Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-09
NINE DAYS FIGHTING
DESPERATE JAPANESE VALoR
AND RUSSIAN RESISTANCE.
Losses Sustained by Armies of oyama
and Kuropatkin - Cars Troops
0utnumbered and Outfought.


storm, passed sixteen hours in Chinese
open boat and walked twenty miles to send
you the story Of the great nine days battle
ending in the capture of Liaoyang by the
Japanese. Hitherto this has been impossi-
BILE because of the childish censorate re-
strictions and the final Withholding of all
correspondents messages on fiimsy sub
terfuge.
After a long wait at Hai-Cheng the sec
ond army, under General Oku, consisting of
the third, fourth and sixth divisions, moved
north to cooperate with General Nodzu's
army which landed at Taku-Shan, COM
prising the fifth and tenth divisions, and
also with the first army, under General
Kuroki comprising the second and twelfth
divisions and with the imperial guard
The whole great force was under Marshal
Oyama, whose chief of staff, General kod-
anna, is an equally fine strategfst. Nam
HEADQUARTERS remained near General Oku
and constant Geographic communication
was maintained with the other armies. AS
a result all the Japanese movements were
executed in perfect unison.
Meeting the Outposts.
On August 26 the japanese front came IN
contact with the Russian outposts, who re-
tired. The Japanese on August - 1ouho
the Russians holding strong entrencheo
positions ON the high rocky hills south OIL
n-Shan-Tier.. They replied fercely 10 'he
heavy cannonade of the japanese, "hose
infantry spent the day In assuming poai
tons in a corn-coVered plain at Tue loot ~. ~
the hills and installing a telephone " .iie
sta IF from the trenches in preparation for
general attack. ... 80
Firing began at daybreak on August %.
The Russian batteries were admlraoly - -
cealed and assisted by a balloon which rose
high above the hilltop. Correspondents anu
attaches were placed seven miles uls'an.;
seeing only tufts. shrapnei ana sInohe ai.u
hearing the thunder of the guns: theS u.s.
Lent in complete ignorance OF the uay >
onera lions by the staff In the nlode y.
the afternoon with powerful glass saw
the Japanese infantry like brown anus III, n,,
the crest of one hill WAIVER "oie '
line and disappear -. ,,,o.,o
I'd twilight a great burst OF Russian
FIRE indicated their further retreat; 49,.
IT. Iananese occupied An-Shan-Tien that
night and their outposts pusneo torM m..
to the Sa river, seven miles Iroih 'he A'o
sian position at Shu-Sam-Ilo
August % was spent at An-Shan- lien.
T than decided to make for the front, as II
was impossible to do any "orh uiuei 'ie
conditions prevailing. ,.
ON August 80, when the correspondents
set ont in charge of three officers, l seized
NV chance at the bend of the ROAD ana sal.
loped north An hour or nara ,iul'is utous ste
me to a hill, where I stopped to study the
Rnssian position. Shu-Sam-T1o Is on d
line of five hills. 1 named the first Glib
raltar," as it is a great rocky emlnence
crowned with a Chinese town; the second,
s.The Redoubt" slightly in front of Glib
raltar'' and heavily held by Russian artii,
lery and infantry; the third, Green Hi,
the fourth, Scrub Hill and the ffth'
"Rocky Ridge"
ON all as on 1.-The Redoubt," the Rus
slams had protected those points most easy
for infantry attack by mines, pits, stakes
and wire entanglements;; zoo Iney a t,,, i tha
Coll
base of the hills They used the Chlnese
tower and balloon for directing their hre
The Japanese second army formed the lett
and also part of the center OF attack, the
line being strung out among the corn.
which hid the movements of thousands OF
infantry marching In single file and also
enabled the batteries to take their posi-
tons. Finding the danger extreme and I'M
| justified by the result. l sought another
hill. whence I watched the battle for the
remainder of the day.
Firing continued in one undated roar as
long as daylight lasted, increasing terribly
at 6 o'clock, when the Japanese made their
| first infantry charge upon Green HILL
Some Of the Japanese reached the trenches
| and engaged the Russians In hand-to-
| hand fight, but the main body was beaten
back taking cover in the first line Of
| trenches, where 1t waited the whole night
| through. The Taku-Shan army was also a
| part of the center, while the First army. to
| the northeast, was on the right, evidently
| in view of great thanking movement The
| total Japanese force was about $50 600 and
| that of the Russians 100000.
One of the Worlds Great Battles.
| Such was the disposition of the forces
| that it was evident there was going to be
fought one Of the worlds greatest bat
| ties. The artillery duel had continued since
| daybreak with terrific vigor. the japanese
| searching the Russian trenches with shrap-
mel and finding difficulty in locating the
| Russian batteries. The Russians, having
| the advantage Of position. were doing great
| damage though their firing lacked pre-.
| cision.
left the hill and Joined the advancing
| Japanese column, passing through corn
| nine feet high, occasionally coming to bare
spaces which were promptly shelled by the
Russians. My horse became frightened. sc
| 1 dismounted. He at once reared aid
boted. / saw it would be useless to pur-
Japanese battery, which was suffering
| heavily, but heroically worked.
| Everywhere there was infantry moving
ahead or intrenched YEARLY awaiting the
| word to advance to the trenches ahead
| Here and there were dead or men lying
| wounded, receiving field dressing without q
| moan. When we rode over the field we
| saw a scene never to be forgotten Trenches
| killed. piled one on the other. They COW
cred the paths. and even the shelters were
| full of dead. Over all whirred millions OF
| flies. The hillsides were strewn will
dropped rifles, ammunition and clothing
dotted with dead lying in dreadful. fantas
tic attitudes as they fell.
Everywhere moved searchers gathering
the corpses and soon on the plain below
rose the smoke of fires where the Jap
anese dead were burned. We passed
through CHASTITY sights from hill to hill
hearing always the thunder of guns be
yond At o'clock In the afternoon, Will,
on Rocky Ridge there was one intensel.
dramatic incident. l had mounted tn,
ridge of the trench, but was called bacl
by several Japanese officers, one of whom
cried. THE Russians in that hole will shoe
J you" pointing at the time to a corner O
the trench covered by sandbags.
| 1t appears that at noon Of the previou
day, when the ridge was taken, seven Rus
slams took refuge in a hole, whence tn
mines were fired, and maintained sturd
resistance. The Japanese flung down sam
bags to cover the entrance and left a guar
during the night In the morning the Rus
SLAMS fired through small gap, woundin
two officers who tried to parley with them
This was the first of a series of infanfr
, charges up hill. undertaken with super
, bravery by the Japanese Their metho
was to subdivide the companies into partfe
, of fifteen or twenty, who extend their for
l nation and command rush forward
l certain distance. then drop without firing
The result of a series of such sharp rushe
Is to bring the men the hilton upex