Skip to main content

Full text of "War between Japan and Russia ... with historical and descriptive sketches of Russia, Siberia, Japan, Korea and Manchuria .."

See other formats


H^**Hr!r'*^ ; y 



mc 



M<^-. 



M 



sh: 



iU'A 



i»M 



pm 



':! o . 



'i^^l^-r^.,je^'^^- 






-.:-,-=*»" 



^-- 








5:?*'I1 



#^■1-^5,?^ 



■4^ 



■A. 



■i:S V 



SILENCED. 

An Episode in the l)et'euso of Port Arthur 




X 

H 

O 

H 
QC 
O 

d a- 

o 

1 5 

w CD 

?^ o 

o Z 

o 
- ttj 

r -^ 



C3 



bX) 



O 



WAR BETWEEN 

JAPAN AND RUSSIA 



THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE DESPERATE 

Struggle Between Two Great Nations 

WITH 

Dominion Over the Orient 
as the Tremendous Prize 

Describing and Picturing the ISIighty Confiict, the Hitherto 

Resistless March of Russian Force Across Asia, and 

the Advance of Japan into a Position of 

World-Power Among the Nations 



WITH HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES OF 

RUSSIA, SIBERIA, JAPAN, KOREA AND MANCHURU 

CONTAINING MANY MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 

BY 

RICHARD LINTHICUM 

Of the Editorial Staff of the Chicago Chronicle, Author of "Boer and Britisher in South 

Africa," etc., etc. 

WITH COPIOUS INTRODUCTION AND SPECIAL CHAPTERS 

BY 

TRUMBULL WHITE, 

War Correspondent and Historian, Author of "War in the East'* (a history of 
the Chinese-Japanese war of 1895), *'Our War With 'Spain," etc., etc. 



COPYRIGHT 1904 

BY 

W. R. VAN8ANT 



Dedicated 

to 

The Heroes of War 

and 

The Lovers of Peace 



Chronology of Russian Aggression in Asia 
Which Fcesulted in the Russo-Japanese War 

I860 — Russia annexes extreme eastern part of Manchuria, thus securing the port of 

Vladivostok. 
1881 — Russia occupies more Manchurian territory 
1885 — Russian colonies established In Manchuria. 
1891 — Czar Alexander III. Issues a rescript for the building of the trans-Siberian 

railroad. 
1893 — Treaty of Shimonoseki, making peace between China and Japan. France, 

Germany iind Russia compel Japan to withdraw her claims as to portions of 

the Liaotung peninsula, and Japan yields to superior force. 
1896— Private treaty between China and Russia, the latter promising to defend 

China against the world : Manchurian railway agreement perfected. 
1897 — Germany gets possession of Kiau-Chou. Russia takes the opportunity to seize 

Port Arthur and Talien-wan. 
1900 — Boxer rebellion gives further opportunity to Russia to fasten her grip on 

Manchuria. 
1901 — Protests by Japan and other powers as to Russian encroachments on Chinese 

territory 
1902 — Treaty of alliance between Great Britain and Japan is signed Jan. 30. China- 
Russian treaty signed April 8 for the evacuation of Manchuria by Russia, and 

declariu!^ the province to be an integral part of China ; China s commercial 

treaty vrith (irent Britain signed Sept. r». 
lOtK:; — Russia fails to keep pledge to evacuate Manchuria, and April 23 demands 

new couditions as to the carrying out of the Manchurian treaty- 
June — Japan and the United States object to the new conditions, and Russia later 

i-;iys she has demanded no new conditions. Russia begins movements on the 

Yalu River under pretense of taking up timber concessions. 
July — Japan protests and presses Korea to open the port of Wiju to foreign trade. 

Great Britain and the United States concurring in the demand. Pavloff, Rus- 
sian minister to Korea, makes threats. 
August — Japan proposes a modus Vivendi the 12th, and negotiations are opened. 

Japan presses Russia for fulfillment of all treaty conditions. 
September — Russia gives new pledge that New t'hwang and Mukden would be 

evacuated Oct. 8, but later demands grants for landing places and military 

post stations, and Japan evinces resentment. 
Oct. 8 — China signs commercial treaties with Japan and the United States. 
Oct. 15 — Japan agrees to recognize dominant interests of Russia in Manchuria, but 

wants Chinese sovereignty unimpaired. It also demands recognition of Japan- 
ese influence in Korea and the opening: of Yongampho and other ports, besides 

a neutral zone on both sides of the Yalu River, 
Oct. 30 — Reoccupation of Mukden by Russia is reported. 
December — Japanese diet opens the 10th and the government is censured for the 

inadequacy of its measures. 
Dec. 17 — Russia makes reply to Japan's last note, but it excludes Japan altogether 

from the Manchurian question. 
Dec. 21 — Russia is asked to reconsider its reply 
Dec. 28 — Emergency ordinance is issued in Japan, giving the government unlimited 

credit. 
Dec. 29 — High court of war is held, with the emperor in the chair, Admiral Togo 

is pnt in command of the fleet; he captured the Taku forts in 1900. 
1904 — Jan. 5 — Japan sends final note to Russia, intimating that her demands must 

be acceded to or war will result. 
Jan. 8 — Review of troops is held at Tokio and great enthusiasm is shown. 
Jan. 15 — Russia delays answer and Japan shows Impatience. 
Jan. 30 — Minister Kurino makes inquiries at St. Petersburg as to when a reply 

to Japan's last note may be expected. 
Feb. 3 — Russia's reply is sent to Tokio, but proves unsatisfactory. 
Feb. 5 — Baron de Rosen, Russian minister, is notified at Tokio that Japan intends 

to sever diplomatic relations with Russia. 
Feb. 6 — Minister Kurino, Japanese envoy, demands his passports at St. Petersburi.' 

and receives them. Baron de Rosen is notified to quit Tokio. 
Feb. 8 — First shot of the war is fired near Chemulpo, Korea, in the afternoon, and 

three Russian warships are blown up by Japanese torpedoes in Port Arthur 

at midnight. 
Feb. 9 — War declared. 



^ 



Japanese Imperial Rescript Declaring 

War on R^ussia 



we, by the grace of heaven, emperor of Japan, seated on the throne 
occupied by the same dynasty since time immemorial, hereby make procla- 
mation to all our loyal and brave subjects as follows: 

We hereby declare war against Russia, and we command our army and 
navy to carry on hostilities against her in obedience to their duty with all 
their strength, and we also command all our competent authorities to make 
every effort in pursuance of their duties to attain the national aim with all 
the means within the limits of the law of nations. 

We have always deemed it essential in international relations, and have 
made it our constant aim, to promote the pacific progress of our empire in 
civilization, to strengthen our friendly ties with other states, and to estab- 
lish a state of things which would maintain enduring peace in the far east, 
and to assure the future security of our dominion without injury to the 
rights or interests of other powers. Our competent authorities have also 
performed their duties in obedience to our will, so that our relations with 
all the powers had been steadily growing in cordiality. 

It was thus entirely against our expectation that we have unhappily 
come to open hostilities against Russia. The integrity of Korea is a matter 
of the gravest concern to this empire, not only because of our traditional 
relations with that country, but because the separate existence of Korea 
is essential to the safety of our realm. 

Nevertheless, Russia, in disregard of her solemn treaty pledges to China 
and her repeated assurances to other powers, is still in occupation of Man- 
churia, has consolidated and strengthened her hold on those provinces, and 
is bent upon their final annexation. And since the absorption of Manchuria 
by Russia would render it impossible to maintain the integrity of China, 
and would, in addition, compel the abandonment of all hope of peace in the 
far east, we were determined in those circumstances to settle the ciuestion 
by negotiations and to secure thereby permanent peace. 

With that object in view our competent authorities by our order made 
proposals to Russia, and frequent conferences were held during the last six 
months. Russia, however, never met such proposals in a spirit of concilia- 
tion, but by wanton delays put off a settlement of the serious questions, 
and by ostensibly advocating peace on one hand, while on the other extend- 
ing her naval and military preparations, sought to accomplish her own 
selfish designs. 

We cannot in the least admit that Russia had from the first any serious 
or genuine desire for peace. She rejected the proposal of our government. 
The safety of Korea was in danger, and the interests of our empire were 
menaced. The guarantees for the future which we failed to secure by 
peaceful negotiations can now only be obtained by an appeal to arms. 

It is our earnest wi.sh that by the loyalty and valor of our faithful 
subjects, peace may soon be permanently restored, and the glory of our 
empire preserved. 

MUTSUHITO. 



gi 

Russian Supreme Manifest Dec^^ring 
War on Japan 

By the Grace of God we, Nicholas II., emperoi, -^ autocrat of all the 
Russlas, etc., make known to all our loyal subjects: 

In our sobcitude for the maintenance of peace, which is dear to oui 
neart, we made every exertioi ,^ i^x,-'>iid?te tranquillity in the far ea^^t, In 
these peaceful aims we signifiea asseni jc cnt proposals of tht Japanese 
government to revise agreements regarding Korean affair.', existing between 
the two governments. However, the negotiations begun upon this subject 
were not brought to a conclusion, and Japan, without awaiting tne receipt 
of the last responsive proposals of our government, aeciarea cue aegotiationsL 
broken off and diplomatic re tions with Kussia disioivea. 

Without advising us oi t^.2 fact tliat tne oreacn of sucn relations would 
in xtseii (near an opening ji warlike operations, the Japanese government 
gave orderb to its torpeao boats to suddenly attacls our rjaadron standing 
in the outer '\-:k^^ ji cne lortress of Port Arthur. Upon receiving reports 
jLiuin one viceroy in the far east about this, we immediately commanded 
him to answer the Japanese challenge with armed force. 

Making known this our decision we, with unshaken faith in the Al- 
mighty and with a firm expectation of and reliance upon the unanimous 
willingness of all our loyal subjects to stand with us in defense of the 
fatherland, ask God's blessing upon our stalwart land and naval forces. 

Given at St. Petersburg, January 27, 1904, A. D. (New Calendar, Feb- 
ruary 9, 1904), and in the tenth year of our reign. Written in full by the 
hand of His Imperial Majesty. NICHOLAS. 







1 




t-H 

o 
p 

M 
O 
H 

M 

M 
pq 

W 



Is 



m 



OS 



o 

I ^ 



•^ ^ ^ 



^ s 
° § 

^ o 

J CO 

o 53 

P4 

^ t» 
oO 

CQ •— I 
OP (« 

_2 <*H ♦a 

^^ ^ 



cS 
+^ 

a> 

c$ 
tn 
o 

4^ 

OS 
t> 

CCS 



bo 

a 

-^ 

c« 

OP 

»-^ 

a> 

.a 
*^ 

a> 



o£ 






O 

A4 



CONTENTS 

IntTOduction • 25 

CHAPTER I 

THE WAR AND ITS TAUSES 

Japan and Russia Clash in Deadly Conflict for Supremacy in Asia — News Causes a 
Sensation in the United States and Japan ^s Victory is Likened to Dewey ^s in 
Manila Harbor — Sympathy of American People for the ''Under Dog'' — 
Both Nations issue Formal Statements Concerning the Causes of the War 33 

CHAPTER II 

THE FIRST BLOW 

Japanese Torpedo Flotilla Attacks the Russian Fleet in the Roadstead at Port 
Arthur and Blows Up Two Battleships and a Cruiser — Japanese Lose Two 
Torpedo Boats — Japanese Battlefleet Returns the Following Morning and 
Engages the Russian Ships and the Land Battery in Fierce Action 45 

CHAPTER in 
THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

BY TRU]\rBULL WHITE 

Historical and Geographical Sketch of the Great Northern Power — Peter the Great 
and His Boundless Ambitions — Yermak, the Conqueror of Siberia — Muraviev 
Carries Russian Dominion to the Pacific Ocean — The Great Siberian Railway 
— Manchuria in the Grasp of the Muscovites — The Conquest of Turkestan — 
Resources and Industries of the Russian Empire — The People and their 
Customs — The Siberian Exile System ... . ... 50 

CHAPTER IV 
JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

BY TRUMBULL W^HITE 

The Rise of an Asiatic Race into Full Fellowship in the Family of Nations 

Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the Land and the People — The American 
Commodore Perry Opens the Country to the World— Growth of Western 

13 



14 ' CONTENTS. 

Civilization — The Mikado Eestored to Power— End of the Feudal System — 
Constitutional Government Established — Japan's War with China and Its 
Far-Eeaching Eesults — Extension of Commerce and Influence 103 

CHAPTEE V 
KOEEA AND MANCHUEIA 

BY TRUMBULL WHITE 

* ^ The Land of Morning Calm ' ' — Sketch of the Hermit Nation — History, Geog- 
raphy, Eesources, People, Customs — ^Weakness of the Government — The Scene 
of Jealousy and Strife — Eivalry of Chinese, Japanese and Russians — Man- 
churia and Its Eelation to tlie Chinese Empire — Chinese Ports in the Grr'b- 
bag for Ambitious Nations — Secret Treaties with Eussia — The Manchurian 
Eailway — Port Arthur in Eussian Control — The Boxer Uprising — The Looming 
of the War Cloud . . . , . 1:^5 

CHAPTEE VI 

UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 

Secretary of State John Hay Sends a Note to European Powers Asking Them to 
Join with the United States in Maintaining the Neutrality and Integrity of 
the Chinese Empire — All Accept and the ''New Diplomacy'' Wins a Signal 
Victory — Our Part in the War . 143 

CHAPTEE VII 

DUTIES OF NEUTEAL NATIONS 

President Eoosevelt's Proclamation of Neutrality Defines the Obligations of a 
Neutral Power and of its Citizens or Subjects, and Also the Eights of the 
Belligerents with Eespect to Neutral Nations — All the Great Powers Declare 
Neutrality at the Outbreak of the Eusso-Japanese War . . . 151 

CHAPTEE VIII 

FIGHTING FOECES OF THE MIKADO AND THE CZAE 

Comparison of the Military, Naval and Financial Strength of the Combatauts at 
the Outbreak of the War — Japan Well Prepared in Every Way, but Her 
Army was Small in Comparison with the Eussian Military Machine — Financial 
Standing and Eesources of the Two Warring Emiures... , . 153 

CHAPTEE IX 

GEEAT MEN OF THE WAE 

Brief Sketches of the Men who Eule the Destinies of Japan and Eussia and 
Others Famous in Diplomacy^ the Army and the Navy — Pen Pictures of 



CONTENTS. ir, 

Mutsuhito the Japanese Mikado, Viceroy AlexieflP, Admiral Togo, Plehve the 
''Terrible Euss,'' &c., &c., Together with Anecdotes Illustrating Their Chief 
Characteristics . . 167 

CHAPTER X 
ON THE EVE OF THE WAR 

How the People of the Japanese Capital Remained Calm in the Face of a Great 
Crisis, While the Government Secretly Prepared for War — People Knew Noth- 
ing of the Merits of the Controversy — Japanese Spies Disguised as Chinamen 
— Keep Government Informed Concerning Russian Affairs in jNIanchuria. . 183 

CHAPTER XI 
THE FIRST SHOT IN THE WAR 

A Russian Cruiser and Torpedo Gunboat Trapped in the Korean Harbor but 
Forced to Fight in the Open — Japan's Second Naval Victory, in which Not a 
Japanese Life was Lost — Recalls Admiral Cervera's Brave Dash at Santiago — 
First Shot in the Preliminary Skirmish Fired to the Russians . . . 1S8 

CHAPTER XII 
PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN ^^ GIBRALTAR" 

Named by the English for a Daring Naval Lieutenant, Fortified by the French for 
the Chinese, Won by the Japanese in the War with China and Finally Leased 
to Russia — Dalny, the Commercial City, Splendidly Located, to Be Terminus 
of the Siberian Railway — Port Arthur as a Purely Military and Naval Base . IW 

CHAPTER XIII 
RUSSIA'S CALL TO BATTLE 

Czar Answers Mikado Challenge to Combat and Army Reserves are Called to the 
Color9r-War Department Takes Charge of the Trans-Siberian Railway — 
Czarina Throws Kisses to Schoolboys and Students — People Kneel in the Snow 
Before a Chapel Containing a Sacred Image and Pray for Victory .... 213 

CHAPTER XIV 
HARBIN, RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 

Viceroy Alexieff Deserts Port Arthur a Week After Hostilities Begin and Estab- 
lishes His Base of Military Operations at Harbin, 600 Miles North of the 
Besieged Fortress— Japanese Recognize the Change as a Shrewd Strategic 
Move — ^Description of the New Seat of Viceregal Power 2'2{) 



16 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XV 

BED CROSS IN THE WAR 

Japan and Russia Had Effective Organizations for Caring for the Sick and 
Wounded— Empress Dowager at the Head of the Society in Russia— Merchants 
and Churchmen Make Large Donations and American and English Women 
Aid in Preparing Materials — ^Japan at First Declines Outside Aid 237 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE PRESS AND THE WAR 

How the News of the War Reaches America After Traversing Fifteen Thousand 
Miles of Cable on the Bed of the Ocean — Cablegrams from China Cost the 
American Press 3.8 Cents a Word and from Japan 50 Cents a Word — Route of 
a Press Dispatch from Nagasaki to Chicago 241 

- . CHAPTER XVII 

TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 

The Torpedo an American Invention Which Has Been Most Highly Developed in 
Austria — Torpedo Boats Compared to Battleships and Cruisers — Daring Life 
on a Destroyer — The Stiletto of the Navy With Which Deadly Blows Are 
Struck in the Dark — The Whitehead Torpedo and How It Is Launched. 245 

CHAPTER XVIII 

VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

First Russian Stronghold Built in the Far East — Entrance by the Golden Horn 
Like the Golden Gate of San Francisco — Life in the Remote Military and 
Naval City Which Is a Cheap Imitation of St. Petersburg — A Fortress as 
Impregnable as Millions of Dollars Combined with Science and Nature Could 
Make It ... ... 25:) 

CHAPTER XIX 
JAPAN'S ARMY INVADES KOREA 

Transports Loaded With Mikado's Troops Rushed to Gen-san, Masampho and 
Chemulpo and Take Possession of the Hermit Kingdom — Two lines of Battle 
Formed and an Advance Made Toward the Yahi River on the North of 
Which Russia Was Concentrating a Large Army — Hardships of the Russian 
Troops Transported in Box Cars 273 

CHAPTER XX 
LOCKED IN THE BLACK SEA 

Russia's Fine Squadron Barred From the Scene of War by the Treaty Governing 
The Dardanelles — Description of the Historic Strait Which Is the Key to the 
Turkish Capital and Connects the Sea of Marmora With the Aegean Sea — 
Fortified by the Ottoman Government and Considered Impassable Except 
With the Sultan's Consent 279 



18 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE XXVI 

GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL MAKAEOFF 

Eussian Naval Commander at Port Arthur Goes to His Death on the Battleship 
Petropavlovsk, Which Is Blown Up by a Japanese Mine — Crew of 525 Men Go 
Down and but 80 Are Eescued — Verestchagin, the Great Eussian War Painter, 
Also Perishes— Makaroff, Called ' ^ The Cossack of the Sea, ' ' One of the Most 
Dashing and Ablest OflBcers in Eussian Navy — Mourned by Eussia and Japan... 331 

CHAPTEE XXVII 

THE JAPANESE MAECH TO THE YALU 

In Eight Weeks the Mikado's Land Forces Sweep the Eussians Out of Korea and 
Across the Yalu, Practically Holding All the Territory in Dispute at the Be- 
ginning of the War — One of the Most Marvellous Marches in History — 
Japanese Defeat Cossacks at Chong-Ju — General Kuropatkin in Command of 
the Russian Forces 347 

CHAPTEE XXVIII 

THE BATTLE OF THE YALU 

First Great Battle of the War Fought on Manchurian Soil — Japanese Cross the 
Eiver on Pontoons Under a Heavy Fire and Then by an Artillery Attack Cap- 
ture the Heights Held by the Russians — Flotilla of Gunboats Aid the Japanese 
Commander — Japanese Bodies Lay in Heaps at the Eiver Ford — Eussian 
Losses Heavy — Eetreat Toward Fengwangcheng :.i. 352 

CHAPTEE XXIX 
POET AETHUE CUT OFF BY LAND 

Russians Abandon Fengwangcheng and Make a Stand at Kinchou — ^Key to the 
Eussian Situation in Nanshan Hill, Which Is Strongly Fortified — Japanese 
Storm the Hill Nine Times in the Face of a Deadly Fire, Which Wipes Out 
Entire Companies — One of the Most Desperate Charges in the History of War- 
fare — Japanese Cut Eailway Line to Port Arthur 359 

CHAPTEE XXX 
DEFEAT OF STAKELBEEG'S EELIEF EXPEDITION 

General Kuropatkin Sends an Army Corps Under General Stakelberg to the Relief 

of Port Arthur — ^Description of the Battles of Vafangow and Telissu, in Which 

the Eussian Forces Are Cut to Pieces and Flee Northward to Eejoin the Main 

Army Under General Kuropatkin— Japanese Are Left Free to Attack Port 

' Arthur by Land .-. 369 



CONTENTkS. 19 

CHAPTER XXXI 

THE ^^THERMOPYLAE OF MANCHURIA'' 

Kuroki Defeats Kuropatkiu at the Second Battle of Motien Pass and Opens the 
Way to Lioayaug — Russians Lose the **Key to Manchuria" After a Desperate 
and Bloody Battle Fought in a Fog — Japanese Occupy the Valley of the Liao 
River — Personal Experiences of a War Correspondent 376 

CHAPTER XXXII 

THE BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

Six Days' Battle Between the Russians Under Kuropatkin and Three Japanese 
Armies Ranks as One of the Great Engagements of the World and the Blood- 
iest Since the Franco-German War — Losses on Both Sides Almost as Great as 
at Gettysburg — Defeat of the Russians, Who Were Strongly Intrenched, As- 
*sures Japanese Control of Manchuria . . 3^7 

CHAPTER XXXIII 

THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SHA RIVER 

Ten Days of Continuous Fighting With the Russians for the First Time on the Ag- 
gressive — ^Battle Line is Forty Miles Long — Kuropatkin Checks the Japanese 
Army After the Hardest Fought Battle of the War — Richard H. Little 's Mag- 
nificent Description of the Spectacular Engagement — Both Armies Go Into 
Winter Quarters, but Keep Up Brisk Skirmishes. ... . 408 

CHAPTER XXXIV 

THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR, CONTINUED 

General Nogi's Land Forces Continue the Attack From the Rear and Take Fort 
After Fort, but With Heavy Loss — Dynamite Bombs and Bayonets Used in 
Fierce Hand-to-Hand Conflicts— Two Months of Fighting for 203-Meter Hill, 
the Key to the Russian Situation— Stoessel 's Defense of the * * Russian Gibral- 
tar'^ the Most Gallant in War History . . . . 421 

CHAPTER XXXV 

THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR 

General StoeBsel Surrenders the Great Fortress to the Victorious Japanese on New 
Year's Day, 1905, After Five Days of Bloody Hand-to-Hand Fighting- 
Japanese Take 25,000 Prisoners, of Whom 16,000 Were in the Hospitals— Dra- 
matic Meeting Between Stoessel and Nogi— Siege Cost Nearly 80,000 Lives— 
The Dawn of Peace 433 



^'<*~»» . ~» fW 




in = 



g 



W P; 

o <^ 



§ 



<5 o 




o ^ 

o - 



^ 



M -^ 



^, 




o 

< 

H 




at 

a> 



be. 



o -- 



W -. 

w -: 



UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

Frontispiece 
Frontispiece 
fr0ntispiecj2 
11 



^'Silenced*' .•.. • . 

General NoGi . . ... 

General Stoessel 

The Besieged City , .^ 

Brave to the Last . . . . . .... 

Admiral Togo ... . . 

Admiral Eojestvensky .... . .... 

General Kuroki . . 

General Oku .... 

Worn Out . . ^ . .... ... 

The Desperate Fight . . .... . ... 

The Czar Addressing a Body of Imperial Guards . 
A Signal Torch at a Cossack Post .... 

EussiANS Drawing Lots for Military Service . ... .... 

The Emperor of Japan and His Suite. 

Territorial Expansion of Eussia — Map . .... 

Map Showing Points of Active Operations in the War between Russia and 

tJAPAN • .. •• • . • 

Returning from the Review . . ... . . 

Nicholas II, Czar of Russia. . ....... 

Czarina OF Russftv.. . ... . . 

Russian Exiles to Siberia. ... ... 

Japanese Cavalry ... . . .... • . 

Bayonet Exercise with Dummies . . 

A Hospital Corps . 

KiACHAU, German Naval Station . 

Russian Imperial Family . . 

Count Leo Tolstoi 

Russian Torpedo-Boat Destroyer Buini. 
Russian Cruiser Sisoi Veltky . . . 

Mutsuhito, Emperor of Japan 

Empress of Japan 

Czarina of Russia in Robes of State. . . . . 

Czar of Russia in Robes of State 

Off TO THE War 

Marquis Ito, Japan 's Greatest Statesman . ... 

Field Marshal Yamagata, the *' Right Hand" of the Mikado. 
Russian Soldier and His Dogs . . . .... . . 

Docs Hunting Wounded and Dead Soldiers 

General View of Vladivostok . . . 

View of Chemulpo 

The Landing Place, Tobolsk, Russia. .. ... 

Scene in a Russian Prison . . 

Japanese First-Class Battleship Yashima 



12 
21 
21 
22 
22 
39 
40 
49 
50 
51 
52 
61 

62 

. 71 

. 72 

. 72 

. 73 

. 74 

. 83 

. 84 

. 84 

. 93 

. 94 

. 95 

. 96 

105 

.105 

.106 

106 

115 

116 

116 

.117 

.117 

118 

118 

127 

.128 

.145 



23 



24 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Japanese Torpedo-Boat Destroyer Usuguma 146 

Japanese Jinrickshaws ... ... . . . . . . . 163 

Japanese Idols in the Temple of Nikko. . . . 164 

Admiral Alexieff, Russian Viceroy in Far East . .... 181 
General Kouropatkin, Russian Minister of War and Commander of Land 

Forces . . . 181 

Admiral Avelan, Russian Navy . . . . . 182 

General Wasmundt, Russian Army . . 182 

Admiral Skrydloff, Russian Navy . . . . 182 

Count Lamsdokf, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs 182 

Vice-Admiral Enomoto, Japanese Navy ... ..190 

Field Marshal Oyama, the ''Left Hand" of the Mikado 199 

General Nozu, Japanese Army . .... 199 

Baron Tadasu Hayashi.. .... . 200 

Admiral "Kabayama, Japanese Navy . 217 

Major-General Fukushima, Japanese Army 217 

Admiral Ito, Japanese Navy .217 

On the Mancpiurian Border. . 218 

Russian Frontier Post in Manchuria . 218 

Japanese Infantry Scouting . 231 

Market Day in a Siberian Town . 236 

Russian Troops in Camp . . 23tj 

Map, Position of Fleets at Beginning of War 2n3 

The Moloch of War. . 254 

Coming Out of Vladivostok Harbor . 271 

Going Aboard Ships. ... 272 

Russians Encamped in a Chinese Temple. . 289 

French Influence ..... . 290 

Further Growth Illustrated . 290 

Russian Officers Hurrying to the Front , 307 

Torpedo Attack on Port Arthur 308 

Cossack Leader Receiving Order from Commander 325 

Coolies at Work upon the Port Arthur Defenses.. .326 

Modern Officers of Japan. . . 343 

Modern Infantry of Japan . 343 

Wandering Musicians Playing to Japanese Beauty . 344 

Friendly, Though Foes . * 361 

Russian Ambulance Train . . 362 

Human Birds of Prey 379 

Artillery on the March in Manchuria . 380 

Under Fire .... .... .389 

The March of Despair. . 390 

The Cossack General, Rennenkampf ... . 391 

Selling Life Dearly. ... . .... 392 



INTRODUCTION 

BY TRUMBULL WHITE. 



THE CAUSES AND SIGNIFICANCE, OF THE RUSSO- 

JAPANESE WAR 

I^^ VERY work on an Asiatic snb,iect, whatever its theme or 

ft ^ its scope, might fitly begin and end with a query. The 

whole Asiatic situation, physical, political, so^nal, intellectual 

and commercial, might be punctuated with inteiTOgation points. 

It is a continent of questions, a kaleidoscope of problems. 

The looming of the war cloud over the Orient raises afresh 
in the mind of the student of world affairs, the memoiT of a 
myriad of problems that have arisen out of Asia, sometimes 
solved, often given up as too puzzling for human solution. This 
war between Russia and Japan makes new questions to be asked, 
that cannot be answered in full until long after the smoke of 
battle has vanished, and the last echo of cannonading has died 
away. 

We call Africa ''the Dark Continent,'' and the phrase is an 
apt one to apply to this wilderness of tropical jungle and marsh, 
of untraveled rivers and ranges, of desert wastes and of benighted 
peoples who have been left so far behind in the rise of the human 
race. But Asia is the true Dark Continent, when by darkness we 
mean mystery, obscurity and uncertainty. It is the birthplace of 
the human race, of the world religions, of intellectual and social 
systems of hoary-headed antiquity, in short of Civilization. Yet 
in spite of all the thousands of years that measure its recorded 
history there remain vast areas virtually unknown to the world 
and unpenetrated by even the hardiest explorers, and strange 
civilizations that we have not begun to understand. Indeed, it is 
to be doubted if any European or American ever has fully under- 

26 



26 INTRODUCTION 

stood the viewpoint, the manner of thought, the ruling spirit of 
any Asiatic people. Take the wide sweep of Southern Asia that 
connects Europe with the seat of wat in the Orient. Turkey, 
Persia, Afghanistan, India, Siam, China and Japan. Every one 
full of mystery when viewed from the standpoint of western 
civilization; every one known to us in connection with some ques- 
tion. We have had the Eastern Question, the Far Eastern Ques- 
tion, the Indian Question, the Chinese Question, the Korean 
Question, and now we have the Kusso-Japanese Question. 

Ever since Peter the Great formed his ambitious plans for 
Russian aggrandizement two centuries ago, the Asiatic Question 
has been the Russian Question. As world-interests became more 
intimate between nations, it has been necessarv for the world to 
ask what Russia is doing. It is a long time since a year has 
passed without a demand to know what the movements of the 
great northern power might mean. The world has wanted to 
know what Russia is domg on the Amur River in Siberia, what 
in Central Asia, what in Afghanistan, what in Persia, what in 
Manchuria, what in Korea. At last the demand has become in- 
sistent, the problem has become pressing, and Japan has asked 
the question with a voice that will not be denied answer 

Beside this present cataclysm, such localized political prob- 
lems as we have had in the Balkans or in Finland become of little 
moment. It is impossible for the imagination to over-conceive 
what this grapple between giant foes may mean to the world. 
Let us look for a moment at the possible results, from the view- 
point of the contestants, taking their positions at their own valua- 
tion. The attitude of Russia as voiced by her statesmen and her 
imperial ruler, is that the world's sympathy should be with their 
country; that Russia is a Christian nation arrayed against a 
heathen nation, a white race against a yellow, a western power 
against an oriental. They declare that a Japanese victory would 
mean the alliance of Japanese energy, alertness, intelligence, skill 
and progress with Chinese numbers, resources and endurance for 
a conquest of all Asia and the virtual commercial dominance of 



INTRODUCTION 27 

the world. They claim that America and Europe should hope for 
Ilussian success, in order that the world shall not be overran by 
the ^Mongols m a movement tremendously greater in its signifi- 
( ance than were the mvasions of the civilized world a few cen- 
turies ago by Ghengis Klian and Tamerlane, or Timur the Tatar. 

The Japanese, however, declare that their stand is in the 
interest of real civilization and true progress, against the on- 
slaught of a tremendous despotism, benighted in its methods of 
government, oppressive of all liberty and progress, threatening 
a blight upon freedom wherever its authority extends. Japan 
claims world sympathy with the clear stateinent that while Russia 
may be white of race and (Jhristian of faith, in this instance the 
Oriental comes far nearer to th(^ ideals of the Christian nations 
and western civilization than does the power which claims their 
fellowship. 

Prefatory to the body of the volume in hand, let us weigh the 
merits of these opposing contentions, to learn if it be Russia or 
Japan that is fighting on the side of occidental civilization. Do- 
ing this, we may have some surprises, and even some shocks to 
preconceived opinion, but that is not as bad as to be resting in an 
erroneous understanding of conditions. The histoncal and de- 
scriptive cliai^ters which follow will bear out the opinions here 
summarized, and even the revelations of the war itself, as opera- 
tions continue and facts develop, will verify the same conclusions, 
or so it is believed. 

First, as to Russian demands for world-sympathy, based on 
the fact that Russia is a Christian nation, while Japan is pagan. 
It IS, indeed, true that the Russians are among the most religious 
of peoples, strict in the formal observances required bj^ their faith. 
The state church is that branch of the Christian religion known 
as the Greek Catholic, as distinct from the Roman Catholic, 
the Anglican and the various Protestant churches. In Rus- 
sia it is all but universally accepted, from prince to peas- 
ant, and loyalty to the Emperor, head of the church, exacts 
loyalty to the church itself. Its cathedrals and its more modest 



28 INTRODUCTION 

places of worship are everywhere. Its shrines or ^4kons/^ before 
which prayers are said, hang on the wall of every home, shop and 
office. But it is difficult to discover that this universal formal 
orthodoxy has had any effect to uplift the social, mental or moral 
life of the nation, or, indeed, any good effect of any sort. A low 
state of morals in private life; a doubtful standard of obligation 
in public life, commercial 'and governmental alike; a shocking 
state of national ignorance; an enslaved thought and speech— 
these are conspicuous reasons why the real Christianity of Russia 
may be questioned, however freely we admit the profession of the 
faith. 

In Central Asia, where the Russians have been in authority 
over the conquered khanates for a quarter of a century, I have 
Jooked in vain to find a trace of Christianity, or even the Russian 
profession of it, given to the native tribes. The Russians have 
built their own churches everywhere in Turkestan for tlieir own 
officers, soldiers and merchants, but what we know as missionary 
effort seems to be absolutely unknown. Furthermore, where Rus- 
sians rule, missionary effort on the part of other Christian 
churches is not permitted, and even in St. Petersburg and Moscow, 
the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches permitted there for 
the foreign residents exist only by sufferance and must avoid 
even the suspicion that they are seeking to proselyte. 

Let it be clearly understood that Russian dominion over Man- 
churia and Korea would mean the practical cessation of mission- 
ary labors m those fields, and that the Russians themselves would 
do little or nothing toward a substitute movement of their own 
church, and does not their chief plea for world sympathy fall to 
the ground? 

It requires but a brief paragraph to show the reverse of this 
position— the Japanese attitude. True it is that Japan makes no 
pretense of Christianity. The religion of Buddhism, and certain 
faiths and practices which we call pagan, are there instead. But 
Japan makes thought and speech and religion free. There are no 
trammels on a man^s faith, and no restraint upon his teaching. 



INTRODUCTION 29 

Where Japanese authority goes, the missionary may labor at will. 
Liberty and property are protected to a degree unknown in Kus- 
sia. The spirit of the Island Empire is stirred to freedom, justice, 
enlightenment, advancement. These are concomitants of Chris- 
tianity, and the Japanese have truth with them when they declare 
their nation closer to Christian ideals than is their powerful 
enemy. 

The threat of **The Yellow Peril" which Russia holds up be- 
fore the world in the demand for occidental sympathy, lacks the 
aspect of reality. Truly a Japanese-Chinese alliance would be a 
powerful factor in world affairs, and justly so. But is not the 
alternative the dominance of northern China by Russia? And 
should we not rather welcome the uplifting of the Chinese by 
sympathetic influences, to a position of worth, rather than to 
approve the suggestion that the ancient nation should either re- 
main an inert mass, or should be dominated and absorbed by 
jealous European powers for their own profit? The only way in 
which a Chino-Japanese alliance can invade the world of to-day 
is by offering the world services or products which are desired. 
If Japan and China possess qualities which make it possible for 
them to invade and conquer the world of commerce they will do 
it in time, in spite of Russian warnings. It is not for Russia to 
avert that event by a single war, nor can Russia terrify the com- 
mercial nations by projecting such a specter against the sky from 
the rays of the searchlights mounted on their battleships. 

It would be impossible to conceive a greater contrast between 
nations than is immediately apparent between Russia and Japan. 
In its details the difference will become visible to the most casual 
reader, on every page of this volume. But we may note here, 
for the purpose of perspective, some of the larger surface aspects 
of this contrast. Physically, it is the difference between a con- 
tinental power nearly three times as large as the whole of the 
United States without Alaska, and an island power with an area 
about equal to that of the state of California. The respective pop- 
ulations of the two nations are approximately 135,000,000 and 



30 INTRODUCTION 

45,000,000. One is a sparsely settled, little developed land of mar- 
velous natural resources hardly touched as yet, the other is a 
densely populated land whose productivity is being forced to its 
highest capacity by the alert, active, thrifty people who dwell 
there. One sweeps from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and 
from the burning deserts of Turkestan to the ice-bound shores of 
the Arctic, including within its limits such tremendous variations 
of barrenness and fertility, of heat and cold, of plain and forest 
and mountain as can be paralleled by no single country m the 
world. The United States and Canada would have to be consid- 
ered together, in order to find a fair comparison. The otlier, in 
its sweep of sea-giii; islands reaches from the tropics ahnost to 
Behring Sea, but its climate is modified by the great mass of the 
Pacific, so that except in the extreme north and the extreme south 
there is a fair degree of uniformity. Generally speaking, Japan 
IS temperate, mild, balmy and beautiful. 

In the pages just jDassed we have drawn some comparisons on 
the side of goverament, religion and ruling spirit, and these are ^ et 
to be expanded in succeeding chapters. For a comprehensive con- 
trast, the two nations may be fairly typified by a tremendous 
glacier and a clear mountain torrential stream. One has huge 
mass, slow motion, great weight, resistless progress toward the 
warmer valley, and at last the sea. Cold, silent, ciTishmg, it makes 
its way over obstacles to its destination. What cannot move out 
of its path it destroys. On its surface appears the debris gathered 
in its frozen flood. The other moves in haste, clears away ob- 
stacles by its impact, leaps down the slope of beetling elites, turns 
mill wheels for men, gives water to thirsty fields m the valleys, 
lends beauty and cheer to the landscape, and in the end reaches the 
sea to rest after worthy toil well done. 

If in the end we are asked to say which has the greater power, 
we can but point to the huge gorges and canons cut through moun- 
tain ranges by brooks hardly wider than a man might leap, to 
show the amazing effects of erosion. May we not yet find Japan 



INTRODUCTION 31 

making deeper impress on world affairs than can Russia, with all 
her glacial momentum? 

Most wars are but episodes m history, a partisan (controversy, 
a sovereign's ambition, a greed for plunder, as the stimulating 
cause, with indifferent importance to the world m the outcouu^ 
But this Russo-Chinese conflict looms big m its ultimate cons(»- 
quenees. It promises to affect the destinies of the world, to decid(^ 
who shall dominate the Orient, to leave its traces on the eoimneree, 
the politics and the industries of nations on the other side of the 
world who have no share m the fighting. 

If there be one great naval engagement or one great hind })attle 
which, when the war is ended, can be named as the turning i)ouit 
in the conflict, that struggle will go down into history as one 
of the decisive battles of the world. Those of like signifi(*anee 
are few, indeed. Charles Martel defeated the Saracens and it was 
determined that Europe was to be Christian instead of Moslem. 
The destruction of the Spanish Annada by British ships and 
British storms decided that England, rather than Si)ain, was to 
become the dominant power in Europe, and that Anglo-Saxon, 
rather than Spanish, ideals were to survive. ^Marathon, Sara- 
toga, Waterloo, Gettysburg, perhaps a dozen other battles, might 
be named as really decisive in world history, and to these some 
great name will be added before the Russo-Japanese war is end(Ml. 

We of America are specially concerned m the present war A 
Pacific Ocean power, as the United States has become, we are, 
perhaps, more vitally interested in the outcome of this war, autl 
the ultimate results of the outcome, than m any foiei.^n war that 
has been waged heretofore. Our states face westward to the 
Orient, with great cities and busy harbors, fertile fields and noisy 
factories to be reckoned in world affairs. From Alaska, on the 
north, to Samoa, on the south, and from San Franeiseo to ^lanila 
lie the American possessions. Not onlv Hawaii, but Tutuila, Guam, 
the Philippines and many a coral islet vield to American s(n^- 
ereignty The only trans-Pacific cable is American. Our ships 
ply every waterway on the great ocean. Our merchants are in 



32 INTRODUCTION 

every port. Our Chinese neighbors are the most vital problem 
in the labor conditions of the Pacific states and the island de- 
pendencies. The possible restraint of trade with the Orient in the 
event of Russian victory is a real factor in the situation, as it 
affects our commercial relations with China. 

This war then is to be far-reaching in its consequences, and it 
is to settle many things. I quote from a recent expression which 
summarizes the situation. ^^The question in brief is: Shall the 
reactionaiy principles of government, education and religion, 
represented by the Eussian autocracy, be extended over southern 
Asia as well as over northern, or shall the spirit of occidental civil- 
ization prevail? That occidental civilization is suitable and adapt- 
able to the needs of oriental people, and that it is of unspeakable 
service to them, is demoiistrated by the case of Japan, which, in a 
copaparatively short time, has taken rank among the civilized 
130wers of the world. It is a remarkable thing that in this war 
the interests of a true Christian civilization, the broad tolerance 
which permits everyone to exercise his religious faith and political 
opinion, whatever it may be, without interference, are championed 
by a quasi-pagan nation, while intolerance, oppression and pro- 
hibition of freedom of thought, religious or political, characterize 
its quasi-Christian opponent/^ 



CHAPTER I 
THE. WAR AND ITS CAUSES 

Japan and Russia Clash in Deadly Conflict for Supremacy in Asia— News Causes a 
Sensation in the United States and Japan's Victory is Likened to Dewey's in 
Manila Harbor— Sympathy of American People for the ** Under Dog"— Both 
Nations Issue Formal Statements Concerning the Causes of the War. 

AT midnight, February 8, 1904, a flotilla of Japanese torpedo 
boats stole into the roadstead at the Russian stronghold 
of Port Arthur, blew up two of the finest battleships and on^^ of 
the fastest craisers in the Russian navy and escaped without a 
scratch. 

Such was the news that electrified the world the following 
morning, and told, although no declaration of war has been issur-d 
by either power, that Jai3an and Russia at last had grappled with 
each other m the long-expected struggle for supremacy m Asia. 

This news created a sensation in the United States almost as 
great as Dewey ^s May Dav victorj^ in Manila harbor, and expres- 
sions of admiration were heard on every hand for the brave little 
islanders who had dared to clip the claws of the great Russian 
bear and defend their nation against his further encroachments. 

A very large per cent of Americans, especially those who had 
-followed the details of the (juarrel between the two nations, were 
in full sympathy with the Japanese, and justified JaY)an in strik- 
ing the first blow as the only means of preventing Russia from 
massing a large army in Manchuria and Korea and overpowering 
her by force of numbers. The situation was similar to the opening 
of hostilities in the Boer-British war, when Great Britain delayed 
negotiations while she poured troops into the Transvaal and thus 
compelled the Boers to strike first to save themselves from being 
overwhelmed. 

33 



:U THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 



American Sympathy for ''the Under Dog. 



M 



Amerioans naturally sympathize with the ''under dog/^ and 
llie '^little fellow," hence the spectacle of that little nation of little 
In-own men striking the powerful Russian such a terrible blow, 
stirivd the red blood in their veins and aroused a feeling that 
almost could be calle<l enthusiasm. 

This war which began with such dramatic effect was not unex- 
pected, although a month before the Whitehead torpedoes tore 
their way into the vitals of the three great warships in the road- 
stead at Port Arthur, there was reason for belief that Russia 
would accede to the demands of Japan and that a terrible conflict 
at arms would be a\ oided. Almost before the hope of peace had 
found lodgment in the minds of the people, the war cloud which 
had been hovering for so long o\ er that part of Asia burst with a 
lightning flash. 

In the introduction to this work Mr. Trumbull White, who 
has traveled all ovor Russia and riapan and is as familiar with 
the characti^'s of the ^lusc^ovite and ^falay as he is with the topog- 
raphy of thoir respective countries, has set forth the fundamental 
differences of the two races and has stated the chief causes of the 
war which has been so long in brewing. 

These differences and causes did not reach an acute stage until 
Russia violated her treaty obligation to evacuate Manchuria on 
the date set. Even this failure to keep faith with the powers at 
interest might have been condoned had it not been for the constant 
encroachment upon Korea, which, had it been allowed to proceed, 
would have brought Russian influence to the very door of Japan. 
Then it was that Japan through her foreign office began to make 
protests and demands. This correspondence was kept secret until 
the crisis was reached on Januarj^ 6, when Baron de Rosen, the 
Russian Minister to Japan, was ordered to leave Tokio, and Mr. 
Kurmo, the Japanese Minister to Russia, was told to demand his 
passports. 



THE WAR AND TT8 CAUSES 35 

Then the following statements conc'crniug the cori'espondenre 
which had passed between the governments was given to the 
public. 

Japan ^s Statement. 

The statement issued by Japan is as follows: 

^^ Section 1. It being indispensable to the welfare and safety 
of Japan to maintain the independence and territorial integrity of 
Korea and to safeguard her paramount interests therein, the Japa- 
nese government finds it impossible to view with indifference anv 
action endangering the position of Korea, whereas Russia, not- 
withstanding her solemn treaty with China and h(^r rej^eated 
assurances to the Powers, not only continues her occupation of 
Manchuria, but has taken aggressive measures in Korean teiTi- 
tory. 

^^ Should Manchuria be annexed to Russia the independenee 
of Korea would naturally be impossible. The Japanese govern- 
ment therefore being desirous of securing permanent peace for 
eastern Asia by means of direct negotiations with Russia with the 
view of arriving at a friendly adjustment of their mutual interests 
in both Manchuria and Korea where their interests meet, com- 
municated toward the end of July last such desire to the Russian 
government and invited its adherence. To this the Russian gov- 
ernment expressed a willing assent. 

What Japan Proposed. 

^^Accordingly on August 12 the Japanese government pro- 
posed to Russia through its representatives at St. Petersburg 
the basis of an agreement which was substantially as follows: 

''1. A mutual engagement to respect the independence and 
territorial integrity of the Chinese and Korean empires. 

^^2. A mutual engagement to maintain the principle of an 
equal opportunity for the commercial industry of all nations with 
the natives of those countries. 

'3. A reciprocal recognition of Japan's preponderating inter- 



ii* 



3G ^riTE WAK AND ITS CAUSES 

osts in Korea and that Russia has special interest in railway enter- 
1)1-] ses in Manchuria, and a mntnal recognition of the respective 
rights of Japan and Russia to take merisures necessary for the 
protection of their above-named interests. 

''4 The recognition by Russia of the exclusivo rights of 
Japan to give advice and assistance to Korea in the interest of 
refonn and good government. 

^^5. The engagement on the part of Russia not to impede the 
cn^entual extension of the Korean railway into soutliem Man- 
churia so as to connect with eastern China and the Shanghaikwan- 
Newciiwan^ lines. 



^C) 



Russia Charged with Delay. 

^'It was the intention of the Japanese government originally 
that a conference should take place between the representatives 
at St. Petersburg and the Russian authorities, so as to facilitate 
progress as much as possible m reaching a solution of the situa- 
tion, but the Russian government absolutely refused to do so, on 
the plea that the Czar planned a trip abroad, and for other reasons 
it was unavoidably decided to conduct the negotiations at Tokio. 
Tt was not until October 3 that he Russian goveniment presented 
coimter-pro]>osals and in them she declined to engage in respect 
to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and stipulated 
the maintenance of the principle of equal opportunities for the 
commerce and industry of all nations in China, and requested that 
Japan <1eclare Manr^huna and its littoral as being entirely outside 
of her si)here and interest. 

''She further put several restrictions upon Japan's freedom of 
action in Korea. For instance, while recognizing Japan's right to 
dispatch troops when necessary for the protection of her interests 
in Korea, Russia refused to allow her to use any portion of Korean 
territory for strategical purj^oses. In fact, Russia went so far 
as to propose to establish a neutral zone in Korean territory nortli 
of the thirty-ninth parallel. The Japanese government utterly: 



THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 37 

failed to see why Russia, who professed no intention of absorbing: 
Manchuria, should be disinclined to insert m the convention a 
clause in complete harmony with her own repeatedly declared 
principle respecting the sovereignty and territoi'ial integrity of 
China. 

Japan's Interests in Manchuria. 

^^Furthermore, the refusal of the Russian government im- 
pressed the Japanese government all the more with the necessity 
of the insertion of a clause to the effect that Japan has important 
commercial interests m Llanchuria and entertains no small hopes 
of their further development, and that i^olitically Japan has even 
interests there by reason of its relations to Korea, so that she could 
not possibly recognize Manchuria as being entirely outside her 
sphere of interests. These reasons decided Japan to absolutelv 
reject the Eussian proposal. The Japanese government explained 
the above views and at the same time introduced other necessary 
amendments in the Eussian counter-proposal. They further pro- 
posed with regard to a neutral zone that if one was to be created 
it should be established on both sides of the boundary line between 
Manchuria and Korea with equal width, say fifty kilometers* 

Clauses on Manchuria Suppressed. 

^^ After repeated discussions at Tokio the Japanese govern- 
ment finally presented the Russian government its definite amend- 
ment on October 13. The Japanese government then frequently 
urged the Eussian government for a reply. In that i^eply Eussia 
suppressed clauses relating to Manchuria so as to make the pro- 
posed convention apply entirely to Korea and maintained its orig- 
inal demand in regard to the non-employment of Korean territory 
for strategical i^urposes, as well as a neutral zone, but the exclu- 
sion of Manchuria from the proposed convention being contrary to 
the original object of the negotiations, which was to remove causes 
of conflict between the countries by a friendly arrangement of 
their interests both in Manchuria and Korea, the Japanese gov- 



38 THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 

eminent asked the Russian government to reconsider the question 
and again proposed the removal of the restriction regarding the 
use of Korean territoiy and the entire suppression of the neutral 
zone on the ground that if Russia was opposed to the establish- 
ment of one in Manchuria it should not establish one in Korea. 

Russians Proposal Unsatisfactory. 

''The last reply of Russia was received at Tokio on February 6. 
In this reply it is true Russia proposed to agree to insert the fol- 
lowing clause in the proposed agreement: The recognition by 
Ja})an of Manchuria and its littoral as outside her sphere and 
interests, whilst Russia within the limits of that province would 
not impede Japan or any other powers in the enjoyment of rights 
and privileges acquired by them under existing treaties with 
China exclusive of the establishment of settlement, but this was 
])ro])Osed to be agreed upon only upon conditions maintaining the 
(dauses regarding a neutral zone in Korean territory and the non- 
employment of Korean territory for strategical purposes, already 
fully explained to them. It should further be observed that no 
mention was made at all of the territorial integrity of China 
in M anohuria, and it must be self-evident to everybody that the 
engagement now proposed by Russia would be unpractical in 
value, so long as it was unaccompanied by a definite stipulation 
regarding the ten'itorial integrity of China in Manchuria, since 
treaty rights are only coexistent with sovereignty. 

''Eventually absorption of ]\Ianchuria by Russia would annul 
at once those rights and privileges acquired by the powers in 
Manchuria by virtue of treaties with China/' 

Russia's Side of the Story. 

The Russian account of the negotiations which led to the rup- 
ture is as follows: 

^'Last year,'' says the foreign-office statement, '^the Tokio 
cabinet, under the pretext of establishing the balance of power and 







CO 






iz; 
o 



< 







u 

3 

in 



W '^ 
M fi 

PC 

w -S 

w s 



03 



THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 41 

a more settled order of tilings on the shores of the Pacific, sub- 
mitted to the imperial government a proposal for a revision of the 
existing treaties with Korea. 

^^ Russia consented and Viceroy Alexieff was charged to draw 
up a project for a new understanding with Japan m co-operation 
with the Russian minister at Tokio, who was intrusted with the 
negotiations with the Japanese government. Although the ex- 
change of views with the Tokio cabinet on this subject were of a 
friendly character, Japanese social circles and the local and for- 
eign press attempted in eveiy way to produce a warlike ferment 
among the Japanese and to drive the government into an armed 
conflict with Russia. Under the influence thereof the Tokio cabi- 
net began to formulate greater and greater demands in the nego- 
tiations, at the same time taking most extensive measures to make 
the country ready for war. 

Takes Military and Naval Measures. 

**A11 these circumstances could not, of course, disturb Russia's 
equanimity, but they induced her to also take military and naval 
measures. Nevertheless, to preserve peace in the Far East, Russia, 
so far as her incontestable rights and interests permitted, gave the 
necessary attention to the demands of the Tokio cabinet and 
declared herself ready to recognize Japan 's privileged commercial 
and economic position in the Korean peninsula, with the concession 
of the right to protect it by military force in the event of disturb- 
ances in that country. 

Points Demanded by Russia. 

''At the same time, while rigorously observing the funda- 
mental principle of her policy regarding Korea, whose independ- 
ence and integrity were guaranteed by previous understandings 
with Japan and by treaties with other powers, Russia insisted on 
three points: 

*^1. On a mutual and conditional guarantee of this principle. 



42 THE WAR AND ITS CLAUSES 

''2. On an understanding to use no part of Korea for strategic 
purposes, as the authorization of such action on the part of any 
foreign pow er was directly opposed to the principle of the inde- 
pendence of Korea. 

''3. On the preservation of the full freedom of navigation 
in the straits of Korea. 

'^The pro;ieot elaborated in this sense did not satisfy the Japa- 
nese government, which in its last proposals not only declined to 
accept the conditions which appeared as the guaranty of the inde- 
pendence of Korea, but also began at the same time to insist on 
provisions to be incorporated m a project regarding the question 
of Manchuria. Such demands on the part of Japan, naturally, 
were inadmissible, the question of Russia's position in Manchuria, 
(concerning in the first place China, but also all the powers having 
commercial interests m China. 

Drew Line at Manchuria. 

' ' The imperial goveiTiment, therefore, saw absolutely no reason 
to include m a special treaty with Japan regarding Korean affairs, 
any provisions concerning territory occupied by Russian troops. 
The imperial government, however, did not refuse, so long as the 
occupation of Manchuria lasts, to recognize both the sovereignty 
of the Emperor of China in j\Iancliuria and also the rights acquired 
there by other powers through treaties with China. A declaration 
to this effect has also already been made to the foreign cabinets. 
In view of this the imperial government, after charging its repre- 
sentative at Tokio to present its reply to the last proposal of 
Japan, was justified in expecting the Tokio cabinet to take into 
account the considerations set forth above and that it would appre- 
ciate the wish manifested by Russia to come to a peaceful under- 
standing with Japan. 

''Instead of this the Japanese government, not even awaiting 
this reply, decided to break off negotiations and to suspend diplo- 
matic relations. The imperial government, while laying on Japan 



THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 43 

the full responsibility for any consequences of such a course of 
action, will await the development of events and the moment it 
becomes necessary will take the most decisive measures for the 
protection of its rights and interests in the Far East. ' ' 

The events Avhich led to the diplomatic correspondence referred 
to in the foregoing official statements cover only a period of eight 
years. 

It was in 1896 that China was first led to grant certain rail- 
way-making facilities to Russia in Manchuria. She was said to 
have then resolved, in recognition of Russia's friendly attitude 
toward her at the time that she was at war with Japan, to grant 
to Russia the right to build and control certain railways passing 
east and west through Manchuria. Russia also acquired the right, 
m case of war, of using Port Arthur as a base for military opera- 
tions. Russia, moreover, on the plea that the needful control of 
the railway could not otherwise be assured, was to be permitted 
to some extent to employ her military" forces in that region. 

March 27, 1898, Russia was granted by China a twenty-five 
years' lease of Port Arthur and the adjacent bay of Talien-Wan. 
Russia likewise acquired the right of building railways to the 
same points. Russia promised that both i)orts should be open 
to foreign trade and to the ships of all friendly nations. How 
lightly that promise weighed on the Russians has since been mani- 
fested. The convention of April 8, 1902, between Russia and 
China, however, provided for the evacuation of Manchuria by 
Russia under certain conditions, beginning with the province of 
Mukden (i. e., Shing-King, or southern Manchuria) The Kirin 
province (central Manchuria) was to be evacuated October 8, 
1902, and the Hei-Lung-Chuang province (northern Manchuria) 
April 8, 1903. The promise was not kept, but April 18, 
1902, Russia presented a series of demands on China, which 
were to be complied with prior to the evacuation being 
begun (already ten days late). These demands covered exclusive 
political and commercial rights for Russia throughout Man- 
churia. China refused. The United States, which has been directly 



44 THE WAR AND ITS CAUSES 

promised by Russia that the open-door principle should be main- 
tained in Manchuria, was at the time asking China, and so was 
Japan, that certain places in Manchuria should be opened to for- 
eign trade. Russia held out for a time, but consented in July, 
]903. 

The treaties referred to were signed between China and Japan 
and the United States respectively in October, 1903, and were rati- 
fied, in spite of Russians vigorous protests, January, 1904 

The Russian minister at Pekin further engaged, September 6, 
1903, that Mukden province should be evacuated October 8, but 
the engagement was accompanied by conditions impossible of ac- 
ceptance, and after a pretense of the removal of troops had been 
made the force was reinstalled and the city of Mukden itself, 
sacred to the Cliinese as the birthplace of the present Mancliu 
dynasty, was ostentatiously reoccupied. Such is the history of 
Russia's dealings with respect to Manchuria. Since the fall of 
1903 there have been frequent exchanges of negotiations between 
Japan and Russia, and Japan, feeling that Russia had made no 
effort to meet its terms, forced the issue by war. 



CHAPTER II 
THE. FIRST BLOW 

Japanese Torpedo Flotilla Attacks the Russian Fleet in the Roadstead at Port 
Arthur and Blows Up Two Battleships and a Cruiser — Japanese Lose Two 
Torpedo Boats — Japanese Battlefleet Returns the Following Morning and En- 
gages the Russian Ships and the Land Battery in Fierce Action. 

THE beginning of tlie Russo-Japanese war was marked by an 
incident similar to the close of the Napoleonic wars, but 
with a different termination. The night before the battle of Water- 
loo the British officers were at a dance, celebrated in Byron's 
immortal lines: 

' ' There was a sound of revelry by night 
And Belgium's capital had gathered there/' 

As the first gray streaks of dawn dimmed the luster of the 
ball room the boom of Napoleon's heavy artillery was heard, and 
the scene of revelry was changed to one of consternation. 

On the night when Japan struck the first blow the Russian 
vice-regal naval officers m command of the big squadron of war- 
ships in the harbor of Port Arthur were at a reception when they 
heard three explosions that shook the town, followed by the roar- 
ing of the big guns of the battery on the hill commanding the 
harbor and the rapid fire of the guns on their own vessels. 

It was about midnight when the officers and men left on watch 
on the Russian warships saw six small craft approaching, but the 
watchers were thrown completely off their guard by the fact that 
the approaching vessels showed lights, funnels and signals exactly 
like those on the Russian ships. Nearer and nearer crept the six 
little engines of destruction until they were within half a mile of 
the big ships of the Russian squadron and then each of them dis- 
charged a torpedo and fled. 

45 



4(\ THE FIRST BLOW 

Tliroo of the deadly missiles went straight to their marks and 
tliroo ternfi(* explosions followed. The monster l)attlesliips ( V.aro- 
A itch and Eetzivan hnvhed and listed as if al)ont to keel ov^r and 
the nin.i;nifieent swift orniser Pallada began to sink Wonnded to 
tlie (h'ath they turned and made for the har])or entrance nn<l i*an 
ni)on the Ix^ach to eseape sinking. 

A continuous fire from the sliips and forts was poured upon 
the Japanese torpedo boats, four of which escaped. One, how- 
over, was sunk, and another, in a sinking condition, was desorted 
by the crew and was afterward captured by the' Iiussians. 

Then the Kussians saw several Japanese cruisers in tlie dis- 
tance The reniMinder of tlie fleet was still farthor off, lying to tlio 
eastward and showing searchlights. 

After the retirement of the Japanese torpedo boats the Russian 
st(\amer squadron, under Admiral Prinee ]\roktomi^sky, followed 
to investigate and then r(4urned. The action ceased at ^ a. m. 

Russian Losses in Men. 

The loss on the Russian ships was eight killed and twentv 
wounded. Apart from tlie disablement of the three Russian ships 
tlie damage dono to the fleet and forts was not very great. There 
were many Russian torpedo boats and destroyers in the harbor, 
but they were not ready to resist the attack of the Japanese, who, 
in faot, civated a great deal of surprise, not only bv their unex- 
pected onslaught, but l)y the promptness and bravery with which 
they acted. 

The Czarevitch, which, with the Retvizan and Pallada, was dis- 
abled by the Japanese torpedo boats, was a battleship of l.'sllO 
tons, built in France. In armor, armament and speed she about 
equals the Retvizan. 

The battleship Retvizan was built by the Cramps at Philadel- 
phia. She was of 12,700 tons displacement, had 16,000 mdicated 
horse-power, and had a speed of eighteen knots per hour Her 
armor was of Krupp steel, from four to ten inches in thickness, 



THE FIRST BLOW 47 

and lier armament consisted of four ll2-ineli guns, twelve 6-incli 
guns, twenty 3-incli guns and twenty-six snialler ra])id-fire guns. 

The Pallada was a cruiser of 5,6;>0 tons. She was built in iUtr- 
many and was coni])leted in 1902. Her armament consisted of six 
6-inch guns, twenty 3-in(*h guns and eight 1.4-inch guns. Her 
speed was estimated at twenty knots. 

The following morning the news arrived at Port Ailhur from 
l^alny that the Japanese fleet was steering westward in attack 
fornmtion. It came in sight about 11 oV'lock. There were in all 
fifteen ships in two lines of battle — six battleships, six first-class 
cruisers and three se<'ond-class cruisers. The Russians had outside 
thirteen large vessels under Admiral Stark on the flagship Petro- 
pavlovsk and Rear Admiral Prince ]\loktompsky on the flagslii}) 
Peresviet, excluding the Pallada and Czarevitch, flagslu}) of Rear 
Admiral Mollas, and the Retvizan, which was Iving aground across 
the inner harbor entrance, and it was low water. 

Action was commenced by the guns of the land l)attery. The 
morning broke dull, with a light wind, and the heavv smoke ren- 
dered it difficult to observe the details of the action, but those who 
saw the battle witnessed all that was possible to be seen from 
Beacon Hill, opposite the entrance to the harbor, and in the line 
of fire. Two shells fell near the spectators and about twenty 
others fell in the old town and the western harbor, where many 
steamers flying neutral flags were anchored. After the com- 
mencement of action all the people fled toward the hill outside the 
town for protection. 

A little while after the first spell a big twelve-mch gun ex- 
ploded, smashing the office fronts of the Guensberg Yalu Conces- 
sions Company and the Russo-Chinese bank. The streets w^ere 
then entirely deserted, but the local police kept splendid order and 
there was no looting. The women and children were very brave. 

Japanese Battleship Destroyed. 

Regiments from adjoining barracks and camps came pouring 
through town to take up defensive positions in the event of the 



48 THE FIRST BLOW 

Japanese landing. The Japanese warships steamed slowly past in 
line of battle to the westward and about four miles off, each vessel 
beginning to fire when opposite the Russian ships, which were two 
miles off shore. 

The action became general. There was no maneuvering, sim- 
ply heavy and fast firing on both sides. One war correspondent 
counted over three hundred shells, few of which reached their 
mark, and the others did not ex[)lode. 

During the a(*tion several merchant steamers outside the roads 
moved their position, but none was allowed to leave its anchorage 
in the harbor. The firing ceased at noon, the Japanese ships with- 
drawing to the southward, having lost one battleship, and one 
large cruiser was put out of a(*tion. One small boat was chased 
and sunk by the Novik, which afterward received a shell at the 
water line, but reached port all ri.i»lit, Admiral Stark signaling 
*^Well done!'' while all the rest of the fleet cheered her arrival. 

Even the three ships aground fired during the action. After- 
ward the Czarevitch got off at high water and was towed into a 
large l)asin for repairs. The Pallada effected her own repairs and 
rejoined the fleet. The Ketvizan remained aground. 

The casualties were twenty-two killed and sixty-four wounded. 
Nearly half the casualties occurred on the Pallada and Novik. 
The Japanese fleet sailed southward and at 1 o'clock all was quiet. 
The wounded were taken ashore and removed to hospitals. 

After Monday night's action many Japanese torpedoes were 
found floating outside the harbor. They were secured and their 
mechanism extracted. During the afternoon Viceroy Alexieff or- 
dered all the women and children and non-combatants to leave and 
the slow special trains were crowded. They ran as often as pos- 
sible to and from Dalny. The women and children were immedi- 
ately removed in an English steamer. 

After the action on Monday night official telegrams from Vladi- 
vostok stated that the cruiser squadron, consisting of the Cromo- 
boi, Rossia, Rutik and Bogatyr, had shelled a town in Yezo and 
then returned to Vladivostok. 




THE CZAR ADDRESSING A BODY OF IMPERIAL GUARDS. 

Nicholas II, the Czar of all the Russias, who is said to have wept bitterly when the 
news of war was brought to him, quickly rallied from his depression.. and issued a series 
of manifestoes to his army and navy calling for vengeance upon the enemy 




A SIGNAL TORCH AT A COSSACK POST 

In the scouting operations of the Cossacks in Manchuria, the country was so broken 
and rugged that it was often difficult for scattered bodies to keep in communication. At 
times they were obliged to fall back upon their ancient way of signaling by means of huge 
torches. 




u 
o 

> 

bJ 
(0 

>• 
X 

< 






a 
o 

•s 






^ ex 



•£ ^ 
o 

I 

c ^ 
C rt 
^ r- 



O 



0) 

h 

o 

-I 

o 

z 

< 

o 

(/) 

z 
< 

(/) 

D 



b2 



O 0) 

< s 

D en 
O 








THE EMPEROROF JAPAN ANDHISSUITE. 

Tbn storn }>t calm faro of Japan s ruler is well set forth in the above. 
It is tho fa<'e of a warrior and a thinlver In the Itackground are typlca' 
Japanos*^ officers lM'oiiim-'(1 around the imperial standard. 



THE FIRST BLOW 53 

The Russian Version of the Battle. 

Viceroy Alexieff's official report of the naval engagement on 
February 9 is as follows- 

'^ After the night torj^edo attack the Japanese fleet, consisting 
of sixteen war ships, appeared at 10 o'clock in the morning ofi 
Port Arthur Its appearance was note(l by the coast signal sta- 
tions, as well as by the ships of our scjuadron, which hiy in the 
outer roadstead, fully prepared for battle. Our squadron con- 
sisted of five battleshii)s, five first and second-class cruisers and 
fifteen torpedo boats, under the command of Viee Admiral Stark 
and Rear Admiral Ukhtonski. The coast batteries immediately 
prepared to receive the enemy ( )ur squadron weighed an<*hor 
m order of battle, and, upon the first shot being fired by the enemy, 
the fleet and batteries replied simultaneously with a lively (can- 
nonade. The most exposed to the enemy's fire were the shi})s of 
the squadron, battery No. 15, on Electric cliff, and battery No. 1'', 
on Golden Hill. Other coast liatteries, principally numbers 17 and 
18, were also under fire. 

''The following vessels took part in the battle 

''In the front line were the liattleship Petropavlosk, flying the 
flag of Vice Admiral Stark and (Commanded by Captain Jako\ loff , 
the battleship Sevastoi)ol (Captain Clieniychoff), the battleship 
Poltava (Captain Usphenski), the ])attleship Peresviet, flying the 
flag of the Rear Admiral Ukhtonski, commanded by Captain 
Boissmann, and the battleship Pobieda (Captain Sazareuny) 
There were also the first-class cruisers Bayan (Captain Viron), 
Diana (Captain Satouski) and Askold (Captain Gramchikoff), 
tJie second-class cruisers Boyarm (Captain SaiychelT) and Novik 
(Captain Jassen), 

^ ' The battleships Czarevitch (Captain Gregorovitch ) and 
Ketvizan (Captain Sensnovitch) and the craiser Pallada (Captain 
Kossovitch), which lay at anchor, having been damaged in the 
torpedo attack of the night before, likewise participated in tlie 
fight^ as did the transport Angara (Captain Suehonlin), There 



54 THE FIRST BLOW 

were also engaged the torpedo boats of the first and second 
divisions, under Divisional Commanders Matussevitch and Duen- 
ter, as follows Vnimatelni (Captain Simon), Vlastini (Lieutenant 
Karzeff), Voevoi (Captain Yelisseitff), Eezstrashni (Captain Zim- 
jnermann ) , Itesposhtcliadni (Lieutenant Lukin) , Vnushitelm 
(Lieutenant Povushkinp). Vuinoslivi (Lieutenant Reichter) , 
Grozovoi (Lieutenant Seheltinga), Eazyaschtchi (Captain Simon- 
off), lij^osliitelni (Lieutenant Komilieff), 8ilny (Lieutenant 
Kodoi'()vit(*li), Steregusehtchi (Lieutenant Kusmenkaravaveff), 
Storezliev(n (Captain Kilkin), Smyeli (Captain Schutz) and Ser- 
diti (Lieutenant Kusmenkaravayeff, Jr ). 

Lays to Right of Squadron. 

^* Throughout the fight the torpedo division lay to the right of 
the s(]ua(lron, a distance of from ten to fifteen cabeltari (a Rus- 
sian sea measure), awaiting orders. 

''The land batteries vrere under the general direction i>f Major 
'ivnieral Baloif, commander of the Iwan-Tung garrison of artil- 
lerv. Several vessels of the enemy ^s fleet sustained damage, which 
explains why they avoided further fighting, although they were 
iiiuch superior to us m strength. 

''According to the reports of the commanders the men fought 
exceedingly well, on which account in virtue of the imperial author- 
ization I have conferred six crosses of the Order of St. Georiie on 
each companv of the first and second class warships having crews 
of over 200 men, four crosses on each company of all other ships 
</f the second class, one cross on each toi'pedo boat, one cross on 
the signal station at Golden Hill, which operated under the heavy 
lire of the enemy; four crosses on battery No. 15, three on baiter v 
No. 13, nnd one cross on a gunner, who, though severelv wounded, 
returned to las battery. 

^^Our losses were 

''Of the squadron— Five officers wounded, fourteen men killed 
and sixty-nine men wounded. 



THE FIRST BLOW 55 

^^Of the fortress and garrison— One man killed, one man 
severely wounded and five men slightly wounded. 

'^In announcing the above to your majesty I am pleased to be 
able to add that the naval and land forces in the far East are in- 
spired by the most heartfelt wish to meet their insolent enemies 
breast to breast, in order to fulfill their duty in sight of their 
adored ruler, and, firm and unshakable, to fight for the honor and 
glory of their beloved fatherland/' 

When Admiral Togo resolved upon his midnight torpedo at- 
tack, so characteristic of Japanese methods and courage, his 
squadron was fifty or more miles from Port Arthur, and, of course, 
the attempt to enter or approach the port was attended with risks 
of the gravest description. The Japanese, however, wore in no 
way dismayed, and, by dint of very clever tactics, they succeeded 
in eluding the Russian torpedo boats on picket duty and getting 
near enough to the fleet of battleships and cruisers, lying at anchor 
under protection of the guns of the forts, to discern the iiion mov- 
ing about on their decks. The flotilla consisted of the destroyers 
Asashio, Shirakumo, Akatsuki, Kazumi, Ikadzuchi, Oboro, Inad- 
zuma, Usugomo, Shinonome and Sasaname, ten in all. 

The vessels immediately set about discovenng the location of 
the Eussian fleet, and, although several of the enemy's picket 
boats were on the watch, they succeeded by brilliant strategy in 
getting within striking distance. This was in no small measure 
due to the excellence of the Japanese intelligence service, as is 
evident from the fact that practically all the Russian vessels were 
found to be in the precise positions where Captain Asai, who was 
in commantl of the flotilla, had been told he would probably find 
them. 

Operated in Three Sections. 

To insure effective work over a wide area the flotilla was 
divided into three sections. Captain Asai having the Asashio, Shira- 
kumo, Akatsuki and Kasumi; Lieutenant Ishii the Ikadzuchi, 
Oboro and Inadzuma, and Lieutenant Tsachiya the Usugomo, 



56 THE FIRST BLOW 

Sliinonoiae and Sasananii. The intrepid leaders ran in as close 
as possible to the enemy and deliberately selected the largest of 
the Russian warships as the objects of their attack. The audacity 
of the movement was rewarded by complete success, for the Rus- 
sians were taken entirely by surprise, and when the attack com- 
menced were thrown into a condition bordering on panic. 

This much can be gathered from the circumstances, that, al- 
though the Russian fleet opened a heav}^ fire and got its search- 
lights to bear, the Japanese destroyers were able to discharge 
their torpedoes and escape with practically no damage to them- 
selves. One destroyer— the Inadzuma— missed fire, and her plucky 
commander coolly tui-ned her round and fired the torpedo again. 
Each daring little vessel discharged two torpedoes and then 
steamed out to rejom the fleet, keeping well in shore until out of 
range of the guns of the forts. AVhen dawn broke three of the 
finest ships of the Russians— the battleships Czarevitch and 
Retvisan and the annored cruiser Pallada— were either in a sink- 
ing condition or on shore. The Pallada was run on shore in order 
to save her from going down, and both the battleships had to be 
taken into the inner harbor into shallow water to prevent them 
from sinking. 

Exploit Was Brilliant. 

There can be no doubt that the whole affair constitutes a naval 
exploit of the most brilliant description. To creep into a hostile 
anchorage, eluding the enemy's vessels on the lookout for an at- 
tack, and effectually to cripple three of the most important of the 
enemy ^s ships, is a feat of a very notable character, and it puts 
the seal on the reputation in naval matters which Japan gained 
m the much less formidable matter of the war with China. 

This successful torpedo destroyer engagement was followed 
up on the next morning by a general attack by the Japanese fleet. 
Admiral Togo endeavored to entice his antagonists into a fight 
in the open sea, but failing in this, he passed Round island on the 
right and proceeded in a single line toward Port Arthur, leading 



THE FIRST BLOW 57 

in the battleship Mikasa. Each of his ships opened hre on pass- 
ing the enemy ^s fleet, most of which remained at anchor und<*r 
the guns of the forts. The Russian ships responded vigorously, 
and for some forty mmutes a heavy exchange of finng took place. 

It is admitted by the Japanese that several of the Russian ships 
fought extremely well, particularly the Novik, which did very 
good work, but Admiral Togo's ships more than held their own 
and inflicted severe damage on their opponents. 

The Askold afterward sunk in the harbor, and three other 
cruisers stood in urgent need of repairs. The Bayan and a ship 
of the Poltava type were among those seriously injured. The re- 
markable feature of the fight was the accuracy of the Japanese 
fire, notwithstanding the fact that the range was 8,000 yards. 
Scarcely less notable was the immunity of the Japanese vessels, 
which sustained suiprismgly little damage. The Iwate (armored 
cruiser) was hit by a 10-ineh shot from the Novik and the Fuji 
(battleship) was struck on her forward funnel; but othei^wise very 
little injury was sustained by the courageous islanders. There 
were, however, a considerable number of men killed and wounded, 
and with regard to these several striking stories are told, appar- 
ently on good foundation. 

