The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-10-08

Never In the history OF MODERN wal
fare has there been battle between
armies of a greater magnitude tnan
those that have been struggling for
supremacy upon the Manchurian plain
about Liaoyang, if the numbers
ascribed to the combatants are cor
rect. SAYS the New York Tribune. To
find a parallel to the numbers OF Japa-
nese and Russians one has to turn
back to the days OF Alaric the Goth,
Attila the Hun, Xerxes the Persian or
Genghis Khan the Mongol. These,
however, led unframed and undisci-
pIined nations rather than armies
While the army with which Napoleon
started for Moscow, numbering over
100000 men, exceeded in total that OF
either combating force at Liaoyang, no
battle Of the Napoleonic era rivaled
the present struggle. The Franco
Prussian war offers no rival, while
Gettysburg. Chickamauga and even
| the desperate battles In the Wilder
ness, from the Rapidan to Petersburg,
| in the civil war seem inconsiderabfe In
comparison.
Two conflicts in the nineteenth cen
fury, however, both in the magnitude
! of the contest and in their actual phys
icaI surroundings, suggest the struggle
in Manchuria. One was the battle OF
Leipsic, where Napoleon endured his
first great defeat and the grande armee
its first rout 1t was waged for a
week about the old city of Leipsic, in
Saxony. Russians, Swedes, Prussians,
Austrians and numberless contingents
of smaller states overwhelmed the
French in the battle, which Is still
known as the combat of nations" In
the several battles of Leipsic 10000
] French and over $4,000 allies were en-
gagged. The battles were fought for
several days on several fields. from
Oct 10 to Is, 1918. In the end the
French were driven through the city,
thousands were captured, more were
drowned In the 1ntimely destruction of
bridge across the Elbe, and the total
French loss in killed, wounded and
captured exceeded $4,000. while the
| allies lost more than $4,000.
The other example of warfare about
city situated like Liaoyang was the
struggle about Metz in 1871, when the
French, under Bazaine, were forced
back into the city by fianking move
ment similar to that practiced by the
Japanese Marshal Bazaine was driv.
en- back from the road to Paris and
finally captured. In Gravelotte, the
deciding battle of this campaign. The
French numbered nearly 10000, while
the Prussians exceeded 100000 The
French loss amounted to $4,000, the
Prussian to more than 81 900.
As a direct consequence of this fight
Bazaine was penned up in Metz, as
many experts have expected Kuropat
kin would be in Liaoyang, and two
months later surrendered over 173,00(
men, the entire regular army Of France
together with vast number of can
non and huge supplies. The battle Of
Sedan, which ended similarly, was mo-
dissimilar in geographical conditions
and the French army under Marsha
MacMahon, with Napoleon III. by his
side, was surrounded and captured
after q bloody battle lasting single
day. Here Won Moitke and the Prus
sian army succeeded in driving The
French into the valley of The Mouse
surrounded on three sides BIZ heights
occupied by Germans, and on tht
fourth by the Belgian frontier. The
numbers engaged here were smallel
than at Metz.
The civil war presents few instance.
Of huge numbers meeting In battle. A
Gettysburg less than 175,000 were en-
gagged on both sides, while In the bat
ties Of the Wilderness, where Tough
the largest number Of men in the war
the Confederates numbered only $4,000
while Grant bad 10000. total les,
than half the number believed to hay,
fought at Liaoyang. The Confederat,
loss exceeded 1900, and that O
the Union forces $4,000 Unlike the
other battles mentioned, it was
drawn fight, both forces leaving tn,
! field soon after to hight at SpottsyIva
! MIA. Sherman, in his march to the sea
had little more than 5000 men witt
, him.
. In the NaDoleonic era. although TIA,
armies were larger than those OF th,
previous century and far greater tina,
In our civil war, the numbers were com
paratiyeiy small. Az Austerlitz. TN
most famous Of the earlier victories o
Napoleon, the French had only 10000
while the Russian and Austrian fore
ala not exceed 5000, $1,000 OF whom
were killed, wounded or captured d
fpe struggle. The French lost les
than a quarter OF dis plumber. A
Waer9m Napoleon bad 10000, lis al
iieq opponents only 10000, ana, aI
though che French prevailed ille losse
~ e'iiler Side were about 5000
a. itofodipo, as Dloodlosi baitle q
phe plneleepip eepfury, 5000 Freno
aefeeieq ib2fg,o liueslanf illo fornn
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