River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-29
BIG FORTS ARE
IN GREAT PERIL
SHOULD THEY FALL, PORT AR
THURS FATE is SETTLED.
JAPS MAKE FIERCE ASSAULT
Several Important Positions Captured
-Garrison's Water Supply Cut E
OF - Russians Retreat
from Mukden,

Chefoo, Sept 26.-As a result of the
battle before Port Arthur which began
on September 10 the Japanese succeeded
in capturing several important positions,
and the Russian tenure of the big forts
guarding the north, northeast and north
west sides of the town is seriously
threatened. Chinese information places
the Japanese losses under 5000 for the
three days fighting, and this compare
lively small casualty list is due to the
excessive care used by the Japanese in
making their preparations for the adj
vance. Russian sources, however, claim
to have information that the Japanese
losses were unusually severe, amount
ing to fully three times the number
mentioned above. Possibly the most
important capture during the three days
fighting was that of Fort Kuropatkin,
which, while OF minor value with regard
to preventing the entrance into the town
of the Japanese, had been constructed
for the purpose of protecting the source
of the garrison's water supply. The con-
troll of this water supply is now in the
hands of the Japanese.
The Battle Opens.
AS was announced in these dispatches
on September 20, the battle began before
daybrealI on September 10. Atthis hour
the citizens and the garrison of Port Ar
thur, after the enjoyment Of weeks of
comparative security, awoke to the
thunderOus reports of artillery along
the line extending from the west of Itz
mountains to Rihlung and Kikwan
mountains. This was but preface to
the assault which was destined to result
in the capture Of three new and impor-
tant Russian positions, together with
six small but annoying forts lying be-
tween Shushiyen and Rihlung mountain.
During the day and night of the 10Th and
until noon of the goth, the lombard
ment continued without cessation, and
the many shells falling from quarters
which previously had been silent, made
it obvious that the japanese had atleast
succeeded either in mounting many
heavy guns in new positions or in
Strengthening their old positions. The
infantry fighting during this period was
comparatively trivial
Infantry Advances.
At noon on September 20 the Jap
anese right and center, the former be-
ing to the west and the latter TO the
east of the railroad, commenced the
advance. The small forts to the south
of Shushiyen resisted this advance but
Jo,,;O OH
numerically. Since the beginning of
the bOmbardment the artillery fire
from Fort Kuropatkin had been grow
ing steadily weaker, and, it having be-
come apparent that it had been prac-
tically silenced, the Japanese assaulted
the fort. y While situated in the chain
of main forts, Fort Kuropatkin never
has been as strong as the Others and
after severe fighting it fell into the
hands of the Japanese This capture
lessons further the security of the fort
on Rihlung mountain, which is now
threatened from a new quarter, as well
as from Palichuang. At five o'clock
of the afternoon of the Goth the Japan
csc captured supplementary fort,
which from the lower ground threatens
the fort on Itz mountain. This ended
the heavy fighting for that day, al
though the Japanese later were COM
PEELED to resist several sOrties.
Desperate Fighting.
During the night the heavy bonn
bardment of the Russian positions con-
tinued, the Japanese fire being directed
with particular vigor against another
supplementary fort 5000 yards to the
west of the fort on Itz mountain, and
regarded as highly important because
of it's bearing on the Itz and Anshu
mountain forts. The next day, after
having pounded this position unmerci- |
fully and until its fire slackened WISH
bly,, the Japanese delivered their as
sault They met with a stubborn re-
sistance. They were exposed to the |
fire of machine guns and rifles and |
they made frantic efforts to reach the |
crest of the slope. They leaped over
trenches and embankments and tore
down the entanglements in their path |
until at length they entered the fort
The Russian troops there refused to |
desert their position, even in the face
of the superior numbers which con-
fronted them, and desperate hand-to-
hand fighting occurred inside the fort.
Eventually almost the entire Russian
garrison was either killed or wounded.
Military experts here are of the
opinion that if the Japanese capture
either Rihlung or Kikwan forts or the |
Ttz and Anshu forts the doom of Port |
Arthur is sealed, and for this reason |
the Importance Of the results obtained |
by the Japanese in their latest assaults |
upon the Russian positions is obvious. |
Manchurian Army Reorganized.
st. Petersburg, Sept 26.-The di-
vision and reorganization of the Man
churian army, regarding which there
have been rumOrs ever since the battle |
of Liaoyang, was officially announced |
in an imperial lescript APP
pointing Maj. Gen. Grippenberg, com
mander Of the Third army corps in the |
province of Wilma, as commander OF |
the second army now being modified
for immediate dispatch to tho far east,
leaving Gen. Kuropatkin in command |
of the first army. The emperor is per-
sonally convinced that the political as
we'll as the military prestige of the
empire is at stake and that every
other consideration must give way be-
fore the pXiQencieS of war The re-