Evening journal., 1905-05-15
SCENES At THE FRONT
Richard H. Little's Observations
of Russo Japanese War.
APPALLING CONFLICT AT MUKDEN

battle Line In Nanchuria Extended
Eighty Miles-Russians Were Brave
Enough, but Badly Hnndled-sheus
Burating In Midst OF Heaped Up
Corpsca Caused Them TO Rise to Al
rnoa, u0risht Positions.
Richard II. Little, war correspondent
for the Chicago News, who recently ar
rived at San Francisco from the far
east, where he witnessed all the i'm
portant battles between the Russian
and japanese armies. spoke as follows
to a San Francisco Chrdnicle reporter:
Il went TO Mnnchuria year ago and
was assigned TO the First corps Of ST.
IBERIA. otherwise known as the EN-
perors Own and the Nicholas l. regi-
ment. 1t is the finest corps in all the
Russian army in Manchuria. We cor
respondents. as we'll as the military at
taches, were attached TO the rear guard,
but we saw about everything and were
pretty we'll treated. ! WITNESSED the bat
Ties OF Taschichao, Anping. including
tts battle TO the eastward OF Mukden,
three weeks before Liaoyang, in which
Count Keller was killed; then LAO
yang, then Shaho and in January the
terrific war at Sanjapu, where the Rus
SLAMS we're checked and which was one
of the two decisive battles Of the war;
The other one was four miles west OF
Mukden, the greatest fight Of all and
the most decisive. ! was with General
Kadlbars there.
'The battle line extended eighty
miles. and from our position with
glasses could see five miles in either
direction along the line, which was par
ticularly solid for fifteen or twenty
miles directly in our front. That was
q terrible conflict. The Russians moved
forward shoulder to shoulder, brsve
enough but badly handled, and only TO
be moved down; while the Japanese,
more tactful and more scientifically
directed, kept more under cover and
made no unnecessary sacrifices. But
their infantry fire was no. up to the
standard of their other work. Their ar
tillery fire against the magazines, their
rhrapnel and the showers Of explosive
uhells sent to the rear were more ef-
fecuve. Four times did the men Of the
Siberian corps capture a town only to
be driven out again by the Japanese,
and the resultant slaughter was appal-
ling
II had hurried out into the fire zone
to get some photographs. where both
Japs and Russians lay dead in great
heaps extending in long lines. Here
were japanese heads and arms inter-
mingled with the bodies Of their foes,
all one interminable mass that might
at some distance have looked like the
breastworks Of an army. Before and
behind the ridge Of dead there was
constant rain Of bullets the dust rising
in little puffs from the ground like
dust on a country road in a shower Of
rain. And frequently the shells from
the japanese artillery would strike
that mass Of dead bodies and cause
many OF them to rise to almost upright
positions. with wildly swinging arms
and legs and bobbing heads. only to
fan again. Russians and Japs in one
tangle Of heads and limbs. The same
sight would be repeated here and
there all along this line of deep piled
corpses l watched and forgot all
about photographs and stuck to lit
tie patch of clear ground like a piece
OF glue.
'rhat was the most spectacular bat
tie OF them all-Mukden. Shaho was
an amazing fight, but Mukden was the
great and deciding conflict that showed
Of fhrt az
and men. Kuropatkin might be con-
sldered an able general, but all the
Russian officers were to blame for
their defeat, for they were never in
good touch with their men. And as TO
the soldiers themselves, how could men
fight together when, as was the case in
many OF the regiments, there were four
or Eve different languages and races,
with interpreters necessary at all
times? 1 have seen scouts come In
with reports that could only be de-
lvered through an interpreter, and he
was not always at hand.
'aThe Russians were not equipped for
either the tremendous battles or the
rigors Of that country. They had warm
enough clothing perhaps, but not the
kind adapted for their needs in a hard
campaign, while the japanese had been
equipped with special regard for war
IN Manchuria. The Russians were not
he equals of the japanese, either oti-
GERS or soldiers. / saw them fight and
bad every opportunity to compare
them
when the Japanese captured many
thousands Of the Russians near Muk-
den was included in the capture and
was taken down through Manchuria to
Dalny and thence by steamer to Japan.
! was well treated, but had to notice
this-that the Japanese are not so cour-
keous as they might be when you are
completely in their power. have no
particular admiration for them as pro-
spective citizens Of the United States"
Jefferson and Curio Dealer.