The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-14
BLOODY BATTLE LASTED I DAYS Awful Scene of C2s<T ; Around
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 9 g KUROy ILAYS BIG PART
His Army Was at One Time Entirely Cut of From Communication With Other Japanese
 Forces.

was concluded this morning after almost seven days of continuous struggling General Kuropatkin was defeated. but after holding his groand for four days he effected a masterly retirement along the railroad, probably with his army almost intact and taking away the bodies of half of his men who were killed in action.
 The part that the Japanese force under command of General kuroki played in the conflict was remarkable. From the 18th to the 3Oth of August, when he effected a junction with the other Japanese armies around Liao Yang, he advanced night and day over almost roadless mountains, pushing the enemy before him. He then made a rapid change of base from An ping to a point on the eastern side of the railroad with his ielI wing ten miles north of Liao Yang, thus leaving a wide gap between his troops and the main body of the Japanese.
 Tried to Cut Railway.
 The object of General Kuroki was to cut the railway, which was General Ku- ropatkin's only avenue of retreat. and also a surrounding movement On the evening of September his force reached a position two or three miles from the railroad with the right division ready to strike, but General Kuropatkin was able to send a superior force against him and hold him at bay while the Russian army made good its retreat For two days 1t seemed possible that the Russians might assume the offensive on large scale and perhaps force the Japanese right army. as the command of General Kurold Is called to abandon It's position. This morning, September |, however, General Kuroxi is follow ng General Kuropatkins rear guard and brisk action, but prob ably without result is in progress.
 No Estiate of Casualties.
 No estimate of the casualties can be obtained at this writing, but during the forty eight hours in which the right ar my was engaged in desperate fighting, the dead and woundede doubtless totaled several thousand.
 During September 1 and 2 the army un- der General Kuroki advanced to the westward from line between the village and the stone fort of Hwang-tung with the division forming the right wing ex- tending to the north and the division on the left in a bend of Taitse river. The right and center of General Kurokfs lines were fighting with determination, and gaining every foot of the advance at great cost. On the morning of Septem- Der 1 the Japanese army was close to Kwangtung. It advanced several times during these two days. shifting its posi- tions and taking advantage of low bluffs.
 During this time the Russians shelled fIa Ia.ao o-ttII ..~tc I,,-s., fire was continued principally onthe bat teries located near Kwangtung, but 1t never disturbed the Japanese gunners, who continued cooIy to man their pieces. With the advent of darkness on Septem- Der ? the right division of General Ku- rokis army had occupied some hills which the Chinese aptly named '"The Five Headed Hills" situated five miles to the north of Kwantung and over looking the railroad station at Yentai. which is two or three miles to the west of them.
 Kuroki Observes Conflict. One brigade on the extreme right had gained position a mile or two further north, and to the northwest of Coal Mine hill, where foreign buildings could be | seen. The Japanese center division held long low hill five miles to the west | of Kwangtung and above the village of | Sykwantung. Between Kwangtung. where from a Manchuria stone fort on a bare and rocky hill, General Kuroli ob- served the conflict for four days, ex- posed meanwhile the the fierce rays of the sun.
 Here there lies a rolling country with several low ridges of hills and many groves giving cover to both armies. The Russians had cut away the grain and trees from in front of their entrench- ments on these hills, leaving the ap- breaches open and bare. In the advance movement over this section the Japanese troops were under fire constantly and they worked forward only by digging scucessive roads of trenches. The suffer- ing was great. The men already ex- hausted by several days of the hardest kind of fighting and marching were oblig- ed to work unceasingly with their rifles or with their trenching tools. They were unable to cook rations for fear their fires would disclose their positions to the en- | emy.
 Cost Japanese Heavily. | The taking of these hills particularly | the one at Heiyingtai, cost the Japanese | heavily. After cannonading this hill dur | ing the day of September and gradually | forcing back the Russian infantry on the plain without being able to dislodge them | the Japanese again resorted to their fa- | vorite operation, a night attack, and | drove the Russians out at the point of | the bayonet. They also stormed the five | headed hills to the northwest during the
 afternoon of September 2.
 | While this engagement was going on | the left division made an attack on the | high hills at Sykwantun, to the south of Heiyingtai and facing bend in the | Taitse river where the Russians had 1 strong Qualifications and batteries. A l part of the left division supported by the | fire of the batteries on the plain attempt | ed to advance in extended formation
 across the wide gravelled flats south of
 the river and bordering the fields. They
 came under heavy fire from the Rus sian guns. The only possible protection | was the depressions in the flats and their
 ranks were raked by the enemies shrap-
 mel.
 Lay Flat or Faces.
 The Japanese soldiers lay flat on their l faces under the Russian fire until