The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-03-13
D,OOO PRISONERS;
 6O,OOO CASUALTIES
Continued from First Page.)

are attempting another wide turning movement to drive the Russians from Tie pass.
 | The Russian troops here have been arriving with hopelessly mixed units in consequence of the change in the front. The troops are being sorted out, and organizations reformed and as signed to places to defend the new pe- sition; but whether Tie pass will be held or abandoned probably will not be decided for several days.
 . It is still too early to tell the extent of the Russian defeat, because not all the parts of the army have been as- sembled, and the losses during the re- treat are no small portion of the cas- ualties. Up to the time of the begin ming of the retreat 1t is probable the { Japanese losses were heavier than those of the Russians, and at the time the Japanese broke through Flu pass the Russians appeared to be holding their own, and even gaining little. i Preparations were then being made to launch counter-stroke. The Jap anese success was largely aided by the weather conditions, which enabled them to approach unobserved, but it was chiefly due to the failure of some of the organizations on the left flank in the retreat from shakhe to occupy po- sitions marked out for them. The Japanese quickly discovered the inter- vals, scouting columns having followed the retreat closely. A heavy column which had been held in reserve for this eventuality was quickly directed into the breach and burst asunder the Rus sian line, rendering retreat imperative. The wonder is that the retreat did not degenerate into a panieky flight. In consequence of the rapid change of front necessitated by the western at- tack the units of the army had become Iinextricably confused. Battalions were not in their proper regiments, regi- ments were not in their own divisions, and divisions were not in the corps to (which they properly belonged. It is easily to be comprehended that the forced retirement became disordered to an extent by the sudden and unexpected 1 fire of a small detachment of Japanese, probably not more than two sections of a mountain battery, which had slipped far inside the Russian lines and opened On the retreating transport, causing a temporary panic, which was chiefly confined, however, to the drivers and some. artillerymen, whose nerves had been weakened by the strain of the twelve-days' battle, who cut the traces land abandoned their wagons and guns
 Further detachments of the. army, how ever, came up and portion of the wagons and guns were saved. s-z In the retreat of the first army, Gen. eral Rennenkampff, upon whose corps fell the brunt Of the fighting in the 1 Tsinkhetchen operations, is reported to have displayed brilliant generalship, causing considerable loss to the plrstl- ing Japanese.
 The decision of General Kuropatkin I to offer battle on the Shakhe was taken against his own best Judgment. l He had been constantly blamed both irl army circles and at home, for operat- ing without decision, and the demand that he take. the. initiative and abandon the policy of retirement was voiced on l all sides. It appears that General Ku- 1 ropatkin yielded to this opinion, which I was that of many of his principal gen. erals, and decided to give battle there by losing the opportunity for. a more successful. retreat before the Japanese forces which largely outnuinbered the Russian army. .,o' 7 ".'~- er*@t
 The last days battle presented a strange spectacle, affording material for new Verestchagin. A hurricane ragged, driving the dust in the faces of the soldiers and closing their eyes and plotting out objects so that at a dist ance of twenty paces men and horses were mere gray silhouettes, now and then disappearing in thicker clouds of dust. Long files of compact infantry
 marched rapidly along the railroad or l advanced across fields beyond which l they were swallowe up and mingled in | the clouds of dust an bullets. No enemy could be seen, not even the bursting of shrapnel was visible as the living streams of gray clay infantrymen nov ed forward against the destroying, un- seen fire, leaving the ploughed fields behind them tl1ickly covered with wounded or dead.