The most ghastly is that relating to Lieutenant Miura, who 
was struck by a shell while standing on the bridge of the Fuji. 
A piece of his belt was the only relic which was left of the un- 
fortunate officer. Less grewsome and more agreeable are some 
of the incidents evincing the indomitable spirit which animates 
the Japanese engaged in active sei^vice. A midshipman on the 
Fuji was mortally wounded. He was at once conveyed below and 
surgically attended to, and on the attendant's endeavoring to re- 
move his shoes he protested loudly, declaring that he was goin^^ 
back to the fight at once. His next question was, where was his 
missing limb. ^^I shall be able to go on deck again in a few min- 
utes!'^ he pathetically exclaimed, but a very short time afterward 
his patriotic ardor was quenched in death. 



58 THE FUiHT BLOW 



Story of a Russian Naval Officer. 

All oflicer on the cruiser Pallada furnished an interesting ac- 
count of experiences aboard his ^yarship on the night of the tor- 
pedo atta(*k. 

The captain of the Pallada, which vessel occupied the advance 
position, had des(*ended from the bridge for a last look around 
before going below when he perceived lights advancing. The 
ships' liglits shown were white above red, being those of the Rus- 
sian warshii)s when entering the harbor. The captain of the Pal- 
lada sui)])osed the api broaching vessels were the Russian torpedo 
boats returning from Dalny, and his suspicions were only aroused 
when upon drawing nearer they covered and uncovered their 
lights at irregular intervals. The signal tower signaled that the 
lii;hts were not understood. 

At this moment the Pallada 's captam, through the thick night, 
made out the outlines of the torpedo boat destroyers' smokestacks 
in pairs, aniidslii[)s. As the stacks of the Russian destroyers are 
in line fore and aft, the crews of the Russian ships were instantly 
called to (juarters. 

In less than three minutes the Pallada 's men were at their posts, 
orders were given that the guns be charged with grape, and a 
fierce fire was opened on the oncoming Japanese. The batleships 
( V.are\ itch and Retvizan, which were in the first line, a short dis- 
tance astern of the Pallada, also opened fire almost immediately 

A terrific explosion occurred under the hull of the Pallada, 
raising a torrent of water which submerged the cruiser's deck, 
but did not stop its firing or maneuvering, which now, however, 
were complicated by the measures taken to close a breach amid- 
8lii])s, below the waterline, made by tlie explosion of the torpedo. 

8oon afterwards two other torpedoes exploded almost simul- 
taneously, one under the bow of the Retvizan and the other under 
the stern of the Czarevitch. This double explosion ended the at- 
tack, the Japanese vessels retiring at full speed. 



CHAPTER III 
THE, RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

BY TRUMBULL WHITE. 

Historical and Geographical Sketch of the Great Northern Power — Peter the Great 
and His Boundless Ambitions — Yermak, the Conqueror of Siberia — Muraviev 
Carries Russian Dominion to the Pacific Ocean — The Great Siberian Railway — 
Manchuria in the Grasp of the Muscovites — The Conquest of Turkestan — Re- 
sources and Industries of the Russian Empire — The People and their Customs — 
The Siberian Exile System. 

STUDENTS of liistorv, seeking the significant facts in tlio 
life of any nation, find that tlioio is no more illuminating 
method of jDrocedure than to select the successive great figures m 
the nation's progress, and, by studying tliese individuals, learn 
of the country of wliicli they were a part. 

Eussia IS one of the best exemplars of this biogra])hical method 
of history studv. Despotism and autocracy as it is, the great men 
and women of Russia have embodied the nation's history, while 
the people in the mass have been little more than raw material 
with which the ones in power have worked their puipose. With 
the increase of enlightenment and liberty, the accuracy of this 
statement always will tend to become less, but thus far in the 
history of the Russian Empire we may take it literallv. 

Not always are these conspicuous figures the inilers of the land. 
Sometimes they are the talented servitors of dullard sovereigns, 
sometimes progressive rebels against unenlightened authontv, 
intellectual, physical or otherwise. But, however that may be, it 
is they who make the history, and m holding them up to view 
we obtain the graphic quality to a degree that never accompanies 
impersonal history. 

Rnrik, Vladimir, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, C'atherine, 
Alexander, Nicholas— these are some of the sovereigns to be ob- 

59 



60 RI'SSIAN ADVAX( E ACROSS ASIA 

servod m any histoncal skptch of Iviissia. Yerinak, Muraviev, 
Khabarov, Skobelev, Cassini, Pol)y(Mlon()stsev, Witte, Kliilkov, 
Ah^xiev, Kquropatkm— these are some of those who have served 
i]\v\v country, past and ])res<Mit, as warriors, statesmen or diplo- 
mat's, and wlio must be noted iiow. If to these we add the familiar 
names of others now in tlie service of imperial Russia, we have 
tile essentials of a historical sketch such as will serve our puqioso 
liere. 

Before we attempt to view Russians singly, let us see whence 
Russians came and Avhere they dwell 

Right across the northern half of the two continents, Asia and 
Europe, sweeps an almost continuous plain, from the shores of 
the Baltic and Black Seas to the Pacific Ocean. The mountain 
ranges which traverse this i)lain are not such as to form stern 
obstacles for wandering tribes, and this physical fact has been of 
great importance in affecting the political and industrial condi- 
tions. The primitive nomadic races of the past were able to 
wander virtually from sea to sea, and m the more recent historical 
periods there were no permanent obstacles to the sweeping con- 
(|uest of a Ghengis Khan from Asia, nor to the extension of 
authority of the Russian con(juerors from Europe. So the tide 
of conrjucst of lato vears has but reversed itself, and the European 
horde is repaying to the Asiatics the debt of past centuries. 

AVe know that the civilization of southern Europe fell a prey 
to the incursions of Asiatic tribes, and of Germanic tribes pressed 
southward by Asiatic invaders. The Goths, the Vandals, the Huns, 
the Mongols, Attila, Alaric, Genseric— these are names familiar 
enough in our reading of general history. But there are others 
as terrible and as familiar in Russian history, the names of races 
and chieftains who swept into northern Europe from A.sia, hardly 
known to any but specialists in history, so little influence had they 
upon our immediate progenitors. 

The Russian is of that racial group which we call the Slav. 
Our earliest knowledge of the race dates but to the ninth century, 
when they were dwellers in the region now included in Prussia, 




m 

Pn 

o 

% 
o 

< 
» 

<J 
>-• 

P^ 

O 

H 

HI 
(^ 

M 
H 




MAP SHOWING POINTS OF AOIIVE OPERATIONS IN THE WAR BETWEEN 

RUSSIA AND JAPAN. 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 63 

Austria and the Balkan Peninsula, but only a small part of modem 
European Russia. The northeasternmost of these peoples, living 
in the district nearest the St. Petersburg and Moscow of today, 
were perhaps the nucleus of the present Russian Empire. All of 
these people, however, were divided into independent tribes, often 
warring among themselves, and constantly subject to attack from 
their enemies on every side. 

Of all these invading enemies, the most warlike were the ones 
who came down from tlie northv/est, the same who are known in 
western history as the Northmen or Norsemen. AVe do not need 
to be reminded what a large part they played in all western and 
northern Europe. In desperation the Slavs unit(?d— let us speak of 
them as Russians hereafter— and drove back tlie invaders into 
Scandinavia, whence they came. But as soon as the strangers 
were gone internal warfare broke out once more, and confusion 
was worse than ever. It was then that a strange event occurred. 
Two of the Russian tribes, recognizing the prowess of the North- 
men, sent an embassy asking that princes be sent to govern them. 
^*Our country is large and abundant, but there is no order/' said 
the envoys. 

It was in response to this invitation, in the vear 862 A. D., that 
Rurik and two other Scandinavian chieftains came into Russia. 
Rurik reigned at Novgorod, to the south of St. Petersburg, and his 
companions established neighboring capitals. The latter soon 
died, and thus Rurik became the ruling prince of all the northern 
Russians. He left the throne to his descendants, and tlie great 
empire was founded. From Rurik the greatest and proudest of 
the Russian families of today claim their descent. 

It must be admitted that there is a doubt in the mind of the his- 
torian as to whether this story of Rurik is a literal truth. Un- 
questionably he came as a ruler, but there are those wlio believe 
that he was also a conqueror; and that the tradition of the invita- 
tion grew up by the effort of the subjects to explain their subjec- 
tion by an alien. 

Six sovereigns succeeded Rurik and followed the pagan re- 



64 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

ligion of their fathers, but Vladimir, the seventh in descent, who 
succeeded to the throne in 981^ was converted to Christianity. 
This faith was introduced by way of Constantinople by mission- 
aries of the Greek church, who came northward in the year 955. 
Vladimir endeavored to make his own religion the religion of his 
people, and his success was so marked that before the end of his 
reign Eussia was a Christian country, so far as its formal observ- 
ances were concerned. Vladimir endeavored also to introduce 
Greek arts and sciences, and from Greece he procured architects 
and artisans to instruct his people in the various crafts. He was 
as great a warrior as he was a statesman, and his military con- 
quests at one time embraced the whole of Poland. 

Even this early in history, Eussia was beginning to take a 
place among the nations, and three of Vladimir's granddaugh- 
ters, the daughters of his son and successor, married the kings of 
France, Norway and Hungary In those days it was the practice 
for sovereigns to divide their kingdoms among their sons. This 
practice was peculiarlv favored in Eussia, because of the semi- 
independence of the various grand duchies and important cities 
from each other As time went on, however, the Eussians discov- 
ered that they must unite for self-protection, and the strongest 
Grand Duke in each instance was able to dominate the situation 
by his own power. It would be of little interest to catalogue the 
successive sovereigns through the centuries of the Middle Ages. 
Almost the onlv historical facts that have been preserved about 
them refer to warfare, famines and great conflagrations that de- 
stroyed some of the cities. 

It was m the year 1224 that the first Mongolian invasion 
threatened the Eussians. The armies of Genghis Klian, who was 
a ruler of tremendous power and military ability, swept westward 
from his Central Asiatic dominions into Europe and carried every- 
thing before them. Even before that time he had taken posses- 
sion of the west coast of the Caspian, and the lower course of the 
Dnieper river. The southern tribes of what is now European 
Russia, finding themselves overwhelmed by the Mongolian in- 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA G5 

vaders, sent northward to their Russian neighbors and asked for 
lielp. The help was given, and a stand was made near the present 
town of Mariopol. The attacking armies were too strong, liow- 
ever, the Russians were completely routed, and nearly 90,000 of 
their army of 100,000 men were killed or captured. The Tatars 
swept northward unresisted, and put 50,000 of the inhabitants of 
Kiev to the sword. Fire and bloodshed marked their path, but 
finally for some unknown cause they turned backward and re- 
turned to their Central Asian deserts. 

Thirteen years later, Bati Khan, the grandson of the first inva- 
der, came to the Volga with an army of 300,000 men, and once more 
desolated the succession of Russian cities which submitted to his 
arms. The Russian princes proved to be inadequate to stem the 
invasion, and failed utterly to raise and support armies for the 
defense of the country. Once again the Mongols turned back to 
Central Asia, even though their progress was meeting but slight 
resistance. 

These successive invasions left the southern and central parts 
of the country m wretched condition. Taking advantage of the 
situation, a Swedish army came down from the north m 1242 to 
demand the submission of the country. They were met by a Rus- 
sian army under command of Alexander, son of the reigning 
prince of Novgorod, and in a great battle on the banks of the 
Neva he won a victory which saved his country from a Swedish 
conquest and gained him the surname of Nevski. 

One hundred years later Ivan the Second established the pre- 
eminence of Moscow as a city, and made it the capital of Russia, 
with himself as the ruler of all of the neighboring tribes and 
grand duchies. His successor, Dimitri IV, in 1380, met another 
invasion of Tatar hordes near the Don river, and defeated thein 
with great loss, winning for himself the surname of Donski. Two 
years later, however, the Mongols again advanced, and this prince, 
betrayed by his allies, deserted the city, which was devastated 
by fire and sword until it was utterly destroyed. Before this dis- 
aster was repaired still another invasion threatened the capital, 



66 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

this time under the great ruler Tamerlane, or Tinmr the Tatar, 
whose name is among the most famous of all in Central Asian his- 
tory. 

These successive raids of Asiatic hordes, and others which have 
not been indicated, had left the country in a weakened condition, 
and the Tatars had taken possession of southern and eastern Rus- 
sia without difficulty. They maintained capitals at Kazan and 
at Astrakhan, and until the end of the 15th century were a contin- 
ual menace to the Russians of Moscow and the neighboring cities. 
Ivan III is known as one of the great rulers of Russia, because he 
reduced the Tatar city of Kazan, subdued the rival government 
of Novgorod the Great, an ancient republic, and finally destroyed 
and drove out the Golden Horde of Tatars, whose capital was at 
Astrakhan, at the mouth of the Volga. Until his reign all Russian 
sovereigns had paid homage and tribute annually to the Tatar 
conquerers, but Ivan put the ambassadors to death and fought 
the war that resulted to a glorious end and a Russian victory. 
This same j^owerful and ambitious prince of Moscow made treaties 
of alliance with and received ambassadors from the Pope, the Sul- 
tan, the Kings of Denmark and Poland, and the Republic of 
Venice. It was he who first assumed the title of Grand Duke or 
Prmce of Novgorod, Moscow and All Russia, and added to his 
arms the double-headed black eagle, after his marriage with 
Sophia Paleologus, a princess of the imperial Byzantine blood from 
Constantinople. In fact, Ivan III may be called the true founder 
of the modern Russian Empire. 

It was Ivan IV, the first monarch who took the title of Tsar, 
wliose name has become infamous in history as Ivan the Terrible. 
He came to the throne in 1533, as a mere child, and not until twelve 
years later did his personality begin to make itself known. It 
was he who won the final victories over the Tatars at Kazan, and 
carried on various successful campaigns against neighboring mon- 
archs to the north and west. An unsuccessful campaign against 
the King of Poland, and the death of his wife Anastasia, embit- 
tered him and the cruelties of his disposition became unrestrained. 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 67 

As a crown to the many divadful nets of barbarity of wbicli h(^ 
was gmlty, he killed his eldest son with his own staff in a frenzy 
ot rage, and died a prey to the grief and remorse which that crime 
occasioned, after having endeavored to atone for it by giving 
large sums of money to various monaslonos. 

Ivan the Terrible was a peculiar mixture of the liberal and 
the narrow, the cruel and the intelligent. He permitted Protest- 
ant churches to be built in Moscow for the foreign merchants who 
were trading there, but he never shook hands with an ambassador 
from his brother sovereigns of Europe without innnediately wash- 
ing his own hands when the visitor had taken leave. It was he 
who had the Gospels translated into the language of the people, 
and circulated freely throughout his dominions. As with many 
other monarchs his subjects prefer to remember his power and 
his conquests. Says a Russian writer, ^^The brilliant renown of 
Ivan sur\dved the recollection of his bad qualities. The proofs 
of his atrocious actions were buried in the archives, while Kazan, 
Astrakhan and Siberia remained in the eyes of the nation, im- 
perishable monuments of his glory.'' 

One hundred years after the reign of Ivan the Terrible, Peter 
the Great came to the throne of Russia. The intervening cen- 
tury had been marked by civil wars with pretenders to the throne, 
by the murder of possible rivals by sovereigns or their next heirs, 
and by terrible famines m Moscow. It is believed that the famine 
of 1601 was the most appalling that ever devastated the capital 
of a country. Driven by the pangs of hunger, instances occurred 
of mothers having slain and eaten their own children. Men were 
entrapped into dwellings and killed and eaten. One hundred and 
twenty-seven thousand corpses remained for days unburied in the 
streets, and an eye-witness relates that 500,000 persons were car- 
ried off by the awful visitation. In order to alleviate these suf- 
ferings, the Tsar Boris broke open the granaries where food had 
been held at high prices by the avaricious monopolists of the day, 
and caused the grain to be sold at half its value. 

It was the same ruler who established serfdom. In 1597 he 



68 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

issued a decree forbidding peasants to leave the lands on which 
tliey were living. The application of this edict created serfdom as 
a fixed policy of the Empire, and it was nearly 300 years before 
tliat Russian fonn of white slavery was abolished. 

The present imperial family of Russia, which we know as the 
Romanovs, was founded early in the 17th century, and strangely 
enough, as the result of an election. The internal dissensions which 
had weakened the country had made it the victim of foreign in- 
vadei's. One Russian Tsar had been captured and taken to War- 
saw, and the King of Poland had occupied Moscow. This aroused 
at last the latent patriotism of the people, and a stem campaign 
was carried on which resulted finally in the driving out of the 
Polish occupants. It was then, in 1613, that the military chiefs 
and landed proprietors met in assembly and elected as their Tsar 
iNlichael Romanov, son of the head of the church at Rostov, and 
then only 16 years of age. His rule was marked by an enlight- 
ened policy, and many liberties were secured to the people under 
the terms of the act by which he was given the crown. It was his 
grandson, who, in 1682, came to the throne, afterwards to be known 
as Peter the Great. ^ 

This greatest of Russian Tsars in the beginning was but half a 
sovereign, for he was crowned with his half-brother, who was to 
share the throne with him. Sophia, the sister of this partner of 
Peter's, was the Regent m actual control of the administration, 
but civil war soon rose between the various elements of this mixed 
government, and ultimately she was defeated and imprisoned, her 
brother resigned, and in 1689 Peter became sole Tsar, at the age 
of 17 years. The period of his reign, which ended with his death 
in 1725, is one of the most noteworthy in Russian history. The 
ruling passion of Peter was a desire to extend his empire and con- 
solidate his power. The Russian advance toward the Pacific across 
Asia, and toward the Indian ocean by way of Central Asia, was 
planned by this great ruler, and even some of the details of the 
Russian threat against India are found in the records and archives - 
left by Peter the Great. Much of his life was spent in war, and not 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 69 

always successful war, but his persistence was indomital)le, and, 
bv ro{)eated return to the scene of liis defi^ats, he usually suc- 
ceeded in an ultimate victory. The Turks and the Swedes v.'on' 
his most inveterate enemies. 

The works of Peter the Great in peace were as great as those iii 
war. He founded his capital city of St. Petersburg in 1703, choos- 
ing a site for it whieli would enable him to look out on Euroi^s 
but through which Europe could not look into Ilussia. AVith all 
his energy, however, it is hard to approve of his judgment in plac- 
ing Ins city where he did. It litorallv floats upon the islands of tho 
Neva river, and is flooded evorv year when the spring thaws break 
up the ice. Peter possessed m an eminent degree a persevcrin.i; 
mind and a resolute will which defied all difficulties. He formed 
and brought into a high state of discipline a large army; he estab- 
hshed boat building and left his nation with a navv, he built canals 
and other works of public utility throughout his dominions, and 
he established commercial relations with C'hina, and with almost 
every other country on the globe. He ^ isited England and Hol- 
land but studied onlv their navies and expressed his abhorren<'o 
for the liberal principles of their goveniment, which were, of 
course, diametrically opposite from his own absolutism. Great as 
was Peter, he was a man of violent temper and gross vices. He, 
too, killed his own son during a quarrel m the fortress at St. Peters- 
burg, where the young man was imprisoned under suspicion of a 
plot to seize the crown and kill his father 

The name of Catherine is as great in Russian historv as that 
of Vladimir, Peter, Nicholas or Alexander, and orMmrs almasf as 
frequently m the person of various successive sovereigns. It was 
Catherine I who succeeded Peter the Great, and others of the same 
name have left their impress on historv. Tt was not she, however, 
to whom the surname of tho Great was given, but one who cani(^ 
seventv-five ypars later, at the end of the ]'>th century The moral 
standards of the Russian imperial families bad been retrogradin.u, 
if such were possible, with the empresses rivaling' the emperors 
for evil repute Therefore it was no shock to the sensibilities of 



70 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

the nation when the greatest Catherine became also the greatest 
in corruption and licentiousness. It would be far from edifying to 
relate the details of Russian history during these centuries of in- 
trigue, cruelty and imperial infelicity. We can only mention 
here a few of the essential historical facts which occurred during 
the reign of Catherine the Great. She extended the dominions 
of the realm southward and eastward, carried on war with the 
Turks, and formed a league with Sweden and Denmark. She also 
fostered the sciences, arts and literature, introduced important 
changes into the condition of the nobility and clergy, and began to 
organize a legislative commission, which would have been a great 
step toward liberty of thought. However, the embryo parliament 
early in its session commenced an inquiry into the evils of serfdom 
and the Empress promptly dissolved it. 

Catherine was succeeded by her son Paul in 1796. He waged 
war against the French and the Italians, showed various eccen- 
tricities which made people doubt the soundness of his mind, 
and, finally, in 1801, his short reign was closed when a delegation 
of his generals strangled him to death in his own palace at St. 
Petersburg 

With the death of the Emperor Paul and the succession of Al- 
exander, his eldest son, at the age of twenty-four, we reach what 
is the beginning of the modem era of Russian history. Alexander 
came to the throne in 1801, and in a very short time was involved 
in tbe Napoleonic wars which swept over all Europe. The Rus- 
sians were defeated with their Austrian allies at Austerlitz in 1805, 
and after two years of negotiation and warfare Napoleon and Al- 
exander met on a raft in the middle of the Nieman river and^ con- 
cluded an armistice which was a prelude to the treaty of Tilsit, 
making Russia the ally of France. 

Two years later, in 1809, the alliance was broken and once 
more Alexander and Napoleon were enemies. Intermittetit hostili- 
ties continued until the invasion of Russia by Napoleon in 1812. 
By many historians this is considered the beginning of Napoleon's 
downfall With a splendid army he moved steadily northeast- 




O 





S 

w 

a 



53 
tf O 

M CO 

CQ V 
M 

M 



(-1 
o 

o 



CQ CO 
^h1 



o 
02 



G 
O 







':.' '•.''54 




JAPANESE CAVALRY 
Unloading the Small Japanese Ponies Used by the Mounted Troops of the 

Mikado *s Army. 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 75 

ward, the Russians withdrawing before him, until finally on the 
14th of September, the golden minarets and starry domes of Mos- 
cow came into the view of the French army. ^^AU this is yours/' 
said Napoleon to his enthusiastic followers. The shout of ' ' Mos- 
cow, Moscow'' was taken up by the foremost ranks and carried 
to the rear of the army. Hastening forward from Sparrow Hills 
Napoleon's army bivouacked in Moscow the same night, only to 
learn that the city had been evacuated not only by the Russian 
army, but by most of the inhabitants as well. Four days later the 
city was fired by the patriotic Russians, and in the terrible con- 
flagration that followed the splendid capital was almost utterly 
destroyed. Violence and pillage added to the horror of the de- 
vastation, and when the flames died nothing was left of Moscow, 
says a Russian writer, save the remembrance of the city and the 
deep resolution to avenge its fate. 

Napoleon found that an invading army could not live in Russia, 
nor could it meet and defeat the defending forces in a general en- 
gagement. Every effort made to negotiate with Alexander was 
rejected, and finally, on the 19tli of October, the French warrior 
turned his back on Moscow with his army and his plunder, aban- 
doning his empty conquest. 

This retreat from Eussia is a pitiful story of suffering. It is 
reckoned as one of the most complete disasters that ever befell 
an army. Cold and famine were enemies that could not be faced, 
and they were the allies of the Eussian forces that hung on the 
flanks of the retreating army to harass them by day and night. 
The retreat became a rout and ended in utter confusion. The cam- 
paign against Eussia began with an army of about 500,000 men. 
Of these less than 50,000 returned out of the general wreck safely 
to France. Of the others some 200,000 had been taken prisoners, 
.125,000 had been slain in battle, and as many more were dead from 
fatigue, hunger and cold. 

So broken was the power of Napoleon by this catastrophe that 
the European combination against him at last became effective, 
and on the 31st of March. 1814, Alexander of Eussia had the satis- 



76 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

faction of marching into Paris at the head of his army, which was 
one of the divisions of Allied Europe. 

After the general peace of 1815 Alexander devoted himself to 
the internal improvement of his country, and his reign was marked 
by many judicious and liberal changes in the method of govern- 
ment and by a general advance in the welfare of his people. 

Puring the reign of the Emperor Nicholas, which extended from 
1825 to 1856, Eussia continued to rise in prominence in interna- 
tional affairs. The period was marked by a gradual extension of 
the territories of Russia, southward and eastward into Asia, and 
warfare cursed several years of the reign. Hostilities were car 
ried on successively with Persia, Turkey, Poland and Hungary. 
Most important of all, however, was the Crimean War, which be- 
gan in the fall of 1853 and continued for nearly three years. Be- 
fore it ended, England and France were drawn into the conflict 
as allies of Turkey, and the war is memorable for several names 
which have come into poetry as well as into historj^ The siege 
of Sevastopol, the Battle of Alma, the Battle of Inkennann, the 
storinmg of tlie Malakov and the Eedan fortifications, and the 
Charge of the Light Brigade were events in this campaign never 
to be forgotten by students of military liistor}^ It was in this 
war that the older generals of the Russian army of to-day had their 
baptism of fire as young subalterns, and the lessons they learned 
then are being applied now to the war with Japan. 

The Emperor Alexander H succeeded to the throne in 1856, and 
his reign of twenty-five years was likewise marked by warfare 
without, material improvement within his realm, and internal dis- 
sension among his people. Russians call him the Great Tsar Lib- 
erator, for it was he who, in 1861, declared the end of serfdom 
and the emancipation of more than fifty million white slaves. It 
is significant to note that this action was taken before the out- 
break of our own Civil War, and was voluntary on the part of an 
autocrat. The emancipation was carried out peaceably, except for 
a few isolated outbreaks in remote regions of the Empire, where 
the terms of the proclamation were not understood. 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 77 

The international history of Alexander's reign ended like that 
of liis predecessor, with a significant war with Tnrkey. This 
latest of Russo-Turkish wars began in 1877 and continued for 
about one year. No other powers were drawn into hostilities, but 
in the settlement of terms of peace at the end of the war, Austria 
and Great Britain interfered in behalf of Turkey, to curtail the 
Russian claims, which would have made the Black Sea virtually 
a Russian lake. In this war, the names most famous among the 
list of battles are Shipka Pass, Plevna, Kars and Erzeroum. The 
men of greatest fame, whose names came into publicity at that 
time, were the Russian generals Gourko, Skobelev, Annenkov, Tod- 
leben and Melikov. Among the Turks, Osinan Pasha gained a 
place in history for his remarkable military abilities. 

It is in connection with the reign of Alexander II, the Tsar 
Liberator, that we may speak of the rise of the revolutionary^ sen- 
timent in Russia. Such names as Nihilist, Anarchist, Terrorist, 
and the like, are generally arbitrary and do not always define what 
position is taken by those to whom the names are applied. The 
revolutionists of Russia did not begin by calling themselves Ni- 
hilists, but the name was applied to them from without. It is suf- 
ficient to say that a large class grew up in Russia, which desired 
the establishment of constitutional government and the end of 
the autocracy. The policy of suppression of free speech and free 
thought made their efforts to teach their sentiments objectionable, 
and even criminal. They were repressed with violence, and they 
used violence in return. Plots against the life of officials from the 
Emperor down, multiplied in number. At least half a dozen at- 
tempts were made to destroy the life of the Tsar. The Chief of 
the Secret Police of the Empire was assassinated on the streets of 
St. Petersburg. Young women students of the universities vied 
with young men in sharing the dangers of the conspiracy, and the 
actual assassination. Vera Zassulich attempted the life of the 
Chief of Police of St. Petersburg in his own house, and was ac- 
quitted of the crime by a jury. As a result a policy of the sternest 
sort was put in force toward the restless elements. At one time the 



J 



78 RUSSIAN AJ)VA\(^K ACROSS ASIA 

railway train on wlii(*h the Tsai- was to travel was blown n)i ])v a 
mine placed under tlie track. At another iinie an explosion of 
dynamite under the dining room of tlie AVinter Pala.ce at St 
Petersburg killed and wounded a large number of the guards who 
were there to protect the Emperor and his guests during a ban- 
(juet about to be served. At last, on Sunday, March 13, 1881, as 
the Emperor was driving along the street, an explosive shell was 
thrown at his feet and be was carried home to die in an hour. 
It is necessarj^ to study the further history of the Kussian revo- 
lutionists in Siberia. 

A natural result of the assassination of Alexander was the 
apj)lication of even stricter measures of repression against the 
revolutionists. The empire was declared under a state of siege, 
and martial law was put in effect everywhere. Universities were 
closed, civil courts found their jurisdiction almost gone, newspa- 
pers were suppressed, and the population of Siberia was augmented 
rapidly by the exile thither of large numbers of the most intel- 
lectual and advanced thinkers of European Russia. 

It is declared by man}" writers who follow certain Russian his- 
torical authorities that it had been the intention of Alexander II 
to establish constitutional government and a parliament. They 
go so far as to declare that a draft of the constitution and a plan 
for a legislative body to be elected by the people were found on 
his desk, their promulgation intermitted only by his assassination. 
Justice demands, however, that doubt be cast on this assertion, 
however widely it may be accepted. The liberals of Russia utterly 
discredit the statement, claiming it to be but a Machiavellian 
method of arousing further sympathy for the amiable monarch 
himself, and further condemnation for the revolutionists. 

Alexander III, who inherited the throne^, and father of the 
present Tsar, had married a Danish princess, sister of the present 
Queen of England. The family connection between the reigning 
sovereigns of England, German}^ and Russia, therefore, is very 
close, inasmuch as the sister of the present King of England was 
the mother of the Emperor William of Gennany. 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 79 

The reign of Alexander escaped the miseries of international 
war, and, indeed, was less marred by internal outbreak than some 
of its predecessors had been. The restlessness of the liberals was 
no less general, but it was subdued by the policy of repression in 
effect, and had less publicity therefore. This ruler died and was 
succeeded by his oldest son, Nicholas II, the present Emperor of 
Russia, on November 1, 1894. The young man came to the throne 
at the age of twenty-six years, and already has gained among his 
own ]3eople the title of Tsar Pacificator, because of his manifest 
personal desire for peace within his realm and without. It is a 
strange irony that in spite of this peaceful disposition, which is 
generally accredited to him as a man of gentleness rather than 
force, it should be his reign which encompasses the significant 
war between Occident and Orient in Eastern Asia. 

After this rapid glance at the history of the Russian govern- 
ment and sovereigns, we need to observe the extension of Russian 
rule in Asia. The Asiatic territories of the Tsar are to be con- 
sidered in three distinct divisions, and each has been gained by 
a method of its own and along a different line of advance. These 
may be characterized as the Russian territories in the Caucasus; 
the Russian governments of Turkestan, or Central Asia; and Si- 
beria proper, with its later extensions south and east toward the 
Pacific. We of the United States have been far more interested 
in the latter of these than the others, but the diplomats of Euroi)e 
have had to reckon with the Russian advance toward the Indian 
Ocean as not second in importance to the movement toward the 
Pacific. 

The gradual conquest of the Caucasus resulted through suc- 
cessive hostilities with the rulers of Georgia, the ancient kingdom 
which included those regions, and with Turkey and Persia, the 
boundaries of which formerly included much that is now Russian 
territory. Roughly speaking, the Caucasus includes the region 
lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, traversed by 
a mountain barrier ^hicli connects these two bodies of water and 
forms the boundary between Europe and Asia. The ancient king- 



80 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

dom of Georgia itself was annexed to Russia more than a century 
ago, and the successive wars with Turkey have extended Russian 
boundaries southward until the entire east shore of the Black 
Sea is Russian, and the west shore of the Caspian is equally under 
the authority of St. Petersburg. An important railway extends 
from Batum, on the Black Sea, through Tiflis, the capital, to Baku, 
on the Caspian, the center of a tremendous petroleum industry 
All this is Russian, and so dominant are the Russmns along the 
southern shore of the Caspian and in Northern Persia that this 
great land-locked sea, five times as large as Lake Superior, is 
virtually a Russian lake. It is Germany and England that are 
most concerned about the Russian advance m this direction, for 
the Muscovites are aiming for a port on the Persian gulf, a rail- 
way from Baku through Persia to this port, and an entrance into 
the trade of the Indian Ocean and the East Indies. 

The Russian conquest of Central Asia has been more spectacu- 
lar and more rapid than was the conquest of the Caucasus. The 
region thus roughly characterized lies to the south of Western 
Siberia. It is bounded on the south by Persia and Afghanistan, 
on the east by the westernmost regions of the Chinese Empire, and 
on the west by the Caspian Sea. The conquest of Central Asia 
really began with the occupation of Tashkend, and since that 
event, m 1864, there has been hardly an interruption in the ex- 
tension of the boundaries of Russia east and south. 

No one knows when Russia and Central Asia first came into 
relations either peaceful or warlike, but there are records of Rus- 
sian invasions of Kliiva as far back as the beginning of the seven- 
teenth century, in which the invaders were defeated with great 
regularity A hundred years later the Khan of Khiva heard such 
wonderful tales of the power of Russia that he sent an envoy to 
Peter the Great with a request to be taken under his protection as 
a subject. Nothing came of that, but in 1717 Peter sent an expe- 
dition of 3,000 men to capture the tempting territories of which he 
had heard enticing tales. The expedition was destined to end in 
utter disaster, for successive detachments were waylaid by Khi- 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 81 

vans in ambush, and the Russians were exterminated to a man. 
Year after year punitory expeditions were sent from Russia, all 
ending with utter failure. There was some trade between Russia 
and the Khanates, mostly transacted at the great fairs of Russia, 
but whenever Russian travelers or traders went southward thev 
were robbed, slaughtered or sold into slaveiy. 

One of the famous expeditions against the Emir of Khiva was 
that under Gen. Perovski. He started from Orenburg, in eJune, 
1839, with 6,000 men, 7,000 carts and 10,000 camels. One year 
later he reached Orenburg on his return march, with less than 
one-third of his original force, and with but 1,000 of the camels 
with which he had started. He had covered onlv half the distance 
to his destination, and had not even come in contact with the 
enemy he was to destroy. The deserts had defeated him. 

The next advance of the Russians into Central Asia was made 
by a more eastern route, in the effort to reach Tashkend without 
passing through the Khanates of Khiva and Bokhara. This line 
of advance was more successful, and although progress was inter- 
rupted by the Crimean War, the northern invaders slowly but 
surely encroached on the territory of the rulers of the oases. Tasli- 
kend, the capital of the country, was taken m 1864, and fcJur years 
later Samarkand, the Maracanda of Alexander the Great, fell into 
the hands of the Russians. The next territory to be absorbed was 
the rich valley of Ferghana, which was annexed to Russia in 1876, 
after a war with Khokand. Tins was the last extension of Russian 
authority southeastward into Central Asia until the absoq^tion of 
the Pamirs in 1892. 

The conquests which have been described did not give the Rus- 
sians access to the Caspian Sea, for the region between the lOian- 
ates of Central Asia and that great body of water was held by a 
warlike race of nomadic tribesmen, allied with the desert which 
was their home, and ver>^ difficult to reach by invading armies. 
These were the Turkomans. Several campaigns in succession had 
failed to subdue them, when Skobelev was put in command of an 
expedition which was desired to be final. Russian histories are 



.^!> UrSSlAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

lull of the aceouiits of glorious victories over the savages of tlie 
dissert, but other histories of the same conquests call the same vic- 
tories massacres, so that there is a considerable discrepancy as to 
the significance of the facts. At any rate the conquest ultimate! v 
reached the point whei(^ Skol;eh^v was in command, and the Turko- 
man stronghold of Geok-Tepe was the only place of consequence 
which was holding out. This is but a few miles from the citv of 
Askhabad, now the capital of the territoiy known as Trans-Caspia. 

This fortress was the strongest fortification in (Central Asia and 
was garrisoned by 35,000 Turkomans, who proved their ability as 
fighting men to the very end. The final assault on the ramparts 
was made on Jannarv 24, 1S81. The Russians entered in foree 
through a breach m the wall made by an explosion, and at last, 
after a desperate resistance, the defenders fled irom tlieir strong- 
hold to make their wav across the plain a few miles to the moun- 
tains on the Persian boundarv, leaving 4,000 dead behind them, 
Skobelev ordc^rcd pursuit, with instructions to give no quarter. 
The infantry followed the fleeing multitude for seven miles and 
the cavalrv for eleven. All who had not succeeded m escaping be- 
fore that time, men, women and children, were killed in flight. In 
Skobelev ^s official report he stated that during the pursuit, after 
the assault, 8,000 of both sexes were killed, and he estimates the 
total number of Turkomans killed in the siege at 20,000. Lord 
Curzon, in his report of the affair, says that it was ^^not a rout 
but a massacre, not a defeat but an extirpation.^^ This was the 
end of armed opposition to the assimilation of Turkomania by the 
Russian EmjDire. 

Since that time, with few interruptions, the histoiy of Russia 
in Central Asia has been peaceful. The railway which Generals 
Annenkov and Skobelev built eastward from the Caspian Sea to 
assist their military operations, has been extended 1,500 miles 
across the Bactrian desert and the rich oases, until it comes within 
actual view of the Pamirs, that tremendous mountain chain which 
marks the nortlieni boundan^ of India. The easternmost terminus 
of the line is at Andijan, from which one may almost see India, 




BAYONET EXERCISH WITH DUMMIES. 
Fuursian Troops Practice a Charge Upon OscilL^ting Effigies of Foes. 




A HOSPITAL COUPS. 
Japanese Branch of the Sed Cross Society 




KTAOfJHAIT a"ERMAN NAVAT RTATTOM 



UUSSIAN ADVAN( E ACilOSS ASIA H5 

and the western territories of the C'hin(\so Empire. A branch di- 
verges from this main line and inins northward to Tashkend, the 
capital of all Central Asia. The Ime is operated as a military rail- 
way, and it is not yet freely aecessil)Ie to travi^lers, but those who 
obtain permission from the Russian government m St. Petersl)urg 
have at their disposal one of the most interesting journeys in tlie 
world. In the course of the five-day railway ride from Krasno- 
vodsk on the Caspian to Andijan and Taslikend m Central Asia, 
the traveler crosses the desert, sees ancient IMerA^ Bokhara, Samar- 
khan, Khokand, and half a dozen other cities of historic and ro- 
mantic interest, crosses the two gi^eat rivers, Svr Daria and Amu 
Daria, the Jaxartes and Oxus of the ancients, and has opportunity 
to observe the remains of civilizations thousands of years old, that 
have changed but little since the dawn of recorded history. 

Returning now to the northera line of advance by Russia, we 
find Siberia offering details of immense interest to American read- 
ers. There is a very definite parallel between Siberia as the Great 
East of Russia, and our own Great AVest of the Ignited States. 
Each required courageous pioneers to advance by difficult marches, 
through trackless forests, across irreat rivers, and over mountain 
ranges, before cities could be built and commerce established m 
the remote regions. Siberia furnishes its picturesque conquerors 
to history, men who mav be named m the list with Cortez and Pi- 
zarro, DeSoto and DeNarvaez. They found no high civilization 
awaiting them, with jewels and gold as a reward, no land of tropic 
lieauty to delight them, but only a vast count rv sweeping north 
to the Polar Sea, inhabited by rude and pi^imitive races, its cli- 
mate harsh over large portions of the land, and its riches requiring 
labor to develop them. The gold of Siberia had not been washed 
from the rivers and formed into ornaments ready for the con 
queror^s hand, as was the gold of Mexico and of Peru. The furs 
were rich, but the getting of them meant long winters in the Far 
North. Agriculture was in the future, and was never considered 
as one of the inducements to conquest. In spite of what seem 
now to have been small temptations and great difficulties, the 



86 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

Russian advance across Asia to the Pacific Ocean was the most 
rapid of all such progresses which history records, if its extent be 
calculated. 

Yermak was the first Russian conqueror who left a great name 
behind him by his work to the east of the Urals, and to-day he is 
all but canonized by Russian historians. Others dispute as to ^ 
his right to be called great, but there is no doubt that his work 
was in large measure the influence which added Siberia to the 
Russian possessions. 

The first raids upon Siberia were made in the twelfth century 
by traders from Novgorod, who sought the valuable furs. But no 
settlement or permanent conquest was intended. Some hundreds 
of years later traders from Moscow made similar incursions across 
the Urals, and on the way they built huts, cultivated the land, 
and made small settlements on the European side of the moun- 
tains. In 1499, seven years after the first voyage of Columbus, 
the Muscovites sent an armed expedition, which conquered lands 
on the Obi River, and returned with many prisoners. This expe- 
dition brought back wonderful tales of the country and its people, 
which in course of time became interesting legends. 

Next came the period of the Tatar hordes, who raided western 
Siberia, then called Yugra, just as they raided Russia itself. These 
early Siberians offered to pay tribute to the Russians on condition 
of being protected from the Tatars, and Ivan the Terrible, who 
about that time was victorious over the Asian invaders, accepted 
the ofTer with alacrity. About all he ever did was to collect the 
tribute, sadly neglecting the obligation which it incurred, of com- 
ing to the help of the hapless Siberians. 

Cossacks under Yermak were the real pioneer conquerors of the 
land. Wild horsemen they were, and it was the pleasure of such 
lawless raiders to fight Tatars or anyone else who stood m the 
way. When at last Russian settlements were firmly fixed in the 
Urals, the family of Stroganov, now one of the greatest in Russian 
nobility, rose to be among the most rich and powerful of all the 
scattered settlers. By an imperial charter they were granted cer- 



RUSSLiN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 87 

tain commercial and industrial monopolies, and exemption from 
taxation. In exchange for these privileges they were required to- 
defend Russia from the incursions of the wild races beyond tlie 
mountains. For three generations the Stroganovs gained great 
wealth while thus defending their country. By this time they 
had learned the possibilities of the great region beyond, and they 
induced Ivan the Temble, the reigning Tsar, to extend their char- 
ter and permit them to begin an invasion of Asia at their own ex- 
pense. 

Yermak had been a boatman on the Volga River, then a Cos- 
sack freebooter, and finally a river pirate, plundering vessels wliero 
before he had earned an honest living. At last the Tsar ordered 
that Yermak and his band be captured and hanged, and an army 
was sent to execute the order. The adventurers fled northeast- 
ward up the Kama River to the wild country in the edge of tlic 
Urals, where their leader had passed his boyhood. It was just 
then tli-at the Stroganovs had received their charter autliorizmg 
them to attempt the conquest of Siberia. Yerm:ik was the right 
man for the undertaking, and they, caring nothing for his past 
history, induced him to head the army of invasion. His lieuten- 
ants were the pirate leaders who had been his trusted men in the 
years past. His expedition was composed of 800 men, including 
a considerable element of the Don Cossacks, augmented by a rab- 
ble of other fugitives from justice, border ruffians of half a dozen 
races. These the Stroganovs armed and equipped, and the motley 
army set off for the conquest of Siberia. 

It was on New Year's Day, 1580, that Yeniiak and his men 
started across the Ural Mountains into Siberia. They had the 
best equipment of the times, including light cannons, muskets and 
arquebuses. The invaders advanced almost without opposition, 
through the forests of the Urals and the Tobol River, but at last 
the Tatar rulers whose power was threatened, began to take alarm 
and attempted to make a stand. The whole country belonged to 
Kutchum Klian, an old and blind Tatar chief, the same who in his 
earlier days had put to death the envoys sent by Ivan to demand 



88 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

trilnitr. As was to be expected, Yermak was successful m all his 
battlos. His muskets terrified all enemies, and none could with- 
stand them. 1I(» proved himself untiring in energy and fertile in 
stratei^v, and his movement on Lsker, or Sibir, the Tatar capital, 
on the banks of tlie litisli River, was uneliecked by a smgle disas- 
ter The town of Sibir was taken on October 26, 1581, and the 
Tatar chief fled southward with tlie remnant of his forces. The 
liussians adopted the name of the town as the name of the sur- 
rounding country, and from that eomes the name of the great land 
of Siberia. 

After this ,i;reat victoiy, Yennak sent his lieutenant back to 
IJussia to offer to the Tsar the new land which he had conquered. 
Tlieir Imperial master promptly pardoned the great freebooter all 
his former crimes, accepted the i>']ft at his hands, and sent oflficers 
to assist him with a ]}ody of tro0])s. Yermak 's campaign contin- 
ued for two years after this. lie was unifoiTuly successful in spite 
of treaeheries, heavy losses, distressing winters, and sickness 
am<fng his men. Blind Kutchum, the Tatar, never gave up the 
struggle. He renewed his fight with troops drawn from the armies 
of his southera allies in the Steppes. Yennak started with fifty 
(Cossacks to meet the old warrior, but failing to find him, relaxed 
Ins vigilance one night and in the extreme of exhaustion pitched 
a camp on the banks of the Ti-tish River and failed to maintain a 
^uard. This was on the night of August 4, 1584. In the middle 
of the night, during a blinding stonn, Kutchum and his men at- 
tacked the sleeping camp. Every Cossack was butchered before 
he could rise, except one who escaped to tell the news, and Yermak 
himself. The conqueror fought for his life, but finding himself 
overwhelmed, dashed into the river in the hope of reaching one 
of the boats. The weight of his armor dragged him down to death, 
and tliere in the river his body was discovered a few days later, to 
be identified by its rich coat of mail, and the golden eagle on his 
breast. 

Yennak must have been no ordinary man, though Eussian his- 
torians may have glorified him too much and others may have gone 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 89 

to the other extreme in calling him nothing but a swashbuckling 
highwayman. At any rate, his name to-day is honored all over 
Siberia, in the highest and humblest homes, as that of a cherished 
national hero, and his exploits are the subject of numberless songs 
and legends. 

The death of the first conqueror, who in his campaigns had 
covered the regions of the Tobol and the Irtish, with many smaller 
rivers, was a blow to the progress of conquest, but the government 
at Moscow could not afford to let the country rest as it was, and 
troops under new leaders were hurried in to take up the work 
where he had left it. 

Gradually the line of block houses which served for forts was 
pushed eastward and southward, always following the rivers, 
which were the only avenues of communication. The Cossacks 
were the pioneers year after year, familiar as they were with a life 
of hardship, and with the methods of river travel as well as of 
fighting. They dragged their boats across the portages from the 
tributaries of the Obi to those of the Yenisei, and so reached the 
heart of the country by way of the intersecting river routes. To- 
bolsk was founded some fifteen miles from the destroyed capital 
Sibir, in 1587, and in the early part of the next century the Cossack 
settlements on the Yenisei were begun. Yeniseisk itself dates from 
about 1620. 

Ten years later came the news of the discovers^ of another great 
river, the Lena, far to the eastward, on the banks of which lived 
another strange race, the Yakuts. The boldest pioneers humed 
there, and in 1630, the catch of sables— for furs were the wealth 
that tempted— amounted to 2,000 skins. The town of Yakutsk, 
since then one of the more notable exile stations, was established 
two years later, and the new river with its numerous tributaries 
became a great highway of trade. None of these advances was 
made without war, but always the Cossacks conquered, and their 
progress was constant and irresistible. It was in the vicinity of 
Lake Baikal that the hardest figl.ting was met in the resistance 
offered by the Buriats, a Mongolian tribe, but that was overcome 



JJO RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

as the other opposition had been, and in 1651 the city of Irkutsk 
was founded. 

In seventy years then the Cossack bands had penetrated from 
tlie Ural mountains eastward to the very center of Siberia, and 
northeastward even beyond Lake Baikal to the- shores of the Lena 
Eiver, and the country from the mountains thus far was added to 
the possessions of the Russian crown. 

The Russian advance into Siberia, as far as just described, was 
made through lands belongmg to semi-civilized races. It was not 
until Lake Baikal was passed in the eastward march that the Rus- 
sian conquerors had to reckon with an organized government with 
a recognized civilization of its own. Not until Lake Baikal was 
passed did the Russians meet the Chinese, and the history of Russo- 
Chinese relations, instead of being entirely warlike, involves the 
struggles of diplomacy, as well as those of arms. 

Fifteen years before the founding of Irkutsk rumors of rich val- 
leys along the Amur River and its tributaries had enticed wander- 
ing Cossack adventurers to penetrate thither, and, indeed, one 
party had crossed Asia by a more northerly route and reached the 
Sea of Okhotsk. In 1643, therefore, the first Russian expedition 
to the Amur left Yakutsk, bound southward into the region bor- 
dering on the recognized territories of the Chinese Empire and 
itself inhabited by Mongolian tribes. This party, under the com- 
mand of Poyarkov, descended the great river to its mouth, and re- 
turned a year later to receive high honor for the exploration. 

Khabarov was the next commander to penetrate the region. 
He took with him strong bodies of troops, built forts along the 
river, fought battles impartially with native tribesmen or Man- 
churian soldiers from China, and gradually extended Russian 
power by strong measures. Russian villages began to grow along 
the Amur, a governor was sent to take charge of the remote settle- 
ments, and the Chinese took fright at the encroachment on their 
territory, for the lower Amur at that time was absolutely within 
the Chinese boundaries. In 1683 China began to send military 
forces to expel the intruders, and six years of intermittent warfare 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 91 

ensued, with varying results. At different times each power suf- 
fered severe losses, but in the end, by the treaty of Nerchinsk, 
signed August 29, 1689, peace was restored. 

This first treaty of Russia with an Asiatic power is noteworthy 
also as marking almost the only instance m which Russians have 
withdrawn from territory once occupied. Under the terms of the 
treaty they were compelled to evacuate and destroy the forts and 
villages they had built on the Amur, and withdraw from the dis- 
puted region. It was more than 150 years before the Russians 
regained their foothold in the valley of the Amur, of which their 
dominance now is absolute. During this long interval Russian au- 
thority was extended unbrokenly from the region just east of Lake 
Baikal to the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea, but this was a poor 
substitute for the milder and more fertile valley of the Amur, 
with its rich possibilities of trade with China. Repeated Russian 
embassies to Peking were welcomed or rebuffed according to the 
temper of the Chinese, but except for clandestine trade of small 
importance, no headway was made toward establishing friendly 
relations in Eastern Asia. 

In 1847 the Tsar sent Count Muraviev to be governor of East- 
ern Siberia, and this energetic ojfficer promptly showed a purpose 
to extend Russian power eastAvard along the Amur River to the 
Pacific Ocean. For six years successive exploring parties studied 
the river, the coast line, and the islands north and south of the 
mouth of the Amur. Several Russian outposts were established 
on the lower course of the river and on neighboring islands. The 
outbreak of the Crimean war threatened the safetv of these out- 
posts, by the presence of French and English fleets in the Nortli 
Pacific, and at the same time forbade the sending of supplies to 
the defenders by the long voyage around Africa and Asia. Here 
was Muraviev ^s opportunity. The relief of the settlements was a 
clear excuse, and the governor promptly organized a large expedi- 
tion of soldiers, scientists and supplies, and with it Boated down 
the Amur to the sea. Little Chinese opposition was shown, and 
from this time Russian occupation of the valley advanced rapidly. 



92 RUSSIAN ADVANCE AiJKOSS ASIA 

By the time the Crimean war ended the British and French 
were besieging Peking to pnnish the Chmese for affronts received, 
and just as happened years later, all the powers took advantage 
of China's distress to enforce treaties at will. When the readjust- 
ment was concluded Kussia found herself with treaties adding to 
the Tsar^s possessions the north bank of the Amur River as far 
as the Ussuri, the whole of the Maritime Province of Manchuria 
between the Ussuri liiver and the sea, navigation and trade rights 
on the rivers of j\Ianchuria tributary to the Amur, new consulates 
and trade privileg(\s, and a rectified boundary extending Russian 
territory in Central Asia. 

Slowly but surely the Russians have been extending their in- 
fluence in Manchuria and m Peking ever since that time. Mer- 
chant colonies proteeted by Cossack soldiers have been established. 
Surveying parties and scientists have scrutinized the country in 
detail. The best books and maps of Northern China are those by 
Russian authoiities. Finally when the utter defeat of China by 
Japan in the war of 1895 showed the weakness of Chinese defense, 
Russia found a new method of advance. The great northern 
power had found Vladivostok not quite satisfactory as a naval 
station, owing to the ice-bound condition of the harbor during sev- 
eral months each year, and had been casting longing eyes on the 
tempting harbors in the Korean coast line, although debarred from 
a seizure by Great Britain's attitude and strength. Victorious 
Japan obtained a treaty from China providing for the independ- 
ence of Korea, the payment of a large indemnity, the cession of 
the rich island of Fonnosa, and finally the cession to Japan of the 
Liaotung Peninsula, on which is Port Arthur. Japan had cap- 
tured this naval and military station by siege and assault, and 
held it at the time of the treaty-making. 

At this point Russia stepped in, and secured the assent of 
France and Germany to a concerted protest against the Japanese 
occupation of any territoiy on the main land of Asia, on the plea 
that the integrity of the Chinese Empire must be preserved. It 
was futile to oppose the wish of these great powers, so Japan con- 




f 'jiirt^sif of Ec( ryhody's Mmttr.nv 

RUSSIAN IMPERIAL FAMILY 
Czar and Czarina With Their Four Daughters. 







COUNT LEO TOLSTOI. 

The Nobleman Who Espouses the Cause of the, Russian Peasants, Works With Them 
in Barefeet and Denounces the Injustice of the Russian Oovernment. 






m 














o 

M 
» 

H 
<! 
O 

o 

» 

P4 
(I4 
P$ 
O 
H 

i-t 

xn 

xn 



gr-it>-^*m 



o 
^ 



o 

c 




""T^^r-v^ 



RUSSIAN AIJVAXCE ACKOSS ASIA 97 

sented to forego the possession of Port Arthur, iu return for an in- 
creased indemnity. 

Next came the Cassmi convention or treaty, negotiated at Pe- 
king by the present Kussian Ambassador to the United States, 
then Minister to China, granting the right to buihl, maintain and 
protect a railway across Manchuria, conneetiug the Siberian Kail- 
way proper with the Kussian naval station Vladivostok. Under 
the liberal interpretation of these clauses the Russians built cities 
and military posts all along the line of the railway, introducing 
thousands of soldiers into Manchuria, and making the northera 
part of the province, to all intents and purposes, as Kussian as is Si- 
beria. 

It had not proved expedient, however, to show activities m 
SoutheiTL Manchuria, until in the fall of 1897 Gennany seized the 
harbor of Kiaochau as a penalty for the murder of two German 
missionaries by the Chinese. This was Kussia's o])portunity Im- 
mediately a Kussian squadron moved into Port Arthur, and from 
that day to this it has been a Kussian fortified naval station. Here 
begins the most bitter animosity of Japan to Kussia. It was bad 
enough to be denied the fruits of victory m such fashion, but a 
himdred times worse to discover a little later that Kussia in re- 
turn for the intercession m China's behalf had herself been given 
that very Port Arthur for her own. Japanese will never f(M'l that 
they have squared the matter till they have taken Port Arthur 
from the Russians, and made it their own. This will account in 
part for the pertinacity with which the Japanese continued their 
harassing campaign against that Russian stronghold. 

The Boxer outbreak of 1900, centenng around the besieged le- 
gations at Peking, gave to the Russians another exeuse for enlarg- 
ing their force and strengthening their position in ]\rancliuria. At 
the same time it enabled the other European powers to obtain ad- 
ditional trade and railway-building concessions in the Chinese 
Empire. 

After the first granting of Port Arthur to the Russians, the 
Qiher i)owpr? demanded like favors from China, and England, 



98 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

Frauce and Italy in turn were given ports on the Cliinese coast 
which they could use for military and naval stations in like fashion. 
This has helped to incense Japan, as another manifestation of the 
fact that Kussia was but speaking for herself and not for China 
when declaring that the integrity of Chinese territory must be 
preserved. 

Later Russian treaties with China ha\ e permitted the construc- 
tion of the railway to Port Arthur, and by virtue of occupancy the 
Russians have been in a position to dictate trade conditions and 
almost all admmistratLve details in Manchuria. Thus not only 
has Chinese authority in that province been virtually eliminated, 
but the interests of other powers, particularly the United States, 
England and Japan, have been seriously affected. For this reason 
American diplomacy has had a share in negotiations with Russia 
concerning ]\fancliuna, although no clash has been imminent at 
anv time. AVe are thus brought up to the period in the autumn 
of liMJo, when a Russo-Japanese clash began to threaten as a result 
of conditions in i\lancliuria and along the coasts of Eastern Asia. 

Let us now look at the Siberian Railway for a moment, not 
only as a factor of immense importance in the industrial and eco- 
nomie development of the countiy it traverses, but as a iniliiarv 
and political factor in the present conflict. Russians long had 
recognized that a transcontinental railway was an imperative ne- 
(*essitv, to bind their remote settlements on the Pacific to the seat 
of government and trade in Europe; to develop the agricultural 
and commercml possibilities of the tremendous areas of mid- 
Siberia, and to strengthen the military and political position of 
Russia in the Orient. In ISDl the constniction of the line began 
at Vladivostok, with elaborate ceremonies and the turning of the 
first shovelful of earth by the present Tsar, then heir to the throne. 
Twelve years later, direct train service from Moscow to Vladivos- 
tok and Port Arthur was inaugurated, the line complete across two 
continents, for a jouraey of more than 6,000 miles, except for the 
short ferry across Lake Baikal. Within another year it is prom- 
ised that this interruption will be ended by the completion of the 



RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 99 

line now building through the difficult country around the southern 
end of that great lake. 

This is the most rei^iarkable example of rapid railway con- 
struction known to the world. Except for the complacent treaty 
with China the result could not have been accomplished so readily, 
for the permission to construct the line across Manchuria reduced 
the total distance several hundred miles by cutting out the im- 
mense detour around the northern cui^e of the Amur River, and 
at the same time eliminated a vast amount of difficult construc- 
tion along that river valley. 

The Siberian Eailway has been criticised for its light construc- 
tion, but a careful examination of its track, roadbed, bridges, sta- 
tions and equipment justifies the judgment that the line is practi- 
cally as good as our own western prairie railways of twenty years 
ago. Low speed is maintained throughout the journey, however, 
and the equipment is not yet sufficient for tlie heavj^ demands 
upon it. 

The cities along the line have grown rapidly since the railway 
was built, and have advanced in other ways by the increase of im- 
migration and trade. Omsk, Tomsk, Krasnoiarsk, Irkutsk, Chita 
and Vladivostok in Siberia have felt the impetus; Harbin, Dalny 
and Port Arthur have become important Russian cities in Man- 
churia, and Blagoveshchensk, on the Amur River, off the line of 
railway, has grown rich and populous. 

Along this railway the Russians have hurried their soldiers 
and munitions of war to the scene of hostilities. Its capacity may 
not be as ample as they would like to have it, but manifestly it has 
been a potent factor in strengthening their position in the Far 
East. 

The railway has been an influence in gradually reducing the 
rigors of the exile system with which the name of Siberia is so 
intimately linked in every mind, and ultimately, no doubt, there 
will be an end put to the abominable practice. Publicity is power- 
ful to destroy evil, and as foreign travelers and investors enter 
Siberia to develop the latent wealth in mines and commerce the 



100 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

exile system will become better known and more repugnant to the 
world, to its final downfall. Already milder measures are m ef- 
fect, generally speaking, than those found by George Kennan, that 
faithful investigator who told the truth about Siberia to the world 
nearly twenty years ago. The railway makes the journey itself 
less a torture to the exiles than it was m the days of tlie terrible 
marches, and in many ways the severity of treatment has been 
modified. 

The peoi)le of Kussia are a sturdy, virile raee, inured to hard- 
ship of climate and life, illiterate m the mass, devoted to the fomis 
of their faith— the Greek Catholi(* branch of the rhnstian Chureh. 
They are frugal but unprovidiait, slow to improve their methods 
of business, agrieulture or industrv, and loyal to the Tsar, the 
Church and the Nation. Of course these generalities apply but 
to the masses. Educated Russians dominate the national affairs, 
and maintain a soeiety of manners nut unhke that of other peoples. 
Tlie advanced element of thinkers— the radicals— must be re( k- 
oned with, too, as a vital force in the Empire, comparatively few 
in numbers, but potent to do good when the leaven of liberty be- 
li ills to make itself felt in tlie autocracy, and freer forms of govern- 
ment begin to be introduced. Whatever the result of the Russo- 
Japanese War, on inteiTiatlonal affairs and the two powers en- 
gaged, it promises to make for the ultimate benefit of Russia by 
forcing the Russians to look to themselves and their countrv for 
an uplifting of the people m education, libei tv, and the good things 
in the civilization of other western nations, to which the Russian 
masses are so sadly deficient. 

A few condensed facts in regard to the government, area, popu- 
lation, cities, religion, education, agriculture and commerce of 
Russia, will serve to close this rapid account of conditions in that 
great empire which sweeps across two continents, from Atlantic 
tidewaters to the Pacific. 

The Emperor Nicholas II, Tsar of all the Russias, was l)om 
i\ray 18, lSf)8, and ascended the throne at the death of Ins father, 
November 1, 181)4. The government of Russia is an absolute hered- 



RUSSIAN ADVAN("E ACROSS ASIA 101 

itary iiionarcliy. The wliole legislative, executive and judicial 
power is united m the Eiiiperor, whose will alone is law. There 
are, however, certain rules of govennnent and methods of admin- 
istration, whj<'li the so\ ereigiis of the present reigning house have 
acknowledged as binding. Nicholas is the head of a tremendous 
svsteni of autocracv, but it is greatly to be doubted if he could 
suddenly and radically alter the system, m spite of the power w^hich 
pertains to his otlfice. i\Iany students believe that the Russian Em- 
]jeror who should attemt)t to destroy the ])0wer of tlie autocracy, 
and free the nation from its present fonn of government, would 
promptly fall a victim to his own benevolent impulses. 

The Russian empire comprises one-seventh of the land surface 
of the globe, with an area of about 8,(;5( ),()()() square miles, or nearly 
three times the area of the United States without Alaska. No 
country in the world has gained more rapidly in population. In 
1722 the inha])itants of Russia numbered 14,000,000. By the begin- 
ning of the 19th Tenturv they approximated 40,000,000, and one 
hundred years later, at the beginning of the present centuiy, the 
census showed a total of about lo5,000,000 inhabitants. The popu- 
lation is by no means homogeneous, although its largest element 
is made up of Slavonic groups, known as Great Russians, Little 
Russians and White Russians. Within the eini)ire, however, there 
are at least fifteen races represented with a total of more than 
1,000,000 each, while Russian figuii^s indicate nearly 150 races and 
tribes included witkm the immense sweep of tenitoiy. 

The established religion of the Empire is the Greco-Russian, 
officially known as the Orfhodox-Catholic faith. The Emperor is 
the head of the church, but he has never claimed the right of decid- 
ing theological and dogmatic questions. Practically the Procurator 
of the Holy Synod acts as head of the cliurch administration. The 
points in which the Russian church differs from the Roman Cath- 
olic faith, are in denying the spiritual supremacy of the Pope, in 
not enforcing the celibacy of the clergy, and in authorizing all 
people to read and study the scriptures in their own language. 

The school system of Russia theoretically includes a complete 



102 RUSSIAN ADVANCE ACROSS ASIA 

organization from primary grades to universities, for both" sexes, 
with mining schools, agricultural schools, and other technical insti- 
tutions. Practically, however, the organization is incomplete in 
the extreme and the facilities for education are not in reach of a 
large proportion of the children of school age. The restraints on 
the freedom of the press, too, and the illiteracy that is so wide- 
spread, hinder the publication of books and newspapers, so that the 
press is in a comparatively low state of development and progress. 

Russia is primarily an agricultural country, with wheat, rj^e, 
barley and oats as the most important crops. In the southern 
provinces and in Central Asia cotton and tobacco are produced to 
great profit. Immense forest areas contribute great wealth to the 
industrial life, and the flocks and herds are another factor of great 
importance in the production of wealth. The soil of Eussia is rich 
m ores of all kinds, and mining industry is steadily increasing. 
Gold, silver, lead, zmc, copper, iron, coal, naphtha and salt, are the 
most important products of the mine. Manufactories likewise are 
growing with great rapidity throughout the empire. Textile 
fabrics, paper and cardboard, chemicals, products of leather, china, 
glass, iron, steel and machinery are the most important manu- 
factures. 

The chief trade of the Empire is carried on through its Euro- 
l)ean frontier and the Black Sea, and in all of the departments of 
commerce which would naturally develop out of the industries 
just mentioned, Eussia is a rising factor in the trade of the world. 
The great river systems have been supplemented by canals in all 
directions, and by the rapid construction of railways throughout 
the Empire. If the undoubted energy of the rulers and the people, 
and the amazing resources of the realm, should be directed to the 
expansion of trade, education and modem development, instead 
of being wasted m the support of tremendous armies, Eussia would 
rise even more rapidly into apposition of pride among the nations 
of the world. 



CHAPTER IV 
JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

BY TRUMBULL WHITE. 

The Rise of an Asiatic Race into Full Fellowship in the Family of Nations — 
Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the Land and the People — The American 
Commodore Perry Opens the Country to the World — Growth of Western Civiliza- 
tion — The Mikado Restored to Power — End of the Feudal System — Constitu- 
tional Government Established — Japan's War with China and Its Far-Reaching 
Results — Extension of Commerce and Influence. 

IN ALL the world there exists no parallel for Japan. Unique 
among nations is the Island Empire in her history, her man- 
ner of progress, and her relations with the other nations of the 
earth. Now that the eyes of all civilization are tuiTied toward the 
Orient, with Japan as the focal point of ol^servation, we shall find 
ourselves learning of a land of heauty, inhabited by a people of 
high intellect and noble spirit, with an inspiring past, a significant 
present and a future promising tremendous things. 

In all the histoiy of the world there has been no more pic- 
turesque event on the domestic side of mteniational life than the 
entrance of Japan into fellowship among the nations of the westera 
world. Within the span of half a century the Island Empire has 
passed from a reignmg jiolicy of stern isolation and refusal even 
to exchange civilities with other countries, to an intimacy of con- 
tact and a confidential friendship with the rest of the world hardly 
excelled between nations of common ancestry and life, and never 
before reached by those of such diametrically opposite birthright, 
traditions and customs. 

In our sketch of the Russian Empire we have observ^ed that 
power historically by the biographical method, studying succes- 
sively the great figures whose personalities have stood out as 
factors in Russian affairs. AVe have seen how Yermak, Peter the 

103 



104 JAPAX, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

(Jreat, ^luraviev and Kliabarov eml)odv tlie significant facts of 
Russian history m Asia. But for Japan, it is well to depend on 
description rather than biography for the clearer view of affairs 
and conditions, past and present. Not that Japan has been lack- 
ing in national heroes and commanding personalities who stand 
out m the annals of the country. But so recent is our own interest 
in the details of oriental politics and progress that these names 
do not bear the personal equation to us, the graphic quality that 
is so essential in biographical history. Peter the Great, Ivan the 
Terrible, Tatherine— these have no strange sound to our ears. But 
Jimmu Tenno, the Empress Jingo, Yoritomo, Hideyoshi— what sig- 
nify these great names to an American reader ^ How many Ameri- 
cans do not know the name of Nicholas, Emperor of All the 
Russias, and how many know that of Mutsuhito, Emperor of 
Japan ^ 

Furthermore, the significant period of Japanese history, so far 
as it bears upon our own affairs and the interest of the rest 
of the world, is circumscribed within a comparatively few years, 
while that of Russia runs for centuries. It is of Japan of to-daj^ 
that we want to know, our demand is for a description of things 
as they are, the strange conditions and customs of life, the pic- 
turesque people and places, the introduction of western forms of 
civilization into a nation that was the embodiment of all that was 
oriental until the middle of the last century. Therefore, while we 
shall glance at the sequence of historical events in Japan with 
full recognition of their importance to the Japanese, we shall look 
at the Japanese themselves as the subject of greatest interest to us. 

Marco Polo, tlie Venetian traveler, brought the first knowledge 
of Japan to Europe when he returned in the vear 1295 from his 
wonderful travels m China. The Chinese had told him of 
^'Chipangu, an island toward the east in the high seas, 1,500 miles 
from the continent; and a very great island it is. The people are 
white, civilized, and well favored. They are idolaters, and are 
dependent on nobody. And I can tell you the quantity of gold 
they have is endless; for they find it in their own islands.'' We 




<! 
< 

O 

CO 

M 





<J 


o 


^H 


4^ 


Xfl 


08 


ro 


±? 


P 


CO 


^ 


o 


Ui 


ffi 


O 




% 


O 











CQ o 

M pa 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 107 

know now that there are some trifling details of Polo's description 
in error, bnt there is no difficulty in seeing that he had been well 
informed about the Island Empire. 

The Chinese wrote the name of the country Chi-pen-kue, so 
Polo's Chipangu was pretty close to the fact. From the Chinese 
tlie Japanese took the name Nippon, and prefixing to it the word 
dai, meaning great, they made it Dai Nippon, the Japanese name 
of the empire. From this we have made the word Japan, or Japon, 
as the French have it. 

Two races are included in the population of Japan, the Japanese 
proper, and the Amos. It is believed that the latter were the 
aboriginal inhabitants of the archipelago, but only some 17,000 
of tliem now remain, all of tliem dwelling in the north island of " 
Yezo. These are the descendants of a warlike people who once 
lived farther south, and were driven north graduallv, during pro- 
longed warfare, by the race which now makes up the Japanese 
nation. Now the Ainos are a peaceful race, primitive, ignorant 
and unclean in their habits. They are sturdy people, however, and 
are uimjue amoni; races in that they have an abundant growth of 
liair, which gives the men not only beards of unusual length and 
tliu'kness, but a hairy covering over the body as well. Their re- 
li^ion, their arts and their industries are crude in the extreme, and 
tliey have no trade of any sort except barter with the Japanese. 
The Ainos are of no consequence in the life of Japan to-day, and 
are of interest only to the students of anthropology. 

Let us then turn directly to the people who make up the mass 
of the empire, and who contribute that virility, alertness and re- 
ceptiveness which mark Japan as among the most progressive of 
nations. 

Mutsuhito, the Mikado, or Emperor, of Japan, traces his de- 
scent through one hundred and twenty-three generations to the 
founder of the imperial dynasty in 660 B. C. This first Mikado 
was Jimrau Tenno, and if Japanese records may be trusted, the 
dynasty which he founded is the oldest in the world. It is tnie that 
the ancient records contain much that is fabulous, mythical and 



lOS JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

exaggerated, but they may be accepted as a fair guide to the facts, 
and offer material of the greatest interest to the student. As in 
many other nations the early history confuses material and su- 
pernatural affairs to a consideraljle degree, and the immortals in 
the Japanese story of creation are the progenitors of the Emper- 
ors themseh es. Even to-day this attitude is held by the people, 
although of rourse in ^Yeakened fonn, and the Mikados are re- 
garded as sonii-divmities. It has been interesting to note that the 
messages from the greatest Japanese commanders I'cporting vic- 
tories over the Russian forces have (^'edited all the success to the 
divine influence of the Mikado himself, rather than to their own 
sagacity and the bra\ eiy of their men. 

In the Third I'cntury of the Christian era the Empress Jingo 
took a Japanese army across the straits and conquered Korea. 
!She is the greatest female cliaracter in Japanese history and tra- 
dition, equally renowned for her beauty, piety, intelligence, energy 
and martial valor From her conquest of Korea came literature, 
religion and civilization to Japan, at least as far as Chinese models 
were to be adopted, and the Japanese of to-day are l)ut following 
the example of their j^rogenitors m seeking to dominate Korea, 
and in their willingness to accept and absorb whatever they find 
in other civilizations more serviceable than their ancient models. 
In this early day the Koreans were more learned than were the 
Japanese, and it was they who introduced the study of the (.Chinese 
language and the art of writing itself into the Island Empire. Ar- 
tists, artisans and educated men were brought from Korea to in- 
struct the people, new industrial methods were introduced, and 
successive emperors were zealous in encouraging the arts of peace. 
AVe may say, then, that this was the first of three great waves of 
foreign civilization which have entered Japan. The second was 
from Western Europe in the Fifteenth Century, and the third was 
from America and Europe in the decade following the advent of 
Commodore Peny, the latter a wave which has steadilv gained in 
force instead of dimmishing. 

A peculiar governmental condition existed in Japan through 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMriKE 109 

many centuries, ending only in recent years. There came a time 
when a weak Mikado was on the throne, with a strong and power- 
ful prime minister, and out of this fact was perpetuated a sort of 
a double authorit\, in which tlie ^likado l)y virtue of his office and 
his descent from the gods, held the semblance of power, while tlie 
prime minister, or Shogun, as he came to be called, really had all 
the business of the country in his own hands. As time went on 
the Shoguns became more powerful, and the Mikados less power- 
ful, until the latter, although held m the highest reverence, were 
little more than puppets. This system of goveniment, called the 
Shogunate, ended only by a civil war, which broke out in 18(^4 
and lasted for several years. During this time the count rv was 
torn by revolutions, but when the readjustment was at last com- 
plete, the Mikados were restored to actual power and tlie powerful 
families which had supported the Shoguns were com})elled to ac- 
cept the situation and become loyal subjects of their hereditary 
ruler. 

During the early centuries of the Christian era, Japan and 
China kept up friendly intercourse, exchanging embassies on vari- 
ous missions. But in the Twelfth Century civil disorders in both 
countries interrupted the acquaintance, and when it was resumed 
friendship was not restored with it. Bv this time the Mongol Ta- 
tars had conquered the Chinese Empire, and the new Ern])eror, 
Kublai Khan, at whose court Marco Polo was then visiting, sent 
letters demanding tribute and homage from the Japanese. Re- 
peated embassies making this demand were sent home rebuffed, 
until finally the Japanese in exasperation beheaded the last partv 
of envovs. Then came preparations for war. An immense Chinese 
fleet sailed for Japan, but thanks to a tremendous storm that met 
them upon their arrival, the squadron was completely destroyed 
and the survivors were slain by the Japanese. In Japanese history 
this event holds much the same place as the destruction of the 
Spanish Armada in the history of England. This is the last time 
that China ever attempted to conquer Japan, whose people boast 
that their land has never been defiled by an invading army- 



110 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

If the Japanese have not been invaded, they have not been de- 
linquent in invading. The ambition of more than one Mikado has 
been to conquer Korea and even China. Korea more than once has 
been oven-un by Japanese armies, even partly governed by Jap- 
anese officials, and on different occasions has had to pay tribute to 
Japan in token of submission. Japanese pirates were for six hun- 
di^ed years as much the terror of the Chinese and Korean coasts 
as were the Danes and Norsemen of the shores of the North Sea. 
A strong party in Japan has long held that Korea is properly a 
part of the Japanese Empire, by virtue of the conquest made by 
the Empress Jingo in the Third Century, and by the Mikado Hide- 
yoshi, in the Sixteenth Century. 

During these centuries leading up to the first contact of the 
Japanese with European civilization, the Island Empire was rising 
rapidly in strength and prosperity, and the people were displaying 
the same qualities which make them noteworthy now. Arts and 
sciences flourished and developed. The spirit of military enter- 
prise and internal improvement was alive. Contact with foreign- 
ers of many nations awoke a spirit of inquiry and intellectual ac- 
tivity, and on the seas the Japanese proved even in that day that 
they were capable sailors and energetic adventurers. The Japanese 
ships built in the Seventeenth Century were larger and better than 
the Chinese junks of to-day, superior in size to the vessels of Co- 
lumbus, and nearly equal to the Dutch and Portuguese galleons of 
the same time. They were provided with artillerj^, and a model of 
a Japanese breech-loading cannon of that date is still preserved in 
Kioto. Voyages of trade, discovery or piracy were made to India, 
Siam, Burma, the Philippine Islands, Southern China, the Malay 
Archipelago and the Kuriles. 

