The Washington times., 1914-08-13
WHAT A MODERN BAT
TIE is.

.
has known was that of Mukden. Il
covered an area bigger than some
of the States of the American Union
1t began or February 10, 1905, anc
may be said to have concluded or
March 10, when the Japanese enter.
ed Mukden, and the Russian army
was in full retreat. a retreat which
was near complete rout.
1t is not difficult to trace a gen.
eral resemblance between the plan OF
this vast battle, or rather series of
battles, and the yet greater conflict
now beginning in Belgium and along
the Franco German frontier. Muk-
den was of course a series of battles,
in which half a dozen armies as
great as either Of those which
clashed at Gettysburg were engaged.
The eastern and western wings of
the Russian army were about 120
miles apart. The front along which
the great battle of the nations is
now opening in Europe is all of 200
miles long.
The right wing of the Japanese
was under General Kuroki. 1t op-
posed the Russian left under General
Linevitch. Kuroki opened the series
of engagements by a great flanking
movement which was successful,
rolling the Russian line mack on
itself and taking the fortified depot
at Fushan.
Meanwhile the two Japanese
armies at the center, along the Sha-
no river, pressed hard upon the
Russians, who were KEEP. engaged
with such tremendous energy that
they dared not detach considerable
forces to relieve their left.
Readers who recall the dispatches
from the war zone at that time will
recall that for many days the
world supposed that the grand
strategy OF the Japanese was repre-
sented in the thanking movement by
Kuroki. The event proved that the
Japanese were playing a deeper
game. To turn the Russian left with
the Japanese right had been their
program in all their battles from
the Yalu to this point. They seemed
to be doing the regular thing again.
But suddenly the Russians learned
that they had new plan for Muk-
den: General Nogi, with the terrible
men of Port Arthur, had been
marched north from the Lao Tung
peninsula, through what was sup
posed to be the neutral Manchurian
territory. They had never been in
touch with the Russian northern
army; Russia did not know, the
world did not know, that they had
been withdrawn for such a move
ment from Port Arthur. They VIZ
lated neutrality, exactly as Ger
many has done in its movement
through Belgium and Luxembourg;
and the japanese made the same ex-
cuse that the Germans now make: |
necessity.
This magnificent force of Nogi's |
fell on the Russian right wing, 12O
miles west of the left which was still |
desperately trying to hold off Ku-
roh. 1t was an utterly unexpected |
attack. The Nogi column was far
in the rear Of the Russians when |
it rushed in and precipitated a more |
complete rout at the western end |
Of the Russian line than that which |
was already in progress at the east
ern end. The Japanese in the center
Kept on hammering with huge siege
guns and with infantry charges.
Crumpled up on both flanks, the
Russian army gave way at both
points. The Japanese almost sur
rounded them, and it is now known
that they played for just that. They
hoped to make Mukden a greater
Sedan.
But the strain of the twenty days
battle was more than flesh and blood
could continue. The iron ring was
not quite riveted. The Russian army
sustained huge losses in prisoners;
tut the greater part of its numbers
we're drawn away through a narrow
opening in the rear, as if they had
;een poured out through the neck of
/ bottle.
Tremendous as were these opera
ions at Mukden, it is not impossible
hat the engagement between the
allies on one side,
nd the Franco Beige British allies
IN the other. NAV involve twice as
many men as fought on the bloody
ield of Mukden. Imagine perhaps
hrre millions of men fighting, about