The Elbert County tribune., 1905-01-12

the year and was still in progress the |
twelve-month closed. Diplomatic rela-
tons were severed Feb and two days
later the Japanese attacked and partly
disabled the Russian warships at Port
Arthur. A day after tk-t they torpedoed
two cruisers at Chemulpo, Korea land
ed troops and began the first of series
Of maneuvers destined before the year
was over to give them command over
the Liaotung peninsula and the most
Important part of Manchuria-
Battle of Yalu.
The first great battle of the war was
fought May l on the banks Of the Yalu
river. near Antung and Win. The Jap
Rnese were in superior force and drove
the Russians in the direction of Feng-
huangcheng. Later in the same month
they attacked and captured Kinchow.
The spectacular and bloody battle of
Nanshan hill followed in which victory
again was on the side of Japan, though
1t was dearly bought. Dalny had been
captured on the 18th of May. so that
when Nanshan was carried the invest
ment of Port Arthur from the land side
was complete. From that time Gen.
Nogi. to whom had been assigned the
task OF laying siege to the Gibraltar of
the east, hurled his soldiers against the
outer line of defenses and captured some
of them, but the main forts were so
stubbornly held by the Russians under
Gen. Stoessel that 1t soon became ap-
parent they could not be carried by
storm Other tactics were resorted to
and though slow and costly proved sue
cessful. The Russian lines had to be
more and more contracted. while the
Japanese crept closer and closer and
finally gave them command of positions
permitting them to lombard and destroy
the city and the remnants Of the fleet
in the harbor.
In the North.
In the meantime the other Japanese
armies steadily marched toward the
north, driving the enemy before them.
The battle of Vafangow was fought and
won June IA. week later Gen. Kuroki
and Gen. Oku occupied the important
mountain passes to the east and south
of Liaoyang. July 25 the Russians evac-
uated Newchwang and Aug. abandoned
Haicheng. At Liaoyang, however Gen.
Kuropatkin comma nder in chief OF the
cars army in Manchuria, made a stand.
From Aug. &c to Sept the opposing
forces were in daily combat and of the
100000 men engaged about $4,000 were
killed or wounded. The Russians were
outhanked by Kuroki and compelled to
retire in the direction of Mukden. Field
Marshall Oyama, who had been placed in
supreme command of the mikado's ar
mics, followed as far as the Sha river
and here from Oct. ~ to Oct I9 was
fought one OF fhe bloodiest battles in
history. Gen. Kuropatxin, took the Of
fensive for the first time. but the Japan
ese held their ground. The contest end
ed without decisive victory for either
side. The armies exhausted and
could do no more. The combined losses
in killed and wounded amounted to the
enormous total of about 10000 men of
whom $4,000 belonged to the Russian
army. Before operations could be re-
sumed winter set in and the year ended
with the armies still facing each other
on the banks of the Sha river.
Russian Disasters at Sea.
While the Russians were meeting these
reverses on land their reverses ON the
sea were equally great. Many of their
ships had been disabled or damaged at
the beginning of the
in Port Arthur and vladivostok were
not in the best of condition to meet the
modern Japanese battleships and cruis-
ers under Admrals Togo and Kami-
mura. One of their best ships, the Pc
tropavlosk. struck a mine outside OF
Port Arthur April 13 and went down
with Admiral Makaroff and more than
500 officers and men. Aug. 10 Admiral
without with the remainder OF the Rus
sian fleet attempted to escape from Port
Arthur, but was met a few miles out at
sea by Togo's squadron and defeated in
battle lasting several hours His ships
were dispersed, some Of them seeking
refuge in the adjacent ports OF the Chi
nese coast and others retreating to Port
Arthur He himself was killed and his
flagship. the Czarewitch, compelled to
fee in a disabled condition to Tsung-
chau. where 1t was dismanted. Aug. II
Admiral Kamimura met the vladivostok
fleet in the strait OF Korea, sunk the
cruiser Rurik and compelled the Rossia
and Gromovoi to return to the home port
in badly damaged condition. The
cruiser Novik destroyed by the
Japanese cruisers Chtose and Tsushima
off the island of Sakhalin Aug. 81. AS
already stated the remnant of Whit
thofts fleet that took refuge in Port
Arthur was destroyed later in the year
when the Japanese had gained positions
the land side of the fort from which
they were able to successfully direct a
fierce bombardment.
The Japanese navy also met with loss
es in the course of the year but in COM
parison with those of their opponents
they were not severe. The battleship
Hatsuse sunk by a mine May Is
and about the same time the cruiser
Yoshino was sunk in collision with an
other cruiser. The battleship Yashima
also reported lost, but under cir
cumstances which have not yet been
made public.
Port Arthur Surrendered.
Gen. Stoessel unable longer to hold
Port Arthur with his decimated forces,
surrendered to Gen. Nogi Jan. 2.
War between Great Britain and Rus
sia was very narrowly ayerted in Octo-
Der. The czar had ordered the Baltic
sea fleet to proceed to the east under
the command of Admiral Rojestvensky.
The Russian fleet was passing through
the North sea when one night it en-
countered number of trawlers of fish
ing vessels. Mistaking them for Japan
torpedo boats the warships fired on
them, sinking one and killing two men.
They then went on without waiting to
what the result Of their action had
been. The act aroused great Indignation
in England and threats of war were
openly made. After some negotiation
the matter was referred to an interna-
tional court of inquiry. which met at
the foreign office in Paris only about
a week ago. The United States is rep
resented in this court by Admiral C. H.
Davis.
Arbitration Makes Progress.
Though war waged throughout the
year the cause of peace was advanced
by the adoption of many important in
ternational arbitration treaties. The