Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-17

teenth corps. fresh from Europe. Many
OF the peasant soldiers did not under
stand the mechanism Of their rifles, let
alone the use OF sights. Their fate was
precisely that OF a train load OF eKcur-
sionists in q collision. The Russians
left 5000 dead bodies on the neld-
Their total OF casualties must have
been half OF the 10000 men engaged.
The cost to Nogi was 800 wounded
and killed. At the same time he had
made q good days advance. He was
within i've miles OF the railroad.
The truth Is that at this Juncture the
japanese staff. who had staked all on
an offensive stroke. were as much wor-
ried as Kuropatkin, who had staked all
on the defensive. For bis center and
left were not budging. 1t was plain
that Sogi must not beard the lion too
far until the other hunters came up.
The easy time that he had meant cor
respondingly hard time for Kuroki and
kawamura-
Had the two Japanese corps facing
KuropatkIn's right center shown no
more harmony OF execution than Kaul-
bars and BiIderling he would never
have been shaken. On NOgis right was
the bulldog army of Oku, whose task
from Liaoyang onward has been to
fight its way inch by inch against
frontal positions, TO be the strong pivot
while the others wheel. AS Nogi ex-
tended his line northward Oku's left
had to swing to the northeast, envelOp
ing the western end Of the Russian
works and meanwhile separate one OF
It's divisions from the main body ia
crossing the Hun.
Kuropatkin recognized soon after his
great error OF misunderstanding the
Japanese plan that this deadly angle
was a vital point, and NOgi must wait
on Oku's progress here. The two divi-
sions to the east of the Hun were at
tached to Nodzu. making the center a
unit. Oku himself took the north side
with the third division and all the re-
serves Oyama had at his command.
The frozen ground would not permit
the men once they had gained a little
ground to throw up those hasty in
trenchments whose life saving value
makes the spade almost as important
an adjunct Of the modern infantry
mans kit as his rifle. Japanese genius
provided substitute The soldiers car
ried empty sand bags. These they filed
by scraping up the thin surface of the
earth which the sun had thawed. Some
even carried blocks OF wood. One man,
We know. had a carpet bag. He was
found dead beside IT.
Except for the collection of mud
houses a mile or more apart 40 cover
~ tel ~
The villages formed strategic points.
which became the centers of fierce Co
agulatiOns OF strife.
Likomp6u was a village in point.
There occurred the bitterest fight to the
west OF Mukden. The streets and the
compounds became shambles. Here
was the center of those attacks by
which the Japanese sought to rectify
their line in Nogis support, OF those
counter attacks by which Kdropatkin
still hoped to retrieve his error and iso-
late Nogi. One regiment is reported 10
have held of a whole Russian division.
Like the battalions of Kurokfs armies
at Witosan, the Japanese here were
told to stand to the last man. They
stood.
Holding the Center.
BY such sacrifices as this and the use
Of all his reserves Oku was not only
able to hold his own, but to make some
advances on the 9TH and 9th, when
Nogi did nothing except to stiffen his
line. AS for Nodzu, with Oku's two d.
visions on the center, 1t was not ex-
pected that he would make any head
way. Behind them were the comfort
ing barks OF the howitzers and Krupps,
which had torn the roofs off the heads
Of the defenders of Two Hundred and
Three Meter hill at Port Arthur They
could not storm intrenchments which
the Russians had been months in max
ing. Their part presently was to hug
the enemy so close that he was always
under threat OF decisive charge; that
he dared not spare any men for other
vital points. In some places Nodzu's
men got to within three or four yards
Of the Russians. and there they lay
| sleepless from cold. with the thermome-
ter Is or 20 degrees below freezing at
night.
Next to Nodzu was KuDoki. To him
was assigned task requiring the
same versatility which has dlstIn-
Bulsned MS corps from the time OF It's
crossing OF the Yalu to the present
He has had to exhibit the qualities Of
a good pedestrian, of the bulldog and
the fox. At IIaoyang he fought his
way through the mountains and on to
the plain, so at the Shake and so at
Mukden. But never once has he been
allowed to remain on the plain after he
had reached IL.
, Kuroki again faced steep slopes with
narrow valleys between them. Kuro-
patkin, who had been SO often fooled BIZ
the old fOx's work in the hills, was de-
termined to hold him this time.
Turning to Sogi, we find him making
no advance at all on the 4th and 5th.
On the 9th he swung little farther
north. BY this time the expected had
happened The reserves sent to the
east early I'm the battle were marched
hack They no more Wnifa6 It'll fhaw