Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-10-21
The Japanese General 0yama lmI
tates Gen'I r. E. Lee.

| Il have been carefully scanning tne
reports from Manchuria since the first
definite reports began coming to our
wspapers and | am impressed with
the remarkable similarity between the
C ,mpaign of Field Marshal Oyam a
around LiaOyang and Gen. Robert E.
Lees strategy before the second battle
of Manassas.
at is not unusual for officers com
manding armies, to study the campaigns
knowledge so acquired is frequently
invaluable, especially where the topo
| graphical features are similar and the
proportion between the opposing
| forces bears a resemblance. To give
an instance, just before the first battle
If Manassas, being young staff Of
fcer at the time, l visited General
Bsauregard in his tent. | found him
bending over the campaigns of Ma
poleon.' OF course, | do not know
whether OF not he gained any hint of
value by his study, but this instance
fell under my own observation.
"It is no discredit to Oyama, there
fore, to assume that he has studied
General Lees strategy and tactics.
There are so many points of resem
bIance that it would be difficult to ex-
plain them by the theory of coincidence
es. General Lee paid much attent ion
to his enemy's tianks, and, unless he
was fighting defensive battle, be al
ways assaulted the right or left of his
opponent. In his first battle after, be-
ing placed in command of the troops
defending Richmond, he so maneuver-
ed as to crush McClellan's right. In his
next fight, the second battle of Manas-
sas, he turned the right flank of Pope's
army. Oyama has been adopting the
same tatics against Kuropatkin and
has met with the same success.
81 was particularly impr essed with
the strategy displayed by Field Mars
bal Oyama in his maneuvers on the
front and flank of Kuropatkin's army
at LiaOyang. 1t is almost au exact
reproduction of Lees movements in
front of Pope on the Rappahannock
river, Immediately before the second
battle of Manassas.
The federal and southern armies
were lying opposite each other with
the river flowing between them. Lee
army was divided into two corps under
Longstreet and Jackson. Oyama s
army seems to have been divided into
three under Oku, NadZu and KurOki.
Leaving LongStreet on PopeS front,
as Oyama left Oku and Nadzu on
Kuropatkin's s front, Lee directed Jack
son to move up the river, cross it and
bring his whole corps, if possible. in the
rear of Pope's army. Concerning this
march, l am we'll informed, because L
accompanied jackson with my cavalry.
After crossing the river, Jackson NOV
ed almost at right angles to it until be
reached Gainesville, where he camped
for the night after having marched 26
miles. The next day, he turned exact
ly at right angles, passed through
Thoroughfare Gap ana struck the rail-
road between Pope's position and
Washington at place called BristOw
station, rs miles in the rear of POpe's
centre, where he bivouacked for The
night, having marched in those two
hot days in August56 miles.
"On just about the same day of the
same month, ~ years later, under very
similar conditions, Oyama dispatched
Kuroki on an Identical mission. KurOkl,
crcling Kuropatkin's left, crossed the
Taitse, and proceeded at right angles
] to the river about 20 miles. Making
sharp turn to the left, he passed the
| Yental hills to the town of Yental, on
| the road to Mukden, directly in the rear
OF Kuropatkin.
'cBefore Manassas, Pope was con
frOnted with these alternativeS-to
cross the Rappahannock and throw his
whole force on Longstreet and destroy
him, if possible, or about face, coun-
termarch, and concentrate his army
on Jackson, who was interrupting rail-
way and telegraph communication
with his base, Alexandria and Wash
lington. He decided on the latter
course, and gave orders to concentrate
on Jackson at Manassas, whittier he
had gone from BristOw the day after
he reached that station. Jackson did
lot stay at Manassas, however, but
double. backed on his course, and plac-
ed himself in position to form a juno.
tion with Longstreet. Three days later
the two wings reunited under Gen.
,,eraI Lees command.
4 "Just what marching and counter.
marching was done by Kuroki is not
entirely clear from the published &C
counts, but it is evident that his posi-
lion in the rear of Kuropatkin's army
with the main body of the japanese
army in front and concentrating at th'
same objective point, was effective
and probably contributed in the larg
est degree to the victory of the Jap
lanese. An examination of the news
= paper maps, will show how very simila
Oyama contests with Kuropatkin a
Liaoyang and on the Taitse were II
Lee g mapeuvres in front of Pope OF
the Rappahannock. Kuroki is tn
Stonewall Jackson of Oyama's army
for while Oyama was in front of Kuro
patkin, Kuroki planted bmself at hi
relr. Oyama evidently had the sam
l:aae +ha4 Eanaral 90 had namaly