With the loss of Liao-Yang crumbled to pieces the plan for the defence of Manchuria which the Russian commanders had adopted when they were preparing for war with Japan. With the exception of the beleaguered garrison at Port Arthur, Russia had lost every foothold on the Liaotung Peninsula. In only one thing were the Japanese unsuccessful. They had failed to get to the rear of the Russian army and to cut off Kuropatkin from his line of retreat, and the manner in which the Russian commander withdrew his army in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties went far to mitigate the humiliation of defeat. The estimates of the number of troops engaged on either side vary from somewhat less than 200,000 to 250,000 men. It was generally believed at the time the battle was fought that the Japanese outnumbered the Russians, but inasmuch as they were attacking an intrenched force this advantage was apparent rather than real. No battle in our Civil War was on as large a scale as that at Liao-Yang. The battle of Leipsic, where Napoleon arrayed 130,000 men against the 300,000 of the Allies, was, in point of number of men engaged, the greatest previous battle of modern times. [Illustration: JAPANESE RESTING ON THE BANKS OF THE TANG RIVER A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE TAKING OF LIAO-YANG ] [Illustration: THE PAGODA AT LIAO-YANG SEEN IN THE DISTANCE ] [Illustration: RUSSIANS SEARCHING WITH SHRAPNEL TO UNMASK THE ENEMY’S BATTERIES ] [Illustration: SCOUTING WITH GENERAL WATERNABE IN THE VICINITY OF LIAO-YANG ] [Illustration: WATCHING THE DISTANT CITY TO SEE IF THE RUSSIANS ARE EVACUATING ] ON THE LAST OF THE HILLS, ON SEPTEMBER THIRD, JUST BEFORE THE JAPANESE ENTERED LIAO-YANG [Illustration: JAPANESE FINDING THE BODY OF A COMRADE IN THE FIELDS NEAR LIAO-YANG ] [Illustration: DEAD JAPANESE IN TRENCHES ON SEPTEMBER FOURTH ] [Illustration: BURYING JAPANESE AND RUSSIAN DEAD TOGETHER OUTSIDE LIAO-YANG ] SEARCHING OUT AND BURYING THE DEAD THE DAY THE JAPANESE ENTERED LIAO-YANG [Illustration: RUSSIANS RETREATING FROM LIAO-YANG ACROSS THE TAITSE RIVER ] [Illustration: BABY CARRIAGE LEFT BEHIND BY RUSSIANS IN THE PARK ] [Illustration: JAPANESE CROSSING THE TAITSE RIVER TO ENTER LIAO-YANG ] INCIDENTS OF THE EVACUATION OF LIAO-YANG AND ITS OCCUPATION BY THE JAPANESE [Illustration: CORRESPONDENT EXAMINING WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS BUILT BY THE RUSSIANS ] [Illustration: JAPANESE DISMANTLING A RUSSIAN REDOUBT AT LIAO-YANG ] [Illustration: PICKING THEIR WAY THROUGH WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS AND PITS ] [Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF A RUSSIAN REDOUBT NORTH OF LIAO-YANG ] VIEWS OF FORTIFICATIONS AND ENTANGLEMENTS BUILT BY THE RUSSIANS AT LIAO-YANG [Illustration: NATIVES, WITH JAPANESE FLAGS FLYING, AWAITING THE CONQUERORS ] [Illustration: