New-York tribune., 1905-01-02

hanked the Russians, pressed on to Kulien-
Cheng, and, following a retreat which had be-
come rout, took Feng- -wang-Cheng, strong
position, few days later without battle. Here
Kuroki halted. Twelve guns fell into the hands
of the Japanese. The Japanese losses in the
two days fighting near the river were about
300 men, The Russians lost about $500 men,
THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN.
Looking back on the campaign, it appears to
have been Japan's primary object to take
Port Arthur and to utilize all her
forces in the field to accomplish that
end. An army under General Oku
landed May at Pitsu-Wo the Kwan-
Tung Peninsula, moved westward to the rail-
road above Kin-Chow, and on May 26 stormed
Nan-shan which formed at the narrowest point
of the peninsula the key to the outer defences of
Port Arthur. The Russian position was strongly
fortified. and the assault lasted all day. the
Japanese finally, with the aid of gunboats' fire
from Kin-Chow Bay. carrying the heights.
Their losses were $500 men, the Russian
casualties being about 600. Seventy-eigh guns
were taken. On May 80, Oku occupied Dalny.
General NodZu's army had landed at Taku-Shan
on May 20. and June he captured Siu-Yen
on the Hai-Cheng road after sharp engagement
His presence there served as a partial check to
the movements of General Stackelberg, who had
been ordered from Liao-Yang in attempt tc
relieve Port Arthur. The arrival at Dalny of
General Nogis army. to which had been as
signed the task of taking the fortress. left O1u
free 10 repel Stackelberg's attack from the
front Minor engagements took place along the
railway north Of Polan-Tien. General Oku di-
vided his army into three divisions. which con-
verged on Stackelberg's army at WafangKao
or Telissu. where. on June 15. the Russians lost
about $500 men according to official reports
officers. however. admitted that the figures were
nearer 1000. The Russians fell back on Kai-
Ping. whence they were forced on July s to
Tashi-Chiao. the key to New-Chwang.
TAsHI-CHLAo AlADD UNTENABLE.
At the same time the armies Of Generals Nodzu
and Kuroki were set in motion, the former NOV
ing northwest on Hai-Cheng and the latter
Liao-Yang by parallel roads Kuroh on
June 30 had fanked and taken without battle
Mao-Tien Pass. some thirty miles from Liao-
Yang. General Oku after the capture of Kai-
Ping sent part of his forces westward toward
Ying-KOw and New-Chwang, while his main
body moved Tashi-Chiao. By July 10 Oku
and Nodzu had effected a junction and were
operating for an attack on the Tashi-Chiao
position. Kuroki retained possession of Mao
Tien Pass. repulsing an attack in force by Gen
eral Count Keller on July II. when 1900 Rus
,sans were killed or wounded. Kuroki advanced
TO Kiao-Tung on the Liao-Yang road. capturing
the town on July 10 after a hard fight Oku,
after battle OF fourteen hours on July "a rem
dered Tashi-Chiao urtenable, the Russians re-
firing Hai-Cheng and losing Ying-Kow and
New-Chwang. All three armies were engaged
on July 20 and 80. Kuroki attacked and capt
ured General Keller's position east of Lao Yang
the Russian leader being killed Nodzu took
heights near Si-Mu-Cheng, which commanded
he Hat
from the south. The heavy Russian losses were
never told, the Japanese had about 1900 men
killed or wounded. General Kuropatkin retired
from Hai-Cheng on August to An-Shan-Chan
the southern end of a strongly fortified position
extending above Liao-Yang. Intense heat and
heavy rains checked further operations for a
time. The japanese made wide turning move
ment on the Russian position. a force which
had landed at Ying-Kow operating on the west
OF the railroad.
SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR BEGUN.
One month after the occupation of Dalny
General Nogi was ready to open active opera
tions against Port Arthur, and on July 80 the
siege proper began-a siege marked by probably
the most desperate attack and the most stub
born defence in the worlds history General
Stoessel, the fortress's commander, had utilized
a force of about 10000 men to make a naturally
sible. The greatest skill of modern engineering
was shown in the construction Of the chains of
forts, whose inner line in more than a
semi-circle approximately two miles from the
town. from sea TO sea. Each main fort was
protected by strong outlying works and was un-
der the fire OF its neighbors, trenches scanned
the hillsides, and barbed wire, connected with
powerful dynamos added to the difficulties of
the besiegers. The effective use by the Rus
slams Of searchlights and starlights had much
TO do with the enormous japanese losses.
Any account Of the siege must at present be
taken from the reports given out from Japanese
headquarters and from carefully censored corre-
spondence The Russian dispatches made pub
lie have contained little more than estimates of
the Japanese casualties though from the be-
ginning Of the siege little hope has been ex-
pressed in the ability Of the fortress to hold out
The japanese made their first assault on Au-
gust 1. capturing Taku-Shan. an outer hill On
the east of the town, with a loss of 1,4O0 men,
They had completely invested, the Russian
works and had gathered their main forces di-
rectly north OF the harbor with the view OF
driving wedge down the Shui-Shi Valley be-
tween the northern Chair Hill and Sung-Shu
forts on the west and Pali-Shan and RihIung-
Shan forts the east. The first general as
sault began on August 10 and lasted five days
The Banjusan or Pan-Lung forts, which guard
ed the entrance to the valley and formed the
outer defences of Pali-Shan. were captured, the
Japanese right took 174-Metre Hill, insuring a
foothold for operations the west, and east
ward some of the outer trenches of Kikwan Hill
were stormed and held. The japanese losses in
these actions, according to a censored report,
were 1900 men,
WAY FOR SECOND ATTACK PREPARED.