Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05
FIGHTING BY NIGHT
A New Chapter Added to the
Horrors of War.
PORT ARTHUR BATTLES
JAPANESE ASSAILANTS DISCoV-
Erred BY sEARCHLIGHTs.
Daring Valor and Desperate Resistance
in the Struggle for the Pos
session Of Forts.
PORT ARTHUR BATTLES

The story that has come of the series OF
attacks by the Japanese in August on the
eastern defenses of Port Arthur is a nara
tive of daring valor and desperate resist
ance. The Japanese casualties from the
18th to the 9th were 1900. The center
division alone lost 5000 and a single regi-
ment lost $500. Only six officers and 200
men of this regiment were left after the
fight.
During the night Of the oath 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 be-
low the captured forts, and what might
have been successful general assault
with the capture of the fortified ridge east
of Port Arthur was converted by the Rus
sian tactics into a repulse, redeemed in part
by the wonderful fighting qualities of the
Japanese infantry and their refusal to ac-
cept what seemed to be the inevitable
They fought with splendid earnestness and
tenacty, though they fell by the hundreds
through the terrible effectiveness Of the
searchlights.
Lost $4,000 in Five Days.
The bombardment at the close of the
nights fighting was magnificently conceiv-
ed The artillery practice was beyond crltl-
cism, and the spectacle was splendid and
appalling, though the amount of damage
done to the forts was doubtful.
The retention of the eastern forts gave
the japanese a foothold on the fortihed
ridge a result of six days of general as
sauIt. Heavy casualties marked this haZ-
ardous attempt to take strong modern
fortress by assault after few days IN
vestment. General Nogi was aware that his
army was needed in the north. and the
troops flushed with previous victories, were
anxious to make the attempt success
meant the immediate fall of Port Arthur
which great achievement would release the
besieging army which for months had been
sapping the strength of the positions.
The ability of General Stoessel and the
determined spirit of the Russians had been
upderestimated, and the experiment was
never repeated. AS with the Russians at
Plevna with spirits dashed by repulse ana
heavy losses, the japanese army settIeo
down to sapping and making parallels For
two weeks the Russians were unceasing IN
their efforts to recapture the BanJusah
forts.
They bombarded and assaulted by day
the bombproofs and trenches, Wmch the
Japanese repaired by night. Despite artii-
leryi fire and infantry sorties, the japanese
held the forts. There were go men ana
four machine guns In each tort Inc lie!o
guns which were nrSt mouhleu III ehe ioi ID
were removed.
Though the Japanese resort to unoccupled
decoy trenches and bombproofs the daily
loss WAS 100 IN eacn 1OTt Until 0eploLHpCi o.
when the Russians ceased their continuous
efforts to recapture the forts
The Japanese attack on the forts began
August 10, when siege guns opened
desuItory fire to find the ranges, and an en-
tire division of infantry advanced and as.
saulted the Russian redoubts at the 1oot OF
the Rihlung mountain. Inc troops cap
tured the trenches in front OF the reuoupts'
The operations began in earnest at day
break on the Goth with a bombardment OF
the whole line of Russian forts
In Perilous Position.
THE dawn of the 23d developed peculiar
position. The assault of the previous after
noon had resulted in piercing the Russian
fortified ridge east of Port Arthur in the
form of a wedge. while the entire line east
and west was still strongly held Inc con-
centration of the Japanese reserves III ulie
Shuishi valley, in front of the captured
forts showed that it was the evident lnten-
tion of the japanese to use their foothold
on the fortified ridge to segregate the east
ern forts and carry the whole rloge by as
sault.
their shrapnel fire on the captured forts
and the Japanese south of Keekwan were
elected from their position Inc BanJusan
forts were subjected to an awful hre, pu.
the Japanese in possession of them contin-
ued making bombproof trenches on the
hills There was fierce bombardment an
day One night in the rear or the captureu
forts the Russians, anticipating an assault
made a strong coun terattack. Inc japan
csc 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 Ban5usan
forts in an attempt to cut OH the retreat
of the Japanese from two forts.
Russian Resistance.
The Russian move was cleverly planned
and their artillery commanders were we'll
Arc with Sh n
mel on the advance of the Japanese sup
ports across the valley, using starlights
and searchlights with good effect in the
counter-attack on the japanese forces.
The general assault then began, and LOT
twenty minutes the whole Japanese line
was engaged. The left division from the
trenches in front of the Keekwan. forts
charged the fortified hills. Part of the adj
vance had gained the crests and shouted
"Banza!' when their triumph was cut
short.
of the east forts lighted up the Japanese
lines. and Russian rifles and machine guns
poured a deadly hail into the clearly visible
ranks of the attacking troops Desplte the
awful process of unequal annihllatlon, the
Jananese stubbornly held the positions
gained. and their machine guns quickly 10
Gated and quoted the Russian qulck-Ilrers:
Finally the Japanese were slowly forced
down the slopes to the trenches below
On the west flank the searchlights of Else
and Taiyangkow forts played along the
Japanese trenches, preventing the move
ment of troops.
Fighting by Night.
The Japanese artillerymen concentrated
their fire ON the searchlights, shells con-
tinually blanketing the lights. Suddenly the
lights of Else fort disappeared and the light
of Taiyangkow fort followed. The japanese
infantry on the right flank advanced on the
trenches close to the Russian lines, when
the Else light was flashed out in the faces
of the advancing troops. and Russian ma
chine guns, previously well placed, swept
their fire along the lines, while rifles blazed
with continual rattle AS the Japanese ma
chine guns came into action they were To-
Gated by the Russian starlights and more
distinctly visible by the searchlights, but
they silenced the Russian quick-frers. In
the meantime the fight was fiercest in the
center of the Shuishi valley.
The Japanese captured the Banjusan
forts, outfanking the Russian forces and
slowly forcing their lines back to the foot
of the fortified hills. The Japanese were