Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-31
Miseellaneulls $eading,
MODERN SIEGES.
Among Them Are Several That Are
Noteworthy.

Among Them Are Several That Are
Noteworthy.
The siege Of Port Arthur by the Jap
enese troops, now in progress, prom
ises to be one Of the most notable oc-
currences Of the kind in modern mill
tary history. II reports are true that
the Russian garrison is provisioned for
a year the place will not be, easily TAX
en- for its defenses are well-nigh i'm
pregnable to assault, says the Chicago
Chronicle.
In shortness and decisiveness 1t will
be difficult to beat the record Of Alex
andria, every gun Of which was effec-
tually silenced within ten hours by the
British fleet under Admiral Seymour.
But these few hours witnessed such a
destructive deluge Of shot and shell
as might well have laid big city In
ruins. No fewer than 10000 projectiles
were hurled against the forts Of Alex
andria, many Of them monsters Of l.
700 pounds weight, fired from S1-ton
guns. Singularly enough, this murder
Gus hail Of iron did little damage to
the Notifications the majority Of the
shells burying themselves harmlessly
in the parapets of sand which had been
raised to protect the batteries.
But so terrible was the havoc and
slaughter wrought among the adher-
ents of Arabi Pasha by the flying frag-
ments of the shells which exploded
that the forts were quickly evacuated,
while some Of the shells started a fire
which destroyed almost the whole of
the town.
Sebastopol, with its grim, massive
forts, was quickly evacuated, while
some defended by 700 guns, many
of them Of heavy calibre, held out
against the combined armies Of France
and England for 327 days. When,
however, the place was evacuated 1t
was found that the town was in ruins,
and to complete the work Of destruc-
ton such docks and forts as still re-
mained standing were blown up by the
engineers of the allied forces.
It took 1872 days for the Germans to
bring Paris to her knees a generation
ago. During January, 1871. no fewer
than 10000 shells were rained onto
the doomed town every day, and OF
these 500 fell into the city proper.
During a single day, January 3, the
Prussians hurled $4,000 projectiles at
Paris at a cost Of 100000. The havoc
they wrought was fearful, and the. re-
sultant fires threatened to destroy
whole districts. During the siege no
fewer than 10000 Of the inhabitants
succumbed to disease and hunger.
For "a days Plevna defied the pick
of the Russian army, although Its de-
tenders were hopelessly outnumbered
and on Dec. 10. 1877, after the last
grain of rye had been eaten, the in
domitable Turks sailed forth and tried
to hew their way through the Russian
legions. Osman Pasha commanded his
gallant remnant in person; three lines
Of trenches were pierced; but the odds
against them were too great.
Surrounded by almost countless
hordes Of the enemy, his men mown
down by sweeping torrents Of bullets
and shells, the brave leader at last
yielded to fate and allowed the white
flag to futter from the roof Of the hut
near which he was lying mutilated and
in agony.
Khartoum withstood the mahdi, and
his hosts for 341 days under the brave
direction Of Gordon, and in Kars Gen
williams, with $1,000 men with pro-
vision. for three months and ammuni-
ton for three days, kept an investing
army of $4,000 at bay from June to
November. Gen. Williams" wrote
Mouravieff, the Russian general to his
gallant foe, you have made yourself
name in history and posterity will
stand amazed at the endurance, the
courage and the discipline which this
siege has called forth in the remains
Of an army. Let us arrange a capltu-
lation which will satisfy the demands
Of war without disgracing humanity
Gibraltar, as all the world knows
stood impregnable against all the as
saults of Spain and France for s74
days, although week after week 5000
shells were hurled at it every day, and
in spite Of the combined attack Of for
ty-six sails Of the line, countless fleet
Of gun and mortar boats and floating
batteries which had cost 100000 pounds
to construct.
Richmond, Va. was defended by
Gen. Lee through a year Of terrible
fighting until the seizure Of his lines
of supply compelled him to evacuate
It on April 2, 1865; Lucknow held out
for sc days, when Gen. Havelock came
to it's relief and Strasburg, with all Its
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