The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-21

St. Petersburg, May 20.-Fol1owing on the heels of the news of the disas- ter to the Japanese fleet the general staff today received official advices of the defeat of the Japanese force which was marching northward from Feng Wang Cheng with a purpose of execut- ing flank movement on Mukden.
 Details of the dispatch will not pc made public until it has been passed by the War Committee, but enough has been communicated to the Associated Press to make 1t clear that in order to save themselves from destruction. the Japanese were compelled to retreat toward Feng Wang Cheng.
 Since General Kuroki sent q column northward to gain the road leading di rectIy west from Mukden. General Ku- ropatkin has kept It. under the closest surveillance. awaiting the moment when 1t should be so distant from the main Japanese army as to prevent its easy reinforcement. In observing this plan. the Russians withdrew and the Japapese. not finding a strong force of the taemy before them, continued to advance.
 Rennenkampn's Attack.
 When the time for action came. Gen eraI Kuropatkin let General Rennen- kampf loose from the leash. General RennenkampfT has under his command only a few regiments, but they were the flower of the Cossack cavalry. On May IS he fell on the enemy. whose number has not yet been revealed, with such vigor as. to compel the Japanese retirement twelve miles toward the base near enough, 1t Is presumed. to have received endorsements from + General Kuroki, who must immediately have been advised of the awkward pre- hicament.
 The operation is described by the veneraI staff as just such a movement as 1t was expected General Kuropatkin would make and for which General Rennenkampff was fitted and chosen. The Iatter's appearance on the stass was rather late. It had been intended he should raid Kuroki sooner, but the general staff believes General Rennen- sanncrs attack must have been in the .sat,,ra of a thunderbolt. He Is a man to attack quickly and hard, once given tbe opportunity. and his men, veterans ax +bs Chinese campaign had been Se- Iected especially because they Ane" G,hat it was to be under hre' casualties Not Announced.
 rt. casualties sustained by the op- nosing forces have not yet been an nounced. ,.-e,a q r-ossacks lowering north. the autnorl- lies say. may explain the cautious ac- of strong base at -Wang-Chens ard haltinG the column which was ..archins on Hai-Chong. It may also ba solution of the mystery Of New CLw.rg which at first was reported A.. have been evacuated and which Is now said to have been reoccupied by tba Russians, for If Kuroki has deh- ritelv stopped his westward move ku- ronatkin could safely continue to hold if without danger or the occupying force being cut off.
 Tbe general s.aff took occasion to- daJ to deny the report of a battle hav- Ing been fought at Kai-Chou in which ooo Russians were killed. As mat ter of fact the Russians quietly with drew from Kai Chou, being unwilling to exnose their force at that point to tbe attack of a column marching from tbe East-that landed in Southern TJso The evacuation of Kai-Chou also sbows if is said, that there is no truth 1n the report that Kuropatkin has sent 1o ooO men to retake that place.
 Report Not Believed.
 The report that Kuropatkin has sent 7o GOO men to relieve Port Arthur Is declared by the general stan to be in- credible Such move, they say, would only court disaster, for Kuroh natur- ally would take advantage of the movement to throw his entire army across the railroad and strike from 9he rear while the Japanese troops in Southern Liao Tung would attack in front.
 No news has reached here of the engagement at Kin-Chen and the ab- sence of information is explained by the slowness of communication due to the strength of the Japanese force as- sailing the Russian positions around Port Arthur No surprise is expressed at the fact that engagements occur as the Russians fell back on Port Arthur. It Is stated that Lieutenant General StoesseIs plan does not contemplate imperilling the fortress by the loss of too many men outside.