from Toxic. They give an idea OF
what has occurred; but very few sat
isfactory details, which, however, In
view of the magnitude Of the battle
and the wide scope Of country covered
by the operations Of the opposing arm
les, is not altogether surprising.
Stories of desperate slaughter, how
ever, are repeated again and again.
Both sides fought with stubborn cour-
age equal to anything Of the kind that
has been recorded in history. For In
stance there was some unusually des-
perate fighting between Yentai and
the Shakhe river, covering period of
three days. On the first day, the Rus
slams were driven out Of the village OF
Eudotiula with heavy loss by well d.
rected artillery fire. Next day they
were ordered to retake the place. In
/ the meantime the Japs, exhausted, had
gone to sleep. The Russians found
them lying in their blankets and bay
onetted them as they lay. Next day
the Russians were shelled out again,
and the day following they were order
ed to take the place second time. In
attempting to do so whole companies
were slaughtered almost to man. and
In some cases only sergeants were left
to command regiments.
japanese reports Of Saturday night
represented thousands OF unburied
Russians being still left on the ground
over which they had fought after thou
sands had already been buried. The
Russian loss has also included many
cannon, enormous quantities Of am
munition, and small arms and other
supplies that have not yet been count
ed.u a.J ".3 .. .. =.
The Russians were pushed back to-
ward the Hun river and at last ac-
counts the Japanese were still press
ing them. Whether the defeat Is to
develop into a. rout is not yet made
clear. .t. ......-. 81 $50
According to statements made by
Russian prisoners, says a! Toxic dis
patch Of Sunday. Gen. Kuropatkin was
ordered by Emperor Nicholas to make
stand at Mukden and to assume the
aggressive as speedily as possible IN
order to relieve the Port Arthur garri-
son. This order, the prisoners say,
reached Mukden on Sept. 81, and Gen.
Kuropatkin in obedience to 1t began
his disastrous southern advance move
ment. An extended report dealing
with the statements Of these prison
ers follows:
According to statements made to
officers Of the centre army by Russian
prisoners whom they had captured, the
enemy had received information that
the strength Of the garrison at Port
Arthur was being daily reduced and
that the garrison was in a disastrous
condition. Fresh Russian reinforce
ments were constantly arriving at
Manchuria from Europe, and the
strength of the forces under General
Kuropatkin in the neighborhood OF
Mukden had reached to over nine army
corps. Thereupon the prisoners said
the Russian emperor on September 81
ordered Kuropatkin not to retire a
step beyond Mukden, and directed him,
circumstances permitting, to assume
the offensive as quickly as possible and
to drive the Japanese out Of southern
Manchuria, in order to rescue the Port
Arthur garrison.
Acting under this command, Gen.
Kuropatkin advanced with his whole
strength to the south Of Mukden, d.
viding his forces into three columns,
the centre, right and left. The CEN
tire column, composed of the first,
fourth and fifth corps under the COM
mand Of Gen. Soloieff, advanced to-