The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-10
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St. Petersburg. Sept. 10.-(1:50 a. m) Tt seems to be definitely established that Field Marshal Oyama's tired troops practically abandoned Wednesday the attempt to head off General Kuropatkin and the latter's army has arrived safely at Mukden, after frightful experiences In ,fioundering through mud and mlre over the Mandarin roads.
 Some descriptions of the scenes along the line of retreatsare almost incredible They tell how the men lay down in the mud and slept in a drenching rain without shelter
 v. It is evident that the iast deter mined effort of the Japanese to bring Kuropatkih to bay was made Tuesday hut the Russian commander in -chtef faced about and two corps with artil- lery beat off the Japanese while the remainder of the troops continued the march to Mukden. After that, the Japanese could only hang to the flank and try to shell the retreating columns from the hills. The outposts are still In contact but they are not even ex- changing shots.
 In Horrible Plight.
 A late Associated Press despatch sent tonight from Mukden describes the horrible plight of the tentless fields.
 The detailed statement of Russian losses which is promised will be is- sued Saturday is awaited with interest. The general expectation is that the losses will approximate 10000 as against SO,Ooo for the Japanese.
 The work of burying the dead was left to the Japanese. but the task was almost impossible. The awful rains have handicapped the work of crema- = btot, hn raliad nd only shallow trench burials were pos sfble under the circumstances.
 Not only is this work one of the greatest difficulty but it Is almost valueless from a sanitary point of view, the storms undoing 1t soon after it is accomplished.
 The care of the wounded has taxed the hospitals to the utmost. One cor respondent says that 12.000 wounded had passed through the Mukden hos pitals up to Sunday. and only the most severe cases could be attended to by the nurses and surgeons. Many there fore had to be left to the rough. but we'll meant care of their comrades.
 One of the chief advantages possess ei by Field Marshal Oyama. according to the Russian experts consisted in the greater elasticity in the movement and in handling on account of the separa- tion of the three respective armies of Generals Kuroki. Oku and Nodzu.
 KurOpntkin Was Late.
 Kuropatkin very late also introduced the same system after fashion when he created the eastern and southern ar mics under the respective commands of Generals Ivanoff and Zaroubaieff, but these armies had not been acting in dependently for months while the Jap anese armies had been so acting.
 On his arrival at the seat of war, Lieutenant General Bilderling of the Seventeenth Army Corps took over the command of General Ivanoff, who though seasoned and tried command CT familiar with his men, with the field of battle and with the tactics of the Japanese, had to give way to a man older in years who possessed none of these advantages.
 The change in commanders at such a critical time is considered here to have been extremely unfortunate.
 Although 1t is admitted that the eastern army had to face Kuroki. who has earned reputation as the most skillful of fthe Japanese leaders. the poor showing which it made in com parison with the southern army under Zaroubaieff, perhaps not altogether mn tustifable. might be attributed to this change of commanders and the battIa might have been won if Bllderline had been able to duplicate in the east the splendid fight which Zaraoubaieff made against Oku.