The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-04

them. Every man seemed to fall The artillery duel continued until 5:3o in the evening. when the first Japanese to the slopes of Namaokayama to the dead ground which the single company had gained the night previous.
 As the Japanese machine guns came into action they were located by the Russian starlights and made more dis tinctly visible by the searchlights. but they silenced the Russian quick firers. In the meantime the fight was fiercest in the centre of the Shishi Valley. The Japanese captured the Banjusan forts. outfanking the Russian forces and slowly forcing their lines back to the foot of the fortified hills. Though the Japanese plan of attack was de- stroyed by the Russian counter-attack the Japanese fought with splendid de- termination. Slowly the Russians were driven back up the slopes. fight ing desperately with rifles.
 skflifuI Use of Lights.
 The skillful working of the Russian starlights and searchlights were utter ly unexpected and bewildering. They never failed to locate the Japanese lines which offered splendid marks for the Russian rtfies and machine guns and rendered the Japanese machine guns of little use, as they were located and sifenced by quick-fi -firers before they could do any execution. The Russians along the whole line. fought in the blackest darkness and the Japa- nese with the most dazzling light in their faces.
 The rattle of musketry, the thunder ing of the Russian guns. the purrinG of the machine guns, the bursting of starlights and the flashing of search lights along the whole line was a won- derfully impressive sight. The fight lasted continuously for six hours till dawn, when the outfankers were forced back over the captured fortified hills. followed by the Japanese, who. despite the fire of the forts. captured the forts.
 Before the dawn on the 22nd the cen- Ire division had made third attempt to capture the higher fortified side of Ash Hill. the new Banjusan forts on the higher ridge and the rear forts. The Banjusan forts were stormed and captured. The Japanese captured a fort where they entrenched themselves and remained under an awful concen- tration of shrapnel fire from the other forts. With daylight the Japanese ar- tillery started a terrific bombardment :.
 An Avalanche of Shells.
 Every gun from the extreme Japan ese left to the centre concentrated it's fire on the eastern end of the fortified ridge. An avalanche of shells swept down on the ridges, quieting the Rus ing shells lasted for half an hour. dur ing which time the awful concentrated first swept the ridge from end to end.
 Over 400 guns roared in rapid suc- cession until the entire ridge was en- veloped in a cloud of smoke. For a time every Russian fort was silenced. When the smoke cleared away. 1t was seen that the left division had advanced through the captured forts.
 During the night of the 24th the ranks of the Japanese were so decimat- cd by the furious shrapnel fire of the Russians that they were forced to re . tire to the valley below the captured forts, and what might have been a suc- cessfuI general assault with the cap ture of the fortified ridge east of Port Arthur was converted by the Russian tactics into a repulse.
 The Japanese casualties from the 18th to the 24th were 14.000. The cen- tre division alone lost 5000, and a sim gle regiment lost 2.50o. Only six of fcers and 200 men of this regiment were left after the fight
 The retention of the Banjusan forts gave the Japanese a foothold on the fortified ridge as result of six days of generals assault. Heavy casualtle marked this hazardous attempt to take Q strong modern fortress by assault after a few days investment.
 General Nogi was aware that his army was needed in the north, and the troops, flushed with previous victories, were anxious to make the attempt. Success meant the immediate fall of Port Arthur. which great achievement would release the beseiging army which, for months, had been sappinE the strength of the positions.
 Settled Down to Siege.
 The ability of General Stoessel and the determined spirit of the Russians had been underestimated and the ex- pertinent was never repeated. As with the Russians at Plevna, with spirits dashed by repulse and heavy losses. the Japanese army settled down to sap ping and making parallels.
 For two weeks the Russians were unceasing in their efforts to recapture the BanJusan forts. They bombarded and assaulted by day the bombproofs and trenches which the Japanese repaired by night. Despite artillery fire and infantry sorties, the Japanese held the forts
 Though the Japanese in the forts re- sorted to unoccupied decoy trenches and bombprofos, the daily loss was one hundred in each fort until September when the Russians ceased their con tinuous efforts to recapture the forts.
 While the defenders of the Bajusans were converting the forts and trenches Nv.NA A structing a system of siege parallels, the left division toward the east, south east of the Keekwan forts, the centre division towards the redoubt at the foot of the Crh forts and the right division toward the lunettes south of Shishi village and Two Hundred and Three Metres Hill, and from the west toward the ridge on the north front of the Dame Hill. called by the Japanese Namaokyama.
 Fighting Day and Night.
 During the operations from August 2S to September IS the Russians sortied and attacked working parties almost every night, while guns bombarded by day As the apanese trench line near ed the entanglements on the fort hills, the sorties became more frequent and determined. Quarter was neither asked nor given; the fiercest antagonism was displayed and even stretcher bearers were killed. The cause of this was that the Russians alleged that their forts were bombarded while a mes senger under a white flag was deliver in gthe emperor's massage on August l6. The feeling was augmented and later all flags were unrecognized
 With a rush they carried the trench line on the crest of the hill. The last rush of the Japanese was A splendid