Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1905-05-26
RUSSIANS LOSSES $4,000.
The Figures Cover Battle and Retreat From
Mukden.

| Some 10 weeks have passed since the
last echoes of the titanic Mukden COM
bat have died away, but the discussion;
and tales of those hard days of fighting
and retreat have not lessened, but on the
contrary, grow louder and louder. Here
in the army the newspaper articles and
kilograms portraying disastrous rout Of
the Russians were read with amazement
and Indignation. The reality was as
follows:
The attack on the Russian positions
by the Japanese began February 10.
The first Manchurian army and parts
of the Third Army repulsed all attacks,
and as to the character of this repulse
the best proof is the fact that on March
7, after the repulse of the last attack on
the Gaotu Pass, the Japanese in COM
plete disorder, abandoning on their BIZ
vouacs many objects, ammunition. car
tridges, conserves and rice, retired almost
four miles. The same thing took place
on the remainder of the front OF the
first army. The second Manchurian
army, repulsing all the desperate attacks
on the western front, was unable. how
ever, to throw back the Japanese forces
which were encircling Mukden from the
north.
This success of the Japanese compelled
the Russians to withdraw the first and
third armies to the fortified positions on
the line of the Hun River. On March
the Japanese succeeded in breaking
through the Russian position on the
Hun River, which, together with the
armies of Nogi advancing to the rail-
road from the west and with Okus as
sistance, forced the commander to give
the order to all three armies to retreat
| to Tie Pass. In spite Of the extremely.
difficult circumstances the retirement OF
the troops from the advanced position
took place in good order. The retreat
was rendered more difficult by the
panic in the wagon trains.
One of the rear guards, under com.
mand of Major General Ganeheld, and
few battalions, losing the direction
which had been given them for the re-
treat, were surrounded, and alter
furious fight, succeeded in partly break
ing through, with heavy losses. In tins
way began the sudden confusion, which
became a panic, among the wagon trains,
communicating partly to those batteries
and parks which, owing to the duststormr,
lost their way and got between the
wagons. The troops of the line were
almost untouched by the panic, and re-
tired fighting steadily, defending sue,
cessive positions, while the rear guard
had to repulse the Japanese with the
bayonet. Under the protection OF these
slowly retreating, bleeding and worn
out soldiers, work on the railway was
continued until night of March II, ana
all the rolling stock and all the wounded
were gotten away, with the exception OF
400 especially seriously wounded, who
were left in several hospitals IN Makden,
together with $50 wounded japanese.
The Russian losses for the whole
period of the fighting from February
10 to March consisted of killed, wounded
and missing as follows
Two generals, both severely wounded
and now both prisoners.
Staff and other officers, 1885.
Privates, 1857.
Dividing the latter figure into classes
there would be in round figures about
$1,000 wounded gathered up, 5000
killed, 1000 to 5000 taken prisoner and
10000 to $4,000 left on the field and
missing. Of the last two classes the
number of those taken prisoners must
be calculated at not more than 5000 or
6.ooo. OF guns the Russians lost 80,
including 70 quick-hrers. As to the siege
artillery, every gun of it, with the ammu-
milton, was sent north two days before
the retreat began.
The blow was a very heavy one, and
the armies passed through a period of
severe trial, increased by the warped &C
counts which have found their way into
the foreign press. The information con-
corning the losses given above was re-
ceived by the Associated Press cores
pordent from the staff of the new COM
mander-in-chief and has the authorize
ton of the chief of staff, General Karke-
witch.