The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-06-02
FIERCE AND
BLOODY FIGHT
BATTLE OF KINCHoU WAS SAN
CULINARY.
LOST MANY BIG GUNS
Combined Casualties Were About
Five Thousand Men, Three Thous-
and of Whom Were Japanese. Fifty
Pieces Of Artillery Abandoned.


and of Whom Were Japanese. Fifty
Pieces Of Artillery Abandoned.
Toxic. Japan paid heavily for her
victories at Kinchoue, Nanshan and
Talienwan, on the 9th and 18th, los
ing three thousand men in killed and
wounded in the repeated assaults
against these positions but she scored
a sweeping and valuable victory over
the Russians, capturing fifty guns,
clearing the way to Port Arthur and
inflicting losses on the Russians which
In the end are expected to total 2,OOO
men. 1t is doubted if the Russians
will stand again north Of Port Arthur,
They retired from the field beaten and
they failed to rally at Nanquan Ling,
where is was anticipated that second
stand would be made.
The desperate onslaught Of the Jap
anese on the heights Of Nanquan were
telling, for the Russians left 800 dead
In the trenches there. A complete
search of this field is expected to show
a greater number Of dead.
The soldiers were greatly fatigued
as result of the constant fighting but
they entered with much spirit upon
the new operations.
The japanese assault was one Of the
fiercest and bloodiest affairs in mod
ern warfare. In the earlier rushes
OF the engagement every man partici-
pating was shot down before he reach
ed the first line of Russian trenches
1t was found necessary to stop these
infantry charges and renew the artil-
lery fire from the rear before the final
and successful assault on the Russian
position could be made. The success
of this assault was brought about by
one detachment Of japanese troops,
more intrepid than their comrades,
who succeeded in piercing the Rus
sian line. A splendid stroke of for
tune was the discovery and destruc-
ton by the japanese Of the electric
wires leading to the mines at the east
ern foot of Nanshan hill. This pre-
vented the Russians from exploding
these mines when the japanese infan-
try crossed the ground where they had
been placed. 1t is possible that the
fortune of the day hinged upon these
mines. If the Russians had been able
to explode them at the right time the
losses among the japanese troops
would have been tremendous and it is
possible also that the Russians would
have been able to hold the hill.
Nanshan was splendidly defended.
Nearly fifty guns of various sizes were
mounted in the various emplacements
and there were two batteries of quick
firing field pieces.
The japanese began the fight by
bringing all their field guns into &C
ton concentrating their fire on the
emplacements on the hill. By II
o'clock in the morning the principal
Russian batteries had been silenced.
The two Russian field batteries then
withdrew to Nanquan Ling hill and
from there continued to fire on the
Japanese until nightfall. After the
Russian batteries had been silenced
the japanese artillery opened on the
snemy's trenches, the japanese infan-
try advancing meanwhile to within
rifle range. The japanese gradually
worked within 400 metres Of the Rus
sian lines, where they encountered
wire entanglements. They succeeded
in discovering an opening in these OBJ
stacles and getting finally to within
200 metres Of the, Russian trenches,
when they rushed for the line. Sever
al successive charges were made but
every officer and man in the attack
ing parties was shot down twenty or
thirty metres from the line. The
charges were then stopped and the
Japanese artillery renewed its prepar-
atory fire on the enemy's position.
Towards evening a detachment of
Japanese carried a section Of the Rus
sian trenches, breaking through the
enemy's line. Hundreds of the COM
rades Of these men inspired by their
success sprang forward and then the
entire Japanese line swept up the hill,
driving the Russians from their posi-
lions. It was in the desperate infan-
try charges that the japanese sus-
tanned the bulk Of their losses.