Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1904 — GREAT HOSTS IN DEATH GRIP [ARTICLE]

GREAT HOSTS IN DEATH GRIP

Battle That Will Live in History Still Rages Before Liaoyang* RUSS EFFECTS AN ADVANCE Japs Said to Have Lost More Than Forty Guns. Islanders Finally Force Knropatktn’s Right and Center to Retreat With the Japanese in Hot Pursuit. Tokio, Sept I.—Kuropatkin’s right and center defending Liao Yang southward are retreating. The Japanese armies are in close pursuit of the fleeing Russians. St. Petersburg, Sept 1. —General Kurokl’s force is crossing the Taitse river on pontoons. One division is already across and others are following. Liaoyang, Aug. 31, Evening. The Russians have effected an advance along the railway to the southward. Mukden, Sept. 1. —Over 200 Japanese captured at the battle of Liaoyang Tuesday passed through here on a train. Another train is expected. St. Petersburg, Sept. 1. Further dispatches from Liaoyang confirm the report of the capture of forty-six Japanese guns, which were brought up to the railroad station where General Kuropatkin’s train was standing.

London, Sept. I.—A dispatch from Liaoyang, dated Aug. 31, 6:36 a. m., says: “The battle was resumed this morning earlier than it began yesterday. With the first gray of dawn the artillery opened and the tiring soon extended along the entire line. The rain ceased during the night and day broke bright and clear. The Russians entered the fight confident of victory. “As this dispatch is sent a balloon is ascending from one of the Japanese positions southeast of Liaoyang, making a target for the Russian mortar batteries, but the shells have not yet reached it.” Fighting Commences at Dawn. Another dispatch from Liaoyang, dated yesterday, says: “The second day’s battle common ml at dawn. The Russians made repeated bayonet advances on tbe road directly south of Liaoyang, where the Japanese approached from Sanquaiship and Tab, shelling the positions in Die Russian lines until 4 in the afternoon, when tiie engagement, which was general throughout the south and southeast, narrowed to the main line. The Japanese advance on the southeast was by way of the Feng-Wang-Cheng road. Stubborn Attack on a Hill. "Immediately in front of Chiaofantun the Japanese stubbornly attempted to occupy a round-topped hill, which was literally shaved by the Russian shells, making repeated attempts tha entire day, where apparently it was impossible for anything to live. The cannonading continued from this point to the vicinity of Wangpaotai until this evening without apparent advantage to either side. The Japanese dropped shells within two or three miles of the railroad station, and in the plain of Wentshu mountain, which is the most important eminence around Liaoyang, but later abandoned aggression there on account of the resistance they met. Heaven* Weep at the Carnage. “Slow rain began to fall at noon, gradually transforming tbe plain into a wilderness through which ‘the wounded, in carts and walking, are tonight making their way to the hospitals. Considering the scale of the day’s operations the number of Russian wounded is apparently small, while the Japanese losses are believed to be great, especially where they were repulsed on the south road.” ST. PETERSBURG ANXIOUSLY WAITS With Bar to tha Ground She Listens for Bm toom Lhoyaag. St Petersburg, Sept 1, 2 a. m. With the knowledge that the Russian and Japanese armies about Liaoyang are locked in a death struggle the tension in St Petersburg Is strained to the utmost It is believed here that the fight cannot stop abort of the crushing defeat of one side or the other. All reporta so far are favorable lo the Russians, though the suspension of ail news for many hours has boon exceedingly trying and has given etee to several rumors, somewhat tempertUg the earlier enthusiasm. It ts stated officially, however, that the omoct that the railway and the tcJcgrapfe have been cut north of Liaoyahg ts untrue. The big beet military authorities here consider that tbe moat taSOcal stage of the battle'has not yat been readied, and they behove that the fight may continue for some rime befoee either side acknowledges defeat It is thought here that. In of the numbers engaged, the deepemteness of the assaults and the ’ength of the line, about seven miles,