The Japanese were not always as hospitable to foreigners as 
they are to-day. The Shoguns, who were in actual authority, never 
permitted foreigners to negotiate directly with the Mikado, but 
dealt with embassies themselves at their own will. It is believed 
that the first European who landed on Japanese soil was a Portu- 
guese adventurer named Mendez Pinto* He came with a pirate 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIEE 111 

trader in 1542, and returned to China loaded with presents. The 
new market attracted hundreds of .Portuguese adventurers to 
Japan, who found a ready welcome. Missionaries followed mer- 
chants from India, where the Portuguese already had a prosperous 
settlement. For a time the Catholic missionaries were given every 
facility, and in forty years there were two hundred churches and 
150,000 native Christians. Before long the different missionary 
orders, Jesuit, Franciscan and Augustinian, began to clash, as a 
result of the political and religious wars then almost universal in 
Europe. All the foreigners were slave-traders, and thousands of 
Japanese were bought and sold and shipped to China and the Phil- 
ippines. The seaports were the resorts of the lowest class of ad- 
venturers of all European nations, and the result was a continuous 
series of uproars, broils and murders among the foreigners. 

Such a picture of foreign influence and of Christianity, as the 
Japanese saw it, was not calculated to make a favorable impres- 
sion on the Japanese mind. Finally an edict was issued command- 
ing the missionaries to assemble for expulsion from Japan, and a 
concerted effoi't to cinish out Christianity was made. Churches 
were burned, and missionaries and their converts were slain. An 
edict forbade the exercise of the Christian religion, and persecu- 
tion was earned on in every violent form. The exiled missionaries 
kept secretly returning and sentence of death was pronounced 
against any foreign priest found in the country. Fire and sword 
were used to extirpate Christianity, and to paganize the same peo- 
ple who had been converted in their youth by means hardly less 
violent. Thousands of the native converts fled to China, Fonnosa 
and the Philippines. The Christians suffered all sorts of persecu- 
tions and tortures that ingenuity can devise. If anyone doubts the 
sincerity and fer\^or of the Christian converts of to-day, or the 
ability of the Japanese to accept a higher form of faith, or their 
willingness to suffer for what they believe, he has but to read the 
accounts of the various witnesses to the fortitude of the Japanese 
Christians of the Seventeenth Centuiy. 

When this persecution ended, foreign trade had been annihi- 



112 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

lated, contact with the rest of the world had ended, and Christian- 
ity in the Island Empire had been virtually blotted out. It was a 
peculiar retrogression that has not been equaled in any other coun- 
try, so far as history records. 

The English, like the Portuguese, attempted to open trade with 
the Japanese, but with no success. Will Adams, an English pilot, 
and the first of his nation in Japan, arrived in 1607 and lived in 
Tokio, then called Yeddo, until his death thirteen years later He 
was treated with kindness and honor, and he became a very useful 
man, owing to his knowledge of shipbuilding and foreign affairs. 
There are still living Japanese who claim descent from him, one of 
the streets of the city was named for him, and the people of that 
street still hold an annual celebration in his honor. During these 
centuries of isolation, there was no contact with the rest of the 
world except by way of the Dutch trading vessel that was permit- 
ted to call annually at the little Island of Deshima in the harbor of 
Nagasaki. Here a few Dutchmen were permitted to live under de- 
grading conditions of restraint. 

It was the American Union which opened the door of Japan to 
western civilization. The United States, in common with Euro- 
pean powers, very much desired access to Japanese ports. Sup- 
plies were frequently needed, particularly water and coal, but no 
distress was ever considered a sufficient excuse for the Japanese 
to permit the landing of a foreign vessel's crew. Shipwrecked 
sailors frequently suffered great trial and danger before they were 
rescued and restored to their own people. Even Japanese sailors 
who were shipwrecked on other shores, or carried out to sea, were 
refused readmission to their own country when rescued by for- 
eigners. Commodore Matthew C. Perry, of the American Navy, 
and President Millard Fillmore, consulted together and with the 
advisers of the President, and decided to enforce an entrance and a 
treaty upon the exclusive empire. A fleet under the command of 
Perry was assigned to the undertaking, and on the 7th of July, 
1853, four American warships appeared in the Bay of Yeddo. The 
local officials promptly notified the ^* barbarian '' envoy that he 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 113 

must go to Nagasaki, where all business with foreigners had to be 
done. The barbarian refused to go. He informed the messengers 
that he was the bearer of a letter from the President of the United 
States to the Emperor of Japan, and that he was going to deliver 
the letter. Alarm spread rapidly along the Japanese shores, but 
at last, after eight days. Perry's patient insistence and the demon- 
strations made by the fleet, impressed the Japanese, who had never 
seen a steamboat before, and won success for Commodore Perry's 
mission. A Japanese commissioner came to the landing, a mag- 
nificent pavilion was prepared for the ceremonies, and with great 
pomp and ceremony the Americans landed and delivered the let- 
ters and presents from President to Mikado. 

Six months later Perry returned with a much larger fleet, and 
on the 31st of March, 1854, a treaty with the United States was 
signed. A few months later treaties were entered into with all the 
leading powers of Europe, and it is universally recognized bv the 
Japanese, as well as by Europeans, that the credit for opening the 
Japanese door to western civilization belongs to the United States 
and its diplomat-sailor. Commodore Perry. 

Even after treaties of friendship were signed and legations 
were established in Japan, bitter enmity existed against foreigners. 
American and European officials attached to the embassies were 
murdered in broad daylight on the open road, and it was necessary 
to enforce penalties and punishments upon Japan for these crimes. 
Japanese ports were shelled and indemnities were collected on 
more than one occasion, by American, British, French and Dutch 
fleets. However, as time advanced and acquaintance grew, the 
Japanese came to understand that they must maintain peaceful 
and friendly relations with the nations of Europe and America. 
Japanese travelers visited the rest of the world, and saw what 
western civilization did for its people. The Shogunate was abol- 
ished, as we have already seen, and under the direct authority of 
the Mikado conditions improved rapidly. The feudal system, 
likewise, which had followed forms very similar to those known in 
Europe during the Middle Ages, survived in Japan until 1871, and 



114 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

with its termination came another noteworthy advance in national 
affairs. 

In 1872 the Japanese challenged the admiration of Christen- 
dom by making a stem fight against the coolie traffic, which was 
really nothing more than the slave trade. This had been earned 
on by the Portuguese at their little colony of Macao on the Chinese 
coast, from which they decoyed thousands of Chinese yearly to bo 
shipped to plantations in Cuba and South America. They had 
extended their nefarious operations to the coast of Japan, and 
finally by the energy and persistence of the Japanese the trade was 
abolished by this pagan nation, although the foreign consuls and 
ministers in China and Japan, with the exception of those of Great 
Britain and the United States, protested against the Japanese ac- 
tion and defended the slave trade on the grounds of necessitv. 

In the last thirty years the record of Japan has been one of con 
stant and steady advance into fellowshiio with other nations in its 
foreign affairs, and noteworthy improvement intellectually and in- 
dustrially among its own people. Eailways, telegraphs, a liglit- 
house seiwiee and a n^ivy have been constructed. Two national ex- 
positions have been held with great success. A war with China 
has been fought to a tnumphant conclusion, affording proof of the 
strength of Japan and the weakness of China in military and naval 
affairs. The details of this war will be related in the ensuing chap- 
ter on Korea, which was the battlefield between the two rival na- 
tions. The liberty of the press and liberty of speech have been 
established. A parliamentary government has been created volun- 
tarily by the Mikado, who thereby relinquished his inherited des- 
potic rights, and made Japan a constitutional monarchy. 

Perhaps the most noteworthy evidence of the entirety with 
which the nations of Europe and America have accepted Japan 
as a power among powers is the abolition of what is known as * ' ex- 
tra-territoriality^' in 1899. Until that time, foreigners residing in 
Japan were not subject to the jurisdiction of the Japanese courts. 
Lawsuits between foreigners, or in which a foreigner was even one 
party to the suit, were tried before courts maintained in the con- 



SF^i^ 



^'P 



■''"''^\ 







\ OFF TO THE WAR. 
A Japanese SollOier Bidding Farewell to His Family. 










> ^ -C3 

-^ Hi: 

X M 2 




s 

O c5 

:^ § w 
i ^ 







o 

'd 
'd 

O 



o 

o 
O 



3 
^ 

^ 



bO 



:< bo 

M 

CO 

O 
O 
Q 

Ph 
O 

M 
02 




\ ■-^. 



o 
Ph 



o 






o 

cc 
bO 
O 

P 

o 

<D 
P< 
0) 

o 

M 



o 

a 

^ S 

CO <=> 

>.2 
W ^ 

> J-- 



C/J 



PL1 




CO 






CO 

a 
p» 

>v 

-a 

02 

^ S 

So 

o« 
>2 



o 



O 

a 
Pt 

O 

O 

a 
u 

P4 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 119 

sulates by the different nations having such offices in Japan. The 
same condition existed in the event of criminal offenses, and all 
this was true because Europeans and Americans did not trust the 
Japanese with the administration of justice to foreigners who 
might be residing in the islands. This, of course, was exceedingly- 
distasteful to the Japanese, and for years they had persisted in the 
effort to eliminate the objectionable clause from the treaties. At 
last, in 1899, a new series of treaties was made by which Japan en- 
tered into the exercise of full authority over all people within her 
boundaries, in just the same fashion as such authority is enjoyed 
by the United States or by England. It is interesting to note that 
as a matter of fact, in the litigation that has risen since that time, 
and in the trial of foreigners for criminal offenses against other 
foreigners, or against Japanese, the suits have been conducted in 
an orderly fashion, fully preserving the rights of all parties, and 
promoting justice in a judicial manner, just as truly as before. 
This is the universal testimony of foreigners living in Japan. 

Nearly four thousand islands make up the Empire of Japan, 
but only four or five of them are large enough to give them much 
importance, and around these a cordon of defense is formed by the 
reefs and shallows and intricate channels of thousands of islets. 
Until recent times the Island of Sakhalin was included m the Em- 
pire, but a treaty with Russia joined that island to the possessions 
of the Tsar, since which time it has been a settlement for criminal 
and political exiles from Russia. In exchange for this the Russians 
yielded the Kuriles, a group of islands extending north toward 
Behring Sea, to Japanese authority, and these now form the most 
northern extension of the Empire. The exchange was never quite 
satisfactory to the Japanese, and they have always intended to re- 
sume possession of Sakhalin, if they are ever able to do so. The 
southernmost possession of Japan is Formosa, which was taken 
from ^China as a part of the spoils of victory after the end of the 
Chino-Japanese war of 1894. This is a large and rich island, the 
resources of which are as yet but little developed, and the inhabit- 
ants, except on the coasts, still in a state of savagery. 



120 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

The area of the Japanese islands, including Formosa, is nearly 
as great as the New England and Middle Atlantic Coast states, but 
of this, more than one-half consists of mountain land, much of it 
still l>'ing waste and uncultivated, although apparently capable of 
tillage. The shores rise abiniptly from the sea, and there is a grad- 
ual rise until the mountain backbone, which extends throughout the 
island chain, is reached. The highest peak is Fuji-yama, which 
rises to a height of more than 12,000 feet above the sea. It is a 
beautiful mountain, and is the first glimpse one has of land when 
approac^'hing Yokohama from the United States. Japan's northern 
limits correspond approximately with Paris and Newfoundland, 
while the southern ones are on the latitude of the Bermuda Islands, 
and of Cairo m Egypt. Coming nearer home, it corresponds 
pretty nearly m latitude with the eastern coast line of the United 
States, added to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and the contrasts 
of climate between Newfoundland and Florida are no more re- 
markable than those observed between the extreme northern and 
southern regions of Japan. Even this wide range of latitude does 
not include the outlying island of Formosa, which is genuinely 
tropical, corresponding m latitude to Cuba and the Hawaiian 
Islands. 

Thanks to the ocean currents, which move northward from the 
]\Ialay archipelago and the South Pacific, the climate of Japan is 
moderated to a delightful degree, and the rains which are so essen- 
tial to vegetation are assured at all seasons of the year. As a result 
of these facts and the fertility of the soil, Japan is one of the most 
productive of lands. It must not be thought, however, that the 
country is tropical. North of Tokio frost and even heavy snow- 
falls occur in the winter. Earthquake shocks throughout the island 
are frequent, but of late years there have been none of great se- 
verity. 

The l^ainboo flourishes in all parts of the island, sugarcane and 
cotton grow m the southeiii part, and tea is produced almost every- 
where. Tobacco, hemp, corn, rice, wheat, barley, millet, buck- 
wheat and potatoes are cultivated for the market. Mulberry for 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 121 

silkworm food is one of the important products. Forest trees and 
(flowers of great beauty and variety are found everywhere, and 
many of them have been transferred to our own hothouses and 
gardens. The azalea, camelia, wisteria, cryptomeria, calceolaria 
and chrysanthemum are indigenous to Japan. In ancient times 
two species of dwarf elephants existed in the plains around Tokio, 
although they are now extinct. Monkeys, foxes, wolves, bears, an- 
telopes, and various species of the deer family are found wild, 
while the sea is especiallj^ rich in seals, sea-otters and whales. 

Thanks to the genial chmate, the fertile soil, and the character- 
istics of the people, Japan has always been a country of industrv, 
prosperity and thrift. The cities are large, and architecturally 
interesting, although, of course, entirely unlike anything known 
to the western world. Tokio, the capital, has a population of more 
than a million, while the other important cities, Nagasaki, Yoko- 
hama, Hakodate, Hiogo, Osaka and Hiroshima are impoi-tant cen- 
ters of trade and industry. All of these have foreign settle- 
ments, where American and European merchants have stores, 
banks and steamship offices, with churches and newspai)ers and 
society of their own. Yokohama is the most important of these 
foreign settlements, and it is the great mercantile center of Amer- 
ican and European trade in Japan. Commerce between Japan and 
the western nations increases year by year, with England stand- 
. ing first in the volume of trade, and the United States second and 
rapidly gaining. 

The Japanese are not only industrious in their agricultural and 
commercial enterprises, in their mining and railway building, in 
their shipbuilding and their government, but they are at the same 
time equally faithful to the demands of intellectual life and the en- 
joyment of art and literature. The bronzes, the lacquer work, the 
ceramic arts, the silks and the paintings of the Japanese are recog- 
nized throughout the world as embodying some of the highest 
principles of genuine art, and every traveler is impressed with the 
beauty of the local products in these directions. Whatever they 
do, they do with the same attention to detail in the effort lo reach 



122 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

perfection that they show in the planning of a military campaign 
or the administering of their governmental affairs. Their litera- 
ture and their music have not taken forms that appeal to Ameri- 
cans, because of different standards of beauty and taste that rule, 
but the merit of what they do in these directions must be recog- 
nized by any careful student. 

The people themselves are in a state of transition, as truly as 
is tlie government, and there are those critics who declare that 
their quickness of imitation is an evidence of 'weakness and de- 
pendence, ratlier than of originality. However, this seems to be 
an unfair judgment. It is true that they show an extraordinary 
capacity for change, and that they are versatile in the extreme, 
but they select with care to take what is best in the examples of 
other nations before them. 

The average Japanese is frank, honest, faithful, kind, gentle, 
courteous, confiding, affectionate, filial and loyal; but love of truth, 
chastity and temperance for their own sake are not characteristic 
\ irtues. Tlie male Japanese is more chivalrous to women than any 
other Asiatic. In reverence to elders and in obedience to parents 
the Japanese set a high standard, and indeed have developed filial 
obedience into fanaticism. 

Physically the people are not unlike the Spaniards and the in- 
habitants of the south of France. They are of low stature, but well 
proportioned and strong, with an immense capacity for endurance 
of labor on small supply of food, shelter and comfort. 

Japan is the paradise of children. There is no country where 
children are more devotedly loved and considerately treated than 
in the Island Empire. Playthings are everywhere, and holidays 
for the distinct benefit of the little folks are very numerous, upon 
which occasions the whole nation turns out to help the children 
have a good time. Even the adults have for their sports many of 
the plays and games which are left to children with us, and kite- 
flying is almost a national habit. 

The dwelling houses are well adapted to their manner of life, 
except that they are not always built for sufficient protection 



JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRh 123 

against severe cold. The houses contnin but liiile funiituiv, for 
the people do uot sit on chairs, nor do they have higli heds or tables. 
Sliding partitions and screens are everywhere, so tliat rooms niav 
be divided and sub-divided almost at will. In the walls are reeossj s 
with sliding doors, into which the bedding Is thiaist in the daytini(\ 
to be spread out on the matting floor at night when it is time to 
retire. These mats answer the purj^ose of all ordinary furniture, 
and take the place of our chairs, tables and beds. They are made 
of rushes, or rice straw, to a thickness of three inches, and are soft 
to the touch. People never soil them with their shoes, but always 
walk barefooted about the house. In all their manners of life they 
are the most orderly and cleanly of people, and bathing is the 
most constant and the most universal to be found in any country in 
the world. Every house has its garden, and the garden is used as 
a place for dining as well as for recreation in i^leasant weather. 
Outdoor life is greatlj^ favored, and the houses themselves are built 
so openly that the foreigner feels himself almost out of doors even 
when he is under shelter. 

The religion of the country includes two different systems, one 
known as Shintoism, which is the ancient religion of the people, 
and the other Buddhism, which swept over Japan after it was in- 
troduced from southeiTi Asia. As an evidence of the receptivity of 
the people, however, Christianity has made remarkable progress, 
and religious toleration makes the work of the missionaries at the 
same time effective and congenial. 

The women of Japan are rising as steadily as are the men. 
They are allowed a degree of freedom that is noteworthv in Asia, 
where generally women have little respect and consideration. Pub- 
lic and private schools are eveiywhere, and are well attended. No 
women excel the Japanese in the innate love of beauty, order, neat- 
ness, household adornment and household management, while in 
maternal affection, tenderness and faithfulness, Japanese mothers 
need fear no comparison with those of other lands. They direct 
the education of their children and have a degree of authority m 
their own households that places them in a position of great influ- 



124 JAPAN, THE ISLAND EMPIRE 

enee and dignity. The Japanese maiden is bright, intelligent, in- 
teresting, modest, lady-like and self-reliant. What the American 
girl IS in Europe, the Japanese maiden is among Asiatics, and it is 
the appreciation of this fact, and of a certain sympathy between 
the people and the countries, that makes Americans so favored in 
Japan, and makes every American so pleased with what he sees in 
the Japanese Empire. 

The Japanese have welcomed the phrase ^Hhe Yankees of the 
Orient,'' which has been aj^plied to them by many travelers, un- 
derstanding as they do that a distinct compliment is intended by 
the characterization. 

Half a dozen lines of steamships ply between the American coast 
and the Japanese ports, and at least two of these lines are owned 
and operated by the Japanese themselves. The passage across the 
Pacific requires from fifteen to twenty days, according to the vessel 
and the route selected. The jouraey is becoming a more popular 
one every year, and travelers to the Island Empire always find 
awaiting them a welcome from the people, and manifold pleasures 
in the beautiful country itself. Now that the Hawaiian Islands and 
the Philippines are under American government, the distance be- 
tween Japan and our outlying ports is greatly reduced, and we 
find ourselves dealing with Oriental peoples who in some measure 
are kindred to the Japanese themselves. A closer contact, a bet- 
ter understanding and more intimate personal and trade relations 
are certain to redound to the benefit of both countries, and we 
should cherish the undoubted friendship that exists between these 
two powers that look toward each other across the Pacific. 



CHAPTER V 
KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

BY TRUMBULL WHITE. 

**The Land of Morning Calm" — Sketch of the Hermit Nation — History, Geography, 
Resources, People, Customs — Weakness of the Government — The Scene of 
Jealousy and Strife — Rivalry of Chinese, Japanese and Russians — Manchuria 
and Its Relation to the Chinese Empire — Chinese Ports in the Grab-bag for 
Ambitious Nations — Secret Treaties with Russia — The Manchurian Railway — 
Port Arthur in Russian Control — The Boxer Uprising — The Looming of the 
War Cloud. 

WITH a record of retrogression uninterrupted for centuries, 
at frequent inteivals the object of jealous rivalry, and' 
then the battlefield of warring neighbors, today, as m the past, the 
prize over which diplomates wrangle and armies chish, that po('t- 
ical phrase, ''The land of morning eahn/' applied hv Koreans to 
their unhappy country, becomes an irony indeed. For trulv, the 
little kingdom— or empire, as its rulers call it, with pro})er imi^orial 
pride— has fallen to low estate among the nations of the earth. 

The miseries of the country, and its inability to raise itself out 
of the slough of despond into which late centuries have brought it, 
are the more conspicuous because of its proximitv to Japan, that 
land of a kindred people, with resources and natural conditions 
not altogether dissimilar, where progress has been as noteworthy 
as its converse has been in Korea. 

And yet it is a historical truth that much of the best in Japan- 
ese art, letters and industry came to the Island Empire from the 
Koreans, either being original with the people of the peninsula, 
or first absorbed by them from the Chinese with whom tliev were 
in intimate contact, Korean artists taught the Japanese to make 
some of the most treasured specimens that our travelers bring 
home with them from their journeys in the Far East. Korean 



126 KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

scholars helped to create the language and literature of Japan. 
Korean artisans lent their skill to found Japanese industries that 
leiJiam today ahnost in their original form. 

Not that these benefactions were always voluntary. In large 
dei?ree they came as a result of Japanese invasions of Korea, 
whence the returning armies brought what they saw that might 
be of service. But m the past, as in the present, the Japanese 
were alert, apt, intelligent, able to imitate, adopt, improve and 
apply their borrowed knowledge, be it handicraft or otherwise, 
so that the western nations of today are but repeating the experi- 
ence of Korea in giving of their best to their island neighbors. 
These are the facts frequently cited by critics of Japan who declare 
that she has nothing good but what is borrowed, and that this very 
(juality of prompt adaptability which we call capacity for progress, 
IS an evidence of racial weakness, instability and unresourceful- 
ness. Such a broad question cannot be discussed or settled here. 

AVhile Japan was gaming ground in every way, materially and 
intelleetually, Korea was losing. It would be impossible to say 
tliat Korea lost because Japan gained, for the imparting of knowl- 
edi>e to another never harms but rather helps the one who gives. 
Nevertheless one fell while the other rose, and it is long since 
Korea could assume any place of credit m the family of nations. 
In some details there is a similarity between the retrogression of 
Korea and what we are taught to call the decay of China. But 
the parellel is not complete. The Chinese Empire by virtue of 
her immense area, her tremendous population, and her great trade 
commands certain forms of respectful consideration in interna- 
tional atTairs even from those who are most intolerant of her fail- 
ings. Korea being smaller, less populous, and of minor importance 
m the world's commerce, loses even this element of respect, and 
only as the 'peninsula becomes a factor in the affairs of other 
eountries as a bone of contention, a part of the Far Eastern ques- 
tion, do we regard it seriously. 

Korea in its extreme dimensions measures nearly the same 
length from north to south as does the State of California, and lies 







0) 






<5 



!=» 



I 

§^ 
w> 

o 
o 

H 

4^ 






KOREA ANf) :\1ANCHURIA 129 

but a little north of the same parallels of latitude. Its area, how- 
ever, is but little laore than half as much, or about 82,000 S(]uare 
miles. Jf a comparison on tlie Atlantic coast be preferred, Korea 
would extend from i^ortland, ]\lalne, to Wilmington, North Caro- 
lina, with an arc^a gi*eater than the total of New Hampshire, Ver- 
mont, Massachusetts, Ehode Island, Connecticut and New York. 
Its population statistics are unreliable in the extreme, but the best 
estimates make the numbor of inha])itants about 11,0()(>,00(), or not 
far from the combined population of all the New England states 
and New York. 

Measured by our standards of density this would seem to be a 
fairly populous country, but so far short of its possibilities does 
it fall, that from the oriental point of view it is sparse indeed. 
Japan, Cliina, and the IndoHnncse countries far exceed this in 
their density of population, j^'urtliermore, it is clear that if the 
present primitive methods of agriculture and industry can support 
this number m Korea, the introduction of modem methods of 
intensive cultivation, and modern transportation systems, would 
immensely increase its capacity Here we have one stimulus 
for the interest Japan <lis])lays m Korean affairs. 

On three sides, west, south and east, Korea is circumscribed 
by the sea, joining the maiiiUmd of the Asiatic continent on the 
north, or rather on the northwest, with the Manchurian province 
of the Chinese Empire as the neighbor across the boundary line. 
For a few miles at the extreme northeastern comer of the country, 
also, Korea comes in contact with the Kussian Empire, there being 
a common boundaiy line for a short distance from the sea. On 
the southeast, the islands of Japan come within a few miles of the 
Korean coast, so that the three empires of China, Russia and Japan 
are the contiguous powers. Such political and racial ditferences 
naturally breed jealousies, controversies and ultimate disorder. 

Until recent years the Koreans have maintained a policy of ex- 
clusion against the rest of the world, so that little has been known 
about the strange people who inliabit the peninsula, except through 
the scanty information commg to us from Chinese and Japanese 



130 KORKA AND MANC HURTA 

sources. Indeed, it was not known even l)y name in Europe until 
the Sixteenth Century, although Arabian merchants trading to 
Chinese ports had crossed the Yellow Sea and visited the peninsula. 
Korean youths also had been sent to study at Nanking, the ancient 
cai)ital of China, where tliey may have met the merchants of Bag- 
dad and Damascus. 

The Koreans are m ignorance of the origin of their race, but it 
is conjectured that they come of a fusion of tribes, partly Mongo- 
lian, from the North, and partly Cauciisian, from Western Asia. 
We rhiss them now as kmdred to the Chinese and Japanese, but 
they are distinctly different m physical type and m temperament. 

For our purposes it would be fruitless to relate the centuries of 
strife during which the Koreans endeavored to repel Chinese and 
Japanese invasions and saw their countiy a battle-ground between 
these two rival powers. At different times each country has col- 
lected tribute, chiiming Korea to be a vassal, and the state of vas- 
salage had been admitted by the Korean monarchs. Manifestly 
such an admission of dependence upon each country in turn roused 
jealous feelings between China and Japan, each claiming domin- 
ance in the peninsula. Both countries laid claim to Korea, and 
both countries wasted armies and treasure through the centuries m 
the effort to maintain a semUance of authority or influence agams/. 
the otlier. Sometimes a new Korean d}Tiasty adopted a new policy 
toward the powerful neighbors, east and west, yielding tribute to 
one or both, or refusing it altogether, according to the condition of 
affairs within and without. Some of these wars were disastrous 
in the extreme, and the records of them which are preserved show 
l)attles of a ferocity and campaigns of a cruelty rarely excelled in 
historj^ In at least one Japanese invasion Christian missionaries 
participated, making many converts among the Koreans. Perse- 
cution of the adlierents of the new faith followed, however, and 
Christianity was exterminated in Korea as effectually as it was in 
Japan. 

TnfoiTnation in regard to Korea began to reach Europe in the 
Seventeenth Century. Jesuit missionaries in Peking sent home a 



KOREA AND MANCHURIA 131 

map of the peninsula, and the Cossacks who overran Northern 
Asia brought reports of Korea to Russia, and from Russian sources 
came the first detailed information of the land. A Dutch ship was 
driven ashore in 1627 and the survivors, although kept as prisoners, 
gave to the Koreans what they knew of western arts and sciences. 
Thirty years later another vessel underwent the same experience, 
and after fifteen years of captivity these survivors escaped, and, 
retunimg to Holland, brought detailed information of what they 
had seen. 

In 1777 Korean students in China gained some knowledge of 
Christianity, and returning to their home began to spread the new 
doctrines. The novel faith was welcomed, and converts were be- 
coming numerous, when the Emperor issued an edict against Chris- 
tianity, and a period of extermination began. Persecution and 
martyrdom marked the next few years, but the vital spark of 
Christianity remained among many people, and when more enlight- 
ened policies began to rule within recent years, missionaries found 
Korean families who had still preserved their faith for a century. 

Within the last hundred years European and American vessels 
began to appear along the coast of Korea, in the effort to effect an 
entrance and obtain treaties. British, French, Russian and Amer- 
ican fleets sun^eyed and mapped parts of the shores, but the policy 
of isolation remained impregnable, and there was no tolerance of 
communication. European missionaries who made their way into 
the country secretly were murdered, and it was imi>ossible to ob- 
tain redress for the crimes. Nevertheless the Koreans began to 
feel a natural restlessness as they saw their neighbors gradually 
yielding to pressure from without, and permitting communication 
with what they considered the barbarian powers of Euro|>e and 
America. The American squadron under Perry, and the treaty he 
made with Japan, gave the Koreans cause for thought. The treaty 
between China and Eussia gave the Koreans a European power 
for their neighbor, immediately across the boundary northward. 
The French and English in 1860 opened war with China, took Pe- 
king, the capital, and drove the Chinese Emperor to flight, with a 



132 KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

loss of prestige to China that struck terror to the hearts of the 
Koreans. With France and England on the west, Russia on the 
north, China humbled, and Japan open to the western world, it is 
not strange that the Korean rulers trembled. 

It seemed to the rulers as if the world had conspired to break 
down their walls of isolation, and in the effort to beat back the 
inevitable, even more violent i3olicies went into effect. Again the 
Christian converts and the missionaries who were laboring were 
assailed. Scores were put to death by torture, and hundreds were 
imprisoned. Instead of accomplishing the purpose desired, this 
was the final cause of world-entrance into Korea. French vessels 
patrolled the coast, entered rivers and destroyed native vessels 
and villages. Then a filibustering American vessel, endeavonng 
to effect a landing for purpose of trade or loot, as is variously con- 
tended, was captured and burned by the Koreans, and the crew 
and officers were killed. The United States steamship Shenandoah 
was sent to make an investigation, and came away convinced that 
the Americans had been the victims of their own folly in entering 
a land which was forbidden them, and in which the obligations of 
civilization and the white flag were not recognized. 

However this may be, conditions along the Korean coast became 
intolerable, and another American squadron under Admiral Rod- 
gers was sent to accomplish what Perry had done in Japan. The 
results were not as fortunate. In the unknown harbors vessels 
grounded, Korean forts bombarded the invaders, and finally, in a 
land battle, some 350 of the natives were killed, with an American 
loss of only thirteen in capturing the obsolete fortifications. Then 
the fleet sailed away, after thirty-five days in Korean waters, on 
July 3, 1871, with virtually no result accomplished. 

This is but one of several such affairs witnessed along the Ko- 
rean coast during the years from 1860 to 18S(). The British and 
Japanese, among others, underwent similar experiences, and Rus- 
sia, France and Italy all made futile efforts to negotiate treaties. 
The entering wedge was introduced by the Japanese, who induced 
the Koreans to send an embassy to Tokio, where they were received 



KOREA AND MANCHURU 133 

by the Mikado, and a treaty was arranged by which Fusan, on 
the south coast of Korea, long a Japanese outpost, was made a 
.Japanese port for settlement and trade. The spirit of progress be- 
i>an to move even in Korea, and young men were sent to Japan 
and China to study and bring l)aek what they could find that was 
good. In 1882 the Koreans yielded to the demand for treaties, and 
the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and China 
all entered into conventions with the niler of the peninsula. 

Contact with westein civihzation has not yet done much to 
change the Korean niMnner of life and thought, nor to eliminate the 
disorders and jealousies in internal affairs. Indeed, these jeal- 
ousies have multiplied since China, Russia and Japan all have 
been striving to obtain dominance over Korean affairs. Plots and 
counter plots have cursed the history of the little kingdom in the 
last decade, as truly as in the past. More than once the Emperor 
has fled from his palace to the protection of a foreign embassy, in 
order to sav* his life. Murders in the palace have been reported 
at mten^als, and tlie actual authority of the government has been 
reduced to a minimum by the presence of powerful legation guards 
attached to each foreign ministrj^ at the capital. Nevertheless, 
certain concessions for railway and telegraph building have been 
made, trade has expanded, missionanes have been permitted to 
lal)0r, and there has been some advance m education. 

The Koreans themselves are temperamentally of a gentle, or- 
derly disposition, and in personal contact foreigners find them con- 
genial as soon as a basis of acquaintance is established. They are 
frugal and industrious, as well as generous and hospitable, but 
their centuries of isolation and superstition have weakened their 
national vitality until in public affairs there is little to admire. 
The religion, art and literature are those of the Chinese, but of less 
vitality, and even the good thmgs in the intellectual side of their 
life have fallen into a low state as a result of the general degen- 
eracy and retrogression of the country. 

We may take a brief glance at the war between China and 
Japan in 1894 and 1895, in order to lead up to the more important 



134 KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

conflict of which this volume treats. That convict was a result of 
the centuries of jealousy, divided authority and rival claims be- 
tween Japan, China and Korea. Japan, in 1876, fonnally acknowl- 
edged Korean independence, but this acknowledgment was never 
imitated by China, which power always claimed suzerainty over 
the Hermit Kingdom. Korea had drawn her civilization from 
China, and the Chinese felt a parenthood for the little kingdom 
that they were not willing to relinquish. Japan, on the other hand, 
]iad conquered Korea in repeated invasions, had settled colonies 
of merchants and soldiers in two Korean ports, Fusan on the south, 
and Gensan, or Wonsan, as it is variously called, in Broughton 
Bay, a few hundred miles north on the eastern coast of the penin- 
sula. 

It would be confusing to attempt an ai;ialysis of the rival claims 
of Korean parties during the period of disorder that preceded the 
Chino- Japanese War. There were pro-Chinese and pro- Japanese 
elements, liberals and conservatives, loyalists and rebels, in inex- 
tricable confusion, except to those who study in detail the entire 
history of the peninsula and its politics. Riots and massacres 
occurred at intervals, during which leaders of the different parties 
fled for shelter to the foreign legations in the capital. Embassies 
from China, Japan and Korea dealt with the diplomats of Europe 
and America in support of their various claims. Assassination be- 
came a common weapon when diplomacy failed to accomplish 
purposes in Korea. Plots to murder the King and his ministers, or 
to blow up the government buildings, were reported at various 
times. 

At last, Japan, as the nearest neighbor and the next friend, took 
the position that her own peace and welfare depended upon the re- 
establishment of order in Korea, under Japanese direction, to in- 
sure that it would be maintained. A scheme of reforms was drafted 
and submitted to the Koreans, with a proposal that China should 
join Japan to effect the desired objects. China refused even to 
discuss this proposal as long as any Japanese troops remained in 



KOREA AND MANCHURIA 135 

Korea, and Japan insisting that these were essential to preserve 
order, refused to withdraw. Tliis was the signal for war, and fight- 
ing began at once. 

The story of the operations of Chinese and Japanese forces dur- 
ing this war is but a record of continuous Japanese success. The 
utter inefficiency of the -Chinese navy and the Chinese anny was 
shown, and the effectiveness of preparations made by Japan was 
made equally manifest. The Japanese were the victors in every 
engagement on land and sea. When the war ended, the Chinese 
navy was destroyed or captured, and the Chinese army demoral- 
ized. The Japanese forces on land moved northward to Korea, as 
they have done in the early days of the Russo-Japanese War, sweep- 
ing the country and driving back Chinese forces wherever they 
were found. The most important and significant land engage- 
ments were those involved in the taking of Port Arthur, which 
was at that time a fortified Chinese military and naval station. 
The Japanese armies swept all before them, and in a masterly 
campaign, by most approved military methods, finally took the 
city by assault. 

The naval operations were equally effective. The most import- 
ant battle was that at the mouth of the Yalu River, the place of 
interest in the present war, as marking the line of separation be- 
tween the Russians and Japanese during the early spring cam- 
paigning. In this naval victory many Chinese ships were destroyed 
and hundreds of sailors were killed or drowned. This battle was of 
the utmost interest to military students throughout the worlds be- 
cause of the fact that it was the first great fight of iron-clad vessels 
of modem construction, and it therefore afforded examples of high 
value as to the manner in which such craft would operate in actual 
engagements. 

So invariable were Japanese success and Chinese defeat, that 
the end of the war soon came into sight. Early in 1895, with the 
Japanese in possession of Korea, Port Arthur and Wei-hai-wei, and 
with all the coast cities around the Yellow Sea subject to Japanese 
control, the defeated Chinese asked for an armistice and peace- 



136 KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

Protracted negotiations were (*arried on in Japan, the eminent Chi- 
nese statesman Li Hung Chang lieadmg tlje (liinese Embassy to 
the Mikado. 

In an earlier chapter we Jiave al]eady observed the tenns of 
peace that Vv ere negotiated m the treaty, and the manner m which 
Kussia interfered to deny Japan some of the fruits of victory Since 
that time, as has been indicatt^d, jealousies bc^tween Japan and Rus- 
sia have multiplied, China has been in controversy with the world, 
in the ''Boxer'' out1)reaks, and has seen ln'V territoiy throv/n open 
to trade and forei.^^n settlem^^nt as a result, and Japan to-day claims 
in large degree th(^ credit for the birth of v> estern civilization into 
the Orient, and the increased prosp^erity that has come to the Ko- 
reans as well as to themselves and the ( 'hinese. 

The worship of ancestors is ol)served in Korea with as much 
punctiliousness as m China, but otherwise religion holds a low 
l)lace m the kingdom. The law forI>idding temples and priests m 
the city of Seoul has been repealed and all religions are permitted 
to teach their faith. Numerous Buddhist monasteries are scattered 
through the country. Confucianism is held in highest esteem by 
the upi3er classes, and a knowledge of the Cliinese classics is the 
first aim of Korean scholars and aspirants for official station. 

Seoul, the capital, with a population of about 200,000, contains 
an English church mission, with a bishop, and two hospitals at- 
tached to the mission, with trained nurses. The American mis- 
sionaries have also two hospitals in Seoul. Altogether in the coun- 
try there are about one hundred Protestant missionaries, and about 
one-third as many Roman Catholics. 

In Seoul there is a school for English, with two English teachers 
and one hundred pupils. There are besides schools for teaching 
Japanese, French, Gennan, Chinese and Russian, and a number 
of schools for little boys where Chinese and Korean are taught. 
All of these schools are subsidized by the government. The native 
language is intermediate between Mongolo-Tatar and Japanese, 
and an alphabetical system of writing is used to some extent. In 
all official writing and in the correspondence of the upper classes, 



KOREA AND MANCHdRIA 137 

the Ghinese characters are used exclusively, but m official docu- 
ments a mixture of the native script is the rule. 

Korea is a purely agricultural country, and the methods of cul- 
tivation are of a backward and primitive type, the moans of com- 
munication being- few and difficult. In the south, rice, wheat, beans 
and grain of all kinds are grown, besides tobacco. In the north, 
the chief crops are barley, millet and oats. Kice, beans and ginseng 
are exported in large quantities. Gold, copper, iron and coal 
abound, and an American company is working gold mines in the 
mountains north of the capital. Similar concessions have been 
granted to a Russian comi)any and to a ( leniian company. 

Transport in the intranor is entirely l)y porters, pack-horses and 
oxen. Small river steamers owned by Jajjanese run on the Han 
River, between Chemulpo, the port, and Seoul, the cai)ital. A rail- 
way along the river has been built for the same distance by an 
American syndicate, and the Jai)anese, who alreadv maintain a 
telegTai:)h line between Seoul and Fusan on the south coast, arc 
building a railwav along that route. Other railway co?]cessions 
have been granted, and the next few years are certain to see an 
immense improvement m the transportation facilities and a devel- 
opment of commerce, whatever liiav be the result of the war. 

We have already seen soiiKitiung of the political relations be- 
tween Russia and jManchuria, and the diplomatic methods by which 
Manchuria became to all intents and purposes a territory under 
Russian authority, with a Russian railwa}^ traversing it Let us 
now glance at the Manchurian province itself, as regards its rela- 
tions to the rest of the Chinese Empire, of which it has been so long 
a part, in its geography, its climate and its products. 

Manchuria covers the northeastern part of the Chinese Empire. 
From Vladivostok, by a great circuit first northeast, then northw(*st 
and finally southwest to the point at which the Siberian Railwav 
crosses into Manchuria, the province is virtually circumscribed by 
Russian territory. To the westvrard, however, it is bounded bv 
the other provinces of the Chinese Empire, and on the south, Korea 
and the Yellow Sea mark its limits. 



138 IvOKEA Ax\D MANCHURIA 

Tile pro\ ince lias an area of nearly 300,000 square miles, or 
about the same as that of Japan. Northern Manelmria is mainly 
mountainous, with a great ran.i;e in the west, and others of less 
magnitude interseetmg the province m dilTerent directions. Th(*re 
are extinct voh*anoes, and much rough country outside of the ac- 
tually mountainous region. Southern Manchuria is known as the 
Liao-tung peninsula, and foiTiis a great triangle i^rojectmg Into 
thc^ Yellow Sea. This is the scene of the earlier war operations, 
and tho entii^e region except the coasts is covered with low moun- 
tains whose summits do not exceed a height of o,*)0() to 5,000 feet. 

The mineral wealth of Manchuria is not yet fully explored, but 
according- to the best information availa1)le it may be regarded as 
promising m the extreme. Coal beds occur at many places along 
the line uf the railway, and along the coast of the Yellow Sea. 
Iron, sih er, tm and gold are found in the mountain ranges, and 
ricli j;old deposits have been discovered quite near to Port Arthur 

The river systems of J\lanciiuria are important in transporta- 
tion, as well as in the development of the countiy. Along the en- 
tire northern boundary flows the great Amur River, which marks 
the frontier of Russia and China, and is navigable throughout its 
entire length. The Sungari, a tributary of the Amur, flows entirely 
across the center of the province, and the Ussuri forms the eastern 
boundarv, between Manchuria and the Siberian province named 
for the river. Both of these streams are navigable by large river 
steamboats. Thanks to the Sungari, railway construction of the 
Manchurian line was made comparatively easy i\Iatenals and 
laborers could be taken into the heart of the country by water with 
the utmost ease, so that construction was in progress from several 
points at the same time. 

Ample rainfalls and fre(iuent rivers and lakes make the ])rov- 
ince well-watered, generally speaking, and whatever agri'»ultural 
resources it has in the soil, can be readily developed by the abun- 
dance of water. 

The climate of the province varies greatly in its northern and 
southern portions. In northern Manchuria the winters are par- 



KOREA AND MANCHURIA 139 

ticularly severe, and much colder than any other parts of the world 
lying within the same latitudes. Winter lasts for five months, and 
the ice on the rivers attains a thickness of three or four feet. The 
spring is short and the change from cold to warm weather is very 
sudden, being accompanied by an extraordinarily rapid growth of 
vegetation. The greater part of the crop is sown m April. The 
summer is very wann, the autumn commences early, the leaves 
fall at the beginnmg of September, and mommg frosts begin late 
m the same month. In the southeni part of the province, however, 
the climate is modified by the warm currents from the Pacific, and 
the seasons are all milder. 

The animal life and vegetation of northern Manchuria are much 
the same as those of Siberia, while southern Manchuna is more 
akin to China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. A border province as 
it is, Manchuria includes not only the sable of the far north, but 
the Bengal tiger of southern Asia. 

There are no ver\^ satisfactory figures of population, but the 
best estimates credit Manchuria with about 15,000,000 inhabitants. 
The mixture of races is remarkable, but the larger elements are the 
Chinese, Manchus, Koreans and Buriats. During the last centur>^ 
the Chinese have immigrated into the province in great numbers. 
Owing to the energy and industry of the Chinese, the central and 
southern portions of Manchuria differ but slightly in industry and 
manners of life from the parts of the Empire around Peking. 

The chief occupation of the people of Manchuria is agriculture. 
Of late years the Chinese government has paid special care to ag- 
ricultural development, inducing the settlement of unoccupied lands 
and the extensive cultivation of the more valuable crops. Wheat, 
oats, barley, millet, buckwheat, com and rice are cultivated in the 
south. Poppies, from which opium is prepared, are an important 
product. Tobacco and cotton are raised, and large quantities of 
silk are produced. In the south, orchards and vineyards are im-. 
portant sources of wealth, and vegetables are grown in gardens 
everywhere. Apples, pears, paache», plums, oniong, red peppers 
and garlic are commonly found. The ginseng root is the most im- 



140 KOREA A\I) AlANCHURIA 

portant medicinal plant m tlir opinion of the C'liinese, and is grown 
in large quantities. Of late years this has been introduced into the 
United States from China, and is being grown to some extent for 
export to tliat countiy. Cattle raising is an important industry m 
Mancliuria, and tlie liorses of the provinces are famous. Camels 
are commonly employed for pack-animals. 

Along the larger rivers there are fisheries of some importance, 
and on the sea coast these become a noteworthy industry, providing 
food not only for local consumption, but for export. Oysters also 
are found in tlie bays in the southern part of the jDrovmce. ]\ranu- 
facturing industries are not at all developed, except in the form of 
handcraft to supply the needs of the local population. 

During the few years immediately prior to the outbreak of the 
Russo-Japanese War, a period which measures the time of the 
Russian occupation of ^Manehuria, conditions in this provinee have 
materially changed from what was in effect before the Slavs came 
down from the North. It is the invariable policy of the Russians, 
wherever they obtain a foothold by conquest or by treaty, to subdue 
the native population and trade to their own demands, according 
to what they consider will be most profitable commercially, and 
most advantageous politically. In Manchuria this meant to garri- 
son the line of the railway, to build Russian towns at strategic 
1 joints, to police the province throughout, to establish branches of 
the Russo-Chmese Bank m every commercial town, and to encour- 
age Russian merchants by favorable terms which could be given 
them for their freight shipments on the railway, their credits m 
the bank, and local contracts for the supply of provisions and ma- 
terials for Russian military and engineering parties in the prov- 
ince. 

All these things have been done as a part of the invariable 
Russian policy in conquered territory. The result has been the 
influx of a large Russian population in civil life. The Russian 
element in Manchuria, therefore, has not been measured entirely 
by the number of soldiers under arras, or the railway construction 
forces. Russian peasants have come to ]\ranchuria in considerable 



KOREA AND MANCHURIA 141 

number. Russian merchants and artisans have been everywhere. 
In this manner the Kussification of Manchuria has advanced in 
every direction. 

Of course, in large degree this Russian population has been 
concentrated in the larger towns of Manchuria. Temptations 
were few to attract isolated Russian settlers into Chinese commu- 
nities. Their surroundings would not be congenial, nor would 
they have fair opportunities to prosper in their occupations. In- 
stead they have centered in two or three of the more important 
Chinese cities of the province, forming large Russian colonies 
there, and m two instances, at least, new cities have been built 
that are virtually Russian in i)laii and po])ulation, except for th(^ 
element of Chinese labor that has drifted to them. 

One of these towns is Dalny, a few miles northeast of Port 
Arthur, on the southeni coast of the peninsula which so early 
became the seat of war. AVhen the Russians withdrew Port Ar- 
thur from the originally established privilege of a free port for 
all the nations, they created Dalny on the neighborini>' bay of 
Talienwan as a commercial substitute, in order that they might 
leave Port Arthur free to be fortified and maintained as a naval 
station without being subject to the obsei^A^ation of inquisitive for- 
eigners. Dalny was hastened to completion m order to mollify 
the protesting nations, and rapidly became a real Russian town. 
But lightly fortified as it was, and conveniently prepared with 
docks, warehouses and shipping facilities, it was early made the 
point of Japanese attack and soon fell into the hands of the 
Islanders, to be used as a convenient station for their own opera- 
tions. 

The other of these purely Russian towns is Harbin, in the very 
heart of Manchuria, the junction point of the diverging lines of 
railway which traverse the province. From Harbin branches of 
the Chinese Eastern Railway, a part of the Siberian s\ stem, run 
to Mukden, Newchwang, Dalny and Port Arthur on the south, and 
to Nikolsk and Vladivostok on the east. From here also the 
main line of the Trans-Continental system runs northwestward to 



142 KOREA AND MANCHURIA 

the Siberian boundary, connecting by way of Irkutsk, Omsk, and 
Cheliabinsk, ^Yith the Russian railways of the European conti- 
nent, flarbm was but a village when the Russians came, 
although it was only a few miles from the important Manchurian 
(^ity of Tsitsikliar. It is located at a point convenient to river 
navigation on the Sungari, and this combination of rail and river n 
facilities suggested the location as the center of Russian settle- 
ment m Manchuria. A Russian city of considerable size has been 
built there, and with the Chinese population which has been 
drawn to the same place, the community is said to contain a pop- 
ulation of nearly 70,000. 

It IS along this line of railway extending northward from Port 
Arthur to Harbin, that the Japanese have forced their advance, 
and the Russians have been compelled to fall back. In the process 
tJie Chinese inhabitants along the way, who, after all, have the best 
equity to the country, have been bitter sufferers. They have seen 
thoir fields devastated, their farming operations for the entire 
summer of 1904 interrupted, and their peaceful village life de- 
stro>ed. The Russians have never been too lenient with the 
Asiatic races with whom they have come in contact, and in time 
of war it is not their disposition to waste energy on helpless peo- 
l)le who get in the way. The campaign, therefore, has resulted 
111 aggravating Chinese irritation against the Russians, who were 
froiii the beginning tolerated only because there was nothing else 
lo do. In the course of several years of occupation of an Asiatic 
province, the Russians have usually been able to get on pretty 
good terms with the conquered tribes, but the Manchurian occu- 
pation has been too brief to establish this condition. The feeling 
of the natives to the Russian armies is, therefore, an important 
factor in the progress of events as the war proceeds, and will be 
one of the most interesting influences to watch with the advance 
of time, after the restoration of peace makes a readjustment of 
the entire situation necessary. 



CHAPTER VI 
UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 

Secretary of State John Hay Sends a Note to European Powers Asking Them to Join 
With the United States in Maintaining the Neutrality and Integrity of the 
Chinese Empire — All Accept and the **New Diplomacy" Wins a Signal Victory 
— Our Part in the War. 

FROM the veiy beginning the ITnited States lias played an 
important part in the l\usso-fJapanese war. As soon as 
the two nations broke off diplomatic relations with each other 
Secretary of State John Hay (*abled the following instructions to 
American ambassadors and ministers at the courts of the prin- 
cipal European governments: 

''You will express to the minister of foreign affairs the earnest 
desire of the government of the United States that in the course of 
the military operations which have been begun between Russia 
and Japan the neutrality of Cliina and in all practical^le wavs her 
administrative entity shall be respectiM^ by both parties and that 
the area of hostilities shall be localized and limited as much as 
possible, so that undue excitement and disturbance of the C'liineso 
people may be prevented and the leavSt possible loss to the com- 
merce and intercourse of the world will be occasioned. 

JOHN HAY.'' 

This note marked a new departure m diplomacv, and was at 
first a surprise and puzzle to the European diplomats. Nearlv all 
of the foreign governments delayed making a reply until thev 
learned its exact import. It seemed rather audacious to tell two 
strong powers like Russia and Japan that they must keep their 
hands off China and must limit the area in which they fought to 
their own countries and the contiguous territory which had been 
the cause of the dispute. One by one, however, the other nations 

143 



144 UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 

dropped in behind Undo Sam, althongli some of them, like France, 
the ally of Russia, did so with great reluctance. The first ones, of 
(M)urse, were those that had large trade interests in China which 
woukl have been seriously disturbed, if not absolutely ruined, had 
the warring armies invaded the Chinese empire proper. 

By the agreement of tlie i)owers brought about by Secretary 
Hay the trade of ( 'hina was })roteeted against the ravages of war, 
and that nation itself hold in check, for Secretary Hay's note not 
only meant that Russia and Japan should respect the integrity of 
China, but that China herself should remain neutral and take no 
part in the war. 

Secretary Hay's proposal was made for the purpose of keeping 
Cliina out of the theater of war and without prejudice to Russia. 
The United States government felt that no nation could object to 
the suggestion that China remain neutral, and that no nation could 
justify itself if it did objeot. 

In the first place, if China remained neutral the chances of 
China maintaining its integrity would be enhanced. 

In the second place, Russia avoided the risk of having on her 
hands a war with China and was thereby left free to withdraw a 
large guard from her long frontier. 

In the third place, the other nations, all of which had interests 
in China, had esoaped the constant danger which would otherwise 
have been threatening them of becoming involved in the contro- 
versy. 

The Two Main Propositions. 

Secretary Hay's suggestion laid down the two propositions 
in the plainest language. He did not differentiate between old 
China and that part of the empire known as Manchuria and then 
occupied by Russia. Nor did he include the future independence 
of Korea. That was a question with which he did not want to 
involve the greater and more pressing question of the neutrality 
of China and the territorial integrity of China, which was a neces- 
sary corollary. 




o 
O 



OS TS 

CQ a 



S 1 



o 

E^ s t: 

o § 

03 

CO 

-a 




o 



o 



O c 



g 



03 



o 
c 

OS 



Eh 




o > 

O 

O w 

SI 

W O 
M § 

§° 



S 
O 



UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 147 

Nothing tliat has happened in American diplomacy since Eich- 
ard Olney, then American Secretary of State, sent his famous 
message in the Venezuelan boundary dispute that ^Hhe United 
States are practically sovereign on this continent and their fiat is 
law,'' has aroused as much comment as Seoretary Hay's note with 
respect to Chma's neutrality and the presei'\^ation of her empire, 
although the latter was a subject upon wliicli men of different 
political views held different opinions. Kiglit or wrong, it was 
accomplished and China was given a new reason to be grateful 
to the United States of America. 

Inspired By Germany. 

Great Britain and Germany made ready responses to the Amer- 
ican note expressing their approval. It afterward transpired that 
the note was inspired by Baron Speck Von St(miberg, the German 
Ambassador to the United States. It was also b/arned that the 
British Ambassador had been instructed to suggest to the Amer- 
ican Secretary of State that he take the initiative m domandmg 
that the neutrality of China be prescinded, and the integrity of 
that country respected, Init the German Ambassador was the first 
to have a conference with Secretary Ilay on the subject. 

The reason why the United States took the lead in this matter 
was that this country had no territorial interests in China, no 
'^spheres of influence" like Great Britain, Germany and France, 
and hence was the only great power occupying an independent 
position in all matters relating to the Chinese empire. Had either 
of the European powers mentioned addressed such a note to the 
two belligerents they would have been open to the charge of 
self-interest, and certainly their motives would not have been above 
suspicion. 

Even as it was, Secretary Hav was accused in some quarters 
of playing into the hands of Japan, and while the note caused no 
friction with the Russian government, it aroused a great deal of 
indignation among the Eussian people, while the Eussian press 



us UNITED STATER SAVES (TIL\A 

deiiouiK^ed Secretary Hay and the Inited States as enemies of 
the Czar's goverament. The important i'(q)!ies to the note, of 
course, were those from tlie two warrin,i>' powers. Inasmuch as 
Japan was figlitmg to maintain the integrity of the Chinese em- 
Yure, the jMikado's government gave its ac(iuiescence. The Japan- 
(\^e reply, which was communicated tlirough the American Minis- 
ter at Tokio, on Februarv 1*!, was as follows: 

''In response to your note of the 1-tli mst., on tlie subject 
of the neutralitv of C'liina during the existing war, I beg to sav 
that the imi)erial go^(*rnment, sharing with the government of 
the Ignited States m the fudest measure the desire to avoid as far 
as possdjle anv disturbance of the orderlv condition of affairs now 
l)revaihng m China, aie prei)ared to respect the neutrahty and 
administrative entitv of ( Hiina outsnh^ tlie regions occupied bv 
IJussia as long as IJussia, making a similar engagement, fulfills, in 
good faith, the terms and conditions of such engagement." 

Russia Exempts Manchuria. 

Xearlv a week later, or on Februarv 19, the following reply 
was received from the Russian government 

^'The iini)erial government slmres completelv the desire to in- 
sure tranquilitv of CHima, is ready to adhere to an understanding 
with other powers for tlie purpose of safeguarding the neutralitv 
of that empire on the following conditions- 

''1, China must herself strictly observe all the clauses of 
neutrality. 

''il. The Japanese government must loyally observe the en- 
gagements entered into with the powers as well as the principles 
generallv recognized bv the law of nations. 

"?>. That it IS well understood that neutralization in no case 
can be extended to ]\Ianeliuria, the territorv of which, by the force 
of events, will serve as field of miliatrv operation.'' 

It will be noted that Russia particularly exempted Manchuria 
from the neutral zone, and as that great province of China is the 



UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 149 

only section in which Eussian interests would be affected, it was 
manifestly to the advantage of Eussia that the remainder of China 
should be kept neutral. 

Secretary Hay sent the following telegram to Eussia and 
Japan, the import of which was communicated to the other powers 
interested: 

^^Tlie answer of the Eussian government is viewed as respon- 
sive to the proposal made by the United States, as well as by the 
other powers, and this government will have pleasure in com- 
municating it forthwith to the governments of China and Japan, 
each of which has already informed us of its adherence to the 
principles set forth m our circular proposal/' 

China Promises Neutrality 

111 the meantime, an exchange of correspondence took place 
between the governments of China and Japan, concerning the 
question of Chinese neutrality and Japan's attitude toward the 
Chinese empire. 

In a note handed by the Chinese Minister at Tokio to the 
Japanese ]^>Iinister for foreign affairs, February 13, China an- 
nounced that the Pekin government had taken steps to observe 
the rules of neutrality between nations a;nd had ordered all the 
authorities of the provinces to observe them strictly. Special 
preparations had been ordered for the guarding of Mukden and 
Shinkin, the sites of the imperial mausoleums and palaces. A 
garrison has been dispatched to all the districts west of the Liao 
which had been evacuated by Eussia. 

China engaged, however, not to take such steps ^^as will make 
a rupture of friendly relations in Manchuria, '' adding that ^^ there 
are localities still in occupation by foreign troops and beyond the 
reach of the power of China, where the enforcement of such rules 
of neutrality, it is feared, will be impossible. The three eastern 
provinces, as well as the rights pertaining thereto, shall remain 
under China's sovereignty whatever side may gain the victory, 
and shall not be occupied by either of the powers now at war/' 



150 UNITED STATES SAVES CHINA 



Japan's Promise to China. 

The rc\si)oiise of eJapan to the request of China for a statement 
of its position m regard to the neutrahty of the latter country is 
as follows. 

' ' The imperial go\ ernment, desiring to avoid as far as possible 
a disturbance of the peaeeful condition of affairs which prevails 
ill Clima, will in all parts of Chinese territory, excepting the 
regions now occupied by liussia, respect the neutrality of China 
so long as Ivussia does the same. 

''The rules of war which govern the forces of Japan in the field 
do not permit the vranton desti-uction of property. Accordingly, 
the imperial Chinese govennnent may rest assured that 
the mausoleums and palaces at Mukden and Hsing-Kiang 
and i)ublic buildings in China everywhere will be secure from 
any injury not attnbutable to the action of Russia. 

^'Furthennore, the rights of Chinese officials and inhabitants 
within the zone of military operations will in their persons and 
proi)erty be fully respected and protected by the imperial forces, 
so far as military necessity permits. In the event, however, that 
they should extend aid and comfort to the enemy of Japan, the 
imperial government reserves to itself the right to take such 
action as the circumstances require. 

^^It remains to say, in conclusion, that the war is not being 
Avaged by the Japanese for the purpose of conquest, but solely in 
defense of her legitimate interests, and, consequently, the imperial 
government has no intention to acquire territory at the expense 
of China as a result of the conflict. 

''The imperial government also wishes the imperial Chinese 
government to clearly understand that whatever action may be 
taken by it on Chinese temtory which is made the theater of war 
will be the result of military necessity and not impairment o^ 
Chinese sovereignty/' 



CHAPTER VII 
DUTIILS OF NEUTRAL NATIONS 

President Roosevelt's Proclamation of Neutrality Defines the Obligations of a 
Neutral Power and of its Citizens or Subjects, and Also the Rights of the Bel- 
ligerents With Respect to Neutral Nations— All the Great Powers Declare 
Neutrality at the Outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War. 

ALL of the great powers of Europe, togetlier with the Unitod 
States, issued proclamations of neutrality, after Russia and 
Japan each had made formal declaration of war. 

President Roosevelt's prochimation covers so thoroughly the 
duties and obligations of a neutral power and its citizens that it 
is herewith given in full : 

^^ Whereas, A state of war unhappily exists between Japan on 
the one side and Russia on the other side ; and, 

^^ Whereas, The United States are on terms of friendship and 
amity with both the contending powers, and with the persons in- 
habiting their several dominions ; and, 

^^Wliereas, There are citizens of the United States residing 
within the territories or dominions of each of the said belligerents, 
and carrjdng on commerce, trade, or other business or pursuits 
therem, protected by the faith of treaties; and, 

^^ Whereas, There are subjects of each of the said belligerents 
residing within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States, 
and carrying on commerce, trade, or other business or pursuits 
therein; and, 

*^ Whereas, The laws of the United States, without interfering 
with the free expression of opinion and sjnupathy, or with the open 
manufacture or sale of arms or munitions of war, nevertheless 
impose upon all persons who may be within their territory and 
jurisdiction the duty of an impartial neutrality during the exist- 
ence of the contest; and, 

151 



152 DUTIES OF NEUTRAL NATlOWS 

Will Preserve Neutrality. 

'^AVlinvas, It is the diit} of a neutral i^ovci'iunent not to poniiit 
or siilTcr tli(* ina!<ii],i>' of its watois subsorvK^nl to tlie purposes of 
war, 

' ' Xow, tlierefore, T, Tlioodore Roosevelt, President of the United 
Slates of Anieri(*a, m order to presen^e the neutrality of the United 
States and of their citizens and of persons within their territory 
and ^lurisdiclion, and to enforce their laws, and in ovdi^r that all 
l)ersoiis, bein.i;' warned of the general tenor of the laws and treaties 
of tlie Unit(Ml States m this behalf and of the law of nations, may 
thus 1)0 prevented from an unintentional violation of the same, do 
lica-oby doolaro and proelaim that l)v the act passed on the 20th day 
of A])ril, A. 0. 181 S, commonly known as the ^neuti-alitv law/ the 
followini;' acts are forlndden to be done, under severe penalties, 
with 111 the territory and jurisdiction of the Ignited States, to wit: 

'^1 Accepting and exia^'ismg a eommission to sen^e either 
of the said belligerents by land or by sea against the other bellig- 
erent 

''2. Enlisting or entering into the service of either of the said 
belligerents as a soldier or as a marine or seaman on board of a 
vfv-^sel of war, letter of marque, or privateer. 

'')L Hiring or retaining another person to enlist or enter him- 
s(*]f m the service of either of the said belligerents as a soldier or 
as a marine or seaman on board of any vessel of war, letter of 
marque, or privateer. 

^'4. Hiring another person to go beyond the limits or juris- 
diction of the United States with intent to be enlisted as afore- 
said. 

''5. Hiring another person to go beyond the limits of the 
United States with intent to be entered into service as aforesaid. 

"6. Retaining another person to go beyond the limits of the 
United States with intent to be enlisted as aforesaid. 



DUTIES OP NEUTRAJj NATIONS 15:j 



^^7 



detaining another person to go beyond the limits of th<^ 
United States to be entered into the sei^ice of the aforesaid. 
(Bnt the said act is not to be construed to extend to a citizen of 
either belligerent, who, ])eing transiently within the United States, 
shall, on board of another vessel of war which at the tune of its 
arrival within the United States was filled and equipped as sucli 
vessel of war, enlist or enter himself or hire or retain another sub- 
,]ect or citizen of the same belligerent who is transiently withm 
the United States to enlist or enter himself to serve such bellii^er- 
ent on ])oard such vessel of war if the United States shall then be 
at peace with such belligerent.) 

Privateering Is Prohibited. 

''8. Fitting out and arming, or attempting to fit out and arm 
or procuring to be fitted out and armed, or knowingly being con- 
cerned m the furnishing, fitting out or arming of anv ship or 
vessel with intent that such ship or vessel shall be emploved in 
the service of either of the belligerents. 

^^9. Issuing or delivering a commission within the territory 
or jurisdiction of the United States for a ship or vessel to the 
intent that it may be employed as aforesaid. 

'^10- Increasing or augmenting or procuring to be increased 
or augmented, or knowingly being eoiicerned in increasing or aug- 
menting the force of any shi]> of war, cruiser, or other anned 
vessel which at the tune of its arrival withm the United States 
was a ship of war, cruiser, or armed vessel m the service of either 
of the said belligerents, or belonging to the subjects of either, by 
adding to the number of guns of such vessels, or by changing those 
on board of it for guns of a larger caliber, or by the addition 
thereto of any equipment solely appln^able to vrar. 

'^11 Beginning or setting on foot, or providing or preparinir 
the means for any militaiy expedition or enterprise to bi* <'arrie(1 
on from the territory or jurisdiction of the Unified States against 
th(* territoiv or <lominions of either of the said Ijelliiierents. 



154 DUTIES OF NEUTRAL NATIONS 

Closed to Hostile Ships. 

^^And I do hereby further declare and proclaim that any fre- 
quenting and use of the waters within the territorial jurisdiction 
of the United States by the armed vessels of either belligerents, 
whether i)ublic ships or privateers, for the purpose of preparing 
for hostile operations, or as posts of observation upon the ships 
of war or privateers or merchant vessels of the other belligerent 
lying within or being about to enter the jurisdiction of the United 
States, must be ri^garded as unfriendly and offensive and m viola- 
tion of that neutrality which it is the determination of this gov- 
ernment to observe. 

*^To the end that the hazard and inconvenience of such appre- 
hended practiees may be avoided, I further proclaim and declare 
that from and after the 15th day of February instant, and during 
the continuance of the present hostilities between Japan and Rus- 
sia, no ship of war or privateer of either belligerent shall be per- 
mitted to make use of any port, harbor, roadstead, or waters 
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States from which a vessel 
of the other belligerent— whether the same shall be a ship of war, 
a privateer, or a merchant ship— shall have previously departed 
until after the expiration of at least twenty-four hours from the 
departure of such last mentioned beyond the jurisdiction of the 
United States. 

May Stay Twenty-four Hours. 

^^If any ship of war or privateer of either belligerent shall, 
after the time of this notification, enter any port, harbor, road- 
stead, or waters of the United States such vessel shall be required 
to depart and put to sea within twenty-four hours after its entrance 
into such port^ harbor, roadstead, or waters, except in case of 
stress of weather or of it requiring provisions or things necessary 
for the subsistence of the crew, or for repairs; in either of which 
cases the authorities of the port or of the nearest port (as the case 



DUTIES OF NEUTRAL NATIONS 155 

may be) shall rciiuire it to put to sea as soon as possible after the 
expiration of such period of i\\ent\-four hours without pernultin.u 
it to take in supplies beyond what may be necessary for immediat(* 
use, and no such vess(4 which mav have been permitted to remain 
withm the waters of the United States for the purpose of repair 
shall (M)ntinue within such i)ort, harbor, roadstead, or waters for a 
longer period than twentv-four hours after ne(*essary repairs shall 
have been completed unli^ss within such twenty-four hours a vessel, 
whether slii}) of war, privateer, or merchant ship of the other 
belligerent shall have departed therefrom, m which case the time 
limited for the dei)arture of such ship of war or privat^'cr shall be 
extended so far as may be necessary to secure an interval of not 
less than twenty-four hours between siidi departure and that of 
au} ship of war, privateer, or mercliant ship of the other belliger- 
ent which may have previouslv (juit the same port, harbor, road- 
stead, or waters. 

For Harbor Regulations. 

^'No ship of war or privateer of either belligerent shall be 
detained in any port, harbor, roadstead, or waters of the United 
States more than twenty-four hours by reason of the successive 
departures from such port, harbor, roadstead, or waters of more 
than one vessel of the other belligerent. But if there be several 
vessels of each or either of the two belligerents in the same port, 
harbor, roadstead, or waters, the order of their departure there- 
from shall be so arranged as to afford the opportunity of leaving- 
alternately to the vessels of the respective belligerents, and to 
cause the least detention consistent with the objects of this procla- 
mation. 

^'No ship of war or privateer of either belligerent shall be per- 
mitted while in any port, harbor, roadstead, or watere within the 
jurisdiction of the United States to take in any supplies except 
provisions and such other things as may be requisite for the sub 
sistence of the crew, and except so much coal only as may be suf- 
ficient to carry such vessel, if without any sail power, to the nearest 



156 DUTIES OF NEUTliAL NATIONS 

l)()rt of its own country, or in case the vessel is rigged to go under 
sail and may also be propelled by steam power, then with lialf the 
quantity of coal w^hicli it avouM be entitled to receive, if dependiTit 
upon steam alone*, and no coal shall be again supi)lied to any such 
ship of war or ])rivateer in the same or any otlua* ])ort, harbor, 
roadstead, or wat^^^i's of the United States without special ])en)iis- 
sion, until after the exi)iration of three months from the time when 
such (M)al may have been last supi>lied to it within the waters of 
the Tainted States unless such ship of war or privateer shall, since 
last thus supplied, have entered a i)ort of the government to which 
it belongs. 

Rights of Neutral Ships. 

''And I further declare and ]n-oclaim that by tlie first article 
of the com ciition as to rights of neutrals at s(?:i, which was con- 
clu<](»d l)(4wccn the United States of America and his majestv the 
Emperor of all the Eussias, on July 22, A. D. 1854, the following 
prin(a})los were recognized as permanent and immutable— to wit 

''1. That free ships make free goods; that is to say, that the 
effects or goods belonging to sul^iccts or citizens of a power or 
state at war are free from cai)ture and confiscation when found on 
board neutral vessels, with the exception of articles of contraljand 
of war. 

'"2. That the property of neutrals on board an enemy's vessel 
is not subject to confiscation, unless the same be contraband of 
war. 

^'And I do further declare and proclaim that the statutes of 
the Ignited States and the law of nations alike require that no 
person, within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States, 
shall take ])art, directly or indirectly, in the said war, but shall 
remain at pea<*e with each of the said belligerents, and shall main- 
tain a strict ajid impartial neutralitv, and that whatevin' privil- 
eges shall ])e ac^corded to oik* belligerent within the })orts of the 
Tnited States shall be in like manner accorded to the other. 

'^\nd T do h( reby enjoin all the good citizens of the United 



DUTIES OF NEUTRAL NATIONS 157 

States and all persons residing or being within the territory or 
jurisdiction of the United States to observe the laws thereof, and 
to commit no act contrary to the provisions of the said statutes 
or in violation of the Law of nations in that behalf. 

Contraband of War. 

'^And I do hereby warn all citizens of the United States and 
all persons residing or being within their territory or jurisdiction 
that while the free and full expression of sympathies m jiublic and 
jDrivate is not restricted by the laws of the United States, military 
forces in aid of either belligerent cannot lawfully be originated or 
organized within their jurisdiction, and that while all persons may 
lawfully, and without restriction by reason of tho aforesaid state 
of war, manufacture and sell within the United States anns and 
munitions of war, and other articles ordinarily known as ^contra- 
band of war,' yet they cannot carry such articles upon the high 
seas for the use or ser^dce of either belligerent, nor can they trans- 
port soldiers and officers of either, or attempt to break any block- 
ade which may be lawfully established and maintained during the 
Avar, without incurring the risk of hostile capture, and the pen- 
alties denounced by the law of nations m that behalf. 

'^And I do hereby give notice that all citizens of the United 
States and others who may claim the protection of this govern- 
ment, who may misconduct themselves in the premises will do so 
at their peril and that thoy can m nowise obtain any protection 
from the government of the United States against the consequences 
of their conduct. 

'^In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused 
the seal of the United States to be affixed. 

^'Done at the city of Washington this 11th day of February, 
in the year (seal) of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and four 
and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and 
twenty-eighth. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

^^By the President. 

^^JOHN HAY, Secretary of State/' 



CHAPTER VIII 

FIGHTING FORCES OF THE MIKADO AND 

THE CZAR 

Comparison of the Military, Naval and Financial Strength of the Combatants at 
the Outbreak of the War— Japan Well Prepared in Every Way, but Her Army 
Was Small in Comparison With the Russian Military Machine — Financial Stand- 
ing and Resources of the Two Warring Empires. 

SOLDIEES, ships and money are the three figliting forces of a 
nation. A comparison of the financial and naval strength 
of Russia and Japan at tlie beginning of the war showed plainly 
that the little island nation was well prepared in these two par- 
ticulars, although the strength of her army was small compared 
to the great military force of the Russian empire. At the same 
time it was apparent that if Japan could control the sea and suffer 
no reverses in her monetary reso«urces that she could easily place 
on the Asiatic continent an army which Russia would be perplexed 
to crush. It had been repeatedly alleged m ill-informed circles 
that the state of Japan ^s finances handicapped her heavily for 
fighting purposes. 

Precisely the same estimate found general credence at the 
outset of the war in 1894. But in truth Japan's position at the 
beginning of the war with Russia was incomparably better than 
it was then. She had in the vaults of the Central Bank specie 
aggregating 113,000,000 yen (£11,300,000), an altogether unprece- 
dented amount. There also remained to the bank a legal margin 
oi 35,000,000 of note-issuing power, which could be expanded to 
at least 50,000,000 when the invariable year's end drain was suc- 
ceeded by the spring deposits. Out of the proceeds of the 50,000,000 
yen worth of bonds sold abroad last year a great part lay in hard 
money m London, Her next fiscal year's budget showed a revenue 

158 



FIGHTING FORCES OF MIKADO AND CZAR 159 

of 2L\5,225,000 ven, against an expenditure of 183,667,000, a surplus 
of over 41,000,000 being thus available. 

Thi^ treasury had also in hand the three capital funds— the 
n:nal maintenanee fund (30,000,000), the edue^tion fund (10,000,- 
000) and famine relief fund (10,000,000; -one-half of this total 
(»f 50,000,000 being in specie. Finally, the market rate of interest, 
Avhieli ranged from lO-'H to 121/4 hist year, was quoted at (J^^, and 
the banks th.rougliout the country were embarrassed with funds 
for V. hich they could not find any profitable use. 

Japan's actual outlavs during her war with China in 1894-5 
were 16r), 225,000 yen on account of the army and 35,000,000 ven 
on account of the navy, in which figures there were included large 
sums for the purchase of trans] )orts, men-of-war and ammunition, 
none of which expenses would ha^ e to be incurred in her war with 
Kussia. As for the hard money side of the account, the aggregate 
outlays did not reach 12,000,000 yen. It may be said, therefore, 
that the financial situation was notably favorable for Japan. 

Sea Forces Nearly Equal. 

Concerning the command of the sea, the latest statement from 
authoritative Japanese sources showed the strength of the two 
squadrons as follows, premising that the Russian totals included 
vessels then en route for the far east- Of battle-ships Japan had 
SIX, with a displacement of 86,299 tons, against nine Eussian, with 
a displacement of 110,232 tons, but this superiority on Russia's 
side was somewhat redressed by tlie greater size, higher speed and 
heavier armament of the Japanese ships. 

Of annored cruisers Japan had six, with a displacement of 
58,788 tons, against five Russian, with a displacement of 40,016 
tons. 

Of protected cruisers capable of developing a speed of twenty 
knots and upward Japan had six, with a displacement of 25,106 
tons, against eight Russian, with a disj^lacement of 45,553 tons. 
In this list, then, which comprised first-class fighting material, 



160 FIGHTING FORCES OF MIKADO AND CZAR 

Jai)an's ships numbered eighteen, or a total tonnage of 170,182, 
against twenty-two Russian, with a total tonnage of 204,801. 

