The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-09-17
TO FLANK
MUKDEN
Oyama again Advancing on
Kuropatkin's Army.
ST. PETERSBURG ANXIOUS
General Belief, However, that Jap
anese Are Not Yet in Condition
for Another Battle.

ST. PETERSBURG, Sept 1.-THE
war office has heard the report of an
apparent japanese concentration
against the flanks of General Kuropat
kin's army preparatory to an advance
toward Mukden. While 1t is not in D
position to absolutely confirm or deny
the report, II would surprise the wal
office should Field Marshal Oyama
have been able In such short time tc
organize his forces for serious ad.
vance northward.
Supplementary details of the battle
of Liaoyang show that the First and
Third Siberian corps after bravely
withstanding the onslaught of six diyi,
sions Of the Japanese army under Gen.
erals Oku and Nodzu while holding a
position south of Liaoyang received or.
ders to cross the river on Sept. / ana
join the Tenth corps in advancing
against General Kuroki, who was
threatening the Russian positions
Meanwhile the defense Of the Russian
position on the southern bunk of the
river was intiustcl to the Second and
Fourth corps, which were given posi-,
tions around the city The center OF
gravity had now been transferred to
the right bank Of the river. The Sev-
euteeuth corps. which had been sta
toned there. was subjected on Aug.
81 to. Il heavy hombardment by Japa-
nese artillery situated north of Sy.
kwantun. The tactical key of this po.
sition was a solitary hill from whence
the Japanese could be seen crossing
the river at Wankwantun Nine com
panies of the Tenth European regiment
held this hill supported on their right
by the Bolkhoff regiment, with the Ne
zbinsk regiment in reserve. Here oc-
CURED the most brilliant encounter and
the most desperate fighting of the
whole battle. On Sept / the japanese
concentrated their artillery fire upon
this hill and by evening occupied it.
The Nezhinsk regiment was ordered
the next day to retake the hill, and
after artillery preparation, headed by
its colonel on horseback, the regiment
tried to rush the heights. The Japa
nese fire was terrific and moved down
whole companies, but the Nezhinsks
went on, gaining ground inch by inch
till finally they reached the top. There
there was a frightful hand to hand |
struggle. The japanese were obliged |
TO fall back. and the Nezhinsk regi. |
ment occupied the hill, which they |
managed to hold until evening Then, |
unable longer to withstand the concen.
trated artillery fire of the japanese,
the Nezhinsks had to climb down. Its |
terrible fight cost the regiment more |
than half its men and three-fourths of !
its officers. The height will henceforth |
be known among the Seventeenth corps |
as "Nezhinsk hill"
1t was decided on the night of Sept. |
3 to abandon Liaoyang. The following |
day all the stores were removed from |
the forts around the city, from the
Russian settlement and from Liao-
yang, and the dead were buried and
sentries gradually withdrawn. A tels
rife hail of projecties was falling in
the city, especially In the church |
square and around the house where
General Kuropatkin had been residing.
The evacuation of the railway sta
tion WAS carried out under a heavy |
fire. The railroad men showed the
most admirable GOODNESS and disci-
pline. There were not enough trains to
carry all the artillery. At the last mo-
ment the First Siberian flying artillery
procured an empty truck, upon which
the soldiers loaded their six inch NOR.
tars by hand and then pushed the
truck across the river under a direct
fire of shells just before the bridge
was destroyed. Reconnaissance opera.
tions were greatly impeded by the
crops of Chinese corn, which
Is fourteen feet in height
There were many narrow escapes
owing to the similarity Of the Russian
uniforms with those of the Japanese.
Serious results were prevented, how
ever, by the Russian officers directing
that the men must not shoot except on
specific orders. The Japanese, on the
other hand, destroyed the whole of
their own Forty-first regiment by fir
ing upon them in mistake for a Rus. |
ID DeV Wits INE'.:f N.ssE SaEve