CHAPTER VIII

EARLY CAMPAIGNING BEFORE THE BATTLE OF LIAO-YANG

With Port Arthur cut off from the north, the three Japanese armies pushed rapidly northward in a general closing-in movement on Liao-Yang. General Nodzu’s army on June 26 captured Fengshuiling, on the main road northward from Takushan to Newchwang, and the Russian forces began to fall steadily back. At the same time, Kuroki, on the north, was capturing two passes of even greater importance, Motienling and Taling, and Oku, to the southward, was driving the Russians back with similar success. On July 17 the Russians, under General Count Keller, did make a desperate effort to retake Motienling, but were repulsed with heavy loss. Keller made another attempt to force the Japanese back a fortnight later, but it was equally disastrous and the general himself was killed. Meanwhile, on July 22 and 23, General Oku, on the extreme south and west of the long Japanese front, closed in upon Tashichao, and, with the assistance of Nodzu’s army, which had pushed up from Fengshuiling, captured the town and compelled the 40,000 Russians there to retreat. This, together with the unsuccessful battle in which Keller was killed, was practically the last of the Russians’ attempts to make a forward movement. General Kuropatkin devoted himself to preparing for a decisive battle at Liao-Yang, meanwhile keeping up all along the line just enough resistance to delay and hamper the Japanese advance.

At the outset of the war Russia had in Manchuria about 45,700 men and 120 field guns. Of this force about 20,000 men were at Port Arthur, 4,400 at Talienwan, 1,400 at Yinkow, 1,150 at Haicheng, 1,900 at Liao-Yang, 2,750 at Tieling, north of Mukden, 1,250 at Ninguta in northeast Manchuria, 4,550 at Harbin, 1,950 at Tsitsihar in northwest Manchuria, and the rest in the smaller garrisons scattered through the territory from northeast Manchuria to Port Arthur. In addition there was a separate organization of railway patrol troops stationed in small bodies at many points on and near the railway. On January 1, 1904, the number of these railway troops was estimated at 15,200 with 32 guns, so that the grand total at the beginning of the war was about 60,000 men with about 150 field guns. In spite of the pressure on the Siberian Railroad and the hard marches cross Lake Baikal in the winter, Russia soon found that, however many millions she might have in Europe, she could not maintain in the field, at the end of 6,000 miles of single track, more than 300,000 troops, and keep them fully supplied with food, ammunition, and fresh men to take the place of the killed, wounded, and sick.

During all this campaigning in Manchuria the Japanese showed the same preparedness and mobility which had been so strikingly characteristic of them during the earlier months of the war. They knew at all times the strength of their enemy as well as they knew the country, and to the information gathered by their spies and outposts was added that supplied by a generally friendly native population.

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN TROOPS DETRAINING AT MUKDEN EARLY IN MARCH ]

[Illustration:

GATEWAY IN MUKDEN’S PRINCIPAL STREET ]

[Illustration:

CHINESE CARTS USED BY OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OFFICERS AT THE STAFF HEADQUARTERS, MUKDEN ]

[Illustration:

MUKDEN STREET DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WAR ]

MUKDEN, WHEN THE JAPANESE WERE STILL MANY MILES AWAY

[Illustration:

ARRIVAL OF THE FIFTH ARMY CORPS AT MUKDEN ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN COSSACKS FROM THE CAUCASUS ]

[Illustration:

ADMINISTERING THE SACRAMENT TO SOLDIERS BEFORE THEIR DEPARTURE FOR THE FRONT ]

RUSSIANS AT MUKDEN ON THEIR WAY TO THE FRONT

[Illustration:

A FLYING COLUMN OF RED CROSS SURGEONS ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN FIELD TELEPHONES IN TRENCHES ]

[Illustration:

NINETEENTH EAST SIBERIAN RIFLE CORPS AT PRAYER ]

[Illustration:

EVENING SERVICE FOR THOSE FALLEN IN BATTLE ]

WITH THE RUSSIANS IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

GENERAL KUROPATKIN PASSING GENERAL HERSCHELMANN’S DIVISION ]

[Illustration:

GENERAL LEVISTAIN GIVING ORDERS TO HIS STAFF ]

[Illustration:

