The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-09-08
FIERCE BATTLE
NOW RAGING
RUSSIAN FORCES SWEPT BACK
TO THE RIvER.
FIRES RAGING IN TIE CITY
hundreds are Thought to Have Been
Drowned. Heavy Artillery Duel
Was Not Discontinued for a Mo-
ment. Death Traps Concealed,
Claimed Hundreds of Victims.


armies of Japan have engaged in a
desperate attack upon Lao Yang,
where General Kuropatkin has con-
centrated every available Russian sol
der.
The japanese are attacking from
the south and from the east. The
right wing of the column attacking
from the south keeps in touch with
the left wing of the column going in
the east, forming an immense circu-
lar triangular, the two fronts Of which
cover an enormous range.
Following the preliminary successes
Of the 10th, south Of Lao Yang. Field
Marshal Marquis Oyama, the Com
mauGer CT the japanese forces in the
field, promptly sent the united forces
forward. and al dawn on Aug. 80 a
desperate attack upon all the Russian
positions was made
The japanese found the Russians
holding long chain OF splendidly-
fortified positions, with tremendous
Force eff artillery. The japanese ar
tillery opened the way, but these pre-
liminary attacks generally failed to
siven an opportunity for an open as
sault. Victory at Lao Yang means
the domination of Manchuria and pos
sibly the end of the autumn cam
paign.
st. Petersburg -Thc battle on Sep
TENDER LIST was Of the most desperate
character. It ragged continue usly from
dawn until midnight, and the slaugA-
ter must have been immense. At s
in the evening after holding his outer
position all day In face OF the most
desperate charges, General Kuropat-
| kin gave the order to retreat upon the
main works about the city. The Jap
anese assaults during the day had
been directed principally against the
Russian center, little east of MAZE
tung Hill, near the railroad, and three
miles southwest of ao-Yang. Moth
ing approaching the severity of the
infantry and artillery fire here had
been heretofore experienced in this
war. General Kondratsvitch' IS divis-
ion bore the brunt and suffered most.
Bayonet charges succeeded each other
in rapid succession, while the artillery
duel never ceased for a moment. No
attempt was made in the official ad-
vices to estimate the number of guns
the japanese used, except that they
had many hundreds. Each gun ear
ries $50 charges, and these must have
been expended many times, as sew
eral hundred thousand shells were fir
ed between sunrise and sunset. Gen
eral Kuropatkin' s order to fall back
on the Notifications was probably due
to the receipt Of information that the
Japanese had succeeded in crossing the
Taitse River, northeast of Liao-Y Yang,
although Generals Rennenkampf s
and Mandariteff' s divisions had been
especially placed in position in this
direction to checkmate such move.
The japanese crossed at . point
called >Sankankankwantun, twenty
miles east and somewhat above Lao
Yang, and marched in force directly
westward, with the evident object OF
cutting the Russian line Of communi-
cation with Mukden. Their exact
strength was not established, but a di-
vision was made out.
AS soon as the japanese found tina
the Russians were retiring from their
outer positions southwark they re-
sumed the attack there, although ii
was then quite dark. Thus pressed
the Russians arrested their movement
to the rear, and again faced the Jap
anese.
With the view of eventual retire
ment from their outer positions the
Russians had dug large number OF
pits, with stakes concealed in their
bottoms. The pits were artfully CON
csaled among the high Chinese corn
When the japanese charged after the
Russians they fell into the pits in hun.
dreds and were engulfed and impaleo
on the stakes and their lines were
thrown into confusion. When tht
Russians faced about and returned K
their old positions they found these
death traps filed with dead and dy
ing.
The Yattle Of musketry and boon
of cannon continued until midnight
when, at last, silence brooded owe
the bloody battle field, and the tire
soldiers lay down where they ha,
fought, while the worn-out surgeon
and angels of mercy ministered to tn
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