The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-10

CT. PETERSBURG, Sept 1O.-Q:5O a.
y m)-It seems to be definitely es-
tablished that Field Marshal Oya-
mas tired troops abandoned on
Wednesday the attempt to head off
General Kuropatkin. whose army has
arrived safely at Mukden after fright
ful experiences in floundering through
ihud and mire over the Mandarin roads
Some descriptions of the scenes along
~, Inc of retreat are almost incred-
Ihey tell how the men lay down
rain. ~ ~ Va .
IL Is evident that the last determined
.I Vi ne Dapanese to bring Kuro-
b,,t ~ pay was made on Tuesday.
W Russian cOmmander-in-chief
jSc,.a about and two corps with artil-
rev beat off the Japanese, while the
nk1ndinder Of the troops continued 20
flarch to Mukden. After that the Jap
@nese could only hang on to the TANKS
and try 70 shell the retreating columns
from the hills. The outposts are still
III contact but they are not even ex-
changing shots.
4 late Associated Press dispatch sent
tonight from Mukden describes the
horrible plight of the tentless ard
shelteriess soldiers.
Expect Frightful Loss.
The detailed statement Of the Rus
sian losses. which il is promised viii
be issued on Saturday, is awaited with
intense interest. The general expecta-
ton Is that the losses will approximate
ZO'oOe. as against $4,000 for the Japan
csc.
The work Of burying the dead was
left 10 the Japanese. who were forced
10 attempt the task as matter Of self
Preservation, but IL was an almost i'm
possible undertaking. The awful rains
have handicapped the work OF crema-
tion OF which the japanese relied. and
only shallow trench burials were posi-
Die IN many cases, under the circum-
stances. Not only is such burial one
OF great difficulty, but il is almost val
ueless from a sanitary point Of view.
the storms undoing il soon after il is
accomplished
The care of the wounded has taxed
the hospitals to the utmost One cor
respondent says that 1900 wounded
rad passed through the Mukden hos
pitals up 10 Monday, and only the
most severe cases could be attended to
by the nurses and surgeons
Many, therefore. had to be left TO
the rough but well meant care Of their
comrades.
Expert Opinion.
Now that the battle of Lao Yang is
history, officers Of the general STAFF are
more disposed to discuss some of the
circumstances of the fight, although
they lack specific information. making
it impossible for them to speak aalthor-
ilatively Oh many points
General kurOpatkin's army at Lao
Yang consisted of twenty battaIious OF
infantry. l4i squadrons of cavalry and
zoo guns. approximately 10000 bayo-
nets $1,000 sabres and 10000 gumners.
~IcrtiOns of two European corps and one
Siberian corps had been left at Mukden
and 81 number OF these reserves were
bgnRght into the fight.
4 The size OF the japanese army has not
Sbeen definitely established, but its ac-
1 tual fighting force is supposed TO have
: had a superiority in numbers of from
10000 10 $4,000 men and a considerable
superiority in artillery
oyama's Advantage.
one of the chief advantages nos
sessed by Field Marshal Oyama. ac-
cording 70 Russian experts. consisted in
the greater elasticity i'm movement and
in handling on account of the separa-
tion Of the three respective armies of
Generala kurOki. Oku and Nodzu. <u-
ropatkin very late also introduced the
same system after a fashion when he
created the eastern and the southern
armies under the respective commands
OF General Ivanof and Saroubaieff.
but these armies had not been acting
independently for months while the
japanese armies had been acting sep
arately.
On his arrival at the seat of war
lieutenant General BilderIing of the
Seventeenth army corps took over the
command Of General IvanOff, who,
though q seasoned and tried command
er. familiar with his men. with the
field of battle and with the tactics Of
the japanese, had 10 give way to a
man older in years but possessing none
OF these advantages. The change in
commanders at such a critical time is
regarded as extremely unfortunate Al
though II is admitted that the eastern
army had to face kuroki. who had
earned a reputation as the most skill
ful Of the japanese leaders. the poor
showing which it made in comparison
with the southern army, under Sara
boleh, perhaps not altogether unjusti-
hably might be attributed to this change
OF commanders, and the battle might
nave been won IL Biberling had been
oid stand which the southern army
made against Oku and NOdzu.
Made Retreat Imperative.
But Bilderlmg was twice repulse,.
- was lhe second repulse by the Jap
-1ese forces on the heights Of Yentai
49,, - iluuced kuropatlSm to order z
retreat and there are oeiaa.. - -
general stan who believe that This or
der was preciDitate. holding thai 81 I'm.
ropatkin- had followed up the Offensive
on sept. , leaving to StakeIbere ,-bo
arrived at fentai mines in time to SIM
port Orlon, the blocking of the sweep-
ing movement, the cay might have heen
saved These officers are inclined IN
believe that. like Napoleon and some
others of the worlds greatest generals.
kurOpatkin suffered a temporary
eclipse Of Judgment in recalling the ar
my corps which he had launched against.
huroh and IN ordering a retreat. AS