Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-03-16
STUBBORN IN DIRE DEFEAT.
Continued from LIST page.)

On March both sides began most Wig
orous offensive operations, the Japanes'
attacking with especial energy the forces
OF General Tserpitsky, which were holding
the position from Madyapu as far as the
heights east of Mukden station, while the
Russians, under General Gerngross, as
sumed an attack in the direction of latch.
ekiao 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 offensive
on the left, where General Lineyitch's
army, occupying eastern hill positions, re-
pulsed numerous attacks 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 northwestern fronts,
rendered advisable contraction of the
Russian lines, and withdrawal from the
Shakhe river to positions on the Hun river
was determined upon. This was in no
sense the beginning of the general retreat,
and Kuropatkin and the generals COM
handing the armies were far from regard
ing the battle as lost.
The first army to retire from the fortified
positions east and southeast of Mukden
was the Bird army, which fell back to posi-
tions similarly fortified in advance on the
north bank OF the Hun river. The burn
ing OF abandoned stores, provisions and
forage disclosed the Russian retirement,
and the japanese followed closely. A con-
fusion in orders and retirement in impene-
trable darkness across the country were
responsible for the failure of some organi-
cations to occupy the positions to which
they had been assigned, and a remarkab Bile
dust storm the following day made it i'm
possible to verify the alignment and ill
the breaches, which the Japanese, how
ever, were lucky enough to find and skilful
enough to turn to their advantage. The
Russian positions now 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 top Of the boot
Kuropatkin sent thither forty battallons
from the command of General Milof.
The Russians slowly forced the Japan
csc back at this point, but the japanese
were reinforced and General Kuropatkin,
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 the Japanese. who
we're attacking Santaitse and endeayoring
to cut the railway. The japanese retired,
abandoning battery of eight guns. At
this moment 1t was reported that column
OF Japanese was moving further north
around the right flank and that the Jap
anese on the Hun river had thrust a
column through at Flu Pass and Kyouzan
on the instep OF the boot. Here the fords
were defended by only four companies,
which retired before Japanese cavalry and
four mountain guns. With the entire
Russian strategic reservesalready engaged
il became impossible to meet the danger
in these two sources, which was immedi-
ate and critical, and at p. m. the order
to retire to Tie passwas given.
Through the narrow bootleg passage
scarcely five miles wide, a densely packed
mass of transports pressed northward.
coming under the fire of japanese cavalry
and four mountain guns, which earlier
had darted across the Russian line of COM |
munIcation and concealed themselves in |
the mountains. General Tserpitsky began /
an orderly retirement from the boot toe /
and during March TO- Kuropatkin sue 1
cessfully held at bay the japanese, who 4
we're trying to reach the railroad.
The night OF March came the order to |
evacuate Mukden station and city, with |
direction that the movement of trains 4
northward must be completed by a. m.
The enormous task was completed in nine
hours, including the hasty embarkation
Of the wounded, who crowded the station
Many had already left in the morning,
when the private trains of Kuropatkin,
Kaulbars, Sakharoff. Bilderling and Zabe-
lin departed, but thousands remained. At
):40 p. m. eight trains were despatched
and call was sent to Tie pass for IS loco
motives. AT 3 a. m. the second string was
started northward, and at q .45 a. M the 4
last train OF the third string OF 16 depart
ed. All the trains had from 81 to 50 cars
Three trains contained the ammunition of
The park of artillery which had been de-
spatched the evening before in $40 cars;
another train carried warm clothing, one
was coal laden, one was loaded with Red
Cross supplies, one with engineers depot
supplies, three with commissariat frelghts
and the remainder with wounded. The
asst train out was the service train with all
he employees OF the railway, property and
station papers. This party saved thou
sands of wounded soldiers, an immense
amount of ammunition and millions OF
dollars worth Of property and cash. 1t
must be remembered that five miles north I
Of Mukden an unceasing fight was in /
progress. Trains earlier had been bonn
Darded with shimose shells and the rail-
road was twice damaged. The trains
travelled unlighted and without whistling,
lnder eight minutes Roadway. All about
Tres blazed in gigantic ring, burning
straw, coal, wood. corn and biscuit. Oc-
/
rockets burst. Over $500 carloads of corn
md biscuit and over 323. 900 cubic feet of
,oaI, straw and millet were DESTROYED.
The wounded crowded the station. filled
very vacant place in the cars and the
brake beams, buffers and rooms were
occupied, while others were hanging to
he steps.
The last train pulled out as General
troops began to pass before
he explosion which wrecked the Hun
liver bridge.
On the platform remained eight teleg-
aphers who had volunteered to stay at
heir keys until the japanese arrived. In
he hospitals of the Livonian division of
he Red Cross and medical staff were 1850
everely wounded, including 1854 Japa-
lese, the Chinese governor of Mukden
irving his word to defend them until
dukden was occupied by the japanese.
OF the military railroad, all but 125 miles
vas abandoned and the wagonettes de-
troyed. Several tens OF thousands of
,oxes of ammunition were abandoned.
Sut most important OF all from material
Joint of view is the loss of the Fushur
oal mines, which supplied the road with
oal.
The trains were heavily bombarded at
witch 81, but came through safely.
The retirement of the wagon transport
vas twice imperiled by panic the morning '