Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1905 — JAPS WIN VICTORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JAPS WIN VICTORY

Russians Are Defeated in Great 18-Days’ Battle at Mukden. RETREAT IS A ROUT. Kuropatkin's Shattered Divisions Fly to Escape Annihilation, Prolonged Battle at Mukden the Bloodiest of the War—Slaughter on Both Sides in the Fight Is Estimated at 100,000 Defeated General Burns Supplies of Food and Clothing in Order to Lighten Burden of Retreat.

As the result of the flanking movements and desperate fighting of the Japanese during a continuous eighteen days’ struggle, the Russians, under Kuropatkin, have been driven from their strongly intrenched position's and forced to take another hurried backward step towards Harbin, which is the point Marshal Oyama is aiming for. The Japanese have won another great victory. The rout of the Russians became an irregular battle, a conflict of the Slavs to cut their way through to Tieling. Field Marshal Oyama has once more proved himself one of the greatest masters of offensive strategy since Napoleon. The serious news of Kuropatkin’s defeat was received by the Czar at Tsarskoe Selo before noon on Wednesday. General Kuropatkin reported that the Japanese had massed an enormous' force to the northwest of Mukden, necessitating his immediate retreat. All reports indicate that the Japanese were utterly’ reckless of sacrifices,

making attack after attack, especially oh the center and westward, against machine guns and infantry fire which literally mowed down the advancing columns, making human life so cheap that the survivors could bastion themselves behind piles of corpses. After this action General Kuropatkin's deposition may be regarded as certain. War Minister Sakharoff is picked as his probable successor. A strong faction of the army, those high in infinenee'about the Emperor, opposed General Kuropatkin from tiie ami though his early defeats were condoned because it was realized that General Kuropatkin was doing all that man could with tiie tools at his command, it is now felt that after twice having had the opportunity to show what he could do with a imwerful army and having failed to accomplish victory cither time his removal is advisable.

Vast Losses. The Russian losses are enormous in killed and wounded. Kaulbars lost 10,(it's) men in four days trying to cheek Oku's advance. Sunday he lost 2,<)<M» in Nogi's first onslaught. Monday he lost 5,000 to 0,000 more. Tuesday afternoon and night he lost 7,000 more. General Rennenkampf's corps had .nearly 50,000 men when he went into battle. In the eighteen days’ fighting he lost a fourth of his men. The mighty roar of the battle rising from the incessant thunders from 2,500 guns swept over Mukden from east, west, north and south. The city was completely encircled by the combat. The retreat was a battle itself, the Russians being closely pursued from the rear and hard pressed on both flanks. Every hour added to the already enormous "butchery bill.” Kuropatkin burned his stores for three days, hundreds of tons of clothing and provisions having been <to*U*ifed.

Tuesday'morning's dawn marked the beginning of the rout. At that hour Kaulbars, exhausted after four days and nights of continuous battle, was still fighting with the desperation of despair at Ushutun, seven miles west of Mukden railway station, while N'ogi was extending his lines still farther northward toward Tie Pass. Ushutun proved too hard a nut for Kaulbars to erack. The houses of the village are constructed with thick walls and the villages are surrounded

by high clay ramparts, converting, them into fortifications impervious to rifle bullets. Each house had to be taken singly by hand to hand combats. Again and again the Russians advanced to the attack. Under the eyes

of General Kaulbars, who, with his staff, moved about where the hall of iron was thickest and who seemed to bear a charmed life, the riflemen de-

ployed over the ptowed fields as if at maneuvers and without firing a shot. Though bespattered by the continuous bursting of shrapnel and lead they pushed eagerly forward in close skirmishing order, captured the village, and advilnced. on the Japanese flanks. The fight then grew more bitter, the Japanese attacking madly, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the Russian position lyecame untenable and General Kaulbars withdrew his troops, the Japanese bidding them adieu with a burst of shiinose„sliidls. Opposite Tatehekiao the fighting was of. an equally desperate nature. The Russian's ■established themselves in the villages of Tsnnhuanche and Liudyaofan, but night fell with Tatchekiao still in the hands of the Japanese. Northward of Tatehekiao the cannot! also roared. There a regiment under the command of Colonel Zapolsky clung tenaciously to a village tinier a shower of shrapnel until it was ■ompelled to withdraw. Toward evening General Kuropatkin ode out of Mukden in an automobile, xamined personally the positions of "he. second army, and reluctantly gave the order to retire.

Story of 18-Day Fight. The story of the battle of Mukden is the record of tiie greatest conflict in the history of war. In no other combat is theuq a record of a million men and more being locked in mortal combat for eighteen consecutive days before the defeated army was dislodged from its position. The battle extended along a front of eighty miles, through mountains, across frozen rivers, over broad plains. During many of the days the snow was so blinding that the gunners sighted their artillery oirty by the roar of tiie guns in the opposing trenches. The battle which lias resulted so disastrously to Russia was brought on by the aggressive tactics of General Kuropatkin’s new army commanders. General Lineviteh, just placed in command of tiie left wing, attempted to turn tiie flank of Kuroki's army, just as Gripenberg had tried to turn tiie Japanese left at Heikoutai last month. Lineviteh failed just as Gripenberg did. He sent Rennenkanipf with two divisions to the far eastern lines, with his base resting at Tsinklietchwi, fiftylive miles southeast of Mukden, and his advance post occupying Haba and Vanze passes, seven miles south and southeast.

Baltic Fleet Retreats. Along with the nows of General Kuropatkin's retre.it comty that of the retreat of the Baltic licet. A dispatch from Madagascar reports that it has left there for Jibutal, iu French Somaliland, on the e.ast coast of Africa. That shows discretion. Admral Togo is searching for the fleet, and were he to find it would destroy it. A speedy return to European waters is Admiral Rojestvensky’s best policy. The Russians are faring ill on both sea and land. They will have to build more battleships before they can venture to meet the Japanese on the ocean. They will have to put in the field many more soldiers before they can cope with the Japs in Manchuria. Considering the ignominious i eturn of the Baltic fleet and the retreat from the Shakhe, the Czar might well make up his mind that this war is one in which Russia cannot be victorious, and make peace on the best terms available.

Discipline on a warship is from stem to stern.

FIELD MARSHAL OYAMA, THE NAPOLEON OF TO-DAY.

GENERAL KUROPATKIN.

THE “YELLOW DEMON” WITH THE BAYONET.

KUROPATKIN’S DESERTED HEADQUARTERS AT MUKDEN.