MOST SANGUINARY BATTLE IN HISTORY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8096, 27 September 1904, Page 3

MOST SANGUINARY BATTLE IN HISTORY.

REMARKABLE ENDURANCE OF SOLDIERS. (Per Mail Steamer at Auckland.) [PRIM ASSOCIATION.]

AUCKLAND, September 26. St. Petersburg, . August 91. Success crowned the Russian arms on the first day of the great battle of Liaoyang, and the utmost oonl/lenoe prevails here that the issue of the fight will be a complete victory for General Kuropatkin. trom dawn until dark yesterday 'the battle raged, first in the centre and left, and then on the right of the Russian line. The Japanese cnarged desperately in an effort to break tM centre, and then in the afternoon came the attack against the opposite flank. Inis attack was delivered from the west, but General Kuropatkin had evidently anticipated just what happened, for we not only met and repulsed it, but actually was able by a superior force to overlap and envelop the Japanese. The report of Lieutenant-General Sak-

I haroif is as follows: — "From 5 o'clock this ' morning until 9 to-night the Japanese forces attacked our frontal positions before Liaoyang and on the left bank of th« Taitse river. Both their artillery and rifle fire were intense. Their main . efforts were directed against our. centie positions and left flank, but numerous attacks were repulsed along the whole line. Our troops made several counter attacks, culminating in bayonet fight- ! ing. Many positions which had been occupied by the Japanese were re-taken at j 4 in, the afternoon. During the artillery attack our batteries did very effective work. The battle . continued after dark, and ended at 9 o'clock. The spirit of our troops is excellent. The men are rejoiced over the news of the heroic behaviour of the garrison of Port Arthur, the repulsing of Japanese attacks upon which has been communicated to them. Our casualties to-day have been considerable, reaching about 3000. After the preliminary bombardment of the Russian lines on the centre and left, the Japanese infantry advanced to the attack, charring the Russian centre. Although

rapeatedly checked, they came on with bulldog tenacity, hurling themselves against the Russian positions with the bayonet. There were many bloody hand-to-hand encounters. By noon the Japanese actually succeeded in occupying por-t-on of the Russian trenches. Then General Knropatkm sent forward reserves, delivered a series of counter attacks, recaptured the lost positions, ' and drove back the Japanese all along the line. Nemirovicn Danchenko, the famous Russian war correspondent, describing the battle, says: "The enemy, drunk with their former successes, attacked from three sides like madmen. W«ien they were hurled back, fresh troops, of which they seemed to have an inexhaustible supply, were sent forward. M. Danohenko says the combatants had about 600 guns on each side, and adds: • . was o r first victory. Tne enemy was beaten back everywhere. Many of

his batteries were destroyed, and in some cases his infantry were put to rout." The battle of Liaoyang will probably rank as one of the great sanguinary battles of history. It is estimated by the General Staff that the Japanese armies engaged number seventeen divisions of 15,000 men each, or, allowing for inefficknts, about 24.000 m«n. Each division has thirty-six guns, and there are two independent artillery brigades of 100 guns each, making a total of 1000 guns per side. In the preliminary fighting of Monday, the Russians captured 200 prisoners, who have already arrived at Harbin, and report* persist that they captured over forty Japanese guns* Yesterday General Kuropatkin's effective forces are variously estimated at from 170,000 to 200.000 men . The Japanese on Wednesday morning attacked three rdes of the Russian position. Each of the correspondents also mentions the Japanese movement to the north-east of LSaoyang, showing that the Japanese were undoubtedly trying to work around Kuropatkin's rear. One of the surprising phases of the situation is the endurance of the men. They had been engaged desperately for two days, after more or less severe fighting under unfavorable conditions every day since August 24. It would seem that human enduranco could not persist much longer without a respite of some sort.