THE HEROIC DEFENCE OF PORT ARTHUR.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 133, 2 December 1904, Page 5

THE HEROIC DEFENCE OF PORT ARTHUR.

GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF RECENT FIGHTING. The wai correspondent of the San Francisco Weekly Chronicle, writing from the headquarters of the Japanese army in front of Port Arthur, under date 2nd November, gives a graphic and complete description of the desperate fighting by which the Japanese were enabled to draw the cordon close around Port Arthur, concerning which' only fragmentary details have been cabled. The account of the fighting in front of the Keekwan Forts and Metre Hill is particularly thrilling, especially in view of. tho fact the newa comes through to-day of the fall of Metre Hill. Regarding Keekwan, the correspondent says news came along the Japanese lives that a general assault would take place between midnight and three in the morning. For hours after the ominous darkness and silence was broken by an occasional shell from the Japanese batteries, while the Russians burst many starlights over Shuishi village, where they made a feint to sortie immediately after a furious fusilade in the rear of tho captured forts. Here the Russians, anticipating an assault, made a strong coun-ter-attack. The Japanese advance lines were driven from the forts and were furiously attacked by large bodies of Russians, who also worked down on either side of the captured Banjusan forts to the valley in au attempt to cut off the retreat of the Japanese from two forts. The Russian move was cleverly planned, and the artillery commanders were well informed, for they opened fire with shrapnel on tho advance of the Japanese supports across the valley, using starlight and searchlight with good effect in the counter-attack on the Japanese forces. BLOODY FIGHTING IN SEARCHLIGHTS' GLARE. The left division from the trenches in front of the Keekwan forts charged the fortified hills. Part of the advance had gained the crests and shouted "Banzai," when their triumph was cut short. Suddenly two powerful searchlights of the east forts lighted up the Japanese lines and the Russian rifles and machine guns poured a deadly hail into the clearly visible ranks of the attacking troops. Despite the awful process of annihilation the Japanese stubbornly held the position and their guns quickly locatfcd and quieted the Russian quick-firers. The Japanese were finally forced down the slopes to the trenches below. On the west flank the searchlights of Etze and Taiyankow forts played along the Japanese trenches, preventing the movement of troops. The Japanese artillerymen concentrated their fire on the searchlights, shells continually blanking the lights. Suddenly the light of Etze fort disappeared and the light of Taiyankow fort followed. The Japanese infantry on the right flank advanced on the trenches close to the Russian lines when the Etze light was flashed in the faces of the advancing troops and Russian machine guns, previously well placed, swept their fire along the lines, while the rifles blazed with continual rattle. As the Japanese machine guns came into action they were located by the Russian starlights and made more distinctly visible by the searchlights,- but they silenced the Russian quick-firers. In the meantime the fight was the fiercest in the centre of the Shuishi Valley. The Japanese captured the Banjusan forts, outflanking the Russian forces and slowly forcing their lines back to the foot of the fortified hills. The Japanese, well sup- | ported, rushed forward furiously, and engaged the Russians, who had gained the valley, in an attempt to outflank" the forts. Though the Japanese plan of attack was* destroyed by the Russian counter-attack, the Japanese fought with splendid determination. Slowly the Russians were driven back up the slopes, fighting desperately with rifles. The Russian machine guns Avere used with great effect when the Japanese lines were lighted up by the searchlights, Avhilo the fort guns pounded the vaHey. JAPANESE BEWILDERED BY RUSSIAN TRICKS. j The Japanese artillery was unable to fire at this point as the Japanese forces were mixed. The successful working of the Russian starlights and searchlights were utterly unexpected and bewildering. They never failed to locate the Japanese lines, which offered splendid marks for the Russian rifles and machine guns, and rendered the Japanese machine guns of little use, as they were located and silenced by quick-firers before they could do any execution. The Russians along the whole line fought in the blackest darkness, and the I Japanese with the most dazzling light in i their faces. The rattle of musketry and the thundering of the Russian guns, the 'purring of the machine guns, the bursting of starlights and the flashing of searchlights along the whole line was a wonderfully impressive sight. The fight lasted continuously for six hours, till dawn, when the outflankers were forced back over the captured fortified hills, followed by the Japanese, who, despite the fire of the forts, captured the forts and joined their force from the valley. As the Russian outflankers were driven w, Ivoekwim fort fh'ed. The previous .cUy^ under caver pi a tremendous horn-

