The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-12-01
asY WINTER AT CITADEL
IL, Kodanua Says Noai Has Port
Arthur Absolutely at His
Mercy.

~
oadnuarters OF the Japanese Third
y cyutside Port Arthur, via 5bang-
4 Nov y6.@General ISedama, chief
i Asst3tbe Japa1(ese general staff, after a
,tornIeh inspection of the operations
- " Port Arthur and Il conference with
SS a. Nogi, gave the following ex-
clnsiYe interview TO me Daiiy News
ot,f correspondent:
Won have seen Port Arthur and may
4tiFx it easy to take" said the general.
.f,t II is quite n difficult task"
@of course / said. 1T has thirty
,oWerful forts on which the Russians
Eayn spent ten years engineering: the
natural defenses are strong; there is
q stubborn army OF fighters within,
cleverly commanded
Port Arthur in His Hand.
Fodama stretched out his closed
hand. in~terrupting me. Il hold Port
Arthur mere he said.
'|Vga Q viii you winter about Port
lArthnr?" l asked. you are not build.
Inc barracks and have only shelter
telits. The M~anchurian winds bite bit
terly."
II shall winter inside" replied the
]gcreral. q Will take the fortress o
] hesitate to use my big guns for fear
Of hurting noncomhatants."
Tea was now served by q soldier
whose straps showed him to be a sur
yiyor OF the famous regiment which
lost 81 per cent. \of it's numbers in re-
psatel unsuccessful assaults on the
FeaEwan forts during the three days
battla of August 21-23.
~ cannot say what damage the big
guns will do" resumed the general.
"Thi5 is the first time in history that
coast defense guns have engaged each
other. | brought ours from Japan. The
Russians cannot use theirs against Ad-
miral Togo's fleet and have turned
thcgl landwarl."
why Go the Russians not use their
guns against the tleet?"
Outlines the Situation.
Kodama, skotching Port Arthur, with
semi-aircular parallel lines representing
outer harbor. said: The outer line
shows our mines; the inner the Rus
mines. Our series OF electric mines
IS laid counter to theirs. If struck by
shells they would explode and set off
the Russian series. damaging the coast
.1efen&ns Of the harbor. Thus checked
by mines and counter mines. the Rus
sian coast defenses and our navy must
remain inactive. The Russian feet is
unwilling to AXE the initiative and so
enemy has turned not only the
coast defense guns but ever his naval
landward. In reply to this I
brought from Japan our coast defense
%lnortars and naval Guns. You will see
two great naval equipments fighting on
land.
Il wish I could bring all the worlds
tacticians to witness these lessons for
future warfare. The question is: Are
our naval guns and guns OF position
and REINFORCED field artillery more
powerful than the Russian naval and
coast defense guns now reinforcing the
~forts?"
In the end, however" I said, sis not
the boy in khaki the deciding force?
Your Infantry loss thus far has been
heavy and your infantry must finally
the fortress il it is ever taken"
$4,000 Men Enough.
NO. said Kodama. This is a ques-
ton of strategy, tactics and engineer
ing. | have an army large enough to
take Port Arthur. The enemy has about
10000 troops; we have about $1,000
three to one-a sufficient force even
considering their d%efenses. It would be
impossible to use more men. The out
5corne now depends on ammunition and
ige0eralship."
,'fEow about food" I asked. 1T is
reported that you permit transports
ard iunks to run the blockade, wishing
only the glory of taking the fortress by
assault"
THAT Is absolutely false" replied the
general. Our blockade is perfect. The
Russian forts" he continued, ARE well
built on the Belgian model. The gen
teral situation Of the forts also is SINH
lar TO hat Of the Belgian forts. They
are iron-plated toward the sea; toward
hand there are only earthworks, with
some masonry and a little concrete. A
clever engineer designed them. We
find them absolutely changed since the
China war, when we took Port Arthur
in one day. Then one fort, Tseshan,
WAS the key of the whole position. Once
that had been taken all the others fell.
Now we cannot say that any single
fort is the key. All are SO arranged
that we must take them in detail. The
capture of n mean only the capture
OF that individual fort; not of a series
as formerly. Study as we may, we
ilnd it difficult to locate their weakness,
they have carried fertilization to such
an extent"