Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-09-29
Dull OF ARTILLERY
DETAILS OF The TERRIBLE
FIGHTING ABOUT LIAOYANG
JAPANESE TREAD OVER THEIR
OWN DEAD IN REPEATED AS.
sAuLTs ON RUSSIAN
POSITIONS.


(undatcd), via Tientsin, Sept. 13.-Thu
capture of Liaoyang was accomplished
only after nine days Of desperate fight.
ing on the part of the second or lef,
Japanese army. under the command OF
General Oku. During this time. while
the artillery arm carried out its part
In the greatest artillery duel the world
has ever seen, there occurred the hard.
est fighting and the most desperate in.
fantry charges Of modern times.
Shoushanpoo hills, eight miles south
Of Liaoyang. were the scene of the
most desperate fighting from Angus,
Both to September Sd. The japanese
used In this area alone nearly 400
guns. including some taken from tho
Russians at Nanshan hill.
| The Russian position was the
strongest the enemy had held up to
that time. 1t consisted of three hills,
averaging each 800 feet high. all forti.
fed with very strong intrenchments.
connecting each one with a covered
way leading back to a bomb proof ca.
pable Of holding all the men engaged
In working the guns. This bombproof
was SO skillfully hidden that the Jap
anese could not locate 1t accurately
during the two days fighting that en-.
sued.
After bombardment lasting two
days. bloody infantry charges captured
a hill on the extreme left OF the Rus.
sian position.
Both sides kept up an artillery fro
all through the night OF August 3lst.
and at o'clock in tho morning OF
September LIST the Japanese attacked
the center Russian position. This was
conical hill defended by three lines
OF lntrcnchments. The bottom OF the
hill was defended by wire entangle
ments, pits and bitches. japanese en-.
| gineers cut these entanglements after
terrible slaughter, one detachment los.
ing seventy.seven out of eighty men.
The men of Nagoya, the flower of the
second army. were assigned to charge
this hill. They took the Arst trenches
with a rush. At the second trenches
they met the enemy In hand.to.hand
fight and then went on to the top of
the hill, treadlng on their own dead.
The tienoh at the crest of the hill was
taken after another long hand.to.hand
fight, the Russians being driven out at
the point OF the bayonet and with club.
bed muskets. Hundreds were killed In
this charge, and the trenches were fill.
ed with the mingled bodies Of Japanese
and Russians. In many cases attack
ers and defenders were found dead
clutched in each others arms. No
more desperate charge was ever made.
The position apparently was unassail
able, and 1t should have been held by
one man against twenty. The taklsg
Of this hill ended the defense Of this
line OF positions, the Russian right
evacuating after slight resistance At
daylight of September LIST the Japan.
csc nag Goated over all the hills and
the Russians had retired In good order
toward Liaoyang.
On the left there was heavy fighting.
The Russians were driven steaully
back, step by step, from trench 10
trench, until they reached the wall OF
the city.
Shortly afternoon of September Sd
II was seen that the Russians had be,
gun to burn the city. Great piles OF
stores near the railroad were set on
fire and many buildings were destroy.
cd. From behind the smoke of the
burning buildings a constant fire was
near the railroad.
The fighting of these FIVE days was
the hardest OF the war. The Russian
positions In the hills south of Lao
yang were stronger than those at Nan.
shan Hill and more stubbornly defend.
ed. A wait Of few days would have
allowed the japanese to outflank these
positions with comparatively small
losses, but the desperate straits of the
fourth and first Japanese armies TO the
north required that the Russian forces
facing the second army under General
oku be disposed Of instantly in order
Ito prevent the sending of reinforce.
, ments to the Russians opposing the
other Japanese armies.
The Russian positions on the plains
were much stronger than had been an.
ticlpated. The entire plain was scored
with trenches and Notifications. At
one point the trenches occupied by the
Russians were permanent works OF I'm,
mense strength, capable of protecting
an entire brigade and absolutely un.
assailable. II was only by forcing back
the Russian right by desperate rush
that the japanese were able TO make
the Russians retire from this most ex'
cellent position Fully five miles OF
covered and connecting trenches gave
the Russians an opportunity TO retire
TO the city with little loss.
The gun positions on the plain were
deliberately protected. There was a
portable railroad from the city to the
outer trenches for the transportation
OF ammunition and supplies.