The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1905-05-19
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Armies In Retreat.

a general who can save the morale
Of his army in retreat sometimes has
an advantage over the most brilliant
strategist or the ablest fighter Every
commander plans his retreat before
every battle, but of course the situa,
ton is constantly changing, and the
head of the army, if defeated, mus'
decide instantly and make the righ
move or panic and destruction are i'll
evitable. Napoleon lost more men on
he did in fighting at Waterloo. Famine
and cold helped the Russians in the
work of slaughter, but nevertheless
the Russians hustled the poor French
men into the pitiless storms. The great
master at war was all right when
things went his way, but in adversity
he lost his nerve.
General Kuropatkin made master
~ retreat from Liaoyang to Mukden
but his withdrawal from Mukden was
the more difficult problem of the two
He was compelled to fight on either
flank and in the rear and to maintain
a front Of forty or fifty miles. Nat
urally his strongest columns moved
close to the railroad in order to guard
the line from attack. The cavalry
guarded the extreme flanks to prevent
the Japanese from beating in the race
for Kirin. The first stage of the re
treat to Tie pass, distance of forty.
five miles, was made in four days.
which shows that the pursuit was slow.
and that means that Kuropatkin was
armed for defense at all points. The
greatest opportunity for telling
stroke that can come in campaign Is
when some mishap overtakes retreat
ing army Then the lines are not set
discipline is lax, and the assailant has
the advantage. The fact that Kuropat
kin has twice retreated i'll the face OF
the same general and not been caught
unawares stamps him as military
genius of a high order. Marshal Ba'
zalne at Metz, in the Franco-Prussian
war of 1870, had much the same con.
dtions to face as Kuropatkin at Lao
yang. and the Prussians overwhelmed
him as the Japanese expected TO over
whelm Kuropatkin.
One of the famous retreats of history
was that made by Sir John Moore, the
British leader in the Spanish PENN
sula, in 1S0S-9. Sir John marched foT
a month from Astorga toward the sea
and, reaching the port at Coruna be
fore the arrival of ships to take his
army away, beat back the French un.
der Marshal Soult, dying almost at the
hour when embaIkation was complet.
ed. Soult himself made a skillful re.
mountains into Spain during the same
war. During the civil war General
Robert L. Lee conducted several re-
markably skillful retreats with troops
defeated in battle. After the conflict
in the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864, his
army fought in retreat for month,
finally bringing up in front of Rich
mond and forestalling Grant, who had
two armies, threatening the place from
two directions The Richmond cam
paign of 1864 has been called race
for Richmond. Three times during the
march Lee outmarched Grant and
formed his army along river to dis
pute the passage. Although beaten in
the end, Lee added fresh laurels to his
crown by the mastery handling of the
Army of Northern Virginia in the retro
grade movement from the Rapidan to
the James in May, 1864, and prolonged
the war a year.