The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-09-06

would have to fight hungry and the
wounded go without proper attention.
The guns and army follow the supplies,
and the brunt Of the fighting and
chance to win much glory fall on the
rear guard.
General KurGpatkin conducted
mastery retreat from LiaoyanS to
Mukden and destroyed what stores he
could not remove from the doomed city.
He was following in the footsteps Of
other Russian generals, for Russian
troops have made some wonderful re-
trograde movements which have ulti-
mately been crowned with success, but
it must be remembered that ne was
aided By railroad, which was not the
case Of many another in his predica-
ment. Still, Kuropatkin's retreat from
Iisoyong will rank we'll with the
famous retreats Of history.
Napoleon was the worlds master at
war, yet he lost more men in bis fatal
retreat from Moscow than he did on
the feld of Waterloo. With a vast ar
my Of 100000 men he crossed the Me
men in June and later fought at Boro-
dino, where his losses were heavy.
Then came the march to Moscow, the
Russians retreating before him and
destroying everything as they marched.
In the cold of the northern winter he
turned his back on the burning city,
into which the eagles had been borne IN
triumph, and began the most disas-
trors retreat in history. Famine, cold
and the Russians on his tanks and
rear cut down his soldiers as they
pl8dded, finally barefooted, through
the snow, and the army melted away
as it crawled over those GOO miles Of
dreary waste. All Napoleon could tell
the anxious people at Paris was, MY
health is good" BE succeeded in saw
ing practically nothing as he fed.
Nearly century before Napoleon in
yade6 Russia Charles XII. Of Sweden,
with $4,000 men at his back. marched
over much the same route and shared
much the same Ill fortune. After
storming the Russian lines at Goloy-
tchin he plunged into the Vabis In pur-
suit of the retreating Russians and
lost many men and guns N his haste.
But he kept his face toward MOSCOW
and reached Smclensk at last, but
there changed his plans and marched
for the Ukraine, with Car Peter lur-
ing him on. Then the Russians con-
fronted him with 10000 troops at Pol
tava, where Charles was wounded and
charged at the head Of his troops BORNE
in q litter and was defeated, being
forced to retreat with his handful Of
men into Turkish territory in anything
but digniied manner.
One of the most mastery retreats in
history was made By Sir John Moore
In Spain in 1SOS-09. Ee marched his
force between Astorga and Coruna in
month and beat back Soult's army at
the edge Of the sea before his troops
sailed away for home, leaving the body.
Of their dead commander behind, to be
buried without the walls, on the field
where he fell. Soult retreated from
Oporto, in Portugal, in the same war,
and Beresford drove him across the
mountains into Spain after taking the
city. Wellington caught the French
again in the same war, driving the ar
my from Talavera, but the French re-
treat was good, and the Iron Duke lost
his advantage through Cuesta's blum
der, and be in turn led clever retreat
before the advancing French.
The most fatal retreat in all history
was that Of the English army under
Lord Elphinstone from Kabul, in
Afghanistan, and it and its preceding
events will always be dark blot in
England's military annals. In 1S41 the
British authorities in Afghanistan lost
their light grip on the natives, and Sir
Alexander Burnes, a high official at
Kabul, was murdered in his home. The
$4,000 English troops were scattered
in forts outside the town under the
command Of Elphinstone, who remain
ed inactive in the face Of such crime.
Akbar Khan was at the head Of the
natives, and the English stopped to
double dealings with him in order to
get their army to Jelalabad in safety,
but were outtricked, although promis-
ed safe retreat. They started for
Jelalsbad JAM 6, 1912, leaving all
their cannon and military stores at
Kabul. The natives followed on their
tanks, and the conditions were so bad
that the English officers gave them
selYes up to Akbar Khan as hostages
for the safety Of their troops. The
army, without leaders. at last entered
the narrow pass Of Jugdulluk, and
there the Afghans fell upon them and
slaughtered all but few. The small
party which escaped the shambles IN
the pass pushed on for Jelalabad but
were pursued and all killed but one.
Our own civil war furnishes one Of
the most famous retreats in history,
and General Lee handled his troops
with consumMate skill in the Wilder
ness campaign. The campaign was
contest between two master minds,
both foreseeing every move the other
would make and meeting it with
heavy counter blow. At the beginning
Grant thought ''Marse Robert would
fall back on Richmond and fanked him
to drive him in. But the Confederate
turned and fought md turned and
fought again, each offensive movement
| on both sides failing. The retreat end
ed in the battle of Cnickahominy and
proved the Confederate general past
master Of his craft. Lees last retreat,
which ended at Appomattox, was the
end Of his career, but he led the de-
feated army Of lost cause and had
no provisions or stores when he head
ed for the mountains after the fall OF
Richmond.
Next to the retreat from Moscow,
perhaps the most famous retreat or