The Glenwood post., 1904-09-17
LAO YANG FIGHT
TERRIBLE DUEL OF ARTILLEkx.
Details of the Battle Given In a Mes
cage From General Oku's Army
at Lao Yang.


Tien Tsin, Sept 14.-An undated
message from headquarters in tb-s
field of the second Japanese arEus
General Oku's) before Lao Yang.
says: The capture of Lao Yang was
accomplished only after nine days ~
desperate fighting on the part of the
second or left, Japanese army uu6rr
the command of General Oku. During
this time, while the artillery arm car-
ried out its part in the greatest aT,ij-
lery duel the world has ever seen.
there occurred the hardest fighting anSE
the most desperate infantry charges a.
modern times.
The fighting began August &c. when
this Japanese army. moving TO the
northward, collided with the Russian
forces entrenched on the hills at An
shanshan. The Japanese bombarded
this position all day long, and at night
the Russians retired
The next three days. August 27th-
2Sth and 29th, were occupied in fnl-
lowing the retreating Russians. JAP
anese batteries were sent forward rC
shell the enemy. The Russians rz~
treated steadily, the artillery in their
rear guard engaging the japanese n1-
vance and succeeding in retardng IL
until the main force of Russians
reached in safety the strongly FORT
fled positions in the Shoushanpao hills
eight miles south of Lao Yang.
At dawn, August Goth the japanese
began an artillery attack upon this no
sition, the second army bringing 2l6
guns to bear upon the Russian FORTY
tications.
This Russian position was tho
strongest the enemy had held mp to-
that time. 1t consisted of three hills
averaging each 800 feet high all fortj-
fled with strong entertainments con
nected each one with a covered way
leading back to n bomb-proof capable
of holding all the men engaged IL
working the guns. This bomb-proCi
was so skilfully hidden that the jap
anese could not locate it accurately
during the two days fighting tha, eI-
sued.
This artillery duel probably was the
biggest that has ever taken place. Is
lasted all of August goth without Az
appreciable result.
At dawn August 31st the artillery
fire was resumed, the Japanese BAT
teries having moved forward within
1000 yards of the Russian positioa.
during the night.
The artillery ceased at noon and thS
Japanese infantry then charged from
an adjoining hill in the face of a heaTF
fire from the trench itself and a terri
BILE crossfire from Russian artillery
posted on another hill to the rear.
The bottom of the hill was defended
by wire entanglements, pits ans
bitches.
Japanese engineers CIT these en-
tanglements after terrible slaughter.
OF oh,
out of eighty men. The men OF Ma.
goya, the flower of the second army
were assigned to charge this hill. Thex
took the first trenches with rush.
At the second trenches they met the
enemy in hand-to-hand fight and then
went on to the top of the hill treadipE
on their own dead.
The trench at the crest of the hin
was taken after another long hand-trs-
hand fight, the Russians being driven
out at the point of the bayonet and
with dubbed muskets. Hundreds were
killed in this charge, and the trenches
were filled with the mingled bodies o.
japanese and Russians.
In many cases attackers and defend
ers were found dead clutched in each
others arms. No more desperate
charge was ever made. The position
apparently was unassailable, and AZ
should have been held by one maI
against twenty. The taking of this hii
ended the defense of this line of posss-
tions, the Russian right evacuattns
after slight resistance. At daylight az
September 1st the Japanese Has
floated over all the hills, and the RES
SLAMS had retired in good order towGyts
Lao Yang.
There was much hard fighting Ser,
tember End and 3rd, the Japanese
making some progress on the cenies-
and right.
During the night of September sra
the last of the Russian forces wthdrew
from Lao Yang and early in the morn
Ing Of the 4th the Japanese occupied
the town.