Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-14
NINE DAYS OF FIGHTING.
Story of How the Japanese Captured
Lao Yang.

HEADQUARTERS in the field of Second
japanese army, before Liao Yang Gum
dated. (via Tien Tsin. Sept. 12).-The
capture of Lao Yang was accomplish
ed only after nine days of desperate
fighting on the part of the second, or
left. Japanese army under the COM
lnand of Gen. Okl. During this time.
while the artillery arm carried out its
part of the greatest artillery duel the
world has ever seen, there occurred
the hardest fighting and the most des-
perate infantry charges of modern
times.
The fighting began on August rs
when the Japanese army, moving to
the northward, collided with the RUS
sian forces entrenched on the hills at
Anshanshan The Japanese bolnbard-
ed this position all day long and at
night the Russians retired The next
three days, August q, % and 20, were
occupied in following the retreatinS
Russians.
At dawn August 80, the Japanese be-
gan an artillery attack upon the Rus
sian position in Shoushanpao hills
eight miles south of Liao Yang. the
second army bringing 218hguns to bear
upon the Russian fortifica tions. The
artillery duel lasted all lay August 80
without any appreciable result
At dawn Augs,. 81 the artillery fire
was resumed, the Japanese batteries
having moved forward to within 1000
yard of the Russian position during
| the night.
The Japanese drove a few Russian
| troops from an unfortifed hill on the
extreme right and at s o'clock in the
morning they made an unsuccessful
attempt to capture a fortified hill on
/ the Russian left. During this morn
! ing, the artillery duel was continued
| with increased strength, the Russians
answering shot for shot. AS the
morning wore on the Japanese brought
| into action four fifteen centimeter guns
captured from the Russians at Nan
shan hill, using them against the Rus
| sian position ammunition taken from
| the enemy These guns and ammuni-
| ton had been drawn by hand over
| the railroad for nearly 200 miles.
Japanese Concentrate Fire.
| AT IL o'clock in the morning the fire
of all the Japanese guns was concen-
| trated on the trench at the end of a
hill on the extreme left of the Russian
position For an hour shell and shrap-
mel were rained in this trench and the
smoke of bursting shrapnel and the
dust of exploding shells hid the posi-
4 tion from sight. The artillery ceased
at noon and the Japanese infantry then
charged from an adjoining hill in the
face of a heavy fire from the trench
itself and a terrible cross fire from
1
other hill to the rear. AS soon as
the japanese were in possession of a
trench the Russians turned the fire Of
scores of guns against them in an ef-
| fort to dislodge them. This heavy fire
was maintained until nightfalb but
| did not drive the Japanese out.
Both sides kept UP an artillery hre
all thru the night of August 81 and at
! 8 o'clock in the morning of september
1 the japanese attacked the center
| Russian position. This was hill de-
Tended by three lines of entertainments
The bottom of the hill was defended
by wire entanglements pits and ditch-
es. Japanese engineers cut the en-
tanglements after terrible slaughter,
one detachment losing II out of so
men. The men of Nagoya, the flower
Of the second army, We're assigned to
charge the hill They took the first
trench with rush. In the second
trench they met the enemy in a hand
to hand fight and went on to the top
of the hill, treading on their own deac
The trench at the crest of the hill was
taken after another hand to hand fight
the Russians being driven out at the
point of the bayonet and with dubbed
guns. Thousands were killed in this
charge and the trenches were filled
with the bodies of Japanese and Rus
slams. In many cases attackers and
defenders We're found dead clutched in
each others arms. No more desperate
charge was ever made. The position
apparently was unassailable, and it
should have been held by one man a.
gafnst twenty. The taking of this hill
ended the denfense of this line of po-
sitions. the Russian right evac atine
after slight resistance At daylight OF
September ] the japanese flag foated
over all the hills. ana the Russians had
retired in good order toward Lao
Yang The japanese left advanced the
night Of September q and charged
sainst The enemy, but they We're driven
back with heavy losses.
In the meantime the japanese cen-
ter and right had moved forward and 3.
general charge, was ordered at sunset.