the losses In the> two days’ fighting cannot fall short of 10,000 on each side. Both sides are straining every nerve, realizing that the 9l ypr |or a whole year are fn the scale, find neither side is in tbe mood or the position to spare men in the effort to achieve a victory. The battle yf Liadyahg will probably rank a$ dhe of the great sanguinary battles jf history. It Is estimated by the generalstaff that the Japanese armies engaged number seventeen divisions of 15,000 men each, or allowing for inefficient* about 240,000 men. Each division has thirty-six guns, and there are two independent artillery brigades of 100 guns each, making a total of about 800 guns. The estimates of Russian correspondents range at from 600 to 1,000 guns per side. In the preliminary fighting of Monday the Russians captured 200 prisoners, who have already arrived at Harbin, and report persists that they captured over forty Japanese guns Tuesday. General Kuropatkin’s effective forces are variously estimated at from 170,000 to 200,000 men. It is plain that the Japanese are no longer enjoying the superiority in artillery which stood them in such good stead In the earlier months of the war. It was then hill fighting, and the Japanese mountain batteries, in which arms the Russians were deficient, told with deadly effect. Now the contest is in a comparatively open country where both the Russian field guns and the Russian cavalry can come into more effective use. STORY OF THE FIRST DAY’S FIGHT Brief Details from a Russian Source—Japs Make a Bad Error. London, Aug. 3L—A dispatch from Liaoyang to a news agency, dated Aug. 30, says: “The Japanese artillery fire only ceased at 8 o’clock this evening. The casualties have not yet been ascertained. The Third Russian corps repulsed a hot Japanese assault, the Japanese being hurled back by bayonet charges, first by the Twentythird and then by the Twenty-fourth regiments,which received and repulsed the enemy no less than six times.

“Two Japanese companies which succeeded in occupying a Russian position were mistaken for Russians and annihilated by Japanese artillery fire. At 4 o’clock in the afternoon the Japanese concentrated their tire on a Russian southern detachment, and also tried to outflank the detachment from the right under the protection of the batteries. “One company after another was noticed riftining swiftly to the westward in an attempt to outflank the positions, but a Russian regiment and a battery were ordered to advance and succeeded in forcing the enemy to retreat in disorder, evacuating positions they previously had gained. There has been an immense expenditure of ammunition throughout the day, especially on the southern front against the Russian Third corps: “It is believed that the Russian losses so far have not been very heavy except to the regiments which sustained bayonet charges. All the men serving one Russian gun except one were killed by shrapnel. The survivor, who was badly wounded, heroically brought his gun to headquarters, and even then refused to quit his place, until the generally peremptorily ordered him into the hospital. “A more energetic attack is expected tomorrow. It seems that General Kuroki’s force did not participate in today’s engagement. The morale of the Russian troops Is excellent.” St. Petersburg, Aug. 31, 3:55 a. m.— The great battle of Liaoyang, which began early Tuesday morning, raged throughout the day with increasing intensity, but up to this hour no further official details beyond the two brief telegrams given out in the afternoon have been received by the war office. Every confidence is expressed in General Kuropatkin’s ability to meet the Japanese assault on ground of his own choosing, but the city is hungrily awaiting further news of the progress of the fight. The Japanese forces engaged in this battle can only be estimated here, but they are believed to number about 200,000 men. General Kuropatkin is known to have six army corps, besides 147 squadrons of cavalry, bringing up the Russian total to about the same number as tbe Japanese. Japs Lost 2,000 at Anping. > Tokio, Aug. 31.—The Japanese lost 2,000 men killed or wounded at the battle of Anping. Tbe Russian losses have not been estimated, but are said to have been heavy. Thef Japanese captured eight guns at Anping and eight at Anshansban. New Chwang Is Jap Base Now. London, Aug. 3L —A dispatch from Tientsin to The Daily Mall says New Chwang is now the Japanese base of supplies. One hundred and twelve sailing vessels entered port on Monday loaded with provisions and munitions of war.