The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-09-23

TENDER b, via Tien Tsin Sept 13.-The
morning of September Sd, the fifth day
of the battle, was an anxious time at
the headquarters Of General Kurrki.
Tho Russian bombqrdment of the hE
was proceeding and the Jaran,sa bit
'eries had taken IN NV positions in TIE
low lands. 1t was evident that the
Pussians confronting the army under
General Kurok had been heavily re-
enforced. The members Of the Cen
erals staff were silent concern ng the
situation. Little firing was heard from
the direction Of Liaoyang. whether
/ General Kuropatkln was holding his
/ ground there and bringing further re-
endorsements against General KuroH
or shifting the main strength OF his
army against the Japanese General who
menaced his retreat and was within
striking distance of the railroad, were
matters OF conjecture.
The morning of September 4th was
intolerably hot and an omlnous quiet
reigned. Two Russian guns beyond
the hills in front of General Kurokl's
army doomed at intervals. The mem
bers of the General staff obviouly were
worried. They spent the morning
as they had the previous afternoon, in
looking through telescopes toward the
northwest, and it was evident that they
expected a movement IN that direction
1t became known that General Kuroki's
communication with the other japanese
armies had been cut. There was no
knowledge as to how the tide Of battle
went with them, but the Russian force
in front of General KuroRi was esi-
mated to number at least five divisions.
The situation of the brigade on Gen
eral Kurokrs extreme right became cri-
teal. 1t was thought that the Rus
SLAMS might attempt to cut off Gener'
Kuroki by a turning movement through
the gap between him and the fourth
army toward Anping, where the only
! Japanese forces for several miles were
! some regiments of cav,. ry patrolling
the VALLEY of the Taitse river.
In the course of the afternoon the
| prospect frightened, and it rapidly be-
came known that fresh brigade had
REINFORCED the right of the line.
The silence and suspense came to an
end at . o'clock in the evening At
this hour the members of the staff be-
came galvanized into activity. Couriers
galloped forward and Genera Flu ii an
nOunced that the army would b gin the
pursuit of the enemy Close upon his
words the Japanese batteries began
brisk pounding. The left wing swept
/ toward the railroad and the entire line
/ advanced meeting a lively rife fire from
. the Russian rear guard. To this the
japanese replied, and the engagement
was continued until nightfall.
! On Sunday morning General Kuro,
rode forward to Heiyingtai hill. He
passed many mounds where fires burn
| ed over the dead, and hundred of fresh
and hastily dug graves The fields had
! been trampled into Dogs by the fighting
men and were strewn with the debris of
both armies.
The spectacle presented by Heiying-
tai hill has seldom been equaled in any
war. The top of this hill is less than
| a quarter of mile long. The crest of
| it, as well as the slopes and raVines,
! was literally honey-combed with
! trenches, bitches and burrows for
shelter. Trenches and cOunter-trenches
ran in every direction, testify Dg TO
! the number of attacks made ana the
| different points from which these as
saults had been attempted. Close to
| the summit of the hill We're the bodies
of 200 dead Russians. They lay as
| they had fallen, their rines in their
! hands or on the ground near them. 1t
appeared that these men had attempted
| to advance in open order and that the
entire line had been moved down by
the japanese fire when it was almost
upon the trenches. The bodies were
! bloated and black They had Ian there
in the sun, for the firing was so con-
slant and fierce that the japanese had
been unable to bury them. Many other
| corpses streWed the fielus below the h.ll
! tearing pits and burrows in the ground.
Fragments of steel were everywhere
under foot. Several RUSSIAN drums,
2UO or $40 Russian rifles ana q numDer
of cooking pots, all torn and shattered
by shot and shell, were lying rounu
| about. Bayonets were twisted and
broken, and on the ground there were
the lags OF uniforms and soldiers caps
all torn by shot and soaked in blood.
Blood was smeared everywhere in the
trenches and on the turf, and it was i'm
possible to take a step without tread
ing on bullets. During the Japanese
occupation this hill was unuer a cross
fire from the Russian batteries at Sky
Wantun. The deep raYines on the
eastern slope of the hill, where there
had been galleries of shelter PITS, had
been honey-cOmDed and indescribably
disigured by the fierce shell fire. 1t
was difficult for an observer to believe
that an area of equal extent had ever
before been the scene of such carnage,
and Heiyingtai hill was only single
point OF the battlefield, every foot of
which had been bitterly contested for
two days and two nights.
LONDON, September 1O.-The Daily
Chronicle eulogizes General Kuropatkin
declaring that Captain A, II. Mahan,
United States Navy, retired. was the