The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-17
HAS LASTED IS MONTHS
The Progress OF the Greatest Modern
War Reviewed.

The Progress OF the Greatest Modern
War Reviewed
The war between Russia and Japan
which now seems about to end has
| been in active progress for a year and
| four months. On May 8. 1904, Ad-
nniraI Togo formally opened the war
for japan with 4, sudden attack upon
the unprepared warships at Port Ar
thur.
The exact cause of the war was the
refusal of Russia to comply with
/ Japan's demand for the evacuation of
/ Manchuria in accordance with the
! stipulations Of a treaty In force be-
tween the two countries. For several
months prior to the declaration of
war sharp diplomatic correspondence
/ had been carried on between the two
countries. On one pretext or another
Russia deferred giving final answer
until the patience of Japan was ex-
hausted.
Finally negotiations were abruptly
! broken of and Baron Rosens Russian
| ambassador to Toxic, was given his
preparing for war ever since 1895,
/ when Russia with the aid of France
/ and Germany, stepped in and pre-
vented the acquisition Of the Liaotung
/ peninsula and Port Arthur. In the
early part of February, 1904, troops
| began to assemble at the southwest
ern seaports OF Japan, and the fleet
under Admiral Togo left Sasebo for a
base near the Corean and Manchurian
| coasts.
War Opened by Admiral Togo.
| On the night of February 8, before
war had been actually declared, jap
/ anese torpedo boats attacked the Rus
| sian feet at anchor in the harbor of
Port Arthur, and badly damaged some
| or their best ships. 1t was said that
many OF the Russian officers were alb
sent from their posts attending festivi-
| ties in the city. On the following
night a second attack was made and
more damage inflicted, the battleShiD
| Poltava suffering the most. At Chem
ulpo, Corea, the Russian cruisers
Narlag ana korietZ were attacked and
sunk on February g. The next day
/ Russia formally declared war and on
February II japan did the same.
Troops were Immediately landed by
| the Japanese at Chemulpo. They
marched overland to Win on the
alu river, where they arrived at the
end of April, without meeting any re-
sistance from the Russians.
IN the meantime events Of fmpor-
lance took place on the sea. Mines
/ had been planted by both sides in the
vicinity of Port Arthur and the eff
fectiveness of these implements of
warfare was almost Immediately
proved by the blowing UP of the trans
/ port Yenesei, the cruiser Bovarin the
torpedo boat Skorri, and the battlship
Petropavlovsk. All these were Rus
sian vessels. The most serious loss was
that of the Petropavlovsk, which went
down April 8 with Admiral Makaroff
and 525 officers and men. The Jap
anese made attempts February "a
March 26 and May to block the en-
trance to Port Arthur. and in so do
ing sacrificed many merchant ships
several torpedo boats. and a number
Of lives. They succeeded in obstruct-
ing the channel. but not in closing 1t.
Battle of the YaIu.
The first important battle of the war
was fought on the Manchurian side
of the Yalu river, near Antung, May I.
General Kuroki attacked and routed
a Russian force of about 21.0OO men
unders Generals Sassalitch and Kash-
talinsIy, and then marched on to
Fenghauangcheng which he captured
without a battle. While he was doing
this other Japanese armies were land
ed on the Liaotung peninsula at Pitse-
wo, Takushan and Kinchow, with
Generals Nogi, Okus Nodzu and Kaw-
| troops under General Oku captured
the village of KinchOW and the
strongly fortified Nanshan hill after
a severe struggle.
Then a strong force was sent south
to invest Port Arthur, while the other
armies turned toward the northeast.
Dalny was occupied May 80 by the
Japanese, and from that time on it
supplies
for all the columns in the field. New
| Chwang was evacuated by the Rus
slams July Is, and that place was also
made an important supply point by
the japanese. June IA the battle of
| Vafangow or Telissu was fought, the
Russians meeting defeat
1t was in this month that a Russian
| fleet made a raid out of Vladivostok
sunk a number Of japanese transports
| and captured several merchantmen Of
/ various nationalities. Toward the end
/ of the month Generals Kuroki and Oku
| defeated the Russians at Molten and
other passes southeast of Liaoyang
! and drove them toward that city. Cen
| sumed command of the Russian forces
4 in the field, and Admiral Alexieff, who
! had been viceroy of the Kwantung
/ province and conmander-in-chief of ali
the land and sea forces in the east, was
/ sent to Vladivostok with restricted au-
1 thority.
Port Arthur Is Invested.
/ The bombardment of Port Arthur
/ from the land side began June 20, and
| with brief internissions was continued
until the fail of the fortress, January 1,
/ 1908. General NOgi conducted the op-
/ erations against the stronghold, while
Gen. Stoessel had command of the de-
tenders Fighting of the fiercest des-
/ cription occurred from time to time
/ when the Japanese attacked some out
work which they deemed it necessary
to capture, and thousands of lives were
sacrificed on both sides. The various
forts and the city itself, together with
the remnants of the fleet in the harbor.
were subjected to a fire probably never
! before equaled in the history of the
world. Cannon of the heaviest caliber
were used. and the Russian defensive
works, supposed to be impregnable, were
in many cases pounded into shapeless
| heaps of ruins. The shells, particularly
after the capture of Two Hundred and
Three Meter hill November 80, were
thrown with deadly accuracy, and one
| after another the ships in the harbor
were sunk or completely disabled. The
town became untenable, and on Janu-
airy General StoesseI capitulated, with
! SIS nfricers md % nnn raer- Some of The