The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-02
Ordered to Fall Back.
FROM DAWN TO MIDNIGHT.
n Description Of the Desperate Fight
ing of the Thirty-first OF August.
(By the Associated Press }


St Petersburg. Sept. 1.-3:25 p. m.
The battle yesterday was of the most
desperate character. 1t ragged con-
tinuously from dawn until midnight,
and the slaughter must have been
immense. At o'clock in the even
ing, after holding his other positions
al lday in the face of most desper-
ate charges, General Kuropatkin gave
the order to retire upon the main
works about the city The japanese
assaults during the day had been di-
rected principally against the Russian
center, a little east of Maietung Hill,
near the railroad and three miles
southwest of Liao Yang. Nothing ap-
preaching the severity of the infan-
try and artillery fire here had been
heretofore experienced in this war.
General Kondratsvitch bore the brunt
and suffered the most Bayonet
charges succeeded each other in rapid
succession, while the artillery duel
never ceased for a moment. No at
tempt was made in the official advices
to estimate the number of guns the
Japanese used, except that they had
many hundreds. Each gun carries $50
charges, and these must have been ex-
pended many times, as several hun
dred thousand shots were fired be-
tween sunrise and sunset.
General Kuropatkin's order to fall
back on the Notifications was prob
ably due to the receipt of informal
| ton that the Japanese had succeeded
in crossing the Taitse river northeast
of Liao Yang, although Generals Rem
| nenkampffs and Mandarileffs divis-
| ions had been especially placed in po-
| stion in this direction to checkmate
such a move. The Japanese crossed
| at a point called Sakankanmantun,
| twenty miles east and somewhat above
] 4
| rectly westward with the evident OBJ
| ject of cutting the Russian line of
communication with Mukden. Their
exact strength was not established,
but division was made out.
An Attack After Dark.
AS soon as the Japanese found that
| the Russians were retiring from their
outer positions southwark they resum-
ed the attack, although it was then
| quite dark. Thus pressed the Rus
| slams arrested thei rmovement TO the
| rear and again faced the Japanese.
| With the view of eventual retirement
! from their outer positions the Rus
| slams had dug a large number of pits,
with stakes concealed in their bottoms
The pits were artfully concealed
among the high Chinese corn. When
| the Japanese charged after the Rus
slams they fell into the pits in hun
dreds and were engulfed and impaled
| on the stakes and their lines were
| thrown into confusion. When the
| Russians faced about and returned to
! Their old positions they found these
death traps filled with dead and dy-
| ing.
General Sakharoff, in reporting the
| battle says the Japanese suffered
enormous losses, much larger than
| those of the Russians. who also lost
! heavily. No statement is made in re-
gard to the losses.
General Stakelburg who is among
| the wounded. still retains command of
! his army corps, although he is no lon
/ ger in chief command of the south
ern army, which has since been con-
solidated under General Zaroubieff
Stakelburgs' injury is slight and he did
not leave the field
General Marozovsky, who was also
wounded, commanded the artillery
brigade. He distinguished himself
during the suppression of the Boxer