Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-11-02
PROGRESS OF THE MAR MAR

The battle Of Shakhe River, as Mar
shall Oyama officially names it, wore
itself out on oct. 20 The hard fight
ing began on Oct. . with an attack on
Kuroki, commanding the Japanese
right. The battle lasted eleven days
The Russians, by their own reports,
lest 1900 killed and $4,000 wounded.
The Japs casualties are not known.
Strategically, according to the Chi
cago Tribune's view, the battle was an
unqualified triumph for the Japs. XII
ropatkin started south from Mukden
on Oct with the avowed purpose of
rolling back the Japanese and reliey-
ing Port Arthur. His exact words
were: Now the moment to go to meet
the enemy has come. and the time has
arrived for us to compel the japanese
t. do our will, for the forces of the
Manchurian army are strong enough
for a forward movement"
The outcome of the Russian attempt
was that they failed to gain a rood of
ground toward Port Arthur. Indeed,
the Jap lines are fifteen miles farther
northward than were on the day of
Kuropatkin's proclamation. Kuropat-
kin's purpose--to relieve Port Arthur
was utterly defeated Oyama's pur-
pose--to prevent the relief Of Port Ar
thur-was entirely successful. Stra-
logically, therefore. the victory indubi-
tably rests with the Nipponese.
Tactically the result was not so de-
cisiye. On Oct o and 10 Kurokl gave
ground after SLIGHT resistance. On
the 18th the battle ragged six miles
north Of Yentai and hung in the bal
ance Hard lighting continued on the
18TH. On the 18th the operations dis
tinctly favored the japanese. Oyama
reached his high water mark on the
stormed across the Shakhe and the
Russians seemed about to retreat to
the Hun, several miles north.
Up TO this point the Japs had cap
tured large number of guns, vari-
ously reported at from seventy to liz,
and had lost none. Ge1- Oku, in com
mand Of the japanese left. was doing
the hardest and most successful fight
ing Opposite him lay the Russian
right. which was desperately cIinging
to the railroad If Oku could shove
this Muscoylte flank off the railroad to
the eastward Huropatkin's entire
army would lose its main line of COM
munication.
Oku bent his army into the shape Of
a hook and tried TO insert the tip OF
the hook across. the railroad behind
the Russians. Mai Gen. Yamada' s
mixed brigade was the tip Of this
hook. At first he tore up things on
the other side. but the tip was not
strong enough and 4 sudden Russian
blow separated IL from the shank. The
net result, fourteen Jap guns captured,
1890 men put out of action, and the
remaining 1900 fighting their way
back TO the main body. This exploit
occurred on the evening Of Oct. Is.
simultaneously the Russians made
their gallant attack on Lone Tree hill
q precipitous and tactically valuable
en.inence on the Shakhe River. The
japanese thereafter InIled III several
efforts to retake Lone Tree hill. From
the evening Of the 10th to me end or
the fight the current set against the
Japs: they gained no further positive
advantages. though on the night Of
the nth they successfully repulsed a
general Russian assault on the whole
japanese line
Tactcally. therefore. the advantage
lies with the japanese, though not
overwhelmingly. They captured a
considerably larger number of guns
than they lost and at the end Of the
fighting they occupied the battlefield
from which they pushed their enemy.
Why is It that the Japanese, neither
in the battle Of the Shakhe River nor
IN that OF Liaoyang, did not achieve
a more complete victory? There was
a point in each Of those fights when
the Russians were in bad way, when
| It looked as If the Japs could involve