New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-19


tlon and of the most soldierIy regard for the
Muscovite generalissimo And their encomiuns
deserve all the more weight since not only have
they shown themselves to be past masters in
the science of modern warfare, but likewise
through their wonderful intelligence department,
lhey nave been in a position comprehend bet
ter IMAM all others the extraordinary difficulties
by which Kuropatkin has been handicapped
from the very outset of the war. The Japanese
nave had everything IN their favor. Their
missariat and medical departments have worked
like clockwork. their transport arrangements,
organized years ago in view of this war, have
been mastery in their ingenuity and the highly
trained officers of every rank, wholly wrapt up
IN their profession, have been seconded at all
stages of the game by soldiers who combined
superb discipline, absolute fearlessness and an
almost uncanny power of endurance with de-
gree of initiative altogether American. More
over, the Japanese until now have been within
relatively easy reach of their base Of supplies.
Kuropatkin. on the other hand was con-
fronted at the outbreak of the with the
knowledge that no preparation had been made
for the latter by his government The troops
at his disposal were ridculously inadequate in
point of numbers and equipment, and he
compelled to depend upon that single line Of ST.
berian railroad. about which much has been
written. for reinforcements and supplies. dis
patched from point many thousand miles dis
tant Then, too, the Russian soldier though
docile, patient. and possessed of much endur-
ance, has initiative, and is, from both
educational and intellectual point of view,
much inferior to the rank and file of the Jap
anese army. The officers. while brave, for
the most part entirely ignorant of the science
and ethics of modern warfare. The time which
they should have spent in study has been given
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them is absolutely incredible to any one who
has not lived in Russia.
Add to this that their notions of discipline
are of the haziest, and that Immediate, unques-
toned obedience to commands received is the
exception instead of the rule. from divisional
commanders, such Generals Gripenberg and
Sassoitch, down to the youngest cavalry
cornet infantry ensign, and it will be seen
how hopeless has been the task of Kuropatkin
from the beginning. He could never depend
upon any of his orders being executed. 1t was
only by being here, there and everywhere at
the same time that he could get anything ac-
complished and when, besides all this, it is
taken into consideration that until just before
Christmas he was harassed by the presence
in Manchuria of his arch enemy and jealous
rival the Viceroy Admiral Alexieff who was
treless in his intrigues to Illustrate every kuro-
patkin plan and project, and that embarrassing
and contradictory orders were perpetually being
received from st. Petersburg, where the En-
peror and those about him failed to comprehend
the true state Of things in the Orient, one
will end by wondering how it is that the Mus
covite generalissimo has been able to hold out
so long. Until the end of last year, Kuropatkins
one thought to keep the enemy in check as
best he could, pending the arrival from Russia
of guns, reinforcements and supplies sufficient
to warrant his taking tie offensive But by
the time that the men had arrived, General
Stoessel by surrendering Port Arthur, had set
free the besieging army of Japanese to reinforce
Oyama, while neither the defunct Port
Arthur fleet yet the Baltic armada con-
tributed in the slightest degree to assist Kuro-
patkn by attempting to obstruct the line
of communications at sea between Japan and
the mainland.
That Kuropatkin should have been able 20
offer the resistance which has been encountered
by the Japanese under the circumstances is
wonderful, and that he should have forced
Oyama to purchase his victories at terrible
a cost of life shows him to be commander
of the highest order of military skill. One is
tempted to ask whether the Japanese army
would have been equally successful if the foe
which it had been called upon TO face had been
American, English, French German. 1t is
not pleasant to make the admission, but in the
opinion of experts especially of experts who
have had the opportunity of studying at close
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