The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-06-29
DESPERATE YALOR Of JAPS
Their Charge at Kin.Chow an Un-
preceden:ed Military Spectacle.
NARRATIVE OF AN EYEWITNESS
There Wa SO Little Room to Deploy
That Battalions of Japanese Troops
Stood in the Sea Waiting the Moment
of Attack-An Avalanche of Concen-
trated Fire.

Chefoo.-The London Times steamer
Halmun returned to Chefoo from a
cruise in Kin-Chow Bay. The CORES
pondent says:
"EyewitnesseS of the battle of Kin
Chow describe it as an un%precedent-
ed military spectacle. Forty thousand
Japanese were massed behind the
western spur Of Mount Sampson, un-
der such small cover as was afford
ed by the twin peaks. The troops
we're within two thousand yards Of the
Russian works.
There was so little room to deploy
for attack that battalions Of Japan
csc troops were obliged to stand in the
sea waiting for the movement of at
tack, exposed to a yeritable inferno of
DIRE from the Russian batteries. The
shells plowed into their serried masses.
meantime battery after battery Of
Japanese guns went into action upon
the Chili-Chwang and the Kauchiay-
an flats and a sustained gunboat fire
played upon the Russian works. Their
lines were fringed with bursting pro-
iectiles. About midday the energy
Of the Russian defenders in the works
in front Of Mauchiaying village
seemed exhausted by the gunboat fire.
1.-Two Japanese battalions appeared
over the saddle between the twin
peaks and made a desperate effort to
carry the nearest Russian works. At
first the struggling walls Of Mauchiay-
Ing gave them some cover, and q mo-
ment's breathing space. Then the gal
liant little infantrymen ccept on again
up the slopes toward the Russian po-
SitioR. It was an impossible task. AS
yet the defenders had not been suti-
GENTLY shaken.
Gan avalanche of concentrated fire
from infantry in the trenches, machine
guns in the Russian works and quick
firing field artillery in the supporting
d~efenses struck the Japanese. They
melted away from the glacis like SOL
der before the flame of a blowpipe. A
few who seemed to have charmed lives
struggled on until they reached the
wire entanglements.
ut was in vain. Heroic effort was
wasted. Within fifteen minutes these
two b~attalions ceased to exist except
as a train Of mutilated bodies at the
foot Of the Russian glacis.
Seeing the failure Of this attack,
the gunboats and supporting artillery
concentrated the whole Of their fire
upon the point where General Oku
had determined to drive home his
wedge, and by evening the works were
practicable for an assault by q gener-
al who had such infantry as the jap
anese and who was prepared to take
the responsibility Of such fearful
losses.
1T would seem as If the actual car
rying of the works had been another
Alma. The word was given for a bay
onet attack. Then the whole Japan
csc front surged forward and the
moral balance went over to the side
Of the Japanese, the Russians retir-
ing before them. 1890.
Il learn. that it was the mining ship
Amur which laid the mines which de-
stroyed the Hatsuso. On the morn
ing Of the catastrophe a Japanese gun
boat 1otilla cut her and her escort
off. I can learn nothing Of their fate,
! but suspect they succeeded in slipping
back into Port Arthur"
A semi-official telegram from Muk-
den says the Russian losses at the
battle at Kin-Chow were thirty officers
md 800 men killed or wounded. One
report places the Japanese loss at 90
300. The guns abandoned by the
Russians were rendered useless.