Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-13
Barbcd Wire Caused Them to Fail
Under the Very MuzzIcs of
The Guns.
CAME ON LIKE A WHIRL WIND.
Attack on the Guns Was Made After
Two Villages Had Been
Captured.

Mukden, Nov Correspondence Of
the Associated PtesD-There was am
unknown and unherilded fight when
the Don Coesacks set out to confound
the nrmChlir srltegists and prove
that cavalry could take a modern bat
terry Of quick-hriug guns supported by
infantry That they faIed was due
only TO another development Of mod
ern warfare on which they had not
counted, balbed wire that hung up their
charge under the very muzzles Of the
guns. But they failed CALAMITY and the
Associated Press correspondent heard
Of II only some time afterwards from
the officer who was sent by KuropatkIn
to personally congratulate the wound
ed colonel ON the dash and discipline
of his men.
The Third regiment Of Don Cossacks
was sent forward on oct. II to recon-
hotter the villages Of panpausen and
Tznslatun which nobody ever heard
Of before and whose location was of no
real interest 70 anybody, except that
they are IN the direction Of Llandiantun
where the fight took place The Jap
anese IN the two villages first named
were taken by surprise, Panpauseh
was cleared by a whirlwind charge IN
which there was a great deal OF ms
cellanaoIs shooting from horseback
ard stahbing and saberlng I'M the
streets. In Tziniatun the Japanese had
lust settled down TO dinner when the
regiment sVept I'M with clatter OF
hOofs nt one end Of the village aud the
enemy cleared out at the other. There
was not even % semblance OF defense
and the bearded riders, hungry and
thirsty from their mornings work,
found dinner laid for them IN the ma
tive huts with half drunk cups and
glasses and scarce tasted plates Of food,
while IN The window Lodges stood open
lars OF sweet meats ana preserves from
japan. They were flushed with success
and comfortably feeding when a bat
tory of eight quick-frers inConsider-
ately disturbed them by Smelling the
village from some trenches ln mont
Of Liandiantun.
1t was reckless, perhaps unneces-
sary thing to do. but the colonel de-
cided he would get the guns Just TO
show that il could be done. Away went
the regiment charging in open order
In the face Of a heavy fire from the
battery and later coming under hail
of lead. the two companies Of infantry
that We're supporting the battery on
each flank. Neither the shrapnel burst
ing overhead nor the infantry fire suf-
feed to break up the charge Indeed,
the few bullets that got home were one
OF the wonders Of the charge. The
charge conyerged on the battery and II
looked for a moment as though the
Cossack would be able to ride down
the gunners, when, al the foot Of the
trenches, under the very mu2zleS of the
guns. the horses were brought UP by
series of cleverly concealed barbed
wire entauglements, too broad to jump
and too heavy to be torn up. II was
here the captain Of the leading squad
ron was literally blown out Of his sad
die by a shrupnel, 2S men were wound
ed. almost all close under the guns, and
10 killed, mostly during the retreat
when all Of the wounded and most Of
the dead We're borne away on their
comrades saddles.
The retreat was even more orderly
than the charge. The colonel was shot
through both legs but stuck to his sad
die until the horse was killed under
him. He managed 10 mount a second
horse and this was also killed. Then
a Cossack swung from his own horse
helped the colonel into the saddle and
ran by the strrup until they were out
II range Some dead horses and two
dead Cossackg we're the only trophies
left I'm the hands OF the enemy The
Dons took their repulse gamely enough,
but the enlisted men seriously assert
hat barbed wire is not legitimate war
fare