The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-06-22
STORY OF The RUSSO-JAPANESE
WAR NOW PRACTICALLY AT AN END

I'LL y - AAV 1AvD
was not yet strong enough to advance
In force. he was ordered-or no Il % be-
lieved--to send General Stakelberg
southwards with a strong detachment
| I'm the hope OF taking the Japanese In
the rear and raising the siege on the
land side almost before u had begun.
The attempt was soon shown To be III
judged. for on June IL and rs the Rus
sian force. which appears TO have num-
bered about $4,000 men. with ninety
guns. met Oku's army near Telissu. or
| vafangow. q point on the railway about
nifty miles north OF kinchau.
Outnumbered I'm men and guns. and
outmaneuvered by his opponent. Stakel-
berg was forced to retreat. abandon
Ing sixteen guns and leaving LISA dead
on the field. His wounded numbered
2.tt6. oku lost III killed and sos
i wounded.
| Stakeiberg and his broken force re-
tired To Kaiping. while Kuropatkin col
iected his forces In the neighborhood
OF Liaoyang, where Il was evident that
the FIRST great stand would be made by
the army that had advanced from Muk-
den. the troops that had reiterated from
the Yaiu. and those which had been In
occupation OF Newchwang and the low
er reaches of the Liau river.
Fleets Try 10 Escape.
That the Russians In Port Arthur
/ were aware or the seriousness OF their
position was shown by the attempt
which was made by the feet on the 2ad
and I'D OF June TO escape from the
harbor. In spite OF the eighteen ves-
sells sunk In the entrance the whole
great fleet made Its way out. though
moving slowly and steered due south
for the shantung peninsula.
Il E<s.xz AZ
the long expected great naval battle
was about TO take place at last. The
fleets were getting within range. but at
8 o'clock I'm the evening ''the Russian
admirars heart failed him, and. put
ting over his helm. he steered directly
TO port" The japanese destroyers at
once dashed In and did some damage.
md their way back to the harbor. re-
serving themselves for the ingiorious
fate which was 10 befall them towards
the end OF the year.
Once more the feet made n sortie
from Port Arthur ION August 100. but,
like those which had preceded II. the
attempt failed. Admiral witsoeft was
killed, and. disobeying what appears to
have been the emperor's order. nearly
all the ships returned TO harbor. The
exceptions were the Cxarevitch. which
reached the German port OF Tsingtau.
where IL was disarmed. the cruisers
Askold and Diana. which were dis
armed, respectively. In Shanghai and
Saigon. and the cruiser Novik. which
led towards vladivostok and ten days
later was destroyed by two Japanese
ships In Korsakovsk harbor. Saghalin.
-Four days after the Port Arthur sor-
tie the vladivostok cruisers, whose
raids had caused 30 much damage,
were met and defeated by Admiral
Kamimura. The Rurik was sunk. but
the two others. In n crippled condition.
escaped to vladivostok.
Russian Armies Assemble.
BY the last week OF June Kuropatkin
found himself faced by three japanese
armies, OF which two had already won
easy victories over his men. Kuroki
had advanced from the southeast. after
capturing three important passes.
which were scarcely defended at all:
Oku. the victor OF Nanshan and Tells
su. held the left: and Nodxu. In COM
mand OF the japanese fourth army,
which had landed at Takushan, held the
center OF their position.
Kuropatkin had been subjected 10 a
great deal OF criticism for his refusal
TO take the offensive. Russian prestige
had suffered seriously throughout CIV
ilixation, nrst by naval disasters, and,
second. by the constant. although slow.
retrograde movement OF the land
forces. From 81. Petersburg Kuropat-
kin was subjected to constant pressure
To take the offensive. and thus check
the steady advance OF the Japanese
columns.
Kuropatkin yielded finally to this
pressure. and on July ~ General Count
Keliar. one OF the ablest commanders
In the Russian army. was sent to at
tack Kurokfs position I'm the Fengshui
or Molten pass. Kcliar had 1000 men
and twenty-four guns. He failed and
was driven back. losing 100 men.
We retreated to Yantze pass and forti-
fed.
In the meantime oku was advancing
steadily northward. on July % he att
tackled General Zaronbaiefrs position
before Tashichiao. turned his enemy's
flank. and compelled the Russians 20
| abandon Tashichiao and Yinkow
Forced out OF these positions. the Rus
slams were compelled TO evacuate New
chang. and thus lose touch with the
sea. The loss OF Newchang was a se-
rious blow. for II cut OF Kuropatkin's
last base on the Chinese coast and de-
prived him of the supplies he had been
receiving by the railroad 10 Peklng
The japanese pressure was exerted
steadily northward. on July 81 Kur-
oki attacked the Russians at Yantze
pass. General Count Keliar met his
death In the engagement. His forces.
defeated. retired toward Liaoyang.
At the same time Oku and Nodzu
| made a combined attack on the Rus
sian right. fifteen miles below Hat
cheng, and turned their enemy north
ward. The Russians abandoned Hal
| cheng on August 2. Kuroki had lost
| 1900 men. TO say nothing OF the casual
ties In the armies OF Nodzu and Oku.
but the three generals had cleared
the way for the great battle OF Lao
yang.
Battle Of lisoysns.
The battle OF Liaoyang was up to the
time IL was fought the greatest battle
OF modern history. IL continued with
out interruption for ten days-snd the
ten days were filled with the fiercest
hghtlng that the world has seen since
| the American civil war. For desperate
attacks. for strenuous defense, for
logged determination on the part OF
both armies. and for personal bravery.
/ this battle with modern weapons OF
precision was as remarkable as any OF
the old short distance conflicts OF mus
ket and bayonct. One looks back TO
the battles round Metz. To Sadowa. to
Gettysburg. and To the Napoleonic cam
paigns for a worthy precedent TO this
gigantic struggle. In which half a mil
lion men were engaged and thirteen
| hundred guns.
The Russian army held a line along
Il front of twenty five milea hetWaen