Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-06-07

! IA - ~ miles wide and
s'' dominated fro m
GEN. kooKoPATkiN sea to sea by the
Kinchou heights, which form a strong
and useful OUTPOST to Port Arthur. Be
tween hinchou and Port Arthur there
was no available landing place for the
japanese troops. 1t was necessary for
them, therefore. to land above Kinchou
and march down over it before they
could take Port Arthur. Owing to the
circumscribed area maneuvering for
| possession of Kinchou and Nanshan
hill behind was almost impossible The
situation resolved itself into a plain
case Of fight.
The battle lasted for six days, but
the severe fighting was on Thursday,
May 26. The Russians fought like he
roes, but tie Japanese fought like mad
men. The Nipponese combination of
fanatical, reckless bravery with cool,
precise calculation, as demonstrated in
the battles of the Yalu and Kinchou,
has never before been seen in mill
tary history.
1t is hardly too much to say that
live japanese are invincible. The only
way to stop them when they receive
definite orders to go ahead is to kill
them. And from present indications
the only way Russia will be able to
whip them in this war will be to kill
them all AS long as there is live
japanese army anywhere in Manchu-
ria it is apt to be victorious.
The world is beginning to regard
the Jap soldier with excessive and I'M
easy admiration. What sort of a SOL
der is he who can in three months
upset all the carefully collected and
thoroughly accepted dicta over mill
tary art-who can disprove the infalli-
bility of the lessons of Cold Harbor.
st. Private, Plevna, Shipka Pass, and
the Tugela-who can in the face of
modern rifles carry strongly fortified
and numerously occupied height by di-
rect assault?
Later news of the Kinchou-Nanshan
fight makes the Japanese victory even
more overwhelming. They captured
fifty guns from their enemy besides"
as their official report puts it, many
other things" After taking Nanshan
hill, at p. m. on the night of May 26,
the indefatigable Japs pressed on, and
on the morning of Friday, May q, oc-
cupied Naquanling, the second line of
the Russian defense. Japanese troops
now envelop over half of TaIienwan
Bay, on which DaIny is situated. The
Japanese acknowledge 5000 killed and
wounded and say the enemy left 400
dead on the field.
The Russian general staff acknowl-
edges that it will be difficult if not i'm
possible for General Stoessel to make
another stand outside of Port Arthur
Probably the siege of that stronghold
will begin forthwith. The Japanese
imply they will endeavor to storm it
within two weeks. ii they succeed in
this seemingly impossible attempt
their success viii mark a new epoch in
the worlds history.
So much for General Oko's Port Ar
thur army. The movements of Ku-
roki are not so theatrical or traceabIe
kurokis left is at Takushan on the
sea, where he has a base His lines
extend northeast to Fengwangcheng,
where is his center and main concen-
tration. This place is fortified by
10000 troops. Advance guards have
been thrown out from Fengwangcheng
on the two roads to Haicheng and
Liaoyang. Between the Japanese
scouts and the Cossacks there is CON
tinual skirmishing.
The strength of Kuroki's entire force
Is unknown. The troops landed at Ia
kushan have been estimated by the
Russians at about 10000 Kuroki's
right constitutes the mystery. How
strong it is where it is, and what it
purposes to do are all matters of con-
lecture. 1t is on the road which leads
to Mukden. Some days ago there was
a rumor that it had appeared above
Mukden, thereby cutting off the retreat
of the Russian concentration at Lao
yang.
Kurokis line is so long that it seems
as if an active enemy might attack
its various columns and beat them in
detail, but the ground in which such
operations would have to be carried on
is exceedingly broken. If a superior
Russian force Of 10000 or $4,000
moved to crush Kuroki's right wing,
4
the full effectiveness of its numbers
owing TO the narrow passes and mis-
cradle roads over which it would have
to maneuver. While Kuroki's line is
long from end 10 end. il is not equally
thin in all places. but is concentrated |
in three columns at Takushan. Feng
wangcheng, and the unknown point |
north or northeast. Small bodies of |
Cossack cavalry have been able to in |
sert themselves between the three |
points OF concentration and get in the |
rear Of the japanese. The raiders |
have done little material harm. Their |
chief value has been that of scouts
and collectors of intelligence
Kouropatkin's army lies parallel to |
kurokis at a distance of 100 miles |
Tie scouts and advance guard of both
armies are keeping touch in the in /
terval- Kouropatkin's right rests at /
Newchwang. and his forces extend /
along the line of railroad through Hal /
rheng to Liaoyang and Mukden. The
main concentration Is at Liaoyang. Be
cause of the railroad. however, the
Russian troops are exceedingly mo-
bile. and the center OF gravity can be
rapidly shifted. Liaoyang is being
we'll fortified
Renort 1000 Russians Fan