In second-class fighting material Japan had twelve cruisers 
of a speed of sixteen knots and upward, with a displacement of 
37,739 tons, against one Russian, with a displacement of 3,285 tons, 
and Japan had twenty-three gunboats and coast defense ships, 
aggregating 28,391 tons, against twelve Russian, aggregating 
12,988 tons. Thus, in second-class material Japan had thirty-five 
ships, representing 66,130 tons, against thirteen Russian, totaling 
26,273 tons. 

Of torpedo destroyers Japan had nineteen, displacing 6,227 
tons, against thirty-two Russian, displacing 9,608 tons, and of tor- 
pedo boats Jai>an had eighty-five, against Russia's fourteen. On 
the whole, tlion, the fighting forces of the two powers seem tol- 
erably ecjual, while Japan had a great advantage in the proximity 
of her base and in the possession of ample docking facilities, the 
latter a point where Russia was probably inferior. 

Russians Enormous Army. 

Though there was little possibility that the Russians would put 
half or even a third of their effective war strength into the field, 
and though it had been announced that no troops would be with- 
drawn from the Austrian or Bessarabian frontiers, it may be inter- 
esting to state what the actual war strength of the Russian army 
was. It should be remembered that every year 890,000 young men 
are liable to conscription, of whom 220,000 are emploved, the re- 
mainder passing into the resei'\^e. The total war strength of the 
active army was twenty-four army corps, with fifty-one infantry 
and twenty-three cavalry divisions, one rifle division, two rifle 
brigades. The reserve consists of twenty divisions of the first and 
fifteen divisions of the second class, 490 Cossack squadrons and 
seventeen horse artillery batteries of six fifteen-pounders each. 
The active army consisted of 989 battalions of infantry, 730 squad- 
rons of cavalry, 3,782 guns, 161 engineer companies, 29,000 officers 



fi(;htix(J forces op mikado and czar Kll 

and 1,20(^,700 men. The reserves, including foeal and fortress 
troops, brought the strength to li,870 battahons, 1,()00 squadrons, 
6,500 guns, 75,000 officers and 4,500,000. Thos(^ figures are in 
round numbers. 

The peace strength of a regiment is seventy officers and 1,887 
men, twenty-five horses and no wheeled veliicles. In war the total 
IS raised. 

The Russian uniform is green, with a dark green flat cloth 
cap. The great coat is grav, reaching lialf wav between knee 
and ankle. In summer white linen blouse and trousers are worn. 
Equipment consists for each man of three cartridge pouehes and 
a bandolier, carrvmg V2i) rounds in all; a kit bag, an aluminum 
Avater bottle, a great coat and the sixth part of a shelter tent; total 
weight, 58.22 pounds. This includes an emergencv ration of bis- 
cuit and salt Meat is carried ''on the hoof, cattle for slaughter 
accompany the marehing columns. 

Soldiers Must Pray. 

Every morning and every night the Russian soldier is sum- 
moned to prayers. The services are as much a part of the every- 
day routine as breakfast and supper No other army obseiwes so 
manv religious ceremonies. 

With drilling and ridmg, gymnastics, fencing and shooting, ac- 
cording to his regiment, tlie soldier works hard until the time 
for dinner arrives, between 11 and 12. Afterward, until 2 o'clock, 
he mav sleep or rest. Two hours' drilling is followed by tea. Be- 
tween 6 and 7 the illiterates of the regiment study the arts of 
reading and wi^iting m large classes. 

On this ocasion the Czar rides all round the camp, which 
is several miles in circumference, and inspects each regiment. The 
troops are without their side arms, for this is largely a religious 
ceremony. As the Czar passes he greets the soldiers with the well- 
known words, ''Zdorovo molotzee''— ^'Your health, my lads''— 
which they answer with, ''Your imperial majestv's good health,'^ 
and with loud hurrahs. 



1()2 FKJIITlNi; F()KMM^:s OF MIKADO A\l) CZAR 

The Czar, having (*oiiii)Je(eHl Ins inspo(*tion, returns to the im- 
perial marquee, pitched on the top of a hill, and receives tlie re- 
jiorts of the officers. Then at a si.^-nal all the ij;uns around the camp, 
numbering some 500 pieces, salute, while a thousand musicians 
and drummers strike up the ''Kolj Slaven," a Kussian national 
hymn. At another signal all the soldiers present begin slowly to 
intone the Lord's Praver m unison. The effect is indescribably 
impressive. 

Sinre the Turkish war the Russian araiy has been thoroughly 
reorganized by General Vanoffsky. AVhen supplied with the new 
(juick-firing guns now rapidly bemi; introduced, next to Germany, 
it will be the finest anny in the world. The Turkish war was an 
eye-opener to the Russian government as regards the inefficienc\ 
(?f the anuy. Had it not been for the coriTiption of the Turkish 
pashas the Russian anny in Turkey would ne\ er have gone home 
again. 

An idea of the efficiency of the Russian arm^^ may be gained 
from the recent Russian conquest of Manchuria, which w^as ef- 
fected almost entirely by Siberian trooi)S, the troops at home hav- 
ing l)een left practically untouched. 

In this eampaign Russia, swiftlv and secretlv massed 150,000 
efficient troops on the Manchurian frontier, thousands of miles 
from Europe, without any special effort. 

The Fighting Cossacks. 

The Cossacks, which fonn a branch of the Russian army service 
which has no parallel m any other armv m the world, are irregular 
cavalry, but very different from volunteers of America, for the 
right to be a Cossack comes only through inheritance. The son 
of a Cossack, therefore, is a Cossack as soon as he is born, and is 
taught the use of arms and the traditions of his warrior race 
all through his boyhood. 

So exclusive is tliis hereditaiy military caste that it is almost 
impossible for an officer of the regular army, no matter ho\7 




•rH 

O 
O 
O 



:3 
o 

;-• 
P 

u 

< 



wi 2 

*-• S 

M I 

?^ 

**1 CO 

OS 

>i 

> 






•i-i 
P« 



FIGHTING FORGES OF AIIKADO AND CZAi: Ifi^ 

high his rank, to secure a commission m a Cossack regiuKnil un- 
less he has inherited the right to such a command. 

Several hundred years ago the Cossacks \\ ore hiwloss bands of 
freebooters living on the banks of the Don and Dn^uper m Kussia. 
When this territory was al)sorbed into the Kussian dojiunions tlie 
Czars were confronted with the probh^m of turning those turbulent 
people into good citizens. They had always boiai trained to mar- 
tial life and the use of arms, so tlie most natural and the host solu- 
tion of the problem seemed to be to turn them into soldiers. The 
experiment proved a great success and ever sinoe it was put into 
execution the Cossacks have been of the i;ioatost assistance to 
Russia in all her military enterprises, and to-day there is no more 
familiar name in connection with the Russian army than that of 
'^ Cossack. ^^ 

They are organized into regiments, but it is only certain of the 
ofl&cers who are on duty all the time. Eaeli man gets his horse 
and a small pay from the govenimoiit when not on aotn^e duty, and 
is allowed to settle down and rear a family of young Cossacks for 
the sei-vice of the Czar. 

Fighting Force of Japan. 

Compared with the huge military strongih of Russia, that of 
Japan was little more than a pygmy one. Yet it reached the fairly 
substantial total of about 450,000 from all sources, together with 
1,200 guns and 90,000 horses. 

The fighting force always available for duty was divided into 
156 batallions of infantry, fifty-one squadrons of cavalry, forty 
batteries of field and fortress artillery, together with a proportion- 
ate complement of engineer, supply and transport detachments. 
For armament the field artillery had the Arisaka quick-firing pat- 
tern, and the infantiy on the pennanent establishment carried the 
Midji magazine nfle. Japanese cavalry are served out with swords 
and carbines, but no lances. 

The Japanese navy had its beginning m 1866, when Japan pur- 



KiC FKJIITIXd F()]J(JES OF .MIKADO AND CZAR 

chased the armor-clad Stonewall Jackson (afterward named the 
Adzuma), and under American instructors, tliey have gone on 
steadily increasing- their armored fleet, in addition to building up 
an unarmored fleet, all armed witli the best rifled guns. The first 
armored ship constructed for Japan was built on the Thames and 
was launched m 1877, about six years before our new navy was 
begun. She was the Foo-So, and had a displacement of 3,718 tons. 
About the same time contracts were made in England for the two 
composite armor-belted corvettes, the Kon-Go and the Hi-Yei. 
Then, in 1885, the Naniwa and the Takachiho, built by the Arm- 
strongs, in England, a\ ere launched. Tliev were protected cruis- 
ers of 3,700 tons displacement and eighteen knots speed, and were 
conspicuous m the Japan-Chinese war. 

At the outbreak of the war, Japan ranked seventh in naval 
strength among the powers of the world. The efficiency of the 
navy is due to the training received under American naval officers, 
particularly H. Walton Grinnell, who, in 1868, accepted a com- 
mission of admiral of the Japanese navy and served three years. 



CHAPTER IX 
GREAT ME,N OF THE, WAR 

Brief Sketches of the Men who Rule the Destinies of Japan and R^issia^ and Others 
ramous in Diplomacy, the Army and the Navy — Pen Pictures of Mutsuhito the 
Japanese Mikado, Viceroy Alexieff , Admiral Togo, Plehve the * * Terrible Russ, ' ' 
&c., &c., Together With Anecdotes Illustrating Their Chief Characteristics. 

COMPARATIVELY few foreigners have seen the Milvado of 
Japan closely. In spite of its wonderful advance in Occi- 
dental ideas in recent years, Japan retains enough of its Oriental- 
ism to insist upon a certain seclusion for its ruler ]\Iutsuhito 
breaks away from his purely Oriental environment occasionally 
He goes among his people incognito. While strolling through the 
streets of Tokio as a young man attired as a common Japanese 
sailor, ]\Iutsuliito encountered the first American he had ever seen. 
AVaikmg boldly up to the son of ^^ Uncle Sam,'^ the boy Emperor 
introduced himself as a young sailor, and, finding the American 
could speak a little Japanese, he poured forth a flood of eager 
questions. The traveler from the United States told the supposed 
sailor a wonderful tale of the results of American civilization. 
The imperial ambition received new stimulus, and that inter\^iew 
with an American accomplished much for Japan. 

Mutsuhito-Tenwo, Emperor of Japan, is the present repre- 
sentative of the oldest royal dynasty extant. He is the one hun- 
dred and twenty-first Emperor of his dynasty, which dates back 
in an unbroken line 2,555 years. He is the direct descendant of 
Ginmu, the ^^ Divine Conqueror,'' who, according to Japanese 
mythology, '^descended from heaven on the white bird of the 
clouds." Ginmu's first task in his mythological role of divine 
conqueror was the subjugation of the Ainos, a savage, warlike 
race, whose descendants are still found in the northern extremity 
of Japan. Having subdued these fierce Ainos, Ginmu prochaimed 

167 



168 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 

liimself to be ^'Tenshi/' the '^Son of Heaven/' and established the 
still existing dynasty in 660 B. C. It is no exaggeration, therefore, 
to say that through the veins of Mutsuliito-Tenwo flows the verj^ 
bluesi of ^ 'blue blood.'' 

Personally, the Emperor has a i)leasant appearance. He is 
very tall. for a Japanese, almost six feet. He is muscular and well 
proportioned. He has a broad, high forehead, and, judged by the 
uK^st ('xa(*ting standard of manly beauty, is a handsome sovereign. 

The Mikado takes more interest m the government than any of 
his priMlecessors. He reads the papers and attends Cabinet coun- 
cils. He takes all the important American and English magazines. 
He has astonished the ui)per classes of Japan by knowing some- 
thing about the government of his people. 

The Mikado lives in a palace built in the American way, with 
stool framework made in Pittsburg, Pa. This was done to avoid 
aooidents by eartlKpiakes, so common in Japan. 

Haruko, Empress of Japan, was a daughter of a Japanese 
noble. She is 54 years old, two years older than her husband. Her 
name, Haruko, means ^'spring time.'' 

In the Mikado's reign the bands of feudalism that bound Japan 
to the ^Middle Ages were broken; a constitution was granted by 
him volutarily; the old social order of caste limitations gave way 
to a more liberal order of ocjuality; modem education, literature, 
arts, science and industry were welcomed; the army and navy 
were changed from the bow and arrow stage to modem organiza- 
tions. It was only this remarkable advancement in the reign of 
Mutsuhito that made it possible for Oriental Japan to be equal to 
the task of a possible successful war with Russia. 

Admiral Togo, 

Admiral Togo, the man who commanded Japan's splendid Heet 
in the attack upon Port Arthur, is about 55 years old. He is not 
of princely or noble birth, but is a simple gentleman, a Samurai 
of the great Satsuma clan, as so many of his fellow officers ?ire, 



GREAT MEN OP THE WAR 169 

He received a great part of his education at the English naval 
qoUege at Greenwich. 

Keturning to Japan, he was employed in various capacities. 
In 1894, when war broke out between China and Japan, he was in 
command of the Naniwa, a cruiser of 3,650 tons, one of the vessels 
composing what was then known as the first flying squadron of the 
Japanese navy. During the war he greatly distinguished himself 
and earned the reputation of being a first-class fighting man. 

It was in connection with the episode of the sinking of the 
Kowshing that his name first came into world-wide prominence. 
At the time some adverse criticisms of his action on that occasion 
were heard, but these died away on a fuller knowledge of the cir- 
cumstances. The story reveals something of the character of the 
man, so it is worth telling again. 

The Kowshing, a transport vessel flying the British flag, with 
a- British captain and crew, and carrying some 1,100 Chinese sol- 
diers for Asan, was met by Togo in the Naniwa, who signaled her 
to stop. A Japanese lieutenant went on board with a peremptory 
order from Togo that the transport must proceed no further 
toward her destination, but at once accompany the Naniwa to the 
main .Japanese fleet. 

Captain Galsworthy of the Kowshing was willing to obey these 
orders, but not so minded were the officers of the Chinese forces on 
the vessel; they immediately raised a great clamor and threatened 
Galpworthy. 

Seeing what was occurring Togo sent a boat to bring off 
Captain Galsworthy and his crew, but the Chinese prevented them 
from, leaving. Finally Togo signaled Galsworthy to take one of 
his own boats and come over to the Naniwa, but the British cap- 
tain was not allowed by the Chinese to do so. 
\y For four hours Togo stood off, in an effort to save Galsworthy 
apd the ship. Then he hoisted the red flag, which announced that 
1^^. was about to open fire. A few moments later a well-directed 
shot from the Naniwa struck the engine-room and penetrated the 
hull of the Kowshing, which soon afterward filled and sank. 



170 (iPtEAT ME\ OP THE WAR 

As Galsworthy and his inni leaped over the bulwarks of the 
transport into tlie sea they were fired on by the Chinese. Togo 
at onee sent out ])oats and rescued as many as he could. 

in til is wav Togo bei>an the Chino- Japanese war His eountry- 
ni(^n liave never fo^^otten the part he played in this episode. 
^^Togo!'^ they say, '^it was Togo who sank the Kowshing.'' And 
they draw a confident augury from it. 

Plehve, the Terrible. 

The most powerful man in all Eussia without any doubt is the 
minister of the interior, Secretary of State and Senator AVjatsclie- 
slavo Konstaiitinovitseh Von Plehve, who was intrusted with the 
management of Russian home affairs m April, 1902, after the 
murder of Minister Svmgin. 

Plehve was bom in 1S4S, tlie son of a poor nobleman. An aris- 
tocrat of Polish descent patronized him and gave him an excellent 
education. He studied law m jfoscow and was appointed assistant 
to the procurator of the law courts of Moscow. 

He was soon recognized as exceptionallv clever and in a very 
sbort time made rapid strides in his career, occupying the posts of 
procurator in Vladimir, Tula and Vologa. 

But it was as imperial counsel at the courts of Warsaw that he 
first really distinguished himself. He put all considerations aside 
and devoted his great mind to the persecuting of the Polish ele- 
ments dissatisfied with the oppressive regime of the Russian gov- 
ernment. He went so far as to involve the family which had 
benefited him in his youth m a disastrous law suit, merely to prove 
liis earnest desire to please the Russian government. 

He discovered so many instances of high treason in Poland 
that government attention was called to him, and he was named 
procurator of the courts of St. Petersburg. Among his duties was 
to make a daily report to Czar Alexander H on the examination of 
all nihilistic crimes. 

Plehve showed un])aralleled energy m discovei'ing and arrest- 



GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 171 

ing the criminals who tried to blow up the Winter Palace. Then 
he invented moral torments, by means of which he extorted con- 
fessions. 

After Czar Alexander III was assassinated Plelive was named 
first chief of the state police and president of the commission 
instructed to find means for restoring order in the empire. In this 
double position Plehve exercised a terrorism not heard of even in 
Russia. He sent thousands of intelligent Russian citizens to 
Siberia or put them in prison for life. 

This reign of terror lasted three years, when, in 1884, Plehve 
was appointed assistant to the minister of the interior He took 
an active part in all the reactionary measures of the reign of Alex- 
ander III. He did all m his power to annihilate German colonists 
in Russia, the nobility in the Baltic provinces and the Jews. It 
seems to be his aim to extirpate all elements which are not ortho- 
dox Russian. 

He devised the institution of class presidents, authorized to 
terrorize the people. 

The accession of Czar Nicholas again brought him advance- 
ment. In 1901 he was named state secretary for Finland, where 
he nearly caused a revolt by his cruel measures. 

After he undertook the management of home affairs, there 
were an uninterrupted series of riots at the universities and among 
the peasants of the provinces of Charkoff, Poltava, Cherson, 
Tschanigoff, Saratoff and Kieff. He banished untold numbers of 
students to Siberia. 

This was the policy which developed events such as they have 
happened at Kishineff, and will undoubtedly happen elsewhere. 
Plehve IS an open enemy of the Jews, whose lawful rights he denies 
and refuses to protect. 

Yamagata, Soldier and Statesman. 

Next to Marquis Ito, the greatest figure in Japan is Field 
Marshal Yamagata, the Japanese von Moltke, soldier and states- 



172 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 

man, veteran of many wars and former prime minister of the 
empire. 

Yamagata is not only the first in rank in the Japanese army 
hut he is also first in the esteem of the Japanese people. He has 
heen fighting the battles of Japan since 1868, when he took part 
in the struggle that restored the Emperor to power. 

In the following year he visited Eussia and France, studying, 
things military. In 1872 he became assistant secretary of war—, 
a position which in Japan is always held by a general officer of 
the army. In the following year he was made lieutenant general 
and two years later secretary of war. 

The next year saw Japan in the throes of a fierce civil war.^ 
The rebellion was led by her greatest soldier. Field Marshal Saigo, 
who had with him some 50,000 of her best trained samurai. The 
government was compelled to put forth its greatest strength. An 
imperial prince was appointed to the nominal command^ but as 
cliief of staff Yamagata was the real general in chief and led the 
forces which crushed the rebellion. Saigo, having been slain, 
Yamagata became the first military man in the empire and was 
promoted to the full rank of general. 

Bemg a man of great fhental ability, boundless energy and 
strong personality, he soon became almost as prominent^ in the 
political world as in the military and shared with Marquis Ito the 
position of greatest influence with the Emperor. He was several 
times prime minister and when not in that position always held 
some portfolio in the cabinet. He never ceased his active share 
m the development of the army. Through various official posi- 
tions, such as inspector general, chief of the general staff and 
secretary of war, he kept himself in close touch with all parts of 
the army organization. 

When war started with China in 1894 Yamagata was imme- 
diately given command of the first army that invaded Manchuria. 
Those who were with the army at the time describe the immense 
enthusiasm with which the coming of the great general was greeted 
by his soldiers. The rigors of a Manchurian winter speedily re- 



GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 173 

duced Yamagata to such a condition that the Emperor, fearful of 
losing altogether the service of his airiest officer, called him back 
to Tokio to act as his chief military adviser. 

After the war Yamagata was made a marquis and the new 
military rank of field marshal was established, to which he was 
promoted. The active interference of Russia, backed by France 
and Germany, which depnved Japan of the fraits of her victory, 
led the government to try to come to some understanding that 
would preseiTe the indepeuden*G of Korea. Yamagata was ap- 
pointed special ambassador for this purpose and proceeded to 
St. Petersburg, where he effected the treaty which is the basis of 
Japan's latest demands upon Kussia. Not trusting altogether to 
this, Japan proceeded to double her aniiy and greatly increase her 
navv. Several offieers were promoted to the rank of field marshal 
in the army and an equal rank m the navy and organized into a 
supreme council of war. 

Of this Yamagata was made ehief, a ])Osition which he held 
at the outbreak of the war with Russia. 

Field Marshal Oyama, Chief of Staff. 

Field Marshal Oyama of Japan is a member of the Supreme 
Council of War and chief of the general staff of the Japanese army. 
Oyama has steadily risen in the military organization of Japan 
with Yamagata, and if the latter has been the Emperor's right- 
hand man Oyama has been his left. Like Yamagata, he began his 
career in the war of the restoration. In 1872 he was promoted 
major general and sent to Europe, where he spent three years 
studying military science. Returning in 1875, he was made vice 
minister of war. He added much to his reputation by his skillful 
conduct of operations in the rebellion of the great Saigo. 

In 1879 he was promoted lieutenant general. Two years later 
he was made minister of war. In 1883 he became chief of the 
general staff. From this time until the outbreak of the war with 
China he occupied various positions in the cabinet, usually minister 



174 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 

of war. In 1890 he was made full general— a rank then held only 
by himself and Yamagata. When war started he was looked upon 
as certainly as Yamagata to command one of the armies. Accord- 
ingly he was given tho command of the second army of invasion. 
Being five years youngov than Yamagata and more robust, he 
proved fully equal physically to the task, and conducted the exten- 
sive campaign that resulted m the capture of the two great Chinese 
strongholds— Port Arthur and Wei-hai-Wei. Both positions were 
considered impregnable. 

The mathematical precision with which Oyama conducted the 
operations and the gallantry with which he took redoubt after 
redoubt, until finally he swept into the great fortress itself excited 
the admiration of experts, naval and military. Crossing the Gulf 
of Pe-Chee-Lee with an army of 30,000 men, he swept the Chinese 
forces out of Wei-hai-Wei with the greatest apparent ease, and 
with the aid of the navy cooped up the Chinese fleet within the 
harbor, where it was quickly destroyed or captured. Oyama, there- 
fore, returned from the war full of honors, was promoted' along 
with Yamagata to the special rank of field marshal. Oyama is 
noted for his geniality, his calmness under trying circumstances 
and his studious character 

Lieutenant General Count Nodzu. 

After Yamagata and Oyama the most conspicuous military man 
in Japan is General Nodzu, who succeeded Yamagata in the com- 
mand of the first army of 1894-95. Like the others, he began his 
(*areer in the war of the restoration, in which he served as captain. 
Five years later, at the age of 30, he had reached the rank of 
colonel. In 1876 he visited the United States, attending the cen- 
tennial exposition and making a study of the American military 
system. In connection with the latter he took part in an Indian 
campaign. He returned to Japan just m time to take part in the 
civil war inaugurated by Saigo. Promoted major general and 
given command of the Second brigade, he rendered particularly 



GREAT I\1EN OF THE WAR 175 

brilliant sex^ace. In 1886, in company ^Yltll General Oyama, he 
made an extensive tour of military inspection in Europe and 
America. 

Upon Ills return he was promoted lieutenant general and placed 
m command of the Fifth division. -AVhen war t^tarted with China 
this was the first division to take the field. A mixed brigade was 
sent over and beat the Chinese at Asan, m southern Korea. Shortly 
after this Nodzu, with the remainder of the division, arrived and, 
finding that the enemy had concentrai^ d a foree of some 20,000 
men at the famous stronghold of Phyno-^^'ang, m northern Korea, 
he moved rapidly against it and crushed it in battle. Another 
division was now sent over to join him and the two divisions, 
together about 45,000 strong, became tlie first army of invasion, of 
which Yamagata took command. 

With this army Yamagata crossed tlvi^ Yalu iivor and invaded 
Manchuria, but his health failing, he was soon forced to return to 
Japan, whereupon Nodzu was given the conniiand and promoted 
to the full rank of general. In a verv tedious and difficult winter 
campaign he pushed his way across tlie southern part of I\Ian- 
cliuria, driving the Chinese before him and l)eating them whenever 
he could come m touch with them until he reached New-Chwang, 
where a great battle terminated the campaign. 

For his conduct m this war General Nodzu was decorated, made 
a count, pensioned and honored in various ways. Yv itli the enlarge- 
ment and reorganization of the armv the country was divided into 
three grand military divisions, eastern, middle and western, and 
General Nodzu was given command of the eastern, which, at the 
age of 60 years, he still held at the beginning of the war with 
Russia. 

Prime Minister Katsura. 

Lieutenant General Katsura, prime minister of Japan, is a man 
of great al)ility and energy and a thoroughly trained soldier. He 
was 20 years old at the time of the restoration and served as a 



176 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 

staff officer. He did so well that he was rewarded with a sword 
of honor and a pension. It was only natural that so promising a 
young soldier should be one of those chosen to go abroad to study, 
and in 1<S70 he was sent to Germany, where he studied for three 
years. Returnini; in IcSjo, he took part, with the rank of major, 
in the expedition sent to chastise Formosa. 

On his return he was designatcMl military attache to the lega- 
tion in (Jermany, where he remained for several years. Upon his 
return he was made lieutenant colonel and appointed director of 
the army intelligence bureau. Boini;- a man of i;reat capacity for 
work, he was also made a member of tlie coniir.ittee for tlie investi- 
gation of the coast defense works and also given the political 
post of chief scM'retary of the cabmc^t. That he should have held 
all these offices at once is a hiah tribute to his ability. Tn 1882 he 
was i)romoted rolonc^l In lsy4 he tra\ c^lrd in Europe on a tour of 
military inspection, returning the yoar following. He was now 
mad(^ major aeneral and entered the war department as director 
of the u<nieral affairs bureau. 

In 18S(i ho boeame vice minister of war. In 1891 he received 
the rank of lieutenant general and took command of the Third 
division. In the waf with (liina he was ordered to Korea, where 
liis division, together with the Fifth division, constituted the first 
army and did brilliant service in Aranchuria. Katsura was General 
Nodzu's right ami in that campaign. 

Upon his return he was decorated, made a viscount and given 
a life pension. Later on he was promoted to tlie rank of full 
general. He was then appointed governor general of Formosa, a 
})osition of mixed civil and military duties that made it similar 
to the same office in th(^ Philippines. Some time later he resigned 
this post to enter the cabinet as secretary of war. Later, at a time 
of particular political stress, he was invited by the Emperor to 
form a cabinet, and he succeeded. 

At the beginning of the war with Eussia General Katsura wa^ 
56 years old, ten years younger than Yamagata, and five years: 
younger than Ovama and Nodzu. 



GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 177 



Viceroy Alexieff • 

Admiral Eugene Alexieff, the Russian Viceroy in the far East, 
has had a remarkable career, and it may be said to have begun in 
the United States. When he was only a lieutenant m the navy 
he served four years on a vessel exploring the coast of northern 
Siberia. Obtaining a leave of absence he started home by way 
of the United States. At San Francisco he learned that Russia 
had abrogated the clause in tlie treaty of Paris limiting her right 
in the Black Sea. It was for this that the Crimean war had been 
fought, and as a result of Russia's action war was again imminent 
between England and Russia. Alexieff* cabled his government for 
permission to purchase commerce destroyers in the United States 
to prey upon British commerce and this act put him in high 
favor with the authorities at St. Petersburg who at once granted 
his request. He purchased light big steamers and had them ready 
with steam up to begin their work as soon as war should be 
declared. The crisis was averted, however, and Alexieff disposed 
of his vessels to good advantage, spent a part of the season at 
Long Branch, and upon his return to Russia was given command 
of a ship and the rank of captain. Three years later he was made 
an admiral. His close friendship with the Czar was formed when 
he commanded the vessel upon which the Russian ruler visited 
the far East, and resulted in Alexieff^^s appointment as Governor 
General of Russia's far Eastern provinces. He was in command 
of the Russian forces which, with the troops of other nations, went 
to the relief of the embassies at Pekin at the time of the Boxer 
war. He served for a time as minister of war, and was then ap- 
pointed viceroy in the East with powers almost as great as the 
Czar himself. In personal appearance Viceroy Alexieff* is six feet 
tall, broad shouldered and wears a thick brown beard tinged with 
grey. He was sixty years old at the outbreak of the war with 
Japan. 



178 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 



Kouropatkin, Leader of the Army. 

General Alexer Nicolaievitch Kouropatkin, who was sent to 
the far East as the commander in chief of the Russian forces early 
in the war, was one of the most trusted, most powerful and most 
faithful servants of the Czar. Long ago, when Kouropatkin was a 
young man, he was sent into Turkestan with the Russian advance 
and spent his youth in high adventure and in winning for himself 
honors, decorations and promotion. AVlien he had served his ap- 
prenticeship in the marches and. bivouacs of the East he returned 
to Europe and resumed his studies in the schools. At Paris he 
won the Legion of Honor, and was the first Russian officer to do so. 
.This was in 1874. The following year he went to Kokand, fought 
in the Pamirs— the ^^roof of the world''— and in the country of 
Kublai Khan. He rode 2,500 miles on horseback, came back, wrote 
a book and won the gold medal of the Geographical Society. He 
entered the war with Turkey as a lieutenant and emerged from it 
a colonel. Slowly he rose on the ladder of advancement, until in 
1898 he was made absolute master, under the Czar, of the armies 
of all the Russias. 

Kouropatkin was the right-hand man of Skbbeleff all through 
the Russo-Turkish war. Kouropatkin became the hero of the 
Russian army, second only to his great leader, Skobeleff, by his 
braverj^ and fine generalship at the capture of Geok Tepe in 1882. 

When the Russians, balked in their dreams of winning Con- 
stantinople by the Berlin congress, were making their great swoop 
through central Asia to the gates of Herat, Lord Salisbury told 
the British public not to be alarmed for the safety of India. ^^They 
will not be able to conquer the Turcomans,'' he declared. *^The 
Turcoman barrier will last for our lifetime at least/' General 
Tergoukasoff, the Russian commander in central Asia, disagreed 
with Lord Salisbury. He told the Czar that the Turcomans might 
be conquered by three years' hard fighting. ^^That is too long," 
said the Czar. He recalled Tergoukasoflf and sent Skobeleff to 



GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 179 

command the troops. Skobeleff promptly secured Kouropatkin 
for his chief lieutenant and together they performed in a few 
weeks the task which the British premier had declared would take 
a lifetime. 

Archibald Forbes, the war correspondent, was fond of telling 
how he met Skobeleff, the Russian general, after one of the fiercest 
of the many desperate fights before Plevna. ^^I was sitting in 
my tent writing a dispatch,'^ said Forbes, ^^when the flap was 
suddenly drawn aside and in stalked the most terrible and awe- 
inspiring object I have ever seen in my life. It was Skobeleff, 
whom I knew well, but I had to look twice before I recognized 
him. His smart generaPs uniform was torn into slireds and 
stained with blood and gunpowder from head to foot. His sword, 
which he held in his hand, was simply smothered in blood, and 
great drops of it fell on the floor of the tent as he greeted me. 
There was a terrible gash across the top of his f9reliead, and his 
eyes still blazed with the fierce excitement of the hand-to-hand 
fight which he had just had with hundreds of Turks. 

*^ While he stood there telling me about the battle, his favorite 
captain, Kouropatkin, came up and called him away to decide 
about the disposition of some of the prisoners. Kouropatkin 
looked even more like a god of war fresh from the scene of car- 
nage. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds, but he stood as 
steady as a rock when he saluted Skobeleff. The latter suggested 
that he had better go into the hospital, but he curtly replied: ^No, 
general. There is work to be done.' 

**I heard afterward that Skobeleff and Kouropatkin had fought 
side by side throughout that bloody day, and had slain the Turks 
literally by dozens. Their exploits formed the theme of many a 
story told beside the campfires of both armies throughout the 
campaign.'' 

After the death of Skobeleff in 1882, Kouropatkin was sum- 
moned from central Asia by the Czar and given one high military 
office after another at St. Petersburg, his special work being to 
reorganize the Kussian army. He was regarded at first as a plain, 



180 GREAT MEN OF THE WAR 

bluff soldier who would never meddle in politics, and consequently 
everybody welcomed his advancement. But, to the chagrin of 
the ministers, he developed into an ardent politician and gained 
great influence with Alexander III and later with the present 
Czar. 

The Japanese Napoleon. 

General Baron T. Kuroki, commander of the victorious Japan- 
ese troops in the first great battle on the Yalu, is 56 years old, and 
was already famous for his successful operations in the late war 
between China and Japan. Kuroki comes of a race of warriors. 
For centuries back his ancestors have participated in the civil 
strife between the damyos, or Japanese barons, and it was through 
the influence of the house of Kuroki that the feudal system was 
abolished thirty-six years ago. 

Emperor Mutsuhito, while acknowledged as the ^^heaven-born*' 
and coming of a dynasty which antedates the flood, was m a pre- 
carious position while the damyos were having things their own 
way. He was, in short, only nominally emperor, and the real power 
in Japan was the Sho-Gun, to whom the damyos were subservient. 
The house of Kuroki brought a strong influence to bear upon the 
Sho-Gun and succeeded in restoring the power of the Emperor. 
For this supreme sendee Mutsuhito is indebted to the father of 
the present Baron Kuroki. 

Rear Admiral Uriu. 

Rear Admiral Sotokichi Uriu, who commanded the fleet at 
Chemulpo when the Russian warships Variag and Koreitz were 
sunk, quickly became an idol of the Japanese people, coming next 
to Rear Admiral Togo, who commanded at Port Arthur, in the ad- 
miration of the public. Admiral Uriu was educated at Annapolis, 
and has many friends m America, particularly among the naval 
ofl&cers, with whom he is a great favorite. 




o 

A 

*» 






O ^ w 

•r-l 



;3 
P4 




CO 
M 

C^ CQ 

I i 



^ 





Court IS If of !:i i'r!/htn]j/\s ^^'.^/<lzin^• 
ADMIRAL AVELAN. 
Russian Navy 



('(uirtrsif of ICirrifhndfrs ]f<i(f(!:inr 

GENERAL WASMUNDT. 
Russian Army 



r"^ 










rj^ 




J 




Courtcsjf of EvcrjihoiJ ii'ii Mof/cziiic 

ADMIRAL SKRYDLOFF. 
Russian Navy 



Ctmrtcsit of Era }j}Kn}y s Mufjuzhic, 
COUNT LAMSDORF. 
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs. 



CHAPTER X 
ON THE, EVE OF THE WAR 

How the People of the Japanese Capital Remained Calm in the Face of a Gr6^t 
Crisis, While the Government Secretly Prepared for War — People Knew Nothing 
of the Merits of the Controversy — Japanese Spies Disguised as Chinamen — Keep 
iGrovernment Informed Concerning Russian Affairs in Manchuria. 

THE sights and scenes in Tokio, the Japanese capital, imme- 
diately before the war ^Yere in great contrast to what 
might have been witnessed in the capital of any other nation in the 
face of a great crisis. 

Instead of the excitement which marks warlike preparations 
elsewhere the Japanese people were tranquil and silent. This was 
due in part to the secrecy which marked all the movements of the 
government. In fact, so secretly has the government acted that it 
IS doubtful if half a dozen men m all Japan know exactly what all 
the row was about or could detail the course of negotiations with 
Russia since the situation became dangerous to peace. There had 
been notes and notes and replies and replies. Some were princi- 
pal notes and some were principal replies, and out of it all, if one 
had the time and patience, a mosaic could be patched up which 
probably would fairly represent the truth. 

No statement of any sort as to the causes of differences with 
Eussia or their character had been made by anyone in authority. 
The nation was on the verge of war because of the demands upon 
Russia, the nature of which it does not pretend to know, nor did 
it care much. The fundamental causes of general hatred of Rus- 
sia are well known to every Japanese. The authorities had no 
need to work up a public sentiment for the war. On the contrary, 
their task was more in the way of repressing the belligerent feeling 
of the people. 

The extraordinary patriotism of the Japanese leads them to 
support any war, whatever the cause. 

183 



184 ON' Tt\\] EVE OF THE WAR 

Watching Everything and Everybody. 

There was a carefully directed campaign of scrutiny, which 
involved watching everything and everybody. Private and press 
telegrams wore scriitimzed closoly for some time, and a secret 
censorship was in force. The man wlio filed a press telegram had 
no means of finding ont v\^hetl)or his message had been sent or not, 
and if it were sent, ho hnd no moans of ascertaining whether it had 
been garbled by the censor Xo o^ic Icnow who the censor was or 
the location of his office, r-u^ it was useless to try to find out any- 
thing about it from the t<'lr^^ra])li people. 

Priyate messages whu^li w^^rt^ prepaid were in a slightly ])etter 
case. When words wore ovrssed from tliem the sender was notified 
in the course of a few days, and the money for those words re- 
funded. He at least had the satisfaction of knowing tliat his mes- 
sage had not gone as he wrote it. 

Preparing for War. 

But all the time war preparations went on rapidly. There is 
no question that the Japanese authorities knew exactly what they 
had to do to beat Russia. Their military information was won- 
derful. Wlien they went to war with China ten years ago they 
not only knew the character of their enemy, but they knew the 
topography of the country over which they ex])ected to fight and 
knew the condition and equipment of the Chmese trooi)s. 

They were prepared against the Russians fully as well as 
against the Chinese, if not better. They knew as well as the Rus- 
sians how many Muscovite troops were in Manchuria and Eastern 
Siberia and where they were stationed. 

Ever since the Russianization of Manchuria began the Japa- 
nese have looked forward to tho time when they would fight, and 
have prepared for it. They have studied the country in minute 
detail. Their maps show the results of this work. Individual huts 
and clumps of trees were shown. Their knowledge of the country 
was complete. It is doubtful if the Russians were as well informed 



ON THK EVE OF THE WAR 185 

as to tlie topography of the battle ground, both in Manchuria or 
Korea, as the Japanese. 

Jap Spies Disguised as Chinamen. 

For some years there have l)een m the neighborhood of 10,000 
Japanese in Manchuria and 30,000 in Korea. Nearly every one of 
them has been a source of information to the military authorities 
here, and not a few of tliem have been military men in one dis- 
guise or another. With false pigtails and in C-hinese dress they 
have worked as servants for Russians, understanding and noting 
every word their masters said. 

It is an advantage the Russians can never have. The}' are 
forced to rely upon Chinese for spies or upon the very few rene- 
gade Japanese they have been able to find, with the added diffi- 
culty that such Japanese are almost as well known to their own 
government as to the Russians. 

In the preparation of their war maps the Japanese have a way 
of making them on a rather small scale, showing a large field of 
operations, then smaller maps show more in detail sections of the 
larger Still smaller sections are shown in still greater detail. 

Such estimates as the Japanese war authorities permitted to 
become known fixed the number of Russian troops available as 
approximately 200,000, including the railway guards. 

To meet this force the Japanese relied on their regular army at 
the beginning. 

The Japanese Army Organization. 

The army is organized on the skeleton plan, each company in 
peace times numbering about half what its full war quota is. There 
are twelve regular divisions and the imperial guard, which con- 
stitutes a division by itself. Each division consists of two brigades 
of infantry, each brigade being composed of two regiments. The 
regiment is organized like our own, of three battalions of four 
companies. But the companies are nearly twice the size of ours 



18G OX THE EVK OF TllK WAR 

wlieu in a(*ti\ e service^ numbering on the war footing 240 men, so 
that a battalion is about 1,(H)0 strong. 

Besides the infantry, each division has a regiment of field or 
mountain artillery, two battalions of three batteries, six guns in a 
batter}^ iLM) men to a battery. The guns are of Japanese invention 
and make and are capable of doing fine work. 

Each division also has a regiment of cavalry, sucli as it. The 
horses of the Japanese are very poor, and the men are not specially 
skillful as riders. i\Iilitary observers rate the cavalry as very 
poor. Certainly it is not nearly the equal of the Russian Cossack 
force. Each regiment consists of three squadrons— troops we 
should call them— of but 150 men. 

There is also in each division a battalion of engineers, who 
are among the best soldiers of Japan, very highly trained. Be- 
sides these there are regular commissariat and supply trains and 
the sanitary or medical corps. 

All told on a war footing each di\ ision consists of about 15,000 
men. This made the fighting line number about 200,000. 

In peace the army is hardly half that size. Every man on 
reaching the age of 21 is required to serve with the colors, but 
there are many exemptions in peace times. After three years 
with the colors the men go into the first reserve for five years. In 
war the fighting line is at once filled up to the limit from the first 
reserve. 

The Japanese had the inestimable advantage of a well-pro-* 
tected interior line of communication with Korea. From Muji 
to Fusan it is only a night's steam. Midway lay Tsushima, with 
its great fortifications. Flanked on either side by the Japanese 
ships the Russians would have had to exert their entire naval 
strength to force the i)assage to get at the Japanese transports. 

Constant Naval Practice. 

The Japanese refused to permit newspaper men to accompany 
the first operations, either naval or land, and issued very stringent 
regulations covering the case. Commanders of naval stations or 



ox TITK EVi: OF THE WAR 187 

of fleets were empowered to ostnblisli what are termed strategical 
sea areas into wliich no sliip could come witliout permission. Tlio 
captain who endeavored to enter su(*h an area against tlie wisli of 
the commander was sent back m charge of an armed vessel and 
imprisoned and fined. 

There are three great nnits in the Japanese navj^— the battle 
ship squadron, the armored cruiser squadron and the cruiser 
squadron. For montlis each squadron had been maneuvering by 
itself, with frequent grand maneuvers embracing the entire navy 
At the naval station at Takeshiki, in Tsushima, twenty torpedo 
vessels had been practiemg m one flotilla. The result was that 
every officer of every vessel knew not only what his own ship would 
do under given circumstances, but also what every other ship 
would do. 

That intricate and valuable bit of naval information, the helm 
angle of each ship, was a matter of common knoAvledge. They 
maneuvered as well in the dark as in the light, and if a ship was 
transferred from one squadron to another she would come back to 
old mates who knew her well, and no new drill was necessary to fit 
her to the new conditions. Moreover, all the ships were in fighting 
condition. 

On paper Russia was nearly, if not quite, as strong as Japan. 
In battleships she was one if not two units stronger. In armored 
cruisers she di'd not compare. In cruisers she was approximately 
as strong, but in torpedo boats the Japanese excelled. 



CHAPTIIR XI 
THE. FIRST SHOT OF THE. WAR 

A Russian Cruiser and Torpedo Gunboat Trapped in the Korean Harbor but Forced 
to right in the Open — Japan's Second Naval Victory, in which not a Japanese 
Life was Lost — Recalls Admiral Cervera's Brave Dash at Santiago — First Shot 
in the Preliminary Skirmish Fired to the Russians. 

F( )LLOWIXG fast upon the news of the destruction of the 
three great Russian warships in the roadstead of Port 
Arthur came reports of another Japanese victory outside the har- 
bor of (liemulpo, the principal port on the west coast of Korea. 

A sijuadron of Japanese warsliips was escorting transports 
loaded with troops from Nagasaki to the Korean harbor when 
they encountered at tlie very mouth of the harbor the Russian 
cruiser Variag and the torpedo gunboat Korietz. Both shi]>s took 
refuge in the harbor under the fire of the Japanese S(|uadron, but 
not until the Korietz liad launched two torpedo tubes which were 
ineffective. The Japanese imuK^diately opened a heav\' fire and 
the Variag came to the rescue of the Korietz. Before anv serious 
damage was done the Russian ships retired ])ivcipitately mto the 
harbor. 

This incident took place on the afternoon of J^'ebimarv 8 and 
marked the first opening of hostilities. The first shot m the war 
was fired outside the harbor of Chemulpo, although the battle in 
which the Russian cruisers were sunk did not take place until tlie 
next day 

Early the following morning, Tuesday, February 9, the two 
Russian sea fighters, which had repaired their damages during 
the night, made a dash out of the harbor. It was a desperate 
effort to escape from the watchful Japanese fleet, resembling in 
its hopelessness and dash Cervera's memorable rush from the 
harbor of Santiago. 

188 



TIIK FIKST SHUT OF THE WAR 189 

The guns of the Japanese s(iuadron covered the entrance to the 
harbor where the Russians had taken refuge. As the Czar's bat- 
tleships emerged, belching shot and shell, the Japanese opened 
fire on them. 

The battle was as brief as it was furious. The Japanese con- 
centrat(Ml a tenific fire on the two Russian sliips and m a very 
short time it was apparent that their destruction was a certainty. 

Shells disabled the Variag, her stiM^rnis' <;ear was knocked out 
of commission, her gun turrets battered and within half an hour 
after the morning's engagement began she sank. 

The Korietz fought until a shell exploding in her magazine 
rent her asunder. The ci'ew of tlie two ships struggled into the 
water an<l the survivors were pieked up by the French cruiser 
Pascal, which witnessed the terrific battle. 

]\raiiy officers and marines from the Korietz and the Variag 
made their eseape to the Korean shore, where tliev were captured 
by the Japanese patrol established there. 

The Japanese squadron proceeded on its wav to ( Uiemulpo, 
where the trooi)S on board the transports were landed. 

Story of an Eyewitness. 

One of the eyewitnesses to the battle was a London war corre- 
spondent, whose ac(H)unt is ex<^eedingly graphic. He says that the 
Japanese landed l!,5U0 men on the afternoon of F(^bruary 8 and 
on the next morning the Korietz and \"ariag werc^ ordered to leave 
port before noon. The correspondent said ^^\t 11:30 they 
steamed away. I proceeded in the steamer Ajax, from which I 
saw them met bv eight Japanese vessels. The first gun was fired 
at 11 40 a m. The Japanese, scorning the Korietz, which was 
untouched, concentrated their fire on the A^ariag The latter con- 
tinually circled round, replying from her sides alternately, but it 
was apparent her shooting was not good. On every side her shells 
went wide. It is observable that the Japanese gradually closed, 
the battle ship Mikado doing the most firing and effecting the most 
damage. 



190 THE P^IRST SHOT OF THE WAR 

^^At 1:15 they ceased firing. As the Variag re-entered the 
harbor she took up a ijosition with the Korietz among the other 
warships. One of her boilers was injured and she was on fire 
astern. The flames were extmguislied by flooding a compartment. 
She refused to disclose the number of her casualties. 

^*The Japanese, meanwhile, had withdrawn again, waiting 
until 4 o^oJock. 

^^My writing is interrupted at this moment by a terrific report. 
The Korietz has been blown up by the Russians, whose men can 
be seen m boats pulling for the Variai;'. An immense column of 
smoke arose and then cleared away, giving a sight of the Korietz 
with funnel masts just abo^ e the water 

^^Tlie Japanese ashore are wildly cheering. The Variag still 
remains at anchor. 

^'It was exactly at 4 o'clock that the Korietz exploded. Within 
half an hour the Japanese fleet appeared in the dim distance and 
approached slowly. 

^^At 5:20 p. m. fire appeared m the afterjDart of the Variag and 
spread slowly. 

^^The Japanese then Si0i)ped firing. The Variag heeled over, 
surely but barely perceptibly, and at 6:05 p. m. she sank with a 
dull rumble. 

^^All the men of the Variag and Korietz were removed by the 
French cruiser Pascal. 

^^The Eussians now admit that the Korietz fired the first shot, 
but say it was accidental. No doubt th(/v made a fine fight against 
odds. 

^^The conduct of the Japanese everywhere was exemplaiw. 
They express sympathy Yvdth their foes, but say they are compelled 
to take extreme measures.'' 

Official Report of the Battle. 

The text of the official report of the Chemul]30 affair is as fol- 
lows: *^0n Monday a Japanese squadron escorting transports 
met on the way to Chemulpo, Korea, the Russian gunboat Korietz 



THE FIRST SHOT OF THE WAK 191 

as the latter was coming out of port. The Korietz took up au 
offensive attitude toward the Japanese vessels and fired on the 
Japanese torpedo boats. The latter discharged two torpedoes 
ineffectively and then the Korietz returned to her anchorage m 
the port. 

^^ Early m the morning of Tuesday Admiral Urik, commanding 
the Japanese squadron, formally called on the Russian warships 
to leave Chemulpo before noon. The admiral added that if his 
demand was not complied with he would be compelled to attack 
them in the harbor. The two Russian warships left the port at 
about 11:30 a. m. and a battle followed outside the Polynesian 
islands. After about an hour's engagement the Russian warships 
sought refuge among the islands. Toward the evening the Rus- 
sian cruiser Vanag sank and at about 4 a. m. to-day, February 10, 
the Korietz was reported to have also sunk, having been blown up. 
The officers and men of the two sunken vessels sought refuge on 
the French cruiser Pascal. There were no casualties on the Japa- 
nese side.'' 

The cruiser Vanag, which was built at Cramp's shipyard, 
Philadelphia, Pa., m 1893, was of steel and unsheathed. She was 
of 6,500 tons displacement and her indicated horse power was 
20,000. On her speed trials she made twenty-four knots per hour 
for eight hours. She was 400 feet long, 52 feet in beam, and had a 
depth of hold of 20 feet. 

The Vanag ^s armament consisted of twelve ()-inch (luiek-firing 
guns, twelve 12-pounder quick-firers, eight 3-pounder quick-firers, 
two 1-pounders, and six torpedo tubes, two of which were sub- 
merged. 

The Korietz was built in Stockholm. She was of steel and was 
206 feet in length, 35 feet in beam, 1,413 tons displacement, and 
1,500 indicated horse power. Her speed was ilurteen knots. 

The armament of the Korietz consisted of two 8-inch breech- 
loaders, one 6-inch breech-loader, four 4.7-inch quick-firers, two 
6-pounder quick-firers, four 1-pound revolving cannon and two 
toi-pedo tubes. 



11)2 THE FIRST SHOT OF THE WAR 

The Variag sank as the result of the damage inflicted by the 
Japanese guns. The Korietz was blown up by its own crew in the 
harbor m order to prevent eaiDture by the Mikado's fleet. 

Bishop Moore's Graphic Description. 

The most grajjliic and thrilling ar*(»ount of the naval battle 
at ("'lieniulpo was funiishcMl by Bishop David H. Moore, of the 
.Metliodist-Episcopal (-hurdi, whose missionary field is m China, 
Japan and Korea. The author is personally acquainted with 
Jiishop ?^I()ore, and knows him to be a man whose powers of ob- 
s^'rvation and eloquent diseription probably exceeded those of any 
other eye-witness of this engagement. 

The Bisho}) left Shanghai Fol)marj^ 6 m the Sungari of tlie 
Russian line, plying between that city and Port Arthur, which 
east anchor m (1iemuli)o harbor on the morning of Feburary S, 
near the liiissian eruisers Variag and Korietz. Not a Japanese 
cruiser was in sight at this time. 

Bisho}) ^loore V aecount of the arrival of the Japanese fleet, and 
the subse^iuent action, is as follows: 

'^Nothing unusual occurred until about 4 p. m. , when a long 
line of Japanese cruisers, tori^edo boats, and three transports — 
twelve in all— steamed m and anchored. It was dark befoie the 
troops began to disembark— some three thousand hardv-lookmg 
fellows, e(jUipped for aeti\ e serviee. The soldiers landed, the fleet 
withdrew some eight miles beyond an island, and formed across 
the narrow channel by which alone heavy -draught ships can pass 
in or out— the Asama, Takashito, Gushirna, Nanivo, Chiyoda, 
Nitoka and eight torpedo boats. Besides these, a second line was 
rumore(l. 

''Tuesday, the Dth, like a shock ran through the city the report 
that the Japanese consul had notified the Russians that if they 
did not sail out by noon, they would be attacked in the harbor at 
4 p. m. The Eussians decided to go out at once and stripped their 
ships for action. 



THE FIRST SHOT OF THE WAR 19:i 

^^Our mission compound commands a fine view of the harbor 
and roadstead, and to the left and further seaward a still better 
view is secured. As the ships disappeared in the haze, our hearts 
stood stilT with almost agonizing suspense. Then came tlie roar 
of two shots across their bows. 

^^Then refusing to ^lay to^ they opened their batteries and were 
opened upon by the concentrated fire of the Japanese. Fiftr^en 
minutes we thought would suffice to end the unequal combat, but 
earth and sea shook under the awful thunder of the guns, thirtv 
minutes, forty-five, fifty-two minutes, and unable to break tlirough, 
scorning to surrender, the Russians swung around and steamed 
back to their anchorage, with their flags still flying. Sure of then- 
prey, and perhaps unwilling to fight unnecessarily m the harbor, 
the Japanese did not grumble, but resumed their station in the 
roadstead, completely blocking tlie only channel. The four- 
funneled. Cramp-built big cruiser, Variag, was evidently badly 
damaged and listed to port. The Korietz, the smaller of the two, 
was apparently uninjured. 

'^We hastened to row out in a sampan to inspect for our- 
selves. AVe saw no scars on the Korietz, though the sailors were 
putting fresh pamt on her hull here and there, as if to conceal 
scars and the officer directing had his head^ bandaged. Allen 
(United States Minister) asked m Russian how they fared. The 
commander replied that thev had no chance, and that at 4 p. m. 
the ship would go up. The Variag was evidently sinking. She 
was mortally wounded amidship and had a huge rent in her upper 
works. Two of her funnels were riddled, and her bridge was a 
mass of twisted iron. 

^^A lieutenant who was on the bridge when it was struck, 
was torn to pieces and blown overboard, all but his right arm and 
hand, which were found still holding the flag with which he was 
signaling orders to the Korietz. The boats of the other warships 
were removing her men to the security of their own decks. The 
wounded were being taken to the French and English ships— a 
hundred more dead than alive. It was pathetic, the tenderness 



194 THE FIRST SHOT OF THE WAR 

and veneration with which they handed down the Czar's portrait. 
Our United States ship, tlie Vieksburg, alone gave no sanctuary, 
though her lifeboat helped remove the men. - • 

**We hailed the first officer of the Sunbari, the ship we landed 
from the day before. He indicated that all was lost, and shortlj^ 
after we saw the men dash below as if to scuttle her. 

**Now, the men are hastening to leave the Korietz. We are 
within a few yards of her last two boats as they put off. It is 
twenty minutes till 4, and we recall her captain's words and hasten 
our rowers. There is an island surmounted by a revolving light, 
600 yards away. We land and climb to its summit. The hands of 
the watch denote 4. Instantly a terrific explosion in the stem, 
and almost simultaneously another forward, sent the Korietz -to 
its doom. Two malignant volumes of smoke and debris leap, 
writhing and twisting upward, clinching and struggling, as though 
two monsters in mortal combat. And as their black bodies pulled 
apart for a moment, the sinking sun, tearful with filmy haze, 
shone through. 

"And listen! Through the blackness of darkness and the rain 
of falling fragments of their ruined ship come cadences stately' 
and solemn and grand from the French ship, where they had asy- 
lum, her crews joining in the majestic chant of the Russian na- 
tional hymn, at once their new oath of allegiance to the Czar and 
a requiem over their lost ship. The smokestack, her gleaming 
prow, and portions of her steel frame, show where the Korietz 
met her fate. 

"Now a fierce fire rages in the bunkers of the Variag, more and 
more she lists to port. She has outlived the sun, but at 6 o'clock, 
with one great shudder, like a huge leviathan, she turns on her 
side and dies. 

"Only the Sungari remains, so recently our home. She sinks, 
all too slowly. A boat puts off to her from the French cruiser, and 
soon her beautiful upper works are a roaring furnace of flames. 
All night she bums and glows, and dies with the morning light. 

"All this in 'a state of hostility.' What shall we see when war 
is formally declared?" 



THE FIRST SHOT OF THE WAR 195 

Bishop Moore's thrilling description thoroughly corroborates 
all reports of the heroism displayed by the crews of both the Kus- 
sian ships, which greatly impressed all the foreigners present, who 
believed the Russians were going to certain destruction. As the 
Variag and the Korietz steamed past the foreign war vessels the 
crews manned the sides and cheered continuously and the strains 
of the Russian national anthem accompanied the Russian sailors 
as they went into battle. 

Bravery of Russian Sailors. 

The Russian officers and crew behaved splendidly. Three times 
flames broke out on board the Variag while she was under fire and 
each time they were extinguished as coolly as if the men had been 
at drill. The wounded men were carried below and the members of 
the crew who lost their lives were replaced by others. The holes 
made in the Variag by the projectiles of the enemy were not 
stopped up. The Variag sustained terrible damage. Both star- 
board and port bulwarks were destroyed, her guns were crippled 
and her hull was riddled with shot. Thirty-three men on board 
of her were killed in the first attack, including Midshipman Count 
Nirod. 

The Japanese squadron lost a number of men. Two Japanese 
cruisers were damaged and one torpedo-boat was sunk. 

The ofl&cial report of the Chemulpo fight gives the losses on the 
Variag at one officer and thirty-three men killed, two officers 
slightly wounded and seventeen men severely wounded. There 
were no losses on board the Korietz. '' 

The charge that the American cruiser Vicksburg had refused 
to aid the wounded Russians was disproved by Captain Marshall's 
report to the Navy department, in which he said that he was the 
first to send medical assistance to the Variag as soon as he learned 
that the Russians were abandoning the vessel. He also sent three 
boats and assisted in taking off the Russian sailors and putting 
them on board the British and Italian vessels. He also offered 
the use of the American transport Zafiro, which was declined. 



CHAPTER XII 
PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN '^GIBRALTAR'' 

Named by the English for a Daring Naval Lieutenant, Fortified by the French for 
the Chinese, Won by the Japanese in the War With China and Finally Leased 
to Russia — Dalny, the Commercial City, Splendidly Located, to Be Terminus 
of the Siberian Railway— Port Arthur as a Purely Military and Naval Base. 

THE famous harbor with a neck like a bottle, whose waters 
wasli the shores of the southeiTi extremity of the Liaotung 
peninsula, where Japan struck her first serious blow against Rus- 
sia—which with the great fortress on its cliffs is known as Port 
Arthur, has had a varied and most remarkable history. 

For hundreds of years Chinese coasting junks beating along 
the Yellow Sea m the coastwise trade had run into the land-locked 
harbor of Lu Slum Kow, down at the extreme southern end of the 
Liaotung peninsula. All along the shore great grey cliffs ran up 
straight from the sea to a height which varied from 300 to 1,500 
feet. If you came close enough in you could make out a slit in the 
mountains which gave entrance to a body of water within. This 
slit was not more than 200 or 300 yards wide. Once you got 
through the passageway there was a wide stretch of water before 
you, hemmed in by cliffs on every side. At high tide the water 
was deep enough for the anchorage of a big ship, but when the 
tide went out hundreds of acres of mud flats were exposed to view 

In the valleys between the cliffs were built some fifty or sixty 
miserable mud huts, and m them lived 300 or 400 Chinese coolies. 
That was the situation up to 1868, in what is now Port Arthur. 

Daringf Feat of Lieutenant Arthur. 

In that year tliree or four ships of the British navy came that 
way on a surveving expedition. One of these ships was the gun- 
boat Algerine, commanded by Lieutenant William Arthur. Lieu- 

196 



PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN (;IBRALTAR 107 

tenant Arthur daringly ran Iris vessel in between the cliffs which 
guard the harbor, which was thereupon named Port Arthur, in 
honor of his exploit. 

But bevond the name, Port Arthur gained no new fame for 
another twenty years. In 1821 it was merely a convenient harbor 
into which coasting junks could run for safety when groat storms 
swept the sea outside. On the cliffs and in the valleys thereabouts 
there still lived only a few hundred wretched Chinese coolies. 

Then the great Celestial empire began to wake up. Foreign 
engineers were sent along the coast to pick out a safe harbor which 
might be fortified and made the chief station for the new and 
modem navy of China. They settled on Port Arthur, and it was 
planned to transform tlie place into an immensely strong and com- 
pletely fitted naval station. Plans were drawn for great dock- 
yards, workshops, dry docks, refitting basins and foundries, while 
above them on the commanding cliffs strong fortresses were to be 
erected. The contracts for all this work were let to Freneh con- 
tractors, so that it was France which first among the nations had 
to do with this Gibraltar of the far east. French contractors, with 
the aid of swarms of Chinese coolies, working like slaves for 15 
cents or 20 cents a day, worked for years on the works in and 
about Port Arthur Not until 1891 was the place turned over to 
China ready for occupancy as a great naval station. 

By that time Port Arthur— its namesake already forgotten- 
had become a fairly well built town, containing more than 1,000 
houses and shops, outside of the government works. It then had 
a commercial population of 6,000, to say nothing of the Chinese 
garrison of 7,000 or more soldiers. The forts were mounted with 
modern guns, and Chinese gunners were trained by German and 
other foreign experts m the use of the artillery. 

Captured by the Japanese. 

In 1894, during the month of November, the victorious Japa- 
nese army marched through one of the narrow passes which lead 
through the surrounding mountains to the City of Port Arthur, 



198 PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN GIBRALTAR 

captured the city and put to the sword many of the inhabitants, 
non-combatants as well as members of the garrison. It was a 
bloody day, though Japanese officers stopped the slaughter as 
quickly as possible. 

For a time, ^hen, Port Arthur was apparently in the permanent 
possession of the Japanese, until the pressure of the allied powers 
forced her to give it back to the Chinese in January, 1896. Before 
they marched out the Japanese destroyed a large part of the 
Chinese fortifications. 

In 1898 Port Arthur was ** leased" to Russia, which imme- 
diately fortified it, with the intention of making it the strongest 
port in the eastern seas. Its importance to Russia is great. Vladi- 
vostok, the other great Russian port on the Japan Sea, is icebound 
a large part of the year. The possession of Port Arthur gives the 
navy of the Czar a port which is never frozen. Moreover, it is a 
port which commands the approach to Pekin, the Chinese capital. 

Never since the Russian occupancy has there been any cessation 
of activity in and about Port Arthur. In miserable hovels on the 
hillsides swarm thousands of coolies, who at a word can be hired 
for 20 cents a day to do any kind of hard and adventuresome 
work. Last year a Russian contractor at Port Arthur offered to 
bet that within a half hour he could hire 10,000 men outside of his 
regular large force. These regular forces are extremely large, and 
are kept steadily at work both by land and sea. Any time within 
the last five or six years one could find in the outer harbor a fleet 
of 500 to 1,000 Chinese junlis, all loaded with railroad ties, lumber 
and other building material. They, of course, are all working for 
the Russian government. 

Lajrge Purchases of American Goods. 

One important result of the Russian occupancy of Port Arthur 
has been a tremendous increase in the imports from the United 
States. During several weeks in 1902 American goods to the value 
of more than $2,000,000 weekly were landed at Port Arthur, and 







BARON TADASU HAYASHI. 
Japanese Minister to Gre^t Britain. 



PORT AKTIirR, THE RUSSIAV (ilBRALTAR 201 

the yearly commerce of the United States with that and the adja- 
cent ports has been estimated at nearly $100,00,000. 

But the Russian plan had been from the first to make I'ort 
Arthur a ]nirely military and naval center. With that plan in 
view, the laissians several years ago began the constiniction of 
the wondei-ful City of Dalny, thirty miles north and ten miles east 
of Port Arthur, which they hoped to make the commercial capital 
of the far east. The plan contemplated that all commercial ships 
should be barred out of Port Arthur and sent to Dalny, and that 
the former fortress should be barred to civilians, where, indeed, 
they h.ave been allowed only on sufferance, properly being held on 
merely t Mn]^orary leases. 

Dalny— or rather the site of the present city— was located on 
an oi^en roadstead, where the navies of all nations might ride. In 
order to make there a safe harbor, an immense breakwater, cost- 
ing millions, was built and is now completed, projecting into the 
sea for a great distance and enclosing a splendid anchorage. At 
Dalny, also, great administration buildings were erected, and even 
—that rare thing m the far east— a first-class and comfortable 
hotel. 

Eventually, as planned, Dalny is to be the final terminus of the 
great Siberian railroad, by means of which Russia has tied together 
her widely extending empire. 

Visitors to Port Arthur within the last few years have been 
vastly impressed by the spirit of boundless energy which prevails 
there. Life in the fortress city is in great contrast to that in most 
of the settlements along the Chinese coast. The streets have been 
thronged with Eussian soldiers and with gangs of coolies, all busy 
on some important errand. 

The Little Cross of St. George. 

The Russian soldier, as seen at Port Arthur, impresses the 
visitor as being in deadly earnest. Before them all, from the 
lowest private in the ranks to tho highest officer, shines the hope of 



20J PORT AUTIIIJR, THE RUSSIAN (IIBRALTAR 

winning the little cross of St. George for valor m tlic face of the 
enemy. And on the day of St. George the brave men who wear 
his cross have the honor of breaking bread with the great w^hite 
Czar hmiself, m his palace at St Petersburg, if they be stationed 
there, or, if they are quartered at Port Arthur, they eat breakfast 
at the table of the Czar^s viceroy. Admiral Alexieff— and how can 
greater honor come into the life of one of these wiry Cossacks, 
w^rapped m skins and furs and mounted on a shaggy pony, even 
tougher and hardier than his master? 

So, strangely, m the passing of the years and in the working 
out of the policy of the nations, has the little Chinese junk harbor 
of forty years ago, named by the English, fortified by the French 
for the Chinese, won by the Japanese, at a great cost of blood, and 
finally leased and turned into a Pacific Gibraltar by the Russians, 
come to be the center of the world's interst. 

Russia's Improvements at Port Arthur. 

When the Russians entered Port Arthur they found it con- 
tained fortifications, dock yards and an arsenal, all erected by the 
Chinese and built under the direction of foreign engineers. It was 
considered impregnable even then, yet the Japanese took it from 
the Chinese by force. It has been admitted that the Chinese forti- 
fications were defective, and it was believed the Russians had 
made it a Gibraltar, indeed. 

As a glance at the map will show, Port Arthur is situated at 
the southeastern point of the Liao-Tung peninsula, which divides 
the Gulf of Pe-Chee-Lee from the Yellow sea. Directly opposite, 
and facing it, 110 miles distant, is Wei-hai-Wei, now controlled 
by the English, It was believed that a strong naval force, operat- 
ing from Port Arthur as a base, could control the entrance to the 
Gulf of Pe-Chee-Lee absolutely and thus become master of the 
marine highway to Taku, Tien-Tsm and Pekin. This considera- 
tion certainly added immensely to the strategic importance of the 
position. 



PORT ARTHIIK, THE RUSSIAX GIBRALTAR 203 

If aiiytlung wviv lacking in the topography of VoA Arthur an<I 
its environs to render it an admirable military stronghold tlie d(.*- 
fieiency would he more than su})plied by the eharactc^r of its water 
ai)proaehes. The town is situated on a bay connected by a narrow 
strip of land with tlie peninsula proper. 

From seaward the port is reached l)y a windini; channel, not 
more than 300 vards across in its widest part, and narrowing to 
less than 200 yards m some })Ortions. TJiis channel runs northward 
from the opc^n sea for thiee-quart(U's of a niil(\ an<l for nearly the 
entire distance is enfiladed by a fort carrying a hea\ y batter\, 
which is located on a curAing point on the western shore. This 
fort was creeled origmalh liy the Cluncse, and bv them was named 
the '^Tiger's Tail." Since it passed into the hands of the Rus- 
sians it has been strengthened enoiinously, and another fort on tin* 
opposite bank has been reconstructed and fortified so as to com- 
mand the passage. In the face of the destrurtive fire that could 
be poured from these forts, it would be impossible for any naval 
vessel attempting to enter the (*liannel to live for more than a few 
moments, even if she escaped annihilation by the mines and tor- 
pedoes at the entrance. 

Strong Batteries Erected. 

Russia, after her acquisition of the jilace, erected strong shore* 
batteries commanding the bay itself and the approaches to tli-^ 
channel. These batteries consist of heavy Kriipps and smaller 
rapid-fire guns, which were supposed to effect iveh command the 
entire entrance of the hai'bor from point to point, the distance 
being not more than 1,200 yards. 

Inside the heavily fortified entrance to the harboi tlu* ehannei 
widens into a broad, shallow stretch of water, which forms the 
])asin on which the dock yards are located. These yards were 
elaborate as completed by the Chinese in 1890, but, of course, they 
have been improved and extended since that time. They include 
a dry dock 400 feet long, work shops and slorehouses completely 



201 roKT iXirmuR, the Russian ciBRAi/rAR 

equipped for the building or repair of vessels; foundries and maga- 
zines for turning out guns and ammunition and even a tor}:>edo 
fnctorv. 

These various structures extend about three sides of the big 
tidal basin, and the different departments of the yards are con- 
nected by a railway half a mile in length. 

A Strong Naval Base. 

Port Arthur thus possesses all the natural advantages which 
go to make a strong naval base. That its fitness for the purpose 
was appreciated by the Chinese themselves is shown by their selec- 
tion of it as their chief naval station before the outbreak of the 
Chino-Japanese war. 

At the time tlie defense of the place was provided for from the 
sea front by a number of powerful batteries and strongly defended 
forts. The only stone fortifications were re-enforced by earth- 
works and some forty Krupp guns, varying in caliber from six to 
nine and one-half inches, were placed in position to command the 
harbor. A large number of rifled mortars, howitzers and rapid- 
fire guns were located on the defenses, which extended over three 
and one-half miles of the coast line. At the same time the entrance 
to the harbor was provided with an elaborate mine field, likely to 
prove destructive to any fleet that tried to force an entrance. 

Costly Work of French Engineers. 

Port Arthur as a fortified naval base dates l)ack to the last 
Franco-Cliinese war. It was after that war that China resolved to 
make provision against similar disasters in the future, and m pur- 
suance of this design she determined to transform Port Arthur 
into a sort of far eastern Gibraltar. The dock and arsenal were 
built for China by a French syndicate at an enormous expense and 
not without several mishaps— paii- of the dock collapsing the first 
time the water w^as let in. Poii; Arthur to-dav is not a single 



-v>v 



PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN GIBRALTAR 205 

fortress, but at least a dozen batteries are scattered over several 
miles of the coast, and on both sides of the little C-shaped basin. 

The Russians strengthened the series of fortifications known 
as the Hwang-Chinshan forts, which command the entrance of the 
harbor to the east, and directly behind they rebuilt a chain of 
batteries which are intended to pour down shot and shell into the 
mner- harbor. The Laomuchu battery is so placed that it sweeps 
the approach of the port diagonally and commands both the outer 
and inner basins. The village of Port Arthur is situated opposite 
the entrance to the harbor. 

The peninsula is joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of 
land, which is only eighteen miles wide in some places. 

In 1894 the Japanese landed 40,000 soldiers on the peninsula 
immediately after the naval victory off the mouth of the Yalu 
river, cut off Russia's land communications and captured Port 
Arthur. 

Experience of recent wars leads one to question the ability of 
fortifications to protect a fleet. At Manila, it will be remembered, 
Dewey's ships were not damaged to any great extent, while they 
practically destroyed the Spanish ships covered by the forts. At 
Santiago the American fleet cruised out of range of the forts and 
threw shells into the harbor. Port Arthur itself, as has been told, 
fell a prey to an opposing force when the Chinese defended it in 
1894, and, as a matter of fact, the Japanese took it in a single 
morning. 

Although the Russians have blasted and dredged the channel, 
the harbor, which lies behind a hill, cannot safely be entered by 
the heavier draught vessels. These are compelled to anchor in 
the roadstead. In daylight the forts might have been able to reply 
with more execution than they did during the night attack of the 
Japanese torpedo-boats. 

The big Krupp guns mounted in a fort on the hill to the east 
of the harbor have great range, and the entrance to the harbor is 
so narrow that no hostile fleet would attempt to enter it, as none 
attempted to get into the harbor of Santiago. Yet the distance 



L>nr. |>mRT AKTIirK, THE RUSSIAN (JRRALTAR 

Ivoiii the vwin' basin is not so ^veat tliat a hostilo flpot could not 
stand ontsidc and s(»rious]y interfero wjtli it. 

Description of the Harbor. 

Tlio harl)or is an o\ al inl(4 of tlio soa, two mllos long from east 
to \v(^sl, and a iniU^ from north to south, it is surrounded by hills 
of varymi;- clovation, and its sole entrance is on the southern side 
by a narrow cliannel guarded at the south wc^stei'n end by a coui)le 
of dangerous reds and i)rotected against bad weather bv a narrow 
s])lit of roek land known as Tiger's Tail, which runs dmgonally 
across its northern extremit\. This harbor, however, was so shal- 
low that until extensive^ dredging operations had l)een undertaken 
no vessel of anv size could enter; ev(^n now there are berths for 
but three battlesliips in addition to smaller craft. For this reason 
the major ])ortion of the Kussian fleet lias always been forced to 
lie outside the heads, or else enter the large swing basm or wet 
dock, which lies to the east, facing the entrance to the harbor 
])roper. 

The approach to the harbor and basm is very confined and 
from the nature of its surroundings is very easily defended. To 
the east, Kwang-Chm, or Golden Hill, rises to a height of nearly 
J550 feet al)ove the sea level, and its elevation has been taken full 
advantage of by the erection on and around its summit of three 
powerful batteries, mounting besides smaller guns, four nevr 
breechdoadmg cannon, weighing sixty-three and one-half tons, on 
fortress mountings. On the side facing the entrance, and half way 
down the slope, are two batteries of quick-firers, for the most part 
Canet 5.5 inch and 75 mm. guns, m addition to a torpedo and 
searchlight station. The fortifications extend from the Kwang- 
Ohin-Shan fort for a distance of nearly nine miles in the northern 
direction, and this line is joined h\ a circle of batteries on the hill- 
tops surrounding the town to a second long line of defenses, start- 
ing south around the ])eninsula from the Mantow hill. So much 
for the eastern side of the entrance. On the west the most im- 



PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN GIBRALTAR 207 

portant fort is the Wei- Yuen, and this is joined to several small 
quick-fire batteries commanding the entrance by castellated 
bridges. A short time ago the whole of these fortifications were 
surrounded by a high wooden palisade to prevent the inquisitive 
from learning too much. 

From Pinnacle Rock. 

The width of the entrance from Pinnacle rock, on the west, to 
the opposite shore is barely 350 yards, while the three-fathom chan- 
nel at its narrowest is not more than 500 feet in width. Within 
the heads it widens out somewhat, and between the end of the 
Tiger ^s Tail and the entrance to the basin there is a width of 430 
yards ; even this makes it a most difficult task for any vessel over 
300 feet in length to enter or leave either the harbor or basin. 

On the Tiger's Tail are placed seven Canet 5.5-inch quick-firers 
in an open battery at an elevation of not more than ten feet above 
the sea; at the extreme end of the spit is a quadruple launching 
slip for destroyers, from which two lots of four have recently been 
launched after being sent out in sections. Behind this, again, is a 
circular observation tower and flagstaff. 

The basin or east port was excavated primarily by the Chi- 
nese, as also the dry dock cut in its northern side. It has an aver- 
age depth of three and one-half fathoms and can accommodate 
nearly a dozen large vessels. The western end is devoted exclusively 
to torpedo craft, though a dock for these small boats is in process 
of construction on the eastern side. The dry dock, repaired and 
enlarged by the Russians, is 452 feet over all, 370 feet over blocks, 
90 feet wide at the entrance and has a depth on the sill at high 
water, ordinary spring tides, of 32 feet. These figures are inter- 
esting, for they show that, even with her draught augmented 
nearly six feet, the Eetvizan might have entered the dock for re- 
pairs at high water. An eighty-ton sheerlegs is in position on the 
land side of the basin, and immense engine shops and repairing 
houses have been constructed wherever there was an available 



20S PORT ARTHUR, THE RUSSIAN GIBRALTAR 

plot of land. Just inside the Tiger's Tail the mud has heen dredged 
away so as to allow destroyers to lie right alongside the building 
slip. The artillerymen— the garrison gunners in the big shore bat- 
teries that frown from eveiy hill— can shoot well, and many of the 
cannon are of great size. 

