Chapter XIV: The Defence of Port Arthur

Having established themselves firmly in Kwan-tung by the end of May, the Japanese once more assumed the offensive.

The first army under General Kuroki advanced rapidly towards Liaoyang, making flanking movements eastward, and at Motienling Pass threatening not only the Russian position at Liaoyang but opening a route for a flanking movement further north upon Mukden.

The second army, under General Oku, advanced on Kaiping, thence north upon Tashichiao, to new and old Newchwang and Haicheng.

The Takushan army, co-operating with General Oku’s force, advanced from its landing point west of Antung to Haicheng, forming the connecting link between the first and second armies.

The third army under General Nogi, landed at Dalny, swept through the Kwan-tung peninsula southward, and attacked Port Arthur. Every mile of this ground was savagely contested, the Russians being driven from position to position, and gradually retiring upon the outer defences of the fortress. Altogether some two months were passed in opposing the Japanese advance. For days together the town would be continuously bombarded from the sea. As General Nogi advanced he was aided by a terrific bombardment of the coast from Dalny to Takushan, just outside the north-east forts of Port Arthur. The main weight of this advance was borne by General Fuchs and his Siberian division. The Russians repulsed an attempted landing at Kerr Bay, where General Nadin was severely wounded. The naval authorities were busy in clearing the navigable channel so that the repaired battleships might leave the harbour for the outer roadstead, and the torpedo-boat flotilla was occupied every day, being repeatedly driven in by the Japanese squadron blockading the port. From the Liaotishan forts at the southern extremity of the peninsula the Japanese vessels were cannonaded whenever within range, and there, and elsewhere, new batteries were established to command the coast immediately under the great forts. The fortifications on the Metre Range, High Hill and the heights outside the line of the land forts, were hurried to completion, and temporary forts were improvised in many situations, this work being directed by General Kondratiev, who had with him all the artillery officers who could be spared from the batteries, which were manned by the minimum number of hands compatible with efficiency. A completely covered shell-proof trench connected all the forts of each group on the hills, and trenches and entanglements were provided for the outworks protecting the forts. By the exercise of ceaseless vigilance and making a determined opposition to every change of position the Japanese attempted, General Fuchs delayed the close investment of the fortress until July had passed. In these contests the Japanese lost heavily, lost far more heavily than the Russians, who almost invariably acted entirely on the defensive, resisting with stubbornness and allowing themselves to be driven out of a position when their commanders knew that by falling back upon the next defence they would be in a better position to injure the enemy still more. The Japanese advance was slow, but none the less sure; they sacrificed life without stint to obtain possession of any subsidiary position they deemed of importance. The Russians husbanded their resources as well as they were able.

The attacks on the Russian positions, on the town, the harbour and the forts, were incessant, and the havoc wrought was terrible. The town became untenable; the inhabitants had to seek shelter in cellars, in specially excavated shell-proof caves, under the face of the gravel pit, in the stone quarries; but safest of all were the refuges in the great forts.

The source of the town water supply was controlled by the Japanese, but the great freshwater lake behind Golden Hill and the many wells furnished sufficient for all needs. But life was intolerable. The furious bombardments rained shells everywhere. The hospitals were full; men scarcely able to walk were sent into the forts and the trenches. The medical stores became exhausted, and that wonderful explosive Shimose, burst shells into rugged splinters which made the ugliest of wounds and mutilated the human form beyond recognition. Men were blown to ribands. Others were stripped of flesh, and skin and limbs; the victims were mutilated, sickening spectacles; they uttered piteous cries and harrowing moans. Shocking remnants of living sentient men struggled helplessly to rid themselves of torn, mangled, and peeled limbs, or twitched and sprawled helplessly, attempting to hold together all that remained of their poor, bleeding, lacerated bodies. Shapeless and discoloured human flesh strewed the ground; it became impossible either to gather or bury many of the dead.

Until the Russians were really hemmed in the fortress itself there seemed to be opportunities for escape. Day by day junks arrived with fresh provisions; they brought news, they would carry away whoever thought the risk of running the blockade to be less than that of the bombardment.

These junks, and an occasional steamer, would clear from Chifu for Newchwang or _vice versa_. Their course required them to round Liaotishan. When they reached that point, if there were no Japanese vessels between them and the coast they ran into Pigeon Bay or Louisa Bay, or some other creek near the spot, discharged their cargoes, and as soon afterwards as opportunity served, continued their voyage. If Japanese vessels were in sight, they held to their course past the promontory, and, if intercepted and boarded, produced for the benefit of the Japanese papers which proved the ostensible trade they followed.

The great firm of Kunst & Albers had enormous shipments afloat for their depôts at Vladivostok, Port Arthur and the Amur when war began. These cargoes were delivered at their branch establishment at Kiaochow (Tsintau), which suddenly assumed vast importance. The staff there was strengthened, particularly in the shipping department. The stores arriving were reshipped quickly by coasting steamers and junks. Under the German, the Norwegian and the Chinese flags they reached ultimately that port where prices ruled highest. In July access to the creeks became more difficult; early in July Louisa Bay was not safe, and a month later Pigeon Bay could not be approached from the land side without great risk, and junks had then to sail up the eastern coast to the entrance of Port Arthur itself, a point usually under close scrutiny.

The entrance to the port was cleared; the torpedo-boat flotilla made reconnoitring excursions from time to time. In the middle of June the _Lt. Barukhov_, one of the Elbing torpedo-boat destroyers captured from the Chinese in 1900, made a trip to Newchwang and back, escaping the blockading steamers with ease. She was sunk in Pigeon Bay in July when reconnoitring.

The fleet was of so little use to the defence, and so coveted by the Japanese, that it was determined in July to make a sortie at the first favourable opportunity; disperse on meeting the enemy, and by taking every which way then, baffle pursuit and so most would have a good chance of making a neutral port before being overtaken.

Before this final sortie was attempted the navigable channel was cleared of the Russian mines, the approaches were protected with new defences--mines, booms, chains and sunken craft. The torpedo-boat flotilla reconnoitred daily. When all was ready, the sortie was made. There was a running fight, and four of the ships reached neutral ports. The _Novik_, in attempting to reach Vladivostok, was attacked by Admiral Kamimura’s squadron and was beached by Captain Essen near Korsakov port on Saghalien island. With this sortie on August 10, the supposed value of the Russian navy at Port Arthur disappeared from the list of the forces available for the defence of Manchuria. The _Poltava_, _Peresviet_ and _Sevastopol_ returned to port damaged, and the last was further injured by a mine whilst manœuvring on August 23.

The result of the battle of Tashichiao, and of General Kuropatkin’s attempt to advance southward, was known about three days after the evacuation of Newchwang. At the time General Alexeiev was losing the battle of Ma-shan and General Kuropatkin’s army had to retreat on Liaoyang without attempting to hold the fortified position at Haicheng, General Stoessel decided to abandon the campaign in the Kwan-tung peninsula and withdraw all his forces into the fortress of Port Arthur.

The Japanese investing force thereupon established a line of batteries across the peninsula on the north of the Sui-shi valley, from Hao-sui bay, south of the Dalny peninsula on the east, by way of Sui-shi-tung and Ho-shi-tung to Louisa Bay on the west.

It was evident to General Stoessel that General Nogi would attempt to carry the fortress by a frontal attack, and that in all probability he would follow the same route as had been taken ten years before, when Marshal Oyama had captured the fortress from the Chinese. On that occasion General Nogi, who was now commanding the attack, had led the central division of General Yamaji’s force, which had forced its way into the line of forts by the gap through which the Dalny high road passes. As on that occasion, the central attack was made almost simultaneously with a flanking attack on the north-eastern side--more directly towards Golden Hill, and a simultaneous flanking attack from the north by the gap through which the railway now runs. Consequently the troops defending were most strongly disposed to resist attacks by those routes.

Surely enough the Japanese attempted to repeat the success of 1894 by identical tactics; but before these could be commenced the Russian forces at the extremities of the line would have to be displaced, as otherwise they would attack the advancing column on both the flanks. The Russian eastern position was Takushan, where a stout resistance was made. This point was held by four guns and three thousand infantry. The Japanese shelled the position from upwards of 3,000 yards with siege guns, and later with four howitzer batteries. On August 9 the defending force abandoned the position after inflicting severe losses on the Japanese. Casualties: Japanese, 1,400 men out of action; Russians, 900. The Russians were next called upon to defend the heights commanding Louisa Bay, and abandoned the hills on the south-east after several engagements spread over some days.

On August 17 General Stoessel received a demand from Major Yamoka asking for the surrender of the fortress. The demand was refused.

The Russians had made every preparation for attack, and were confident that each attempt would be repulsed, guarded as the positions were with the guns of the forts, machine guns, masked forts, the great trench with its hidden batteries commanding every section of its whole length, the wire entanglements, mines and numerous obstructions. If these did not render the fortress impregnable, they gave its defenders such an immense superiority of position that it seemed no number of men the attacking force could bring against it in succession would be able to overwhelm the many defences which had been constructed.

It appears that General Nogi intended to make a direct attack on the Panlung forts behind Takushan simultaneously with one on Kikwan fort, which, if carried, would leave the town at the mercy of the invaders and isolate every other fort of the inner ring of defence.

The general bombardment commenced on August 19, and was directed mainly upon the Panlung and Kikwan forts, but the only real damage done was the ignition of the powder magazine in Kikwan on the following day, when the defenders took to the covered way connecting the forts, and withdrew to the south Kikwan fort.

At the same dates the forts south-east of Louisa Bay were again shelled from concealed batteries on the flats near the seashore.

By night the Japanese infantry attempted to storm the position, but were stopped by the wire entanglements, which they did their utmost to cut, even to bite through, and at last rendered ineffective by attaching lines to the poles and pulling the whole obstruction away bodily and rolling it aside. Metre Hill was stormed and captured on August 20, and was then shelled unceasingly for days by the Russians, who maintained also a constant machine-gun and rifle fire in the hope that the position would be rendered untenable. About the same time the Japanese seized Sui-shi-ying, also a position a quarter of a mile nearer to Wolf Mountain, but from this they were driven by machine-gun fire from the Metre Hill batteries.

On August 21 the bombardment of the Kikwan forts became hotter and hotter, and late in the day two infantry regiments, who had with them scaling ladders, carried the outer defences of the Kikwan fort by storm and occupied the fort by morning.

The adjoining fort, East Panlung, was one of the most fiercely contested of all the siege. It had been admirably strengthened. The besiegers were forced to attack in close formation; the entanglements and obstructions concentrating them to points upon which machine-gun fire converged, and decimated the attacking companies, whose survivors were so few when they reached the parapet that the defenders had little difficulty in repulsing them. The Japanese were as determined to win the position as the Russians were to hold it. Lieut. Kitagawa was fortunate enough among the besiegers to reach the fort and to plant the flag on its wall. He was followed by a few desperate men, who swarmed over the breastwork, and were supported by new arrivals. In the hand-to-hand conflict inside the fort the Japanese were winners, There was a desperate and long-continued struggle, fought out with rifles, bayonets, swords, grenades, and even stones--whichever weapon or missile came first to hand. The Russians late in the afternoon took to the covered way and fell back by it, still fighting ferociously, to Wantai Hill fort, for that far did the victorious besiegers pursue them towards the town. During the night the Russians made several ineffectual attempts to recapture the position.

The Japanese held also the North Kikwan fort, but from that they were driven out in a close encounter on the following day, after the position had been mercilessly shelled for hours.

The attack had proceeded almost without intermission for four days, and the besiegers had secured only a dangerous footing on the Kikwan fort as the result of a most strenuous and determined attack by all ranks.

At this one vantage point the Japanese began to mass troops, distracting the attention of the Russians from the manœuvre by a demonstration in force against the Tung-yen redoubts.

The Russians during the night made an attempt to retake the lost positions. A sortie from Wantai Hill was made an hour before midnight on August 23; the Russians drove the Japanese back on Panlung, thence down the hill to a position near the railway, where a knoll afforded them cover until reinforcements arrived. At one in the morning the Russians withdrew to the forts before the Japanese, and by the covered way to the south fort, which they held against the Japanese, who, however remained in possession of the outer works of the Panlung fortifications.

An attack was delivered at the same time on Etseshan, but the Russians with their search-lights so exposed to fire the progress made by the Japanese that the attack was pushed on in half-hearted fashion only, and ere dawn broke it was definitely abandoned.

For six days and nights there had been fighting almost without a moment’s intermission. Notwithstanding the tremendous efforts made, the attack was ineffective. Everywhere the invaders had been repulsed. Even at sea the _Retvizan_ from the entrance to the harbour, with some torpedo-boat destroyers, had driven away some Japanese gunboats and destroyers firing at the south-eastern forts at the time the general attack had been planned to take place. The Japanese fleet did not take any great part in these assaults.

During the fighting much rain fell. The night was made lighter than day by the numerous brilliant search-lights from the Russian positions. The Japanese were everywhere delayed by obstructions, and hampered by the light thrown upon their attempts during the night to cut wire entanglements or remove them. A strong electric current was passing through the wires of the entanglements, and thus it was injury or death to whomsoever tried to cut them: yet there were seen occasionally Japanese lying on their backs and with their teeth attempting to nip through the dead wires of these murderous traps. Under the search-light the men shammed to be dead or wounded: when this was understood the Russians failed to respect the Red Cross flag.

Undaunted by death, recking nothing of the fate of those who had preceded them in the same endeavour, the Japanese advanced relentlessly, unceasingly, as those impelled by instinct. There were no bugles, no drums, no music, no hurrahs, no cries of “Banzai,” but in absolute silence the besiegers went on, now in the glare of the brilliant, blinding electric light, then a little time in its shadow or suddenly exposed by floating lights from rockets and star shells--and in the end all failed.

An eye-witness writes of the attack on Etseshan: “I watched the assault of a ghostly mass of moving figures, through which continual lanes were made by our guns, admitting glimpses of the scenes behind. These gaps were closed up as if by magic, and the mass surged onward, while our men, forsaking the trenches sought the shelter of the forts. On they came until close to us. The mines exploded and the earth opened. Bodies were hurled into the air, and then sank again to earth. Hands clutched rifles, and in the moonlight bayonets looked like fireworks shooting upwards and descending point downwards into the body of a man--but in silence.”

A correspondent with the Japanese forces states that the mines seemed to be but little used, and were found to be ineffective. The losses of the Japanese he estimates at 14,000, in addition to 8,000 incapacitated through illness, and 16,000 suffering from beri-beri. The losses were made good from men of the second reserve landed at Dalny, and the work of the besiegers never slackened.

The attack having been repulsed, General Stoessel determined upon a sortie in force, to drive the Japanese from the positions they had established in the Sui-shi valley.

During the six days’ fighting and the lull that followed, the Russian gunners and scouts had managed to locate the positions of different masked batteries, and these positions were subjected to a heavy fire. A general advance was made at early dawn on August 27, during a thunderstorm, but it was repulsed, and then General Stoessel attempted to accomplish piecemeal what he had wished to win at a single engagement.

There was almost incessant shelling of the Panlung positions held by the Japanese. Sniping was practised day and night, and night after night sorties were made from Kikwan, Wantai and Erhlung to retake the forts, but they were repulsed, the Japanese losing on an average a hundred men as the result of each assault. By September 8 the Panlung forts were no longer tenable, and were relinquished.

On August 27 two Japanese guns were silenced by firing from Kuransky battery.

Pushing on towards a successful counter attack, General Stoessel had scouting parties sent into the Sui-shi valley; in the course of these reconnoitring expeditions some men of the 26th Rifles reached Sui-shi-ling and encountered the Japanese guard. Returning they attacked one of the Japanese trenches, the occupants decamping and leaving their weapons in the trench. The Russians followed them for some distance without being opposed, and ultimately returned to the redoubts. Other pioneers found the Japanese trenches deserted, and scouting parties went far afield, for the besiegers appeared to have withdrawn from immediate proximity to the Russian fortifications. The Japanese retreated still further north, on their positions being shelled on August 28, but at five o’clock on the following day returned to the attack by opening fire on the redoubts from Fort 3 to Fort 13, and shelling Small Eagle’s Nest (Etse-shan) with shrapnel and five-inch shells.

That evening Lieut. Ivashenko led a detachment of the 26th Siberian Rifles and some of the Kwan-tung Marines (3rd company of Port Arthur Marine Guards) from Rock Ridge towards the Japanese redoubt, and occupied the trenches about 9.30 in the evening. The Japanese opened fire from machine guns and met the men’s bayonets with rifle fire, but retreated into the redoubts, a position so small a force could not attempt to storm.

The night of August 30 passed quietly, the outposts of both sides keeping within their former respective lines. At ten o’clock on the following morning it was observed that a party of Japanese cavalry in file was approaching a village just back of Angle Hill (Antszshan), and that ten wagons, escorted by fifteen troopers, were making for the same place. Fire was immediately opened on them and successfully scattered the train.

About twelve o’clock midnight, August 30, the search-lights revealed a Japanese torpedo-boat near White Wolf Bay, not far from one of the sunken steamers. She fired on the search-light, but was driven off by fire from Tiger Tail coast forts and shots from the guardship and fortress, apparently suffering some damage.

Although the Japanese seemed to be paralyzed by the non-success of their persistent attack, they maintained a constant fire on the Russian positions, and on the town. On August 29 a shell falling in China Town caused a fire which spread with alarming rapidity. The town fire brigade were successful in confining the outbreak to some stores of butter and matches. The volume of dense smoke which arose from the conflagration spurred the Japanese gunners to renewed effort, with the result that much damage was done in the town and the fire brigade also suffered.

Port Arthur was at this time in ruins. The houses and stores in the Old Town were demolished or uninhabitable. The townsmen, as well as the troops, lived in the bomb-proof trenches, or in caves, some of which suffered at times, for there seemed to be no spot absolutely safe from the rain of shell. Most of the fighting was done in the trenches outside the line of forts, and even civilians were requisitioned to take their turn, but these had ten days off duty after a term at the front. The soldiers got little rest, and all prayed that soon the guns of Kuropatkin’s army might be heard as he approached to raise the siege and relieve the fortress.

With September General Nogi put aside for a time direct assaults and frontal attacks. The engineers were set to work with a view to undermining a coveted position and by sapping and blasting create a breach which could not be repaired, a breach by which the Japanese could effect an entry more easily.

The approach by parallels had been proposed in June, and was abandoned only when it was discovered that the material was hard and unsuited to mining. The progress was very slow even after a fair start had been made.

The artillery duel was maintained, the Japanese bringing up many reinforcements of every arm. On September 3 the Etseshan battery was silenced by ten-inch shells, and the breastwork brought down by the fire.

The Japanese, before reaching the line of forts, had still to capture the Tung-yen Redoubt before Erhlung-shan, and the works on Métre hills before Antszshan and Etseshan, also lunettes near the railway to the south of Sui-shi.

It was not until September 20 that the attack on these positions became possible.

The tactics employed were the same throughout. First, there was a general artillery fire upon the redoubts and the forts behind them, all along the line in fact. This heavy bombardment raged from early dawn until past mid-day. Then it was concentrated upon the advanced positions it was intended to assault.

Saps were run to within fifty yards of the lunettes. From these covered ways two regiments, well provided with hand grenades, suddenly rushed on the position. A hard fight ensued, but the attacks were repulsed from all three lunettes assaulted. The next morning, by using scaling ladders, the Japanese got into the lunettes, drove the Russians from them into their trenches, and pursued them. In this way the three lunettes under Kikwan and Antszshan were taken. On the 19th and 20th the Japanese from their trenches also assaulted Tung-yen, which was held by two companies, having three field pieces and a number of machine guns. There was a deep moat around the position, and batteries placed to command all approaches should the redoubt be stormed. A breach was made by artillery, and the little garrison dismayed by constant shrapnel fire. It was then attacked simultaneously on opposite sides, but both attacks were repulsed. After further cannonading the Japanese made another attack on the position; they reached the enclosure, used bombs and hand grenades with great effect in their hand-to-hand encounter, but when the Russians gave way they took their guns with them, and inflicted very heavy loss on the besieging force. Nevertheless the position had been gained, at the cost of a thousand lives perhaps, yet gained to the besiegers, and lost to the defenders, who thereby risked being driven within their line of forts.

The next position the besiegers had to secure was the low plateau at the foot of the forts, known as Métre Hills, between Wolf Hill, Antszshan, Etseshan, and Louisa Bay. This position was protected by wire entanglements, trenches, sandbag protecting screens, and a roof of bullet-proof steel plates over important coigns of vantage. Railway metals were also utilized to keep the earthworks solid, and the armament included field guns, machine guns, and two heavy howitzers. The position was taken after being subjected to long-continued bombardment. First 180 Métre Hill, the main position, was made quite untenable by shell fire; on the morning of September 21 the attack was directed to 80 Métre Hill, which was captured by infantry that same afternoon, the shrapnel fire being continued even after the infantry were over the earthworks. 203 Métre Hill was attacked by one regiment from a sap at the same date, but these men were killed in crossing open ground extending about 300 yards. Another attack by two forces acting conjointly was repulsed at dawn the next morning, with very heavy loss. At noon a corner of the position was entered and secured. It was shelled from all the batteries commanding the position; from Antszshan to Liaotishan. Attacks were made afresh on the two succeeding days, and the Russians then not only repulsed these, but continued to hold the plateau, with the exception of 180 Métre Hill. The Japanese sacrificed 2,400 men to obtain that one position, and lost over 1,000 in establishing themselves in the Tung-yen redoubt.

At the end of September the Japanese, after two months of unremitting assault, had failed completely to break through the line of forts. The Russians not only repulsed the besiegers with great loss, but were able to make some successful counter attacks.

Mr. Norregaard, _Daily Mail_ representative with General Nogi’s army, states that the fighting is of a most determined character. Quarter is rarely sought or given. “Both sides use hand grenades filled with gun-cotton, and with a fuse that burns for fifteen seconds. These grenades were often picked up and re-thrown. They proved very effective. Latterly, also, they have been fired from light bamboo-hooped wooden mortars, whose range varies from 50 to 200 yards with a regulated charge. Both Russians and Japanese frequently throw stones at each other. It is generally impossible to cut the wire entanglements.”

The position of the besieged did not improve. A correspondent wrote in October: “Our principal forts are uninjured, but the houses in the town are badly damaged. Most of them are in ruins, and the harbour works are in a sad plight. Some of our ships have been injured by falling shells, and it is impossible with our scant resources to repair them. We have not a single bottle of anæsthetics. The food is of the coarsest, and even that is beginning to be scarce, while there is much disease.”

The month of October brought no relief to the garrison, no change in the tactics of the besiegers. For a short time the attention of the gunners was given to the town, the fleet, and the harbour. In this bombardment the _Peresviet_ and the _Pobieda_ were hit five times.

Then the besieged attempted a counter attack, directing themselves particularly to the sappers mining under the Russian trenches, and to the Japanese siege line at the foot of the hill forts. The Japanese repulsed the attack, and retained their positions. On the 11th they captured the railway bridge at the foot of Kikwan fort, but nearer the town. On the two following days the harbour was shelled, and two vessels were set on fire. On the 16th, after a desperate battle, the Japanese captured the centre fort on Erhlung-shan, the most important of the positions secured to that date.

On October 24 the Russians countermined the Japanese traverse under Kikwan, and blew it up with dynamite. The same day there was again a large fire in Russia-town.

The progress of the besiegers is slow, but now apparently more sure. General Nogi reports: “The right column and a part of the central column occupied at sunset of October 30 crest counterscarp of Sungshu-shan, Erhlung-shan, Tung Kikwan-shan north forts, and destroyed some of their flankers and outer trenches. Another part of the central column, despite the enemy’s fierce fire, assailed and carried Fort P, situated between Panlung-shan and Tung Kikwan-shan north forts.

“Russians delivered repeated counter assaults against this fort, and we lost it at 10.30 p.m.; but General Ichinohé successfully re-occupied it at 11 p.m. The General captured three field guns, two machine guns, three Fish torpedoes, and many other trophies, and found forty Russians dead. The left column captured in the same day Kobuyma Fort, situated in the north-east of Tung Kikwan-shan.

“On October 31 we attacked the harbour and the shipyard with large calibre and naval guns, hitting the _Gilyak_ several times, and sinking two steamers.

“On November 1 two steamers in the western harbour, of about 3,500 tons each, and on November 2 another steamer of about 3,000 tons, were sunk. Violent explosions, probably of powder magazines, heard twice in the north end of the city.

“We commenced at noon, November 3, a heavy bombardment with naval guns against the shipyard and other places in the east of the harbour, where fire broke out at a quarter-past twelve p.m., raging till four the next morning. On the same day our bombardment with large calibre guns inflicted considerable damage on Fort 4.”

The saps were driven nearer to 203 Métre Hill, and at the end of November another, and this time successful, attempt was made to carry the position by storm. The position, and others, were shelled heavily from dawn until mid-day on November 30. A strong storming party then rushed to the south-eastern corner, but was repulsed. The cannonading was resumed; later in the day a second party essayed to reach the fortifications, but was repulsed; another charge had no better success. At five in the afternoon a fourth party made a hasty charge, reached the breastworks, and fighting ferociously won; some men reached within a hundred feet of the summit. It was seven o’clock before these could be reinforced to an extent which enabled them to carry the position, which they occupied at eight o’clock that evening. The Japanese losses were very heavy, and the Russians left many dead in the fort. The position has been shelled repeatedly since the end of November, but it would seem that the Japanese cannot now be driven from the Métre range of hills by gun fire, nor is it likely that the Russians can afford to lose the men which all attempts to regain the fortress by direct assault would entail.

At the end of November, therefore, the Russians hold still intact the fortress of Port Arthur; some of the outworks of the forts on the north and west are in the hands of the besiegers, but it is not proved that they can hold these positions, as from the forts immediately behind them they can doubtless be fired upon in such a way that it will be impossible for the besiegers to use guns from any of these positions. If this be so, they have gained, by sacrificing nearly 20,000 men, only a stepping-stone which may be of use to them in reaching the line of forts by assaults, nothing more.

In any event, it would appear that Port Arthur will be won little by little; it will be captured piecemeal at an enormous sacrifice of life, but that it will be captured no one has any doubt. General Stoessel is unlikely to surrender until he is stormed in his stronghold on Golden Hill or on Liaotishan. His losses have been heavy, but not so great as those of the besiegers, and in the struggle to come he will have advantages the outer defences did not place at his disposal, so that the Japanese losses may be even more appalling than the figures yet published indicate. But the siege cannot continue indefinitely. One of the latest messages received from within the fortress states: “There will come a time when there will be no bearing the inconveniences of the siege, due to sickness, scarcity of food, and cramped quarters; no enduring the unceasing hell of bursting shells--shattering houses, killing unfortunate friends, and tearing huge holes in the ground--to say nothing of the miasma arising from a thousand corpses rotting on the hills and in the ravines round the forts. Lately the bombardments have increased in fury, and the fiery messengers of hate and destruction greet us every minute.”