Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-09-17
OYAMA AND LEE.

Ing tne pedCeiul afOOatiVn Va P'N0
of the jamestown Exposition Company,
at Norfolk, likens the, operations of Field
Marshal Oyama to those of Gen. Robert
f. Lee. He said:
81 have been carefully scanning the
REPORTS from Manchuria since the first
definite reports began coming to our
newspapers and / am impressed with the
remarkable similarity between the cam
paign of Field Marshal Oyama around
Liaoyang and Gen. Robert E. Lees
strategy before the second battle OF
Manassas.
"It is not unusual for officers COM
manding armies to study the campaigns
of the great commanders and the knowl-
edge 30 acquired is frequently invalu-
able, especially where the Typographical
features are similar and the proportion
between the opposing forces bears re-
semblance. To give an instance, Just
before the first battle of Manassas, being
Young staff officer at the time, visit
ed General Beauregard in his tent. l
found him bending over the Campaigns
of Napoleon Of course,i Il do not know
whether or not be gained any hint of
value by his study, but this instance fell
under my own observation.
ut is no discredit to Oyama, there
fore, to assume that be has studied Gen
eral Lees strategy and tactics. There
are so many points of resemblance that
it would oe difficult to explain them by
the theory of condolences. General
Lee paid much attention to his enemY's
flanks, and, unless he was fighting a
defensive battle, he always assaulted
the right or lett OF his opponent. In
his first battle after being placed In COM
mand of the troops defending Richmond,
he so unanswered as to crush McClel-
ian's right. In his next fight, the Sec
ond battle of Manassas, he turned the
right flank OF Pope's army Oyama has
been adopting the same tactics against
Kuropatkin and has met with the same
success.
"I was particularly impressed with
the strategy displayed by Field Marshal
Oyama in his maneuvers on the front
aud flank Of Kuropatkin's army at
Liaoyang. 1t is almost an exact repro
duction of Lees movements in front OF
Pope on the Rappahannock river i'm
mediately before the second battle OF
Manassas.
The federal and southern armies were
lying opposite each other with the river
flowing between them. Lees army was
divided into two corps under Longstreet
and Jackson. Oyama's army seems to
have been divided into three under Oku,
Nodzu aud KurOki. Leaving Longstree.
on Pope's front, as Oyama left Oku and
Nadzu en- Kuropatkin's front, Lee di-
ricted Jackson 10 move up the river,
cross it and bring his whole corps, If
possible, in the rear OF Pope's army.
Concerning this march am well inform
ed. because accompanied Jackson with
my cavalry. After crossing the river
Jackson moved almost at right angles to
it until he reached Gainesville, where he
camped for the night after having
marched 26 miles. The next day he
turned exactly at right angles, passed
through Thoroughfare Gap and struck
the railroad between Pope's position and
Washington at a place called Bristow
station. 26 miles in the rear of Pope's s
centre, where he bivOuacked for the
night, having marched in those two hot
days in August 56 miles.
"On just about the same day of the
same month, AZ years later, under very
similar conditions, Oyama dispatched
Kuroki on an identical mission. Kuroki,
circling Kuropatkin's left, crossed the
Taitse, and proceeded at right angles to
the river about 20 miles. Making a
sharp turn to the left, he passed the
Yeutal hills to the town of Yental, on
tie road to Mukden, directly in the rear
of Kuropatkin.
"Before Manassas Pope was confront
ed with these alternatives-to cross the
Rappahannock and throw his whole
force on Longstreet and destroy him,
if possible. or about face, countermarch,
and concentrate his army on jackson,
who was interrupting railway and tele-
graph communication with his baee, Alex.
andria and WashintoDg. He decided
on the latter course, and gave orders to
concentrate On Jackson at Manassas,
whittier the latter had gone from Brls-
tow the day after he reached that STA
ton. Jackson did not stay at Manassas,
however, but doubled-backed on hi:
course, and placed himself in position
to form a junction with Longstreet.
Three days later the two wings reunited
under General Lees command.
Gust what marching aud counter
marching was done by Kuroki is not ell.
tirely clear from the published accounts
but il is evident that his position in tn,
rear of Kuropstkin's army, with tn
main body Of the japanese army il
front and concentrating at the same ob
iectiye point, was effective, and prooabl
contributed 10 the largest degree to tn
victory of the Japanese. An exsmina
ton of the newspaper maps Will sno'
how very similar Oyama's contests wit
Kuropatkin at Liaoyang and on tn
Taitse we're to Lees maaeuvres ID iron
of Pope on the Rappshaunock. Kurok
, is the Stonewall Jackson Of Oysma
army, for whileOyams was in front {
: Kuropatkin, Kuroki planted himself
= his rear. Oyama evidently had tn
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