Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-05-06
THE FIRST GREAT BATTLE.

Japanese army under General Kuroki .
has forced the Yalu river and with
gallant infantry charge covering o
frontage of four miles drove the Rus
SLAMS from Chiutiencheng and the |
heights on the right bank of the Tho or
Aida river, which enters the Yalu from
the north almost opposite Wiju The |
japanese turned the left flank of the
Russian position and in the battle
swept away the new front interposed
by the Russians to check their onward
movement.
A Tokyo report says the Japanese
have captured Chiutiencheng, ten
miles north of Antung, which is re-
garded as the key to the Russian posi-
ton on the right bank of the Yalu
river. 1t is reported that the Russians
will retreat to Fenghuancheng, which
is on the road to Liaoyang.
The japanese naval movements
against Vladivostoll have failed of sue
cess because of the dense fogs which
prevailed in the vicinity of that port.
The Russians were forced to abandon
Antung. The town was burned.
The japanese now control the estu-
airy of the Yalu.
A Tokyo report says seventy-three
Japanese were killed or drowned rs n
result of the sinking of the japanese
transport Kinshiu Maru, which was
torpedoed by the Russian armored
cruiser Rossia.
While the transport was sinking the
soldiers on board of her rushed on
deck and fired vollcys from their rifles
! into the Rossia, and as the Kinshiu
| Maru sank several of the soldiers COM
mitted suicide.
The latest semiofIicial advices from
Tokyo say that after the Japanese car
ried the line of hills extending from
Chiutiencheng to Yoshoka, on the right
bank of the Tho river, the Russians
made a stand on hill northwest of
Chiutiencheng, but they soon began
retreating. The Twelfth Japanese
division advanced toward Tahiang
fang, which is due west of the village
of Kakao; the division of the Imperial
guards advanced toward Hamatan,
which is west of Chiutiencheng, while
the Second division moved down the
river, with Antung as its objective.
At Maintain. where the Tho river
makes its first bend to the west the
Japanese succeeded in enveloping the
Russians on three sides. The Russian
troops at Hamatan retreated toward
Fenghuancheng.
A Russian officer who was taken
prisoner said that the effect of the Jap
anese artillery fire on Saturday and
Sunday was deadly.
General Kuroki and his headquar-
tiers staff have entered Chiutiencheng.
Details of the defeat of the Russians
by the Japanese under Kuroki at the
battle Of the Yalu approach the d.
mansions Of a disaster. Their losses as
far as known are 5000 to 1000 kill
ed, $50 officers and men taken
prisoners, twenty field guns and
six quick firing guns captured, while
General Kashtalinsky, two regimental
commanders and one artillery COM
mander were killed, with many other
; superior officers killed or wounded.
The japanese losses seem to be about
300, the first dispatches saying that
900 men had been killed or wounded
and the subsequent reports of General
Kuroki saying that 1900 were added to
our casualties in pursuit" No general
officers were reported killed or wound
ed.
Indications of the straits to which
the Russian advance guard has been
reduced is the news that General Ku
ropathin, the commander in chief, hat
r himself fastened to the front with 20,
900 picked troops to retrieve the day
and the Fastening to the far east of al
! artillery armament to replace that los
in the battle. The Russians have beer
1 seriously crippled by the loss of 81
many guns.
There is little doubt that the Japa
nese advance now seriously threatens
, the ability of Port Arthur to hold out
while a great body of Russian troops
/, has been cut off and may be captured.
Viceroy Alexeieff has reported to st
+ Petersburg the attempt to block Por
v Arthur early yesterday morning al
follows:
i
e ness that fresh attack was made b,
y the enemy with the object of obstruct
: ing the entrance to the port and tina
: it has been successfully repealed.
"At l o'clock in the morning five tor
pedo boats were perceived near tn
coast from the eastern batteries. Tn
L der the fire of our warships and tn
| batteries they retreated southwark.
! AT 1:45 o'clock the first fireship, es
corted by several torpedo boats, wa
sighted, and we opened fire upon
from the batteries and the warships
Three-quarters of an hour afterwar,
our searchlights revealed a number o
fireships making for the entrance 0
the harbor from the east and Soutl
east. The coast defense vessels OF
vashni and Gremieshchi and the gur
boat Giliak repulsed each by a we
directed fire.
Altogether eight ships were sunk b