Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1904-05-04
WIN A BIG BATTLE
Glorious Victory Crowns pfsHess Of
Japanese Arms
HEAVY LOSSES TO RUSSIANS ARMY.
The First Army, under General Kuro-
XII, Forces Passage of the YaIu
and Drives the Russians from Chen
Tien chens.

- ''Su S9tChSs
Toxic, BY Cable.-After FIVE days o.
/. fighting, largely with artillery, the
Arst japanese army; under Genera,
kuroki, has forced a crossing of the
falu fiyer and Sunday with a gallant
charge. covering a frontage Of four
miles, it drove the Russians from Chiu
Tien Cheng and the heights on the
tight bank of the. Tho or Aida river;
witch enters the Yalu., from lne
North almost opposite Wiju;, The jap
anese turned the LETT. flank Of the Rus
Sian position and in the battle Of Sum
day they swept the new front inter;
posed by the Russians to check their
onward movement. The present posi-
tion Of the Japanese is e dominating
5nee, and they may force the abandon
meIt of the ,deienses erected by the
Russians at .Antung and olner points
lower down the river.
General Kuroki began the movement
on Tuesday by ordering detachment
OF the Imperial Guards division to
seize the island of Kurito, which is in
the Yalp above Wiju, and a'detachment
of the second division to seize the ISL
and of Kintieto, which is situated be-
low, .Wijn., The detachment Of the I'M
berial Guards met some resistance, but
1T succeeded in clearing the enemy out
and occupied kurito Island. The
Russians abandoned the island of Kin
teito when attacked by the detach-
ment Of the second divisions.
49, The action losses sustained by the
detachment of the Imperial Guards is
not known, as there ia an error in that
part Of the message received here re-
ferring to the number killed, but 9
ef the detachment were severely and
1S Slightly Wounded: The detachment
Of The second division which took tho
Island Of Kinito sustained no losses.
During these movements on the ISL
and the Russians opened fire on the
Japanese with eight guns from hill
behind -Tien-Chein and two Hotch-
kiss guns which were mounted on the
bank Of the river at Kosan, where the
Russians seemed to have established
their headquarters. One battery of Jap
anese artillery which had taken posi-
tion on hill to the east of Wiju fired
Tuesday the Russian batteries behind
Chu Cheng opened fire, wounding one
Japanese soldier with shraInel On
Wednesday the bombardment of Wiju
was continued, the firing being at in
tervals. The japanese artillery did not
respond to this fact General Kuroki
iassreceiYed reports tc the effect that
the SJapaneSe loss was small
Sfr1nEnIn nit-t
ering party.from an emplacement IN
the hills in the southeast part Of Yo-
shoko. This fire was without effect. The
Russian artillery or the hill behind
Chiu- Cheng firing at a high angle,
opened on Win, where some Japan
ese se!batteries had taken position. This
Airing continued until Thursday night
and General Kuroki reports that while
It was ineffective, it. disturbed his prep.
arations for an attack. The Russians
resumed the shelling of Wiju on Fri"
day, but the Japanese guns did not re-
ply.
, The twelfth division of the japanese
army was chosen to make the first
crossing of the Yalu. 1t began its pre-
parations on Friday by driving the
Russians from their position on the
bank Of the river Opposite Suikochln,
which is eight miles above Wiju, and
the point selected for the crossing. This
division constructed a pontoon brldge
over the river and at o'clock Saturday
morning it began crossing. The entire
division crossed oyer the river and by
6 o'clock D. m, it was in the position
assigned to it for the battle Sunday.
The movement of the twelfth jap
aIese division was covered by the Sec
ond Regiment Of field artillery and
another artillery regiment Of heavy
guns.
The Japanese losses in the lombard
ments of Saturday were two men kill
ed and five officers and % men
wounded. A fotilla of gun-boats from
the squadron of AdHTal Hosoya par
ticipated in the fighting Of Saturday.
It encountered mixed force of Rus
SLAMS infantry, cavalry and artillery On
the Manchurian bank Of the Yalu pc
low Antung and after sharp night
scattered them to the hills.
A bridge across the main stream or
the YaIu, just below Wiju, was COM
pleted at 8 o'clock Saturday night
and the second Japanese division and
the Imperial Guards Immediately be-
gan crossing.
They advanced and occupied the hills
back of Kosan, facing the Russian po-
sition on the right bank of the river.
An through Saturday night regiment
after regiment of Japanese soldiers
suoured across the bridge and at late
hour Saturday night General Kuroki
,teIegraphed to the general stan OF the
army:
Il will attack the enemy on May /, at
dawn" r-,..
at daylight today centered all his ar
tillery on the Russian position between
Chiu-Tien-C -Cheng and Yoshoko. To this
Are the Russians made reply with all
their batteries. At o'clock in the
morning the Russian battery at Yosho-
ko was silenced and half an hour later
General Kuroki ordered his line,
stretching for four miles, to attack:
The Japanese infantry on the word OF
command. charged across the mo-