The Claw of the Great Bear. 

Port Arthur, at the tip of the Manchurian peninsula, between 
the bay of Korea, and the Gulf of Pe-Chee-Lee, is often likened to 
a claw of the great bear threatening the heart of the Chinese em- 
pire. It IS withm easy striking distance of Pekm and equally 
favorable for attack on the Korean capital. While other nations 
have established themselves here and there along the coasts, Rus- 
sia has lunged the body of its empire into these territories. 

Here hostilities began with the brilliant torpedo coup of the 
Japs, destroying the flower of the Czar's fleet. 

Before it was taken by the Russians a few years ago, Port 
Arthur was a naval arsenal of the Chinese, under the name of Lu- 
Shun-Kou. The waters of the gulf, entering between two high 
lulls, expand into a harbor which is excellent, though of limited 
capacity. It is said that not more than four large battleships can 
find room to maneuver there. Many improvements have been 
made and more attempted. The entrance has been deepened and 
the harbor dredged to thirty feet. There are several costly dry- 
docks, quays and a graving dock for torpedo-boats. 

On account of the great mud flats exposed at low tide there is 
much typhus, and it has been proposed to remedy this, as well as 
enlarge the roadstead, by making another entrance through the 
southwest ann of the port. This would- afford a eirculatmg cur- 
rent from the sea. A reef of rocks protects the occupants of th(^ 
harbor from wind and hostile attack. Howe\'er, this protection, 
especially from the guns of an enterprising enemy, has been de- 
bated, and it seems likely that from the land side Port Arthur 
could be cut off. At the time of the writer's residence in China 



rORT AUTilUK, THE UUS81AN (JlliRALTAR HO!) 

naval experts considered Wei4iai-Wei better situated/ The first 
modern improvements at Port Arthur were carried out for the 
Chinese by a French syndicate more than a dozen years ago. 

Forts on Every Hill. 

Frowning forts occupy every hill and the soldiers swarm every- 
where. At last accounts, and the Eussians do not favor knowledge 
of such things, forbidding visitors entry to the forts, the batteries 
consisted in part of thirty-five twelve-inch guns, forty-four six- 
inch and fiftv-two four-inch rapid-firing guns. The twelve-inch 
weapons have a range of more than seven miles. The barracks in 
times of peace were for 5,000 troops. 

The town is situated a mile to the west, with handsome 
wide streets, laid out at right angles. Within the last three years 
many public buildings and fine dwellings have been put up- The 
population IS cosmopolitan, life reckless and picturesque. The 
summer heat is excessive and the winter sharp. Port Arthur is 
really a military and naval stronghold without trade. Its com- 
mercial complement is Dalny 

Life in Fort Arthur is active, even strenuous, and impressed me 
the more after a view of the lethargy of ]\lukden, the expectancy 
of New-Chwang and the dreary panorama of mud-baked, silent, 
died-out villages through which I passed on mv return ride around 
the Gulf of Pekin. 

The streets are thronged with soldiers and companies of 
coolies who take a very serious view of life and do not hesitate to 
sweep the star-gazing stranger off his feet. You enter a street and 
suddenly the earth begins to tremble with the heavy tread of many 
soldiers. If vou are wise you seek refuge in a Chinese house and 
then turn back to view the proud sight, for n proud sight it is, 
though often inconvenient. ^ 

Your Russian soldier is always on a war footing. If peacr 
broods oy(»r tlio land ho personally never recognizes it Ho i^ al- 
ways just going into action, grasping his rifle finiilv, and with 



1>10 PORT AUTHUK, THE RUSSIAN (UBRALTAR 

saber swinging free, singing as he marches a fierce, intimidating 
song. They stride along, red with the mud of the hills from which 
they come, after a few days in the field, with their faces haggard, 
their e\os deep set, and every man of them believes he is going 
under fire just around the corner, and as they approach the 
choruses swell in volume, the interruptions and the change of note 
from the leaders are more resonant, and you know without a word 
of Russian that they are spurring each other on to doughty deeds. 

In Deadly Earnest. 

Thev get around the coraer, staclc their arms, and are given 
something to eat, and at the same time one is impressed with the 
fact that your intelligent newspaper-reading soldier is a poor thing 
to look at in comparison with these disciplined savages. Your 
intelligent soldier looks embarrassed; he feels and looks as though 
he were masquerading, but your Russian is in deadly eaiTiest. 

]\Iilitarism is, of course, rampant, and but for a few Chinese 
who have found the Russian rule bearable, one seldom meets a man 
clad in anything but a uniform; the ^^rick-shaw,'' typical of the 
whole of China, has been placed by the ^'drosky'' driven by ^^mu- 
jiks" of an unusually dirty type. As regards facilities for travel, 
there was (for it is wiser to speak in the past tense now) a splen- 
did railway connection with the Trans-Siberian system, and on 
Mondays and Thursdays a through Pullman express ran to 
Irkutsk, meeting the transcontinental section from Vladivostok. 
A line of steamers under Russian control made daily trips to Clie- 
Foo, eight hours distant, and Russian ^'tramps'' had been taking 
more and more of the Korean coast trade away from the Japanese, 
who until recently possessed a ])ractical monopoly. 

Chain of Fortresses. 

Forts of no mean kind and of great magnitude, can be counted, 
not in units, but by tens, between Dalny and Port Arthur. The 



PORT AirrilUIJ, TIIK lasSIAN (;TBK\LTAi; Lit 

industry displayed upon ovory hand m railroad constrnction, 
liouse building, tho erection of fortifications, tlio making of docks, 
roads and the improvement of the harbor was admirable and com- 
nu^ndable. All the works were pushed forward witli ])(»r]iaps I'utli- 
Jess but unflagging zeal and mueli pn^science l)a\ and ni.^lit ojxna- 
tions have gone forward, designcnl to make l^)rt Artliur a (-omnK^'- 
cial empormm and a great naval arsenal. A no\\ si)aper printed 
in English, public water works, electric trams, electric liglitmg 
and much else— these are all upon the card, and Avere being got 
ready. At the same time the Russian goA^amnent, as ropres(/nt(Ml 
by Admiral Alexieff, had been fevcrishlv busy laying mines, pre- 
paring the fleet for the war and seardung for contractors who 
could and would deliver C'ardiff coal m lots of 70,()(H) tons, less or 
more, up to 200,000 tons, early in 1904. 

It was intended, once the harbor had been deepened over a 
greater area, to open a new channel, cutting this silted sand m a 
direction opposite the existing basin upon the far side of the water 
way. By that means the commercial marine v\ ould have its own 
part of the harbor and direct access to the traders' whai^es and 
the new railwav sidings. There is a rise of eight foet to twelve 
feet of tide at Port Arthur. The two largest battleships out from 
Europe found no difficulty in getting into the harbor, although 
they were said to draw over twentv-eight feet of water. They 
were at once taken into the basm, where they were touched up and 
painted m black within two days, like the other warships in port. 
For some mysterious reason the Kussians divided their fleet, keep- 
ing the best part of their fast armored cruisers at Madivostok. 

Is Dirty, but Improving 

Port Arthur is, indeed, somewhat dirty and ill smelling. To 
the native Chinese smells are added the smell of moujiks, horses 
and leather; and while planning white Moorish hotels and 
macadamized avenues of acacias across the harbor, the Russians 
had been contented for five years with unpaved streets— mud 



lilJ PORT ARTHUR, THE RU88IAN (GIBRALTAR 

sloiigiis, eciualliug those of Pekin in places. Since 1898 gold-laced 
imi forms have been bounced about in mud-bespattered droshkies. 

While one finds every evidence of western civilization at Port 
Arthur, the native Chinese still cling to their simi)l(^ waj^s. The 
flowing kimono, the tabi, or foot glove, and the geta, or graceful 
wooden sandal, are still seen. The visitor who is entertained at 
a native ^s home eats from an individual table about four and a 
half inches square, from an artistic lacquer bowl with either chop 
sticks or improvised spoons, and the hibachi is kept half full of 
ashes and burning charcoal for the social tea brew. 

^sStop thief!'' Great Britain or some other great world power 
cried every time Kussia laid a new tie or pitched a Cossack tent 
on Manchurian soil. ''l^Iaintain the status quo!'' they shrieked. 
' ' Keep the door open ! ' ' 

Fine-sounding phrases ! Lofty sentiments ! Disinterested 
warnings! But they were belated. 



CHAPTER XIII 
RUSSIA'S CALL TO BATTLE 

Czar Answers Mikado's Challenge to Combat and Army Reserves Are Called to the 
Colors — War Department Takes Charge of the Trans-Siberian Railway — Czarina 
Throws Kisses to Schoolboys and Students — People Kneel in the Snow Before 
a Chapel Containing a Sacred Image and Pray for Victory. 

WILD scenes m the Russian capital followed the annonnce- 
ment that war had begun. Japan was denounced as a 
treacherous foe for having made her attack in the night. This 
fact inflamed the populace, and scenes of patriotism which accoiu- 
l)anied the declaration of war against Turkey m 1877 were re- 
peated. 

In Kief, Odessa, IQiarkolf, Ekatermoslav and Moscow patriot] c 
demonstrations were held. Pubhc balls and other festivities were 
countermanded, and the Red Cross Society was besieged with 
women ready to go to the front as nurses. 

The Czar's first move after accepting the issue of war was to 
order the mobilization of the army resen^es in east Asia. 

In every military district m European Russia regiments of 
infantry, cavalry and artillery were put under orders to prepare 
for a campaign in the far east. 

The war department assumed control of the Trans-Siberian 
Railway, and its capacity was taxed to the utmost in the trans- 
portation of troops and munitions of war. 

The state of feeling was illustrated at the theaters when peo] >le 
demanded the national anthem. j\Iore remarkable was the refusal 
of the drosky drivers to accept money from officers whom they 
drove to the palace. 

There was a great scene at the naval academy when the Czar 
personally advanced the senior class to the rank of officers. The 

213 



liU Kl SS1A\S CALL TO BATTLE 

C'zar, who wore an adiiiirars uniform, m addressing the cadets 
said: 

''You are awari*, gentlemen, that war has been declared upon 
us. The insolent foe came by night and attacked our stronghold 
and fleet. Kussia now needs her navy as well as her army I 
have come today to promote you to the rank of midshipmen. I 
am confident that, like your revered predecessors, Admirals 
Chichagof, Lazaref, Xakhimof, Karmlof and Istomin, you will 
work for the welfare and glory of our beloved fatherland and 
devote all your energies to the fleet over which flies the flag of 
St. Andrew.'' 

After his majesty's departure the newly promoted officers hired 
sleighs and drove up and down the quay fronting the winter 
palace, clad only in their black tunics, unmindful of the bitter 
(*old, and sliouting wild hurrahs. Grave visaged generals, carried 
away by emotion, snluted the youngsters, whose only regret was 
that their service uniforms were not ready so as to permit of their 
departure for the far east at once. 

Orders Out 600,000 Troops. 

On the second day after hostilities began the Czar had ordered 
an army of 600,000 men to be in readiness to resist the invasion 
of Manchuria by the Mikado's trooi^s. Tlic ukase, dated February 
10, ordered all troops in the military district of Siberia to be 
placed in readiness for war, that all divisions in the far eastern 
viceroyalty be brought up to war strengi:h, and that the army and 
navy reserves of the Siberian and Kazan districts be called to 
the colors. The military authorities were empowered to make 
requisition for the necessary horses. 

There were six army corps m the far east, two each in the 
districts of Kazan, Siberia and Amur. Each army corps was made 
up of 1,030 officers, 47,653 men, 16,965 horses and 124 guns. The 
total strength of the six corps called into active sei^ice by the 
Czar thus approximates 300,000 men. The army reserves in the 
same districts doubled the force. 



RUSSIA'S CALL TO BATTLE 215 

All men w lio had served five years m the aniiy and were under 
forty-three years of age were required to report. This resulted in 
the disorganization of daily life in the empire, and had an ill effect 
upon every ijrofession and calling. 

The war fever, which was aroused all over the empire, or at 
least all over European Russia, in a single week was truly remark- 
able. Such patriotic demonstrations as were witnessed in St. 
Petersburg after hostilities began were all the more astonishing 
because of the public indifference during the period of negotiations 
and almost up to the hour when Japan struck the blow at Port 
Arthur. 

But, like a Hash, the whole empire seemed to have l)een lashed 
into fury by defeat, and, like a bear when it is wounded and 
angered, prepared to fight to the bitter end. The dreamy Russian 
character was stirred to depths of deepest resentment. 

The patriotic demonstrations continued for three davs and were 
entirely spontaneous. Some of them were extraordinary m char- 
acter The schoolboys and students of St. Petersburg, numbering 
thousands, marched bareheaded for hours up and down the Nevsky 
prospect, bearing flags, shouting and singing patriotic airs. They 
were followed by an enormous crowd. 

Like previous processions, this one went first to the Anichkoff 
palace, where the Dowager Empress, who is verv })opular with the 
people, showed herself. 

Later the boys and students completely surrounded the winter 
palace, and in response to their enthusiastic cheers the Czar and 
the Czarina made their appearance. Wlien the Czarina blew 
kisses to the boys a vast shout went up which brought counter 
cheering from across the Neva. 

At the French embassy, which was next visited liy the proces- 
sion, Mme. Pompard was compelled, in the absence of the Ambas- 
sador, to appear at a balcony and acknowledge the cheers for 
Russia's ally. 

In front of the barracks the various regimental bands in the 
city played the national hymn to hurrahing crowds. 



-10 lUiSSlA'S CALL TO BATTLE 

There were demonstrations outside the theaters, and the per- 
formances going on inside were stopjied while the orchestras went 
ont to tlie street to play the folksongs which the soldiers sang 
while marching- 

Almost evorv town in European Russia had the same story 
to tell of popular demonstrations. At Moscow there were great 
manifestations in front of the palace of Grand Duke Serge and 
before the Iberian chapel, where stands the sacred image of Our 
Lady of Iberia, before which the Czar invokes blessings when he 
goes to Moscow. Thousands of ])ersons knelt for hours in the 
snow in front of the chapel praying for victory. 

Russian Peasants Give Savings. 

In every sphere of life the Russians throughout the entire land 
taxed themselves to send money to one or another of the war 
funds. Even children emptied their savings boxes, and many 
cases were recorded where people in huml)le circumstances turned 
over the money saved in a lifetime to the Red Cross or to a 
patriotic fund of some kind. 

At Blagovestcliensk peasants gathered 400 rubles ($200) for 
the families of those called to the war, while a committee on the 
stock exchange at Moscow devoted 350,000 rubles ($175,000) to 
the same jDurpose. At C'harkow the merchants organized a lazar- 
ette of 200 beds, while the Merchants' Club, in addition to large 
gifts of cash, agree that for every game of cards one ruble (50 
cents) must be donated to the war fund, and for every game of 
biUiards ten kopeks (5 cents). 

The new director of the ministry of finance, M. Koscoutzoff. 
addressed the members of the stock exchange, impressing upon 
them their duty to be firm m this time of trouble and not allow 
funds and shares to be influenced by panic. 

The most sacred image in Russia has been sent to St. Peters- 
burg and it will be taken later to the far East with the army. 

This image is a representation of the virgin appearing to St. 




'; 


o 


>> 


;^ 


H 


> 


^ 


M 


cJ 


•"-^ 


A 


iz; 


'A 




0? 


X 


^ 


a 


-x 


S 




^ 


P 


c^ 


^ 


<s 


»-> 



^ 

^ 



M 


< ^^ ^ 


^^^flHHHS^UaSu 


M^^^^^B^ 


ll 


^f^^^^^T^^ 



O 

S CO 
M Q> 

- CO o 



;S 



o 





P3 



<A 9 



taO 



K £; 
^& 

M o 

M CO 

P4 




RUSSIA'S CALL TO BATTLE 219 

Sergius, and is always kept at the Troitzko monastery. It is about 
one foot square and is covered with precious stones. The image 
has a remarkable history. It accompaniod .\ lexis, Peter the Great 
and Alexander I on all tlieir campaigns. .V silver taljlet atta<'lied 
to it enumerates the battles at which the ikon was present. 

The Czar's orders for the mobilization of a Russian anjiy in 
Manchuria called to the colors all told about 550,000 men. Ah 
most of these had to be transported nearly 6,000 miles m wintry 
weather, the long delay between the outbreak of the war and the 
first big land engagement is easily accounted for. 

Not since the Turko-Russian war of 1878-9 has any European 
power sent so large an army into the field. France fought Prussia 
in 1871 with 300,000 men. Russia sent scarcely 600,000 men 
against Turkey in 1878. England fought the recent Boer war with 
200,000. 

No power in Europe ever transported an army of 540,000 men 
so great a distance as Russia did in the conflict with Japan. 

The first regiments to leave St. Petersburg for the scene of 
war were reviewed by the Czar. The following is oliaracteristic 
of the addresses the Russian ruler made to his troops- 

"My brothers, I am happy to be able to see you all before you 
leave, and I wish you a good journey. I am firmly con^'inced that 
you will all uphold the honor of your ancient regiment and readily 
risk your lives for your dear fatherland. 

"Remember your foe is brave, confident, and crafty. From my 
heart I wish you success over your opponents. 

"I bless you, my brothers. May St. Seraphim pray for you 
and accompany you in all your ways. 

"I thank the officers for volunteering their sei-vices and once 
more I thank you all, my brothers, with all my heart. God bless 
you." 

The troops then marched past, the Czar calling out to the men 
as they went by : " Good-by, my brothers. ' ' 



CHAPTER XIV 
HARBIN, RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE. 

Viceroy Alexieif Deserts Port Arthur a Week After Hostilities Begin and Estab- 
lishes His Base of Military Operations at Harbin, 600 Miles North of the Be- 
sieged Fortress — Japanese Recognize the Change as a Shrewd Strategic Move 
— Description of the New Seat of Viceregal Power, 

ONE week after tlie naval battle of Port Arthur, Viceroy 
Alexieff and his lioadqnarters staff deserted the famous 
fortress and established a new base of niihtary operations at 
Harbin, six hundred miles north of Port Arthur, where the Chinese 
Eastern railway joins the main stem of the Trans-Siberian line to 
Madi\ostok. This move, which was mistakenly regarded as a 
sign of weakness on the part of the Russian commander, was in 
reality a wise strategic move The Japanese commanders besieg- 
ing Port Arthur by sea and land understood its significance. 

Events had already detennined that Russia could make no 
effective campaign on the water, and must rely upon her anny to 
give her victories, if she was to be victorious. The army and its 
supx)lies had to be transported over the Trans-Siberian railroad, 
and the seat of the railroad management was Harbm. Inasmuch 
as the success of military movements and the necessity of main- 
taining connection with the home base of supplies, St. Petersburg, 
depended upon a single line of railroad, obviously the seat of 
military operations should be at the seat of railway operations, 
which m this instance happened to be the important junction point 
of Harbin, which was to assume new importance as Russia's capital 
in the far east. 

Harbin is the most completely Russianized city in Manchuria. 
Possibly no other writer was so well qualified at the outbreak of 
the war to describe that really wonderful city as Henry B. Miller, 

220 



HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 221 

United States consul at New Chwang, who bad made a carefuh 
study of conditions there, not only in the way of events but in their 
significance and their relation to American trade. Wliat follows 
is from a report made by Consul Miller just prior to the war: 

The Moscow of Asia. 

^•One of the greatest achievements m city construction that the 
world has ever witnessed is now going on in the heart of Man- 
churia. 

''In the building of such cities as Vladivostok, Dalny and Port 
Arthur Russia has demonstrated her power and purpose on the 
Pacific in line with the world's conception of her character, but 
in the construction of this wonderful city of Harbm she is dis- 
playing an altogether different type of activity from what we are 
prone to attribute to her. 

''It is in this city more than in all the others combined that 
Russia is asserting her intentions of becoming an active industrial 
force m the affairs of the orient, and her people are already giving 
the place the title of 'the Moscow of Asia.' 

"The city is located on the Sungari river, at the point where 
the Manchurian branch of the Siberian railway crosses the stream 
and where the Chinese eastern branch starts south to Dalny and 
Port Arthur. It is about 350 miles west of Vladivostok and 600 
miles north of Port Arthur. Its location is the geographical center 
of Manchuria, and from present prospects it is to become the 
commercial center as well. The city is surrounded on all sides for 
hundreds of miles with a rich and productive agricultural country, 
producing corn wheat, oats, barley, beans, millet, tobacco, hemp, 
vegetables and some fruits. Minerals and timber and great areas 
of grazing lands also surround it. 

"At present the place consists of the old town, three miles from 
the central depot; Prestin, or the river town, the present com- 
mercial center, and the administration town, in close proximity to 
the railway station. Before the railway engineers established this 



L'2l> HAKBIN—UrSSIA'S AiniY BASE 

as Iheir lioadcjuart^Ts tliei*(^ was no native town in this vicinity, and 
tlie entire plaee is tlieret'ore a Kussian product 

For Russians and Chinese Only, 

''It is as distinct! V a Kussian city as though it was located in 
the heart of Russia, and none but Russians and Chinese are per- 
mitted to own land, (construct l)uilding's or engage in any permanent 
enter])rise. The city has been created ])y the Russian government, 
under the manai;cinent of the Manchurian Railway Company The 
land for many miles m each direction lias been secured so as to 
make it impossible for any foreign influence to secure a profit or 
foothold close to the (*itv, and foreigners are not recognized as 
having any rights whatever, but are permitted there by sufferance 
The chief railway engineer is the administrator of the city, and up 
to the present time has had complete control of eveiything, but m 
the new scheme for the government of Manchuria some form of 
municipal organization will be permanently established. 

''In 1900 the phice began to assume importance as a center of 
railway management and in 1901 tlie population had grown to 
12,000 Russians, in 1902 to 20,000; by May, 1903, to 44,000, and 
in October, 1903, a census showed a population of 60,000, exclusive 
of soldiers. Of these 400 are Japanese and 3i)0 of all other nation- 
alities, including ( lermans, Austrians, Greeks and Turks. All the 
rest are Russians. There are no Americans. 

^^The railway and administration employes, including families, 
constitute 11,000 of the population. The Chinese population is 
about 40,000, located in a special settlement. The ratio of women 
to men is as follows: Japanese, 20 per cent; Russians, 44 per cent , 
Chinese, 1.8 per ce-nt; average of women, 14.3 per cent. 

Center of Railway Control. 

'' Harbin is the center of the entire railway administration of 
Manchuria, and, as the Russian commercial enterprises of the far 
east are under the direction of the railway company, it will also 



IIAUBIX-Kl SSIA'S AFl.MV BASE 22:{ 

be the center of Russian iiulustna] and f'oniniercial development. 
It IS the headquarters of the civil courts and the chief military 
post and the main center of control of all tlie vast army of railway 
guards. The administration city, thcrcroi'c, consists of all of tlx' 
l)ul)lic and private buildings and shops necessary for these various 
departments. Residences for the employes co\'er the largest area 
of this division of this marvelous city. 

"The following are some of the principal buildings of the 
administration city: 

Cost. 
Administration buildings, three stories in height, having 

a total floor space of 3,600 s<juare sagene (170,400 

square feet), to cost when finished $ 618,000 

Railway shops " . . . 1,287,500 

Hospitals 322,801 i 

Commercial school and girls' school 2r)7,50O 

Technical school . . . \ . 128,750 

Eight schools for teaching Russians Chinese and for 

teaching Chinese Russian ■ , . . 49,440 

Club and store for employes . . 190,550 

Hotel 83,945 

Russo-Chinese bank 103,000 

"The total administration expenditure on the city has been 
.fl5,450,000. 

Excellent River Transportation. 

"The Sungari river is navigable with light-draft steamers and 
native craft for nearly two hundred miles above the city, up both 
branches of the river, and much traffic has alreadv developed on 
these streams, especially m wheat. 

"From Harbin to the Amur river, during the navigating season, 
which begins in April and ends Xo\^ember 1, good-sized river 
steamers run daily. These steamers are well fitted with good, 
comfortable cabins for first, second and third class jiassengers. 



22A IIAHP>L\— TMJSSTA S AKMY TiASE 

Tliey carry lari;e cargoes of freiglit and usually tow barges loaded 
with freight. From Harbin to sea-gomg steamers at the nioutli of 
tlic Amur cargo is carru^d now at about $4 gold per ton. Tlic 
( 'liineso r]astern luulroad (Jomi)any and the Amur Steamship Com- 
pany run good steamers on this line, and there are also S(*veral 
private boats covering the same route. All are loaded continually 
to their full capacity, 

''The steamers are mostly of the stern- wheel tvpe, burning 
wood, such as are m operation on the westera rivers in the United 
States, but as far as I could Icani none is constnicted of American- 
made maclimery. The time usually required to go from Harbin 
to Harborofsk, at the mouth of the Ussuri river, on the Amur, 
is five days. At this place these steamers connect with trains for 
Vladivostok. 

'M{oing west from Harbin the train takes you by a branch 
lin(^ from the crossing of the headwaters of the Amur to Stretensk, 
the head of navigation of this great ri\er, while the main line 
goes to Lake Baikal (Siberia) and Russia. Going east, the railway 
reaches the sea at Vladivostok over a grade that does not exceed 
in anv ])lace thirteen feet to 1,000. Going south, the Chinese 
Eastern Eailway meets sea-going ships at New-Cliwang, Dalny 
and Port Arthur. The heaviest gi'ade on this line is nine feet to 
1,000, and that for only a short distance and at rare intervals. 

^'In October, 1903, the regular number of trains dispatched 
for through traffic was thirty per day. Eighteen local trains were 
dispatched in addition. These local trains connected the two 
extremes of the town, viz., the old town and Prestin, with the 
administration part of the city. 

Electric Tramways and Automobiles. 

^' There are also about four hundred nesoshticks or Russian 
carriages for public use ^md the average earnings of these vehicles 
is $2.58 per day 

^^ There is also an automobile line readv to start four machines 



' HARBIN— RUSSIA ^S ARMY BASE 225 

to operate between the old town and the administration city. Each 
vehicle will carry ten persons. These machines are now on the 
ground and will corry passengers for 10 cents each way. This line 
is in connection with an electric tramway that is to run a loop line 
through the river town, or Prestin, and a double loop or figure 8 
Ime throughout the administration town. This is a private cor- 
poration, with a capital of $128,750. The same comj^any is to 
provide an electric-light system for all three sections of the city. 
^' Harbin was started primarily as a military center and an 
administration town for the government and direction of railwav 
affairs. Its growth into a splendid commercial and manufacturing 
cuty was not originally provided for by the promoters, and it has 
been somewhat of a surprise to them, but the fever of making it 
a great Russian commercial and manufacturing city has now taken 
possession of the railway management, and every system of promo- 
tion and protection that can be devised to increase its growth along 
these Imes is being energetically encouraged. 

Siberian Jews Supply Money for Enterprises. 

^^The capital for most of the private enterprises is furnished 
])y Siberian Jews. Chinese are furnishing money for the con- 
struction of some of the finest private buildin<is, such as hotels, 
storerooms, etc. In the administration part of the city no private 
buildings of any kind are permitted. 

^^The old town was the first 'to be laid out and the land was 
sold to the public at the rate of 51.5 cents per forty-nine square 
feet the first year, but this rate is now increased to $1.55. Follow- 
ing this, in 1901, the administration town was laid out and con- 
struction work began on buildings covering 1^>8,000 S(iuare feet. 
Later the river town, Prestin, was laid out, and in a very short 
time all of this was sold at a price of $8.70 per foiiv-nine square 
feet, and most of it is now covered with substantial brick struc- 
tures, there being 850 buildings, constructed at a cost of $4,120,(»00. 
Recently two very large additions were laid out adjoining the 



226 HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 

administration town, and the land has been sold at prices ranging 
from $2.57 to $7.73 per forty-nine square feet. This was purchased 
largely by speculators and is being bought from them now at from 
$10.30 to $20.60 per forty-nine square feet. 

"The administration has already received over $1,030,000 for 
land sold to private parties. Many elegant residences and sub- 
stantial structures are in course of construction in the additions 
adjacent to the administration town. A hotel and theater com^ 
bined was built at a cost of $30,000 and rented for $12,875 per 
annum. 

"All of this land is secured on an eighty-six years' lease. 

Big Business of Russo-Ohinese Bank. 

"The Russo-Chinese bank is the only banking institution in 
the place and it has an elegant home in a structure of stone that 
has a steam-heating and electric-lightmg plant of its own. The 
building cost $103,000. The business of the bank has increased 
oO per cent during the past year, and its daily transactions, exclu- 
sive of railway and other government accounts, amount to $206,000. 
The bank makes no loans on realty, but advances from one-third 
to one-half capital for current substantial business. It is inaugu- 
rating a very efficient and active system of credits to Chinese mer- 
chants purchasing Eussian goods for sale in Manchuria. In some 
cases as much as $103,000 has been given in letters of credit to 
Chinese for purchases in Eussia. 

"These experiments are proving profitable and -satisfactory. 
The largest success is reported in cotton goods. Many large 
orders are now being placed in this linej and a substantial trade 
IS being created. These goods are brought into Manchuria via 
Vladivostok free of duty. So far sugar has been the only article 
purchased on which the Chinese have lost money. 

"This system of advancing credit to Chinese merchants for 
the purchase of Eussian goods prevails now generally throughout 
Manchuria, and it is by this method and by imports free of duty 



\ , HARBIN— Kl'SSIAS AKMY liASK 227 

uml favored rates over the railway that Russian cotton goods are 
hkely to capture the great trade of IManchuria that is now largely 
in the hands of American manufacturers. 

"The Russo-Chinese bank is also very generous to Chinese and 
Russian merchants in encouraging the purchase and shipping out 
of native products, but it is exclusive in its methods and will not 
encourage foreigners. 

Milling Is the Leading Industry. 

' ' The leading industry of Harbin is the manufacture of flour. 
Ihglit mills are now in operation, all with modern European 
machinery with one exception, and that is a small one constructed 
with American machinerj^ Applications have been made and 
riranted for the construction of two more large ones, and by the 
middle of 1904 ten mills will be in operation, producing 902,800 
pounds of flour per day. They pay from 30 to 35 cents gold per 
bushel for their wheat delivered at the mills, and the wheat- 
producing area can be increased enonnously. The present value 
of the flour mills in Harbin is $618,000. 

"In the immediate vicinity of Harbin there are 200 brick- 
ijiaking plants, the cost of which was $257,500. Two of these 
jilants were constructed by the administration at a cost of $103,000. 
]\Iost of the brick produced are used in the construction of the city. 
A very good grade of red brick is produced and sold for $3.35 per 
thousand. Most of the work is done by Chinese, who are paid 18 
cents per day. 

The Peoria of Manchuria. 

"The next industry of importance is the production of the 
Russian liquor, vodka. There are eight manufactories, constructed 
at a cost of $103,000. Several of these produce vodka from spirits 
of wine and sugar brought from Russia; some produce only the 
spirits of wine from the local wheat, while others produce their 
spirits from local wheat and the vodka from their own manufacture 



228 HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 

of spirits. The consumption of vodka throughout Manchuria is 
something enormous. In Russia the production is very heavily 
taxed and it costs $5.15 per 2.707 gallons, while in Harbin it sells 
at from 77 cents to $1.28, this for 40 per cent alcohol. The bottles 
for this vodka are at present brought from Japan, but at Imonia— 
in Manchuria— the Eussians are now building a large bottle and 
glass factory. 

** Three breweries are now in course of construction in Harbin 
to cost $103,000. The Eussians are great beer drinkers and produce 
very good beer, but it is not of the quality that bears shipping 
long distances, hence very little Eussian beer is to be seen on the 
Pacific coast or anywhere in Manchuria. At the present time 
American beer has the best of the Manchurian market, as 150,000 
dozen bottles are imported through one firm at Port Arthur every 
year. A fine quality of barley is produced in the Sungari valley, 
and these breweries will be able to buy it at about half the cost in 
the United States. There is little doubt that the Eussians will 
soon be producing all of the beer consumed in Manchuria. Our 
Pacific coast hop men ought to be able to sell them their hops, 
however. 

'^ These things, together with the financial help of the Eusso- 
Chinese bank, have not yet been sufficient to do more than start 
the train well, and they may have to resort to a bounty in addition 
unless they can shut out foreign goods by a tariff. 

^^The production of cotton goods in Eussia is growing very 
fast, and, as they have their designs on securing the trade in 
Manchuria in this line, it is only reasonable to suppose that they 
will eventually secure the trade they are prepared to handle in 
any country over which they have control. 

*^The following is from the pen of a well-known American 
writer, who has investigated the subject carefully and is thor- 
oughly acquainted with the conditions of production and marketing 
of Eussian cotton goods: 

< i i There is considerable excitement just now about the Eussian 
possession of Mauchuna. * ^' * If Eussia adopts the same meth- 



HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 229 

ods as to other parts of Asia that she is now using in Persia she 
will drive all other countries out of the market. She has now the 
monopoly of the cotton business of Persia and she has gotten it 
by giving a bounty to her manufacturers. On every pound of 
Russian cotton goods sent to Persia the Moscow exporter gets an 
allowance of 3 cents from the government. One cent covers the 
freight and he gets 2 cents a pound profit, besides the usual profit 
on the goods. The English and German manufacturer has to pay 
full freight, with no rebate, and he can not compete. This same 
system will be adopted in China. * * * After the trade has been 
captured the rebate may be discontinued and the price will rise.' 

Discriminate Against American Oil. 

"Kerosene is the next in importance of American imports into 
Manchuria. Russian oil is already making very good headway 
in a free and equal competition with American oil. By forcing its 
use in all the cities of Manchuria, by special aid from the Russo- 
Chinese banks that are now established in all the principal cities, 
by preferential rates on the railway, by providing tank cars and 
tank stations along the railway line and refusing these advantages 
to American oil, it appears to me that Russian oil will have an 
absolute monopoly of the trade if full control of the country is 
secured to Russia. 

•* Concerning flour and lumber, I have recently issued detailed 
reports, the summary of which indicates that the Russians have 
it in their power not only to capture our trade in Manchuria, but 
to become our most severe competitors in all the oriental markets. 

''In green and dried and canned fruit and vegetables I find 
the United States trade expanding considerably, and from every 
point of view within my observation I am induced to believe that 
the trade will have a large and permanent growth without danger 
of disastrous competition. 

"Our trade in beer meets with the competition of Japanese 
and German beer, but it has been growing continually and is now 



'^'M HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 

greater than ever before. W lien the several breweries in course 
of (construction at Harbin are in operation our trade in this line 
IS most likely to suffer, and m time may give way entirely to the 
Russian product. 

''In butter, the Siberian article is already capturing the Man- 
churian market, as it is being handled bv tlie commercial depart- 
ment of the Cliinoso EasteiTi liaiiway. It may become a very 
aggressive competitor for the entire market of the orient. In con- 
densed milk we have a large and growing market, not only in 
Manchuria, but throughout the orient. Should the Russian gov- 
ernment elect to engage m this business also, it lias the advantage 
(jf very chea]) milk m Siberia and one of the finest countries 
in the world in the a alley of the Liao, together with cheap labor 
to establish the •industry on a basis that would make it a great 
rival for our condensed milk trade with Japan and China. 

'^The familiarity of the dunese with hog-raising makes a good 
foundation for the growth of the industry, and I can see no reason 
why it should not continue to grow sufficientlv to produce all that 
may be required for the oriental markets. 

''There is a plant costing $12,875 for the preparation of bean 
oil for use in painting. 

^'Russians are especially fond of candies and sweets and few 
people know how^ to produce a quality equal to the Russian product. 
There is a manufactory in this line in the old town costing $5,150. 

' ' There is on the river a small sawmill that cost $7,750 and two 
on the railway line between Harbin and Vladivostok that cost 
$17,500 

Agricultural Riches in the Vicinity of Harbin, 

''There are many other industries in embn^o, and, as the place 
is located in the center of an extremely rich agricultural country, 
has splendid transportation facilities and is doing so well m the 
establishment of manufacturing, there is little doubt that it will 
increase at a very rapid rate as a manufacturing and commercial 
center. 

^^The country is productive in wheat, cattle, sheep, hogs, millet, 



HARBIN— RUSSIA'S ARMY BASE 231 

barley, oats, corn, beans, furs, hides, wool, bristles, bean oil, bean 
cake, liemi), tobacco and timber, and has various undeveloped 
mineral resources; in fact, it has all the natural elements for the 
foundation of a great city. 

'^The chief engineer who was in charge of the construction of 
the Eussian railways in Manchuria mfonned me that Eussia had 
expended in railways in Manchuria $lo9,050,000. Add to this her 
investments m fortifications and in the construction of the cities 
of Port Arthur, Dalny, Harbm and other places and it is a very 
moderate estimate to place her investments in ]jermanent proper- 
ties in Manchuria at a total of $257,500,000. 

' ' What IS the meaning to the United States of all this progress 
of Eussia on the Pacific— the building of such cities as Harbin 
and the political domination of the countrv? Tt has been recentlv 
asserted by prominent people that it signified an enlargement of 
the market for our goods, and that of the presents imports into 
Manchuria 75 per cent were from the United States. General 
statements of this nature are easily made and easily believed, and 
without any careful examination into the details it has been the 
usual thing to assume that this development of Eussia in Man- 
churia was certain to bring an increased market for the products 
of the United States. The subject has not yet been examined 
in all its phases as it should be, and, as far as I know, there is no 
one prepared by study and knowledge of all the details of the 
question to give a wise decision as to what the effect will be upon 
American trade from merely an economic i)oint of view. 

Manchuria's Imports from the United States. 

^'At the present time the principal imports from the United 
States into Manchuria stand in the following order: Cotton goods, 
kerosene, flour, lumber, canned and dried fruits and vegetables, 
beer, canned milk and butter, cigarettes and sundries. 

^'In cotton goods Eussia is anxious for the trade and is makim^* 
every effort to secure the business and is becoming a serious 



i::Vj HAKJnX— RUSSIA \S ARAIV l>ASi: 

coiupetitor Her advantages in this line are political, l)ank ad- 
van(»es and transportation. In a free contest, on ]uirely econoinic 
lines, I think the United States can hold it. Russia favors the 
export of cotton goods into Persia l)y a heavy dnty, and just wliat 
she w]ll do in order to secure this trade m Manchuria is not yet 
detenumed. At present she is providing a heavily subsidized 
steamship line to bring these goods to Dahiy and Madivostok, 
where they enter free of dutv, and no doubt they receive prefer- 
ential railroad rates from these into the interior, or vrill if nec- 
essarv 

''At Harbin an agent of a New York firm informed me that 
American trade there was confined now to canned goods, including 
fruits, vegetal)les, milk, etc., beer, sole leather, carts and a few 
lines of hardware. 

''People informed me that they had succeeded in substituting 
Kussian engines and railwav material for American, and that the 
railwav rei^ulatrons now provided for the purchase of everything 
Russian, wlicn possible, and that had cut off much American trade. 
They also said that they were succeeding m diiving out American 
kerosene, flour, lumber, cotton goods and other things, and that 
they hoped soon to provide Manchuria with all the things that 
now come from the United States. 

American Trade Better Under Chinese Rule. 

'^United States trade in Manchuria with the Chinese amounted 
to several millions of dollars per year and was almost entirely 
imports. It had grown very fast and would have had an extended 
and most substantial increase without the Russian development, 
for the country was being improved and extensively developed, 
with a continual immigration from other provinces in China, before 
the railway constiniction began. 

'^A study of conditions in Vladivostok, Harbin and other dis- 
tricts is not particularly encouraging to the idea of extension of 
American trade m Manchuria m any line that Russia is prepared 



ITARBIV— l.MTSSIA^S ARMV BASE i;:j;j 

to supply. A knowledge of the earnest intention of tlio Russo- 
('lunese bank to press the sale of Russian goods, a slight insiglit 
into the metliods and determination of Russian raihyays to find a 
market for the products of Russia and the interest displayed in 
developing resources along their lines for Russmns and Chinese 
only, taken m connection with the natural wealth and resources of 
the countiy, do not favor the hope that under a Russian regime 
our trade in Manchuria will be as large as it was before. 

Greatest Problem in Asiatic Markets. 

^^If we take into further consideration the fact that the Russian 
government— by subsidies and through its banks and railways— 
IS engaging m industrial and commercial pursuits as a government 
and calculate the cheap food, cheap and reliable labor, and tli<^ 
vast mineral resouiees that she will have at her command on tlie 
Pacific, the question of the Manchurian market becomes compara- 
tively insignificant, and we find ourselves face to face with the 
greater problem of the markets of all Asia. 

''With millions of cheap and efficient Chinese laborers, with 
vast coal fields bordering on the Pacific, with mountains of iron 
and copper, vast forests and enormous areas of agricultural land 
— producmg now the cheapest food in the world— what is to pre- 
vent Russia, if her apparent plans are realized, from becoming a 
dommating factor m the commercial development of the far east ? 
One cannot view the man^elous growth of a city like Harbin or 
observe the cities of Vladivostok, Dalny and Port Arthur and the 
great Siberian railway without pondering seriously the meaning 
of it all in the future of Russia on the Pacific. 

''For the present the prospect is that we shall at least meet 
with such unfavorable conditions m Manchuria as will endanger 
our present lines of trade. Whether or not this will be compen- 
sated for by an increase m other lines is not at this time clear. 

''There ought to be, and most likely will be, a large trade in 
agricultural implements. Of foreign countries Gennanv is secur- 



234 HARBIN— RUSSIA \S ARMY BASE 

ing the most of tins trade now in Siberia and Manchuria, and there 
is no doubt whatever that German trade is benefiting enormously 
by Russian domination of Manchuria. Next to the Germans come 
the Austrians, and next to them the Danish. 

Not an American in Harbin. 

*^It is not in the least inspiring for an American to go through 
as busy and active a trade city as Harbin and find so few things 
from his country and not a single American citizen or progressive 
business house. The vision of 75 per cent of American imports 
into Manchuria dwindles to a most insignificant amount. When 
vou see the great flour mills continually enlarging and increasing 
in number, when you see the numerous breweries being constructed, 
when you see Russian engines and German, Austrian and Danish 
machinery and products and hear the successful development of 
Russian lumber mills and the introduction of Russian cotton goods, 
and see in the Chinese stores Russian oil and cigarettes where 
before were American, and where you hunt with straining eyes to 
find something from the United States, one is not seriously im- 
pressed with the statement that under Russian occupation our im- 
ports into Manchuria are sure to increase. 

''Unfortunately the only customs returns by which we can 
measure our trade year by year in Manchuria are from the port of 
New-Chwang, and even that is very imperfect, for the imports all 
come from Japan, Hong-Kong and other Chinese ports, and the 
place of origin of the goods is not given in all cases. Goods are 
coming into Manchuria in great quantities through Port x\rthur, 
Dalny and Vladivostok continually, as well as through New- 
Chwang, but there is no means of securing a proper report of 
them.'^ 









1 


1 


! 


^ 




^ 


J^^BB^ ' ' VMZkfJm 


B[|KDffl||^H 




iH 






n?^ r\ 


rr 


<t 


4wm 


1 * 

9^ 


'**'^P*^ 


k LV 


H 


-* 


"■■m^ 










. ..;/'•/'' 


..iv."---, 






- 


■u." 






*»• 




. - -" ■■ ''"'^ 


.-•*• 





MARKET DAY IN A JiilBERIAN lOWN. 
Camels Are Used by Traders Because of Their Ability to Withstand Cold and Travel 

in the Snow. 




RUSSIAN TROOFS IN CAMP. 
A Scene Along the Line of the Terrible Winter March to Manchuria, 



CHAPTER XV 
RED CROSS IN THE WAR 

Japan and Russia had Effective Organizations for Caring for the Sick and Wounded 
-^Empress Dowager at tho Head of the Society in Russia — Merchants and 
Churchmen Make Large Donations and American and English Women Aid in 
Preparing Materials — Japan at First Declines Outside Aid. 

IN BOTH Russia and Japan the Red Cross Society has effective 
organizations, although the work of the Japanese corps seems 
to \vd\e been better systematized. Tlie hitter was so well equipped 
raid prepared for hostilities that all offers of assistance from 
abro-id vrere declined at the outset, much to the disappointment (>f 
iiu uiy Ameru*an i^hysicians and nurses, who had expected to serve 
tlie little nation in its hospitals and on its battlefields. 

In Russia the war plans of the Red Cross Society kept pace with 
those of the military departments. The head of the society in 
lAiLssia is the Dowager Empress, the Czar^s mother, a woman much 
))elo\ od by the Russian people. 

Count von Ontsoffdashkott', one of the closest friends of Em- 
])eror Alexander III, was made the head of the Red Cross work 
under the Empress Dowager. 

The Red Cross received an appropriation of $2,500,000 from 
the city of St. Petersburg at the very beginning, and the merchants 
of the city promised to give $750,000 more. The city of Moscow 
and the merchants there contributed $900,000, and the amount 
available for Red Cross work reached $5,000,000 within a week. 

Niji Novgorod in a few minutes subscribed $150,000; Tula, 
$37,000; Tver, $12,500; Samara, $37,500; Rostowdon, $35,000. 

The citizens of Paroslav presented the Grenadier regiment with 
the ikon of Holy Basil Constantin, the miracle worker, and with 
tea and sugar in great quantities. 

At the famous imperial palace the hermitage was turned into 

287 



23S TIIK KKD CROSS IN THE WAR 

a grand central store, and everything needed in the care of the 
wounded and sick was gatliered tlicre in great quantities. It was a 
perfect museum of l)andages, instruments and splints, and was 
presided over by nurses and doetors of the Red Cross. 

Classes sprang up everywhere night and day, while armies of 
women were busied in preparing bandages and lint. 

Dr. Carlovich, who had had much experience in the field, was 
the first to leave for the front with a staff of tried physicians. The 
Red Cross was overwhelmed with volunteers, and each section 
engaged to equip completely two hundred beds. 

The holy synod gave $75,000 to the hospital fund and members 
gave up their salaries. The same was done by principals of many 
societies in order that the same might be devoted to the war 
funds. The Emperor ^s secretaries were kept busy thanking the 
dona tors, each one more liberal than the other. 

The Dowager Empress issued a rescript to the Red Cross of 
Russia directing it to make provision to alleviate the sufferings 
of the wounded in the war with Japan. 

American and English women m St. Petersburg started on the 
preparation of materials for the Red Cross Society with just as 
great heartiness as the Russian women engaged m the same work. 
Various committees and sewing circles, which had been already 
organized, effected a general organization at a meeting held in 
the Anglo-American church. These women realized that both 
armies engaged in the conflict would make large demands on 
humanitarianism, irrespective of race, and they naturally decided 
to assist the sufferers they could most easily reach— namely, the 
Russian wounded. 

M. Alexandrovsky was placed in charge of the Red Cross field 
work and established his headquarters at Harbin. General 
hospitals were located along the Amur at Kharbarovsk, Blago- 
vestchensk, etc., and the sick and wounded were transported to 
these points by the Sungari and Ussuri rivers and their tributaries, 
thus avoiding interference with the military traffic on the railroads. 

One feature of Red Cross operations which had never before 



THE RED CROSS IN THE WAR 239 

been introduced during a war was the organization of small detach- 
ments to accompany the regiments into action. Each detachment 
consisted of two surgeons, four students and four body carriers. 
First aid to the wounded was applied on the battlefield. 

Baron Korf, who was secretary to the St. Louis exposition 
commission, devoted his entire time to Bed Cross work as chief 
of the personnel division. When explaining the extensive prepara- 
tions of the society. Baron Korf said: *^We are preparing for a 
long, hard war.'' 

Almost all the private concerns at St. Petersburg and Moscow 
and other large- cities which intended sending exhibits to the St. 
Louis exposition decided not to do so, and donated the moneys 
they would have expended in this work to the Red Cross Society 
and other war purposes. 

The devotion of the young Empress Alix to the work of the 
Red Cross Society aroused the enthusiastic admiration of the 
Russian people. 

She threw herself heart and soul into the work, even personally 
assisting in the preparation of bandages and other supplies for 
the sick and wounded. 

As an evidence of the interest and activity of the Empress, she 
frequently started work at 8 o'clock in the morning and did not 
stop until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, not even taking time for 
luncheon. 

Her little daughters strove to emulate the example of their 
mother and assist in collecting and packing the materials. 

Miss Clara Barton, president of the American Red Cross, called 
at the Russian embassy in Washington soon after the beginning 
of hostilities and offered the services of the society to the Russian 
government. The ambassador expressed the thanks of his govern- 
ment on the kindly offer, but explained that outside aid would not 
be needed in view of the effective work of the Russian Red Cross 
Society. 

Japan also refused many offers of Red Cross aid from America. 
The famous Chicago surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Senn, a great admirer 



240 THE RED CROSS IN THE WAR 

of tlie Japanese, had promised the war officials of Japan to give_ 
them his services whenever they should be needed, and when 
hostilities opened Dr. Senn was ready and willmg to go, but was 
not called upon. The Japanese Bed Cross Society is organized 
upon the same lines as the American Eed Cross and was splen- 
didly equipped in every particular. The medical staff were men 
who ranked high in their profession. The Japanese Red Cross 
proved itself remarkably efficient in field work as^well as in the 
conduct of permanent hospitals. ' 

Although tlie- aid of several noted surgeons who volunteered 
was not needed, Japan accepted the services of some American 
nurses, notably a party headed by Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee of 
Philadelphia. The other members were Misses Ella V. King, Min- 
nie Cooke, Adelaide Mackereth, Elizabeth Kratz, Adele Neeb of 
Philadelphia; Miss Sophia Newall, New Jersey; Miss Genevieve 
Russell, New York City; Miss Mary Gladwin, Boston; and Miss 
Alice Kenimer of Indiana. 

The Russian field corps of the Red Cross Society was amply 
equipped, even for the most unusual emergencies— one novel fea- 
ture being a large number of dogs trained to the work of finding 
wounded soldiers and carrying with them the bandages and other 
supplies generally known as ^' first aid to the injured/' 



CHAPTE.R XVI 
THE PRESS AND THE WAR 

How the News of the War Reaches America After Traversing Fifteen Thousand 
Miles of Cable on the Bed of the Ocean — Cablegrams From China Cost the 
American Press 38 Cents a Word and From Japan 50 Cents a Word— Route of a 
Press Dispatch From Nagasaki to Chicago. 

NEWS of Japan's victory at Port Arthur reached tlie United 
States after having traveled fifteen thousand miles of cable 
on the bed of the ocean. Much of the direct news orij;inated m 
southeastern Clima, from which pomts th(^ rate was 08 cents a 
word, while 50 cents was charged from points in Japan. These.* 
tolls were a special rate for press dispatches only, the regular 
commercial rate being three times as large. 

The tiny electric impetus put m motion bv the key of the 
operator in far Nagasaki instantly plunges under the eastern sea 
and comes to land in Cliina, near Shanghai, 476 miles away. Then 
that little throb works southward round the (.lima coast to Hong- 
Kong, 945 miles. At Hong-Kong (British) it dives under the China 
sea to Saigon, in Anam (French), 951 miles; from Saigon it crosses 
the bed of the sea to Singapore (British), 626 miles. Or it goes 
by way of Labuan, Borneo (British), 1,971 miles. 

Through the Malacca strait to Penang (398 miles), and then 
a great plunge westward through the wild Nicobars and under the 
tropic Bengal sea (1,389 miles) to INfadras. At ^ladras it takes 
to the land until it comes to Bombay. 

Never resting, the brave little spark takes to the water again, 
traversing the broad Arabian sea to Aden (1,850 miles), threading 
its way up the scorching Red sea, flying ever westward, to Alex- 
andria (1,534 miles). And from Alexandria it travels deep under 
the balmy Mediterranean to Malta, out to Lisbon, and so to London 
(3,205 miles), and thence across the Atlantic. 

241 



o to 



THE i>im:ss t>: titi^ war 



livery Avord forced so la))ori()iLsly through those 15,000 miles 
of solid wive cost 50 cents. 

It is difficult to give any very definite idea of what war costs 
the newspapers for telegraphy. ProbaMy few persons have any 
idea of the vast sums which are swallowed up in a single day's 
news provided by the New York and Cliicago newspapers on the 
occasion of, say, a great naval battle. 

For two short messages from Japan, consisting of about 100 
and 150 words, respectively, the bare telegraphic cost approaches 
$150, although some of the '^the's'^ and ''and's'' in such cable- 
grams as they ajDpear in the newspapers would not be telegraphed. 
In the event of a big battle, the big American papers pay thousands 
of dollars in cable tolls alone. 

All the telegraph lines in Japan are owned by the Japanese gov- 
ernment, and censorship of messages was therefore, easv. All mes- 
sages sent by war (correspondents had to be edited bv the press 
censor who cut out any words or sentences he deemed objection- 
able. This was true of messages either from Russia, Japan, Korea 
and Manchuria. 

Moreover, for the first few weeks press messages handed in in 
Japan had to be paid for m cash. A newspaper correspondent had, 
therefore, to provide himself with large sums of money, which was 
often extremely inconvenient. Afterwards the Japanese govern- 
ment conceded that point, and allowed the telegraph companies 
to take the risk of payment upon themselves and collect the money 
from the headquarters of the newspapers on this side. 

At Nagasaki, the ''takmg-off'' point for the mainland, mes- 
sages were transferred from the Japanese government lines to the 
Great Northern company (Danish), and crossed either to Shanghai 
or Vladivostok. From A^adivostok the Northern companv's line 
follows tlie railway track across frozen Siberia to Libau, on the 
Baltic. But few of the American press messages took that course, 
although there was in existence a sort of promise by Russia that 
no messages should be interfered with. 

At Slianghai begins the cable of the Easteni Extension com- 



' f ' THE PRESS 1\ THE WAR 243 

pany, and the eastern cable takes up the tliread at Bombay. From 
Bombay, also, the Indo-European line starts away and travels over- 
land by Bushire and Teheran, Tiflis, Odessa, and Warsaw to Ber- 
lin, and so to England. 

The American Commercial Pacific cable goes to the Phili]ipines, 
and does not touch Japan. The possible rout(\s for the direct trans- 
mission of news from Japan wore, therefore, but two m number— 
the overland Russia route and the coast route \m I)idia and the 
Mediterranean or India and Europe. 

The following table shows the route tnken bv m<\ssai>'es sent 
from Nagasaki and Che-Foo, indicating the relay points. 

Miles. 

Shanghai, eastern sea cable 476 

Hong-Kong, Chinese telegraph . . .... 945 

Manila, Commercial Pacific cable . . . 729 

Guam, Commercial Pacific ... . . 1,709 

Midway Islands, Commercial Pacific cable 2,693 

Hawaii, Commercial Pacific cable . . 1,384 

San Francisco, Commercial Pacific cable . 2,412 

Chicago, overland telegraph . . . . 2,260 

Total . . .12,608 

Messages sent west from Japan or China had a choice of several 
routes, especially after leaving Lisbon, when thev could go either 
via the Azores or via London and Wateiwille, Ireland. The route 
which was followed in sending the message around the world at 
the opening of the Pacific cable last July and the lines and dis- 
tances composing it from Nagasaki or Che-Foo follow : 

Miles. 

Shanghai, China, eastern sea cable 47(i 

Hong-Kong, Chinese telegraph . .... .^45 

Saigon, Annam, China sea cable .... . 951 

Singapore, China sea cable 626 



U44 IHE IMiESS IN THE WAR 

Peiiang, cable Malay peninsula 398 

]\Iadras, Bengal sea cable 1,309 

Bombay, overland telegraph ... . ... 675 

Aden, Arabian sea cable . . . , . . 1,850 

Alexandria, cable and overland . 1,534 

iMalta, Mediterranean cable ... . . . 913 

(xibraltar, i\Iediterranean cable 1,126 

Lisbon, cable .... 392 

Azores, Atlantic cable . . .. .. 1,053 

Canso, Atlantic cable . ... 1,698 

New York, Atlantic cable 893 

Chicago, overland telegraph . . . . 990 

Total ... . 15,909 

At the very outset of the war the general manager of the 
American Associated Press made a direct appeal to the Czar to 
remove the ])ress e*ensorship on dispatches from Russia, which 
was done, and such war news as reached St. Petersburg was given 
to the world free! v. 

Japan, on the other hand, established a rigid censorship and 
no dispatches were permitted to be sent from Japanese points 
until they had been passed upon by a Japanese official. As 
Japan's policy was to keep the movements of her land and naval 
forces a secret, much news was suppressed by the Japanese censor 
and much was sent out that was not true A large partv of 
American and English war correspondents who went to Tokio at 
the beginning of the war were detained there for several months 
bv the authorities. 



CHAPTER XVII 
TORPEDO ATTACK PROVE.D E.FFECTIVE. 

The Torpedo an American Invention Which Has Been Most Highly Developed in 
Austria — Torpedo Boats Compared to Battleships and Cruisers — Daring Life on 
a Destroyer— The Stiletto of the Navy With Which Deadly Blows Are Struck 
in the Dark — The Whitehead Torpedo and How It Is Launched. 

AN A]\rERICAX first suggested the idea of the torpedo in 
naval waif are, and American \oss(-ls first demonstrated 
the feasibihtv and effectiveness of this form of attack during the 
American Civil AVar Tlie first machine of the kind was the in- 
vention of Da\ id Bnshnell, an American Revolutionarv War 
]3atriot, but the attempt to use it upon a British shi]^ in New York 
harbor was a failure because the so-called '^ torpedo'^ could not be 
attached to the vessel and it escai)ed. In the American Civil War 
the torpedoes were earned on the (Mid of a spar and were ignited 
by electricity. 

At the very begimiin,i; of that war the first automatic torpedo 
was invented bv Ca])tain lAipuis, an Austrian naval officer. From 
that day to this no nation lias demonstrated so clea.rlv the effective- 
ness of the automatic tori)edo as the Japanese Altliougli the 
Tnited States was the first government to introduce this powerful, 
mysterious and truly terrible weapon of modern naval warfare, 
she has practically ceased adding to her flotilla of torpedo-boats, 
(lenerallv speaking, it has been believed that the peculiar oppor- 
tunities for the effective use of tlie toipedo-boat were so rare as 
to make it a negligible quantitv in modern war, but the deadlv 
work accomplished by the Japanese torpedo boats has changed this 
opinion, and the torpedo attack is again recognized as a method of 
warfare to be reckoned with in all naval operations in war. 

The Weak Spot of Battleships. 

In the first Port Arthur engagement the Cesarevitch and the 
Retvizan each displaced about 13,000 tons, and the Palloda a 

245 



246 TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 

little less tlian 11,()0(). It is doubtful if the torpedo boats which 
successfully attacked them displaced more than 350 tons each, if 
they did that. Their vanquished foes wore at least thirty times as 
big, but, like Achilles, battleships have their vulnerable parts. Hit 
them below the armor belt and they are disabled, if not wrecked. 

Naval experts have long had fears on this score, which they 
were not fully able to eonfirm or suppress. AVith the exception of 
a brilliant exploit in the harbor of Wei-Hai-V/ei in February, 1895, 
there never has been a practical test of this kmd of warfare until 
now. Japanese torpedo boats at that time sank three Chinese war 
vessels— the Ting Yuen, Chin Yuen, and Lai Yuen. Since China 
did not rate as a first-class militaiy power, however, it was not 
felt that the test was significant. Both the United States and Spain 
had thoroughly modern torjDedo boats in Cuban waters in 1898, 
but neither of them experimented with the missiles for whose use 
they were designed. Nothing further was learned, therefore, until 
the successful torpedo attack upon the Russian squadron at Port 
Arthur. 

The eyes of naval officers all over the world were turned toward 
the oriental waters to watch the movements of the torpedo boats, 
and their stock in the estimation of many naval men who have 
heretofore considered them more spectacular than useful. 

A torpedo boat, compared with a battleship or a ciniiser, is a 
cheap boat. To be effective they have to attack in swarms, for the 
single torpedo boat that would dare to approach a hostile fleet 
would most probably never live to launch its torpedo. Being quick, 
cheap and carrying a small crew, if several are lost and several 
costly battleships of the enemy destroyed or disabled, naval men 
argue, they are economical. 

Torpedo Boat a Weapon of Darkness. 

One reason for the success of the Japanese is to be looked for 
in the time selected to make their attack. By the veiw nature of 
things the torpedo boat is the weapon of darkness. It is the naval 
stiletto, the blade that moves swiftly and secretly. It is too fragile 



TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 247 

to oxpose itself to llie fire of a sliip's guns. As a matter of fact, 
small-anii fire is suflicient to disable and sink one of these almond- 
slielled craft if delivered, say, from a machine gnn. 

Night, then, is pre-eminently the time for a torpedo-boat attack. 
The history of the previous attempts shoTws tlmt all the successful 
attempts yet made have been made at night, and, on the other 
hand, to emphasize this statement, every day attack has failed and 
frequently brought disaster upon the little boats. Having had 
experience that no other nation has had, it is not remarkable that 
the Japanese knew how to make such an attack effective. They 
have also once again repeated the advice of the theorists and have 
proven that theory to be the correct one. 

The torpedo boat itself is the veriest cockleshell afloat. Its 
])lates are not any thicker than the binding boards of an ordinary 
book. A^Hien you have a stretch of these plates over 150 or 200 
feet they naturally become weakened. Everything is speed. Give 
the torpedo boat thirty or thirty-five knots and the governments 
do not care what her plates are so long as they will keep her 
boilers and machinery in place and provide a fairly good gun plat- 
form. The quarters for men and officers are cramped, for room is 
needed for boilers and coal. 

Life on a Torpedo Boat. 

Life on a torpedo boat is exciting, even in times of peace, for 
a sea wave may dent in or crumple up her nose or even sink the 
craft. In war no insurance company ever conceived would write a 
policy for any member of the crew. When the torpedo boat darts 
out on her attack every soul on board literally takes his life in his 
hand. The dangers are at least in the ratio of ten to one of those 
on a battleship. 

To steer a torpedo boat into a fight requires a steady, cool and 
fearless head. The to^iedo, which weighs half a ton, must be 
adjusted for distance, put into the launching tube, and then the 
boat must be quickly maneuvered until it is at the right place. 



248 TORPEDO ATT.\(jKS PROA'ED lOFFEOTTVE 

Tbis IS tlic psy(»liol(),i;L(\-il inomoiit. AVliile the boat is running 
swiftly the torpedo must be launelied. and so accurate are the tor- 
pedo adjustments that it will infallibly go just as directed, and 
c\ en sucli deviation as may be given it by a ro]je or obstruction is 
automaticallv overcome, and it resume the original course planned 
for it. 

Development of the Torpedo. 

The history of the torpedo and its development is both inter- 
esting and important to all readers of naval warfare. The first 
navigable torpedo was a eigar-shaped metallic obje(tt containing 
machinery for its propulsion and a charge of some explosive at the 
front end. In some of the early designs an electric motor drove the 
screw, the current being supplied through a wire from the shore. 
This wire w^ould be previously coiled up inside the torpedo and 
stretch out when the latter was moving. The radder could be 
controlled from land, too, by electrical means, and a deviation from 
the original course amounting to 30 or 40 degrees was thus made 
practicable. In the Sims-Edison design the deptli of submeri;ence 
was regulated by suspending front and r(^ar from a tiny float. 
Several inventors proposed to make the torpedo entirely inde- 
pendent of land by supplying motive power of another kind. One 
man stored a quantity of compressed carbonic acid there, and used 
it to actuate an engine. 

Another introduced a heavy flywheel, to which, just before 
launching, it was proposed to impart a high rotative velocity by 
outside mechanism. Fully 10,000 revolutions a minute could be 
secured. In that way enough power was to ])e stored to drive the 
tori^edo a few hundred feet. 

The torpedo invented 1)> Captain Lupuis, i)revio!islv referred 
to, was run by clockwork and yuided from shores by ropes. The 
government liked the idea, but reeommended the selection of a 
better motive power and a sjinpler moans of guiding Three years 
later Lupuis met Whitehead, then manager of an engine manufac- 
turing company at Fiume, and exhibited his torpedo plans. Wlute- 



TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 249 

head, with the assistance of his son and a skilled mechanic, secretly 
made the first Whitehead torpedo and two years later submitted 
it to the Austrian government. Externally it had the appearance 
of st modern torpedo; its weight was 300 pounds and it carried a 
charge of eighteen pounds of dynamite. A compressed air cham- 
ber, charged to a pressure of 700 pounds to the square inch, sup- 
plied the motive power. For short distance the torpedo attained a 
speed of six knots. 

The Famous Whitehead Torpedo. 

The Austrian ordnance officers were enthusiastic over the 
torpedo, although it was a very crude affair. Tlie government was 
too poor to buy it outright, but paid for the right to make the 
torpedo after Whitehead's plans. England a year later secured 
the right to make the torpedo. France, Italy and Germany fol- 
lowed. England has manufactured the Whitehead on a large 
scale at the royal laboratory, at Woolwich and at the Whitehead 
factory at Portland, about 6,000 having been issued to the navy. 

In 1897 the manufacturing of torpedoes in England was aban- 
doned and the English admiralty began to import its torpedoes 
from the two European factories, one in Germany and the other 
in Fiume, Austria. England's giving up of home manufacture is 
said to have been the result of the inferiority of English-made 
torpedoes to those made on the continent and in America. Tor- 
pedoes for the American navy are built in Brookljni by the govern- 
ment, under a license from the patentees. 

The American Whitehead not only has the power to blow up 
any ship afloat, but its intricate and delicate mechanism makes 
certain its path under the water. The variations from its course 
are so slight that it can be fired from the launching tube with the 
same confidence in its ability to reach the target as when the sea- 
coast artilleryman fires a steel shell from a heavy gun. 

The torpedo is built of steel in the shape of a porpoise, with 
a big double-bladed tail. Ready for firing it weighs 1,160 pounds, 
but its weight in water is but a half pound. Its length is five 



li5U TOUrEDO ATTACKS PIKJVKD EFFECTIVE 

meters (about sixicM^u feet five inches), its greatest diameter forty- 
five centimeters (17.7 inches) The walls are made of the finest 
forged steel, to resist the enormous air pressure. Bronze bulk- 
heads separate the sections. 

Launched By Compressed Air. 

Compressed nir is the motive power. This is contained within 
the air flask, a hollow forged steel cylinder, nearly half as long 
as the torpedo, slightly tapering at the ends, with dome-shaped 
heads screwed and soldered in each end. On shipboard this flask 
is filled by an air-compressing engine, and the pressure attained 
is 1,350 pounds to the square inch. The flask is tested for a pres- 
sure of 2,000 pounds. This great pressure so compresses the air 
that the weight of the ten cubic feet in the flask is 69.19 pounds. 
A pipe connects the flask with the engine-room, a small comj^art- 
ment in the forward part of the after body. 

The engine consists of three cylinders radiating out from the 
propeller shaft like a three-leaf clover. The cylinders could be 
carried in one's overcoat pocket, but they have a combined power 
of thirty horse power. A mam crank, turning the propeller shaft, 
receives its impulse from the piston of each cylinder in succession. 
Three slide valves on each cylinder regulate the admission of air. 
The propeller shaft turns two double-bladed screws in the tail in 
opposite directions, a gearing in the after body giving the reverse 
motion to one propeller. The two propellers neutralize their indi- 
vidual tendencies to cause the torpedo to roll. To secure the right 
balance between them the propellers are shaved down after experi- 
mental runs. 

The form of tube now being issued to the navy for broadside 
firing is about thirty feet long The lower section of the forward 
half is cut away, leaving a long, overhanging spoon sticking out. 
Inside the cylinder, on the top, is a T slot, extending from the 
breech to the end of the spoon. In this T slot fits a small T pro- 
jection on the top of the torpedo. Suspended by this projection 



TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 251 

the torpedo balances, so as it is sent out of the tube the T carries 
it out to the end of the spoon in a horizontal position, and, slipping 
out of the slot, the torpedo strikes the water nearly level. With- 
out the suspension arrangement the nose of the torpedo would 
dive down as it shpped over the forward edge of the tube, resulting 
in a deep initial dive. 

Big Warships Carry Torpedo Tubes. 

Nowadays nearly all big warships have three or four torpedo, 
tubes. For real work much smaller and much faster craft are 
needed. The size of torpedo boats has undergone some curious 
changes. Their original function— theoretically, at least— was 
coast defense. It was hardly thought that they would ever be 
employed outside the harbors of the countrA^ which owned them. 
They were meant to resist invaders, not for aggression. They had 
a displacement of only twenty-fivo or thirty tons, and could have 
been hoisted up to the deck of a battleship or cruiser, to be taken 
to a distance, if necessary. Then came a rapid development in 
proportions. The Vesuvius, of the American navy, which repre- 
sents the influence of that movement, displaces 930 tons. England 
projected several boats of from 800 to 1,000 tons each. At length 
however, a reaction set m, and to-day the limit is about one-quarter 
or one-third of the latter figure. The Dupont (American) displaces 
185 tons, and the Sokol (Russian) 240, while the ill-fated Viper 
(British) had a displacement of 370 tons. 

The greatest advances, however, are in sea-gomg qualities, 
armament and speed. The best torpedo boats to-day have guns 
that will enable them to sink unarmed vessels of that class, and 
are able to cross the ocean. Practicallv all torpedo service now is 
performed by ''destroyers.'' These are adapted to making 25 
to 30 knots an hour, whereas the earlier torpedo boats were good 
for only about 20. The Vesuvius is credited with 22y2, the Dupont 
with 28, the Daring and Havoc (British) with from 28 to 29. 
The Sokol made 30.3 knots on her trial trip; between 30 and 32 



252 TORPEDO ATTACKS PROVED EFFECTIVE 

knots was expected from the last batch of Japanese destroyers, 
nineteen in number, whereas the Viper, equipped with Parsons 
engines, made 32 knots before her accidental destruction. 

Speed at High Cost. 

Speeds like these enable boats to make sudden dashes and 
retreats, but they are obtained only at a high cost. Battleships, 
the slowest of all naval vessels, have scarcely more than one horse- 
power to a ton of displacemi^ut. The ^' crack'' battleship of the 
American navy, the Missouri, displaces V2;2:->0 tons, and her engines 
have 16,000 horse-power. ^J'lie latter figures indicate the capacity 
of tlie Retvizan's engmes, and her displacement was 12,900 tons. 
Now, the Cushmg has a displacement of 185 tons, and a horse- 
power of 3j500 at her command. The same ratio— about one to 
eighteen— IS furnished ])etween the tonnage and power of the 
Sokol. In the Darmg difference is even more marked. She dis- 
places only 220 tons, and developed 4,735 horse-poAver on her trial. 
The Viper displaced 370 tons, but her engines showed close to 
11,000 horse-power! 

The newest type of toipedo boat is the submarine. This style 
of vessel runs on the surface until within a mile or two of the 
enemy, then becomes partially or entirely submerged, and com- 
pletely disappears from sight just before discharging a projectile. 
So long as its smokestack can be allowed to stick up out of water 
the boat is propelled bv gasoline engines. AVhen she dives the 
screws are driven bv storage batteries and an eleetric motor. Even 
on the surface these boats run slowly, none yet ]>uilt making more 
than ten or eleven knots, or traveling faster than six or eight when 
fully immersed. They are also much smaller than the average 
destroyer. Boats of this kind are provided with additional 
mechanism to maintain a level course under the surface, to take 
in and ejec^ water rapidly and for making observations when the 
hull is completely out of sight. For the last purpose an optical 
instrument of peculiar construction is mounted at the very top of 




QC 

i 

u 

z 
I- 
u 

o 

o 

z 

i 
u 
It 
o 
u 
z 

I- 



(0 
(0 

D 

C 

Q 
Z 
< 

Z 



0) 

D 
K 
< 

CO 

> 

z 



c S. 
'c5 o 

If 



O CO 
o — 

ir 

«« s 

•so 

^.s 

§8 

-*= S 

to o 
oS 

c 
w *n 

c o 

"o " 
o 2 

> <«" 

O-t) 
C C 
>1 

X ^ V 

H Wo. 

O C 
o o 




••^ tn 
o — 



cd > 

c ^ 



II 



Hoc 
CO •£•? 

Id C ^ 



O 

^ he 
O > 

5 o 
*^ o 



< 

U 

X 

Z 

< 

O 

I 

o 
o 

-J 

o 

bJ 

I 



IS 

is 

^^ 



Ji *^ o 

to r- ^ 
p U W 

C C w- 

CO « 

< O C 
•^ ."- 

cd c« 



lTORPedo attacks proved effective 255 

the tube, which stands up like a tiny smokestack, and in which 
mirrors or prisms transmit the picture to an observer inside the 
boat. The method of dischargmg a torpedo is the same with a 
submarine as with any other torpedo boat. 

France and the United States have been pioneers in this hue 
of experiment. England, Germany, Italy, and even Sweden, have 
followed suit. Russia has also conducted experiments, and in 
1902 and 1903 had seven boats under construction. So far as is 
positively known, Japan had no contracts out for submarines, but 
she may have quietly purchased a boat or two. 

Lieutenant Commander Frank F. Fletcher, U. S. N., command- 
ant of the United States naval torjiedo station at Newport, whose 
inventions of torj^edo appliances and long experience with these 
dangerous projectiles have caused him to become recognized as 
one of the ablest torjiedo officers in the service of the United 
States, is an enthusiast m the matter of the efficiency of torpedoes 
in warfare, and a lecture he delivered at the United States naval 
war college upon the history of the use of toiT:)edoes gives a record 
of every attack made in the world with torpedoes from the time 
of the Civil War through the Eusso-Turkish campaigns, during 
which the old spar torpedo gave way to the present automobile, 
down to the very beginning of the war in the Far East. It is, 
perhaps, the only record of its kind in existence. 

There are records of fifteen attacks with the spar torpedo, which 
were attached to fast launches by means of a spar. Lieutenant 
Commander Fletcher says a good percentage of these attacks were 
successful. Nine per cent of the boats making the attack were lost 
and 3 per cent of the men were killed. On the other hand, six 
ships were sunk and three damaged, while 500 lives were lost. 
Sixteen torpedoes were exploded 45 per cent of which proved fatal 
to the ships. 

With the automobile torpedo nine attacks have been made, and 
Lieutenant Commander Fletcher has summarized them as follows: 
Five hundred men took part, and the loss of life was only 2 per 
cent. Thirty-two torpedoes were discharged, and nine of them 



1>5G TURrEDO ATTACKS PKOVED EFFECTIVE 

laade hits, sinking eight vessels, the per cent of hits being over 
liS per cent. ''Thus,^' says Lieutenant Commander Fletcher, ''the 
crucial test of war shows that the torpedo within its range is more 
accurate than the gun m battle.'' 

Spar Torpedoes. 

Boat attacks with spar torpedoes, which were started in the 
Civil War, covered a j^eriod of twenty years, and were employed 
in four wars. Attacks wiih Ihe automobile torpedo have covered 
about the same period, arid liave been also employed in wars in 
which seven nations liave Ik^cu engaged. 

The first attack with a si)ar torpedo was made against the Iron- 
sides at 9 p. m. October 5, 1863, while the vessel was lying at 
anchor off Cliarleston. The Ironsides was severely injured, but 
not to such an extent that she had to be withdrawn from service. 

