Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-12-30


Order TO Attaek-Dash Upon Ru--
,tan Battery Under Its Point blank
Ftre-surrender of . Captain
Here was a village 20 tske-a mud
walled town split In two oy river
which had deeply esOiel It's bed. How
tire japanese took It may inform you
I'm detail rs 10 Japanese methods under
such a Necessity. writes the New YORK
Posts special correspondent from the
Headquarters Of General oku. COM
uander Of the Second Imperial Japa-
nese army in the field.
The battalion commander who TOOK
the largest part in the movement stood
on the bank Of tie second line OF
trenches as he narrated the incident
His eyes were bioOdshot from long Wig
iIs; his lately dusky cheeks were pale
from living In underground shelters
from howitzers and shrspnel at the
present firing line.
This is the second line OF our trench
e. on this little battlefield" be said,
standing on its breastwork in the wind
which swept down from far Cobb des-
ert The first line is back there We
came TO that line on the night OF the
Ilth tof Octoberb-s pitch dark night
and began digging Two battalions OF
reserves had followed TO the village in
tie rear. Between 10 that night and 8
the next morning we had advanced six
companies 10 the first trenches-trench-
g covering the ground between the
railway on the left and the highroad
on the right "a quarter Of milei.
To the left OF the railway. might in
terject. are low hills. These were the
hills which the Russians had conf
menced 10 blast and TO tortIfy when
the Japanese heard Of il and forestall-
eli the aggression which II sisnined.
japanese artillery was emplaced there
on the morning Of the 18th OF October.
The battalion commander goes on:
1T was pitch dark. as | say. but
while we were making these trenches
we were discovered Fire was aimed
Gtus. All the shells went over our heads
and fell 100 feet beyond. Only twenty
men were wounded.
Some of our officers went lJ0 yards
beyond that railway station scouting
They went far enough 10 see the
enemy's trenches from the fank-weni
so TAR that they got really TO the real
OF the enemy's two lines Of trenches
and could see the Russians sitting in
them. They found that across the
river. where il is spannei by the rail
way bridge. there We're sixteen cannon
Our officers went three times that night
recOnn0iIering and no sentries dis
covered them. Near dawn we could
see that TO the northeast in the millei
fed. there were eight other cannon
The fash from them showed where
they were.
AT 8 a. N. an order came. II said,
when troops on your left across the
railway attack Entaineul and Uligai
you will attack shihliho and press on.
Some troops across the railway co
operated with my battalion and half
also some troops over by the hills.
AT 1880 could see with fed
glasses that our left column was fight
ing hard. | could see the enemy run
ming from Entaineul 10 Cligai. in thi
direction. 1850 yards beyond those low
pine trees. At 100 | could see tn
enemy running in disorder to Cligai
Then at o'clock came a command 70
my troops to attack the eneuy's direc
front After awaiting the effect o
artillery fire upon him. it said, in
fantry will make a rush and in the sd
vance take the left wing beyoni
Shihliho so as to surround the enemy
All this time Russian shells KEEP
falling Oh our troops. | sent 10 tn
artillery to cover my advance. 1t a.
ready had received such an order an
began to pour shrapnel upon III
enemy's trenches. The enemy's arti
lery from the railway bridge answere
by Smelling our trenches. Our artiller
fired at Shihliho; two houses were Sc
alight 1t caused the enemy's shellin
TO stop. Such good results attended tn
Smelling of the intrenchments ahea
that decided not to wait till O'CLOCK
especially as saw the troops C
operating on my right already moving
Il took the British way of advancin
sent first one squad, thirty mer
then another squad out Of the shelter
into the open field. There were on
yard intervals between the individual
men. Each squad would run in thi
open order hfty yards and then dro
down. Did they shoot: No; there wa
nothing to shoot at! You see. the arti
lery fire had kept the Russians cover
ing in their trenches. and they did no
see us emerge from ours.
They did not know we were out til
we had gone 200 yards and were with
in 600 yards of them. We just ran an,
dropped. ran and dropped. The sun wa
shining clear. yet they were crouchin,
in their trenches and did not see us
When 600 yards from them, they saw
and began TO fire. Some of our mel
fell Two companies had been started
another was now started, 50 the losse
would be supplied.
Yes. by this time we had got farthe
ahead than the friendly troops to on
right who had started before O'Clock
There was a competition as to whic
battalion would gain the enemy
works irst-l We We're now ahead. ad
yanclng en- echelon. Our badly wound
ed were being carried back Come.
said the battalion commander. we wi
go upon the ground ITSELF
The ground was hard burrowed- ey
cry furrow spiked with stiff. sharp mi
let stubble How did the soldie,