The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1905-03-16
RUSSIAN CAUSE DESPERATE
Only Their Well Directed Flight Has Saved Entire
Army From determination
Made a Good Kun.

Chciai information from the Rus
sian headquarters in the field. supple-
mented By dispatcher from CORES
Pondcnts with tie army of the Rus
sian Emperor, show that General K,,.
ropatktn, after suffering by far the
most severe defeat OF the war. has
succeeded. as he did after the battle
OF Lao Yang, in extricating the rem.
nant3 OF his army from q position
which military experts "a hours be-
lore believed would result In its ami,
hliatlon or surrender The retreat
from Lao Yang has been considered
the most mastery ever executed, but
it is far overshadowed Ly this latest
Feat OF the Russian general, who has
taken personal command of The
troops. After fighting for nearly
three weeks, losing In killed, wound.
Cd, and missing, probably a third of
bis army, or nearly 100000 men, and
a fourth of his artillery. Kuropatkin
gathered what was left together north
OF Mukden and is taking them towards
Tie Pass through rain of shrapnel
which is being thrown on them from
both right and left. This he seems
to have been able to accomplish by re.
sorting to the same tactics which
saved his army at Liao Yang.
General Kuropatkin has sent in his
resignation to the Emperor.
General Kur0patkin has TELEGRAPH
to Emperor Nicholas assuming him
self all the responsibility for his de-
feat, making no excuses except that
the strength of the Japanese was mis-
calculated and refusing to place any
OF the blame upon the council of gen.
erals upon whose advice he determined
to give battle. His reputation as an
offensive strategist is gone, and,
thought the Emperor's military advis.
ors know not where to look for bet.
ter general, his resignation will be
accepted.
In losing General Kuropatkin, the
army will lose the idol of the private
soldiers, an officer who, in spite of
the intrigues Of his generals and his
failure to win a battle, has won their
confidence and affection.
The flight of the Russian army Of
upwards of a quarter of a million men
and the 1900 pieces of artillery with
which it was expected confidently
General Kuropatkin and his lieuten.
ants could prevent the advance of the
Japanese beyond the Shakhe and Hun
rivers, is still in the balance. They
have been drawn from those positions,
and are now rushing northward to-
wards Tie Pass, around which are
high hills. which were prepared for
defense after the battle of Liao Yang,
in September, there being no hope at
that time that the Japanese would al
low the defeated army to rest south
of the Tie Pass. That the Russians
have lost many guns and large guam
titles of ammunition and supplies is
certain, for with but a single track
of railway to the north, it would be
impossible to remove the large stores
which had been gathered together at
Mukden. These, it seems certain,
have been destroyed. The Japanese
have not yet reported the capture of
guns, which they generally do almost
immediately; but it seems hardly
likely that Kuropatkin could have re-
moved all of his artillery. On the
1st Of January, according to cores
pOndents who have just returned from
Mukden, the Russians had in position
along the Shakhe and Hun rivers 1900
guns.
The losses. in the operations preced
ing the battle and those in the battle
proper must reach enormous proper
tions, but up to the present time.
neither side has attempted an esti-
mate. They will exceed the Shakhe
losses, in which the Russians alone
lost in killed and wounded and miss
ing $1,000 men.