Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-06-20
ONE OF JAPAN's FOREMOST
MILITARY LEADERS.
HIS STRATEGY AT YALU
Difficult Position and important Share
in the Battle of LAO Yano-His
infiexibIe Decentralization
IN sattle-His Present Mission to
the United States.

y @AhSiicd as special representative
OF the Japanese government 20 the
jamestown exposition. is ascribed nv
TREND and foe alike much of the great
tactlcal advantages attained by the
troops of the mikado in the late war
/ AS head Of the Japanese first army
ana until the arrival of Field Marshal
oyama before Liabyang the command
er-ln-chief in Manchuria, he showed
MS ski. and expertness in superin.
tehding the first debarkation of his
troops. The quickness of the forward
movement into Korea and on. his in
lantry passing cavalry records: his
assault In force at the Yalu where
ne overwhelmed the Russian artillery
| Ny the accuracy of his gun fire, out
| Writing his foes by series of skill
1ul movements which enabled him to
pave the way for Russian defeat.
MS own men, encouraged by his pres
ehce, Wading the river under heavy
nre, dashng up breastworks to an
initiate the enemy-these things have
made him the idol of his army and his
| nation
Although sixtythree years old. he
mas the appearance and agility of
thirty, despite the fact that his first
hghting took place almost forty wears
ago. In that epochal war. from which
present-day Japan largely dates-the
war for the restoration of tie mikado
In 1868, he took the side of the emper.
or against his own clan of the Samu-
raj, and many stories are told in Ia
pan of his achievements i'm hand-to-
hand combat. Ten years later he as
sisted in suppressing the insurrection.
In the Chino-Japanese war he com
manded the division, dozen of forts
defending Wei-Hei-Wei. In the boxe~
war of 1900 he commanded that part
of the Japanese force which disting-
uished itself in the relief of the lega-
lions. in Pekin.
nuroh is credited with beng an
administrator of the first class. He
was member of the war council in
Toxic before taking the field and from
his previous campaigns had gained an
intimate knowledge of the topography
of Korea and China, information
which gave him great advantages in
his movements against the Russians.
OF Polish Origin.
Ever since he began to excite adj.
miration for his mivlitary skill
against the Russians various ac-
counts of mis- origin have been going
the rounds of the press. They agreed
that his mother was a japanese. but
yariously stated that his father was a
frenchman, German and Pole. A
German newspaper which accepted
tue theory of the Japanese generals
French origin has been put right by
fosat1a Oshima, a nephew of General
huroM. who is now studying in Eu-
rope, and who writes the following
letter:
My uncle Kurolsi is of Polish orr
GIN. His father was a Polish noble
man by the name of Kourowski, who
Ned from -.ussia after the revolution
! of 1881. He first went to Paris and
/ afterwar6 % Turkey. and later Joined
/ the Holland troops at Borneo. From
there he went to Japan and married
a Japanese. From this union was
born General Kuroki, who in the fam
lily is teasingly called the Pole. His
father upon his deathbed said to him
that perhaps some day he would be
able to take vengeance upon the Rus
slams for their cruel treatment of I'M
happy Poland. As the name Kourow-
ski difficult To pronounce in Japan
csc my uncle wrote and pronounced
his now Kuroki. My uncle is very
proud of his Polish origin.
He is singularly unassuming and
unostentatious. and during the war
could be seen by anyone passing in
his vicinity walking up and down in
front of his headquarters in his very
plain uniform and wearing old and
comfortable slippers. Beyond the
three stars of his rank and certain
narrow stripes oi black braid on his
sleeve. insignia of rank. his campaign
kit was devoid of ornament and iden-
teal with the UNIFORM of any other
officer w.o served in his command
Battle Of the Yaiu.
The first serious land engagement
of the Russo-Japanese war brought
huroki into prominence. This was the
battle of the Yalu. fought on May 1,
1904. With regard TO this the military
correspondent of the London Times
says AS model OF troop leading
the battle on the Yalu was very
brilliant affair. proving that the Japa-
nese stan possesses military merit OF
the highest order. The men were also
I splendid. and the whole military ma
chine moved like clockwork." The
problem which kuroki solved in dis
lodging the Russian forces was one
OF considerable difficulty. At the time
OF the battle the Russians were estt
mated at 10000 strong. with two bat.