The second attaek was made on the Housatonic four months 
later, also off Charleston. It was moderately dark §ind the Housa- 
tonic was sunk with a loss of five lives. The torpedo boat was 
sunk with the loss of nine lives. 

The third attack was made against the ]\lempliis in the North 
Edisto river at 1 a. m. March 6, 1864. The attack failed and the 
torpedo boat escaped. 

The fourth attack was made upon the Minnesota, off Newport 
News, April, 1864. Although the boat had been seen, she suc- 
ceeded m exploding her torpedo amidships and doing much dam- 
age. The boat and her crew escaped. 

The fifth attack was made upon the Wabash on blockade off 
Charleston in April, 1864. The attack was discovered and aban- 
doned. 

Lieutenant Gushing 's Feat. 

The sixth attack was that on the Albemarle, in October, 1864, 
the vessel being moored in the Eoanoke. It was the event that 
made Lieutenant Cushing famous. The torpedo boat was discov- 
ered, but she pushed on through a very severe fire. Tlie torpedo 



T()I{PED(^ ATTxVCKS PKOVED EFFECTIVE 1^57 

was successful!) exploded against the slii|), wliieli was sunk. (Jf 
tli(^ crew of the torpedo ])oat only two lost their lives, being 
drowned. 

The se\'enth attack was made by the Russians against Turkish 
vessels in the Black Sea, in ]\ray, 1877, Boats fitted with spar 
toq^edoes failed to do any damage and escaped without lo^s. 

In the eighth attack, which was made in the Danube, in May, 
1S77, one vessel was sunk by four launches. 

In the ninth attack, which was made off the mouth Df the 
Danube, in June, 1877, althou.i;li participated in bv five Russian 
launches, the ships of the enemy es(viped damage. 

The tenth attack also occurred in the Danube in June, 1877, 
and was also a failure. It was attempted in daylight. 

The eleventh attack was also a broad daylight affair It was 
made by two boats against a Turkish monitor in the Danube, and 
was a complete failure. 

The twelfth attack took place in the Black Sea, in August, 1877, 
;igainst a Turkish fleet, which escaped injury The boats, though, 
got within torpedo range and there was no good reason why ships 
were not sunk. 

The thirteenth attack was made by a force of Chile against a 
Peruvian vessel in the harbor of Callao. It was unsuccessful 

The fourteenth attack with spar torpedoes was the most sue 
cessful m the history of such appliances. It was made by a French 
forr'e against a Chinese vessel in the harbor of Foochow Two 
boats participated and the man-of-war was sunk and 255 were 
killed. 

The fifteenth attack was n]^de by the force of Chile against a 
Peruvian vessel in Sheipoo, in February, 1885. It was made under 
great difficulties, manv precautions against attack having been 
taken. One man-of-war was sunk and later the other foundered, 
having been damaged, it is thought, by the guns of her consort. 

First Use of Automobile Torpedo. 

The Russians first used the automobile torpedo, a Whitehead, 



238 TORPEDm attacks PJJOVED EFFECTIVE 

ill December, 1877, Avlien it was a very crude affair. It was 
directed against a Turkish licet at Batum, but failed to hit. 

The second attack witli the Whitehead torpedo was made by 
the Russians at the same* plac^e a month lnt(n\ The Turkish guard- 
ship was sunk by two torpedo l)oats, which thus recorded the first 
hits with the automobile toriMMloes. 

The third attack, which was unsuccessful, was made against a 
Chilean ship in the harbor of Valparaiso m January, 1891. 

In the fourth attack the insuri^ent ( Ijiileans sank the .govern- 
ment ship Blanco Encalada m Caldcra Bay m April, 1893. Two 
hundred of the crew were lost. The two torpedo boats which came 
from Valparaiso, many miles away, escaped. 

The fifth attack in which automobile torpedoes were used was 
that in which the Aquidaban was sunk in Santa Catherine Bay 
in April, 189*J. Two boats having failed made a second trial the 
next night. The first torpedo failing to make a hit a second 
was deliberately discharged in a ram of bullets from the ship. 

The most desperate attacks with torpedo boats and automobile 
torpedoes were made agamst the Chinese by the Japanese. The 
first of these was at the battle of Yalu, and, the aim being poor, 
the attack was unsuccessful. 

The next attack with torpedoes was made by the Japanese 
against the land forces at Port Arthur merely to create a diversion. 

The eighth attack was made by the Japanese at Wei-hei-Wei, 
a whole fleet of Chinese vessels being anchored in the harbor at 
the time. The fleet had taken every precaution, but one ironclad 
was sunk and one torpedo boat lost. 

The ninth attack was made in the same place on the following 
night, four boats composing the offensive force. In all eight tor- 
pedoes were discharged and two cruisers and two other boats 
were sunk. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
VLADIVOSTOK, THE, PIONEER OUTPOST 

First Russian Stronghold Built in the Far East — Entrance by the Golden Horn 
like the Golden Gate of San Francisco — Life in the Remote Military and Naval 
City which is a Cheap Imitation of St. Petersburg — A Fortress as Impregnable 
as Millions of Dollars Combined with Science and Nature Could Make It. 

VLADIVOSTOK, the eastern terminus of the Trans-Sibenan 
railroad on the Japan sea, was made as impregnable as 
the expenditure of millions of dollars could do, (^ombined with 
science and nature. The harbor is admirably located, with narrow 
entrances and surrounded on all sides with hills which give good 
elevation to batteries. The entrance from Peter the Great bay 
resembles that of San Francisco, they are almost identical in 
conformation and also in names— The Golden Gate of San Fran- 
cisco and the Golden Horn of Vladivostok. 

The city is almost at the toe of the ]\[uravey Amurski peninsula 
on a harbor which affords excellent anchorage for warships as well 
as merchantmen. A large navy yard with dry docks and repair 
shops is located here. The entrance to the harbor from the out- 
lets to the sea are guarded by heavy batteries. 

Two years before the war a ship canal was built which permits 
torpedo craft from the defenses to make a sortie against an enemy 
without attempting to run the batteries. 

The city is well protected against land attack by strings of 
land batteries connected by sunken roads. 

The first Eussian stronghold constructed in the far East, 
Vladivostok stands as the pioneer outpost of Russian advance 
into that region. Situated on a gentle slope of hills, on a cuiwe 
of the Golden Horn, the city is so screened as to be entirely 
concealed from without the harbor Owing to tlie strategical 
position of the many small islands lying in and about the harbor, 

259 



260 VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEEB OUTPOST 

heavy pieces of ordnance were mounted on commanding and ad- 
vantageous points to insure safety from a sea attack. There are, 
all told, forty-three fortified positions protecting the harbor en- 
trance. 

Vladivostok (pronounced Vlad-e-vo-stock), is essentially a 
port of and for the Russians. This is manifested in a marked 
degree by the absence of English speaking clerks in the hotels and 
commercial houses, which is not the case in any other part of the 
orient. The Russians do not encourage immigration of aliens, but 
supplement the population by sending numbers of their own peo- 
ple out, either by steamer or across Siberia by the great railroad. 

Military City. 

Vladivostok is a military city Commercial houses thrive 
there, Asiatic aliens settled in great numbers, but above the clat- 
tering of commerce, the confusion of tongues, the click of ma- 
chinery, can always be heard the voice of the military. The 
houses of the lower cla-sses are particularly squalid and dirty, 
justly fitted to shelter those whose ideas on cleanliness are in 
strict accord with the condition of their abodes. The streets are 
like the houses, dirty, dusty and the receptacle for the garbage, 
of the poorer classes. 

A drive over the roads of Vladivostok is both instructive and 
exciting and affords one a sufficiency of exercise that even several 
hours of physical culture could not induce. The favorite mode 
of conveyance is the **isiwashchick," or four-wheeled vehicle 
closely resembling a victoria, with the exception that one horse is 
hitched between the shafts and another to the side of the first 
horse, but outside the shaft. The Cossack driver, perched uncon- 
cernedly on the seat, in green coat and puffed red sleeves, forms 
a ludicrous picture to the non-resident. The traveler, anticipating 
a delightful drive, takes his seat in the vehicle and almost imme- 
diately the horses, at a word from the driver, -with a leap are off. 
The Cossacks are very proficient in driving and handling these 



- VliADlVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 261 

conveyances. They start the animals very quickly and stop with" 
a suddenness anything hut pleasant to the passenger. They are 
dangerously reckless in driving and one must be gifted with con- 
siderable temerity to undertake a drive, especially on the roads 
of Vladivostok, where the prevailing conditions make driving 
rather more of an experience than a pleasure. 

Russian Officers Ubiquitous. 

In every hotel buffet, corridor and balcony one is confronted 
by the Russian officer; well built, natty, dignified and doubly proud 
and conscious of the fact that he is a servant of his lord, the Czar. 
The word **czar" is seldom used by Russians; they speak of their 
monarch as "Emperor " The Russian officer comes almost in- 
variably from the well-to-do or aristocratic families and supports 
himself from his private income. He could not hold his social 
position otherwise, as the Czar does not pay his officers any too 
well. 

Just the reverse to the officer is the Russian soldier— an in- 
herent disciple of filth, dirt and squalor. He is irregular of fea- 
ture and big of physique, but his stupidity is most pronounced and 
strongly verifies the fact of governmental neglect of the lower 
classes in the matter of education. But stupidity, however, has 
its moments of relaxation, even in a Russmn soldier, brutish and 
ignorant as he is. The following incident, which happened in 
Vladivostok, will tend to illustrate the feelings of animosity 
against the Japanese which at present prevail throughout Siberia 
and Manchuria. There are numbers of Japanese in Vladivostok 
following various vocations, and short as they are they are not too 
small in stature as to be seen and ferreted out by Russian soldiers, 
who take fiendish delight in handling them roughly and intimi- 
dating them. One afternoon a short time before the war a big, 
burly Russian trooper, coarse and bloated in face and figure and a 
beard that none but a Russian dare exhibit, strutted up to a 
little, almond-eyed brown man on one of the main roads and 



2(;2 .VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

demanded of him his passport. The Jap, not being gifted in the 
language of the country, exi)Lnined in his best English, accom- 
panied by a doff of his cap and a sweeping bow, that he had left 
his identification papers at home, whereupon the Russian, prob- 
ably becoming incensed over the politeness of the Japanese, which 
possibly looked to him as affected, seized the little subject of the 
Mikado about the neck and violently shook him until his head 
actually rattled and marched him off to headquarters, in the mean- 
time muttenng between his teeth in the most broken English 
imaginable: ^^By-and-by fight, eh' 



\iy 



Watching the Japanese. 

Since the advent of the present Eusso-Japanese imbroglio the 
Russian officials in Vladivostok and elsewhere in the orient have 
spared no pains and trouble in keeping a close watch on the 
Japanese in the country. It was well known to the officials that 
there were many Japanese within their city and thereabouts acting 
in the capacity of merchants, but who are m reality government 
spies. Because of these stringent measures adopted to keep the 
wily Jap from seeing too much there were frequent clashes be- 
tween both Russians and Japanese. Imprisoned Japs oftentimes 
had recourse to the ]\Iikado's diplomatic representative, which 
resulted in many cases in the alleged offenders being sent out of 
the country. 

The Japanese found it exceedingly difficult to move about in 
any part of Siberia or Manchuria without the Russian officials 
becoming cognizant of the fact. This was the main reason wh}^ 
the Japanese have been supposed to be somewhat at sea concern- 
ing the quota of Russian forces in the far east at the outbreak 
of the war 

If the Russians of Vladivostok were ferreting out the Japs in 
Siberia and Manchuria they also lost no time in studying the 
strategical zones of tlie Japanese empire through the medium of 
government agents, who were either Gennans, French or English- 



VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 263 

men. The most important fortified positions in Japan are the 
entrance to Nagasaki harbor, at Shimonoseki, the southeni en- 
trance to the inland sea; the extensive positions on the island of 
Awaji, which command the northern* entrance to the inland sea, 
and the Ime of works commanding the entrance to Yokohama and 
Tokio. These positions were of vital importance to the Japanese, 
and they allowed no camera or sket clung within a radius of sev- 
eral miles of any battery Dnrmg the first few months of the war 
several foreigners who happened to be in the vicinity of certain 
of these positions were taken into custody and had considerable 
difficulty in securing their release. The Japanese alarmist press 
spread the report throughout the country that several Russian 
spies had been detected in making maps of fortifications and had 
been arrested. Not a little excitement was caused thereby. So 
suspicious did the Japs become that any foreigner who happened 
to be in a district little frequented by foreigners was shadowed 
and followed by soldiers and police in disguise until he made his 
way back to one of the open ports. 

Upon the deck of a small steamer in the little land-locked bay 
of Nagasaki, previous to starting on the tnp to Vladivostok, there 
came aboard an elderl\ man, slovenly in appearance and unkempt 
of face, who took passage m the steerage. When the steamer 
arrived in Vladivostok this person was one of the first to disem- 
bark. The next afternoon the foreign visitors at Vladivostok were 
greeted with a most profound bow from a Russian colonel of 
infantry, an^ they recognized in him the indigent and impecunious 
individual who staggered aboard the ship at Nagasaki— a spy. 

Vladivostok has been spoken of as a booming citv. And boom- 
ing it was— in a Russian sense. The Siberian railroad work calls 
for many supplies in the fonn of tools, marhinorv and provisions 
that are brought to and sold through Vladivostok, and from there 
are also sent goods and provisions used in a large back country. 
The demand for machinery and miscellaneous supplies was stead- 
ily increasing. Say all there is to be said of Siberia's natural 
resources— and it seems impossible to say too much— the indus- 



264 VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

trial conditions are against the country becoming self-sustaining. 
The Siberian of the peasant and other common classes is too often 
lazy and shiftless, has no thought of the morrow and does not take 
kindly to farming life. Farming in eastern Siberia, which means 
Vladivostok and vicinity, under the most favorable Russian con- 
ditions will not curtail the demand for foodstuffs from the United 
States, for the reason that the population of that portion, of 
Siberia is growing faster than the agricultural output. 

The talk of wheat from the Vladivostok country competing 
with Pacific coast wheat is bosh. The kernel of the Siberian wheat 
is small and damp and makes poor flour, and the wheat cannot be 
improved. The finest samples of American wheat sown in this 
soil at once degenerates into Siberian wheat and Siberian wheat 
sown in California immediately yields the standard article of the 
golden state. Siberia is sui generis. The arctic plants and animals 
are seen in lower latitudes in Siberia than in any other country 
in the world and animals and plants peculiar to the temperate 
and even the tropical zone are found in southern Siberia. The 
tiger grows larger in Siberia and has a richer fur than his famous 
mate in India, and so in plant life. 

No Place for a Foreigner. 

As Siberia gains in population she will draw more and more 
heavily upon the outside world for machinery, manufactured 
articles and foodstuffs. A good country for the roving American? 
Not by any means. The foreigner who succeeds in Vladivostok 
must have rare tact, a good financial backing and the faculty of 
minding his own business. You enter the country on a passport, 
live in the country by oflSicial permission of the government and 
the police authorities permit you to leave. You cannot enter 
Vladivostok until the chief of police has seen your passport, and 
no agent will sell you a ticket for an outgoing ship or stpamer 
until the chief of police has said you may leave. You cannot live 
at a hotel without registering your name, occupation, etc., on a 



VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 265 

police certificate, and you may be sure the landlord will promptly 
poke the paper under your nose and ask your signature. 

Americans have succeeded and are succeeding in Siberia in a 
few instances, but their success is due to partnership with Rus- 
sian officials and financiers, through whom business and conces- 
sions have been secured. No foreigner may buy real estate in 
Vladivostok. The law forbids it. A few pieces of land that were 
acquired years ago are held by Americans, and the smart advance 
in city lots in the last two years has inured to their advantage, 
but in future the Russian will be the sole beneficiary of his boom. 
Foreigners have to learn how to do business in Siberia, and the 
number of foreign houses is small. First of all you must respect 
Russian custom. You take off your hat when you enter a store and 
remove your overcoat and overshoes before entering house or 
office. Religion and loyalty are synonymous terms with the Rus- 
sian. If above the common grade he is a stickler for formality. 
Society and government are both bureaucratic. No matter what 
hour of the day you make an official call or visit a high official 
you must wear your dress suit. This rule is imperative. The 
official hour for calling is 9 o'clock in the morning. 

How the City is Ruled. 

Vladivostok is nominally ruled by a mayor and council, who 
are elected by the few hundred residents entitled to vote, but the 
city is really dominated by a major general, governor of the 
maritime province of Vladivostok, a soldier of fine record and 
distinguished appearance, whose courtesy all visitors have cause 
to hold in grateful recollection. The day after he assumed charge 
of the district he was kind enough to spare half an hour from his 
official duties to talk of Siberia and its prospects. Like all other 
high officials in Siberia, he is ambitious for the speedy develop- 
ment of the country and believes that development will aid the 
commercial. interests of the United States. 

A week in Vladivostok gives a fair chance to catch the spirit of 



266 VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

the place ; to see that a large business calls for a rare combination 
of cleverness and commercial courage; to see that the merchant 
or mercantile agent must be equal to dealing in every commodity, 
from an eyelet to a machine for unloading coal at the rate of 100 
tons an hour; to see with pleasure and pride two American sailing 
ships enter the harbor the same day and note that a single Japan- 
ese flag was the only other foreign signal in port. 

As soon as the Siberian railway was finished and the fare from 
St. Petersburg to this point was fixed at the rate already decided 
upon— 120 rubles ($60)— Vladivostok took on metropolitan airs. 
In an educational way the city makes an excellent showing. Two 
thousand children attend the seven schools. The general stores 
show the spring goods of late designs, quite up to our standard, 
and the two leading stores had ready-made suit, wrap and milli- 
nery departments where gowns and hats of modem style could 
be bought. The wives of the officers and merchants were more 
stylishly dressed than the majority of women seen in Shanghai, 
the swell city of the orient. The sailor hat has reached Siberia and 
is worn by women and children of all classes and all ages. Vladi- 
vostok matrons and maids are frequently dissatisfied with the 
designs of swagger American hatters, and too often mar the in- 
tended effect of the trim sailor by loading it with showy feathers 
and flowers. The Tam O'Shanter is popular with small girls and 
is made in colors that set the teeth on edge. An occasional tam 
band on the hat of a school girl bears the name of a Russian ship. 
The schoolboy, no matter how small, wears the cap and high boots 
of the accepted Russian dress, and his gray blouse is always con- 
fined with a shining black belt and metal buckle. His pranks on 
the street prove that he is a good running mate for his lively 
American brother. 

No Exiles There. 

One rarely meets any exiles as such in Vladivostok, but a daily 
view of as fine an assortment of jailbirds can be had as any place 



VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 267 

can show. The city jail is a one-story wooden building and 
stands in a yard bounded by a spike-topped wooden fence. The 
soldiers are on guard day and night and from hotel windows one 
could see sentinels marching to and fro on the other side of the 
street. On pleasant days the forty prisoners were escorted to 
church or taken for a walk, the desperate men in leg chains. And 
with due deference to the tales of Siberian prison horrors it seems 
that, as compared with the men closely confined in American 
prisons and jails, denied pure air and a chance to exercise, Siberian 
lawbreakers were picnickers. 

A striking feature of the city landscape, on the bluff overlook- 
ing the harbor, is the granite shaft erected two years ago in honor 
of Admiral Nivelskoy, whose name is linked with the history of 
the Amoor River. Tablets recite the service rendered Russia by 
the brave sailor, and an eagle standing on the globe, his talons 
over the Russian empire, symbolizes the expansion policy of the 
Muscovite. The bust of the admiral sits in a niche facing the 
water. 

When the American Asiatic fleet visits Vladivostok in the sum- 
mer two of the ships go into the harbor at a time. American 
ofl&cers are always most cordially treated by the Russian officers 
there on duty. 

It is exasperating to find yourself in a modem and bustling 
city where hardly a soul can speak a word of English or French 
or German or Japanese. One after another these languages may 
be tried with the coachmen and the policemen of Vladivostok, only 
to cause the stolid Russian faces to look at one more stolidly. 
Meanwhile the sun shines, the droskies tear by, the army officers 
in them salute, the tall horses blink at each other, the belted coach- 
men, with scarlet sleefves and women's dresses on them, make re- 
marks with the cracks of their whips— everyone exchanges 
thoughts or words, while a European in the midst of this busy 
scene and in the midday sun is benighted— shut in from all the 
life about one as if by a high wall. It was a disagreeable and 
uncanny situation, and one from which no yellow-bearded coach- 



268 iVLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

man is concerned to relieve a traveler. If one is bold enough and 
addresses some of the tall military men, they, too, would have 
answered in French. Later an acquaintance with them and a 
bold attack on the Russian language of the streets make one able 
to get an inkling of what the people here were thinking of. But 
this growing intelligence on one's part did not extend to the 
Chinese and Koreans who infest the water front of Vladivostok or 
to the queer Siberians from Saghalien— ex-convicts thrown on the 
mercies of the town. All these ragged and unkempt swarms remain 
riddles (very dirty riddles, too), so far as the traveler's power of 
communicating with them are concerned. 

Subtracting the Chinese and Korean elements from the streets 
of Vladivostok, and also the large number of those white men with 
a look of the ' ' submerged tenth ' ' about them, the town remains in 
appearances a squalid imitation of St. Petersburg. There is dirt 
everjrwhere, and upon every one, too, except the army and navy 
officers in their uniforms, and the Kussian ladies. A close scrutiny 
of the latter 's sisters in. the lower class reveals an indifference to 
untidiness which is rather appalling. As for the men one meets 
on the streets they appear to enjoy dirt. The ischvostchiks are 
caked with dirt, their large and furious yellow beards are full 
of it. Their tall horses are rusty with it. Their vehicles have 
never beQn washed of it. Yet there is some excuse for all this, 
for Vladivostok during half the year, or when it is not frozen 
up, is a lake, a Venice of mud. The Eussians are too careless and 
too anxious to spend money on more showy things than street 
pavements, such as buildings, dockyards, tall horses, furs and uni- 
forms, to pay any attention to the cleanliness of the city. 

Their footgear deserves a chapter by itself. Tall boots are 
generally worn, and they use a variety of leather overshoes, some 
of them reaching half way up the calf, for wading across the 
streets. The big Eussian military men have in reality slender 
and well-shaped feet, but no one would guess it in Vladivostok. 
The only exception to the universal unconcern as to size and un- 
gainliness in footgear is the Eussian lady, who takes a pretty 



YLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST JiiO 

pleasure in picking her way through this muddiest of towns with 
her feet clad in Parisian slippers. 

Monochrome of Mud. 

The colors that dot the street seoiu like a I'emonstrance to the 
general monochrome of mud which threatens to absorb their bnl- 
liancy. There is no l)rigliter scarlet than the shirtwaists of the 
coachmen, or brighter magentas and pmks than the women of the 
poorer classes wear The white dresses of the nurses, tnramed 
with gay embroideries, are as L;ay as butterflies. The streets are 
at all times dotted with the uniforms of the anny and navv, in- 
cluding the pictures(|ue costumes whieli belong to the Cossack 
cavalry and the Siberian troo];s. There is (juick movement in the 
streets, which adds to tlie gayety The army officers are generally 
driving, and always driving fast Their lives are said to be of 
a like pace, and the familiar tales of extravagance, official corrup- 
tion, debt and dissipation which are whispered in every Russian 
city are heard in this remote spot of the realm. The officers look 
just as they do on the Nevsky Prospect of St. Petersburg. 

There is a fine carelessness m the manner of Russians of dis- 
tinction, both men and women, and here it is on ^Hhe world's 
street. '' One wonders if it has its root in some Slavonic strain 
of melancholy or some Asiatic trait of mind which feeds on the 
idea of the lack of importance of all human life. To the Russian 
temperament the idea of suicide is not so abhorrent as to us, and 
it did not seem extraordinary in Vladivostok to hear every week 
or two of some army officer who had deliberately taken his own 
life, after having with equal deliberation enjoyed a career at 
gaming, dissipation and debt to the point of insolvency. But no 
one would call these people a melancholy people who could see 
them on a holiday, of which they have a great manv. The drink- 
ing of vodka is prodigious, the hilarity general. The harsh word 
intoxication should then be translated into mernment. Even the 



L'70 VLADIVOSTOK, THE PIONEER OUTPOST 

Btolid ischvostcliiks will get down off their droskies and waltz with 
one another in the mud. 

Clubs and Much Music. 

There are theaters and clubs and much music in this small rude 
town. Like all mihtary towns far from home, the people do what 
they can to make life the reverse of dull. Nothing is on a small 
scale, whether in amusement or in serious l)usiness, and in Eussia 
this applies even to the appearance of things. The men, the 
women, the horses are big. Contrasted with Japan, the land of 
mincing steps and little people and of jinrikishas, it is startling 
to be among this tall and swift crowd, where the stride of the 
horses as they tore up and down hill was in strong contrast to the 
ambling of the Japanese coolies. 

The knowledge of the vastness of his empire makes the Eussian 
accept witli patience the long and weary toil of travel through it. 
The wonder is that in that little city, so many thousand miles from 
the great capital, he should appear so much a Eussian as he does. 
Until within a few months he has been accustomed to get a taran- 
tass, often with his family, crack his whip and start to drive 
10,000 miles across Siberia. No wonder there is a patient look in 
his eyes. In this remote out-of-the-world spot, where one is yet 
not out of the world, but very much in it, no difficulty is expe- 
rienced in reading upon this man's face his consciousness of the 
great Eussia beyond, the Eussia onward, far and very far awav— 
Eussia vast, Eussia impressive, Eussia restless, Eussia benighted, 
Eussia the mightiest of the mighty. 




COMING OUT OF VLADIVOSTOK HARBOR. 

The first effect of the Japanese attack upon the Port Arthur fleet was an order from 
Viceroy Alexieff calling out the Russian fleet at Vladivostok. There was a pronrpt response, 
the huge battleships rushing out of the harbor to harass Japanese shipping, threaten her 
coasts, and divide the Japanese fleet, which was blocking the harbor of Port Arthur. 




ENGLISH CREWS GOING ABOARD JAPANESE SHIPS AT GENOA. ITALY, 

Before the war the new Argentine cruisers. Moreno and Rivadavia, were bought by 
Japan. The scene represents the embarkation of a British crew on board the Nisshin, as 
one of them was renamed prior to its departure for Japan on the morning of January 9th, 
just a month before the engagement at Port Arthur. 



CHAPTER. XIX 
JAPAN'S ARMY INVADES KOREA 

Transports Loaded With Mikado's Troops Rushed to Gen-san, Masampho and 
Chemulpo and Take Possession of the Hermit Kingdom — Two Lines of Battle 
Formed and an Advance Made Toward the Yalu River on the North of Which 
Russia Was Concentrating a Large Army— Hardships of the Russian Troops 
Transported in Box Cars. 

THE initial movement of the Japanese army was upon Korea, 
the prize of the war. The movement was attended by deep 
secrecy such as marked all the operations of the Mikado's fighting 
men on land and sea. Cables were cut and every means vras taken 
to prevent the outside world from knowing what the Japanese 
were doing. 

It was believed that the Russian troops in Manchuria would 
be pressed eastward as fast as possible to seize the Hermit King- 
dom of Korea, and that the ^^Land of the Mommg Calm,'' as it 
is called, would be the scene of the first great land battle. Trans- 
port after transport loaded with Japanese soldiers were rushed 
across the Korean straits under convoy of warships to Masampho 
on the south coast and Gen-san on the east coast of Korea, while 
others were sent to Chemulpo on the west coast, near Seoul, the 
Korean capital. The seizure of Masampho by the Japanese, which 
place they began immediately to fortify, was most important from 
a strategic standpoint. With Masampho and Fusan on the east 
coast of Korea heavily fortified, together with Japan's fortifica- 
tions on her own soil on the opposite side of the straits, the con- 
necting waterway between the Japan and the Yellow seas became 
a veritable Dardanelles. 

Following the destruction of the Variag and Korietz at Che- 
mulpo, the Japanese transports landed 19,000 Japanese troops at 
that point. 



274 JAPAN\S AKAiy INVADES KOKEA 

The Emperor of Korea, wliuse allegiance lia«l );eo]i vacillating 
between the two contending powers, issued a manii'esto i!:ranting 
the Japanese tlie right to inv^ade liis soil and was promised pro- 
tection in return. He was also induced to declare the port of AViju 
at the mouth of the Yalu river open to commerce. Before hos- 
tilities, Kussia had protested against the making of Wiju an open 
port. 

Arrangements were made to send a prince of the imperial 
Japanese house to Korea to act as Japan's viceroy, his nominal 
duty being to advise the Seoul goverament. 

By February 16, Japan had landed 120,000 troops in Korea. Of 
these 80,000 were extended along the fighting front south of the 
Yalu river. 

This was their fighting front line which ranged from tlie great 
wall of China to Vladivostok. There were two lines, however. One 
reached from Chon;t;--Yu to Kil,]u, from side to side of Korea, and 
was the strategic line south of the Yalu river. No fewer than 
8,000 of Japan's finest fighting men were massed on this first line. 
Besides this first line there was a second, which ranged to North 
Seoul, with that city as its headquarters. Twenty thousand men 
were sent to this second line. 

The Russians, on the other hand, showed no disposition to get 
far from their base of supplies on the Yalu, and prepared to in- 
trench against a Japanese attack rather than to make a forward 
movement, on account of the insecurity of the coast line from the 
mouth of the Yalu river to Talien-AVan bay. Cavalry scouts were 
thrown out, however, and several skirmishes between the scouts 
and the invading Japanese marked the beginning of the conflict 
on land. 

While the fighting lines in Korea were being advanced toward 
]\Ianchuria, Japanese engineers disguised as Chinese laborers blew 
up a bridge on the Chinese Eastern railway, which interrupted 
railway communication with Port Arthur. 

In the meantime there were reported attempts on the part of 
the Japanese to make landings for the purpose of cutting off the 



JAPAN'S ARMY ixWADEJS K()UEA 275 

garrison at Port Arthur, but none of them was effective, if indeed 
they actually took place. 

The Russians selected Harhin as the main hase of the Russian 
hmd operations and troops were concentrated there as rapidly as 
the raihvav could transport them. The concentration of troops 
proceeded systematically and provision was made for the si^eedy 
arrival of 120,000 men from the divisions of IMosrow, Kieff and 
AVarsaw. The plans of Russia were made upon a large scale, the 
expectation being that she could put 1(H),000 additional troops into 
]\landiuria in a fortnight. The total militarv strength in Man- 
churia as contemi>lated by the St. Petorsl)urg authorities was 
40(),()0() men. There were not more than 125,000 Russian troops 
m Manchuria when the war began. Every bit of available rolling 
stock was pressed into seiwice and men were rushed to the front 
m coaches, box cars and freight trucks of every description. The 
Russian troops suffered many privations on account of inadequate 
transportation facilities, and from the intense cold which prevailed. 
Among the troops were several corps of Siberian rifles, crack Cos- 
sack regiments and a brigade of Cossack artillery armed with 
excellent mountain guns. 

Instead of sending more troops to Port Arthur they were con- 
centrated at Harbin, and as fast as they arrived from Russia they 
were dispatched to such points as required their presence. Some 
were sent south to New-Chwang, Antung and the points along the 
Yalu and others were sent east to Vladivostok, which the Japanese 
were expected to attack as soon as the ice went out. 

Russia issued a formal protest to the powers against the Jap- 
anese invasion of Korea and expecially against the attack upon 
her two warships in the neutral harbor of Cliemulpo. To this 
Japan replied at length, and as the reply covers all the reasons 
for Japanese occupation of the Henmt Kingdom and goes to the 
\ ery heart of the controversy which culminated in the war, it is 
given herewith • 

The imperial Japanese government is given to understand that 
the Russian government has recentlv addressed a note to the pow- 



276 JAPAN 'S>RMY INVADES KOREA^ 

ers in which the government of Japan is charged with having com- 
mitted certain acts in Korea which are considered by Russia to be 
in violation of international law, and all future orders and decla- 
rations by the Korean government are declared on that account 
to be invalid. 

The imperial government does not find it necessary in the pres- 
ent instance to concern itself in any way with the views, opinions 
or declarations of the imperial Russian government, but it believes 
it to be its right and duty to correct misstatements of fact which 
if permited to remain uncontradicted might give rise to incorrect 
inferences and conclusions on the part of neutral powers. 

Explains Landing in Korea. 

Accordingly the government of Japan makes the following 
statement respecting the five acts which in the note referred to are 
declared to be fully proved and confirmed: 

1. It IS charged under this heading that ^^ before the opening 
of hostilities against Russia Japan landed troops in the independ- 
ent empire of Korea, which had declared neutrality." 

The imperial government admits that Japanese troops landed 
in Korea before the declaration of war was issued, but not before 
a state of war actually existed between Japan and Russia. The 
maintenance of the independence and territorial integrity of Korea 
is one of the objects of the war and the dispatch of troops to the 
menaced territory was a matter of right and necessity, which had 
the distinct consent of the Korean government. The imperial gov- 
ernment draws a sharp distinction between the landing of Japanese 
troops in Korea under the actual circumstances of the case and the 
sending of a large body of Russian troops to Manchuria without 
the consent of China, as was done by Russia, while peaceful nego- 
tiations were still in progress. 

2. Under this heading it is alleged that Japan ^^with a divis- 
ion of the Japanese Beet, made a sudden attack on the 8th instant 
—that is, three days before the declaration of war— on two Rus- 



JAPAN'S ARMY INVADES KOREA 277 

sian warships which were in the neutral port of Chemulpo and 
whose commanders had not been notified of the rupture of rela- 
tions, as the Japanese maliciously stopped the delivorv of liussian 
telegrams by the Danish cable and destroyed the Korean govern- 
ment's telegraphic communiration.'^ 

The impenal government declare that the allegations under this 
heading are untrue. The imperial government did not stop the 
delivery of Russian telegrams by the Danish cable, neither did 
they destroy the Korean government's telegraphic communica- 
tion. Regarding tlie alleged sudden attack on Febniaiy 8 on two 
Russian men-of-war m the jiort of Chemulpo it is only necessary 
to say that a state of war existed, and that Korea, having given 
her consent to the landing of Japanese troops at Chemulpo, the 
harbor of Cliemulpo thereby ceased to be neutral, at least between 
the belligerents. 

3. It IS charged under this heading that '4n sjnto of existing 
interaational laws shortly before the opening of hostilities Japan 
captured as prizes of war the Russian merchantmen which were in 
neutral ports of Korea." 

The imperial government have established a pnze court with 
full authority to pronounce finally on the question of the legality 
of the seizures of merchant vessels. Accordingly, it would be 
manifestly out of place for the imperial government to make any 
statement regarding the assertion under this heading. 

Emperor of Korea Not Threatened. 

4. It is asserted under this number that Japan '^declared to 
the Emperor of Korea, through the Japanese minister at Seoul, 
that Korea would be henceforth under Japanese administration, 
and warned his majesty that in the case of noncompliance Jap- 
ese troops would occupy the palace.'' 

The imperial government declare the charge under this num- 
ber to be absolutely and wholly without foundation in fact. 

5. Under this heading it is charged that the Japanese govern^ 



278 JAPAN'S ARMY INVADES KOREA 

ment ''forwarded a summons, through the French minister, to the 
Russian representative at the court of the Emporer of Korea to 
leave the country with the staff of the Russian legation and con- 
sulate. ^ ' 

The imperial government deny the accuracy of this statement. 
No demand, either direct or indirect, was addressed by the Japan- 
ese government asking the Russian minister to retire from Korea. 
The French charge d'affaires called on the Japanese minister at 
Seoul and informed him verbally, as he did afterward in writing, 
that it was the desire of the Russian minister to leave Korea, and 
asked the opinion of the Japanese minister with reference to the 
matter. The Japanese minister replied that if the Russian minis- 
ter would withdraw in a peaceful manner, taking with him his 
staff and legation guard, he would be fully protected by Japanese 
troops. He did so withdraw of his own free will on February 12, 
and an escort of Japanese soldiers was furnished him as far as 
Chemulpo. 

The point of concentration of the Japanese army in Korea was 
Ping Yang, about 100 miles north of Chemulpo, and the same dis- 
tance west of Gen San, at both of which points large bodies of 
troops were landed. The ultimate destination and base of 
was Wiju, a Korean port at the mouth of the Yalu, declared an 
open treaty port at the instance of the United States after the war 
had been begun. 

The march to Ping Yang was most difficult, over roads which 
were a mass of slueh in the daytime and frozen at night. As 
the Japanese army advanced it encountered thousands of Korean 
refugees fleeing southward from the anticipated Russian advance. 
Women with babies on their backs and men carrying household 
furniture trudged along in deadly fear, while the sturdy little Japs 
marched resolutely forward in an opposite direction to wage the 
same aggressive warfare on land they had already begun on the 
water. 



CHAPTER XX 
LOCKED IN THE, BLACK SEA 

Russia's Fine Squadron Barred From the Scene of War by the Treaty Governing 
the Dardanelles — Description of the Historic Strait Which Is the Key to the 
Turkish Capital and Connects the Sea of Marmora With the Aegean Sea — Forti- 
fied by the Ottoman Government and Considered Impassable Except With the 
Sultan's Consent. 

THE historic Dardanelles early figured in Russia's naval 
operations. At the outbreak of hostilities Russia had a 
splendid squadron of warships m the Black Sea, consisting of five 
battleships, two cruisers and three torpedo boats. The battleshipi^ 
were the Restislav, 8,800 tons displacement, 16 knots speed, which 
has been increased to 18 by the use of petroleum on coal. It is 
armed with four 10-inch guns, eight 6-inch quick-firmg guns, tur- 
rets, four tori^edo tubes above the water Tri Sviatitelia, 12,4(S() 
tons, 17.7 knots speed, four 12-inch guns, six 8-incli guns on broad- 
side, smaller quick-firing machine guns m proportion, six torpedo 
tubes above the water. Dvanadsat Apostolof, 8,500 tons, 16.6 
knots, four 12-inch and four 6-inch, and smaller guns. Tchesme 
and Sinope, sister ships, 10,181 tons, 17.8 knots, six 12-incli and 
seven 6-inch, and smaller guns. Kniaz Potamuin Tavritchesky, 
12,500 tons, 16 knots, four 12-inch and sixteen 6'inch guns, with 
the usual secondar\^ battery. 

The cruisers were the Pamyet of 2,996 tons, and the Merkurya 
of 2,996 tons. 

The tor^^edo boats were the Socken, Kazarsky and Guden, each 
of 400 tons. 

This squadron was commanded by Vice Admiral Kruger, a 
thoroughly efiicient officer, who gained his rank as vice admiral a 
year previous. He commanded the fleet which was sent to Bul- 
garin when Russia demanded reparation for the murder of her 

279 



280 LOCKED IN THE. BLACK SEA 

consul there. He came to the United States in command of the 
Russian warship Rynda in 1893, and commanded the naval guard 
on the Danube during the Kusso-Turkish war. 

When the Russian fleet at Port Arthur was so badly crippled 
by Japanese, torpedo boats and in the subsequent naval battle, it 
was designed to send the Black Sea squadron to its assistance, but 
the only egress was through the Dardanelles, and. this historic 
strait was barred to warships. 

The Dardanelles itself is a little over forty-three miles long 
and is from three to four miles wide, but at the narrowest part is 
not more than 1,000 yards across. This is at a point guarded by 
Chanak Kalesi Castle, where huge chains are used to bar the pas- 
sage. The strait connects the Sea of Marmora with the Aegean, 
and is supposed to be the key of the Turkish capital. This ques- 
tion of the protection of Constantinople is the central fact kept in 
mind by all the treaties governing the Dardanelles. Turkey has 
for centuries contended that no war ships should pass through the 
strait without her permission. She had built the first defenses at 
its southern end against the war galleys of the Venetians, and 
these she closely guarded. England was the first power to recog- 
nize Turkish rights in this respect. This was in 1809, and the 
question was not raised again until 1833, when the celebrated 
Russo-Turkish treaty of Hunkiar Iskelasi, signed June 26, closed 
the Dardanelles to all foreign fleets except those of Russia. The 
objection of the powers, especially of France and England, was so 
great, however, that the treaty was abrogated. Matters thus re- 
mained until 1841, when Mehemet Ali was making trouble for 
Turkey, and France was aiding him. 

To keep the French fleet from menacing Constantinople a com- 
pact, called the quadruple treaty, was signed at London, formally 
closing the Dardanelles to foreign war vessels. This convention 
was signed by England, Russia, Austria and Prussia, and probably 
saved Constantinople from invasion. A few years later, however, 
France discovered that the treaty was an excellent arrangement 
to keep Russian ships from menacing her southern shores at any 



LOCKED IN THE BLACK SEA 281 

time, and she also signed the compact. Then the Muscovite dis- 
covered that unwittingly he had signed a convention to keep his 
war craft immured in the Black Sea. The Crimean war of 1854-56 
clinched the matter. Nicholas I. was crushed by a coalition of the 
powers and was compelled to sign the treaty of Paris, which, while 
neutralizing the Black Sea and throwing it open to commerce, 
further declared that the Dardanelles should remain closed to for- 
eign men-of-war. This attitude was confirmed in 1871, and again 
in 1878, after Turkey had been defeated by Russia. The treaty 
of San Stefano, signed March 3, 1878, granted to the Russian con- 
querors many concessions, including the free passage of the Dar- 
danelles. 

The powers objected to the arrangements, fearing that Russia 
had acquired a preponderance of power over the northern Turkish 
provinces, which might ultimately threaten Constantinople and 
the approaches to the Black Sea. After a critical period of 
diplomacy the congress of Berlin was held— June 13 to July 13, 
1878— the result being a treaty that stripped Russia of much of 
the fruits of her victories over the Turks, and further declaring 
that the Dardanelles should remain closed to war vessels. 

This treaty was signed by England, France, Prussia, Austria, 
Russia and Sardinia. Thus the matter has remained up to the 
present, except that m 1891 the porte and Russia reached an agree- 
ment that ships of the ^ Volunteer fleef of Russia bearing the flag 
of the merchant marine shall have free passage of the Dardanelles, 
but that Turkey must be notified should these vessels carry con- 
victs or soldiers. 

In January, 1903, Great Britain protested when four Russian 
torpedo boats from Cronstadt were permitted to pass the strait 
to join the Black Sea fleet, but none of the other powers took 
notice of the affair It was obvious that when Britain's ally, 
Japan, was involved, England's protest against permitting Mus- 
covite men-of-war to get out of the Black Sea, was of a more 
strenuous nature. 



2Si> LOCKED IN THE BLACK SEA 

Soon after hostilities began the Russian government made 
overtures to the Sultan of Turkey for the release of the powerful 
Black Sea squadron despite the treaty of Berlin. It was reported 
and very generally believed that the Sultan was agreeable to a 
l)lan allowing the fleet to escape under the guise of merchant iiia- 
rme if ho were given m return the privilege of carrying out his 
own policies in the Balkan States. The Turkish policy in the Bal- 
kans has been the persecution and massacre of Christians, wliicli 
have met with opposition from Russia in every instance. To the 
credit of the Czar be it said that he is reported to have rejected 
every counter proposal of the Turkish government which would 
in any way enlarge its power to deal with the Christians in the 
Balkan States. 

Meanwhile Russia was preparing her strong fleet m the Baltic 
sea for future operations in the East and rushing work upon ves- 
sels in every shipyard both at Baltic and Black Sea yards. 

If it had been possible to release the Black Sea fleet immedi- 
ately after the first attack upon Port xVrthur there might have been 
a different story to tell of that historic harbor As it was it is diffi- 
cult to see how Russia's naval forces could have been worse dis- 
posed than they were. A strong S(|uadron of lior far Eastern fleet 
was ice bound m the harbor of Vladivostok, a port so stronglv 
fortified that it was regarded as practically impregnable against 
a naval attack. One of her fastest cruisers, the Variag, had been 
detached from the mam squadron and, with a little gunboat for a 
consort, was in the harbor of Chemulpo unable to defend herself 
against a Japanese squadron. Her most powerful squadron was 
at its home base in the Baltic, while many of her best ships could 
not be called into sei^ice by reason of the treatv which locked 
them in the Black Sea, 



CHAPTER XXI 

japane.se. women as war heroines 

They Possess Courage Equal to That of the Spartan Wives and Mothers — Tender 
and Loving and Make Good Nurses in the Hospitals and on the Battlefields — 
Devoted to the Mikado and Deem it Honor That Their Sons and Husbands 
Should be Killed in His Cause — Anecdotes of Former Wr.-S \/hich Display Re- 
markable Heroism and Devotion. 

THE women of Japan in war time are not less heroic than the 
women of other nations, and there are many instances of 
their courage which efjual that of the Spartan wives and mothers. 

In the fendal times, which came to an end in Japan only tliirtv 
years ago, all gentlewomen were trained in the use of tli(^ sword 
and lance. The women of the samurai class received a regular 
military education and if the castle of a daimio was Ijesieged, they 
were capable of assisting in the defense if necessary. 

A noted instance of the martial prowess of the Japanese women 
occurred during the siege of the castle of Wakamatsu in 1869, 
where the Shogun made his final stand against the forces of the 
Mikado. Nearly one thousand women and girls belongmg to the 
families of samurai attached to the Shogun fought behind the bar- 
ricades and on the castle walls. Many of them were killed in 
battle, while not a few committed suicide rather than undergo the 
humiliation of defeat. 

Yet the Amazonian qualities of the women of old Japan did not 
detract from their womanliness. They were tender mothers and 
loving wives. The nursing of the wounded and sick was part of 
the education of every samurai woman. 

With the passing away of the age of chivalry in Japan, upon 
the downfall of the Shogunate, the Japanese woman was called 
upon to face new conditions, and how she met these conditions is 
shown in the history of the Chinese war of 1895. 

283 



i? 



Jfil JATANKSE WOAIKN A8 WAR HEROINES 

It IS a matter of record that some 10,000 Japanese women 
volunteered to go to the front as nurses in the field hospitals at the 
outbii^ak of the (lilnese war, and advices from Japan state that 
tlie number of women volunteering to go to the front as nurses 
to-day is greater than m 1895, But the women who stay at home 
are not lacking in patriotic devotion. 

There is an anecdote concemmg the mother of the heroic Com- 
mander Sakamoto, who vv^as killed on the bridge of his ship, the 
Akagi, at the battle of Yalu, which shows how the spirit of 
patriotism flames in the hearts of Japanese women. 

An of3ficial of the navy department called on the family of the 
naval officer to convoy, as delicately as possible, the news of his 
death. Having communicated his tidings to a member of jthe 
family, he was about to depart, when the slioji slid open softly 
and the aged mother of the dead commander staggered into the 
room. 

She had been an accidental eavesdropper and had heard all. 
Trembling with emotion she bowed low to the visiting officer and 
said- 

''Tell the Emperor I rejoice that a son of mine has been able 
to be of some service to him.^^ 

Some Japanese women refused to weep over their dead, be- 
cause it was considered disloyal to the Mikado to weep for those 
who had had the honor to die fighting for him. When a wife or 
a mother heard that a husband or a son had been killed in battle, 
the first expression uttered, was an acknowledgment of the honor 
conferred upon her by the gods in being bereaved for the cause of 
the Emperor. 

To the western mind such patriotism appears to be fantastic 
and hard to understand. In the light of Japanese history it does 
not seem so strange. 

The spirit of patriotism in the Japanese women of the present 
generation is the outgrowth of ages of feudalism. The loyalty and 
devotion which the women of past generations gave to their feudal 
family head are in the present generation given to the Mikado. 



JATANESE WOMEN AS WAR liEKOINES Jsf) 

In lime of war the Empress of Japan sets an example for all 
the women of the country by her activities in behalf of all those 
who are sulTering or in distress. She may be seen frequently visit- 
ing the great military hospitals, accompanied by a party of court 
ladies and noblemen's wives. 

Following the example of the Empress, all the great ladies of 
Tokio society do what they can to relieve the distress and suffer- 
ing that inevitably follow war. There is no class of women that 
does not contribute something to this cause; even those butterflies, 
the geishas, and the unhappy creatures in the Yoshiwaras give 
their share. 

It is not only the women of the samurai class who show pas- 
sionate patriotism in wartime. All classes of society are repre- 
sented in the modem Japanese army, and the peasant woman has 
given proof that she is quite as devoted to the Mikado as the 
samurai lady. 

A story is told of an old peasant woman who sent her oilly son 
to light for the Emperor m the Cliinese war. By depriving herself 
of everything but the barest necessaries of life, and toiling early 
and late m the fields, she had been able to give her son a superior 
education, and she had the satisfaction of seeing him fairly started 
on a business career, which promised to be successful, when the 
call to arms sounded. 

The little peasant mother bade her son give up his business and 
enter the ranks of the army. The boy did as his mother wished, 
and his regiment was one of the first to set foot on Chinese soil. 

Eveiy morning just before daybreak the little peasant woman 
rose and, after making a careful toilet, as an orthodox Buddhist 
she went to a little shrine near by and prayed to Ojin, the god of 
war. She did not pray for her son to come home safe' and sound, 
but vshe prayed that he migh t prove worthy of the honor of wearing 
the Mikado's uniform. 

One day, when the old woman was returning to her home from 
the temple, she met a messenger who told her that her son had been 
killed in the attack on Port Arthur. The mother's eyes grew dim 



2.S6 JAFAXJ'^SE WU.MK.N A8 WAR liEROlNES 

M itli t(\Mrs, and s\ie swayed unsteadily for a moment. Then she 
turned and started to go back to the temple. 

'^ Where are you go\ngV^ cried the messenger. ** Don't you 
understand wluit I say? Your son has been killed. '^ 

^'Ves, I understand/' said the old woman, calmly, ^'and I am 
gomg to thank Ojin for the honor he has conferred upon me.*' 

The Japanese Avoinan was busy from the beginning of the war. 
Hers IS a patriotism that bums for active service. Always the 
Ked Cross society of Japan is thoroughly organized and ready for 
service. AA^itli the actual Ijreaking out of war its membership was 
increased by hundreds of thousands of women, who give not only 
their money but their time. None was too old, none too young to 
<lo something. In the headquarters that were established in every 
village it was a common thing to see women of 80 and children of 
5 and 6 years old, all come to offer such service as they could 
give to the cause. Where it was necessary these women made per- 
sonal sacrifice, gave up some luxury, some feminine fancy, to en- 
able them to contribute more liberally. The empress herself set 
an example by working personally, preparing with her own hands 
bandages to be sent to the field hospitals and ganhents for the 
men at the front. At that season of the year the soldier's needs 
are much greater than in the months of milder weather, and there 
was work for all hands to do. The active personal interest of the 
empress is the same now as it was during the Chinese-Japanese 
campaign, at which time she not only worked while the war was 
in progress, but gave to each soldier who lost a limb an artificial 
one. In that war with China, as well as during the ^^ boxer" 
troubles, it was demonstrated that Japan had a military hospital 
service unequaled by any nation in the world, with the possible 
exception of Germany, whose service Japan has taken as a model. 

Japanese women of all classes employ professional hair dress- 
ers for the elaborate head dresses in vogue among them. Manv 
of them, when the war broke out, learned to do their hair in for- 
eiun fasliion, whieh they consider very ugly, in oixler that their 
contnbutioiifi to the war fund might be the larger. Geisha girls 



JAPAN nSK WOAIKX AS WAK lUlUOINES 1^-7 

sold their long silken obis, the most valuable articles of a Japanc^si.^ 
woman ^s dress, for money to give to the cause. 

War Widows of Japan. 

One of the heroes who died for his country at Port Arthur was 
Lieutenant Miara, who volunteered to take m one of the transport < 
that were intended for blocking the entrance. AVhen he was killed 
nothing was left of him except his sword lying on the deck. He 
was awarded posthumous honors for his bravery. 

His beautiful wife, to whom he had been mamed only ten 
(lays, shaved her head, as do all Japanese widows who do not 
intend to marry again, and entered a Buddhist nunneiy. 

There is a feeling among the Japanese that the widow of a 
man who has received posthumous honors is a kind of sacred per- 
son. But there is little doubt that these Japanese women love 
their husbands with a devotion and tenderness not excelled among 
western nations. Their Buddhistic faith is especially likely to 
encourage them to despise the idea of marrying again when thev 
believe that after a long or shorter period they will be reunited 
to the object of their devotion for eternity. 

The devotion of the Japanese women to the soldiers of the 
empire is illustrated by the following anecdote: A young sol- 
dier, awaiting inarching orders, received a message from his 
mother the night before he left that she had selected a wife for 
him in the following manner: The girl had come with her 
mother, who said: 

^* Please take this, my humble daughter. Your son, I am told, 
is going to the battle. I congratulate you. To ask you to take 
this daughter so that she may take care of your house while your 
son is away is too forward. But this daughter wishes to nurse 
you in case vou should become ill, that your son might go assured 
of your welfare.'' 

Whereupon the soldier's mother had selected the girl as a 
bride for her son. 



L'SS JAPANESE WOMEN AS WAR HEROINES 

The patriotism of the Japanese women has been displayed in 
extreme cases by their work in loading and unloading cargoes 
[ind m donning men's attire to go and fight the foe. 

In no country are children so much desired and treated with 
such affection— a gentleness that never spoils them. Sons are 
preferred, in the desire to perpetuate the family name; but the 
daughter is scarcely less welcome. Her prospective marriage, 
however, almost from the hour of her birth, is a source of anxiety. 
L'pon that event she enters her husband's family, ceasing, prac- 
tically, to belong to that of her parents, and her fate rests largely 
in the hands of her husband's mother, upon whom she must wait 
like a servant, assisting in the work of the house, sewing, prepar- 
ing the food and serrdng the tea. No matter how unjust or unkind 
she may be, the son will never intercede for the wife with his 
mother, to whom he must render lifelong obedience. Should the 
wife be divorced, she loses her children, who remain with their 
father. There could be no other arrangement, since the mother 
could not support them, and would hardly impose the burden of 
their maintenance upon her own family. This law has induced the 
women of Japan, m common with those of other countries, to en- 
dure suffering, neglect and open infidelitv, rather than be parted 
from the children. 

In order to obviate the possible evils of an unhappy marriage, 
} parents occasionally adopt a lad of intelligence and worth, to be- 
come at the proper time the husband of a tenderly loved daugh- 
ter. In such a case the husband takes the family name of the wife, 
to whom the children belong, and his position is that of a sub- 
ordinate and dependent. Such marriages are becoming less and 
less frequent, the modern, progressive Japanese objecting to the 
disability which a marriage of this sort necessitates. 




RUSSIANS ENCAMPED IN A CHINESE TEMPLE. 

In their military occupation of Manchuria during the war, the Russian troops respected 
nothing. They even broke into the Chinese temples and hustled their gods aside to make 
room for their arms and troops. But what could the native do except helplessly protest? 




o 
ill 

< 

h 
(0 

D 



Z 
H 

o 

flC 

o 

u 

z 

I- 

flC 
D 



O 



^•H 



.is TJ 

c «2 
.S^ o a> 



•£ j3 a 

£^ £ 
5 ^ •{ 

O C o- 
CO I o 

So 




UI 

o 

z 
u 

D 



z 
o 

Z 

UI 

c 



o ^ }> 

•£-0 o 
o o - 

o q 
•r o X, 

CTl o o 

c £ 
o ^ 



4= 



6 
6 

Z3 



W O 01 
« CO 

= "-= 



CHAPTE.R XXII 
FIRST ATTACK ON VLADIVOSTOK 

Japanese Early in the War Make a Demonstration before Bussia's Stronghold on 
the Japan Sea and Shell the Forts— Strong Russian Squadron of Four Armored 
Cruisers in the Harbor FaU to Keply— Japanese Land Troops Ninety Miles Below 
the City— Incidents of the Bombardment, which Was a Ruse of the Mikado's 
Squadron. 

AT THE outbreak of the war Russia had a squadron of four 
powerful armored cruisers at Vladivostok, her stronghold 
on the Japan Sea, under command of Rear Admiral Stackleberg, 
an officer who won distinction in the war with Turkey, and who, be- 
fore going to the far East, had command of the Imperial Yacht. 
Admiral Stackleberg's squadron consisted of the Rossia, Grom- 
oboi, Rutik and the Bogatyr. 

The Rossia displaces 12,300 tons, and its speed is 19 7 knots. 
On trial, it can steam 3,000 knots at full speed, while its armament 
consists of four eight-inch, sixteen six-inch quick-firing guns, 
twelve twelve-pounders, twenty three-pounders, and smaller guns 
in proportion, with five torpedo tubes and three third-class tor- 
pedo-boats carried on its deck. 

The Gromoboi has 12,336 tons displacement and twenty knots 
speed, with practically the same armor as the Rossia. 

The Rutik is a trifle smaller, with 10,940 tons displacement and 
a speed of 18.8 knots, and an armament consisting of a mam bat- 
tery of four eight-inch guns m sponsons on the upper deck and 
sixteen six-inch quick-firing guns on the main deck. These cruis- 
ers carried complements of more than 700 men each. 

News of the attack on Port Arthur threw the city of Vladivo- 
stok into panic. 

The people were terror stricken and all their thoughts were 

291 



l>!)j FIRST ATTACK ON VLADIVOSTOK 

bent on escaping. There were pitiable scenes at the railway sta- 
tions, whence the authorities allowed 110 pca'sons to leave daily 
by the empty troop trains that w(M\^ i;<»ini^ west. People fought 
and scrambled to reach the ticket office. Manv who were unsuc- 
cessful knelt and prayed aloud, beating their breasts and offering 
any sum for a ticket. After the third dav all traffic stopped and 
many started to walk inland. 

Government Moved Inland. 

The government offiees, the l)ank, and the hospital were re- 
moved to Nikolisk. .Ml shops were closed. Prices rose fabulously 
The garrison, numbering 7;J00 troops, wns victualed for only four 
months. 

The cruiser squadron left on Feb. to attem])t a dash around 
northern Japan to jom the Port Arthur fleet, but a Japanese fleet 
vv^as patrolling the seas botween Saghahen and Tsugaru and the 
cruisers were forced to return. Their officers told of sinking a 
Japanese merchant steamer 

The latter part of the month the Japanese fleet landed a force 
of troops at Possiet Bav ninety miles below Vladivostok. The 
Russian fortress and the naval base of the Japanese action, in fact, 
would be exactly analogous to that of the Americans in the war 
with Spam when they occupied Guantanamo with an expedition- 
ary force to serve as the ])ase of their fleet blockading Santiago. 
This land force would be m a position to flank the main Russian 
army on the Yalu, threaten Vladivostok and at the same time 
to make a dash for Harbin if so ordered. 

The landing of the troops at Possiet Bay was followed on 
March 6 by the appearance of the Japanese fleet off Vladivostok 
which began a bombardment of the fortress. The squadron con- 
sisted of seven warships which approached the port at ten o'clock 
in the morning and after discharging a few shots steamed out 
seaward. 

The only building destroyed in this attack was an artisan's 



FIRST ATTACK ON VLADIVOSTOK 293 

cottage. A shell dropped through the roof, which fell. A wall 
was knocked down and fell, killing a woman, in the quarter of 
the town known as ** Dirty Corner." 

Another shell fell on the house of Colonel Skukeoff, without 
exploding until it passed through a bedroom, destroyed a stove, 
penetrated the wall, and passed into a room where there was a 
safe, with a sentry standing guard over it. Then it exploded, cov- 
ering the soldier with earth. 

He did not lose his presence of mind, but called out for some 
one to carry the regimental colors out of the house, which was 
done by the colonel's wife and the soldier. 

In the courtyard of the Siberian barracks a shell exploded, 
slightly wounding five sailors. 

It is supposed the attacking squadron consisted of a battle- 
ship, four armored and two unprotected cruisers. 

The Russian batteries did not reply to the Japanese bombard- 
ment, which cwas due partly to the slight chance of hitting the 
enemy's warships at such a long range and partly to a desire 
not to betray the position of the batteries. 

For fifty-five minutes in the afternoon Vladivostok was sub- 
jected to a terrific bombardment, in which four Russian sailors 
and the wife of an engineer were killed. 

At 8:50 in the morning a sentry on the ramparts descried a 
thin cloud of smoke on the horizon beyond Askold island, at the 
eastern entrance of Usuri bay, about thirty-two miles southeast 
of Vladivostok, A few moments later it became apparent that 
the smoke was from a fleet of approaching vessels. 

Scores of oflScers with glasses in their hands thronged the walls 
of the fortifications and eagerly studied the oncoming fleet. It 
was more than an hour before it could be clearly made out. As it 
came nearer it was seen that the fleet consisted of seven Japanese 
warships, four battleships and two cruisers, accompanied by two 
torpedo-boats. 

When it became evident that the approaching vessels were war- 
ships the entire garrison was called to arms and there was a scene 



L>:ij FIRST ATTAC:K on VLAJJIVUSTOK 

of v^iv'dt cxcileitient. In ii few inonients every battery was manned. 

(Jeneral Veronilz and ({eneral Artamonoff made every prepara- 
tion to repel tlie ononiy and then awaited the attack. 

Slowly the fleet steamed westward from the open sea until at 
noon it had reaelied a i)oint midway between Askold island and 
the coast The water of T^suri bay was covered with ice and this 
considerably impeded the advaneing squadron. 

As thev neared the harbor the Japanese ships fonned in line 
of battle and at l:l!5 oi)ened fire on the fortifications, steaming 
slowly along the water front of the city. 

For hours the women and children and other noncombatants 
had been hurrying to the hills m the rear of the city, and when the 
first gun was fired there were few but soldiers within range. 

For fifty-five minutes the bombardment was kept up, every 
ship in the Japanese fleet taking part. During all this time the 
liussian batteries were silent, reserving their fire for the nearer 
approach of the enemy. 

The Japanese admiral, however, took care to keep his fleet out 
of reach of the shore batteries, and at no time did the attacking 
warships come within a mile and a third of the shore. 

Shells Do Little Damage. 

The sound of the cannonading was terrific, but the lyddite 
shells, of which fully 200 were thrown into the city and the for- 
tifications, did comparatively little damage, as most of them failed 
to burst. 

Final] V, at 2:20, the Japanese fleet drew off, without a single 
gun having been fired by the Russian batteries. As the warships 
neared Askold island they were joined by the two toriDcdo-boats 
that had remained in the rear and simultaneously two others ap- 
proached from the direction of Cape Maidel. Rounding the island 
the fleet disappeared from view, the attack having been practi- 
cally without result. 

Two of the Japanese vessels were the first-class cniisers Idsumo 



FIRST ATTACK OX VLADIVOSTDK 21):) 

and Yakimio. The others roiihl not be identified. All were cov- 
ered with ice. 

The attack cost the Japanese more than the Russians, for they 
used np at least $100,000 worth of ammunition without inflicting 
any serious damage either on the city or the fortifications. 

The Japanese squadron reappeared before Vladivostok on the 
morning of March 7, but did not again attack the forts. These 
movements, as it was afterwards learned, were to cover the land- 
ing of more troops at Possict bay and the seizure of Askold island 
as a naval base. 

The official report of Viceroy Alexieff upon the Japanese attack 
IS as follows: 

''I have the honor to communicate to vour majesty the fol- 
lowing details of the events of March 6. 

'^The enemy's squadron approached Vladivostok toward 11 
o'clock m the morning, having passed near Askold island. After 
several maneuvers which involved changes in the squadron \s 
order of battle two cruisers were left to the north of the island 
and the remaining vessels of the squadron steamed along the coast 
of XJsuri bay, parallel to the shore, keeping about fifteen versts 
(approximately ten miles) therefrom. 

''Upon arriving off Mount St. Joseph and the Usuri bay bat- 
tery the squadron, preserving the same order, made toward the 
batterj^ The ships opened fire from both sides, evidently first 
using blank cartridges in order to wann their guns. At 1:35 
p. m., when at a distance of eight versts (approximately five and 
one-quarter miles) from the shore, the leading ship opened fire 
with her forward guns, and then the entire squadron steamed 
along the shore, firing their port guns as they went. The enemy 
did not fire while turning. 

^^ After the third turn the squadron, at 2:25 p. m., ceased firing 
and steamed off to the southward, about ten miles to the right of 
Askold island, finally disappearing at 5:30 p. m, 

''In all the enemy fired about 200 shells with no effect No 



jy(i PlRST ATTVOK ON VLADIVOSTOK 

damage was ilouo to the fortress or tho (mtrenchmouts, and in the 
town and at other parts of the fortifications the damage was 
insignificant. 

^'The garrison is in excellent spirits and the operations of 
preparing the batteries for action were carried out in perfect 
order. 

''According to reports of the events of March 7 the enemy's 
squadron reappeared at 8 o'clock m the morning near Vladivo- 
stok. They entered Usuri ba}^ and proceeded along the coast with- 
out opening fire. The squadron then returned and headed for 
Cape Gamova (Possiet bay), which it reached at 3:40 p. m. 

'^The enemy finally turned off when opposite Pallas bay and 
depairted in a southerly direction. ^^Alexieff.' 



J J 



CHAPTER XXin 
STORY OF THE JAPANESE HOBSONS 

Admiral Togo's Men Load Five Merchant Ships with Stone and Explosives, and 
Under Convoy of Torpedo Boats Attempt to Sink Them in the Channel at Port 
Arthur and Bottle Up the Russian Fleet— Affair Similar to Hobson's Exploit 
at Santiago, but Ends in Partial Failure— Thrilling Experiences of the Heroes 
of the Daring Deed. 

THE most thrilling incident in the long naval siege of Port 
Arthur was made on February 24, when the Japanese at- 
tempted to duplicate Lieutenant Hobson's feat at Santiago dur- 
ing the Spanish-American war, by sinking merchant vessels in the 
narrow channel, thus bottling up the Russian fleet. 

It was as bold and daring in execution as anything ever at- 
tempted m naval warfare, and while it was only partly successful, 
it will always stand out as a rare exhibition of strategy and brav- 
ery. The most remarkable fact iii connection with the daring and 
hazardous feat was that not a Japanese life or vessel was lost, 
except the sunken merchant ships. 

The Japanese loaded five steamers with stone and explosives 
and supporting them with the torpedo-boats and cruisers of the 
fleet, put on all steam and headed for the mouth of the harbor. 

The watch on the disabled battleship Retvizan, lying nearest 
to the entrance of the harbor, was the first to discover the approach 
of the enemy. Though unable to put to sea, the battery of the big 
warship was intact, and in a moment her huge guns were playing 
furiously upon the approaching steamers, two of which seemed to 
be heading directly for her. 

It was but a moment before the land batteries and the guns 
of everv vessel in the Russian fleet were in action The Ja])anese 
warships of Admiral Togo's fleet, following closer in the wake of 
the stone-laden steamers, were not slow m replying, and the dark- 



298 STOUY OK TUYj JAPANESE IIOBSONS 

ness of the niglit was lighted with the flashes of the guns from the 
opposing fleets. 

The daring Japanese sailors on board the steamers that were 
to be sacrificed in the attempt to block the harbor kept boldly on. 
In the darkness the Russians mistook the foremost vessels for the 
cruisers of the Japanese fleet and centered their fire upon them. 

Sailors Take to the Boats. 

Shot after shot pierced the wooden sides of the vessels, and 
the}" were rapidly filling with water before the crews attempted 
to escape. 

Two of the vessels were sunk neqr the entrance to the harbor 
and a third went aground near the lighthouse on the little penin- 
sula known as the Tiger's Tail. 

Just before the vessels sunk the sailors were seen lowering the 
boats, in which they succeeded m reaching the warships of the 
fleet. 

After keeping up the fire for some minutes longer the Japanese 
fleet drew otf. 

Japanese naval officers commanded and ^'jackies'^ manned the 
five steamers that were sunk at the entrance to Port Arthur Mer- 
chant sailors volunteered for the dangerous undertaking, but their 
services were not accepted. Admiral Togo desired to intrust the 
l)erilous mission only to the navy. 

The Japanese Hobsons. 

The naval officers who commanded the five merchantmen were: 
w<'re- 

(.'ommander Kvok^^lsu Arinia 
Lieutenant Commander Taker Hirose. 
Lieutenant Scichigoro Sailo. 
Tjieutenant Yoshita ^Masaki. 
Sublieutenant Yasuzoto Tousaki, 



STORY OF THE JAPANESE HOBSOXS J99 

Cliief Engineers Daizo, Yamaga, Tomitaro, Knrita, Yasou 
and Minaniisawa and Assistant Engineer Ghikanon, Oshislii, 
i\Iasando and Sugi handled the five engines. 

The five merchant vessels which wore prepared for sinking 
were the Jinsen ]\[aru, 2,331 tons; the Tien Tsin Maru, 2,043 tons, 
the Hokoku Maru, 2,77() tons; the Buyo Maru, 1,609 tons, and tlie 
Biisliik Marn, 1,399 tons. Each carried five men, two steering and 
three firing and running the engines. 

There were ten officers and sixty-seven sailors in the crews, 
and all volunteered for service. They hade farewell to their com- 
rades, expecting to die under the fire of the hatteries of the enemy 
The rescue of the entire crews surprised even the Japanese, who 
expected that a majority of the daring seamen would be killed. 

The steamers did not cany lights and were not anned, and, con- 
sequently, were not discovered until the operation of sinking them 
was practically completed. Japan was loud in smgmg the praise 
of the volunteer crews who participated in the dangerous work. 

Naval Officers Vary Report. 

The official report of the naval officers who attempted to block 
the entrance to the harbor of Port Arthur the morning of Feb- 
ruary 24 differs in some respects from the other accounts. From 
this report it appears that the Russian searchlights discovered the 
approach of the five Japanese steamers before they had reached 
the point where it was proposed to sink them, and that the Rus- 
sian guns disabled three of the five. Another feature was that a 
portion of the crews of the sunken steamers were not picked up 
until the afternoon of the 24th. The report of the officers in sul)- 
stance is as follows: 

'^P^ive vessels intended to obstru(»t the entrance to Port Arthur 
advanced about 4 o'clock on the morning of the 24th from the 
southward through the Lao-Thi-Shan channel toward the mouth 
of the port. It appears that the T^nshin Maru, which was in the 
van, was steered too far to port, and when she was about three 



800 STORY OP THE JAPANESE IIOBSONS 

miles to t\w southwest of shore she was shot and seriously dam- 
aged. She was run on the shoals mtentionally. 

''The other steamers, which were in her wake, changed their 
eourse to the northeast and advanced, but the enemy's search- 
lights, flashing upon them, impeded their progress. The enemy's 
fire struck the steering gear of the Bushiu Maru, disabling her. 
She grounded near the Tenshm Maru, and after striking, her 
officers destroyed lier and she sank. Next the Buyo Maru was 
seriously danmged b> the enemv's shells and she sank before 
reaching the harbor entrance 



*& 



Explosives to Destroy Ships. 

''In the meanv.'hile, the Hokoku Maru and the Jinsen MaiTi 
had advanced with great rapidity and had reached the entrance 
to the harbor with considerable difficulty. The Hokoku j\laru was 
on the outer side of the stranded Kussian battleship Retvizan and 
the Jinsen Maru on the eastern side of the Retvizan. The crews 
of each lighted explosives to destroy the merchantment, and after 
giving a loud cheer, got into their small boats. 

''When they found their vessels sinking the crews endeavored 
to rovr to the Japanese toipedo-boats, which were ready to pick 
them up, but the Russians' searchlights lit up their path and the 
Russian fire became very severe. The crews in their small boats 
^^ ere compelled to row around under cover, and they were unable 
to reach the torpedo-boats. The sea became heavier at sunrise and 
the crews suffered great hardship. They finally succeeded m 
reaching the Japanese squadron at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of 
the same day. ' ' 

Russian Official Report. 

The Russian version of the affair is as follows. 

''At a quarter before 3 in the morning of February 24, numer- 
ous Japanese torpedo-boats attempted to attack the battleship 
Betvjzan and sink large steamers loaded with inflammables. 



STORY OP THE JAPANESE HOBSONS SOI 

*^The Eetvizan was the first to observe the torpedo-boats, and 
opened a strong fire on them. It was supported by the land bat- 
teries. ' 

"It destroyed two steamers near the entrance of the harbor; 
they were coming directly toward it. One of them went on the 
rocks near the lighthouse on Tiger peninsula and the other sank 
under Golden Hill. 

**The Eetvizan observed four steamers in a sinking condition, 
and eight torpedo-boats departing slowly to rejoin the waiting 
Japanese warships. 

**A portion of the crews of the Japanese vessels was drowned. 

"The grounded steamer is still burning. 

"The enemy is observed in the offing of Port Arthur in two 
. lines. 

"The Japanese crews saved themselves in boats, and it is 
possible that some of them were picked up by the enemy's torpedo- 
boats. 

"I am proceeding to examine the coasts. The entrance to the 
harbor is open. 

"I attribute the complete derangement of the enemy's plan to 
the brilliant .action and destructive fire of the Retvizan. 

"i^loating mines are still visible in the roadstead. I have re- 
called the three cruisers sent in pursuit of the enemy, in order, in 
the first place, to clear the roadstead of the floating mines. 

"We had no losses. "Alexieff." 

It is evident from the foregoing that the Russians had no real 
conception of the Japanese plan to block the harbor entrance, and 
imagined that it was simply an^other early morning attack upon 
the stranded battleship Retvizan. Hence, the news was received 
in St. Petersburg as a great Russian victory, and the populace re- 
joiced in the belief that the Japanese squadron had been repulsed 
and that a number of the enemy's warships had been sunk. 

Although every one of the Japanese Hobsons were rescued, 
some of them underwent extreme hardships before they succeeded 



:\&2 STORY OF THE JAPANESE IloBSOXS 

jii rejoining tlieir mates, particulai']> the men on the Jinsen MaiTi, 
commanded by Lieutenant Saito, and the Bushin, commanded by 
Lunitenant Tansaki. Lieutenant Saito said that Ins ship got so 
close to the Eetvizan that had his men been armed with rifles they 
could have fired into the Russian crew. 

AVhen these ciews found that the scheme was a failure, they 
dropped anchor and the men crowded into tlie remaining boats. 
They then blew up the steamers. A stroiijj,- wind and the glare of 
the lights ])revented the men from reaching the torpedo flotilla, 
and at daylight they were out of sight of the fleet, having been 
driven in an easterly direction by the wind to the Miaotao islands, 
which they reached the same evening. 

The boats did not land together, but the men found each other 
on the islands. They chartered a junk, in which they went to 
Tungchowfou. They walked forty miles to Cheefoo, going two 
days without food. 

After taking to their boats, they were for a long time under the 
fire of the Russian vessels and land batteries. Every few moments 
the glare of a searchlight fell uopn their little boats, making them 
a fair target for the enemy. Their position was much the same as 
that of Tlobson and his men m the channel of Santiago. While 
lioth attemi)ts were failures, they were attended with the same 
risks, although the Japanese had the better luck not to be cap- 
tured. 

The total number of men who took part in the attempted block- 
ade on the merchant ships and torpedo-boats was 67, and of these 
65 were promoted to be officers. 



CHAPTER XXIV 
THE, SIEGE. OF PORT ARTHUR 

Admiral Togo's Repeated Attacks Upon the Russian Stronghold Keep the Russian 
Fleet and Forts Constantly on the Defensive — Many Futile Attempts to Block 
the Channel Result in Sharp Fights Between the Forts and the Torpedo Flotilla 
— A Desperate Conilict in the Open Sea Between Russian and Japanese Torpedo 
Boats. 

