The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-02-21


ed that the high officers Of the Port
Arthur garrison. in the darkest days of
the siege. were almost at one another's
threats. General Smirnoff summed up
his indictment as follows:
"A series Of objectionable blunders
outside the fortress. due to the igno-
rance and lack of military capacity and
martial prowess of Generals Stenssel
and Fock, brought about the invest
ment of the fortress several months
earlier than was necessary, and after
the investment desire for undeserved
glory moved Stoessel to interfere in the
defense with unfortunate results. Fl
nally, at the last period Of the siege,
Stoessel usurped my authority, with
the assistance of Generals Fock and
Reiss. and committed treason In sur
rendering suddenly and prematurely.
regard our defeat at Mukden as a
direct result of this treason"
General Smirnoff declared further
that the fortress, which surrendered to
the Japanese Jan. l. 1905, could have
held ont for six weeks longer Ac-
the garrison at this time were 1880
bayonets, 800 artillerymen, 800 engi-
neers. 1000 troops unattached and 5000
militia, together with about 100000
shells and 100000 rounds of rifle am
munition. The food supplies We're am
pie 10 last the defenders to the middle
of February.
In opposition to this side Of the pic
ture are the statements made by JapsA
nese officers who were the first tO-en-
ter the fortress. Captain Tsunoda. who
on behalf of General Nogi conducted
the negotiations for the surrender of
the fortress, came out last summer
with an open letter in defense Of Gen
eral Stoessel. The Japanese captain
painted pitiabe picture Of the condi-
tons prevailing at Port Arthur All
proper food was exhausted, he said,
and the 10000 Russians under arms
were in no condition to fight. The key
of the fortress was gone when Two
Hundred and Three Meter hill was
captured, General Stoessel, according
to the Japanese officer, might have
held out for fortnight longer, but
the result would have been an inevita-
bile massacre In which 1t would have
been difliuctlt to distinguish combat
ants from noncombatants. In conclu-
sion Captain Tsunoda said;
IF Others forget it, we remember
that Fort Arthur cost us 10000 lives
by gunflre alone. We dug forty kilo-
meters of parallels and expended 3d.
100000 rounds of ammunition.
European history chronicles the glo-
rious captulation of Port Arthur, and
| 1t is so considered in Japan. That Is
why the emperor of Japan ordered
General Nogi to treat General Stoessel
with all the honors due to gallant
soldier His own country should treat
him likewise"
In summing up for the defense Dep
uty Syrtlanoff, counsel for General
Stoessel. said that Russia's general
unpreparedness for the conflict with
Japan had led to series of disasters
for which indignant public opinion was
now seeking scapegoat.
The defense of PoIt Arthur was the
one bright spot of the entire war in
spite of the fact that the fortress lack
ed all the requirements of modern de-
Tense. Failure to negotiate with the
| Japanese would have meant the sacri-
flee Of the entire garrison. NJ. Syrtla-
noff closed his address with the follow
ing words:
General Stoessel is an old and In
valid soldier, and he faces his judges
asking only for Justice
| The final word was given to the ac-
cused general. He uttered only few
sentences in firm voice and shout
dered the entire responsibility for the
surrender of Port Arthur. "lf the court
decides that the surrender was a
crime" he concluded, Il ask for the
death sentence"