The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-30
S'Ormng of the Russian Left at Nanshan Will GO Ring-
 ing Down in History
AMMUNITION RAN SHORT
 JUST 1T CRITICAL MOMENT
Nine Successive Charges We're Made Pp the Heights in Face or the Death Dealing
 Missiles.

Tokio. May 29. 6 p. m.)-The details of the fighting at Kin Chou emphasize the heroic tenacity of the Japanese Tn their conduct at Nanshan.
 Nine successive times the Japanese charged the fortified heights In the face of a storm of death-dealing missiles, and in their last effort they carried the forts and trenches only after a bayonet to bayonet conflict with the Russians, who made desperate and despairing struggle to beat back the on-coming hordes
 The final assault of the Japanese in which they at last succeeded in taking possession, was marked by the most des- perate hand to hand encounter that has thus far characterized the war.
 The Japanese left throughout the en- tire action until night was exposed to an enhlading fire from the Russian in- fantry, a gunboat on Fallen Wan bay and four s-centi-metre guns posted at Tafeng Chen.
 Ammunition Runs Low.
 At a critical moment the ammunition of the artillery ran low and 1t was de-
  into one final desperate assault.
 Fortunately. however. at the moment this decision was reached. the Japanese squadron in Kin Chou bay which had ceased bombarding when the infantry had first moved forward suddenly resum- ed the shelling of Nanshan.
 Then 1t was that the issues of the day were determined at a moment when the outcome was futtering between success and defeat for Japan-at that moment was an almost certain repulse converted into victory, so successful that the forces of the czar were swept into confusion and disorderly retreat. With every Japa- nese gun centering it's fire upon the Nanshan forts and trenches, the Japanese infantry sprang over the dead bodies of the comrades who had sacrificed their lives in the previous fruitess charges The entire line rushed forward toward the Russian left where the fire of the Japanese squadron had proved most dead ly, and which was the first to weaken un- der the death-dealing bombardment. And it was there that the first breach was made in the human stonewal that all day had been an invincible barrier to the impetuous assaults of the brown men.
 Osaka Men Storm the Left.
 It was the fourth division of the Osaka men that stormed the Russian left It had once been said that Osaka men were not brave. It will never be said again.
 The first division of TolSio which had the centre and the third division of Ma goya. occupying the left and which had been exposed all day to the Russian fire against the front flank, now followed the example of the Osaka men and rushed forward and the battle became trans formed from artillery duel into one of personal conflict with the bayonet as the instrument of warfare. On every parapet the death-defying Japanese surged In in- creasing numbers and husting the Rus sians from their intrenchments, swept over the hill
 At 7:3O o'clock as the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, the flag of the land of the rising sun fioated above the blood sodden Nanshan hill, while the shouts of ''banzai' swelled from hill to hill, and re-echce ed from squadron to fort.
 The Japanese paid for their victory $500 killed and wounded To the Russians the humiliation of defeat was intensified by the loss of sixty-eight cannon and ten machine guns, while lying dead in the frrts and trenches were 300 men, the vic tims of the accuracy of Japanese long distance craftsmanship, and of close range fighting.
 ! Began Movement at Midnight.
 General Oku, in command of the Jara- nese, began his aggressive movement on the Russian position at midnight on Wednesday. He assigned the Fourth division to the right with instructions to swing around Kin Chou and move south. He gave the First division the center and the left was allotted to the Third division. During the night terrible thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rain, broke over the advancing army and impeded the movements of the men. It had been planned to begin the fire at 4:3O o'clock in the morning. fbut a dense fog had fol- lowed the storm, and it was an hour later before the artillery under Gen. Uchi Ya- ma opened on Nanshan hill. A detach- ment seized Kin Chou castle. and then the entire infantry rorce gradually moved forward
 Smart Response to Attack.
 The gunners on the fortified heights were not slow in giving smart response to the Japanese attack, and soon a vieor ous fire and counter fire was in progress to which the big guns of the Japanese squadron lent noisy chime At 6 o'clock the atmosphere had cleared up sufficient lv for the naval craftsmanship to work effectively For three hours the shelliny from bay and shore and the replying from the forts continued without interruption.
 
 and then the Russian fire abated.
 The cessation of the firing on the hill was a signal for forward movement of the troops below and the attacking of batteries changed their positions to se- cure better range. At Il o'clock a zone varying from 300 to $500 yards in width separated the Japanese and Russian lines, and the rest of the day was spent by as- sailing forces in crossing the fire-swept zone.
 Russian gunboat in Talien Wan bay opened fire on the Japanese left at 10 o'clock in the forenoon and continued firing for five hours.
 Five Russian steamers attempted to land their crews near Hung Tu Al, but the third division stopped them. In the meantime four heavy guns at Tafang Chen found the range of the third divis- ion and kept smelling 1t until : o'clock in the evening. The artillery with the third