The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-01-13
THE AST DAYS
OF Port Ar.hur Pictured by Gen
stoesssl, tho commandant.

Heavy Casualties and Disease Had
Depleted the Bravo Defend.
ors to Ten Thousand Men.
Gen. Stoessel's dispatches, by way
OF Obefoo, to the general staff, at st.
Petersburg relate how the position Of
tue fortress OF Port Arthur gradually
becoming less safe and more critical,
the ravages OF scurvy increasing en-.
ormously the casually lists already SO
considerable f.om the Japanese as
saults and bombardmenGs. Towards
the end OF the year the supplies of
ammunition completely gave out,
there were IA 900 sick and wounded
In the hospitals and 800 fresh casual.
ties coming in daily. The general re-
ports that at the end OF the seige he
had only 10000 men under arms, the
remainder OF the original garrison
having been either killed or disabled.
The text OF Gen. Stosscl's dis patch.
es follows:
On Dece mber % the general wrote:
The position OF the fortress is be.
coming very painful. Our principal
enemies are scurvy, which is moving
down the men, and 1l-inch shells,
which know no obstacle and against
which there is no protection. There
only remain few who have rot been
attacked by scurvy. We have taken
all the possible measures but the dis.
ease Is spreading. Tue passive eDdur.
ance OF the enemy's bonn bardment, the
ll-lnch shells, the impojsibitity or re.
plying for want OF ammunition, the
outbreak OF scurvy and the less of q
mass OF cfficers-all these causessdim.
inish daily the capabilities OF the H..
Tense. The tale OF the loss OF highfs
officers is az indication OF the
nous losses We have sustained. OiM
generals two, Krondratenko and Tser:-
pitsky, have been killed, Raznatovsky
is oead, two are 7unded, myself and
GennadeiIe, while Grrbatowsky IS suf
ferlng from contusions. Or nine regi-
| mental commanders and co!onels,
Prince Matohabcli Naoumcnko has
oeen killed, Douire aud Glagulew have
succum6ed to wounds, aud four Others
have been wounded: One lieutenant
colonel has been killed and two are
wounded.
Among the field artillery, Col. Ir.
man was wounded, Col. Peterofr was
| killed and six officers were wounded.
Among the other high officers there
was an enormous percentage O. killed
or several times wounded. Many com.
panies are commanded by ensIgns and
the companies only average SO mel
strong.
| Too Japanese since Dece inter- IS
have refrained from assaulting. Tues
day tEey explo6e1 mite under the
Notifications OF fort No. 5, and about
q s;ore of hardy Japane mounted
the rampant, but we're exterminate
by bayoI cts and haud grcnades. In1e
venge the JapareSe bomharded al
night long and all day long with IL.
inch SHELLS, especially the hospitals
and ambulances, although knowing
full we'll that there was no possibility
OF our wounded heroes joinlng tie
ranks OF the defenders.
There are $4,000 sick and wound
ed In the hospitals and the number
increases by about 700 daily"
On December 20 Gen. Stoessel
wrote:
AT 10 o'clock Tuesday morning
the japanese blew up part of the par
apet OF fort No. 8. They afterwards
opened TaTssyere bombardment along
the whole front, but especially on fort
No. 3. at abOut3 O'clock in the after.
noon they dashed to the attack O. the
pnrapet from the moat and glacis,
where they had been held In readi-
ness. Two attacks were rcpulsed. but
tie Japaneee occupied the funnel.
shaped opening formed by the eyplo-
Sion and REINFORCED by their rest rves,
gan to run across the moat in
groups of about five. They occup'e1 1
the parapet and at dus. two batta.
lions had entered the interior of the
fort. Our troops fought lrpm the en-.
trenchments. which were hadly dam.
aged. Part OF our troops hid them
Selves IN the casemates, but the jap
anese placed machine guns in front Of
the exit from the casemates, thus de-
priving Cur men hidden there Of all
possibility OF making an attack. Three
counter attacks from the outside by
our reserves met with no success. Ire
fort con equently remained in D secs.
sion CT the Japanese. Our losses were
considerable, especially in cffic,rs.
The survivors OF the garrison succeed.
cd in getting out Of the fort by the
windows BY the occupation OF thi,
fort the Japanese became masters of
The whole north front, and the fort
ress can hold out only few DAYS
more. We have almost no ammuni.
tion. l will take measures to prevent
carnage In the streets.
Scurvy is sensiblY weakening the
garrison. | have now under arms only
10, 600 men, all sick.
Gems. Fock and Nlkitlnn have
been verltable heroes and admirable
collaborators
Gen Stoessel's report Of December
Is and 20, painting the narrowing
picture OF the depleted and exhau ted
garrison fighting on hoF elessly, were
posted on the bul etin boards Tuesday
afternJo ION and attracted enormours
crowds, whose grief at the fall of the
fortress was swallowed Up by admira
tion fer the heroic defen iers. The war
office and admiralty were soon besieg
cd bv grief strileu relatives and
friends OF those at Port Arthur, Gag.
erly asking for news, but the stats
were completely without details and
could give none.