Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-31
THE XII -cHOU Fight
Exaggerated Reports Of Jap
TO anese Losses.
NOT OVER oNE-TENTH
FANcIFUL STORIES OF DARING
at. =, FRaM LONDON. {, a.4.

| sftJt - - y - -
Russians Probable Plan Of Stubborn.
Retissat-Yort Arthur,s Strength i
Raids In Korea a Mistake. II
Let no man think 1t worth his time to
attempt to understand the descriptions of
the fight for Kin-chou. - remarked The
Stars military expert today '.The dis
patches from London. Tokyo and St. Pc
tersburg and three separate maps all give
different names. In fact. there Is not any
similarity between the nomenclature used
In two dispatches from the same place. 1t
Is clear. howev5r that after severe artfl-
lery fire on the 26th Kin-chou was evac-
uated by the Russie rs in the night and oc-
cupied by the Japs on the morning Of the
9th. The main fighting was thus about
Sakaton. which seems to be town on the
Nanshan Hill mentioned in the dispatches.
THE Japanese did not enter Talien-wan
bay or Kerr bay on account Of the fear OF
attack by the fire Of gunboats in the Kin
chou bay. This last is supposed to be so
shallow as to afford very little assistance.
Extravagants Stories Of Losses.
1.-THE report ofsGen. Oku, commander OF
the Japanese forces at Nanshan HILL" re-
marked the military expert does not sub
stantfate the extravagant statements that
were made In the London dispa tches. When
you hear Of lines Of men who melt away
before rifle fire, like morning mist beneath
the sun, only, to be replaced by other lines
of equal courage, and with the same fate.
you begin to think that 1t is time to quit
this method of settling national disputes.
For my part, I was about ready to believe
that the tf1ne for universal peace and arbt-
tration had arrived. l fancied to myself
the shade of Napoleon turHing pale with
feeling like 30 cents, 1 was also sorry for
my friends of the G. A r., who have for
forty years been nursing belief that they
had once fought In a real war, and whose
All this was not the result of anything
said by the laps. who have been becom-
ingly modest; 1t was merely the enthusi-
asm Of their friends, as 1t turns out.
Now, 1t Is observed that the Japs had
probably $4,000 men in that battle. and a
loss of 10 per cent In killed and wounded
does not establish a new record OF loss In
battle. We may still find few models at
home, and we may still pray for more men
as good as those. who have gone. but not
Tendency of Modern Warfare.
'"ln6 OPINION Oh tu0 UcSt duthOAatACS nos
been that the tendency OF modern war was
to diminish the lass in battle. Such war
as our own civil war. in which there were
nearly sixty battles In which more than 10
per cent OF, one side or the other were hit.
will not occur again. The experience Of
the most recent wars supports this view
At the battle Of Colenso, the largest en-
gagement Of the Boer war, with about
IL. 900 men engaged. the loss Of the British
we laSs cent MaRerSfOntofn
was probably the most severe engagement
which reached ths dimensions of battle.
and there thk. loss was less than per cent
of the 1900 men engaged
Effect of the Result.
i "Fhe capture Of Naflshan Hill seems to
have been an entirely creditable affair on
the part of theaJaps but not at all extra
ordinary. AdditionalSfeports will be need
ed to see whether on the Russian side this
was a second Yalu. The japanese COM
mander makes no report of prisoners cap
tured. which would indicate that the Rus
slams were not defeated, but retired in good
order. Opposed to this idea is the reported
cap ture of ordnance, but this may be ex-
planned by saying that the ordnance was a
lot of obsolete fortress artillery which orig,
inaliy was owned by the Chinese. This
claim seems reasonable, for 1t Is not to be
supposed that guns would be used In such
place which it was not expected to leave.
From Nanshan Hill to Port Arthur the
distance Is thirty miles, and there are two
roads, one by the north coast and the other
by the south The policy of General Fock.
if he has sufficient force. is to continue to
retreat from one prepared position to an
other, thus forcing upon the Japanese COM
mander the open assault Of intrenched
lines.
Port Arthur Next.
when it comes to Port Arthur all this
talk about assault will have to be dismiss
ed A fortress offs this kind is not to be
captured by any number of men. Closed
redoubts, with parapets. bitches and flank
defense, are not to be taken, il defended at
all. without long and careful preparation.
The heavy siege guns will have to be UNI
loaded at Dalny and dragged practically by
hand to the neighbOrhOod OF the fortress;
emplacements will have to be prepared for
them under fire from the fortress and I'M
der constant danger of attack from the gar
rison. Then, when all is ready, the work OF
battering down the defenses will begin.
Gen. StOessel. in command of Port Ar
thur, is also the commander of the Sd Army
Corps and Gen. Foek Is the commander of
the 4th Siberian Rifle Brigade. This would
indicate that there Is large garrison in
the fortress.
The Cossack Raids.
at seems strange that the Russians are
persisting In their Cossack raids into Korea
These expeditions have long since accom-
pIished all the good effect that ought to be
expected. If it is true that they are even
accompanied by artillery they are mourning
danger of being cut OF. better field of OPP
erations would seem to be the region be-
tween the armies Of Oku and Kuroki, against
the open flank of each. That country seems
to be rather more favorable thon Korea for
cavalry operations. and the game is larger"
$.
Wireless Telegraph to Iceland.