bardment, the Eastern fortified ridge, and later the East Banjusan fort, was set on fire by Japanese shells and burned all day. The Japanese fleet appeared in the offing and engaged the Russian seaward forts. There was a furious artillery duel during the night, and the centre division again assaulted East Banjusan fort, but was unsuccessful. The scene during the night, the bursting of starlight shells, the fkjking of four powerful searchlights from the Eastern Golden Hill fort and Chair -Hill fort, the roar of the big guns and the rattling of musketry presented another weird anJ wonderful sight. The ranks of the Japanese were so decimated by the furious shrapnel fire of the Russians that they were forced to retire to the valley below the captured forts, and what might have been a successful general assault with the capture of the fortified ridge ea3t of Port Arthur was converted by the Russian tactics into a repulse, redeemed in part by the wonderful fighting qualities of the Japanese infantry and their refusal to accept what seemed to be the inevitable. They fought with splendid earnestness and tenacity, though they fell by hundreds through the terrific e£Eectiv«ness of the searchlights. The Japanese casualties from the 19th to the 24th were 14,000. The centre division alone lost 6000, and a single regiment lost 2500. Only six officers and 200 men of this regiment were left after the fight. GIVE UP ASSAULT AND SETTLE DOWN TO SIEGE. For two weeks the Russians were unceasing in their efforts to recapture the Banjusan forts. They bombarded and assaulted by day the bomb-proofs and trenches which the Japanese repaired by night. Despite artillery fire and infantry sorties, the. Japanese held the fort. There were 500 men and four machine guns in each fort. The field guns which were first mounted in the forts were removed. Tiiough the Japanese resorted to unoccupied decoy trenches and bomb-proofs, the daily loss was 100 in each fort until the Bth September, when the Russians ceased their continuous efforts to recapture the forts. FORT CARRIED BY A DESPERATE ASSAULT. It was announced from headquarters that the siege operations would be finished with a general assault on 19th September upon the Namaokayama ridge, the 203 Metre Hill, that of the Moon forts of the Shuishi Valley, and the redoubt at the foot of the Rihlung Mountain. The bombardment was started at I dawn. The Russians failed to reply till the afternoon, which delayed the attacks until 5 o'clock in the evening. Three battalions of the centre division advanced from the parallels and attacked a redoubt at the foot of Rihlung mountain, which the Japanese twice before . had I tried to capture. The works were strongly built and surroiinded by a ditch, perpendicular walls and breastworks. ! There was also a steep distance to the top of the parapets, and at the bottom, was a ditch 25ft deep. The interior of tne redoubt was faced with heavy timbers, the trenches around were bombproof, and there were heavily constructed blockhouses loopholed for infantry and machine guns. From the rear of the redoubt three lines of trenches extend to Rihlung forts The main attack w&s made against the north-east corner, and simultaneously a Japanese battalion attacked the east line of trenches. The Japanese were met by a tremendous fusilade from rifles and machine guns, and were forced to retire to their trenches, but at 4 o'clock in the morning the main attack was made, and the Japanese succeeded in capturing the redoubt, entering it through a breach made by the artillery. A fierce hand-to-hand encounter inside ! the redoubt followed, during which nif trate and hand grenades were used to dej stroy the blockhouses whose defenders i stood their ground until their last man \ was bayoneted. The Russian trenches • were captured and occupied by the Ja- ! panese, but the redoubt was destroyed. ANNIHILATION OF A JAPANESE DETACHMENT. The attacks on 203 Metre Hill resulted |in terrible slaughter of the besiegers. 1 After several failures at 11 o'clock on ! the morning of the 20th, a small party 1 of the Second Regiment charged forward ,to gain the foot of the west slope. The Russian batteries were evidently waiting | for the Japanese, as a most wonderful j shrapnel fire was opened on them. Every i man seemed to fall. Although at rifle range, the firing of the shrapnel continued for twenty minutes, until all the Japanese were mowed down. The artillery duel continued until 5.30 in i the evening, when the Third Regiment, carrying its flags, advanced up the slope of Haokayama to the dead • ground, which a single company had gained the previous night. The Russians retiicd to their first line of trenches duri ing the night, and several lines of Japaj nese were extended along the slope, under ! cover of the ridge. They carried the I ridge line on the u-est of the hill. The rush of the Japanese was a splendid spectacle, ending with a bayonet encounter with the Russians on the full : skyline. Stones, bayonets, swords, and hand grenades were used by both sides. The utmost ferocity was displayed. When the Japanese had carried the east half of the ridge the Russians retired to the west. Before the darkness the Japanese were in possession of the whole ridge, which they retained despite an awful shrapnel fire from Chair Hill, Tiger's Tail, and Liaoti forts. At 10 o'clock in the evening the Third Regiment advancod on tho south-west /slope of the advance fort on Nahaokg.

yama Hill. A small party gained the i'ort on the crest, but Avas driven out the next day. Four assaults were made by the Japanese during the next two days, but they wero all repulsed. The Third Regiment was finally compelled to retire from the trenches at the foot of the hill by a concentrated shrapnel fire from the valley below. The unsuccessful attempt to capture the advance fort resulted in tAvo thousand Japanese casualties. A hundred and eighty Russian dead Avere found at Nahaokayama, which Avas covered by a netAvork of trenches and bombproofs protected by a steel plate covered with earth Avails and surrounded by loopholes and sandbags. The corners of the forts were strengthened by steel plates, and there were triple rows of wire entanglements on the hill slopes. The Russian defending force was estimated to number 1000 men.