The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-15

second order was given for the transfer
OF General Rennenkampff's First 81
berian corps and several other organ
izations to the left flank, which was
being pressed heavily by a large force
Of Japanese. From that time forward
the japanese, who were well INFORMED
as to all the Russian movements, ne
gan heavy attacks along the whole
front. The Russians generally aeld
their ground, doing we'll until FeDfu-
airy IS, when an unexpected attack de-
yeloped in the southwest, before which
the Russian right, weakened by the
withdrawal of almost two corps, yield
ed. By March it became evident tnat
the japanese were moving around the
Russian right in five heavy columns,
and it became imperative to withdraw
the thin line from the southwest ana
form a new line from the bridge across
| the ShaIShe river parallel with the rail-
way. The change of front was accom-
plished with remarkable celebrity, but
the various organizations became badly
mixed. .a.,, s--z
The Russians on March occupied
their former positions on the Shakhe
river as far as the bridge, thence To
Madyapu, on the Hun river, and thence
parallel with the railway, six miles
distant, the right resting on the Sin
mintun road. The japanese on March
5, beginningS to turn this position with
a view to cutting off the retreat, the
Russian right was extended eastward
from the Sinmintin road TO the rail-
way. 4 aats
| On March both sides commenced a
most vigorous offensive operation,
the Japanese attacking. with especial
energy the forces of General Tserpitsky,
which were holding the position from
Madyapu as far as the height east of
Mukden station, while the Russians un-
der General Grengross assumed an at
tack in the direction of Tatchekiao and
on the northern front General Launitz' s
command beat back all attacks. On the
! whole, the outcome of the fighting on
March was favorable to the Russians,
| who repulsed several attacks on their
! southern front and assumed the offens-
i've on the, left. where General Line
/ vitch's army, occupying, eastern hill po-
sitions, repulsed numerous al s1cks and
took several hundred prisoners and
| several machine guns.
The continued extension, however, of
the Japanese lines northward, and the
concentration which their superiority in
| numbers enabled them TO effect against
the northern and nortIl- Wesfar4' ft#ftsAe
rendered advisable the concentration Of
/ the Russian lines, ana WItnaf1t IA. !. "a
the Shakhe river to positions on the
Hun river was determined upon. This
was in no sense the beginning of the
general retreat and KuropatRin and
the generals commanding the armies
We're far from regarding the battle as
lost. The first army to retire from the
fortified positions east and southeast of
I Mukden was the Third army, which
| fell back to positions similarly fortified
in advance on the north bank of the
Hun river. The burning Of abandoned
stores. provisions and forage disclosed
the Russian retirement, and the Japan
] csc followed closely. "A confusion Of or
ders and retirement m impenetrable
darkness across the country were re-
sponsible for the failure Of some or
CARNATIONS to occupy the positions to
which they had been assigned, and a
4 remarkable dust storm the following
day made it impossible to verify the
alignment and fill the breaches, which
the Japanese, however, were lucky
enough to find and slzilful enough to
turn to their advantage The Russian
positions formed boot, the toe at
Madyapu and the heel on the Hun river
at Fushun, about five miles wide; and
to meet the apparent danger that the
Japanese might plug the. loop Of the
boot, Kuropatkin sent thither forty
battalions from the command of Gen
eral Miloff, which were rendered avail
able by the shortening of the line. The
Russians began to slowly force the
Japanese back at this critical point, but
the Japanese in turn were reinforced on
their extreme right, and General Ku-
ropatkin, seeing all apparently going
well and determining to stake all on a
decisive blow, collected the remainder
of the strategic reserves strengthened
by several other units, and led them
personally on March . to the north
| front and threw them on the flank OF
aluG JdpdilcSS, WIN were dIUdChlIlE 5Hll-
taitse and endeavoring to cut the rail-
way. The scale of weight was all on the
Russian side. The Japanese then retir.
ed, abandoning battery of eight guns
success apparently crownfng the Rus.
sian arms. AT. this moment two sets Of
reports were received, the first that a
column Of Japanese was moving fur.
= Their north around the right flank, aflC
the second that the Japanese ON the
i Hun river had taken advantage Of the
storm, which was blowing the dust ir
the Russians faces, and Of the
breaches in the positions on the Hun
to thrust a, column through at FL
pass and Kyouzan, on the instep of the
boot. Here the fords We're defended
by only three companies Of the Barllau
regiment and a company of the Irkutsl
regiment, which were forced to retire
before the Japanese cavalry and foul
mountain guns. With the entire Rus.
sian strategic reserves already engaged
it became impossible to meet the dan
ger in there two sources, which was i'm.
mediate and critical, and at s O'Clock
in the evening the order to retire II
Tie pass was given. -.
Through the narrow bootleg passage,
scarcely five miles wide, densely-
lpacked mass of transports pressed
northward, coming under the fire Of a