Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-08-12
RUSSO-JAPANEsE WAR.

General Stoessel, Russian Commander
at Port Arthur, in letter to friend
in st. Petersburg.
1t is believed that the fire from
the japanese batteries will compell
the Russian fleet to leave the harbor
and accept battle from Admiral Togo.
1t is becoming proverbial that the
japanese infantry will go anywhere
and Will refuse to retire, no matter
how great their losses may be.
1t is believed that Port Arthur
could have been taken before this
time with a heavy sacrifice of life.
but it is evident that the military
leaders are working to effect the re-
duction and capture the fortress with
the minimum loss of life. There
will be no charges of great masses of
infantry until the artillery has En-
ished the task of silencing the Rus
sian guns. A story is current to the
effect that the Emperor has expressed
the wish that the capture shall be
Effected with the smallest possible
sacrifice of life, hence the care and
precision taken by the Japanese in
approaching the Russian defenses
and the extensive use of the larger
engines of war with which to clear
the way.
From indications Russian military
circles are preoccupied with the pos.
sibillty that the Chinese Gen. Mas
presence in Mongolia forms part of
the Japanese plan. The feeling is
that if Gen. Kuropatkin, after seri.
Ons battle, should find himself headed
off by the Japanese at Liao-yang, the
only line of retreat would be through
Mongolia. "Who," said superior
Russian officer, "oan foresee what
will take place tbeng" Gen. Kuro.
patkin, hemmed in North, East and
South cannot retreat Westward
because of Chinese reutral territory.
10 cross it with armed forces, even
retreating, would be an act of war
against China.
All eyes are now turned toward
Lao Yang, where it is evident the
fate of Kuropatkin's army will be
decided in the next few DAYS. All
the news received from the Far
East point to the conclusion that
the japanese line is gradually encir.
cling the Russian army and steadily
Tightening, with Kuropatkin's base
ut Lao Yang as the central point.
Oku has swung his army to the west
at Hal Cheng, with the evident in
tention of striking the northern mil
itary road at Pu-tai-Tun and still
further circumscribing kuropatkin's
movements south of Liao Yang.
Nodzu's army is closely following the
Russians in their retreat from Hal
Cheng.
1t must now be a race between
Kuropatkin on the one hand and
Nodzu and Oku on the other-the
former to get to the north and force
his way beyond Kuroki before the
other Japanese columns can come up
with him, and the latter to hang so
close TO his rear that they can close
in when he strikes Kuroki. Upon
the result of this race depends the
fate of Kuropatkin's army. There
is no safety for him south of Han bin
and may be not there. With the
capture of New Chwang, the Japa-
nese have attained the object of their
campaign, and after they have either
crushed Kuropatkiu completely or
sent him back crippled to Hardin,
they can well afford to 80 on the de-
fensive for the remainder of the war
that is, with the exception of push
ing the siege of hort Arthur to a
conclusion and taking Vladivostok.
They will then have all they have
been fighting for.
DEsTRoYERs IN ACTION.
Admiral Togo reports that at 4
o'clock OH Friday afternoon the
Japanese torpedo-boat destroyers
Akebono and Oboro reconnoitred the
entrance of Port Arthur. While
they were engaged in this work,
IA Russian torpedo-boat destroyers
rushed out of the port.
When the Russian boats came
within range OF the Japanese boats,
they separated, four going west, three
east and seven south, and attempted
to envelop the Japanese destroyers
Forty minutes later the Japanese, at
range of $500 yards, exchanged a
hot fire with the three Russian boats
that had steamed to the east.
The Russians turned when near
Hslensheng and the Japanese drove
them back to the entrance of Port
Arthur. The japanese destroyer
lnazuma arrived shortly after 8
O'Clock, and the three boats attacked
the remaining il Russian boats and
drove them back into Port Arthur.
WEEKS DoINGs AROUND PORT
ARTHUR.
1t is reported that there are IL, 900
sick and wounded persons at Port
Arthur, and that the Russians are
negotiating with the Japanese to
senu Tue hospital snip Mongolia away
full of sick.
1t was reported that General Stoes-
sell. commanding the Russians at
Port Arthur, had committed suicide,
but this was without foundation.
General Stoessel at last sends an
oillclal report on the fighting of July
70, u, and %, saying that his
troops repulsed the besiegers with
enormous losses. He states that his
own loss was about 1910 killed or
wounded, while according to state
ments OF Chinese and prisoners the
Jappanese lost as many as 10000"
This was the 10000 Japs reported
slain. Gen. Stoessel admits that the
A.