The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-01
Wednesdays Battle at Lilac
Yang of Desperate Character.
1t Lasted from Dawn Till Mid.
night Without Cessation.
HUNDREDS OF CANNON
Kept Up Continuous lombard
ment Throughout the Day.
Bayonet Charges Followed Each
Other I'm Rapid Succession.

st. Petersburg, Sept. 1875 p. M
According to official advices from the
front the battle at Lao Yang had not
been resumed up to o'clock this morn
ing.
The battle yesterday was of the most
desperate character. 1t ragged continu-
ously from dawn until midnight and
the slaughter must have been immense.
At in the evening, after holding his
outer position all day in the face of the
most desperate charges, General Kuro-
patkin gave the order to retire upon the
main works about the city. The Japa-
nese assaults during the day had been
directed principally against the Rus
sian center, little east of Maietung
hill, near the railroad and three miles
southwest of Lao Yang. Nothing APP
preaching the severity of the infantry
and artillery fire had been heretofore
experienced in this war. General Kron-
dravitch'S division bore the brunt and
suffered the most. Bayonet charges
succeeded each other in rapid success
sion, while the artillery duel never
ceased for a moment.
No attempt was made in the official
advices to estimate the number of guns
the Japanese used except that they had
many hundreds. Each gun carried $50
pended many times as several hundred
thousand shells were fired between
sunrise and sunset.
General Kuropatkin's order to fall
back on the fertilization probably was
due to the receipt of information that
the Japanese had succeeded in crossing
the Taitz river, northeast of LiPo Yang,
although General Rennekamp's and
Mandariteff's divisions had been espec-
tally placed in position in this direction
to checkmate such a move.
The Japanese crossed at a point
called Sakankankwantun, 20 miles
a. Gf mr. hat ah loo
and marched in force directly west
ward with the evident object of cut
ting the Russian line of communica- |
ton with Mukden. Their exact
division was made out. AS soon as
the Japanese found that the Russians
were retiring from their outer posi- |
lions southwark they resumed the at
dark. Thus pressed the Russians ar |
rested their movement to the rear and |
again faced the Japanese. With the |
view of eventual retirement from their |
outer positions, the Russians had dug |
a large number of pits with stakes |
concealed in their bottoms. The pits
were artfully concealed among the |
high Chinese corn. When the Japa- |
nese charged after the Russians they /
fell into the pits in hundreds and |
were engulfed and impaled on the |
stakes and their lines were thrown
into confusion. When the Russians |
faced about and returned to their old |
positions they found these death traps
Allied with dead and dying.
The rattle of musketry and boom of
cannon continued until midnight,
when at last silence brooded over
he bloody battlefield and the tired
soldiers lay down where they had
ought, while the wornout surgeons
md angels of mercy ministered to the
all night and the Chinese
coolies worked at carrying them into
Lao Yang.
Gen. Sakharoff, in reporting the
,attle, says the Japanese suffered
hose of the Russians, who also lost
heavily.
Many ArtiIIerymen Killed.
Lao Yang, Sept. IA Russian cor
says:
1.-The Japanese all day carried on
he fight with an energy approaching
desperation, but the Russians were
,uoyed I'D in the belief that a point
lad been reached where there would
De no more retreating and the Jap
Inese attacks were met with shouts
nd hurrahs from the trenches and
he rifle pits.
Five times the Japanese hurled
themselves against our lines, but each
ime they were repulsed at the point
# the bayonet.
ction on each side. but we have more
runs emplaced than have the Jap
nese.
1.-The losses cannot be computed,
tut they have been great everywhere
specially among the artillerymen. |
Cor instance in the First artillery
rigade every officer was either killed
IT wounded and some of the guns j
we're silenced absolutely owing to the ,
eath of all the gun crew.
1.-The spirits of the men are of the '
highest at all points" $