Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-29
The Secret Of Japanese
Success in ManChuria.
Russians Fought Braveb, but
0yama Had the Whip Hand.
6iaphie Story Of the Fighting After Falling
Of Port Arthur.

| amy, near ltltlIIR 1dS, MuucHuTEt,
March 1.-THE combination of the
most efficie mt staff with the bravest
and more Intelligent soldiers to execute
its plans decided the mastery of Man
| churia. Again the Russians gave a
splendid exhibition Of the old school Of
lighting. They were courageous be-
yond criticism, and stubbornly defend
Cd their lines, but in generalship and
| the employment of more modern me-
| thods the Japanese surpassed therr
| Their retire at began in as good order as
| that from Lao Yang but when the
soldiers realized that they were being
surrounded 1t became 4 panic with in =
| cidcnts which must have been humili-
| ating to the officers.
| The battle. like Lao Yang, had for
| the japanese some days of suspense
| when it appeared doubtful if the Rus
| slams could be forced from their posi-
| tons. 1t was full Of surprises. and the
| climax, when kuroki's soldiers, who
| Judged by all standards should hlv.,
been completely exhausted from ten
days of fighting and Exposure. marched
rapidly north in thick sand storm
and appeared across the Tiehling road
| beyond Mukden, was decisive sur
prise. The Russians about Mukden had
| delayed their retreat too long. Only
on the ninth, kuropatkin appears to
| have realized the danger and warned
foreign officers and correspondents to
| leave. Those who started that day are
| yet with the Russian army, but the
| others who delayed until the tenth were
| CAPTURED.
| The Russian soldiers expected vic
tory. They We're told that the Rus
slams We're winning along the Shaho
and at Fushun. When the soldiers
found TIE enemy approaching from
every side. ignorant peasants deluded
| with tales of japanese atrocities, they
| scattered and fled like sheep AMI being
surrounded. surrendered in squads t.
unarmed japanese transport men and
coolies. begging not to be massacred.
Many have been hiding about the coun-
try inside the Japanese lines and now
driven by cold and hunger are coming
into camp. Corpses of Russians and
even japanese lie uuburiej away from
the roads where they were not notices
or We're passed over by the army in 1t ;
hurried advance. ard no doubt num-
bers of wounded who were not dis
| cONeTtu lIolil chpoSuIc.
| The japanese staff had long ago re-
| solved upon winter campaign. They
| would have launched it sooner, but
We're obliged to await the fall of Port
| Arthur for a force large enough to give
reasonable assurance of success. If
Stoesscl had persisted another month
the Japanese would have faced the
difficult problem of bridging the rivers
to be crossed instead Of walking over
on the ice, and the odds against them
would have been far greater.
After Port Arthur surrendered 1t was
necessary to PARTLY reorganize. thereby
| filling the decimated ranks with re-
| serve and TO march them up Lao Yang.
| The heavy soige guns had to be
brought north by trains and fOunda-
tons constructed for them Had the
| Japanese been driven back from the
ShahC all of their "S-centimetre guns
would have fallen into the hands OF the
enemy but Russian success was not
| contemplated in the plans. These big
guns proved as effective in field fight
| ing as against forts. The shells tore
through the Russian entertainments and
| the protected huts as though they had
out shelter or refuge from the fire. The
cavalry and COssacks of which the
Russians have great force and which
| they expected to play a Leading part in
| the operations on level country were
not factor i'm the battle.
The beginning of the battle found
| the japanese forces organized into five
bodies. Three we're along the Shaho
| and westWar to the Hun. Nogis vet
Grams were ready to march nOrthward
| and attack Mukder from the north
| west. and they executed their part of
the plans briilia atty. On the extreme
east was an untried force which had
started in January from bases on the
Yalu and was to make junction with
the japanese right wing and sweep
around to the north Of the Russian
lines of defense. It's work was to out
flank Fushan the terminus of the Rus
sian branch railway and KurOpatk1n's
eastern stronghold. as NOgi did Muk-
den. Kuropatkin mistook this contin~
gent for the Port Arthur veterans and
paid it the compliment of arraying
gre at body of his best organizations
against it. Thus he YVES able to check
its advance with strong entertainments
on the hills south of the town or
RagaEtan, fifteen miles southeast o!
F'ushun, fer several days and prevent
it from fianking the body of Line
vitch's army.
Along the ShahO tho japanese armies
were the same organizations although
with greatly changed personnel and al
tered in details, that met the Russians
at Lao Yang. Two divisions OF
Kurokrs army were sent eastward as
soon as the battle begun. indeed they
were on the march before the opening
Of the bOmbardment, to cooperate with
the right army.
There was break of ALMOST twenty
miles in the line between the eastern
most division and the others at one
time. and the ground was covered only
by cavalry brigade and some infantry
reserves. That division encountered
the same experience which befell the
Yalu force. and the town OF Shateray in
the mountains northeast of Witesan
was its stumbling block There was
also an interval left uncovered Of some
miles west OF Witesan between
Kurokfs left and the right of another
q rvov General Enrokt Lapt ca,,o,c, t>o<