The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-10

ports with machine guns from the up- per slopes of the wantai Hill forts and the small party of Japanese were prac- tically annihtlated. The most desper- ate fighting took place at this point.
 The last effort of the assaulters was made at midnight, assisted by artillery which covered the slopes of Wantai Hill with an avalanche of shells. The Russians fought with tremendous cour- age, enga Sing the Japanese with bayo- nets and Kranades winch they came to close quarters. The Japanese finally established a trench line five yards in front of the line Of Notifications. which they now occupy. The forces are en- gagged in throwing dynamite grenades at each other.
 In the first assault against the fort on the eastern part of Rihlung Noun tain the Japanese We're unable to gain a foothold though their artillery made the interior forts a seething caldron of bursting shells.
 The attempts which were nrst made to rush the western part of Rihlune Mountain, officially called Sungshu Mountain. also ended in a failure. The Japanese reached the parapets from the moat but fled as fast as they could from the fire within the fort. The walls were black with the assauiters.
 wers snss asiugd m,h shells asros. ss tss gorge of the shuishi Valley, between the two fortified ridges and from fort Immediately in the rear. called the sup porting fort of the Sungshu Mountain.
 At 9 o'clock at night force of 2.o0o volunteers from the right division, led by 0 general, started from point southwest of Shuishi village, pushed up tho gorge between the two fortified ridges and attacked the supporting for of Shungshu Mountain. which Is short distance outside the western con fines of Bort Arthur. with the intention of enveloping the city from the west. and also for the purpose of assisting the assaulters of two Rihlung Noun tain forts. This force reached the fort hill and engaged a strong force of Rus sfans upon it's slopes in a hand to hand encounter which lased for two hours.
 At the same time the Japanese as- saulting the east and west Rihlung forts made desperate attempts to rush the interior of the forts. They gained the ramparts, inside which they estab- lished trench lines.
 The interior defences of both forts are the same as those on North Kek- wan Mountain, but the East Rihlung fcrt is the largest and strongest of the three forts. It has uper and. lower lev els The lower levels were the scene of the most awful struggle which last ed from 10 o'clock until midnight Un- der cover of darkness the Japanese poured over the ramparts and furious Iy attacked the first section of bomb proofs The defenders received them with bayonets and dynamite grenades, while the machine guns on the upper level poured deadly hail into the ranks of the Japanese. The struggle was absolutely hand to hand. The de- lenders of the greater part of the bomb proofs on the lower levels of the fort were annihilated and the sec- tions tand cross sections of the bomb proofs were piled with corpses. The Japanese gained practically the whole of the lower section of the forts but were moved down by machire guns and rifles when they, attempted to as- sault the higher levels.
 For an hour before midnight the Jap anese artillery shelled the higher lev els while the Russian guns shelied the lower levels. A similar struggle was going on at the time in the West Rih- lung fort, where the arrangements Of defenses was the same.
 At midnight the column attacking the supporting fort of Sungshu Noun tain was compelled to retire, having lost half the force.
 The struggle in the two Rihlung forts continued until dawn when the as- saulters were compelled to retire to the trenches established outside the par apet walls. which they now occupy.
 The fighting of the afternoon and night was the most desperate and san guinary since the siege began The opposing forces were SO close togeth- CT that only the fort walls or few yards of level ground separated them. The struggle from start to finish was at close quarters with bayonets and grenades, and rifles used as clubs. The ferocity of the attacking Japanese was ecualed by the defending Russians. who died at their posts everyhwere fighting till their last breath.
 At daylight on November 2S quiet reigned and the silence during the day was broken only by occasional cannon and desultory fire at points along the fortified ridge where the forces were far enough apart to use their rifles.