The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-30
BAY0NET CONFLICTS
IN KIN CHOU BATTLE.

their conduct at Nan Shan hill.
Nine successive times the Japanese
charged the fortified nights in the face
of 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 a desperate, des-
pairing 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
desperate 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 enflading fire from the Russian
infantry, gunboat on Talien Wan bay
and four 9-centimeter guns posted at
Taffengchen.
AT a critical moment. the ammuni-
ton of the artillery. ran low, and it
was decided to cast the remaining am
munition into one final desperate as
sault. 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 resumed the shelling of Nan
Shan hill.
Then it was that the issues of the
day were determined-at a moment
when the outcome was f1uttering be-
tween success and defeat for Japanese
at that moment was an almost GER
tain repulse converted into victory so
successful that the forces of the Czar
were swept into confusion and diSor-
derly retreat. With every Japanese
gun centering its fire upon the Nan
Shan forts and trenches, the Japanese
infantry sprang over the bodies of the
dead comrades who had sacrificed their
lives in the previous fruitless charges.
The entire line rushed forward toward
the Russian left, where the fire of the
Japanese squadron had proved most
deadly and which was the first to
weaken under the death-dealing bonn
bardment, and it was there that the
first breach was made in the human
stonewall that all day had been an in
Vincible barrier to the impetuous as
saults of the brown men.
1t was the fourth division of the
Osaka men that stormed the Russian
left. 1t had once been said that Osaka
men were not brave. 1t will never be
said again.
The first division of Toxic, which
had the center and the third division
of Nagoya, 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 bat
tie became transformed from an artil-
lery duel into one of personal conflict
with the bayonet as the instrument of
warfare. On every parapet the resist
less death-defying japanese surged
forward in increasing numbers and
hustling the Russians from their en-
trenchments swept over the hill.
At 1880 o'clock, as the sun was sink
ing beneath the horizon, the flag of
the land of the Rising Sun floated
above the blood-sodden Nan Shan hill,
while the shouts of "Banzai' swelled
from hill to hill and re-echoed from
squadron to fort.
The japanese paid for their victory
in $500 killed and wounded.
For the Russians, the humiliation of
defeat was intensified by the loss of
sixty-eight cannon and ten machine
guns, while lying dead in the forts
and trenches were 500 men, the vic
tins of the accuracy of japanese long
distance craftsmanship and of close
range fighting.
Gen. Oku, in command OF the Jap
anese aggressive movement, moved on
the Russian position at midnight on
Wednesday. He assigned the fouth
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
by a heavy rain, broke over the ad-
vancing army and inpeded the move
ments of the men. 1t had been plan
ned to begin the fire at 4 o'clock in
the morning, but a dense fog had fol-
lowed the storm, and it was an hour
later before all of the artillery under
Gen.. Uchiyama opened on Nan Shan
hill. A detachment seized Kin Chou
castle and then the entire infantry
force gradually moved forward.
The gunners on the fortified nights
were not slow in giving smart response
to the japanese attack, and soon a
vigorous fire and counter fire was in
progress, to which the big guns of
the japanese squadron lent noisy
chime. At o'clock the atmosphere
had cleared up sufficiently for the
naval craftsmanship to work effective
For three hours the shellng from
bay and shore and the replying from
the forts continued without Interrupt
ton, and then the Russian fire abat-
e5
The cessation of the firing on the
hill was q signal for a forward move
ment of the troops below, and the at
tacking batteries changed their posi-
tions to secure better ranges. At II
o'clock a zone varying from 300 to
$500 yards in width, separa ted the Jap
anese and Russian lines and the rest
of the day was spent by assailing forces
in crossing the fire-swept zone. A
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.
In the main attack the Japanese ar
tillery continued Smelling Nan Shan
hill. seeking to destroy en- canglements
and otherwise clear the way of the
infantry. but every time the infantry
advanced tha awful Russion fire drove
them back.
In the meantime. the Russians had
reinforced their right under cover of
the two field batteries previously with
drawn from Nan Shan with fresh in
fantry, whose fire enfiladed n consider
able portion of the entire Japanese
Hna.
Very critical at this time was the
situation for Gen. Oku's forces. for at
the wavering of the line, under the re-
inforcement Of the Russian Infantry,
came the re9orts from the Japanese
most exhausted. Gen. Oku reports that
- on,t1d not hona 70 ocatf,,aa