THE WAR IN THE ORIENT

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Oct 26, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 42.

THE WAR IN THE ORIENT.

FOR six days the two great armies of Oyama and Kuropatkin have been locked in a death struggle between Liao Yang and Mukden. In this desperate struggle the armies of the two nations have been taking, losing, and again retaking positions; but the Russians have been gradually losing ground to the Japanese, tho every foot of the way has been contested in the most desperate manner. This long-continued battle is the result of General Kuropatkin's assumption of the offensive when he made an attack upon the army of General Kuroki and followed it up by a general advance, compelling one of the Japanese armies to retreat. That action resulted in the Japanese concentrating their forces, so that their front was narrowed down from fifty miles to between twenty and thirty. Then came the counter advance of the three Japanese armies, which has now sent the Russians back to their old positions near Mukden. The Japanese are following up their advantage as rapidly as possible, and it is rumored that one whole division of the Russian army has been cut off. The Russians have lost a large number of field guns, variously stated at from forty-five to eighty, and the Japanese commander-in-chief reports that the loss of the Russians will be not less than 30,000 in killed and wounded. One Japanese army alone has buried 4,500 dead Russians who fell along its front.

The desperate nature of the fighting has been shown in the complete annihilation of whole companies and battalions, and, in some cases, the practical wiping out of whole regiments. Of some regiments that have gone into action, only small companies would return, and these under the command of some petty officer. The loss of the Japanese has not been so large, for, during much of this time, they were fighting from behind breastworks.

The hope of Russia that a turn had come in the tide of defeats has been dissipated, and Port Arthur can expect nothing from Kuropatkin's army. There has been a lull in operations at the latter place, or, at least, in news coming from there, and it is certain that the Russian army now in Manchuria will not be able to strike any serious blow during the present year. With Kuropatkin's first bold dash so quickly and completely turned into defeat and retreat, his great army crumpled up and rolled back, Russia must certainly wait till another year before expecting any great things of her Manchurian army. How far the Japanese will continue to press on remains to be seen.