The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-03-08
WAR is HE'LL.
TERRIBLE CARNAGE IN THE BAT
TIE BEFORE MUKDEN.
The Reports Last Night Indicate That
Japanese Have Outgeneraled and
Are Otufghting the Russians.

parison of all the dispatches received
from the front today shows that there
was no cessation Of the fighting be-
tween the Russian and japanese ar
mics in Manchuria. yesterday. Russian
reports state that at a distance the
tide of battle. in the immediate vicin-
ity of Mukden seemed to be ebbing.
The most that war critics at st. Peters
burg seem to hope for at present is
that Gen. Kuropatkin has cucceded
in re-esta blishing his line Of retreat in
the direction of Harbin Word has
reached Newchwang, however, which
has no confirmation from other
sources, that the Japanese are al
ready north Of Mukden, with a large
force, and that the Russians are fac
ling disastrous defeat There appears
to be a possibility that Gen. Kuroki
has drawn off a portion Of his army
from the center and sent to reinforce
the division engaged in fankin2g
movements. Gen. Kalbars, the most
trusted of Gen. Kuropatkin'S officers,
is personally in command Of the Rus
sian forces in the triangle between the
railway and the Hun river, which vital
position the japanese have been assa1l-
| ing for several days. Russian reports
admit that $4,000 men have been
wounded, but make no mention of the
number killed, and at the same time
assert that the japanese have lost 30,--
600 in killed or wounded.
The result Of the greatest battle of
modern times is expected to be deter
mined today or tomorrow. Although
Gen. Kuropatkin has evidently made
every preparation to cover his retreat
| by removing his accumulated stores
and munitions northward, it is now the
| opinion Of military men here that one
side or the other cannot escape an
overwhelming disaster.
Field Marshal Oyarna's strategy in
this battle is now clear. He startled
and amazed the war Office by the mar
vellous daring Of Gen. Kuroki's ad-
vance against the extreme Russian left
the series o. blows delivered at the
centre. where no less than thirteen
separate attacks have been launched
| by the Imperial Guards ten miles east
of Poutiloff Hill But it is now realized
that the heavy blows at the left We're
intended to mask the real turning
movement, which came like bolt
from clear sky out of the west. XII
ropatkin fell into the trap. The situa-
ton seemed an exact duplicate of that
at Lao Yang, and the Russian COM
mander-in-chief fastened to mass
forces to meet Kuroki. Friday the
whole situation was reversed, when
with lightning rapidity the japanese
turning operation began on the plain
between the Hun and Lao rivers In
order to succeed Oyama threw the
neutrality Of China to the winds. Gen.
Nogi, with his Port Arthur veterans,
moved up the right bank Of the Hun
and fell like an avalanche upon the
weakened Russian right, doubling it
| back in confusion, the japanese ad-
vance being co-ordinated with the ad-
vance traight from the west of Jap
anese column Of 10000 men, which
were in netral territory.
Kuropatkin evidently was taken by
surprise. 1t was not until Saturday
night that he was ableto shift suffi-'
cient reinforcements west to stem the
tide, when the japanese were within
sight of Mukden.
But the latest advices are to the eff
feet that the japanese exhausted by
their tremendous efforts, have every
where stopped, and now, if ever, Kuro-
patkin's hour has come. Military crit
les declare Oyama has not great
enough superiority to take risks. Acs
cording to the war office, Oyama has
not over 70, 900 men in excess of Kuro-
patkin, whose forces total about 34O,-
600. Kuropatkin's chance, the war Of
fee says, is an opportune offensive, as
passive resistance would be fatal.