New-York tribune., 1904-09-12

TACTICS CONTRASTING WITH RUSSIA,S OLD METH
DDS IN FIGHTING At 1LAOTIEN

through wood to their left. passing over a reserve
line lying ready for action and eneounterfng many
wounded Russians in every stage of suffering.
whose plight at other times would have excited
sympathy and ready aid but who were forgotten in
the important business of seeing the battle They
pushed along the line of the outpost trenches.
where companies of Japanese were shooting over
me heads of the men advancing below them. and
made their way to the vantage point of a high hill
close to the right whose summit afforded such a
view of battle as be achieved but seldom.
JAPANESE SUPERIORITY MARKED
This letter is intended to describe the engage
ment- but to give os the Impressions of a
spectator who could only part Of the field and
that during the closing hours. BY far the most
Significant and interesting feature of the spec
tacle WAS the appearance and methods of the
Japanese soldiers at the work toward which.
all the drill and equipment OF soldiers is
directed and the comparison OF them with
the Russians. The country afforded the best
possible cover for troops who knew how to avail
themselves Of It, and the Japanese officers and In
dviduaI men appeared to have every point in the
game at their command In addition to the irregu-
i"E roae-here elevated and there depressed-the
banks OF a mountain brook running beside it. and
the clumps Of trees and bushes. and also few
low Chinese mud houses. gave shelter for riaemen
me Japanese utilized all the cover they ad-
Nanced. while the Russian tactics Of preserving
close company formations sacrificed much OF the
natural advantages or the ground.
Ihat stiffness and precision OF the German school
when some foreign officers noted in the home
man1uvres and thought might handicap the Japan
csc In the field were entirely abandoned. When a
battalion went into action the companies worked
most independently. Sections Of companies found
POSITIONS separately. where the country and the
over Favored them. without attempting to pre-
serve long. straight lines while the units displayed
sieat initiative and dash. The rolling ground per
mltted them TO advance by ruehes effectively
AFTER firing q few rounds they would dash ahead 10
49, hilIocN' and dropping into the grass empty
theiF magazines again.
Their uniforms of khaki frorn go ...,..- O..
esslhgs made them inconspiclous as possible
Va Hle FeknS relief expedition Japanese reafrneats
'ook the field dressed entirely In white duc< which
piSseheed a cleaning target across the corn
covered plains OF Pe-Chi-Li within any reasonable
rifle range. Since that campaign. IN the evoI,stton
OF this most modern OF armies economy OF lives
mas come to be reckoned with. So far has the
spectacular deferred 10 effectiveness IN upiformiug
thst even the resimentsI numbers on shoulder
straps are abandoned. that the enemy may 9nd no
distinguishing marks about prisoners or dead to
give ciew to the Identity OF the organizations
which oppose them. The occasional CLINT OF an
ofheer's sword scabbard when ths sun struck II
was the only guide for marksmen a few hundred
yards distant The officers yet retain their swords
IN the field because at close quarters they WELD
them with the old fury and skill of the sanIurai
fighting before their clans.
VALUE OF KHAKI DEMoNsTRATED
How perfectly khaki fuses with an ordinary back
ground was illustrated later in the day when tha
Russian battery, with an unexpected burst OF
energy, dropped half a dozen shells over hill 20
the right OF the temple. No one had noticed
soldiers there UNTIL after the dropping OF the shells
~ sndoeniy seemed TO swarm with men, and two
or three companies scrambled down the slope run
ming for shelter One of the shells fell short almost
on the crest Of tho hin where the attaches and
correspondents had been grouped until a few min
utes before. when they withdrew thinking that
tne hshtins was practically finished for tho day.
The japanese. for some reason refrained from
making the most OF their guns this occasion
The Russians. retreating IN large compact bodies
presented splendid targets few shells now and
then might have thrown them into confusion hut
sfter the retirement began the Japanese artillery
was silent The spectators with this army have
yet 10 See IL engaged in impromptu field work for
all its action. at tho crossing OF the YsIu has
been shooting at distances and elevations pre-
viously known.
Between the methods OF shooting OF the two
armies there was great contrast as IN other
essentials. Russian firing II almost all by voleys
with quite mechanical regularity. Even IN the use
OF artillery they follow a plan OF discharSing one
gun after another rapidly and with precision. To-
day four Russian guns ssluted the japanese for
an hour as regiment OF the latter moving
into position before the Russian front. The man
ner OF It "Onel Twol Three! Fourr' again
Their infantry work Is on the same order. three
four sharp volleys and then a rest. Occasionally
tho Japanese use volleys but OF the time
they fire at will. giving the enemy less information
of their position and gaining the advantages OF
individual craftsmanship. They lie like a hunter
in the bush waiting for his game. and when they
II they blaze away. "Boer tactics" their ON
explain
For the Russians. II is as though the Roer war
had never been" an English officer exclaimed
while watching the fight of July H. The Russian
soldier has not the head 10 be trusted 10 use hts
ammunition OF his free will, Is the general
explanation. Moreover IL is the opinion OF all who
have seen the two in battle that the Russians are
much poorer marksmen than the japanese al
though the latter not rated high 5 certain
other armies.
THE RUSSIANS COURAGE SHOWN
No one who has seen this campaign questions
Russian bravery. The great superiority OF the
Japanese lies in the head work OF officers and
pass when the correspondents arrived the field
bore witness eloquently to the courage OF the
patient Sav. Through four terrible hours the sith
European Regiment held its ground under a fierce
fire from the Japanese redoubts above. The
temple consists OF one stored gray brick buildings
forming three sides OF square. with brick wall
In front The compound IS perhaps a hundred feet
square, and, looking in through the gates. sees
the monster scarlet and gold painted mud eflsies
of grotesque deities OF war who by their spells
kept back the Japanese from the Mao-Tien-L!n-
ten years ago. This month their shrine has shell
tered many Japanese struck down by Russian bull
let's. the red cross hangs in its gateway. and the
telegraph ticks It's altar.
To the right OF the temple. facing the pass runs
n road which is there about two thousand yards
from the main Japanese redoubts on the topmost
ridges and which. gradually ascending stretches
TO the right for half mile more at an angle
nearing the trenches. which separated from 1t
by a wide. deep ravine OF the distance For
four hours, from TO o'clock the Russian attack
ing line held the temple and the road above IL