Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-10-12
pRpOOGGERREsS OF THE MAR WAR

What We know to a certainty about
the situation at Port Arthur is now, as
has been the case ever since the siege
began. Just nothing at all. What we
are able to guess with a fair degree
of probability is very little. When
general assault is being made by the
! japanese we soon know the bare fact
by the thicl. crop of rumors that come
! to Chefoo. Also the latest rumors
usually suffice to show that earlier ru-
mors We're false. But what positions
! the japanese are now holding, and
more especially whethey they have
driven the Russians permanently out
of any one of the chain of great inner
forts of Port Arthur, cannot be told.
Nevertheless 1t is worth while to
| cast a glance over the progress of the
siege and make the best guesses about
! it that we can. The first landing OF
| Japanese on the Liaotung Peninsula
| was made May 3, Immediately after
| the battle of the Yalu. May p was
! fought the battle of Kinchau, with
| the stormlng of Nanshan, and there
! upon the effective investment of Port
Arthur by land began. Dalny was at
once occupied by General Nogi and
made his base
About the last of June or the first
! Of July, concurrently with the occupa-
! ton of the three passes in the Man
| churian mountains by Generals Kuro-
| Xxi, Oku and Nodzu. the first lombard
! ment of Port Arthur was made. This
was at long range, and it resulted in
! enabling the Japanese to occupy an
| advanced line across the peninsula at
| a distance of some ten or twelve miles
| from the main defenses of the fortress.
| The Japanese seem then to have di-
| vided their armies into three sections.
| At any rate, three general lines of
| attack on the fortress can be marked
| out Their left came along the east
| coast OF the peninsula against Mount
| Takushan and Siao-hou-sh1n.. Their
| center advanced on the village Suei-
| sze-ying. about five miles north of the
| harbor, close to Wolf Hill Their right
! sought to work around to Pigeon Bay,
on the west coast of the peninsula, di
rectly west of the City of Port Arthur
/ Between Aug. l and Aug, Is we can
| locate with none too certain guess
| the Japenese occupation of Takushan
| Mountain, of Wolf Hill and of viii
| lage and minor fort on Pigeon Bay.
| With this the besieging army was in
| direct opposition to the line of ex-
! ssedingly strong forts which make up
| the inner defenses Rumor after ru-
/ NOR at that time told of the capture
| of Etse-shan and Antszshan, two of
| the strongest of these forts. and the
/ sortie of the Russian fleet Aug. 10
! gave grounds for the belief that these
rumors were true and that the fall of
| the fortress was impending.
! These rumors proved all wrong. and
/ If the japanese actually succeeded in
| forcing the Russians out of Etse-shan
| they were unable to hold it them
selves. A month Of comparative quiet
| "a time Of bombardments, but not of
| assaults-followed Then. as it would
| seem. about two weeks ago-most of
/ the stories say Sept. ia new series
/ of assaults began. We were told that
! the japanese had captured nine minor
forts, part of them lying close In to
! Etse-shan and Antszshan and part
south of Wolf Hill. These latter CON
| trolled the wateUwOrks Of Port Arthur
and gave the japanese a new point
| from which to make attacks either
/ upon Antszhan to the west or upon the
! strong Keekwan forts to the east. We
/ are still III ignorance whether these
! positions, If actually taken, were held.
| and also as to whether they are now
| being used as aids for further as
saults. or whether assaults have now
/ ceased for the present. We have little
reason to think that any one of the
| main chain of forts is now in japanese
| occupation The fact that both sides
/ are losing confidence is a striking evil
| dence of the desperate fighting around
| the place The Russians feel that
| they cannot much longer resist the
desperate attack. The Japanese fear
they cannot batter down the indomit-
! able defense.
There have been outpost skirmishes
| between the armies of Oyama and
I Kuropatkin. but no serious fighting
I The Japs took Da Pass. about forty
five miles southeast of Mukden. But
its defense was not seriously attempt
ed, and it is not a place of great i'm
| portance. Oyama's troops were still
concentrated, at last reports, just north
of LiaoyanE and at Yentai. This be-
! ing so another big battle is not soon
imminent, for two armies cannot fight
when they are twenty-five miles apart
Liaoyang is being fortified by the
| Japs on its north side. When these
works are completed the town will be
a perfect stronghold, for Kuropatkin
already had fortified 1t on its southern
and eastern sides. The plan Of the
japanese is evidently 10 push the Rus
SLAMS back as far as practical. and
then relying on their Notifications to
hang on Ike death to the territory
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