The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-31
IN THE BATTLE
OF LAO YANG
STORY OF THE COMMANDMENT
FROM THE DIARY OF A WAR COR
RESPONDENT.


the Battle from BaIIooD-The
Streets Filled with Dead ana
Wounded-The Roar of the Cam
honading Like the Beating of a
monstrous Drum-Sad Spectacle in
the Hospitals and Among the
Wounded.
Correspondence of the Associated
Press.l
Mukden, Sept. 1S.-From the diary
of one of The Associated Press corre-
spondents with the Russian army is
taken the following notes on the bat
tie of Lao Yang:
Aug. 2S-Returning from the fune-
raj of Gen. Routkowsky, 1 met
whole train of ambulance carts filled
with wounded, two or three men in
each. The band of the Primorsky ORA
goons also passed me going to join
the reserves. Troops were moving
along every road, officers and order
lies galloping in every direction. All
and everything that must be with the
preserves was flowing towards Lao
Yang in groups and parties, small and
great, like little streams flowing into
river. To the rear of our house,
high in the heavens, hangs the cap
tive balloon, with three officers watch
the enemy. There is something I'M
eanny about the immobility of the
enormous sphere-something fantastic
and monstrous. No news as yet from
the field of battle. Two Japanese, one
trooper, have just been brought in
prisoners. The trooper wears a very
dignified air. like most of his coun-
trymen. The other is a pitiful sight,
entirely naked, covered with bruises,
and scarcely alive.
IL a. m.-The fighting has ceased.
1t is the Japanese custom to give
their men a rest from IL to every
day. They are clever and mean to
fight in comfort.
"a Perfect He'll"
s p. NAT o'clock a fierce bom-
bardment RECOMMENDED, lasting till this
hour At times the firing was so Sc
we're that it was even oppressive. One
of nv friends has just returned from
the batteries. He says that it is per.
feet hell there. Riding. through the
town. l met a number of stretchers
covered with sheets and under them
were the wounded. A sad spectacle.
p. m.-The cannonade continues.
This constant and unceasing uproar,
although somewhat dulled by distance,
singuarly depresses one. Tomorrow
will decide the fate of Lao Yang. The
cannonade stopped late at night. The
first large CONVOY of wounded came
in after dark. 1t was sad to hear the
groans and signs in the darkness.
Many of the wounded succumbed be-
tore reaching the ambulance.
Aug. 29.-I was awakened very
early by an unaccustomed roar. AT
first could not understand what was
happening, and only after carefully
listening l understood that terrific
bombardment was going on in the out
skirts of the city. Hurriedly dressing
myself l went out on the porch. Here
the firing could be heard much palmer.
The boom of cannon came now fast,
now slow: sometimes they combined
into one prolonged thunderous roar
from which the very atmosphere shook.
AT 6 o'clock in the morning number
of carts entered the yard to remove our
things to the train. By 1880 nothing
remained in our rooms.
Are we going to leave Lao Yang or
not? That is the question which fills
our minds, and the roar of the can
non grows stronger and stronger, just
as if o monstrous drum was being I'M
mercifully beaten. Beyond the quar-
tiers of the staff arises a little hill
which is covered with spectators hun
gritty watching the bursting shells ON
the nights outside the city.
The Flame of Artillery.
To the Southwest beyond the viii
lage of Showshanpou where the First
10. GerI,f inn fIa HYef1 is.
particularly intense. The entire slope
of the mountainous ridge is pictur-
esquely defined against the skyline.
Little clouds of smoke dot the sky
above it. Despite the fiaring sunlight,
ii is quite easy to distinguish the flame
of artillery discharges. Sometimes they
seem to run along the ground like
will-o-the-wisps sometimes when the
enemy is firing volleys, whole flock of
cloudlets and flames is seen above the
hill tops. 1t looks as though nothing
could live under such a pandemonium.
One cannot realize that the vast
majority OF the projectiles fly wide OF
fall short. Sometimes it happens that
a couple of hours frightful cannonade
will only kill ten or twenty men, but
sometimes, alas, in fifteen of twenty
minutes there is a mountain of
dead bodies.
Being condemned to immobility we
stand here and watch the spectacle
through our field-glasses. The captive
balloon rises a little to our left; it rises
and then stops as If overcome by the
grandeur of the sight. 1 have often
seen a captive balloon rise above a
pleasure ground, but never did 1t cause
such an impression upon me as here
amidst the movement of armed hosts
and to the accompaniment of demonia-
cal cannonading. Everything seems to
be changed, even here, since yesterday.
There is something majestic in the air
and in the faces of all present. Every
body feels that something grand and
unusual, something that is going to
influence future history, is transplring.
Alongside the headquarters staff at
the foot of our hill, the commissariat
officials and their subordinates are hur-
riedly removing documents. Similar
work is going on all round at the vari-
Gus other staff and commissariat Of
hces. In the distance alongside the
railwoy station locomotive engines are
pulling and blowing and railway car
rfages are strung out in enormous
lines. A part of the stores have al
ready left and we can hear the crack
ing OF the commissariat wagons.
bringing I'm the wounded,
At 2 o'clock the first TRANSPORT ~
wounded arrived. The severely
wounded are placed by ones and twos
In the two wheeled ambulance carts.
with canvas cover. Those less Sc
Verely wounded are placed by threes
and even fours. Others are supported
nv Tho taarffaf -