Rock Island Argus., 1904-09-05

hood of SatZuagO to cover the col
umns on the right center.
This column has still been unable
to carry the 131 meter height COM
pletely. The left column (Oku's) is
in the neighbOrhood of Lutanya CHei-
yingtai). and is confronting the enemy
on the 131 meter height. Our center
(Nodzu'sD and left armies COku's) are
still continuing the attack on the en-
emy on the south and west side of
LiaOyang.
Saturday all buildings resembling
the warehouses near the railway sta
tion at Liaoyang were burnt down"
story of Fight.
St Petersburg. Sept. 5.-The battle
of Liaoyang. which began with the
Japanese advance Aug. "a. the day of
the christening of the cZarevitch, and
concluded Sept. ,, with the retreat of
Kuropatkin. is believed to have been
the longest and bloodiest of history.
Both sides repeatedly came to hand
.to-hand encounters in bayOnet charges
and the men of both sides were often
so near each other they could diStin-
guish the features and hear the words
of command. In one instance they
were separated only by the width of
a railroad and actually threw. stones
at each other. The mad herOism OF
the Japanese and the stubborn tenacity
of the Russians had not been parallel
ed anywhere save in some desperate
encounters of the American civil war.
short of Ammunition.
The correspondents state that sever
al bayonet attacks made by the Jap
anese throughout the battle were fore
ed by the depletion of ammunition, of
which the modern arms entail such eX-
tTavagant expenditure. The Japanese
came on with empty guns and with
hopes of finishing the attack with cold
steel. but it was proved at their own
cost that such attacks cannot be driven
home in the face of the fire of breech-
loading guns.
The Russian artillerymen suffered
terribly in the prolonged fighting
south of the Taitse river. One battery.
for instance. lost 40 men killed. and
the remainder of it were wounded.
News Stuns IT. Petersburg.
st. Petersburg. Sept. 5.-Gen. Kuro-
patkin's defeat and the consequent re-
treat came as a thunderbolt. Few here
believed il possible that with so great
IA force at his command and fighting on
a ground chosen by himself, in a posi-
ton to the highest degree fortified,
with the advantage of the railroad to
bring reinforCements. he could sue
cumb to forces so little exceeding his
own.
To understand fully the sense of
modification existing here it must be
remembered that everyone has been
assured that LiaOyang would at last
turn the tide of Russian disasters. and
that the Japanese surely would be
routed and the immediate rescue of
| Port Arthur follow.
Ii is more significant that not a sin
| gle st. Petersburg paper makes either
comment or editorial notice, the or.
ganiZed silence showing that kuropat
| kin's fetch for the people. of placing
every defeat and retreat as a part OF
/ his plan of campaign. reeminSly this
time has entirely failed to give salts
| tion. all the more as it is realized that
| each strong position relinQuiShed will
have 10 be taken back at a terrible
loss of life, TO the indefinite prolonga
tion of the war
! Abandoned 200 Guns.
ST. Petersburg. Sept Sit is report
! ed here but not yet confirmed thai
Kuropatkin was obliged to abandon