The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-11-16
JAPS AGAIN VICTORIOUS
General Kuroki's Infantry and ORA
goons Defeat Cars Cossacks.
LIVELY FIGHT EAST OF HAICHEH

After Making a Brilliant Charge OH the
Japanese p Thanking Movement OF
Cavalry and Infantry by he Latte,
Forces Gen. ~Rennenkampff to Retire.
Two Guns Are Captured by Japs.
Toxic, Japan.-One of the severe>t
shot battles of the autumn campaign
was fought between a strong detach-
ment of Rennenkamp(f's Cossacks. en-
gagged in another Of his daring raids
on the Japanese lines, and 4 regiment
of General Kuroki's dragons. support
ed by two battalions of infantry. Gen
eral Rennenkampff himself narrowly
escaped capture. and his losses We're
severer than at any time since his mid.
summer fight with Kuroki's second col.
umn in the mountains east Of Haichen.
Two light guns were captured from
the Russians and an entire horse bat
terry was cut to pieces. All the horses
Of a sotnia, which was diSmounted
and posted behind the crest of q small
hill by the COSsack commander, were
stampeded by a platoon of japanese
infantry and most of their owners
were taken prisoners. The CosSacks
lost more than 200 in killed and wound.
ed, and after their flight Il large mum.
Der of small arms were collected by
Kuroki's troops. Importance is at
tached to the action not only because
1t demonstrated the vigilance OF the
Japanese picketS, but because the pro
longed retreat of the Cossacks showed
there could not be 4 strong body of the
enemy near Chuchiatun, beyond which
town the Russians fled.
Warning was received from 4 picket
posted on the north slope OF TAPPING
Mountain that a column OF Russian
cavalry was approaching that point.
An out post OH the west slope was
thrown forward in sliirmish formation
and videttes carried the news to the
centre of the Japanese right army.
General Kuroki was inspecting that
division of his forces when the cOurierS
arrived. He dispatched to the mount
ain the Fifteenth Regiment of Toxic
cavalry and two infantry battaliOns OF
the Fourteenth Imperial B~odyguards.
The cavalry moved along q narrow
road running east of the mountain, the
infantry advancing to the west slope.
A battery of field artillery was sent In
the same direction, but arrived too late
to play. an important part in the fight.
The dragons caught sight of the Cos.
sacks after sweeping to the north
slope of the mountain. One squadron
dismounted and advanced, firing in
open order, the remainder of the Jap.
anese cavalry making a detour to the
east. So quickly did the japanese
colonel handle his regiment that the
mounted squadrons gained the rear OF
the enemy before Rcnnenkampff dis.
covered he was confronted by more
men than the dismounted troopers.
The CosSacks charged the dismount.
ed cavalrymen, and in their rapid
movement across a shallow valley
northeast OF the mountain dozens OF
saddles were emptied by Kurokis car'
bines. More than a dozen infantry
men were ridden down by the lancers
and the enemy's horse swept through
the Japanese line. The Cossacks
wheeled on finding there was no force
behind the dismounted dragons and
charged the skirmiSh line again. A
quick rally by troops enabled the Jap
anese to receive the charge success.
fully, and before the CoSsacks could
check the impetus Of their second on
slaught the mounted japanese squad
rons were upon them from the east
Furious hand-to-hand fighting between
the opposing cavalrymen followed. 1t
ended in the rapid withdrawal of Rem
nenkampf's riders toward the north
slope of the mountain, where three
Cossack horse batteries opened fire on
the Japanese. Rennenkampff reformed
his squadrons behind the guns, INT
when the japanese cavalry retired he
left Il dismounted sotnia to support the
gunners and moved eastward in pur'
suit Of the apparently retreating dra'
goons.
Kuroki's infantry at that moment
appeared around the west side Of the
mountain. They advanced with the
battle cry of the bodyguards and
pressed up the slight slope toward the
Cossack batteries. Both battallons
were in plain view from the moment
they left the wooded ground at the
base Of the Taipingshan, but the Rus
sian gunners did not swing their
pieces quickly enough to get an effec'
tive range before the Japanese troops
mounted the foothill.
The Bodyguards stampeded the
horses of the dismounted sotnia which
were picketed under a small guard be.
hind the hill and killed or wounded
most of the enemy On the little emf
hence. Rennenkampff's cavalry rode
back at sound Of the firing ill theit
rear, but they were received with a
heavy rifle fire and, harassed from the
east by the Japanese dragons. re
treated in extreme disorder. 1t was
in the break to escape that their gen
eral almost was caught by ! troop OF
KurOki's horse.