GENERAL PLESCHKOFF INSPECTING HIS COMMAND ]

[Illustration:

THE REGIMENTAL BAND PLAYING IN THE WILDS OF MANCHURIA ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

PRINCE TROUBESKAY AND HIS STAFF ]

[Illustration:

MEN OF THE SEVENTH SIBERIAN COSSACK REGIMENT ]

[Illustration:

NINETEENTH SIBERIAN RIFLE CORPS AT DINNER ]

[Illustration:

COOLIES CARRYING WOUNDED RUSSIAN TO EMERGENCY HOSPITAL ]

IN THE FIELD WITH THE RUSSIANS IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

GENERAL KUROPATKIN AT THE TELESCOPE SCANNING THE COUNTRY ABOUT LIAO-YANG ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIANS ERECTING WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS AT EDAGAN ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OFFICER INSPECTING COMMISSARY ARRANGEMENTS IN HIS CAMP ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN REGIMENTAL BAND PLAYING IN CAMP ]

[Illustration:

COMMISSARY MEN DRAWING WATER FOR THE ARMY ]

WITH THE RUSSIANS ON THE WAY TO THE FRONT

[Illustration:

GENERAL KUROPATKIN INSPECTING THE STAFF OF THE FOURTH ARMY CORPS ]

[Illustration:

ONE OF THE DROSKIES IN WHICH COMMANDING GENERALS RODE ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIANS FORDING A SHALLOW STREAM NEAR LIAO-YANG ]

[Illustration:

THE BIG, BROAD-SHOULDERED SOLDIERS OF THE CZAR ]

PART OF THE MOVEMENT OF FORTY THOUSAND MEN SOUTHEAST OF LIAO-YANG

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN TROOPS MARCHING THROUGH THE STREETS OF LIAO-YANG ]

[Illustration:

THE GREAT EASTERN GATE AT LIAO-YANG ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN SOLDIERS TRADING WITH CHINESE PEDLERS ]

SCENES AT LIAO-YANG ON THE ARRIVAL OF THE RUSSIANS

[Illustration:

COURTYARD OF RICH MANCHURIAN’S HOUSE AT LIAO-YANG—THE HOST AND HIS ENFORCED RUSSIAN GUESTS ]

[Illustration:

SOLDIERS OFF DUTY LISTENING TO ONE OF THEIR COMRADES ]

[Illustration:

SOLDIERS CROWDING ABOUT HOSPITAL TRAIN TO HEAR THE NEWS FROM THE FRONT ]

WHEN NEWS FROM THE FIRING LINE CAME BACK TO THOSE WHO HAD NOT YET MET THE JAPANESE

[Illustration:

A DISHEARTENED JAPANESE SPY AND HIS QUIZZICAL RUSSIAN CAPTORS ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN BATTERY GETTING INTO POSITION AT KANSUITAN JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE ]

[Illustration:

ONE OF THE SHREWDLY SCREENED RUSSIAN BATTERIES WHICH WROUGHT HAVOC BEFORE BEING CAPTURED BY THE JAPANESE ]

[Illustration:

ARTILLERYMEN OF THE SIXTH EAST SIBERIAN REGIMENT CALCULATING THE RANGE FROM ONE OF THE MANCHURIAN HILLS ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN INFANTRY MARCHING TO THEIR POSITION JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE AT TOWAN ]

[Illustration:

FOURTH URAL REGIMENT ON THE MARCH TO HAICHENG ]

[Illustration:

URAL COSSACK LANCERS ON THEIR WAY TO BATTLE ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIANS ADVANCING FOR THE DEFENCE OF HAICHENG ]

[Illustration:

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A FINE DAY TO WASH CLOTHES ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN TROOPS NEAR HAICHENG

[Illustration:

GENERAL KUROPATKIN WATCHING THE FIGHT SURROUNDED BY HIS STAFF ]

[Illustration:

EAST SIBERIAN TROOPS ADVANCING AT HAICHENG ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN INFANTRY IN THE TRENCHES ON A HOT DAY ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN TROOPS DURING THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE JAPANESE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF HAICHENG

[Illustration:

