Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-10-13
JAPs DRIVEN BACK
KoURoPATklN BREAKS ENEMY,s
LINE NEAR BENTslAPuTzE.

Russians Seize Hill He Failed to
Occupy and Fortify lt-At Same
Time Move Against Forces Holding
Railway Near Yentai.
st. Petersburg. Oct. 1O.--Following
is the text of an order of the day, is
sued by General Kouropatkin, and
dated Mukden, Oct Q:
THE troops of the Manchurian
army hitherto have not been numer-
ically strong enough to defeat the
Japanese army. Much time is neces-
sary for overcoming all the difficult
ties of Strengthening the active army
so as to enable it to accomplish with
complete success the arduous task
imposed upon it. 1t is for this rea-
son that, in spite Of the repeated re-
pulse of Japanese attacks upon our
positions at Tatchekiao, Landau
sian and Lao Yang 1 did not consider
that the time had arrived to take adj
vantage of these successes and to be-
gin forward movement, and there
fore gave the order to retreat. You
left the positions you had so heroic
ally defended, covered with piles Of
the enemy's dead and without allow
ing yourselves to be disturbed by the
foe and in full preparedness for q
fresh fight. After five days battle
at Lao Yang you retired on new po-
sitions, which had been prepared pro-
viously. After successfully defend
ing all advanced and main positions
you withdrew to Mukden under most
difficult conditions. Attacked by
Kuroki's army, you marched through
almost impossible mud, fighting
throughout the day and extricating
night and returned to Mukden with
out abandoning single gun, prisoner
or wounded man. and with the bag
gage train entirely intact ordered
the retreat with a sorrowful heart,
but with mistaken confidence that It
was necessary in order to gain COM
plete and decisive victory over the
enemy when the time came.
Confident Of Victory.
"The emperor has assigned for the
conflict with Japan forces sufficient
to assure us victory. In the course
of seven months hundreds of thou
sands of men and tens of thousands
of horses and carts and millions Of
pools of stores have been coming
uninterruptedly by rail from Euro
pean Russia and Siberia to Man
churia. If the regiments which have
already been sent out prove INSULT
cient, fresh troops will arrive for the
infiexible wish of the emperor that
we should vanquish the foe will be
fulfilled. Heretofore the enemy, in
operating, has relied on his great
forces and disposing his armies so as
to surround us, has chosen as he
deemed fit, his time for attack: but
now the moment to go to meet the
enemy and the time for us to compel
the Japanese to do our will has come,
for the forces of the Manchurian
army are strong enough to begin a
forward movement. Nevertheless.
you must be increasingly mindful Of
the victory to be gained over our
strong and gallant foe, and above ALL
remember how necessary victory is,
the more speedily to relieve our
brothers at Port Arthur. who for sew
en- months have heroically maintained
the defense of the fortress entrusted
to their care"
Forward Movement Begun.
General Kouropatkin's order OF the
day, announcing his determination to
take the offensive. is supplemented
by the news that All offensive move
ment has already been begun and
that the Japanese line has been
broken at Bentsiaputze. The Japa-
nese occupied front of about fifty
two miles. stretching from Bentsia-
putze on the east. through Yentai,
and across the railway to the banks
of the Hun river on the west. The
Russian force had been lowering south
in close touch with the japanese ad-
vance since Oct 4. The Japanese
outposts were driven back in series
of skirmishes, and on Oct the Rus
SLAMS reoccupied the station of Shak-
he, fifteen miles south OF Mukden,
the railway battalion restoring the
bridge across the Shakhe river the
next day in order to facilitate the
advance. Now General Mistchenko's
Cossacks have pushed southwestward
as far as the Yentai mines, defeating
the Japanese in a series OF warm Skin
mishes. The most important action,
however. occurred on the Japanese
right at Bentsiaputze. Here the Jap
anese held astrong and important po-
sition. but 1t seems they made the in.
applicable omission to fortify a COM
handing hill. which was the key to
the whole situation. portion Of
General Kouropatkin's force made a
strong attack on Bentsiaputze. and
taking leaf from the Japanese book.
occupied the hill from the east and
fanked the Japanese out Of the town,
causing a serious loss in rear guard
fight. The Russian casualties are re-
ported to have been inconsiderable.
While these operations are pro-