The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-04
created, and the British Army and Navy

churia. But with the two Siberian corps
of about lat 900 men, there are only 2e6
guns, which gives the japanese decided
artillery advantage.
Reports made by army officers who
accompanied the Pekin expedition con-
tain interesting descriptions of both the
Russian and Japanese soldiers. There is
a report on file in the war department by
Mai. w. E. Craighill, of the Fortieth
infantry, to Lieut., Col. Joseph T. Dick
| man, chief of staff of the expedition, in
| which he says of the Russians.
ga characteristic feature of the in
fantry soldier was that he carried no
bayonet scabberd. His bayonet was al
! ways fixed and his rifle was, apparently,
never out of reach of his hand. The am
munition is carried in pouches in the
waist belt.
'"Their rations carried were of the
simplest kind, consisting of hard brown
bread, salt, pepper and tea. They were
Industrious foragers and supplied meat
and other items by this means from the
abundant resources of the country.
Their troops had no tentage.
SIN their camps the men lived in
strain of supplying a larger force than
about 100000 makes it almost imprac-
ticable to depend upon operations of a
greater magnitude.
The best authorities agree that the
| light rails of the Siberian railroad can
never stand the wear and tear of trans
porting 100000 troops and the supplies
and equipment for such force that may
be required in operations of six months
or year. Many travellers say that only
thirty pound rails were used on the old
er portion of the road. A thirty pound
rail is as light as the ordinary street car
rail.
Where the japanese have the advan-
tage of the Russians is in field artillery,
but this more than offset by the Rus
sian cavalry. The 100000 regular jap
anese have nineteen six-battery regi-
ments and field and mountain artillery
| organized into ia batteries mounting
6s4 guns.
A careful estimate of the organization
of the First and Second Siberian Corps
shows about l47 900 Russians when the
| corps are organized on a war footing.
There should be added to this number
the cavalry force, estimated in the offic-
al publication of the French general
staff at about 22,93O Cossacks with 49,
800 horses
This organization according to the
French general staff, is in the districts
of Siberia, Semirechensk, Transbailgalia,
the Amur and Ussuri and is about l4.7
per cent of the population available for
Cossack service.
houses or huts made of native mats or
other similar material. Their cavalry
consisted entirely of Cossacks. They
were amounted ON rough, shaggy little
ponies, of about the size of those in the
Philippines. They carried a heavy,
slightly curved sabre and rifle slung over
the shoulder.
A notable feature of the equipment of
the Russians as described by some of
the officers was the travelling filed kitch-
en-, consisting of boiler mounted in a
special wagon, so arranged that it could
be operated while in motion.
Maj. Charles H. Muir, who reported
on the Japanese troops, says:
"The ration consists of about thirty
six ounces of rice, four ounces of meat
and four ounces Of vegetables. One days
ordinary ration is carried in the soldiers
aluminium bucket, which serves as his
| cooking utensil, the hollow lid of which
| carries the meat portion.
Zone days emergency ration, consist
ing of three sacks of fine quality rice
and tin of meat containing about four
ounces is always carried, and can be
used only by order of the commanding
officer.
NThe discipline of the japanese army
is most excellent. The drill is character
lied by simplicity, direetness and pre-
cision.
In concluding his report, Maj. Muir
says:
"The compulsory service and the strict
physical requirements with the system
of reserves, allow Japan to put a large
body of trained men in the field at short
notice. And if Japan can keep the ar
manent and equipment on par with her
soldiers she is a most valuable ally and
most formidable enemy"
The experience of the American Off
GERS in China was that the Russian
troops were very meagerly supplied with
the comforts necessary to any well reg
ulated army, and showed, moreover, a
lack of care compared with the Japanese
troops. The japanese recognized the ne
cessity for humane treatment of wound
ed and sick, while the Russians paid but
! little attention to the wounded or the
dying, and Maj. Banister says in one
report that "the Russian medical equip
ment on the campaign was of the rough
est character and very little of it. The
Russian soldier certainly does not seem
f, to be accustomed to any refinements in
medical equipment in the field nor to
expect them"
In conclusion he described one of the
Russian bospitals saving: