The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-04

Headquarters of Japanese Third Ar my Before Port Arthur. Nov. 2.-(Cen- sored .)-The operations began against Port Arthur at daybreak on October goth by the bombardment of the whole line of Russian forts. Battery after battery of Japanese artillery was un- masked. the Russians apparently being unable to locate them, for they replied spasmodically.
 Under cover of the bombardment the Japanese infantry made a determined general advance against the Russians first trenches. along the railroad into west of Shuishi village.
 Six hundred yards south of the vil- lage the way into the city was protect ed by four advance half moon forts, open at the rear and connected by bomb-proof trenches and having a twenty-foot moat in front.
 A desperate attempt was made by the Japanese to capture the strongest half moon fort. The infantry charged. cut the entanglements. crossed the moat by scaling ladders. stormed the fort and strength of :heir position lay in the bomb proof trenches. extending south of the other half moon forts.
 Deadly Hail of Bullets.
 They were filled with troops and con- cealed machine guns, which poured a deadly hail of bullets into the Japanese and forced them to retire. At about the same time the Russians recaptured the trenches In front of the redoubt in advance of the Rihlung fort On the right flank the Russian line was forced back. One Japanese regi- ment worked up the east slope and an- nt haa AA
 west slope of 174 yards hill, under the concentrated fire of the Russian ar- tillery and captured the fort at the point of the bayonet at noon. The Japanese captured five field guns and four machine guns. Their casualties were 1.400. Three hundred and fifty Russian dead were left in the position.
 At 4 o'clock in the afternoon during the bombardment of fort on the ridge east of Keewan the fort was struck by q Japanese shell and burst into flames and the Russians who had gar risoned 1t retired back of the Chinese wall in the rear.
 During the evening a division of the Japanese left flank cut the entangle- ments on the slope east of Kesekwan fort hill and before dawn on the 21st a center division of the Japanese gain ed east Panlung fort called by the
 Japanese East Banjusan fort and tried to cut the entangiements but the troops were repulsed.
 Japs Driven Out
 At daylight the Japanese batteries of the centre division concentrated their fire on the Bansan and Keekwan forts, but despite the artillery support the Japanese were driven out of the east Keekwan fort by an attack of a
 massed body of Russians from the Chi- nese wall. The assault threatened to result in an utter failure to secure a foothold on the fortified ridge and General Nogi summoned the generals of the left and centre divisons to con- suit with him concerning the opera tions.
 During his absence at Ii o'clock in the morning without special orders several companies of regiments emerged from their trenches at the foot of the east Banjusan fort and In tens and twentIes charged up the slope to the broken wall of the trench around the crest of the fortified hill. under cover of a splendid shrapnel practice from their field batteries in
 The Russians behind the wall and fin the fort poured out hail of rihe bullets and the machine and quick hT- nese. The latter were forced back un- til the slope was covered with bodies. but a third attempt was made ana a score of Japan,Hns,e Hrs oe the g Russans however started their retirement. Sud- 1enlv a Japanese of1cer, regardless of danger, stood up. called out an oroer,
 planted his regiment nag a,d on tne ,th Wal. and was Immediately riooleo "'n Russian bullets.
 The effect on the Japanese or this aacrIfce was instantaneous The re- tr tqeatins infantymen stopped in their trecEs hesItated and then charged back fought like demons, Jumped oyer the wall, charged the Russians witn
 ths rIacis, over the ramparts and into the Sort The fact that they had reached the corner wall on tne peaa nia ground enabled the Japanese 70 holo on, though the entire huss,ath hnt Sor s1I
 The Japanese were reiforced rom tinne to time by rushes made by their comrades up the death way rom tne trenches, and they stubbornly helo .ne corner wall and a small section or the Russian trenches till 5 o'oclck' when t,,,o comnanies of another regiment worked through the trenches ana at- l tacked the west Ban1usan fort whicn was captured at o'clock after sllent resistance. the Japanese being unaple to occupy 1t as the magazine was blown up, but they held the trench line around the crest. The reckless courage of the Japa- nese infantry was wonderfully demon strated in the capture of the BanJusah l forts. They seemed to court rather
 than fear death.
 The dawn of the 23rd developed
 peculiar position The assault of the nrevious Afternoon had resulted in pIercinK the Russian fortified ridge ! aast ~ Port Arthur in the form of
 wedge. while the entire line east and
 west was still strongly held To segregate Forts. The concentration of the Japanese
 rasar,,os in inc shuishi valley in front | oF tha cantured forts showed that it
 u,aa the evident intention of the Japa- nesa to use their foothold on the for t,fIed ridge to segregate the eastern | forts and carry the whole ridge by as-
 sault. Al daylight the Russians concentra- ted tbair shrapnel shells on the cap t,,rod forts and the Japanese south of VaeLwar were elected from their po-
 sIt,ors The Banjusan forts were sub
 Iected to an awful fire, but the Japa- nese In possession of them continued rnaktnr bomb proof trenches on the hills There was a fierce bombardment all day.
 ortIv The RetviZan, steamed out of the barbor and half a dozen torpedo boats chased the Japanese torpedo boats on duty on Port Arthur, the latter rapidly rejoining theA larger war vessels in
 There was treAqendous activity near