The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-20
RUssAs GREAT MILITARY LEADERS

moved them down until darkness put
an end to the pursuit
In that few hours chase 1000 rpur-
suing Russians slaughtered 5000 fugi-
tives, while over 5000 were massa-
cred in the fortified camp of Cock
Tepe.
'The whole country was covered
with corpses,'' said Samuel Gouro-
witch, who acted as interpreter in the
Russian forces. sThe morning after
the battle they lay in rows like fresh
~ mown, hay, as they had been swept
down by the mitraiHeurs and artillery.
Hundreds of women were sabered,
and I myself saw babies bayoneted or
slashed to pieces. The troops. mad
were allowed to plumber and kill for
three days after the assault
This is the single great blot on Cen
eral Kouropatkin's record. 1t is true
that he was not in supreme command,
but his. Turkestan troops played the
leading part in the slaughter.
He is a great leader Of men. The
march Of his .Turkestan contingent
across the almost unknown deserts Of
central Asia, in order to join Skobeleff
for the siege of Cock Tepe, was as
fine an achievement as Lord Roberts
famous march to Candahar.
"Kourapatkin,' said General An
nenkoff, who met him at the end of
the march, had been for twenty-siX
days marching over a sandy and Wa
terless desert, yet his force marched
in clean trim, and as fresh as a daisy
An English newspaper correspond
ent, who attended the funeral of
Skobeleff at Spasskoe, Selo, was there
thrown into company with many of
the dead generals favorite officers.
More than once,'' he said, Il heard
controversy among them as to
whether Kouropatkin was not almost
as good a leader as their lost general.
'Kouropatkin,' said General Amen
koff, to me, during one of these dis
cussions, possesses all the character
mold. They worked admirably to-
gether, Kouropatkin imparting cool
ness and calculation to Skobeleff, and
Skobeleff fire and enthusiasm to Kour-
opatkin We are desolate now that
Skobeleff is gone, but it is a consola-
ton that we have still got Kouro-
patkin He is now the Skobelef OF
Russia.
During the first few days succeed
ing Skobeleff's death a strong AND
angry feeling prevailed in Russia
against the government. It was fell
! that the dead hero's merits had never
been properly appreciated by the
state, and I encountered various off
| GERS at Moscow who were persuaded
he had been poisoned.
ITO appease the army the emperor
! felt that he could not do better thar
summon Kouropatkin from centra
Asia and give him high appoint
ment at home. Since then he ha!
| tod fov of 11r>t
and if he has secured little notoriet.
abroad it is simply because he has al
ways devoted himself to his profession
and let politics alone.
*Skobeleff had in him all the ele
ments of a great statesman, as well a.
| those of a great general. His politica
influence was becoming positively EN-
barrassing to the czar's minister
/ when he died.
"Kouropatkin has never sought t
form a party in Russia-he is quite
content to be a great general, ant
nothing more
This judgment was pronounced
away back in 1885. 1t does not hole
good now. General Kouropatkin i
now the unchallenged head of tn
war party in Russia. He believes il
pushing Russian troops to the utter
most ends of Asia.
1
dian frontiers, which have alaremt
England in recent years; in the alb
sorption of Manchuria, and in tn.
threatened attacks on Korea, his hant
is plainly to be seen by any one ia
miliar with Russian politics.
Before becoming minister of war
Kouropatkin commanded the Russian
army. He is the idol of the army, 70
Skobeleff is name to conjure with il
/ the Russian service, and he was Skob
j eleff's righthand man in four cam
i paigns- Russo-Turkish war, tn
/ Khivan expedition and the Khokan
/ desc and Merv campaigns.
One of Kouropatkins strongest sup
porters to-day is the same General An
nenkoff, who admired his march thr1
the desert to join Skobeleff befor
j Cock Tepe. General sAnnenkoff mad
la great reputation by building strate
4 gic, railways in Central Asia, and hi
4 was the vast scheme for a trans
Siberian line to the Pacific. He frs
4 outlined that plan in detail during
4 visit to Paris in 1891.
j Many so-called practical me
y laughed at him then, but his idea
have since produced the greatest rail
road in the world, at an admitted cos
4 of f55,0O0,000, and perhaps a grea
deal more.