THE Siege of Port Arthur by the Japanese squadron under 
Vice Admiral Togo was the longest, most memorable and 
most incessant of all the naval confli(?ts of the war. Day after dav 
Togo continued to shell the town and made many daring attem])ts 
to bottle up the Russian squadron by sending stone-laden fire ships 
into the narrow harbor neck. 

Following his first attack he was aided in his work of destruc- 
tion by the accidental loss of two Eussian warships, one a torpedo 
transport and the other a second-class cruiser, which were blown 
up by submarine mines planted by the liussians themselves. 

The first of these, the torpedo transport Yenisei, was laying 
mines on February 11 in the entrance to Tahen-wan Bav to close it 
against attack. Her orders were to plant 400 mines and she had 
accomplished the task of planting o9S of them before the disaster 
which destroyed her and her crew occurred. The three hundred 
and ninety-ninth floated instead of smking. On this the Yenisei 
drew off and fired at it with her light guns, attempting to sink or 
explode it. While thus occupied the lookout man discovered that 
the ship had drifted close to another mine. He gave the alanii 
and jumped overboard. Immediately there was a terrific explo- 
sion. One hundred and ninety officers and men, including the cap- 
tain, were killed, while ninety more in the ship were picked up by 
boats and saved. The officer laying the mines, who was the only 

303 



304 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 

man in the Russian fleet with a knowledge of exactly how the mines 
were disposed, was among the killed. 

A violent storm followed, when the mines came to the surface 
and floated about in all directions. The next day the Boyarm was 
sent to assist in securing them. She was caught in the storm, how- 
ever, and was driven upon another mine and wrecked in the same 
manner as the Yenisei. This made a total loss of Russian vessels 
eleven in the first week of the war. 

Viceroy Alexieff's official reports on the disaster said that 
Captain Stepanoff, the commander of the Yenisei, the engineer, 
two midshipmen, and ninety-two of the crew perished. The Rus- 
sian second-class cruiser Boyarin, which was blown up by a mine 
February 12 in the same manner as was the Russian tor|)edo trans- 
port Yenisei, had on board 197 officers and men, all of whom were 
lost. 

The Boyarin was 348 feet long, 41 feet beam, and 16 feet draft. 
It was 3,200 tons displacement, and its trial speed was twenty-five 
knots. The araiament consisted of six 4.7 inch guns, eight 1.8 
inch guns, two 1.4 inch guns, and three machine guns. The cruiser 
also was fitted with six torpedo tubes. The Boyarin was last re- 
ported as having taken part in the first battle at Port Arthur. 

The Yenisei was specially designed for the work of laying sub- 
marine mines. Naval experts declared that the destruction of the 
Yenisei looked as if some one had been guilty of a gross act of 
carelessness. Such mines, it was pointed out, are controlled from 
shore and ought to be disconnected while a vessel is engaged in 
picking up a loose one. 

The Yenisei was built in the Baltic works. It had a displace- 
ment of 2,500 tons and carried an armament of five twelve pounders 
and six three pounders, quick firing guns. The vessel was 300 feet 
long, 40 feet beam, and drew 14 feet 6 inches. 

Commander Stepanoff, on seeing his ship, the Yenisei, in con- 
tact with his own mine, ordered the crew to the boats. The men 
refused to go, and Stepanoff then drew a revolver and threatened 
to shoot if they did not try to save themselves immediately. His 



THE STEOE oP POKT ARTHUR 305 

last words were, '^Tlus is how one dies when he has luck/^ Step- 
anoff was a specialist in mines, and one of the most valuable officers 
m the Russian navy. 

After the failure of Admiral Togo to block the harbor entrance 
m imitation of Lieutenant Hobson's feat at Santiago, he renewed 
his attack upon Port Arthur and succeeded in drawing the enemy's 
ships into a sharp battle, resulting m the loss of a Russian torpedo 
boat, but with few casualties. The nature of the fight is described 
in the official repoiis of the Russian and Japanese commanders. 

Viceroy Alexieff reported as follows: 

^* After the moon had set early in the morning of February 25, 
the Retvizan repelled several attacks by the enemy's torpedo boats, 
two of which are believed to have sunk m the open sea. 

''Our torpedo boats, under Captain of the First Rank Matusso- 
vitch, and Captain of the Second Rank Prince Lieven, unsupported, 
encountered and pursued the enemy's toi^iedo-boat flotilla. They 
sighted no large warships. 

''Later in the morning of February 25 the cruisers Bayan, 
Diana, Askold and Novik were sent out to prevent the Japanese 
cruisers from pursuing a portion of our returning torpedo-boat 
flotilla. One of our torpedo boats, which was cut off by four Japan- 
ese cruisers, sought shelter in Dove (Pigeon) Bay, where H was 
subjected to a long distance fire by the enemy. It had no casual- 
ties. 

''The Japanese fleet on sighting our cruisers came in closer to 
the forts, which, together with our warships, opened fire at 10:50. 
Our cruisers, still firing, entered the harbor, which our torpedo 
boats had already safely reached. 

"The enemy's shells for the most part fell short. One seaman 
was wounded, but we sustained no other casualties. 

''The Japanese fleet consisted of seventeen large warships and 
eight torpedo boats, whereas the squadron which attempted to 
block the entrance to Port Arthur on the previous day had twelve 
torpedo boats.'' 



30(3 THE 8IEGE OF PORT ARiTIIMR 

The Japanese report was written by Vice Admiral Kamimnra, 
division commander nnder Admiral Togo. The report said: 

^^A bombardment began at long range, and at 11:45 a. m. all 
the ships and batteries were responding vigorously. 

' ' Shortly after noon the Novik retreated into the inner harbor. 
The Askold and Bayan quickly following, demonstrated that the 
sinking of the steamers had not blocked the entrance of the harbor. 
A bombardment of the inner harbor was then ordered, and for 
fifteen minutes all the heavy guns of the Japanese fleet threw shells 
over the hills into the harbor. 

' ' The Japanese were unable to determine the effect of the bom- 
bardment, but saw huge columns of smoke arising from time to 
time. 

''In the meantime the Japanese cruiser squadron discovered 
two Russian torpedo-boat destroyers at the foot of Laotche Hill 
and gave chase. One of the destroyers escaped, but the other was 
pursued into Pigeon Bay, where it was sunk. The Japanese fleet 
sustained no damage and did not lose a single man.'' 

Again on the last day of February the Japanese fleet of fifteen 
warships made another terrific attack and furiously bombarded 
the Russian stronghold and fleet for two hours. 

The attack began at 10 o'clock in the morning. A few minutes 
before that hour the Japanese fleet of fifteen warships was seen 
steaming rapidly from the direction of Dalny. The Russian 
cruisers Askold, Novik and Bayan and four torpedo-boats were 
sent out to meet the enemy. 

Fighting began at long range and after a few minutes of furious 
cannonading the Russian ships were forced to retire, the Novik 
and the Askold sustained serious injury 

It could be plainly seen from the land that the Askold and the 
Novik were both hit. One of the Russian torpedo-boats sank off 
Lighthouse Point. 

The Japanese fleet pressed closely behind the fleeing Russians 
and as they reached the shelter of the rocky wall surrounding the 




D 
X 






T3 



0) 



0) 

o - 

C "^ 

ctJ o 

in ^ 



£ ?.r 

I -« 

" °l 

O W ^ 

r- o ^ 
> 

c 

D 

z 

(0 
GC 
UJ 

o 
iZ 

b. 
O 



a, 

c « 
o ^ 

o = 



_ o 

133, 

q: t^- 
"J ^ 



CJ 


C/l 




h 


< 


O 


UJ 


W 


2 


o 








o 




^ 




O! 



#• 




TORPEDO ATTACK ON PORT ARTHUR. 

In the above are illustrated: (i) the Japanese attack, indicated by arrows; (ii) the 
torpedo net under water being penetrated by torpedo cutter ; (in) the Brennan torpedo for 
harbor defense ; (iv) the spar torpedo ; (v) sections of the Whitehead torpedo, used by the 
Japanese; (vi) explosive head of the Whitehead; (vn) modern torpedo tube, in sections, 
used in Japanese Navy. 



« *-r 



THE SIEGE OP PORT ARTHUR 309 

harbor turned its guns on the land batteries that crown the heights 
on each side of the narrow entrance. 

For two hours the bombardment continued, shells from tlio 
enemy's ships falling fast in the beleaguered city. It was evident 
that the Japanese were attempting to throw their shells o\er tho 
high wall of rocks surrounding the harbor and destroy the Russian 
fleet that had sought shelter there. 

Finally, a few minutes after noon, the Jaj^anese fleet drew oft* 
in good order, having sustained little damage that was api^areut 
from the shore. 

The superior range of the Japanese guns was again demon- 
strated, for while they were able to reach effectively the Russian 
ships the shots of the latter seemed to fall short of the mark. The 
same defect characterized the work of the Russian land batteries. 

Much damage was done in the town by the shells from the 
Japanese warships. 

Before the next important naval engagement connected with 
the siege of Port Arthur was fought .Vdmiral Stark, who had com- 
manded the Russian fleet, was sui>pl anted by Vice Admiral Mak- 
arofP, whose daring exploits on fast warships had won for him 
the title of "the Cossack of the Sea.'' 

MakarofF's Brilliant Exploit. 

When the Japanese fleet of torpedo boats reappeared before 
Port Arthur on March 10, Admiral jMakaroff sent out his torpedo 
boats to meet them and a severe clash followed, which is fully de- 
scribed in the official dispatches of Admiral ]Makaroff, transmitted 
to the Czar by Viceroy Alexieff. The first of these is as follows : 

Mukden, March 11.— Admiral Makaroff, commanding the Rus- 
sian fleet, reports from Port Arthur under date of March 11, as fol- 
lows: 

"Six torpedo-boats which went out t6 sea the night of March 
10, four of them being under the general command of Captain Mat- 



310 THE SIE(JE OF PORT ARTIIT^. 

toussevitcli, encountered the enemy's torpedo-boats, followed by 
cruisers. 

^'A hot action ensued, m which the torpedo-boat destroyer 
Vlastmi discharged a Whitehead torpedo and sunk one of the 
enemy 's torpedo-boats. 

' ' On the way back the torpedo-boat destroyer Stereguschtchi, 
commanded by Lieutenant Sergueieff, sustained damages; her en- 
gine was disabled and she began to founder. By 8 o'clock in the 
morning five of our torpedo-boat destroyers had returned. 

''When the critical position of the Stereguschtchi became evi- 
dent I hoisted my flag on the cruiser Novik and went with the 
Novik and the cruiser Bayarin to the rescue. But as five of the 
enemy's cruisers surrounded our destroyer and as their battle-ship 
squadron was approaching, I did not succeed in saving the Stere- 
guschtchi, which foundered. Part of the crew was made prisoner 
and part was drowned. 

^ ' On the ships which participated in the night attack one officer 
was seriously and three others were slightly wounded, two soldiers 
were killed and eighteen were wounded. 

''At 9 o^clock this morning fourteen of the enemy ^s ships assem- 
bled before Port Arthur and a bombardment was begun with the 
heavy guns of their battle-ship squadron at long range. 

''This lasted until 1 o'clock in the afternoon. It is estimated 
that the enemy fired 154 12-inch shells. The damage to our vessels 
was insignificant, and they are again ready for battle. Our losses 
were one officer slightly wounded and one soldier killed and four 
soldiers wounded. 

"The illumination of the sea at night by the searchlights 
mounted at our batteries was most satisfactory, and several times 
isolated shots from our batteries forced the enemy's torpedo-boats 
to retire. 

"With the commencement of the bombardment at dawn the 
guns of the fortress replied to the enemy's fire. 

' ' The crews of all the ships engaged gave proof of remarkable 
coolness in action. Below decks the work of the dav followed its 



THE 8IE(iE OF POirr AllTHUU 311 

ordinary course m spite of the shells falling between tlie voss(^Js 
and covering them with fragments. 

'^A bombardment at such a distance niusi be (considered in- 
effective, but the Japanese cruiser Takasago is reported to have 
been seen to suffer serious damage, the oxtent of which, however, 
it was impossible to ascertain at a distance of five miles. Many 
shells were fired at a range of seven and one-half miles. 

^^I have the honor to report the foregoing to your ]\lajosty. 

^^Alexieff/' 

Russian Officers Wounded. 

Viceroy Alexieff also sent the following message to the Em- 
peror: 

*^In the fight between our torpedo-boats and the Japanese cruis- 
ers March 10 Captain Mattaussevitch, Ensign Alexandroff and Me- 
chanical Engineer Blinoff received slight wounds and Ensign Zaeff 
was severely wounded in the head, losing his right eye 

^^The commandant at Port Arthur reports the following details 
of the bombardment of the fortress there March 10. 

^^As soon as the enemy opened fire our batteries replied. Six 
of the enemy's ships remained behind the Leao-Tishm promontory 
and opened fire on the fortress over that shelter. They ceased 
bombarding at 1:15 p. m. The enemy fired about 200 projectiles. 
One shell from battery No. 15 on Electric cliff damaged a Japanese 
cruiser seriously. 

^'The results of the bombardment were insignificant; six 
soldiers were wounded. Three inhabitants of the town were killed 
and one was seriously wounded, 

^^ According to General StoessePs report the officers and soldiers 
in the shore batteries displayed exemplary courage and fired their 
guns in perfect order. Alexieff . ' ' 

As far as is known this is the first time torpedo-boats have en- 
gaged each other at sea. Although the odds were against the Eus- 



312 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 

sians, as the Japanese flotilla was supported by the cruiser squad- 
ron, the Eussians made a heroic dash for the foe and apparently 
had the better of the combat, sinking a Japanese torpedo-boat, 
until the cruisers got within range and one of the latter 's shells 
crippled the Stereguschtchi. 

The gallant action of Vice Admiral Makaroff in transferring his 
"flag to the fast cruiser Novik and sailing out in the face of the 
enemy in an attempt at rescue received unstinted praise every- 
where, stamping him at the outset of his command as a man of 
force and action, who insisted on being in the van of the fighting. 

Vice Admiral Makaroff later visited the torpedo-boat destroy- 
ers which participated in the fight with the Japanese March 10 
and warmly thanked the officers and crew for their splendid be- 
havior. The admiral distributed decorations. 

A correspondent of the London Times who was with the Japan- 
ese forces gives a more graphic account of the battle between the 
torpedo-boats than is contained in the official dispatches. Accord- 
ing to his account, the vessels were so close together that the Rus- 
sians threw charges of explosives onto the bridge of one of the 
Japanese torpedo-boat destroyers. These, however, failed to de- 
tonate. All the vessels engaged were more or less damaged. 

The Japanese losses were six killed and eight wounded. That 
the Russians were defeated in spite of their superior numbers is 
due to the better shooting of the Japanese and the fact that the 
Russian vessels were armed with three-pound guns, while the arma- 
ment of the Japanese ships was made up of six-pounders. 

In reference to the fight of three hours which occurred later, 
the correspondent says the Russians fought with desperation and 
the Japanese with confidence bom of their past victories. One 
Russian commander was killed early in the fight. A lieutenant 
then took command, only to fall, shot in both legs. Then the com- 
mand devolved upon the sub-lieutenant, who also was killed after 
taking the wheel himself. When the coxswain fell this vessel was 
captured by the Japanese. The other Russian vessels escaped. 

On the Japanese side one destroyer was hit on the water line, 



THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 313 

two of her compartments were flooded and her quick-firing am- 
munition was soaked with water. This vessel retired from the 
action. Her officers escaped narrowly from a twelve-pound shot 
which struck the platform in front of the bridge, killing one man 
and sweeping the bridge with splinters. The same vessel received 
a three-pound shot through the hull, but the damage was repaired 
within four days. 

A Japanese lieutenant who boarded the Stereguschtchi said 
he had never seen a more sickening sight. Thirty bodies, terribly 
mutilated by a shell, were lying on deck. As the Japanese ap- 
proached two Russian bluejackets rushed from the conning tower, 
locked themselves in the cabin aft and refused to come out. Two 
stokers jumped overboard and were picked up. These, with two 
wounded men, were the only survivors of a crew of fifty-five. When 
the Stereguschtchi sank the men who were locked in the cabin 
sank with her. 

The fight lasted nearly an hour. The weakness of the Russian 
torpedo-boat destroyer armament again proved fatal. The Japan- 
ese concentratted their fire first on the Russians^ twelve-pounder 
and put it out of action early in the fight, leaving her with only her 
three-pounders against their own twelve-pounders and six-pound 
guns. The Japanese had three killed and four wounded. 

Describing the bombardment of Port Arthur the same day, the 
correspondent asserts that more than 110 shells fell in the town. 
The effect of the great shells from the twelve-inch guns must have 
been appalling. Outbreaks of fire were seen and the report of an 
explosion was heard, which it was surmised occurred in one of 
the magazines of the forts. 

The first inside account of the damage done at Port Arthur by 
the bombardment which followed the sea fight was brought to 
Shanghai by three Norwegian steamers which left Port Arthur a 
few days after the battle. 

These vessels were chartered by the Russian admiralty as coal 
transports. During the bombardment the Argo lay alongside the 
Betvizan in the inner harbor. A shell from a Japanese warship 



jl4 ^1111^^^ SiKdE OF 1M)RT ARTHUR 

fell on the deck of the Retvizan and exploded, killing nineteen 
officers and men. 

The crews of the merchant ships in the harbor deserted and 
fled towards the promontory during the bombardment. 

The greatest damage was done to the new town, where the 
shells caused such havoc that practically all shops and business 
buildings in the main street were demolished. Scarcely a resi- 
dence was left untouched. 

Sight Seers Blown to Pieces. 

The Japanese fire was marvelously accurate. The inhabitants 
were terror stricken, and many attempted to construct rude bomb- 
proof shelters. 

One shell fell among a crowd of people who were gazing at the 
attacking fleet. It killed twenty-five. Three government clerks 
were killed while hurrying from the port admiraPs office. 

The most elevated fort at the entrance to the harbor was most 
seriously damaged. 

A two-funneled ciniiser that was anchored a cable's length from 
the Retvizan— probably the Diana— was struck at the water line 
and set on fire. Eighty persons on board perished. 

The Russians sank two old steamers belonging to the Chinese 
Railway Company laden with stones at the entrance to the chan- 
nel, in line with the lighthouse, and thus reduced the navigable 
way of the channel to less than 300 feet wide. This was done dur- 
ing the bombardment, the desperate operation being carried out 
under fire. The sunken steamers lay in the shape of a letter V. 

On March 21 and 22 Admiral Togo made his fifth attack on 
Port Arthur, which was ineffectual, according to his own report, 
which was as follows- 

^^The combined fleet acted according to the plan arranged. 
'^Two flotillas of destroyers were outside Port Arthur, as in- 
structed, from the night of the 21st until the morning of the 22d. 



THE SIEGE OF PORT AmilUli 315 

Although during this time our dostro> ers were under the fire of 
the enemy, they sustained no damage. The mam fleet arrived off 
Port Arthur at 8 o'clock on the moniing of the 22d. 

^ ' I dispatched a part of the fleet in the direction of Pigeon Bay, 
and ordered the battle-ships Fuji* and Yashima to make an in- 
direct bombardment against the inner side of the port. During 
the bombardment the enemy's shijDs gradually came out of the 
harbor, and at the time when the indirect bombardment stopped, 
which was about 2 o'clock, the number of Russian ships was five 
battle-ships, four cruisers and several destroyers. We behoved 
the enemy was trying, by making a movement of the fleet, to draw 
us near the forts. The enemy's ships shelled us indirectly, and 
many of the shots fell near the battle-ship Fuji, but our ships 
sustaiiK^d no damage. About 3 o'clock our vessels withdrew off 
the port. Togo." 

The next important move by Admiral Togo was on April i;', 
when Admiral Makaroff made a sortie and was defeated, with the 
loss of his own life and the destruction of his flagship, the details 
of which are told in another chapter 

As a result of this disaster to the Eussian squadron all danger 
of attack upon Japanese transports bound for New Chwang was 
averted, and troops were poured into that place, which was cap- 
tured with only slight resistance. 

The first great disaster to Admiral Togo's squadron at Port 
Arthur occurred on May 15 and included the loss of the cruiser 
Yoslimo and the battleship Hatsuse. The Yoshino collided with 
the cruiser Kasuga in a heavy fog and the latter sank. Only 
ninety of the crew was rescued, the remaining 210 going down 
with the ship. 

The Hatsuse was sunk by a Russian mine. The battleshii> was 
cniising off Port Arthur, covering the landing of troops, when slu* 
struck a mechanical mine. Instantly she signaled for help, but 
the next moment struck a second mine that sealed her fate. Three 
hundred of the crew were saved by torpedo boats, ])ut more than 
400 were drowned, among them many of the minor officers. 



;;1G ^rilE SlKClE OF l^ORT ARTIIUK 

On May 22 Vice- Admiral Skrydloff arrived at Port Arthur and 
assumed command of the naval operations left vacant by the death 
of Makaroff. The almost continuous assaults of Admiral Togo 
upon Port Arthur and Dalny compelled the Kussians on May 20 
to abandon the latter place. The Russian garrison at Dalny set 
fire to the place and fled to Port Arthur. They also destroyed a 
Russian gunboat. The Japanese occupied the town May 30 and 
found that the Russians had evacuated the place in such a hurry 
that they had failed to destroy much property Over 100 bar- 
racks, the storehouses, railway and telegraph stations and 200 
passenger and freight cars were uninjured. The l)ig paer, how- 
ever, was destroyed and the entrances to the docks were blocked 
with sunken steamers. 

The Russian squadron at Port Arthur attempted to escape from 
the harbor on June 23, led by a steamer used for clearing mines. 
They were diseovered by Japanese tori^edo boats guarding the 
mouth of the harbor, and an engagement among the toi-pedo boats 
of both squadrons followed. Subsequently the Ja])anese decoyed 
the Russians out to sea, but before a general engagement could be 
begun the Russian ships made for the harbor The Japanese tor- 
pedo fleet chased them, and in the attack damaged the battleships 
Peresviet and Sebastopol and the cruiser Diana. Eight separate 
attacks were made during the night, but the Russian vessels suc- 
ceeded in returning to the harbor 

By June 30 the Japanese army in the rear of Port Arthur was 
within eight miles of the outer forts, when an assault was begun 
which resulted in the occupation of one mountain by the besiegers, 
and gave them a distinct point of vantage. 

The decisive fight for the outer works was begun on July 2Ci 
and lasted for four days. The Russians occupied a line of trenches 
sixteen miles long. When the fog cleared on the morning of the 
26th an attack began along the entire line and was kept up until 
dark. On the morning of the 27tli it was resumed more fiercely 
than before and was concentrated on the right wing, commanded 



THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR ^317 

])y i\Iajor General Kondratenko. The naval battery was made the 
target for the heaviest fire, as it was the most dangerous Russian 
position. At 9 oV4ock the Japanese artillery fire slackened and 
the Japanese infantry advanced to the assault. For an hour the 
little brown men advanced intrepidly in the face of a fire which 
can only be described as 1,000 volleys in constant eruption. On 
July 30, after almost constant fighting, the Russians were forced 
to abandon their trenches and the Japanese occupied the first of 
the outer forts. 

When the Japanese drove the Russians from their strong posi- 
tion on the last range of hills m front of the fortress by a sur- 
prise attack Julv 80, the Russians retired to the forts, but 
they also strongly held previously prepared advance lines to pre- 
vent the Japanese closing in on the fortified ridges. This line of 
forts was fourteen miles long, fonning a semicircle from the east 
coast to four miles from the west coast and circhng five miles 
northwest of Port Arthur. The fortress belt proper was a twelve- 
mile semicircle from coast to, coast. 

The Japanese position was a mile from the advance Russian 
line in the center of a range of hills called Fenghoano mountain. 
On their left flank was broken, hilly countiy east of Taku moun- 
tain. 

Japs Checked in First Assault. 

The keys to this Russian position were Taku and Shahku 
mountains, and these were taken early in August. Then the 
Japanese got siege guns and prepared for the first general assault 
August 20. The operations began in earnest at daybreak, August 
20, with the bombardment of the whole line of Russian forts. Bat- 
tery after battery of Japanese artillery was unmasked, the Rus- 
t-ians apparently being unable to locate them, for they replied 
spasmodically. Under cover of the bombardment the Japanese 
jnfantry made a detenuined general advance against the Russians' 
first trenches, along the railroad, into the center of the Shuishi 



318 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 

valley and also on the lines in the valley between the east and 
west of Shuishi village. 

Six hundred yards south of the village the way into the city 
was protected by four advance half-moon forts in the form of a 
hollow square open at the rear and connected by bombproof 
trenches and having a twenty-foot moat m front. A desperate 
attempt was made by the Japanese in the afternoon to capture 
the strongest half-moon fort. 

The infantry charged, cut the entanglements, crossed the moat 
with scaling ladders, stonned the fort and drove the Russians 
back. But the real strength of the enemy ^s position lay in the 
bombproof trenches extending south of the other half-moon forts. 
They were filled with troops and concealed machine guns, which 
poured a deadly hail of bullets into the Japanese and forced them 
to retire. 

Russians Recapture Some Trenches. 

About the same time the Russians recaptured the trenches in 
front of the redoubt in advance of the Rihlung fort. 

On the right flank the Russian line was forced back. One 
Japanese regiment worked up the east slope and another regi- 
ment made its way up the west slope of One Hundred and Seven- 
ty-four Yards hill, under the concentrated fire of the Russian 
artillery, and captured the fort at the point of the bayonet at 
noon. The fort and hill were strongly supported by bomb-proof 
trenches, loop-holed and with sand-bag walls, and were armed 
with two four-inch guns, besides other guns. The Japanese cap- 
tured five field guns and four machine guns. Their casualties 
were 1,400. Three hundred and fifty Russian dead were left in 
the position. 

(The Siege of Port Arthur continued on page 421.) 



CHAPTER. XXV 

SECOND ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE UP RUSSIAN 

FLEET 

Admiral Togo Sends Four Merchant Ships Into the Channel Resulting in a Desperate 
Fight Between Torpedo Boats— Sinking of the Russian Torpedo Boat Silni — 
Lieutenant Krinizki, Her Commander, a Naval Hero — Makaroff Offers Battle 
With His Squadron Which Togo Declines — One of the Most Daring Naval 
Exploits of the War. 

ADMIRAL TOGO'S second attempt to bottle up the Russian 
Port Arthur squadron resulted in a fierce fight between 
torpedo-boats and developed another naval hero m the person of 
Lieutenant Krinizki, commanding the Russian torpedo-boat Silni. 
The Japanese admiral sacrificed four merchant vessels, and, al- 
though he did not succeed in blocking the harbor channel, he in- 
flicted considerable loss upon the enemy. 

The daring attempt was made about 1 o'clock on the morning 
of March 27. The Japanese practically repeated the tactics of 
February 24 by sending m four fireships, preceded by a torj^edo- 
boat flotilla, with the exception that the fireships this time were 
armed with Hotchkiss guns for the pui^^ose of keeping off the 
Russian torpedo-boat destroyers. 

The enemy's attempt was discovered by means of the shore 
searchlights and a heavy fire was opened from the batteries and 
from two gunboats which were guarding the entrance to the har- 
bor. The Russian torpedo-boat destrover Silni was outside on 
scouting duty, and to the dash and nerve of her commander, Lieu- 
tenant Krinizki, is chiefly due the defeat of the plans of the Jap- 
anese. 

He at once made straight for the oncoming ships, under a hail 
of fire from the Hotchkiss guns, and toi^oedoed the leading ship, 
which sheered off, followed by the others, three of them being 

319 



320 ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE ItUSSlAN FLEET 

piled up on the shore under Golden Hill and one under the light- 
house. 

The Silni then engaged the entire six torpedo-hoats of the 
enemy, coming out from a terrific fight with seven killed and her 
commander and twelve of her complement wounded, but on the 
Japanese side only one boat's crew was saved. 

The Japanese cruisers which sup|)Orted the attack exchanged 
shots with the batteries and then drew olf, after which Vice Ad- 
miral Makaroff took a steam launch and examined the fireships. 
An hour later the Japanese toipedo flotilla, followed by Vice Ad- 
miral Togo's fleet, came up from a southerly direction. 

Just at daybreak Vice Admiral Makaroff, with his fleet, sailed 
out to engage the eneni}^, but after the ships' batteries had fired 
a few long-distance shots. Vice Admiral Togo decided to decline 
the issue and disappeared to the southward. 

The news of the repulse of Vice Admiral Togo's second attempt 
to block Port Arthur created much rejoicing in the Russian cap- 
ital, and among all classes the gallantry of the Silni and her com- 
mander was the subject of high praise. 

Vice Admiral Makaroff sent the following telegram to the 
Emperor : 

^^I beg most humbly to report that at 2 o'clock this morning 
the enemy made a second attempt to block the entrance to the 
inner roadstead. For this pur}30se thev dispatched four large 
merchant steamers, convoyed by six torpedo-boats, to the entrance. 

^^The enemy's ships were promptly discovered by the search- 
lights and were bombarded by the batteries and by the giiardships 
Bohr and Otvajny. 

^'Fearing the enemy's ships might break through, Lieutenant 
Krinizki, commanding the guard torpedo-boat Silni, attacked the 
enemy and destroyed the bow of the foremost Japanese steamer 
with a torpedo. This steamer turned to the right and was fol- 
lowed by two others, with the result that the three were stranded 
to the right of the entrance. A fourth steamer went to the right 



ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE RUSSIAN FLEET 321 

» 

of the enemy's ships and likewise sank to the side of the fairway. 
The Silni then battled with the enemy's six torpedo-boats. En- 
i;ineer Artificer Swyereff and six seamen were killed and the com- 
mander and twelve seamen were wounded. 

''At daybreak the enemy \s battle-ship and cruiser squadrons 
appeared and I proceeded with the fleet under my charge to 
meet the enemy. 

''The second attempt of the Japanese to block the entrance 
to Port Arthur has failed, thanks to the energetic defense by the 
sea and land forces, who acted as they did during the first attempt. 

''The harbor remains perfectly clear. 

"Makaroff.^^ 

In the followmg dispatch which Admiral Makaroff sent later, 
the "infernal machines" referred to were probably electric bat- 
teries intended to blow up the ships when they should reach a 
position in the channel which would interfere with the free pas- 
sage of ships: 

"I respectfully report that the enemy having withdrawn I 
returned to the harbor with the fleet. 

"The torpedo-boat destroyer Silni, which stranded on a reef 
m consequence of damage caused to her engines by one of the 
enemy ^s shells, was floated during the course of the night and 
entered the harbor, thanks to the energy of her crew. Her com- 
mander. Lieutenant Krinizki, who was slightly wounded in the 
arm, did not quit his post. 

"On the fir^ships were infernal machines, the wires connected 
with which were cut by Lieutenant Pilsoudsky of the irregulars, 
whom I dispatched on this task. They boarded one of the steam- 
ers as soon as it stopped, cut the electnc wire and extinguished 
the fire, which would have lit up the entrance to the harbor to the 
enemy in the roadstead. 

"In the moiling a floating mine was found bearing an in- 
fernal machine, but the latter was successfully removed. 



322 ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE RUSSIAN FLEET 



^^Tbe inspection made showed that the steamers utilized as 
lireships were not old. They were each of about 2,000 tons and 
they were anned with liglit c^aliber guns. Makaroff." 

Viceroy AlexielT in a dispatch to the Emperor from J\Iukden 
said: 

''Dunng an attack by the enemy's fireships March 27 on the 
torpedo-boat Silni one of the hitter's steam pipes and her steering 
gear were damaged, m consequence of which slie was beached 
near Golden Hill, but smce then she has been refloated. The num- 
ber of men killed and wounded on the torpedo-boat has not yet 
been ascertained. 

^^ Shortly before 5:25 this morning the enemy's toi^i^edo-boats 
were sighted to the south of Port Artliur and the batteries opened 
fire on them. Toward 6 o'clock the enemy's squadron appeared 
on the horizon. Thirty batteries on Tiger Peninsula opened fire 
and our fleet steamed out of tlie harbor, the Bayan and the Askold 
leading, and also fired at the enemy Our fire, however, ceased 
immediately in view of the great distance of the enemy's squad- 
ron. 

^^At 9:15 o'clock our entire squadron lined up m the roadstead. 
The Japanese squadron drew off in a southeasterly direction, evi- 
dently in order to avoid giving battle, and toward 10 o'clock it 
disappeared below the horizon. Alexieff." 

Important additional details were contained in the following 
dispatch sent by General Smirnoff: 

**Last night after moonrise the Japanese attempted to block 
the entrance to the harbor. Four ships were sent toward the port, 
convoyed by a torpedo flotilla. Toward 2:15 a. m. tne approach 
of the enemy's ships was perceived bv the guardships and bat- 
teries, which simultaneously opened upon them heavily 

''The fireships were preceded by torpedo-boats and followed 
at a considerable distance by larger ships, which opened on the 
forts^ supporting the action of the fireships and toi^iedo-boats. 



ATTEMPT To BOTTLK lU SSI AN FLEET 323 

'^ Owing to the heaviness of our artillory fire and the boldness 
of our torpedo-boats, the fireslnps did not ivach the entrance to 
the harbor. Two oi* them grouiKled on a reef under Golden Hill, 
another sank behind the first turn of the channel, struck by a tor- 
pedo from one of our boats, and the fourth sank, its bows touch- 
ing a Japanese steamer sunk in the previous attempt off Majatsch- 
naja Goroda. The entrance to tlie harbor remains clear. 

^^A Hotchkiss one-mch quick-firer was found aboard one of 
the sunken steamers, from which a fire had been kept up on our 
torpedo-boats. 

''A boat left each of the sunken ships carrying their crews. 
One of these is believed to have been picked up. 

^^ Toward 4 o'clock a. m. the enemy's torpedo-boats retired 
and the bombardment ceased. Vice Admiral jMakaroff at once 
proceeded in a steam launch to inspect the enemy's sunken steam- 
ers. 

^'The enemy's torpedo-boats reappeared at 5 o'clock this morn- 
ing. They were sighted south of Port Arthur and the batteries 
reopened on them. Toward 6 the enemy's squadron appeared on 
the horizon and ours steamed out to meet it. At 6:30 the bat- 
teries opened fire. Our ships' batteries soon ceased, the Japanese 
drawing off to the southeast, evidently declining an engagement. 
At 10 o'clock they disappeared below the horizon. 

^^ Smirnoff/' 

Lieutenant Krinizki a Hero. 

The credit for saving the Port Arthur squadron from being 
bottled up belongs to Lieutenant Krinizki, who displayed a hero- 
ism as great as any ever shown under equally adverse conditions. 
Tn support of this opinion the writer quotes Rear Admiral Ingles, 
of the British navy In writing of this event Admiral Ingles says : 

^^Fortunately for the security of Port Arthur there was such 
a man in Lieutenant Krinizki, a young officer in command of one 
of the newest thirty-two knot destroyers built at St. Petersburg. 



3l>i ATTEMPT TO BOITLK RUSSIAN FLEET 

In his little ship of 35U tons he charged out on the enemy with a 
courage worthy of all praise. 

'^If the official stoiy is the whole tmth this young officer un- 
dertook the task of saving Port Arthur from being corked single 
handed and succeeded. It was an enterprise m which the odds 
were heavily m favor of entire annihilation, and at best it meant 
death for man> of the crew. 

'^This lieutenant was on guard as the enemy's dummies and 
half a dozen toipedo craft drew near, and when he saw that the 
guns ashore were making no impression he leaped forth from his 
position of comparative safety. He first su(*ceeded m so damag- 
ing the foremost merchant ship that the two following ones were 
sent off their course in confusion, while a fourth sank on the left 
hand side of the fairway, all of them beini;" wrecked on the out- 
side of the narrows of the harbor 

^^This intrepid young officer achieved his purjDose, but only 
to land himself m a hornet's nest. He ]S represented to have 
fought six Japanese torpedo-boats without any assistance, al- 
though there must have been at least nine sister vessels close at 
hand. The Sihii has only one twelve-pounder and three three- 
pounders, and with these weapons its bra\e commanding officer 
engaged in a most gallant and hopeless but glorious struggle. He 
and twelve of his seamen were wounded and the chief engineer 
and six sailors were killed. 

^^If the facts are as set out in a short dispatch to St. Peters- 
burg the name of Lieutenant Krinizki deserves to be placed on the 
roll of heroes. When the din of the present struggle has died away 
his exploit should remain a cherished memory of the Eussian fleet. 
It is good news that so brave a man escaped with his life, though 
his frail craft was so damaged that after retiring it sank.'' 

Large crowds gathered before the bulletin boards in St. Peters- 
burg to read the official accounts of the second unsuccessful at- 
tempt of the Japanese to bottle up the Russian fleet. Lieutenant 
Krinizki 's heroic attack on the enemy's fireships and torpedo- 
boats and the action of the three Eussian officers in boarding the 




COSSACK LEADER RECEIVING ORDER FROM COMMANDER. 

Early tn the war every available Cossack was ordered to the front, as upon the won» 
derful Cossack cavalry was to fall the hardest tasks of the land campaign. The scene rep- 
resents a temporary Cossack station, the tattered war flag leaning against the gate, and 
the striped posts as well as the two sturdy guards, Indicating that here is the headquarters 
of the commandant and staff. / 




COOLIES AT WORK UPON THE PORT ARTHUR DEFENSES. 

The repeated bombardments directed by the Japanese against the defenses of Port 
Arthur served only to stimulate the Russians in their efforts to make them impreenabJe. 
In this work the Russian whip and the Chinese cooley played a leading part. 



ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE RUSSIAN FLEET 32Z 

burning steamers, extinguishing the flames and cutting the wires 
connecting with the infenial machines, evoked enthusiasm, while 
the ahnost universal exclamation applied to Vice Admiral Maka- 
roff, as the people turned away, was ^^molodetz,'^ which might 
literally be translated, ''he's a dandy/' 

The Emperor telegraphed to Vice Admiral j\Iakaroff an order 
decorating the officers and men of the torpedo-boat destroyer Silni 
with the St. George's cross. 

Admiral Togo's report of his sixth attack on Port Arthur and 
second attempt to bottle up the Russian fleet is modest, direct 
and businesslike, as are all of his communications. The report is 
as follows : 

''About 3.30 a. m. of the 27th of March the 'bottling up squad- 
ron, ' composed of four ships, escorted by a torpedo-boat destroyer 
flotilla and torpedo-boat flotilla, reached outside of Port Arthur 
and without minding the searchlights of the enemy steered straight 
towards the entrance of the harbor. About two marine leagues 
from the entrance the 'bottling up squadron' was discovered by 
the enemy. Thereupon the shore batteries and guardships show- 
ered hot fires upon the squadron, but, in spite of the terrific fire, 
the ships made their way into the inner roadstead, one after the 
other. 

"The steamer Chiyo Maru anchored at a position about half a 
cable from the Golden Hill, blew up itself and sank. The Fukui 
Maru passed a little ahead of the Chiyo Maru by its left side and 
at the moment when it was lowering anchor was shot by a tor- 
pedo from the enemy's destroyers and sank in that position. Hachi- 
Hiko Maru anchored to the left of the Fukui Maru and blew up 
itself and sank. 

" Yoneyama Maru, colliding with the stem of one of the enemy's 
torpedo-boat destroyers, passed between Chiyo Maru and Fukui 
Maru and anchored in the middle of the roadstead. At this moment 
the ship was shot by a torpedo from the enemy, and, consequently 
l)y reason of that toipedo, it was carried toward the left shore and 
sank sideways. 



:]2H ATTEMP^r To BOI^TLE RUSSIAN FLEET 

^^The result ol' tli(* action being as above described, there is 
some space left l)et\veen Hachi-Hiko and Voneyama Maru. It is 
a matter of regret tliat the roadstead coidd not be ('ompletelv closed 
np. The casualties were as follows 

^^villed— Commander Hirose Takeo, om* under officer, and two 
sailors. 

*' Seriously wounded— Sub-Lieutenant Alasaki, p]ngineer Kurita 
and SIX sailors. 

''The remamdcr were safelv taken m by our torpedo-boat de- 
stroyer flotilla and tor])edo-boat flotilla. 

'M)f tli(^ torpedo-boat flotilla, the Oadaka and the Tsubame, 
while escorting the 'bottling up sijuadron' and about one mih^ 
from the <Mitrance of Port Arthur, engaged m a fight with one de- 
stroyer of the enemy and inflicted serious damage on it. 

'^Mthough both our destroyer flotilla and torpedo-boat flotilla 
were subjected to teriutic firing from the enemy until dawn, not 
the sliglitest damage was done to any of the boats." 

On Ma> ;> Admiral Togo made another daring attempt to seal 
the channel at Port Arthur. AVhen the vessels were all readv to 
make the attempt a wild storm suddenly broke and scattered 
them m every direction, but later the Admiral got them together 
and started for the entrance to the harbor The blockading flo- 
tilla consisted of (*i.i;ht stone laden merchantmen. They were 
escorted by the gun})oats Akagi, Commander Fugimoto, the Choi- 
kai. Commander Iwamura; the second torpedo boat destroyer 
flotilla under Commander Shida, the third flotilla under Com- 
mander Tsuchiya, tlu^ fourth under Commander Nagai, the fifth 
under Commander Mano, the ninth under Commander A'aslmna, 
the tenth under Commander Otakiand, the fourteenth under Com- 
mander Sakurai. 

The attack exceeded all of its predecessors in the desperation 
and courage displayed by the volunteer fleet. 

Commander Hayashi, who was m command, boldly ran his 
merchant ships into the mouth of the harbor m the face of a 
terrific fire. The Pussians had fires burning at the harbor mouth 



ATTEMPT TO lioTTLK IMJSSIAX FLEET 329 

and also used ])o\verful search lights. Tlie\ poured an incessant 
lire into the channel. Lieutenant Sosa, who was m command of 
one of the stone hiden ships, forced lus \ essel into the channel, 
rammed his way through tlie ])ounis and reaclied the center of 
the inner entrance. Here he anchored his vessel and tlien blew 
it u}). It sank immediately. Six oth(*r stone ships advanced to 
the mouth of the harbor The Russian fire now became highly 
effect iv(^, and a numbcii' of suuken mines, struck by the vessels, 
began to explode These (^xi)losions caused heavy casualties 
among the Japanese Six of th(^ merchantmen were sunk inside the 
mouth of the harbor, some bv Kussian guns and tlu^ others by 
mmes. It was^ believed at the time that the channel had been 
complete! v blocked, but this proved not to l)e the case, although 
the passage of warshi])s was seriously interfered with for a long- 
time. 

In his report of this affair \^ic(^ Admiral Togo savs. ''This 
undertaking, when compared with the last two, resulted in greater 
casualties to our side. Owing to the mclemencv of tlie weather 
and the increased preparation for defense completed by the 
enemy, we could save none of the officers or crews of four of the 
merchant ships. It is regretted that nothing could be learned 
of their brave discharge of their duties, but the memory of their 
exemplary conduct will remain long in the imperial navv. The 
destroyer and torpedo boat flotillas, l»esides resisting the enemy, 
bravelv fought against wind and waves. The torpedo boat flo- 
tilla approached close to the mouth of the harbor and rescued 
more than half the men. 

'^Tlie third detachment, Eear Admiral Sewa commanding, 
reached Port Arthur at 6 o'clock the same morning. The first 
detachment, under Vice Admiral Togo and Rear Admiral Nashiha, 
arrived off Port Arthur at 9 m the morning for the purpose of 
protecting the destroyers and torpedo boat flotillas and to search 
for the crews of the sunken merchantmen. The vessels remained 
until late m the (^venmg, but their search was fruitless. The dav 



3;30 ATTEMPT TO BOTTLE RUSSIAN FLEET 

was foggy and it was Impossible to observe the condition of the 
enemy/' 

Two torpedo boats and one destroyer were badly damaged in 
this attempt to block the harbor. 

The officers and men in this daring enterprise were all volun- 
teers, and those that lost their lives went to their deaths as cheer- 
fully as if they had been embarking upon a pleasure excursion. 
Even the Russian reports of the affair contained glowing tributes 
to the daring and reckless bravery of the Japanese invaders, 
which probably is not excelled in the naval history of any nation. 



CHAPTER XXVI 
GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL MAKAROFF - 

Bussian Naval Commander at Fort Arthur Ooes to His Death on the Battleship 
Petropavlovsk, Which is Blown up by a Japanese Mine — Crew of 525 Men go 
Down and but 80 are Rescued — Verestchagin, the Great Russian War Painter, 
Also Perishes — Makaroff, Called **The Cossack of the Sea," One of the Most 
Dashing and Ablest Officers in Russian Navy — Mourned by Russia and Japan. 

THE most dramatic and the crowning tragedy of the long 
siege of Port Arthur was the gallant death of Vice Admiral 
Makaroff, who went down with his flagship, the Petropavlosvk, 
on the night of April 13. In the midst of a fierce battle at sea 
the Petropavlosvk, one of the first class battleships of the Russian 
navy, struck a mine planted in her sea path by Admiral Togo's 
squadron and sank with her crew of 525 men, of whom only eighty 
were rescued. 

Besides Vice Admiral Makaroff, whose body was almost blown 
to pieces and for a time lay weltering in its own blood on the deck 
of his flagship, Vasili Verestchagm, the famous Russian painter of 
war scenes, was also killed, and the Grand Duke Cyril seriously 
wounded. 

Tuesday night, April 12, Vice Admiral Makaroff took to sea 
with his entire squadron, includmg fourteen torpedo-boats. The 
next night, April 13, in the teeth of a gale, eight torpedo-boats 
were sent out to reconnoiter. From Golden Hill through the black- 
ness the searchlights of the fortifications could be seen flashing 
over the inky waters of the roadstead and far out to the hazy hori- 
zon. 

At 11 o'clock observers on Golden Hill heard firing at sea and 
counted seven shots, but could see nothing. At daybreak through 
the light haze to the southward, about five miles from shore, six 
torpedo-boats were seen strung out in line, and all firing. In the 

331 



:i:V2 (GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL MAKAROFF 

lead and ontstrii)i)ing tlio others was ?i boat hoadiiiii: at full speed 
directlN for the entrance of the harbor. The last in the line was 
])oelouded in steam and lagging. She had evidently been hit It 
was difficult to distinguish the Russian ships, but finally it was 
srvn tliat the leader and the laggard were both Russian and that 
the four others were Japanese 

The flash of the guns and the splash of the ]irojectiles as they 
struck the water sliowed the intensity of the c^onflict. 

Torpedo Destroyers in Terrific Fight. 

The torpedo-boat from which steam was esr*aping was firing 
viciously. The four center craft drew together, concentrating th<'ir 
fire upon her, but the crippled destroyer poured out her fire and 
was successfully keeping off her assailants. 

The signal station flashed the news to the men of the batteries 
that the vessel was the Strashni. 

Tlie unequal combat was observed with breathless interest, 
but th(* net di'ew close around the doomed l)oat. The four Jap- 
anese vessels formed a semicircle and poured m a deadlv fire. The 
steam from the Strashni grew denser, covering her like a white 
])alL Still she fought like a desperately wounded animal brought 
to bay 

Running straight for the adversaiy bannng her wav to safety 
she passed the Japanese astern and fired at them. 

At this stage Vice Admiral Makaroff, who had been observing 
the progress of the conflict through a telescope, signalled to the 
cruiser Bayan, lying in the inner harbor, to weigh anchor and 
go out to the rescue. 

The Japanese destroyers clung to their victim like hounds in a 
chase. Tliev had become se])arated, but again resumed their for- 
mation. 

Small jets of flame and smoke were spurting from the light 
rapid-firers, varied by denser clouds as torpedoes were discharged 
against the Strashni. 



GALLANT DEATH OF ADAllKAL iMAKAKOFJ^ 333 

Sinking of the Strashni. 

It was the end. The stricken boat loosed a final round, but it 
was as if a voJley had been fired over her own grave, for she dis- 
ai^peared beneath the wav(^s, only a little cloud of steam marking 
the place where she went down. 

Satisfied wiili what they liad accomplished, the Japanese tor- 
pedo-boats turned and made off at full speed, 1 olio wed by the 
Bayan. To their support came six of th(^ enemy's cruisers. Still 
the Bayan went on, seemingly invitmg certain destruction. She 
soon ported her helm to bring a broadside to bear upon the foe, 
advancing in hue of l^attle. She opened on some of them and 
turned quicklv and stood on into the hail of the enemy ^s broad- 
sides. The Japanese steamed at a slight angle, enabling all their 
guns to bear and projectiles rained around the Bayan, raising 
columns of water as they l)urst, but none stru(*k home. 

To tlu^ eastward suddenly appeared five more Russian torpedo- 
boats returning to the harbor under fovtH'd draught. Two of the 
Japanese eruiscas were immediatelv deta<*lied to cut them off, but 
the Bayan, notiemg tlie movement, checkmated it bv turning a 
hot fire upon them. The movement was effective. The Japanese 
cruisers slowed down and the torpedo-boats slii)ped through into 
the harbor. 

Admiral Makaroff Goes Out to Battle. 

Meantime, m accordance with A^ice Admiral Makaroff's order, 
the battle-ships and ciniisers in the inner harbor slipped anchor 
Majestically the Petropavlovsk, flving the admiral's flag, steamed 
through the entrance. On her appearance the more fonnidable 
enemy of Japanese cruisers turned and fled. The admiral signaled 
the Bavan to return. Then a stream of varicolored signal flags 
fluttered out ^' Bravo Bayan.'' 

By this time the entire Russian squadron was in the outer 
harbor Besides the Petropavlovsk there were the battle-ships 



334 GALIjANT death OF ADMIRAL MAKAROPF 

Peresviet, Poltava, Pobieda and Sevastopol, the cruisers Novik, 
Diana and Askold and the tori3edo-boats. The flags announcing 
the admirars approbation of the Bay an were hauled down and 
replaced by another signal. Immediately the torpedo-boats dashed 
ahead and the heavier ships began to spread out. 

Big Guns of Battle-ship Roar. 

Seeing the flight of the Japanese cruisers, the Petropavlovsk 
opened fire with her gi^eat guns, but the enemy were out of range 
and soon disappeared. 

The Russian squadron continued the chase, finally fading from 
view. 

In about an hour it came back in sight. Far beyond it, the 
number of points from which smoke arose announced the presence 
of the Japanese. Nearer and nearer came the vessels toward Port 
Arthur, and at last behind the Russian squadron came a fleet of 
fourteen, of which six were battle-ships and the remainder armored 
and unarmored cruisers flying the flag of the Rising Sun. 

Unable to get within effective range of Vice Admiral Makaroff 's 
ships, the Japanese stopped about eighteen versts (twelve miles) 
from shore. 

Russians Reach the Harbor. 

The Russian squadron, with the Patropavlovsk leading, arrived 
at the entrance to the harbor and drew up m line of battle. Another 
signal was floated from the flagship, and the torpedo-boats at once 
proceeded through the entrance into the inner harbor. Vice Ad- 
miral Makaroff was evidently unwilling to risk his vulnerable 
craft to the heavy projectiles of the enemy's armored ships. 

The obsein^ers on Golden Hill watched the Petropavlovsk as she 
steamed toward Electric Cliff. The frowning marine monster, 
whose guns were ever turning toward the enemy, was prepared to 
send huge messengers of death against him. 



GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL AL\KAROFF ^m 

All was quiet. It was the hush before a battle— the hush when 
every nerve is strained to get into impending danger. 

The Japanese ships were without movement, save that caused 
by the heaving sea. 

Petropavlovsk Blown Up. 

The Petropavlovsk was ahnost without headway when sud- 
denly she trembled. She seemed to rise out of tlie water, a t'^e- 
mendous explosion rent the air, then a second and then a third. 
Fragments flew in all directions and wreckage and men wcr<^ 
mixed up in a terrible mass. 

One could hardly realize the horror of it when the ship bc<>a.ii 
to list. In a moment the sea seemed to open and the water ruslied 
over her. The Petropavlovsk had disappeared. 

The floating' woodwork and the few men struggling in the water 
were all that was left to recall the splendid fighting machine which 
a few hours before had sailed out of the harbor 

The same shock experienced by the observers on Golden Hill 
paralyzed for a m.oment the men on the ships, but when it passed 
torpedo-boats and small boats hastened to the rescue of the sur- 
vivors. 

Eager to ascertain what had occurred on board the sunken 
ship, the watchers on Golden Hill ruslied to a landing where a 
small remnant of the gallant crew were being put ashore and con- 
veyed to a hospital. Signalman Pochkoff, who was slightly 
wounded, was able to give a remarkably clear statement of the 
disaster 

^^ We were returning to the harbor, the Petropavlovsk leading," 
he said. '^Some of our cruisers which had remained in the harl)or 
came out and steamed toward the enemy, firing sixteen shots nl 
him with their bow guns. They then retired. The enemy num- 
bered fourteen heavy ships, nearly all armored, while ours were 
nine. Against their armored cruisers we had only the Bayan. T 
stood in the wheelhouse on the bridge of the Petropavlovsk, look- 



336 (lALLANT DEATH OF ADMlKAJj MAKAR<JFF 

ing up the signal book. The admirars last signal had been Tor the 
torpedo-boats to enter the harbor. 

''The Petropavlovsk slowed speed and almost stood still. Sud- 
denly the ship shook violently. I heard a fearful explosion, imme- 
diately followed by anoth(*r and then another. They seemed to me 
to be directly under the l)ridge. T rushed to the door of the who(4- 
liouse, where I met an officer, probably a helmsman. I could not 
pass him and I si)rang- to the wmdow and jumped out. The slup 
was listing and I feared that every moment she would turn over 

Makaroff Dead on the Deck. 

^'On the bridge I saw an officer weltering in blood— it was our 
admiral— 2\lakaroff He lay face downward. I si)rang to him, 
grasped him by the shoulder and attempted to raise him. 

''The slup seemed to be falling somewhere. From all sides flew 
fragments. I heard the deafening screech and the frightful dm. 
The smoke rose in dense clouds and the flames seemed to leap 
toward the l)ridge where I was standing beside the admiral. I 
jumped on the rail and was w^ashed over, but succeeded m grab- 
bing something. 

^^On our ship was an old man with a beautiful white beard, 
who had been good to our men. He had a book in his hand and 
seemed to be writing, perhajDS sketching. He w^as Verestchagm, 
the painter.'^ 

The Petropavlovsk began to settle slowly bv the head, heeling 
far over to starboard, until her rail was under water, her bow 
disappeared and then the foremast sank, but the conning tower 
could still be seen. Then her smokestacks disappeared. They 
seemed to fall through the water and the sea began to engulf the 
mainmast. Her after turret, with its guns pointing skyward, 
quickly vanished; then her steni, with the port propeller still re- 
volving. Figures could be seen desperately clutching at the slip- 
peiy hull and tongues of flame. A last explosion and all was over. 
The flagship was no more. 



GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL ATAKAROFF 337 

Boats from the cruiser Gaydamalv liurrird to tho scoiie of tho 
disaster Jt was fifty minutes past 9 m tiio mornin.i;'- 

The Pobieda also struck a Japanese mine and sustained dam- 
ai;es, but was able to regam the harbor. 

The Russian Report. 

The text of Viceroy Alexieff's rei^ort to the Czar eonr^oniinf? 
the Petro})avlovsk disaster and the torp(^do-boat en.^a.i;onicnt wliieh 
preceded it is as follows: 

''I respectfully report to your i\rajesty that April 11 the wholo 
(^flective Sijuadron at Port Arthur sailed out six miles to the south- 
ward to maneuver and toward evening retunied to port. April 
]2 a flotilla of eight tor|3edo-boat destroyers were out to insp(^ct 
tlie islands, having received orders to attack tlie enemv shouhl he 
be encountered in the course of the night. 

^^ Owing to the darkness and a heavy ram three of the destroy- 
ers became separated from the flotilla and two of them returned to 
Port Arthur at dawn. The third, the Strashni, having, according 
to the evidence of her seamen, encountered several Japanese de- 
stroyers, took them in the darkness for Russian ships, and, giving 
the signal of recognition, joined them at dawn. She was recog- 
nized by the enemy and there was a fight at close quarters, in which 
her commander, midshipman and engineer and most of her crew 
were killed. Alaleitf, her lieutenant, although wounded, continued 
firing on the enemy. 

^'At dawn April 13 the cruiser Bavan went out, preceded bv 
destroyers, and hurried to the rescue. About sixteen miles from 
Port Arthur the Bayan saw the destroyer Straslmi engaged with 
four Japanese destroyers. Sliortly afterward an explosion oc- 
curred and the Straslmi sank. Driving off the enemv 's destrovers 
with her fire, the Bayan approached the scene of the fight, low- 
ered her boats and had time to save the remnant of the destrover's 
crew. Unfortunately only five men were swimming. Their lives 
were saved. 



338 llALLAN'r DEATH OF ADMITIAL MAKAROFF 

*^Tlie cruiser was oljUged to fight on her starboard side Avith 
SIX Japanese cruisers which came up. Having picked up her boats 
the Bayan regained the harbor, suffering no damage or loss, al- 
though covered with fragments of shells. 

^'Tlie cruiser Diana and five destroyers hastened to her succor 
and at the same time the other ciniisers, the battle-ships Petropav- 
lovsk and Poltava and some destroyers came out from the road- 
stead and the other battle-ships left the harbor in column forma- 
tion, with the Bayan at the head and the destroyers on the flank. 
Vi(*(» Admiral Makaroff proceeded to the scene of the fight, whither 
more Japanese destroyers and cruisers were going. 

''After a short fusillade at fifty cable lengths (1,000 vards) 
the ships drew off 

^^A squadron of nine Japanese battle-ships appeared at 8:40 
a. m. and our ships retired toward Port Arthur. In the roadstead 
they were joined by the battle-ships Pobieda, Peresviet and Sevas- 
topol, which were comin,^;' out through the channel. The squadron 
was drawn up in the following order: Askold, Bayan, Diana, 
Peti^opavlovsk, Peresviet, Pobieda, Novik, five destroyers and two 
torpedo cruisers. They turned toward the left, but when approach- 
ing the mouth of the channel the destroyers were signaled to re- 
turn to the harbor and the cruisers to proceed. Maneuvering, with 
the Petropavlovsk at its head, the squadron turned to the east, 
making toward the enemy on the right. 

^' At 9:43 a. m. an explosion occurred at the right side of the Pe- 
tropavlovsk; then a second and more violent explosion under her 
bridge. A thick column of greenish-yellow smoke was seen to 
rise from the battle-ship, her mast, funnel, bridge and tun^et were 
thrown up and the battle-ship heeled over on her starboard side. 
The Petropavlovsk was surrounded by flames and in two minutes 
sank bow first. 

^SSome of her crew escaped. The cruiser Gaydamak, which 
was a cable length away, lowered boats and succeeded in rescuing 
Grand Duke Cyril and forty-seven seamen. The destroyers and 
boats from the Poltava and Askold also picked up some of the 



GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL MAKAROFP 339 

Petropavlovsk ^s crew. Altogether seven officers and seventy-tlire(» 
men were saved. The Poltava, which was following the Petropav- 
lovsk two cable lengths astern, stopped her engines and remained 
on the scene of the disaster. 

^^At a signal from Rear Admiral Ouktomsky, the other war 
ships made for the entrance of the harbor, maneuvering toward the 
Peresviet m line. A mine exploded under the starboard side of 
the Pobieda. She listed, but proceeded and entered the harljor 
with all the other ships astern of her. The enemy remained in 
sight until 3 o'clock, and then disappeared. 

^^The night preceding the sortie of the squadron liglits and out- 
lines of ships were seen in the distance from the roadstea<l, and 
the commander of the fleet kept watch in person until dawn from 
the cruiser Diana, stationed in the outer roadstead. He left her at 
4 o'clock in the morning. 

*^In concluding^ I take the liberty to announce respectfully 
that despite the ill success which has attended the Pacific fleet 
the crews of the ships retain their morale and are ready to per- 
form all duties required of them. The gracious words of your 
Majesty addressed to the seamen at this painful hour of trial serve 
as a consolation and a support to all the force in their efforts to 
overcome the enemy, to the glory of their beloved sovereign and 
their country. Alexieff.^' 

The official report of Admiral Togo throws additional light on 
the details of the fight and enables the reader to view from the 
Japanese side. It is as follows: 

^^The fourth and the fifth destroyer flotillas, and the fourteenth 
torpedo flotilla, and the Keryo Maru reached the mouth of Port 
Arthur at midnight of the 12th and effected the laying of mines 
at several points outside of the port, defying the enemy's search- 
light. 

^'The second destroyer flotilla discovered at dawn of the 13th 
one Eussian destroyer trying to enter the harbor, and after ten 
minutes* attack sunk it. Another Russian destroyer was dis- 



340 (JALLAXT DEATH OF ADxMIRAL MAKAKOFF 

(H)vered coining from the (lire(*tion of Laotishan and was attacked, 
))ut it managed to tiee into the harbor On our side no casualties 
except two seamen on the Ikatsuchi shghlls' wounded. 

^' There was no time to rescue the enemy's drowned crews, as 
the Bayan approached. The third fleet reached outside of Port 
Arthur at 8 a. m.^ wlien tlie Bayan came out and 0])ened fire. Imme- 
diately afterward the Novik, Askold, Diana, Petropavhjvsk, Po- 
bieda and Poltava came out and made an ol'fensive attack 

^'Our third fleet, hardly answering and gradually retiring, 
enticed the enemy fifteen miles southeast of the port, when our 
lirst fleet, informed through wireless telegraphy from the third 
fleet, suddenly appeared before the enemv and attacked them. 

^' While the enemy was trying to regain the port a battleship 
of the Petropavlox sk type struck mines laid bv us the previous 
evening and sunk. Although another ship was observed to have 
lost freedom of movement, the confusion of the enemy's ships pre- 
vented us from identifvmg it. They finally managed to regain 
the port. 

''Our third fleet suffered no damage, and the enemy's damage 
beside above mentioned probably slight also. Our first fleet did 
not reach firing distance 

^'Our fleets retired at 1 p. m., prepared for another attack. 
They resailed Ai:)ril 14 toward Port Arthur. The second, the fourth 
and the fifth destroyer flotillas and the ninth torpedo flotilla also 
joined at 3 a. m. and 7 a. m. No enemy's ship was found outside 
of the |)Ort. Our first fleet arrived at the port at 9 a. m., and dis- 
covered tliree mines laid by the enemy, and destroyed all. 

^'The Kasagi and Nisshm were dispatched to the west of Lao- 
tishan, and made an indirect bombardment for two hours, it being 
their first action. The new forts on Laotishan were finally silenced. 
Our forces retired at 1:30 p. m.'' 

In concluding his report, Admiral Togo says: 

^ ' The fact that not a single man was seriously injured in these 
successive attacks must be attributed to his Majesty's glorious 



CJALLANT DEATH oF ADI\1 fRAL MAKARoFF {41 

virtue. The officers and men proved gallant and did their utmost 
m the discharge of their duties, des])ite nuiny tilings that seeuied 
beyond human control 

''The ships freely nn>vmg over tlu* (Miem> 's ground without 
suffering any damage must he attrihutcui to heavenly assistance/' 

Japanese Strategy and Daring. 

The success of the system of placing deadly counter-mines by 
the Japanese was due largely to a scries of careful observations 
made by the Japanese during their previous attacks on Port Ar- 
thur. The Japanese saw the Russian fleet leave the harbor and 
return to it several times, and they discovered that the Russian 
warships followed an identical course every time they came out 
or Avent in, evident! \^ for the purpose of avoiding their own mines. 

The Japanese took bearings on this course. When the de- 
stroyer divisions of the Japanese tori)edo flotilhi laid the counter- 
mines during the night of April V2-VI tliev placed them along this 
course. The laying of these counter-mines was exceedingly peril- 
ous, because if any Japanese boat with mines on board had been 
struck by a lucky Russian shot she would have been annihilated. 

The weather of the night of April 12-13 favored the work. There 
was a heavy rain, the night was dark and cloudv and the Russian 
searchlights playing over the channel failed to reveal the presence 
of the Japanese destroyers. 

Rear Admiral Dewa was in command of the Japanese squadron 
which decoyed the Russian ships over the field of mines. His 
squadron consisted of the cruisers Chitose, Yoshmo, Kasagi and 
Takasago, all unannored vessels, which presented a tempting bait 
for the heavier Russian ships. 

Vice Admiral Togo directed the flank attack. He had the bat- 
tle-ships Hatsuse, Mikasa, Asahi, Shikishima, Yashima and Fuji. 
He waited thirty miles out at sea until Rear Admiral Dewa sig- 
naled him by wireless telegraphy to come in. His vessels then 
dashed at full speed toward the entrance of the harbor. All the 



342 GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL MAKAROFF 

battle-sliips under Vice Admiral Togo are capable of a speed of 
eighteen knots and they quickly covered the distance. 

It is not clear what warned the Russians that they had been 
trapped, but they probably discerned the battle-ship squadron 
on the horizon and retreated precipitately to the harbor. Vice 
Admiral Togo did not succeed in preventing the Russians from 
entering, but did force them to a disastrous retreat, which ended 
in the destruction of the Petropavlovsk and the disabling of the 
Pobieda. 

Makaroff, the ''Cossack of the Sea." 

Vice Admiral Makaroff, the active commander of the Russian 
squadron, who lay dead on the deck as his flagship sank, was one 
of the most daring and popular officers in the Russian navy. He 
had already shown his high courage and fighting tactics in the 
toqjedo-boat fight which he commanded from the cruiser Novik. 

His ideas ran counter to those generally accepted by naval 
experts and strategists. One of his pet aversions was armor. The 
admiral was ever outspoken in his criticism of the heavy battle- 
ship, which he always had contended placed too many eggs in a sin- 
gle basket, and showed his partiality for a fleet composed of a large 
number of swift unannored cruisers armed with heavy guns and 
attended by an imlimited number of torpedo boats. The protected 
cruiser Novik, to which he transferred his flag in the attempt to 
rescue a torj^edo-boat destroyer, is practically without armor pro- 
tection. 

Admiral Makaroff's predilection for swift ships had earned 
him the sobriquet of the "Cossack of the Sea." 

He began his career with several gallant exploits during the 
Turko-Russian war, while commanding a steamer which he had 
rigged up as a torjjedo-boat, and played havoc with the sultan's 
flotilla in the Black Sea and Danube. 

Special honors were done his memory both in St. Petersburg 
and Tokio. In the former city a requiem mass was said for him, 
attended by the Czar and Czarina. The Admiralty Church was 





< 

Q. 

< 

li. 
O 

> 

I- 
z 

2 



? O P 



Z 
oc 

Id 
O 



o 
1-2 Is 



bo 



c .r ^^ 

— c< rt 5 

o isiso 

2 2 5^ 




WANDERING MUSICIANS PLAYING TO JAPANESE BEAUTY. 

In all the so-called holy cities of Japan are found wandering musicians, bound by 
^ows to follow this life of minstrelsy Their chief instruments are the flute and samisen, 
:and they helped to pass away the time of many a Japanese beauty whose husband or lover 
ivas at the front. 



GALLANT DEATH OF ADMIRAL ^TAKAROPF 845 

mied and 20,000 peoi)le stood outside with bared heads, and wept 
while the service was in progress. 

Japanese Honor Makaroff' s Memory. 

In Japan fnneral processions were organized in many cities 
and a day of abstinence was observed in the Japanese navy, just 
as if a Japanese hero had passed away. 

Speaking for the naval staff, Commander Ogasawara published 
a lengthy statement in which he lamented the death of the Rus- 
sian vice admiral and pronounced it to be a loss to the navies of 
the world. Commander Ogasawara reviewed the life, professional 
career and the personal attributes of Vice Admiral Makaroff and 
declared that he was entitled to be classed with the best admirals 
in the world. 

Verestchagin and the Spanish War. 

Vasili Verestchagin, the famous Russian artist, who perished 
with Vice Admiral Makaroff on the flagship Petropavlovsk, was 
the guest of the admiral and was engaged in securing subject mat- 
ter for a cycle of war studies. 

He was pre-eminent in the world of art. His incomparable 
genius and passionate realism gained him equal fame throughout 
Europe and America. Verestchagin came from a noble house of 
Russia. He was bom at Tehereporets, in Novgorod, in 1842, and 
graduated from the Russian Naval Academy when 17 years of 
age. He was a pupil of the famous Gerome at Pans for many 
years, and under the tuition of the latter developed the dominating 
ambition of his life, which was to become the delineator of the 
horrors of war. Verestchagin was a lover of peace, and hated war- 
fare, which he characterized as the ^^ reversal of Christianity.'^ 

He purposed to impress upon the peoples of earth the bar- 
barity of war through the medium of his realistic canvases, and 
thus to admonish them to peace. He served through the Russian 



nifi (;ali.a\t death of adaiiiial :\rAKAR()FF 

campai^ii with Kauffmau in 18(57, and through the Russo-Turkish 
(•onflict in 1878, and subsotjuently exhibited a cycle of twentv 
paintings depicting the principal engagements. His paintings of 
the Spanish-American struggle are familiar to the public in this 
country, the best remembered of them being *' The Charge of Roose- 
velt's Rough Riders Up San Juan Hill" and ''Lawton's Last 
Fidit " 



^to^ 



Sunk By a Submarine. 

The loss of the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk, with Ad- 
miral Makaroff, nearly all his staff and her crew of 700 men, will 
be memorable in history, not only because of the loss of life, but 
also, it IS now believed, because she was the first vessel to be 
destroyed by a submarine boat. 

Viewing the Port Arthur disaster as the result of a submarine 
attack everything is clear— the peculiar maneuvering of Admiral 
Togo's fleet, the seemmg stupidity of the Russians, the mjury to 
the Pobieda, the startling rapidity with which the Petropavlovsk 
sank and the belief of the Russians that their battleship had struck 
a mine. 

In the same engagement in which the Petropavlovsk was sunk 
the first-class battleship Pobieda was struck by some agency un- 
known to the Russians and disabled, her stern being almost blown 
off Her commander is one of those who holds to the theory of 
the Japanese submarine. He says he was in clear water at the 
time, and there were two explosions separated by onlv an instant 
of time. These almost keeled his vessel over. There were no 
contact mines near, and the fixed mines could not be set off except 
from the shore. There was not a Japanese torpedo boat within 
two miles of her on the surface. 

There were two shocks in the case of the Petropavlovsk as 
in that of the Pobieda. This is taken by the naval experts men- 
tioned to indicate concerted attack by two submarines or ex- 
tremely rapid firing by one. 



CHAPTER XXVII 
THE, JAPANESE, MARCH TO THE YALU 

In Eight Weeks the Mikado's Land Forces Sweep the Russians Out of Korea and 
Across the Yalu, Practically Holding all the Territory in Dispute at the Begin- 
ning of the War— One of the Most Marvellous Marches in History — Japanese 
Defeat Cossacks at Chong-Ju— General Kuropatkin in Command of the Rus- 
sian Forces. 

THE complete occupation of Korea by the Japanese army 
and the advance to the Yalu river, on the Manchurian side 
of which stream the first great battle of the war was fought, con- 
stitutes one of the greatest and most astonishing mihtary move- 
ments in the history of the world. 

Within eight weeks from the outbreak of the war the Japanese 
army landed at Chemulpo, Korea, marched west thirty-five miles 
to the capital, Seoul, established a military base there, swung to 
the left, marched 150 miles to Pingyang, fortified it and created 
a base, extended its lines from Pingyang to Gensan, pressed north 
to Chongju, where it encountered a Russian Cossack force and 
drove it out, and continued its march to Wiju, at the mouth of the 
Yalu Elver 

In the 300 mile inarch from Seoul to Wiju there were numer- 
ous small skirmishes with Russian scouts and outposts, but the 
Russians were not in force anywhere in Korea and hence there was 
no great battle on the peninsula. The most serious clash was at 
Chongju, where the Japanese completely routed the Russians. 

Although there was little fighting, the march across the Korean 
peninsula was a bitter hard one. At the beginning the roads wen* 
frozen and deep in snow, and later on they were knee deep in mud. 
Over such roads the Japanese army averaged six miles a day and 
carried its own provisions and dragged its artillery. 

Before any serious skirmishes were fought the command of 

347 



348 THE JAPANESE MARCH TO THE YALU 

the Russian land forces was intrusted to General Kuropatkin, for- 
mer minister of war, and a man of established military reputation. 
His first official report was of a considerable engagement at Chong 
Ju on March 28, in which the Russians lost heavily and were 
driven toward the Yalu. This engagement technically may be 
called the first battle of the war, as the number of troops- engaged 
would justify that designation. Cavalry and infantry on both 
sides were engaged. The Japanese fought gallantly, but were so 
exhausted that they were unable to follow up the retreating Rus- 
sians, who fell back in good order on Kasan. 

The battle came as the climax of three days of skirmishing 
between the outposts of the hostile armies confronting each other 
between the Yalu and Ping- Yang. 

The engagement was on the sixth anniversary of the Russian 
occupation of Port Arthur. The operations took the form of a 
cavalry attack by six companies of Cossacks, led personally by 
General Mishtchenko, against four squadrons of Japanese cavalry, 
which the general believed to be beyond Chong-Ju, but which he 
found to be in occupation of that town. 

Despite a cross-fire which General Mishtchenko cleverly di- 
rected against the enemy he pays a tribute to their tenacity and 
bravery, the Japanese only ceasing to fire after a combat which 
lasted for half and hour. Before the Russians could follow up 
their advantage three Japanese squadrons galloped toward the 
.town, which two of them succeeded in entering, while the third 
was driven back in disorder, men and horses falling. The fire 
maintained on the town was so destructive that the Japanese were 
unable to make an effective return. Further Japanese re-enforce- 
ments arrived an hour later and General Mishtchenko was forced 
to retire. 

Kuropatkin Tells of the Battle. 

General Kuropatkin's report to the Czar was as follows: 
'^I have the honor respectfully to communicate to your Ma- 
jesty the report of General Mishtchenko, dated March 28, at 10 



THE JAP.WESK MAU( IT TO THE VALfJ 349 

p. m., which says: 'Foi' three consecutive da^ s our small outposts 
attempted to draw the Japanese cavalry mto action, but their 
patrols, after contact was established, retired beyond Chong-Ju, 
ahout fifty miles northwest of Ping- Yang. 

'' 'Having learned that four squadrons of the enemy were 
posted five versts beyond Chong-Ju, on March 27, six companies 
marched toward Kasan and on ]\Iarch 28 reached Chong-Ju at 
10:30 a. m. As soon as our scouts approaclied the town the enemy 
opened fire from behind the wall. Two scpiadrons promptly dis- 
mounted and occupied the heights, (!0<J yards distant. An engage- 
ment ensued. 

'' 'In the town a company of infantry and a scfuadron of cav- 
aliy weie lying in ambush. Our men were re-enforced by three 
companies and attacked the Japanese with a cross fire. Notwith- 
standing this and our commanding position the Japanese gallantly 
held their ground, and it was only after a fierce fight of half an 
hour's duration that the Japanese ceased fire and sought refuge in 
the houses. The Japanese hoisted the Red ( ^oss flag at two points. 

'^ 'Soon afterward three squadrons of the enemy were seen 
advancing along the Kasan road at full gallop toward the town, 
which two of the squadrons succeeded m entering, while the third 
fell ])ack m disorder under repeated volleys from our troops. A 
number of men and horses were seen to fall. 

'' 'For an hour afterward our companies continued to fire on 
the Japanese m the town, preventing them from leaving the streets 
and houses. 

