The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-15

cupying them stuck to its posit;op
and withstood ana repulsed two or
three infantry assaults. Toward dusk
the Russians attacked in great force
and for two hours there followed
steady and hard infantrv fighting
During most of this time the comba4.
ants were SO close to each other tbat
the artillery could not be nsad
Throughout that night the tenure of
the hill hung in the balance.
The Russians made two assaults
and once the japanese wera drivan
from the trenches down on to the
nearer slope. They refused to vinId
and returned to the struggle and
finally succeeded in driving the Rus
slams away The slaughter i'm this
fighting was great on both sides.
An Anxious Time With Kurolxi.
The morning of September 3. the
fifth day of the battle. was an anx-
ious time at the headquarters Of Cen
eral Kuroki. The Russian lombard
ment of the hills was proceeding and
the Japanese batteries had taken up
new positions in the lowland3. 1T
was evident that the Russians con-
fronting the army under General
Kuroki had been heavily reinforced
The members of the general staff were
silent concerning the situation Little
firing was heard from the direction OF
Lao Yang. Whether General Kuro-
patkin was holding his ground there
and bringing further reinforcements
against General Kuroki, or shifting the
main strength of his army against the
japanese general, who menaced his re-
treat and was within striking distance
of the railroad were matters of con-
lecture.
The Japanese line advanced only 1
half-mile during the day and it be-
came evident that the Russian army
facing General Kuroki was too large
to warrant the Japanese in attempt
ing to attack it and that General Kur-
ki would probably be fortunate if no
was able to hold this ground.
The situation of the brigade on Gen
eral Kurok's extreme right became
critical 1t was thought that the Rus
slams might attempt to cut off Gen
eral Kuroki by turning movement
through the gap between his and the
fourth army toward Anping, where.
the only Japanese forces for several
miles were some regiments of cavalry
patrolling the valley of the TaitSe
river. In the course of the afternoon
the prospects frightened and it be-
came known that fresh brigade had
reinforced the right of the line. Cen
ordering in the left division to reiE-
force the troops then holding the
front from Skywantun to the Five
Headed Hills
The left division made a forced
march as fast it could under the eX-
treme heat, crossing the Taitse river
over a pontoon bridge to the left o.
the hill, where General Kuroki ha4
stationed himself and pushing forward
int, no MI in a
the firing was suspended.
The silence and suspense came to
an end at five o'clock in the evening,
At this hour the members of the stafs
became galvanized into action. Cou-
riers galoped forth, and General
Fulfil announced that the army would
begin the pursuit of the enemy.
Pursuit of the Russians.
Close upon his word the Japanese
batteries began a brisk pounding. The
left wing swept toward the railroad.
and the entire line advanced, meet
ing a lively rifle fire from the Rus
sian rear guard. TO this the Japanese
replied, and the engagement was con-
tinued until nightfall.
On Sunday morning General Kuroki
rode forward to Hei Wing Tai Hill.
He passed many mounds where fires
burned over the dead, and hundreds
of fresh, hastily dug graves. The
fields had been trampled into boys by
the fighting men, and were streWn
with the debris of both armies. Tho
spectacle presented by Hei Wing Tai
Hill has seldom been equalled in any
war The top of this hill is less than
a quarter of a mile long. The cresi
of it as well as the slopes and ravines
was literally honeycombed with
trenches run in every direction, testi-
flying to the number of attacks made
and the different points from which
thncn nccn11Itc had hnnn nffem ntad