The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1904-09-08
GREAT ARMIES IN
BITTER conflict
RUSSIAN AND JAPANESE HOSTS
ARELoCKED IN A STRUGGLE
TO THE DEATH.
Kuropatkin Forced to Evacuate Lao
yang-Japs Said to Have 0ccu-
pied the City-Heavy Losses on
Both Sides.

nation of a most significant character
as bearing on the domination of Man
churia at the close of the present cam
paign.
The first came from correspondent
at St. Petersburg, filed there at 10: 16 p.
NJ, and said that Gen. Kuropatkin, had
withdrawn his whole army to the right
bank of the Taitse river, so as to meet
Gen. Kuroki's flanking movement. The
inference drawn from this dispatch was
that Liaoyang had been evacuated, that
city lying on the left bank of the river.
Nothing to confirm this was received
until several hours later, when a dis
patch from a correspondent at st. Pc
tersburg, dated September 2, and timed
at 1870 Friday morning, said that 'the
news of the evacuation of Liaoyang
and the withdrawal of the Russian army
to the right bank of the Taitse river had
causedintense excitement" Late Thurs
day night st. Petersburg correspond
ent obtained an opinion from the war
office that the withdrawal to the right
bank of the Taitse river became neces-
sary so that the Russians would be able
to repel blow. in that direction, and that
Gen. Kuropatkin's movement was the
carrying out of a well-defned idea, rath-
er than a retreat.
The same dispatch points out with
notable lack of comment that the jan
anese took advantage of Gen. Kuropat-
kin's withdrawal to occupy the city of
Liaoyang.
The second dispatch, which may have
significant bearing on the campaign.
is that filed at Mukden at 9:27 p. m.
Thursday, stating that the train serv-
ice between Mukden and Liaoyang was
interrupted. and it may mean the cut
ting of railroad communication which
would deprive Gen. Kuropatkin of an
opportunity to retreat to his more north
ern base at Mukden. AS pointed out in
the St. Petersburg dispatch, the Mukden
correspondence does not mention whether
the Geographic communications are
open.
A dispatch from Toxic, filed there at
two p. m. Thursday. said that popular
estimates of the date of the fall of Port
Arthur inclined to the last week in Sep
TENDER.
Losses Enormous.
1t is thought here that, in View of the
numbers engaged, the desperateness of
the assaults and the length of the line.
about seven miles, the losses in the two
days. fighting cannot fall short of 10000
on each side. Both sides are straining
every nerve, realizing that the fortunes
Of war for whole year are in the scale.
and neither side is in the mood or the
position to spare men in the effort to
achieve final victory.
One Of the Greatest Battles.
The battle of Liaoyang will probably
rank as one of the most sanguinary bat
ties of history. 1t is estimated by the
general staff that the Japanese armies
engaged number IL divisions of $4,000
men each, or, allowing for inefflcients,
about 100000 men. Each division has
36 guns, and there are two Independent
artillery brigades Of 100 guns each, maxi
Ing total of about 800 guns. The esti-
mates of Russian correspondents range
at from 600 to 1000 guns per side. In
the preliminary fighting of Monday the
Russians captured 200 prisoners, who
have already arrived at Hardin, and re-
port persists that they captured over 40
japanese guns Tuesday. Gen. Kuro-
patkin's effective forces are variously
estimated at from 40 900 to 200, 600 men.
One of the surprising phases of the sit
uation is the endurance of the men.
They have been engaged desperately for
two days after more or less severe fight
ing under unfavorable conditions every
day since August "a. 1t would seem
that human endurance could not persist
much longer without respite of some
sort.
Liaoyang, Aug. 29.-The Russians re-
tired from Anshanshan Saturday after
fight which commenced on the morn
Ing of August 26 and continued in a des-
ultory manner all day and night. Ar
rangements for battle had been COM
pleted by night time, when the order to
retire was given on account of the situa-
ton to the east. The order was received
with disappointment by the troops. The
retirement was made in an orderly man
ner. The plain between Anshanshan
and Haicheng was covered with Japa-
nese troops who burned the bridge and
shelled the railway station after the
Russian retirement. The Russian losses
amount to 300.
Japs Resume Fighting.
The Japanese artillery resumed the
battle at six o'clock Monday morning,
the point of pressure again being the
Russian south front. The japanese
made forced march by night and over
took the Russians at daylight. Gen.
Routkovsky was killed by the explosion
Of she'll.
| nI.o ro.,asoA r>~A,-.