BATTERY OF THE SIXTH EAST SIBERIAN ARTILLERY IN POSITION ON THE HEIGHTS ABOVE TOWAN ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OFFICERS AT THE HIGHEST POINT OF TOWAN PASS OBSERVING THE APPROACH OF THE JAPANESE ]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

RUSSIAN BATTERIES IN ACTION GUARDING TOWAN PASS

WITH THE RUSSIAN OFFICERS AND FIGHTING MEN DURING THE ENGAGEMENT AT TOWAN PASS

[Illustration:

FIRST BATTERY OF THE EAST SIBERIAN ARTILLERY AT YUSHULING ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OFFICERS IN CONFERENCE BEFORE THE BATTLE ]

[Illustration:

BREAKFAST BEFORE THE FIGHT AT YUSHULING ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN TROOPS DURING THE EARLY CAMPAIGNING IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OFFICERS VIEWING FIGHT AT TOWAN PASS ]

[Illustration:

SENDING HELIOGRAPH SIGNALS DURING THE FIGHT AT ANPING ]

[Illustration:

MOVING TO THE FRONT AT TOWAN PASS AT SIX O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING ]

WITH THE RUSSIANS AT TOWAN PASS

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN FIRING LINE JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE AT YUSHULING ]

[Illustration:

JAPANESE SHELLS BURSTING NEAR THE YUSHULING BATTERY ]

[Illustration:

GENERAL KUROPATKIN PRESENTING ST. GEORGE’S CROSS TO PRIVATES ON THE BATTLEFIELD ]

[Illustration:

REMOVING WOUNDED FROM HOSPITAL TRAIN TO HOSPITAL ]

THE REWARDS OF VALOR WITH KUROPATKIN’S ARMY IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

OFFICERS OF THE FIRST BATTERY, SIXTH SIBERIAN BRIGADE ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN OUTPOSTS FIRING ON THE ADVANCING JAPANESE ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN INFANTRY ADVANCING THROUGH UNDERBRUSH ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN FORCES IN MANCHURIA DURING THE EARLY CAMPAIGNING

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN SKIRMISHERS ADVANCING AGAINST THE JAPANESE NEAR ANPING ]

[Illustration:

GENERAL SUREKOFF AND GENERAL MORO AT YUSHULING ]

[Illustration:

ARTILLERY OF THE TENTH CORPS RESISTING JAPANESE FORTY MILES SOUTH OF LIAO-YANG ]

[Illustration:

INFANTRY INTRENCHED IN FRONT OF BATTERY ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN ARTILLERY AT YUSHULING IN POSITION ABANDONED THE NEXT DAY ]

WITH THE TENTH RUSSIAN ARMY CORPS AT YUSHULING, NEAR LIAO-YANG

[Illustration:

INFANTRY MARCHING THROUGH MAIN STREET OF A MANCHURIAN VILLAGE ]

[Illustration:

TURKESTAN REGIMENT ON PARADE NEAR MUKDEN ]

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN INFANTRY ADVANCING THROUGH THE HILLS NEAR HAICHENG ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN TROOPS DURING THE EARLY CAMPAIGNING IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

WOUNDED SOLDIERS CONVALESCING IN THE HOSPITAL AT MUKDEN ]

[Illustration:

DINNER TIME IN A RUSSIAN MILITARY HOSPITAL ]

[Illustration:

OPERATING ON A WOUNDED SOLDIER IN THE HOSPITAL ]

[Illustration:

HOSPITAL STAFF OF THE GRAND DUKE BORIS ]

WITH THE RUSSIAN RED CROSS SERVICE IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

RUSSIAN BALLOON IN THE CAMP AT ANPING ]

[Illustration:

SOLDIERS FORDING A RIVER WITH THE GAS BAG ]

[Illustration:

ESCORT OF TURKESTAN COSSACKS WITH THE BALLOON ]

[Illustration:

SIGNAL OFFICER ABOUT TO MAKE AN ASCENT ]

[Illustration:

TAKING AN OBSERVATION FROM THE BALLOON ]

WAR BALLOON AND GAS BAG USED BY THE RUSSIANS IN MANCHURIA

[Illustration:

IN THE RUSSIAN TRENCHES DURING THE FIGHTING AT TALING ]

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