The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-26
JAP HORSES TOO
SMALL !. FOR WAR
Mikado's Artillery Is Affected
and Use Of Field Guns
Hampered.
ADVANCING OUTER
LINES OF THE ARMY
Stanley Washburn Tells How a
Battery Takes q New Position
Under Cover Of Night.
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondents.
Artillery Head quarters, Third Imper-
ial Japanese Army, Manchuria, Aug. 8.
Tho center OF esordnance system Of
guns-but we. dare not mention how
many-to make procession many miles
in length, is in a village well up toward
the front, which for the objects of mil
itary secrecy must be nameless. Here,
surrounded by his staff. lives General
Nagato, tall, raW-boned man, with
long nose and the high cheekbones Of
an American Indian, he stands in his
boots a full six feet in height. Distin-
guished service in the China war
marked him as one Of the ablest Of the
sent her model division to form the
backbone Of the Picking expedition in
1900 Nagato was in command Of the
Japanese artillery. So well was his
task performed that he was elevated to
the rank of major general. Four years
Of service in Japan further increased
his name and reputation among his col
leagues, SO that when war with Russia
broke out he was attached to the third
Imperial Japanese army as chief ord
rance officer. The reputation made in
doubled by the efficiency and ability
with which the artillery Of this army
has been handled, both at Port Arthur
and at Mukden, so that when the war
Is over Nagato will probably be one Of
the first men to be made lieutenant
general for distinguished services in
Japanese Horses Too Small.
His headquarters, like all Japanese
headquarters, is In a Chinese house, in
an unpretentious little village. He has
with linn only batteries, for the guns
OF the army are scattered over an area
OF several hundred square miles. But
with telephone and mounted messenger
the general keeps in daily touch with
to a different battery and watches it
60 thru maneuvers.
The greatest weakness in The whole
army is the Japanese horse. These
horses are really little more than ponies.
Small, vicious and hard to manage, they
| are at their worst in the artillery. Even
as mounts they are unruly and ineffi.
| c1ent, so that when harnessed six to
each gun they are little less than a
Calamity: sm 81 in &. they have much
animals whiahSywEAha have in our al artillery
The result is lsMt the Japanese have
been obliged to adopt for their regula.
tion field artillery gun which today
| is the smallest used by any Of the great
armies. In caliber 1t is considerably
under three inches, and in range it is a
thousand meters short Of the Russian
feldpiece. In spite Of this great handi
cap it has proved much more efficient
than the weapon Of the enemy, owing
to the wonderful adaptability and pre-
cision with which it has been operated
How the Guns Are Carried.
The Japanese have showed them
selves past masters Of the science Of
war in many directions, but their great
est skill has been perhaps with thei1
guns. The wonderful mobility anc
quickness Of these, their accuracy ii
finding the ranges and, last but not
least, their skill in taking cover and II
hiding gun positions, has enabled them
nearly every time, to get. within range
handicap of their inferior CARRYING pow
er, to silence the opposing fire. The
gun carriages themselves are differen
from those used in the United States
the gun being swung below the hubs O.
the wheels. This makes It almost i'm
possible for them to upset, no matte
how uneven the ground or fast tn,
speed.
Inc mountain gun Is OF the same cali
Der, but with much shorter barrel. I
is SO made that it can be taken down
| the wheels going on one horse and tn,
barrel on another. The same cartridg
is used in both, but, Of course, tn,
range Of the mountain gun is mucl
shorter than that of its grown-up broth
er. These little guns have proved mos
useful, however, on account Of the eas
with which they can be transported AM
mounted in almost inaccessible places
Kuroki was we'll supplied with them AM
his way from the Yalu to Liao-yan,
thru the rough country.
Easy to Get Into Action.
The batteries are for the most par
uuartered in pairs in villages. Stable