The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1905-06-02
Oyama's GeneraIship.

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Won Moltke of Japan. He has also
been compared TO Napoleon Bonaparte.
Generals are awarded a place in his
tory according to results accomplished.
Robert E. Lee is called a great general,
and yet he won no decisive victory.
He directed brilliant campaigns and
won tactical successes on the battle
field, holding the enemy at distance
from the citadel of his nation for three
years. II time could have saved the
Confederacy, Lee would have been its
savior for his military genius gave 1t a
long lease of life.
Washington would have been called
a great general had he missed the de-
Gliding stroke Mt Yorktown. He gave
the colonies time TO develop superior
strength at the point of contact But
had Gates or Greene stepped in at the
eleventh hour and carried through the
Yorktown campaign the military fame
of Washington would be less brilliant
in history than it is.
Napoleon rounded out his Italian
campaigns by the victory at Marengo.
and all France hailed him as mighty
conqueror. Five years later Auster-
litz revealed to Europe its master In
the art of war. Marengo, and Auster-
litz, and Jena, which came year after
Austerlitz, each cut a notch in the des-
tiny Of nations. They were astounding
achievements, astounding both in con-
ception and execution.
1t is difficult to conceive of Napoleon
at the height of his powers permitting
Kuropatkin TO get away from Lao
yang with an army capable of COM
ing at him Oh the Shake month later
or of failing to crush him in that at
tack when he made it. Napoleon
fought for his throne in 1S05-06. He
took desperate chances and gained tre-
mendous results.
Oyama skillfully interposed between
Kuropatkin and Port Arthur. But he
changed his objective when he made
his fierce attack at Liaoyang. Before
that his aim had been to prevent the
enemy from raising the siege. In at
tacking Liaoyang he hoped either to
destroy Kuropatkins army or strike
the Russian base.
Oyama's game at Mukden was the
same as that of Napoleon's enemy at
Austerlitz. He attacked the Russian
right and left flanks simultaneously.
At Austerlitz the allied Russians and
Austrians assailed the French on both
f1anks, and Napoleon made a decisive
counterstroke by storming and taking
the heights which formed the center of
the allies position and turning their
own guns upon the columns engaged in
the flank attacks. This blow decided
the battle, and Napoleon had czar
and an emperor at his feet, with
king running home to fight (and get
whipped another day
Kuropatkin tried counter assault
on the japanese center at Mukden and
failed because the enemy had cut his
communications by a flank attack. 1t
is said that the Russian commander
was not guarding that quarter because
the Japs would have to cross neutral
territory to reach the key point, and he
foolishiy trusted to their honor Got to
do it,
A Napoleon or Won Moltke or Lee
would not have accepted battle at
Mukden with pass on the flank ex-
posed TO capture.
Oyamas move at Mukden was bold,
but as he knew that the pass to Kuro-
patkin's rear was inadequately pro-
tected he was playing with stacked
cards. In other words, he was smart"
A great general can beat an equally
great general times enough TO show
that success is not mere accident or
he can prove match for great gen
eral on successive occasions. Glory
lies in defeating "a foeman worthy of
your steel" If Oyama is great, Kuro-
patkin is great, and the palm cannot
be awarded until one side or the other
sriaS enough