The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-12-13
AWFUL FIGHTING
AT PORT ARTHUR
Delayed Report of General Assault
on Fortress November 20.
TRENCHES FILLED WITH DEAD

Furious Assaults Of Japanese In Face
of Awful Fire Was EquaIled BY
Stubborn Resistance Of Russians.
Threw Grenades at Each other.
Headquarters of the Japanese Third
Army Before Port Arthur. Nov. u.
ria Tien Tsin, Dec. l0.-The general
assault on Port Arthur, which began
nj noon November 20, is still in pro
gress. In the first series Of assaults an
attempt was made TO capture the torts
nj Rihlung and Keekwan Mountains by
penetrating the principal line of forti-
flcations surrounding them. and to en-
velope the city from the east. AT the
same time a strong force pushed up
the gorge Of Shishi valley between two
fortified ridges and attacked the sup
porting fort in the rear of West Rlh-
lung Mountain with the intention OF
enveloping the city from the west.
The attempt failed after the most
furious fighting that has been wit
messed since Port Arthur was invested.
The fighting lasted from noon OF No
vember % until after dawn of the fol-
lowing day without cessation.
For six hours the whole western half
of the fortified ridge was deluged with
heavy shells. AT noon the principal
line of Notifications was perfect hell
of bursting shells, and the spectacle
was more wonderful than anything
previously seen.
Through the haze caused by the
smoke of the bursting shells the as
saulters could be seen emerging from
the cover of the parallels, as well as
swarming up the fortified ridge at half
a dozen different points. Rifles, rapid
fire guns and machine guns blazed
from the Russian position. where ad-
vances were made in the open. The
men went down by hundreds. The forts
were belching smoke and bursting
shells. and the rampant walls were
black with assaulters, who on reaching
the crests met with an awful fire from
within the forts, which swept down
line after line of Japanese.
As fast as the assaulters were re-
pulsed more Japanese swarmed up,
only to be moved down in turn.
The determination and fury of the
Japanese assaults were equalled by the
stubbornness Of the resistance of the
Russians.
The Japanese paralleled some 80
yards of the Russian trench line and
an entire regiment charged across. the
men falling by hundreds before the
awful fire Of the Russians. But still
more men came on over the bodies
of those who had fallen. and by sheer
weight of numbers they reached the
trenches. which they captured at the
point of the bayOnet.
The Russian shrapnel fire made the
captured portion of the trenches per-
feet hell while the japanese shraPnel
fire assisted the captors to push east
and west along the trench line.
At o'clock in the evening a furious
Russian counter attack drove the Jap
anese back 10 the parallels with great
loss. At 9 o'clock the japanese again
captured the same portion of the
trnech and made desperate but unsuc-
cessful efforts to cross the pits.
The awful struggle continued until 2
o'clock in the morning. when the Rus
SLAMS again counter attacked and re-
captured the trench, which was piled
with dead bodies. For over 80 yards
between the trenches there was a YER
table shambles. The last attacks and
counter attacks were made over the
bodies Of the slain.
The first attempt to rush the fort
on the northern portion OF keekwan
Mountain was made at / o'clock in the
afternoon. when the assaulters swarm
ed up the rampant wall from the moat
and met with an awful fire from within
and from the Chinese wall in the rear
Of the fort.
As the result of the first assault, the
rampant walls were black with bodies.
In the second assault the japanese
succeeded in gaining a foothold in the
interior. where the defenses were
bombproof. with raised lines of pro-
tected trenches in the rear of the fort,
where The machine guns swept the
front of the fort and the walls. The
assaulters attacked this bOmbproof
maze. where the fighting was hand-to-
hand with bayonets and grenades.
The first sections of the maze OF
bombproofs were smashed and piled
with the bodies of the dead Of both
sides.
The attempt to rush the interior OF
the fort proved failure, but portions
of the fort were temporarily occupied.
The defenders were annihilated or
were unable or unwilling TO retire and
fought to the last breach.
In the meantime a strong force OF
Japanese attempted to pierce the line
of works east of the fort, but they
we're unable to make progress.
The last effort of the assaulters was
assisted by artillery, which covered
the slopes of Waintai Hill with an
avalanche of shells. The Russians
fought with tremendous courage, en-
gaging the japanese with bayonets and
grenades when they came to close
quarters. The Japanese finally estab-
lished trench line five yards in front
Of the line of Notifications, which they
now occupy. The forces are engaged in
throwing dynamite grenades at each
other
4 IL NATHALIE.