The Grit-advocate., 1904-05-06
FIRST BIG LAND BATTLE IS
WON BY JAPANESE TROOPS

Toxic. May =, IL a. m.-lhe RuS-
SLAMS were forced to abandon Antung
yesterday They burned the town and
retreated to Feng Huan Cheng.
The Japanese now control the estu-
ary of the Yalu.
Toxic, May /, p. m.-After five days
OF fighting with artillery. the first Jap
anese army under General kurok. has
forced a crossing of the Yalu river and
to-day, with a gallant infantry charge.
covering frontage OF four miles. IT
drove the Russians from Chi Tien
Cheng and the heights on the right
bank of the Tho or Aida river, which
enters the Yalu from the north almost
opposite Wiju.
The Japanese turned the left flank of
the Russian position and in the battle
of to-day they swept away the new
front interposed by the Russians to
check their onward movement.
The present position of the Japanese
Is dominating one and they may force
the abandonment Of the defenses erect
ed by the Russians at Antung and 9TH
er points lower down the river.
General kuropi began the movement
ON Tuesday by ordering a detachment
of the imperial guards division to seize
the island of Kurito, which Is in the
Yalu above Wiju, and detachment OF
the second division to seize the island
OF Kintito, which is situated below
Wiju. The detachment of the imperial
guards with some resistance. but it
succeeded in clearing the enemy out
and occupied Kurito island The Rus
SLAMS abandoned the island of Kin
teito when attacked by the detachment
of the second division.
The actual losses sustained by the
detachment of the imperial guards is
rot known, as there is an error in that
part of the message received here re-
ferring to the number killed, but nine
OF the detachment were severely and
sixteen were slightly wounded. The de-
tachment of the Second division which
took the island OF Kinteito sustained
no losses.
During these movements on the is
lands the Russians opened fire on the
Japanese with eight 9la -centime guns
from a hill behind Chiu Tien Cheng
nnd two Hotchkiss guns which were
mounted on the bank of the river at
Kosack where the Russians seemed to
have established their headquarters.
One company of japanese artillery
which had taken position on hill
to the east of Wiju fired three volleys
at Jusan and at noon of Tuesday the
Russian battery behind Chir Tien
OCheng shelled Wiju with scrapnel. On
Wednesday the Russians resumed the
bombardment of Wiju fighting at in
tervals throughout the day. The Jap
anese artillery did not respond to this
fire.
General Kuroki has received reports
to the effect that the Russians are for
tifying the heights on the right bank OF
the Tho river. These new defenses
are declared to extend from Chiu Tien
Cheng through the village of Makao to
koshoko, distance Of three and
quarter miles.
The Russians resumed their bonn
hardment on Thursday, but 1t was gen.
orally ineffective. Subsequently, Cen
e1al Kuroki ordered two companies OF
the imperial guards to cross the Yalu
and make a reconnaissance along the
left bank of the Tho for the purpose OF
discovering the character OF the Rus
sian fortifications along the heights on
the right bank of the river
The japanese force advanced toward
Korsan and then despatched a small
detachment to the village where par
ty of Russians were killed. The Rus
SLAMS shelled the reconnoitering party
from an emplacement in the hills in the
southeastern part of Qoshoko. This
fire was without effect
The Russian artillery on the hill be-
hind Chiu Tien Cheng, firing at high
angle, again opened on Wiju the is
land Of Kurito and Seikodo, to the
south of Wiju, where some Japanese
batteries had taken position. This fir