" 'An hour and a lialf after the beginning of the engagement 
four companies were seen on the Kasan road hastening to attack. 
I gave the order to mount, and the entire force, with a covering 
S(inadron, advanced in perfect order and formed in line behind 
the hill. The wounded were placed m front and the retirement 
was carried out with the deliberation of a parade. 

'^ 'The Japanese squadron which was thrown into disorder 
was evidently unable to occupy the hill which we had just evacu- 
ated, and their infantry arrived too late. 



350 'riiK jAPA\i:sE mar(;h To the vaij; 

'' 'Tlie detaclimeiit proteetiiig our rear guard arrived (juietly 
at Kasan, Avlieii^ we baited for two hours m order to give atten- 
tion to our wounded. At 9 p. m. our force reached Noo-San. 

"' 'It is supposed that the Japanese had heavy losses in men 
and horses. On our side, unfortunately, three officers were severe- 
ly wounded— Stepanoff and Androoko in the cliest and Vasele- 
vitcli m the stomach. Schihiikon was less seriously wounded in 
the arm, but did not leave tlie field. Three Cossacks were killed 
and twelve were wounded, including five seriously.' 

"General Mishtchenko bears witness to the excellent conduct 
and gallantry of the officers and Cossacks, and especially praised 
the Third company of the Argunsk regiment, commanded by Kras- 
nostanoif . Kuropatkin. ' ' 

Chong-Ju, because of its superior natural surroundings, was 
the strongest j)lace between Pmg-Yang and Wiju. Besides these 
natural advantages there was an old Korean fort there, which, 
had it been defended with spirit, would have been hard to take. 
The Japanese were gratified at the comparative ease with which 
they drove the Eussians from this fort* 

On April 4 the Japanese army reached Wiju, at the mouth of 
the Yalu River, and found the town deserted by the 2,0( )0 Russian 
troops which had occupied it. The occupation of AViju gave the 
Japanese undisputed possession of the port of Yangampo at the 
mouth of the Yalu, which enabled them to force a passage of the 
river, under protection of the navy. 

Japan, by this movement, compassed one of the most remark- 
able achievements m modern political history. She practically 
swept Russia clear out of the whole of Korea without anything 
that could be called a blow. From the northern frontier, on the 
wide estuary of the Yalu, to the straits looking across to the island 
empire itself, 600 miles away, the Hermit Kingdom was m its 
hands from end to end. 

Never had Xemesis marched more swiftly upon the retreating 
track of a fatal diplomacy. Within eight weeks from the opening 



THE JAPANESE MARCH TQ THE YALU *i5l 

of the war Russia had lost the very object for whicH she made war 
The anny concentrated at Wiju was under command of Gen- 
eral T. Kuroki, a veteran of the (limese war, and roughly stated, 
contained 55,000 infantry, 4,500 cavalry, 3,600 artillery with 180 
guns, 3,000 engineers, miners and sappers, and about 3,000 men 
in the transport service. In all, the force comi^rised between 75,000 
and 80,000 troops and 1^5,000 horses. 

The actual crossing of the Yalu and the invasion of Manchuria 
was not effected until April 27. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
THE BATTLE OF THE YALU 

First Great Battle of the War Fought on Manchurian Soil — Japanese Cross the 
River on Pontoons under a Heavy Fire and then by an Artillery Attack Cap- 
ture the Heights Held by the Russians — Flotilla of Gunboats Aid the Japanese 
Commander — Japanese Bodies Lay in Heaps at the River Ford — Russian Losses 
Heavy — Retreat Toward Fengwangcheng. 

THE first great land battle of the war was fought on Sunday, 
May 1, at a place called Chintiencheng, not far from Wiju, 
but the engagement y\ ill always be popularly known as the battle 
of the Yalu. 

The result of the battle was a brilliant victoiy for Japanese 
aiTiis, The Russians were routed and driven back on their second 
line of intrenchments at Fenghuancheng' The first reports were 
that a force of 16,000 Japanese had surprised and defeated a force 
of 30,000 Russians, but the facts were that the figures were re- 
versed. There was no surprise, for the Russian scouts were in 
constant touch with the Japanese forces. 

Before entering upon a description of this memorable battle it 
will be well to follow the movements of General Kuroki's anny 
from the time it began to cross the Yalu. 

A portion of the Japanese Imperial guards attacked the Rus- 
sians at Kurito island on April 26, and to enable the bridging of 
the Yalu to be carried out the island was occupied. A part of 
the second division also occupied Kinteito island and the Russians 
retreated towards Kiulenjo. 

The Japanese casualties were nine severely and sixteen slightly 
wounded, belonging to the guards, and one belonging to the second 
division. 

One man severely wounded, belonging to the Twenty-second 
Siberian regiment of sharpshooters, Avas caj)tured. According to 

352 



BATTLE OF THE YALU 353 

his statement the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth regiments of 
Sibeiian sharpshooters were also in the vicinity under command of 
Maj. Gen. Turspff. Each regiment had two battalions of infantrjr 
and 142 mounted scouts, with eight guns. 

During these movements on the islands the Bussians opened fire 
on the Japanese with eight 9M> centimeter (about 3V^ inch) guns 
from a hill behind Chintiencheng and two Hotchkiss guns which 
were mounted on the banks of the river at Kosan, where the Rus- 
sians seemed to have established their headquarters. The Japa- 
nese later took the Hotchkiss guns. 

One battery of Japanese artillery which had taken a position 
on a hilbto the east of Wiju fired three volleys at Kosan, where the 
Russian staff was located, and at noon of Tuesday the Russian bat- 
teries behind Chintiencheng shelled Wiju, wounding one Japanese 
soldier with shrapnel. 

On Wednesday the Russians resumed the bombardment of 
Wiju, firing at intervals throughout the day. The Japanese artil- 
lery did not respond to this fire. General Kuroki received reports 
to the effect that the Russians were fortifying the heights on the 
right bank of the Ai river. Those defenses were declared to extend 
from Chintiencheng through the village of Makou to Koshoki, a 
distance of three and a quarter miles. 

Subsequently the body of Colonel Seminoff, the head of the 
Twenty-second regiment of scouts. Was found opposite Kurito and 
was interred within Wiju castle. The Japanese found ninety-five 
dead and six unwounded Russian horses upon the field. 

The Russians resumed their bombardment on Thursday, but it 
was generally ineffective. Subsequently General Kuroki ordered 
two companies of the Imperial guards to cross the Yalu and make 
a reconnoissance along the left bank of the Ai. 

The Japanese force advanced toward Kosan and then dis« 
patched a small detachment to the village, where a party of Rus- 
sians was encountered. 

In the engagement which followed .five Russians were killed. 
The Bussians shelled the reconuoitering party from an emplace- 



:\:a battle of the yalu 

iiient in the hills in the southeast part of Yoshoko. This fire was 
Avithout effect. 

The Knssiau artillery on the hill behind Chintiencheng, firing 
at a high angle, oi)oned on Wiju, the island of Kurito, and Seikodo, 
to the south of Wiju, where some Ja])anese batteries had taken 
l)Osition. This firing- continued into Thnrsday night, and while it 
was ineffective, it disturbed Kuroki^s preparations for an attack. 
The Kussians resumed the shelling of Wiju on Friday, but the Jap- 
anese* guns did not re^ilv. 

The twcirth division of the Japanese ann\ was cliosen to make 
the first crossing of the Yalu. It began its preparations on Fridav 
by driving the Russians from their position on the bank of the 
river opposite Suikochin, which is eight miles above Wiju, and the 
point selected for the crossing. This division constructed a pon- 
toon bridge over the river, and at 3 o'clock Saturday morning it 
began crossing 

The entire division passed over the river during the dav, and 
by 6 o'clock Saturday evening it was m the position assigned to it 
for the battle of Sunday 

The movement of the twelfth Japanese divisipn was covered 
by the Second regiment of field artillery and another artillery regi- 
ment of heavy guns. 

At twenty minutes to 11 o'clock Saturday morning the Russian 
artillerv posted to the north and to the east of Chintiencheng be- 
gan shelling the patrols of Japanese infantry which had been dis- 
patched from Kinteito island to Chukodai, another island north of 
Kintieto and under Chintiencheng. The Japanese batteries replied 
to this shelling and silenced the Russian fire. Later eight Russian 
guns posted on a hill to the east of the village of Makao opened 
upon the Imperial guards. To this shelling the Japanese artilloiv 
to the east of Wiju responded, and the Russians ceased firing. 

Then both the Chintiencheng and the Makao batteries rcopen^Ml 
and this fire brought a vigorous respouse from the chain of Jn])- 
:!nese batteries on the Korean side of the river The Russian guns 
ilred for two hours before they were silenced. The Japanese losses 



BATTLE OF THE YALr 855 

in the bombardments of Saturday were two men killed and fiv(» 
officers and twenty-two men wounded. 

A flotilla of gunboats from the s(iuadron of Admiral Hosoya 
participated m the fighting of Saturday It encountered a mixed 
force of Russian infantry, cavalry and artillery on the Manchurian 
bank of the Yalu below Antung, and, alter a sharp fight, scattered 
them to the hills. 

A bridge across the main stream* of the Valu just above AViju 
was completed at S o'clock Saturday night and the second Japa- 
nese division and the Imperial guards immediately began crossing. 
They advanced and occupied the hills back of Kosan, facim>' tlic 
Russian position on the right bank of the river. All through 
Saturday night regiment after regiment of Japanese soldiers 
poured across the bridge, and at a late hour Saturday night Gen- 
eral Kuroki telegraphed to the general staff' of the armv: 

''I will attack the enemy on May 1 at dawn.'' 

True to his promise an artillery attack began all along the line 
at dawn. At 7 o'clock the Russian batter}^ at Yoshoko was silenced 
and was made the point of the first attack by the twelfth division, 
under General Inouye. 

A little stream, the Ai Ho, ran between the Japanese and Rus- 
sian lines. The Japs crossed this at fifteen minutes past 8 and 
began storming the Russian heights. The severest fighting, around 
Hamatan, lasted only until 9 o'clock, when the Russians had been 
swept from their lines back across the plateau behind them. 

Even though an attacking force numbers 3 or 4 to 1 it is des- 
perate and difficult work to cany intrenchments, but the fighting 
quality of the Japanese was such that at the word of command 
they charged across the Ai Ho river, wading the stream breast 
deep, and charged up the heights in the face of a Russian fire. 

The Russians were commanded by General Zassalitch, whose 
report of the battle was veiy comprehensive and is as follows 

^^The Twelfth and Twenty-second regiments and the Second 
and Third batteries of the Sixth brigade of artillerj^ were engaged 



35(j l.ATTLE OF THE YALr; 

in the battle, Avliieli began with heavy cannonading of our right 
flank by siege gnns at Wijn and fiekl batteries in the distance. 

^^ After a lull the fighting was resumed with extraordinary vio- 
lence against the left flank of our mam position at Turenchen and 
our position at Potietinsky. A fusillade was also begun by small 
parties of Japanese across the Ai Ho river. 

^^The situation of the defenders' position became increasin.i;']y 
difficult, especially at Potietinsky, which was bombarded on the 
front and on both flanks. 

^'Thirty Japanese guns were pitted against our battery at Po- 
tietinsky, which, aftr^r having silenced the enemy's mountain bat- 
tery, directed its fire on the Japanese infantry and sustained few 
losses so long as it was not obliged to take up another position, 
■ owing to the withdrawal of our infantry from the bank. 

^^The Japanese under our fire made continual attacks with 
fresh troops, but without having recourse to the bayonet. 

'^Japanese bodies lay in heaps at the river fords. 

^* Simultaneously with the attack at Potietinsky an attack was 
being made on our left flank at Turenchen and the Kussian trenches 
had to be abandoned under the Japanese enfilading fire. Our re- 
sei'\^es several times mingled with the first line, thus enabling it 
for a long time to maintain its position. 

Turn Russian Flank. 

^^ Finally all of the supports were brought up into the firing 
line, but owing to the great distance from our main reserves it was 
impossible for them to reach the advanced force in time and our 
men retired from the principal position to another position in the 
rear of Tuenchen, followed by the concentrated fire of the Japa- 
nese, who could not make up their minds to descend from the crest 
they occupied and face the fire of our batteries at Poulemetts. 
They dug frosh trenches and opened a heavy artillery fire on our 
new position and began to tuna our left flank toward Chin-Gow 

^'Two battalions of the Eleventh regiment and the Third bat- 
tery of the Third brigade of artillen^, belonging to the main re- 



BATTLE OF THE YALU 357 

serve, were ordered to Lao-Fun-Hou. They occupied a position 
with a double firing-line, thus permitting our advanced line, which 
had suffered heavily, and our wounded, to retire. 

**A battalion of the Eleventh regiment, both flanks of which 
were repeatedly turned by the enemy, advanced with fixed bayo- 
nets, preceded by buglers, to clear a passage. The Japanese, how- 
ever, declined a hand-to-hand conflict and recoiled. 

"In front of the,regiment a chaplain bearing a cross was struck 
by two bullets. 

"It was only by advancing on the Japanese with the bayonet 
that the Seventh regiment was able to retire. 

"On the arrival of the battalion of the Tenth regiment all the 
troops were able to beat a retreat. 

"The losses of the Eleventh and Twelfth regiments were very 
great. In the Eleventh the killed included. Colonel Laming and 
Lieutenant Colonels Dometti and Eaievski. The Twelfth lost nine 
company commanders, killed or wounded. 

"The second and third batteries of the Sixth brigade, having 
lost the greater nu^jiber of their men and horses, were compelled 
to abandon their guns after rendering them useless. For the same 
reason six guns of the Third battery of the Third brigade of artil- 
lery and eight poulemetts which could not be brought away, were 
also disabled. The mountainous nature of the country made it 
impossible to save the guns by means of drag ropes. 

"The transportation of the wounded by hired Chinese bearers 
to Fengwangaheng was very difficult. Two wheeled carts and 
horses lent by the cavalry were also utilized for this purpose. 
Most of the wounded, however, arrived on foot, assisted by their 
comrades, and reached Fengwangcheng within twenty-four 
hours." 

General Zassalitch's force consisted of five regiments and fiv6 
batteries, but, according to the information at hand, one regiment 
and two batteries stationed at Shakhevze were not engaged, the 
Japanese not attacking that point. 

The wounded priest to whom General Zassalitch refers in his 



358 BATTLE OF THE YALU 

report was one of the heroes of the day. The Japanese succeeded 
in flanking two Kussian battalions on both sides and enveloping 
them in the rear. The latter with music playing a martial air and 
with fixed bayonet, a priest holding aloft a cross, charged and 
broke through the Japanese lines. It was the most heroic incident 
of the bloody day. The priest fell among the wounded but was 
carried along by the escaping troops. 

During the retreat a body of Kussian infantry 2,000 strong 
occupying a hill near Tengshanghong, mistook a detachment of 
their own infantry, about 200 strong, which was retiring, for 
Japanese troops, and fought among themselves. 

In the fightmg which followed 110 were killed and 70 wounded, 
and the KuSsian carts were stampeded, leaving their loads of stores 
behind. According to the story told by a captured Eussian officer, 
who participated in the battle, only five or six battalions of Eus- 
sian infantry and two battalions of artillery were able to retire in 
order. The other troops ran away in a state of entire confusion. 

The Eussians retreated toward Fengwangcheng pursued by 
the Japanese. A force of the latter, however, were too eager to fall 
upon the retreating foe, were unexpectedly attacked and the 
killed and wounded numbered about 300. 



CHAPTER XXIX 
PORT ARTHUR CUT OFF BY LAND 

Russians Abandon Fengwangcheng and Make a Stand at Klnchou — Key to the 
Russian Situation in Nanshan Hill which Is Strongly Fortified — Japanese Storm 
the Hill Nine Times in the Face of a Deadly Fire which Wipes Out Entire 
Companies — One of the Most Desperate Charges in the History of Warfare — 
Japanese Cut Railway Line to Port Arthur. 

AFTER the battle of the Yalu, the first objective point of the 
Japanese invading army as it later developed was Kinchoii, 
on the line of railway connecting Port Arthur with the main stem 
of the Trans-Siberian railway. By taking Kinchou they would 
effectually cut off communication with Port Arthur bv land, and 
with Togo guarding the sea entrance the investment of the Russian 
naval stronghold would be complete. In addition to tins Kinchou 
could be made an army base from which the Japanese land forces 
could operate southward against Port Arthur and northward 
against Liao Yang, General Kuropatkin's headquarters. The 
naval base would be Port Dalny on Talienwan Bay. 

The retreating Russians fell back from the Yalu to Fengwang- 
cheng where they were strongly intrenched. It was generally be- 
lieved that General Kuropatkm, the Russian commander-in-chief, 
would make a stand at Fengwangcheng and endeavor to check 
the Japanese advance. To the great surprise of evorvone, however, 
as soon as the Japanese vanguard came in touch with his rear 
guard he ordered a retreat westward. From the Yalu to Feng- 
wangcheng there was considerable skirmishing with losses on 
both sides, but nothing that approximated a real battle. 

General Kuropatkin had selected Kinchou as the place to make 
his decisive stand, and his ground was well chosen. Aside from 
the strong fortifications the nature of the ground favored the Rus- 
sians as they were in command of all the hills and heights and 

359 



360 PORT AKTHtin CUT OFF BY LAND 

were well supplied with artillery. The battle which took place 
there was one of the bloodiest and most desperate of the entire 
war and displayed the real valor of the Jap as a fighting man. The 
, charge of the Japanese up Nanshan hill was one of the most thrill- 
ing and daring assaults ever made by an army and could only have 
been made by men who were without the sense of fear. 

The Russians had made elaborate preparations to check the 
Japanese movement south on the Liao-Tong peninsula toward Port 
Arthur. They had fortified the high ground on the south shore of 
Talienwan bay, their works extending to the east and the west. 
The extreme Russian right was at Hushangtao and the extreme 
left at Nanshan hill. 

This hill was the strongest part of the line. A series of bat- 
teries, strongly emplaced, crowned its crest, while rifle pits ex- 
tended around its sides. Mines had been placed lower down on this 
hill and around the base on the northern and eastern sides were 
stretched well-made wire entanglements. 

Another line of defenses, also protected with wire entangle- 
ments, extended from Yen-Chia-Tung, near the head of TalienwaUj 
bay, due north of Liu-Chia-Tien, which lies south of Kinchou. A 
strong Russian force was posted at Kinchou. It consisted of in- 
fantry and artillery. 

Japs Attack in Right Angle. 

The Japanese first occupied the line of hills to the east of Kin- 
chou. Their positions had formed an almost perfect right angle, 
showing its southern front to Talienwan and its western front to 
Kinchou. Chiu-Li-Chan village was the apex of this angle. The 
extreme right of the Japanese Imes rested at Chen-Cha-Tien, which 
is almost due north of Chiu-Li-Chan, while the extreme left was at 
Chaitsuho, a village due east of Chiu-Li-Chan. Back of this angle 
the attacking force assembled in complete security. 

The Russians apparently attempted to draw the Japanese at- 
tack four days previous to the battle, for their batteries opened 
fire slowly on the enemy that day. The Japanese, however, refused 




FRIENDLY, THOUGH FOES. 

The Japanese Soldier Giving Food and a ** Smoke" to the Wounded 
' * One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ' ' 



Russian^ 




RUSSIAN AMBULANCE TRAIN. 
The **Red Cross'' Nurses Ministering to the Wounded and Suffering. 



PORT ARTlIUli CUT OFF BY LAND 363 

to be drawn until the positions of the Eussians, their guns and 
their strength had been fully developed. 

Learn Size of Russian Cannon. 

To this end the Japanese began a series of careful reconnois- 
sances, their officers working their way close enough to the Russian 
position to draw the enemy's fire. They thus se<nired fragments 
of shells for the purpose of ascertaining the caliber of the Russian 
guns. They discovered that the batteries on Nanshan hill mcluded 
four howitzers of about 15 centimeters caliber, ten old-st\ 1e cannon 
of between 9 and 15 centimeters caliber and two (|uick-firing guns 
of 12 centimeters. 

The Japanese discovered also a number of large implacements, 
but they did not learn the number of guns contained therein. Theso 
implacements faced to the north and to the east. 

The guns fired by the Russians developed a range of 8,500 
meters. Eight heavy guns posted on the Russian right in the 
vicinity of Hushangtao also were discovered and another strong 
Russian position developed by these reconnoissances was on an- 
other hill southwest of Nanshan hill, where the Russians had a 
series of shelter trenches. 

On the shore of Talienwan bav, close to the head of the bav, 
the Russians had established a series of positions. Here weie set 
up the searchlights which nightlv played over the Jajianese angle 
in the hills to the northeast. 

Find Fatal Defect in Russian Line. 

Further Japanese reconnoissances developed the fact that west 
of Liu-Chia-Tien the Russians had no defenses. Extending to the 
northward from Yen-Chia-Tien to the west coast of the Liao-Tong 
penmsula there were no defenses whatever, except the force posted 
at Kinchou. This gap m the defense was a fatal defect in the 
Russian position, and when it was perceived the Japanese ex- 
tended their right to the north and east, enveloping Kinchou and 
the Russian extreme right. 



3tU 1M)RT ARTITUK CUT OPP BY LAND 

The Japanese left also was extended to Wang-Chia-Tung, on 
the shore of Talienwan bay, and the center moved forward. 

Wednesday nioraing, May 26, at 5:;»() o^4ock, the Japanese at- 
tacked Kinchou and for three hours they had an artillery duel with 
the batteries on Nanshan hill. The Russian gunners searched tlie 
Japanese lines with their fire, but failed to inflict much damage. 

The battle was resumed at dawn Thursday, Japanese gunboats 
then entered Kinchou bay and in co-operation with the artillery on 
shore shelled the Russian i)Ositions. 

A Russian gunboat in Talienwan bay steamed close to the shore 
and shelled the Japanese left. From dawn the batteries on l)otli 
sides hammered away at each other 

At an early hour the Japani^so infantrv moved forward, and at 
5.20 o^clock Thursday moramg the troops entered Kinchou, the 
Russians retiring to the south. 

The ffghting continued into Thuisday night, the Japanese 
pressmg to the south and storming Nanshan hill. Thev followed 
the retreating Russians through the southern hills. 

The details of the fighting' at Kinchou emphasize the heroic 
tenacity of the Japanese in tlieir (conduct at Nanshan hill. Nine 
successive times the Japanese charged the fortified heights in the 
face of a stoiin of death-doaling missiles and in their last effort 
they carried the forts and trenches only after a bavonet-to-bayonet 
conflict with the Russians, who made a desperate, despairing strug- 
gle to beat back the oncoming hordes of assailants. The final 
assault of the Japanese, in which they succeeded m taking posses- 
sion, was marked by the most desperate hand to hand encounter 
that has thus far characterized the war. The Japanese left 
throughout the entire action until night was exposed to an enfilad- 
ing* fire from the Russian infantiy, a gunboat on Talienwan bay 
and four 9-centimeter guns posted at Tafengcheng. 

At a critical moment the ammunition of the artillery ran low 
and it was decided to cast the remaining ammunition into one final 
desperate assault. Fortunately, however, at the moment this de- 
cision was reached th(^ Japanese squadron in Kinchou bay, which 



VOUT AIITIIUR (JUT OFF BY LAND 305 

Iiad ceased bombarding when the infantry had first rushed J'or- 
Tvard, suddenly resumed the shelling of Nanshan hill. 

Then it was that the issues of the day were detcnnined— at a 
moment when the outcome was fluttering between success and de- 
feat for Japan. At that moment was an almost certain repulse 
converted into victory, so successful that the forces of the czar 
were swept into confusion and disorderly retr:^at. 

With every Japanese gun centering its fire upon the Nanshan 
forts and trenches the Japanese infantry sprang over the bodies of 
their dead comrades who had sacrificed their lives m the previous 
fruitless charges. 

Rush Through the Breach. 

The entire line rushed foi^ard toward the Russian left, where 
the fire of the Japanese squadron had proved most deadlv and 
which was the first to weaken under the death-dealing bombard- 
ment, and it was there that the first breach was made in the human 
wall that all day had been an invincible barrier to the impetuous 
assaults of the brown men. 

It was the fourth division of the Osaka men that stonned the 
Russian left. It had once been said that Osaka men were not 
brave. It will never be said again. 

The first division of Tokio, whicli had the center, and the third 
di\ ision of Nagoya, occupying the left and which had been exposed 
all day to the Russian fire against the front flank, now followed the 
example of the Osaka men and nished forward, and the battle be- 
came transfomied from an artillery duel into one of personal con- 
flict, with the bayonet as the instrument of warfare. 

Victory Crowns Last Charge. 

On every parapet the restless, death-defying Japanese surged 
forward in increasing numbers and, hustling the Russians from 
their intrenchments, swept over the hill. 

At 7:30 o'clock, as the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, 
the flag of the land of the rising sun floated above the blood-sodden 



366 PORT ARTHUR CUT OFF BY LAND 

Nanshan hill, while the shouts of "Banzai!" swelled from hill to 
hill and re-echoed from squadron to fort. 

The Japanese paid for their victory with 3,500 killed and 
wounded. To the Russians the humiliation of defeat was intensi- 
fied by the loss of sixty-eight cannon and ten machine guns, while 
lying dead in the forts and trenches were 500 men, the victims of 
the accuracy of Japanese long-distance marksmanship and of 
close-range fighting. 

It was in the desperate infantry charges that the Japanese sus- 
tained the bulk of their losses. In the earlier rushes of the engage- 
ment every Japanese soldier participating was shot down before 
he reached the first line of Russian trenches. 

It was found necessary to stop these infantry charges and 
renew the artillery fire from the rear before the final and successful 
assault on the Russian position could be made. The success of this 
assault was brought about by one detachment of Japanese troops, 
more intrepid than their comrades, who succeeded in piercing the 
Russian line. 

A stroke of fortune for the attack was the discovery and de- 
struction by the Japanese of the electric wires leading to the mines 
at the eastern foot of Nanshan hill. This prevented the Russians 
from exploding these mines when the Japanese infantry crossed 
the ground where they had been placed. It is possible that the 
fortune of the day hinged on these mines. If the Russians had 
been able to explode them at the right time the losses among the 
Japanese troops would have been tremendous and it is possible 
that the Russians would have been able to hold the hill. 

Nanshan was splendidly defended. Nearly fifty guns of various 
sizes were mounted on the various emplacements and there were 
also two batteries of quick-firing field pieces. 

A force of Russians held Sanchilipu station, which is northwest 
of Dalny, but the Japanese drove them out. The Russians aban- 
doned and burned the station and retired in the direction of Port 
Arthur. 

The estimates of the Russians engaged in the defense of Kin- 



PORT ARTHUR CUT OFF BY LAND 367 

chou, Nanshan hill and the south shore of Talienwan bay vary, but 
it is evident that the Eussians drew men from the forces at Port 
Arthur and offered all the resistance possible. 

It is understood that Lieutenant General Stoessel, commander 
of the military forces at Port Arthur, was in personal command of 
the Russian operations at Kinchou. 

The Japanese squadron, which was assigned to co-operate in 
the attack of the second army on Kinchou and Nanshan hill, was 
composed of the gunboats Thukishi, Abagi, Heiyen and Chokai 
and the first torpedo-boat flotilla. It entered Kinchou bay Wednes- 
day. A heavy sea prevented its participation in the fighting of 
that day. The weather cleared Thursday morning, however, and 
in spite of the shallowness of the water the squadron steamed close 
to shore and bombarded the Russian batteries. 

Early in the action a shell passed over the forward deck of the 
Chokai, killing a lieutenant and two petty officers and wounding 
two men. 

The torpedo-boat flotilla shelled the railroad near the Shaos 
river. The torpedo-boats took soundings and guided the larger 
ships. The squadron advanced with the Japanese right flank and 
aided in covering it. Later in the day the falling tide compelled 
the withdrawal of the larger warships. 

Captain Hayashi, commander of the Chokai, was killed by the 
explosion of a shell near one of the ship's guns. Four other men 
were wounded. The vessels themselves were not damaged. 

The Japanese in attacking Kinchou and Nanshan hill had to 
fight against great odds. The Russians were in full command of 
the strategical advantages afforded by nature and these advan- 
tages were augmented by the newest inventions for defense. The 
forts on Nanshan hill were armed with heavy guns. The Japanese 
had only field guns, heavy guns being unavailable on account of 
the difficulties of transportation. 

The Japanese army deserved great credit for having driven 
the Russians from this stronghold; it was a feat previously con- 
sidered to have been impossible. 



:j(i<s PORT ARTHUR (JUT OFF BY LAND 

By their great battle and the capture of Kinchou and the forts 
around the city the Japanese opened a free passageway to Dalny 
and Port Arthur, though at the cost of thousands of soldiers, for 
the battle was most deadly for the Japanese as well as for the 
Kussians. 

The battle of Kiiu hou marked the actual begmning of the siege 
of Port Arthur, and enabled the Japanese to concentrate all the 
land forces not needed for the siege agamst the main Russian 
army. Thus it was that while Nogi with a besieging anny fought 
his way south, taking tovm after town and fort after fort until his 
men came into hand-to-hand conflict with the Russians in the last 
fort at Port Arthur, three armies under Kuroki, Oku and Nodzu 
fought the brilliant series of victories ending with the drawn battle 
at the Sha river. 

Kinchou was the Gordian knot, so to speak, that bound Port 
Arthur to Russia, and when it was cut the Russian campaign re- 
ceived its most vital blow. The capture of the commercial city of 
Dalny, which followed soon after, gave the Japanese a most desir- 
able port and greatly aided their transport service both m men 
and supplies. 



CHAPTELR XXX 

DEFEAT OF STAKELBERG'S RELIEF 

E.XPEDITION 

General Kuropatkin Sends an Army Corps under General Stakelberg to the Relief 
of Port Arthur — Description of the Battles of Vafangow and Telissu in which 
the Russian Forces Are Cut to Pieces and Flee Northward to Rejoin the Main 
Army Under General Kuropatkin — Japanese Are Left Free to Attack Port 
Arthur by Land. 

THREE days after the battle of Kincliou and Nanslian hill, 
which cut off Port Arthur, the Japanese occupied the com- 
mercial city and port of Dalnv, which gave them a naval basis 
from which to land fresh troops and supi^lies for the victorious 
armies. 

The Japanese were now in a position to march on Port Arthur 
and assault it from the rear, while Admiral Togo attacked by sea. 
The critical position of Port Arthur was such that General Kuro- 
patkin dispatched an entire Russian cori)s under command of 
Lieutenant General Baron Stakelberg to the relief of the besieged 
fortress. In a battle which began at Vafangow, about fifty-five 
miles north of Port Arthur, and ended at Telissu, about twenty 
miles still further north, General Stakelberg 's relief column was 
enveloped, surrounded, cut to pieces and utterly routed by two 
Japanese columns under Generals Nodzu and Oku, respectively. 
The defeated army fled to the northward toward Kuropatkin 's 
base at Liao-Yang on the road to ]\[ukden. 

The Vafangow operations really began on June 11, when two 
Japanese divisions, one commanded by General Nodzu, and one by 
General Oku, advanced from the Pulantien-Pitsewo line, prompted 
by intelligence that the Russians were receiving reinforcements. 
A sharjD skirmish took place the night of June 12 at the village of 

369 



370 DEFEAT OF STAKELBBRG'S EXPEDITION 

Oudiaden, five miles west of the railroad and seven miles south 
of Wa-Fang-Tien. Another skirmish occurred on the heights near 
the village of Lidiatun, ten miles east of Oudiaden. The Japanese 
were repulsed, but the Russian advance posts retired. June 13 two 
Japanese divisions were five miles north of the scene of the skir- 
mish, their left wing resting on the village of Vafangow and their 
right on the valley of the Tassa, which flows parallel with the 
railroad, falling into the sea ten miles south of Pitsewo. 

After a day^s rest the Japanese advanced fifteen miles June 14 
and attacked the left of the Russian position, four miles south of 
Vafangow. The Russians held a line between Lung-Wang-Tiao 
and Ta-Fang-Slien. The Japanese artillery opened on this line and 
the Russians responded. The shelling continued for two hours 
and it was followed by the advance of the Japanese line to a posi- 
tion extending from Lung-Chia-Tung to Yu-Hotun. 

Darkness put an end to the fighting. The Japanese dispatched 
' a column to the westward toward Fuchau for the purpose of cover- 
ing the Russian right wing and to protect their left and rear. Dur- 
ing the night it became apparent that the Russians were being 
reinforced and it was decided to make a general attack in the 
morning and force the Russians into a defile back of Telissu. 

When morning came it was discovered that the Russians held 
a line extending from Ta-Fang-Shen to Cheng-Tsu-Shan. 

The Japanese planned to envelop the Russians near Telissu and 
they succeeded admirably. While the main Japanese force was 
moving north along the railroad, columns swung to the left and to 
the right and finally converged at noon on the main Russian posi- 
tion. The Russians in this position were at a disadvantage, but 
they held it with deterpaination until 3 o^clock in the afternoon. 
At this hour they were routed. 

Artillery, cavalry and infantry were engaged. For the first 
time in large numbers the Japanese cavalry clashed with the 
famous and greatly dreaded Cossacks and rendered a good account 
of tlieraselves. 

The Russian reports of the battles of Vafangow and Telissu 



DEFEAT OF STAKELBERG'S EXPEDITION 371 

are highly colored, but it should be stated in all fairness that the 
Russian troops fought with valor and were bravely officered. It 
must be remembered that the Japanese largely outnumbered the 
Russian force, but it is equally apparent that Nodzu and Oku out- 
generalled Stakelberg at every point. They fooled him repeatedly 
by maneuvering their troops and finally forced him into a trap at 
Telissu exactly as they had planned. The stern, dogged fighting 
at the battle of Vafangow was like another Borodino. Tli rough- 
out the three days of combat the Russian officers and men vied with 
each other m pluck and heroism. 

The Japanese advance origmally included the Fifth, Eighth 
and Eleventh divisions, twelve squadrons of cavaliy and splendid 
artillery. About 200 guns were belching a continuous stream of 
shot and shell by which they were enabled to turn the Russian 
flanks. A diversion on the right precipitated the battle on the 
morning of June 15. 

Major General Gemgross, who was wounded, commanded the 
Russian left flank, and General Loutchkovsky commanded the cen- 
ter, including four battalions concealed in a small wood, whence 
they dealt death and destruction on the attacking forces. The 
Russian right was protected by Cossacks, dragoons and Siberian 
rifles. 

The scene was awe-inspiring. Over the Russian center and left 
flank hovered chocolate clouds from bursting shrapnel. It was 
evident about noon that the tide of battle was turning toward the 
Russian right. Reserves hurried forward, the Cossacks galloping, 
followed by columns of infantry at the double. Suddenly they 
disappeared m an adjacent defile. The valley where the Russians 
had camped was emptied as if by magic. Rattling volleys wero 
fired behind the screen of hills which concealed the fighting troops 
from view m that direction. This continued for half an honi- 
Suddenly a company of Cossacks api)eared on the crest of a hill 
and began to descend. They were followed by infantry. The 
Japanese gunners promptly pursued them with shrapnel. Horses 
and men began falling. 



372 DEFEAT OF STAKE LBERG\S EXPEDITION 

A moment of harrowing suspense was relieved by a thunderous 
shout of ' 'Hurrah! '^ It was from a couple of thousand of Russian 
troops just brought up by train. Tliey quickly jumped from the 
cars, fixed bayonets and literally ran into the fight. 

Again the crackle of musketry under cover dunng which the 
Russian lines broke and fled toward the railroad. While a lon^* 
Ime of commissariat wagons, escorted by C'ossacks, took to the 
I'oad, a battery of horse artillery stationed near the raih'oad 
banged away furiously as it covered the retreat. The Japanese 
shells were falling on the station buildings as the Russians hur- 
riedly entrained. 

Neither the Russian nor the Japanese commanders made any 
attempt to conceal their losses in this battle, which up to that time 
was the most disastrous of the war. In a report to General Kuro- 
patkin the Russian losses were admitted to be heavy, although at 
that time they were not known. General Stakelberg, in his report, 
dated June 16, said 

^^ Yesterday I had intended to attack the enemy's right flank, 
but just as our troops had been assigned for the puipose and were 
beginning successfully to envelop the enemy's right flank the Jap- 
anese in their tuni attacked my right flank with superior forces, 
and I was compelled to retreat by three roads to the north. 

^ ^ Our losses are heavy, but they are not yet completely known. 
During the engagement the Third and Fourth batteries of the 
First artillery brigade were literally cut to pieces by the Japanese 
shells. Of sixteen guns thirteen were rendered completely useless 
and were abandoned. 

''The conduct of the troops was excellent, a large proportion 
of them refusing to retire until after they had been repeatedly 
ordered to do so/' 

The fierce character of the fight is made evident by the fact 
that the Russians were again forced to abandon their guns, thus 
indicating, as in previous encounters, tlie superiority of the Jap- 
anese aiiillery. 

General Oku reported as follows. 



DKFEAT OP STAKELBERG'S EXPEDITION 373 

^^Our main body advanced northward June 14 in two columns 
along the radway, expelling the enem> from the east of Wafang- 
tien. At 5 p. m. the enemy made a stand on the railway between 
Lungwangmiao and Tafangshen and after two hours of cannonad- 
ing we occupied at nightfall the hue between Pangchiaton and 
Yuhoton. 

''Another column, for menacmg llie enemy ^s right and cover- 
ing our flank and rear, marched eastward of Foochow and ad- 
vanced on the line between Tengchiakow and Xachialing, The 
enemy near Lungwangmiao was reinforced. 

''June 15 the enemy near Telissu consisted of two and a half 
divisions, occupying the position between Tafangshen and Cheng- 
tsushan. At dawn we opened attack and our mam body advanced 
along the railway, one column marching from Tsou^hiaton. At 9 
a. m. the left wmg of the column was joined by the forces from 
Tungtungkow and at noon by cavalry from Chiachiaton. Thus th<^ 
enemy was surrounded by our forces near Telissu and after severe 
lighting they were routed and fled northward at *] p. m. 

"Our losses are estimated under 1,000. So far as known we 
captured colors, fourteen quick-firers and about 300 of the enemv, 
including the commander of the Fourth infantrv regiment of sharp- 
shooters. 

"Over 500 of the enemy's killed and wounded were left on the 
battlefield. 

"Our scouts saw the enemy marching with the Japanese flag 
in this engagement, by which our artillery was misled and sus- 
pended fire.'' 

The estimated losses were: Russians, killed, 1,854; wounded, 
3,500; captured, 300. Japanese, killed, 247; wounded, 946. 

General Stakelberg's anny consisted of the first, second and 
sixth East Siberian rifles divisions, the Usun mounted brigade 
and the first East Siberian sapper battalion. 

General Gerngross, who was wounded, commanded the first 
Siberian division of four regiments and a machine g^m battalion. 

General Samsonoff commanded the XTsuri mounted brigade. 



;!74 DEFEAT OF STAKELBERG'S EXPEDITKJX 

A li(Hitenaiii of Cossacks says the Ameriran imlitarv attaches 
wc re witli his (*oimnan(l most of June 15, during the hottest ])art of 
the fi.^lit. lie eomniented upon their eoolness and their ])rofes- 
sioiial interest m the operations to the exehision of the idea of 
])ersonal danger. 

^^The liiissian artillery," tlie Ih^ntenant says, ^'was splendidly 
served, but was ontmatelied m nuinl^er by the Japanese guns. One 
Russian batterv pitted agiiinst Japanese battenes was literally 
smothered by Jai^anese shells. I saw one Russian battery land 
three shells in the midst of an ammunition train which was gal- 
loi)iug up to serve tlu^ Japanese guns. Two caissons 'exploded, 
killing all the liorses and drivers. 

''The Japanese guns fired at least 1,500 rounds. The Russians 
fired several times on Japanese infantry in close formation, caus- 
ing tremendous havoc. '^ 

A Russian officer of the fourth battery says his batteiw was in 
a duel at two and a half miles with a Japanese battery and silenced 
it. His battery then ran out of ammunition and the men carried 
the breech mechanism of the guns with them to the rear and 
brought up a fresh supply of ammunition and resumed serving 
the guns. 

A war correspondent who was present at the battle on the 
15th and 16th says the work of the Red Cross in attending to the 
wounded under fire was beyond all praise. One Red Cross assist- 
ant was killed and another was wounded. 

The Tobolsk regiment saved the last hospital tram from Vafan- 
gow by gallantlv throwing itself between the tram and a superior 
force of Japanese and by holding off the enemv while the train 
steamed out under a heavy fire. 

Shell fire burned the Red Cross station at Vafangow, destroying 
almost all the supplies belonging to the Sisters of Mercv and much 
hospital material. 

There seems to be good ground for the belief that the Russians 
saved ^themselves from heavier losses at the bej^inning of the re- 



DEFEAT OF STAKE1J;EK( i S EXPEDITION 



• / > 



treat by hoisting a captured Japanese flag, and thus causing some 
of the Japanese batteries to cense firing. 

The battle of Vafangow and Talissu was a defeat for the Rus- 
sians in more ways than one. Not only was the crack coips of 
Siberian rifles badly cut up and routed, but the purpose of the 
expedition which was to draw off a part of the force mobilizing 
against Port Arthur was likewise defeated and no material aid 
was rendered to the beleaguered fortress. 

From that time on General Kuropatkin was ni^ver in a position 
to again attempt to relieve the besieged fortress. AVith tliree 
Japanese armies pressing upon his fYout his entire attention was 
given to his own defense. 

In the meantime General Stoessel, completely cut off from anv 
chance of relief by land, continued to defend Port Arthur, entirelv 
ignorant of the situation nortli and therefore hoping and believing 
that Kuropatkin was coming to his aid. 

Indeed, as it afterward appeared, Stakelberg's corps would 
have been of little assistance to the beleaguered fortress even if he 
had succeeded in getting through the Japanese lines, for the supe- 
rior forces of the Japanese would eventually have crushed the life 
of the small expedition. 

Although General Stakelberg's command was defeated and 
badly cut off, the commanding officer deserves great credit both 
for strategy and bravery. When he was practically surrounded 
and his command on the point of being captured, he fought and 
maneuvered with such skill that he was able to rejoin the mam 
army, and thus save the remnant of his corps. 



CHAPTEIR XXXI 
THE. ^•THERMOPYLAE. OF MANCHURIA'^ 

Kuroki Defeats Kuropatkin at the Second Battle of Motion Pass and Opens the 
Way to Liaoyang — Russians Lose the **Key to Manchuria" after a Desperate 
and Bloody Battle Fought in a Fog — Japanese Occupy the Valley of the Liao 
River — Personal Experiences of a War Correspondent. 

MOTIEN PASS has been called the ' ^ Themiopylae of lAran- 
clmria,'' and was considered to be the key to the whole 
situation so far as the land forces were concerned. 

Admirably situated for defense m the Fenshui mountain range, 
it was supposed that a small force could hold it against a large 
body of invaders. The battle which took place there was impor- 
tant, not from the number of men engaged, but from the fact that 
it enabled the Japanese to occupy the valley of the Liao river and 
later to rout the Russians at the battle of Liaoyang. 

When the war began everybody m Tokio believed that the Rus- 
sians were going to make a great stand at the famous pass. As a 
matter of faet, the Russians let the Japanese seize the pass without 
much trouble in June. Until the Japanese had reached the pas^ 
they had been going up-hill. From that to Liaoyang (fifty-five 
miles distant), where they were to fight to such good pur^Dose, the 
road is down-hill. 

After some deliberation the Russians resolved to reoccupy the 
pass, seeming to realize when it was too late its strategical im- 
portance and its value as a defensive position. 

First Fight at Motien Pass. 

The first attempt of the Russians to recapture the pass was on 
July 4, when three battalions of infantry attempted a frontal at- 

376 



THE ^^THERMOPYLAE OP MANCHURIA/^ 377 

tack, tlirice repeated. They were driven back without difficulty, 
losing 200 men, although the pass was held by but one Japanese 
battalion. Three days later the First Regiment of Cossacks, num- 
bering 1,300 sabres, advanced against Fen-shui-lmg defile, but 
without pressing home their assault they retired, neither inflicting 
nor receiving much loss. 

The second attempt to recover the pass was made on July 17, 
under Lieut.-General Count Feodor Keller (who was killed at 
Haicheng on August 1). The Russians had 20,000 men, including 
the 9th and 24th East Siberian regiments and the 34th Regulars 
of the 9th Division, the first Russian regulars to meet the Japanese. 

Fighting in a Fog. 

The first intimation to the Japanese of the Russian movement 
was obtained half an hour after midnight (July 17) from General 
Matsanaga, who was in command of a brigade on the Japanese 
left front. He reported that a party of Russians was moving on 
his front and warned the commander of the force at Motien pass 
to be on his guard. General Okasaki immediately turned out his 
brigade and waited in readiness for the development of events. 
The first sign of the enemy near Motien pass reached the Japanese 
at half past 2, when 150 cavalry and a large body of mfantrj^ ap- 
peared close to the line of Japanese pickets. The morning was so 
misty that the Japanese could not see a hundred yards in front of 
them. The Japanese defensive line was along the ridge at the top 
of the pass, and in view of the vast superiority of the enemy the 
outposts slowlv rotired m that direction. 

About 6 o'clock the fog began to rise from the hollows, disclos- 
ing the main Russian force lying in the valley directly opposite the 
lofty flanking ridge which dominates the approaches to the pass. 
Upon this ridge 2,000 yards away from the Russians was the Jap- 
anese artillery position so far unoccupied by guns. The Japanese 
climbed the high ridge on the left of the pass and from various 
l^oints poured a hot enfilading fire down upon that part of the 



378 THE '' TITER MOP YLAE OP MANX'IirRIA, 



ff 



Russian line nearest the pass (it was Avitlim 400 yards) and forced 
it to withdraw into an extensive wood immediately in rear. 

At a quarter to 7 the Japanese guns, after great labor, gained 
their position and opened a devastating fire upon the Russians 
massed in the valley before them. About 7 o^elock the Russians 
had reached the limit of their advance. They occupied the temple, 
driving out at the point of the bayonet a small party of Japanese 
who had been left there to delay their advance. The Russians 
scaled the low boundary wall of the building at the rear and ef- 
fected an entrance in that way. They afterwards used the wall as 
cover from which to fire at the Japanese trenches across the valley. 
Nearly a score of dead Russians were lying round the temple. The 
main body withdrew to shelter, leaving hundreds of dead and 
wounded in their hurried retreat. When the temple was evacuated 
the remainder of the Russians fell back upon the wood. 

The Japanese guns ceased about 8 o'clock, by which hour the 
Russians on the right were out of action. The fighting was con- 
fined to the left. 

To the astonishment of everybody, about 9 o'clock the Rus- 
sians began to retreat. This was attributed to a bit of *^ bluff,'' 
some reinforcements having come to the Japanese. The Russians 
retired with the utmost deliberation. 

After the battle the air was full of summer scent, and the 
bushes were dotted with gorgeous Howers of the crowning days 
of a Manchurian July. A bright sun was beating down pitilessly, 
for the fog was gone. The bushes were marked with stiffening 
corpses, blue-eyed, light-haired, and often with eyes wide open 
in death. 

The Russian casualties amounted to 2,000. The Japanese had 
forty-three killed and 256 wounded. Among the Japanese killed 
was Major Hiraoka, who was the Mikado's military attache during 
the South African War. 

No war correspondent had a better opportunity to view the 
engajyement at Motien pass than E. F. Knight, who was with the 




HUMAN BIRDS OF PREY. 
Horrors of the Battlefield Intensified by Chinese Bandits, Robbing the Dead and the Dying. 




RUSSIAN ARTILLERY ON THE MARCH IN MANCHURIA. 
The Bitter Cold and Heavy Snows Make Progress Very Slow. 



THE ' ' THERMOPYLAE OF ^rANCHURIA. ' ' 381 

central force, known as the first anny, under the personal command 
of General Kuroki. He has supplied the following record of per- 
sonal experience: 

"The Japanese positions— I am speaking- now of the central 
of the three forces composing the First Army under General Ku- 
roki's command— extended along the ridge of the range which is 
crossed by the j\lo-tieu-lmg and the main road to Liaoyang. Yes- 
terday morning, the 16th, shortly before 1 o'clock, the Japanese 
received intelligence that the enemy was moving on their front, 
and an hour and a half later a large body of Russian infantiy, 
with some cavalry, came in touch with the Japanese Ime of pick- 
ets, which then fell back, in accordance with orders, on the line of 
defenses above. At dawn the fighting commenced, for on these 
hills the mist was not so dense as we had found it in our valle\' 
camp seven miles to the rear. The fog gradually lifted, and the 
broadening light disclosed to view the mam body of the enemy 
advancing up the broad vallev along which the road to Liaoyang 
is canied. The Russians were in close fonnation, so that from the 
heights the Japanese guns and infantry were able to direct on them 
shrapnel fire and rifle volleys with deadly effect. Those who trav- 
ersed this portion of the valley later in the day found the ground 
strewn with Russian dead, and the burial of these is still being- 
continued by the Japanese as I write this dispatch. 

* * The main attack was made on the pass itself. But the fighting 
was by no means confined to its immediate neighborhood. The 
Russian attack was directed at several points along the Japanese 
strategical position, and extended along a front of fifteen miles. 
Nearly two Russian divisions— seven regiments according to reli- 
able information— were engaged, so that the enemv probably num- 
bered about 22,000 men, possibly more, for the full strength of a 
Russian regiment is nearly 4,000 men. On the Yalu the Japanese 
were opposed by regiments of the East Siberian army. But the 
Russian troops that fought in the Mo-tien-ling mostly belonged to 
the Ninth Army Corps from Europe, and were under the command 
of General Keller. 



382 THE ' ' THERMOPYLAE OF AlANCHURIA. ' ' 

The Enemy's Object. 

''It was apparently the enemy's object to turn the Mo-tien-ling 
from the north. For it was on the Japanese right that the attack 
was dri\ en furthest home and that the most severe fighting oc- 
curred. At this point, which the Russians attacked with three regi- 
ments, the Japanese suffered their heaviest losses. Here the enemy 
attained the summit of the ridge before they were driven back, 
and it is difficult to understand how it is that, being in such greatly 
supeiior force, they did not retain the position they had gained. 
Here the Japanese must have offered a most gallant resistance. 
For example, an outpost composed of one company was surrounded 
on three sides by six companies of the enemy, which approached 
within one hundred yards ; the Japanese company lost twenty killed 
and fifty-four wounded, including all the officers and sergeants, 
but the men canied on their resolute defense until a portion of 
their regiment came to their relief, when the enemy retired. An- 
other company was for a time engaged with an entire Russian 
battalion, and a sergeant's post of obseravtion of twelve men suc- 
cessfully held its own behind trenches against a Russian company. 
The fighting was also for some time very severe at the Mo-tien-ling, 
where the enemy 's main attack was vigorously opposed. The Rus- 
sians fell back in very good order, holding for some time the 
heights that flank the Liaoyang road in order to cover their re- 
tirement. 

' ' On the Japanese left there was little fighting. It was on this 
point that the Russians first advanced shortly after midnight, but 
with three companies only, so that this early move was probably 
intended as a diversion to cover the real attack on the right. A 
brigade on the Japanese left made a demonstration against the 
main body of the enemy. 

^^Of the three forces composing General Kuroki's army the 
central one alone, therefore, was the object of the Russian attack 
this day. Far away, on the right of this force, extended the de- 



THE ^^TllEKMOPYLAE OF MANCHURIA." 383 

fensive positions of a second for<*e wliidi took no part in the ac- 
tion; while beyond our left wing was stationed the third force, 
which also was not engaged, with the exception of one battalion 
with some guns, which attacked the enemy's right flank and shelled 
them during their retirement. I have advisedly used the word 
* force,' as no tenn whicli might conxcy an idea of the strength ol' 
General Kuroki's anny wouhl i>ass tlie censorship. 

^'When the enemy's ri^uvmont became general the fight slack- 
ened and became what one might almost describe as a loisurely one, 
the enemy retiring very slowlv, the Japanese not pressing' them 
hard. But it was not until dusk that the last shot was fired. In 
tlie night the enemy fell ])ack on the positions from which tliev 
had advanced in the morning The Japanese casualties were 341, 
out of whom forty-three only were killed* The Russian loss^^s are 
unknown. The enemy carried away large numbers of their dead 
and wounded, and are said to have buried 500 at one place. Thei r 
dead were lying thick in the valley below the pass. It is estimated 
that the Eussian killed and wounded must have numbered about 
2,000. 

Personal Experiences. 

'^And now to say something of what I saw of the fight when I 
reached the western slopes of the Mo-tien-ling, where the enemy's 
main attack was made on the Japanese center. 

^ ' Magnificent was the scene that spread before us. The wooded, 
and in some parts grass-grown, slopes of the IMo-tien-ling fell from 
our feet down to the broad valley which stretched out straight in 
front of us in the direction of Liaoyang, and we saw winding down 
the valley a tributary of the Tai-tse, the river that flows past the 
city of Liaoyang, The slopes of the Mo-tien-ling are broken into 
many swelling spurs, and down the converging gullies rush the lit- 
tle streams that unite to foim the river below. We descended the 
slopes of the pass, up which stretcher-bearers with wounded were 
slowly climbing, and soon we began to realize that the Russians 
had driven their attack a considerable way up in this direction, 



384 THE ^^THERMOPYLAE OF MANCHURIA.'^ 

for we saw the bodies of Eussian dead lying on the road, where 
there were also numbers of blanket-rolls, provisions of black 
bread, water-bottles, and so forth, which the Eussians had thrown 
away when retreating. 

Caxe of Enemy's Wounded. 

^*In many parts of the field we came on the Eussian wounded 
remaining under the guard of Japanese soldiers until the stretcher- 
bearers should arrive- I see from quotations appearing in the 
Japanese papers that the atrocity-mongers are already at work 
with their malicious inventions. There are unreasoning sentimen- 
talists in Europe who give ready credence to these tales, however 
prejudiced or irresponsible their origin, all the more so if the sup- 
posed victims belong to a nation professing Christianity, whereas 
the alleged perpetrators of the barbarities do not. At the present 
moment there are at the front with the Japanese forces about a 
score of European military attaches and newspaper correspond- 
ents, and I am sure that all of these will testify that so far as their 
own observation goes the Japanese treat the prisoners and wound- 
ed of the enemy with great kindness. It will be suggested, perhaps, 
that the Japanese carefully keep us out of sight of their misdeeds. 
But this would be impossible. We are confined by no very limited 
bounds here, as was the case at Feng-whang-cheng. We ride and 
walk freely and unescorted along these roads at the front, and we 
are ever coming quite unexpectedly on Eussian prisoners and their 
captors. The Japanese could have had no time to arrange a pic- 
ture for us. So, too, was it in the heat of the action this day on 
the Mo-tien-ling: whenever we came on a wounded Eussian in the 
hands of Japanese privates they were seeing to his comfort, cheer- 
ing him up, binding his wounds, offering him cigarettes, and, in 
short, proving themselves most humane f oemen. Often at Antung, 
at Feng-whang-cheng, and here we have conversed with Eussian 
prisoners, and invariably have they told us— generally volunteer- 
ing the statement— that they are grateful to the Japanese for their 



THE ^^THERMOPYTjAE OF MAXCIFIIKIA '' 385 

kindly care oi* tliose who fall into their hands. Not one excerption 
to the nilo has vet come to our notice. Such is the evidence that 
we who are at the front can give. 

Leisurely Retreat. 

^SSo as to ol)tain a better and closer view of what was doing 
I and others ascended a steep conical hill on whose summit the Jap- 
anese had a post of observation. From here I saw that a large 
body of liussian infantry was massed m front of a wood on a broad 
flat space aljout three miles up the valley, and that between this 
force and us other bodies of the enemy were retiring slowly alonu,- 
the tops of the hills flanking the valley, firing volleys at the Jap- 
anese, who from the nearer hills and from the flats below us were 
opening fire on the different groups of the enemy. Other parties 
of Russians were quite leisurely retiring up the valley towards the 
massed force under the wood. A number of Russian ambulance 
wagons were also carrying the wounded in the same direction. 

'^For some time the retirement seemed to cease altogether, the 
Russians holding their ground, and, as I have said, it was not until 
after dark that they fell back on the positions from which they 
had advanced in the moniing. For several hours we wandered 
about, observing a scene that m some way reminded one more of 
maneuvers than of actual warfare, but the dead bodies around 
us brought one back to a recognition of the stem reality of the 
business. While we were on the field the Japanese brought no guns 
to bear on the enemy. Neither did the Russians bring any guns 
into action until about 3:30 p. m., when one of their batteries di- 
rected an accurate shell fire on a near spur immediately facing us, 
causing the Japanese who Imecl it to retire under cover of the ridge. 
The Russians covered their retreat well, and had the Japanese 
pressed the pursuit of this force, so superior in numbers to their 
own, their losses would have been very heavy and no adequate 
S#?^ti^«/^e would have been gained. The firing gradually slack- 



J^G rUE 1 llEiiMui^\ LAI:: OF AlANCllLKlA. ' 

enod, and at 4 O'cloek, ar^ tlie engagement Avas praeticall}' over, we 
rode back to canip. 

'"As 1 have lefore pointed out, in view of the strength of the 
force they employed, the retirement of tlie Russians is difficult to 
explain if it was really their object to capture and hold the pass. 
Their retirement was slow and orderly, as of men wlio have accom- 
plished the work assigned to them, and are leisurely returning. 
Was this, then, a reconnaissance in force that had orders to retire 
w hen its purpose was effected? AVas it a demonstration to mask a 
battle m the west, or to cover the beginning of the retreat of Kuro- 
patkin's aimyi* AVhatever Vv^as intended the Russians lost heav- 
ily.'^ 

Following the battle known as Motien pass, the second Japan- 
i^se anny under General Nodzu attacked the command of General 
Zassalitch, intrenched at Haicheng, on the main road to Liaoyang 
and Mukden, and after two days of severe fighting captured that 
important situation and drove the Russians back to Anshanshan. 
The battle was fought m terrible heat and many of the troops in 
both armies suffered severely, while others succumbed to sun- 
strokes. In this battle General Feodor Keller, the first Russian 
general to be killed m the war, lost his life by the explosion of a 
shell which burst within a few feet of him. 

General Zassalitch later made the claim that he was on the 
point of winning a victory when he received an order to retreat. 



CHAPTER XXXII 
THE, BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

Six Days' Battle between the Russians under Kuropatkin and Three Japanese 
Armies Ranks as One of the Great Engagements of the World and the Bloodiest 
Since the Franco-German War — Losses on Both Sides Almost as Great as at 
Gettysburg— Defeat of the Russians, Who Were Strongly Intrenched, Assures 
Japanese Control of Manchuria. 

LIAOYANG will rank in liistoiy as one of the great battles 
of the world. In some respects it was not unlike the 
fiercest battles of the American civil war. Although not a Sedan, 
it was the l^loodiest encounter since the Franco-German war. 

In any case the battle will be known in history as the first 
pitched battle of the highest importance which has ever been 
fought between the East and the West. Liaoyang was regarded 
by the Eussians as a point entirely in their favor in the adroit 
series of retreats which marked Kuropatkm's tactics (as influ- 
enced by the desire of the officials in St. Petersburg to make a 
stand). He had fortified the place very strongly under the super- 
vision of a great engineer, General Velitchko, at a cost of 23,000,- 
000 roubles, and yet the Japanese drove the Eussians out. 

The battle proper began on the evening of August 29 nnd lasted 
for six horrible days. 

General Kuropatkin faced three armies, namelv, those of Oku, 
Nodzu, and Kuroki. The fight began bv a bombardment of tlie 
Eussian positions on the Shoushan range, which lies some four 
to six miles south of Liaoyang, but the day was inconclusiv(^ iw- 
cept that Kuroki managed to cross the Taitse river at a point ten 
miles east of Liaoyang, and thus threatened the Eussian flank. 
On the third day the Japanese delivered a successful attack on 
the southwest of Liaoyang and drove in the Eussian rii^ht wing 

887 



388 BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

and then Kuropatkin began another of his famous retreats to the 
north across the Taitse river. The Japanese immediately started 
in pursuit and turned some of the Russian guns on to Liaoyaug 
station. 

At a quarter to 4 on Friday afternoon, September 2, the first 
Japanese shell fell into Liaoyang and was followed by a hail of 
projectiles which swept the railway station, the suburbs, and the 
town itself. Luckily for the Eussians the railway station was 
empty, all the rolling stock having been removed. The first per- 
sons wounded were a sister of charity, a doctor, and several Chi- 
.nese, as well as a non-commissioned officer of the transport service. 
After this the Japanese had to fight practically a rear-guard ac- 
tion. 

The troops had to fight without food for two days. The Rus- 
sians fought valiantly as they always do when driven to bay, but 
they were completely outgeneralled by Japanese brains. 

Liaoyang, to which the Russians retreated on August 2, after 
a disastrous defeat at Haicheng, lies in the rich valley of the Liao 
river. Spurs of the mountain chain which forms the backbone of 
Manchuria slope down westward nearly to the town, and a ridge 
cuts the plain southward, through which the Port Arthur-Harbin 
railway runs. The town is about forty miles from Tashichiao, 
also the scene of a Russian defeat, which was responsible for the 
loss of Newchang, and about thirty miles from Mukden, used by 
the Russians as a base for the disposition of troops. 

Months of labor had been expended on the defenses of Liao 
yang. The fortifications and intrenchments, planned by General 
Velitchke, were popularly believed to be impregnable. The lines 
ran in a semi-circle along the ridges from eight to ten miles east 
and south of the town. Galleries protected the artillerymen, and 
wire fences and mines were disposed to repel infantry assaults. 
All parts of the works were connected by telephone, and were 
considered to be marvels of engineering skill. Within these lines 
General Kuropatkin withdrew an oftimes beaten, but plucky, 
force of infantry, cavalry and artillery. Estimates of its strength, 




> 



bO 
.A ^ 

M .r-l 

►*3 in 
Qj CO 
*^ O 
u 

>> 

p S 

o 

CA 

a 

Pi 

cJ 







THE MARCH OF DESPAIR. 

Wounded Russians on the Way to Liaoyang. 




THE COSSACK GENERAL, RENNENKAMPF. 
In the Rocky Fastnesses of Manchuria. 




SELLING LIFE DEARLY. 

A Wounded Japanese Lieutenant of the Second Infantry, with Four Comrades Down, 
Stands at Bay, and Kills Several More Russians before Death Comes. 



liATTLE OF LI AO YANG 393 

witH reinforcements from the north, varied from 170,000 ^to 225,- 
000 men and from 700 to 1,000 guns, many of them emplaced. 

The relative position of the Japanese annies was practically 
unchanged when operations against General Kuropatkin were re- 
sumed near the close of the rainy season, on August 23. The 
three Japanese forces covered all the points of tho Russian semi- 
( ircle— Kuroki on tlie east, Nodzu on the southeast and Oku on 
the south. Their total strength was estininted at 240,000 men and 
LOOOguns. 

Field Marshal ( )yama, the Japanese commander, set the com- 
bined armies m motion before the rains had ceased and while 
transportation and movements were difficult. Tlie Japanese be- 
gan a series of shani attacks on the outlymg Russian position on 
August 24, and on the following day two divisions of Kuroki 's 
left were in readiness to attack Liandiansian, about twenty miles 
southeast of Liaoyang. 

This attack was delivered early in the moniing, and lasted two 
days, while Oku and Nodzu, commanding the Japanese left and 
center, respectively, assailed the Russians on the south and soutli- 
east. Nodzu's left was beaten back and Oku's direct success was 
small, but Kuroki rolled up the Russian left, inflicting heavy 
losses, and forced the retirement of all the Russian corps on the 
main defenses. Anshanshan, their strongest position on the south, 
was evacuated under heavy pressure from Oku, and several .^uns 
fell into his hands. 

In the beginning of the battle, after General Kuroki had noted 
the march of the Tenth Russian army corps, wliich he had driven 
in from the Anping road to the plain, on its wav to join the Rus- 
sian center, which General Nodzu had forced in from Kaofengshi, 
he divided his forces stationed in Anping and Fengwangcheng 
roads. He took care to have a sufficiently strong force on the 
Fengwangcheng road, on General Nodzu 's extreme right, and 
sent to General Nodzu, who was pushing with the Japanese center 
anny along the Mengchiafang and south roads, one brigade to 
Mengchiafang, three regiments to C'liiaofantun and two regiments 



394 BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

to the south road. General Knroki, in the meantime, waited 
quietly with two divisions on the south bank of the Taitse river. 

Oku Advances Under Fire. 

On August 29 the artilleiy under General Nodzu bombarded 
fiercely the three hills at Chiaofantun. On the same day Gen- 
eral Oku, m command of the Japanese left armv, working his way 
with rifle fire and artillery, slowly advanced along the railroad 
m spite of the Russian opposition from neighboring- elevations 
and fortifications. The left anny thus moved toward Shusean. 
The Russian cavalry was not able to locate the Japanese trenches 
on this advance. 

The character of the Japanese advance apparently had served 
as a warning to General Kuropatkm to make sure of his retreat 
and his transport was at once seen moving rapidly out of Liao- 
yang over the railroad bridge. 

On August 30 the Japanese closed in on the Russians in their 
mountain position at Chiaofantun. Here the guns were so close 
to each other that it was almost possible for the battery com- 
manders to see each other's spectacles. 

Unable to Locate Japs. 

At 10 o'clock on the morning of the 30th General Kuropat- 
kin's staff moved out of Liaoyang. At the same time rifle fire 
was heard drawing nearer to the railroad station, and this was 
an indication of the sure advance of the Japanese left anny. 

The fences around all the houses at Liaovang had been removed 
in order to facilitate the movement of wagons and troops. 
AVounded men, of whom none was seen on the 29th, were trailing 
along the roads from the south and southwest into Liaoyang on 
the 30th The Russians made use of a field balloon all day long 
on tlie 30th, and by means of it they got the range of one Japanese 
battery, which they succeeded in putting out of action. As a gen- 
eral thing, however, they failed to find either the enemy's batter- 



BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 395 

ies or his troops, while the Japanese continued to sHence Russian 
battery after Russian battery. 

Russians Fecome Strons^er. 

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the COth the Japanese shelled 
a Russian battery posted on a hill within three miles of Liaoyang, 
but shortly after this hour it became apparent that the Russians 
had begun to hold their own. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon the 
Japanese shrapnel fire was confined to the position at Chiaofan- 
tun, where the Russians were disputing eveiy hillock with the 
enemy. 

The Japanese made repeated but unsuccessful assaults 
upon this position. The fighting of the 20th came to a close at 7 
o'clock in the evening. The Russian casualties for the 29th and 
30th totaled more than 5,000 men. 

The Japanese, from a low range of hills to the southeast, and 
south of Shushan, began shelling the northern end of the Russian 
line at Shushan at 9:45 o'clock on the morning of the 31st. This 
artillery fire was preceded and accompanied by infantry rushes 
over the valley and the lower hills south of the road. 

Urge Men With Swords. 

They began before dawn and were continued until evening, 
the Japanese officers urging their womout and fainting men with 
the points of their swords. There was very hard fighting at a 
round-topped hill in the Russian line opposite the point where 
the two Japanese armies under Generals Nodzu and Oku came 
together. The Russian position here was protected with wire 
entanglements and a small body of Russian troops absolutely re- 
fused to retire. 

In one trench seven men fought gallantly until they were sur- 
rounded by the Japanese. At the end of this sharp fighting the 
Russians were hurling down sandbags upon the enemy. They 
succeeded in killing one Japanese officer and injuring another, 



396 BATTLE OF LIA( >yAN(3 

after which they surrendered and the hill was occupied hy the 
enemy. 

At 5 o^clock in the evening the fighting, which had raged all 
day long, centered along the south road, where for two hours 
there was a heavy artillery fire and a vast amount of ammunition 
was expended. The valley in the front and under the Russian 
guns during this artillery duel was an inferno of shrieking and 
moaning shrapnel, while beyond the Russian shells burst con- 
tinuously at the head of the Japanese advance 

During the day the Russian rifle fire was indescribably furious. 
The Russian trenches, for a distance of several miles, threw out 
all day long a continuous hail of lead, accompanied by unceasing 
flashes of fire. In spite of its continued ferocity this rifle fire 
v> as comparatively ineffectual, the Russians often firing without 
sight of the enemy This hail of Russian rifle bullets did not 
cease before 10 o^clock at night. It is estimated that 1,000 Rus- 
sian shells were thrown into the valley beyond the south road, 
where the only evidence of the presence of the Japanese was a 
Red Cross camp. 

Russians Start to Fall Back. 

At nightfall General Stakelberg, with the first corps, was still 
facing General Oku on the left. This Russian corps had lost 3,000 
men. 

During the night of the 31st the Russians deemed the position 
of the enemy to be so threatening that they made preparations to 
fall back. 

General Mistchenko was on the supreme right of the Russian 
Jine with a division composed of cavalry, artillery and infantr\^ 
During the night of the 31st his force was sent out m a northeast- 
erly direction to gain information conceiving General Kuroki^s 
movement around the Russian's left flank in the direction of the 
railroads. General Mistchenko 's movement was of short dura- 
tion and he soon returned to his line. 



BATTLE OF LIAOYAN< i 397 

General Ivanoff and his command was stationed on General 
Stakelberg's right and facing General Nodzu and the Japanese 
center army General ivanoff had succeeded the late Lieutenant 
General Count Keller to the command of the Russian eastern army. 
He had moved his headquarters from the village of Tashi, in the 
middle of the southern plain, to a point within the shelter of the 
city walls and on the road which leads to Yentai by a pontoon 
bridge across the Taitse river. 

Transports Move from City. 

During the night of the 31st the Tenth corps, which had as- 
sisted in holding the Fengwangcheng road against the Japanese, 
began moving its transport out of the city to the north. 

The Seventeenth corps, which had not as vet been in action 
and which was being held on the north bank of the Taitse river, 
was deployed in the hills and had been i^artly moved to the north- 
ward. Part of the Fifth corps, which arrived here a short time 
before the fighting began, had been sent at once to the front, 
while the remainder had reported with the Second corps and was 
being held in reserve. 

All the trees and Chinese graves on the firing line which in 
any way might obstruct the operations had been removed bv the 
Russians. 

On the morning of September 1 all the noncombatants wore 
ordered to leave Liaoyang, and the Russian commissary of police 
sent an order to the Chinese magistrate of the city that all Chi- 
nese must leave Liaochang within two days. The Japanese were 
seen to be in possession of the Russian positions at Shushan, and 
it was learned also on the morning of September 1, that General 
Stakelberg had withdrawn during the night. 

Chinese Panic-Stricken. 

The Chinese at Liaoyang became alarmed and they began se- 
cretly to make Japanese flags. There was much confusion through- 



398 BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

out the city. The proprietors of foreign shops made frantic ef- 
forts to sell their stocks on the streets at ridiculously low prices 
to anyone who would pay cash, or endeavored to have their prop- 
erty loaded on railroad cars. The flight of Japanese shells over 
the railroad station stampeded them, however, and they fled in 
disorder, glad to get away with their lives. 

The foreign militaVy attaches who were in Liaoyang were 
taken north under escort. 

The war correspondents noticed, on this morning, an unbroken 
line of ammunition wagons, batteries of artillery arid Russian 
troops using the railroad bridge to get out of Liaoyang to the 
north. 

It became known that General Kuroki was making a dash 
around the Russian left for the railroad at a point fifteen miles 
north of here. 

Takes Russian Defenses. 

Kuroki crossed the Taitse river the night of August 30, and 
took the splendid Russian defenses at Fensihu with very little 
effort. He continued to advance steadily and turned the Russian 
left. His army covered fifteen miles in quick time. The effect 
of its presence and movements was to force the Russians to leave 
Liaoyang and retire in the direction of the coal mines east of 
Yentai. 

Kuroki tlireatened to cut General Kuropatkin's army of seven 
corps in two. 

The correspondents were eating lunch at the railroad station 
at noon when the first Japanese shells struck the foreign settle- 
ment. Within fifteen minutes' time all the troops, hospital at- 
tendants and merchants and other people in the vicinity had 
cleared out and only a few Chinese remained. The Japanese 
shells continued to fall in the settlement. Chinese, under the di- 
rection of Russian officers, were making hurried efforts to remove 
the stores and ammunition from the railroad sheds. 



BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 399 

Shells Pall Everywhere. 

The Japanese shells came from Slmshan and a Kussian shrap- 
nel fire was soon turned on the battery there. One Japanese shell 
killed a horse as the animal was passing the telegraph office. 
Others burst in the postoffice, in the hospital in the Eed Cross tent, 
which had been put up in the garden around the station and in 
the public park under the ancient pagoda. 

The crowd of refreshment takers fled helter skelter with res- 
taurant keepers and waiters, panic stricken officers and other 
orderlies, soldiers and the riff-raff of the streets, all seeking refuge 
beyond the northern wall of the city. 

The Chinese immediately began to loot, but whenever they 
were caught immediate punishment was meted out to them. This 
was at noon of September 1. On that day the Russians filled all 
the trenches, rifle pits and forts to the west and south of Liao- 
yang with fresh troops. They kept up a continual shrapnel fire 
upon the Japanese approaches without being aware of the extra 
movements of the enemy. During this time the main body of the 
Russian army was in active retreat. 

Could See Japs Advancing. 

At 6 o'clock in the evening the shells were falling just outside 
the western walls and on the Russian heliograph station at the 
northwest comer of the city. From this station the Japanese 
could now be seen. They were advancing splendidly over the 
southern hills. Their formation was regular and open. The 
ranges of the Japanese position were known to the Russian gun- 
ners, who poured in a terrible and destructive fire upon the enemy. 
A Japanese battery and two companies of infantry were seen 
skirting the main south road. They were moving toward the city 
and finally disappeared behind Kowliang. 

The positions at Chiafantun were seen to be deserted. The 
right flank of General Nodzu's army had previously taken up a 
position to the west of Chiafantun, whence his troops charged 



400 BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

the Russian breastworks. One Japanese battalion lost every offi- 
cer in this charge and a corporal was seen to take command. The 
Japanese intrenched in the vicmity of Tishi, near where General 
IvanoiT had had his headquarters the day before. The Russian 
Red Cross worked continually on the firing Ime. 

The Japanese shells fell thick over the Russian battery located 
m a western suburb of Liaoyang. 

Kuroki's Quick Move. 

At 8 oV^lock on the morning of September 2 the transport of 
the Russian army was still going out to the north and the head of 
the train was almost opposite Yentai. 

The fighting around Liaoyang began at daybreak, when shells 
v;ere thrown m from the entire Japanese line. 

General Kuroki severed his connection with the Japanese cen- 
ter army and left the Ani^mg road unprotected. His army was 
in front of tl)e last Russian position in the coal mining district 
to the east of Yentai. The importance and effect of Kuroki ^s 
dash to the rear of the Russian army was plainly evident. 

The foreign military attaches had been escorted from Liao- 
yang to the north. They left their train at a point near Yentai 
and proceeded in the direction of the fighting between Kuroki 's 
troops and the Russians who were attempting to hold them back. 
Here the Russians lost an important hill position, only to gain 
again and lose it a second time. 

Russians Are Discouraged. 

This greatly discouraged the Russian soldiers. It is declared 
that the immediate precipitous retreat of the entire Russian army 
at Liaoyang was prevented by the retaking of this hill, which lies 
to the east of Yentai. The Russians, however, could not hold the 
hill and the Japanese were again soon in possession. General 
Kuroki ^s attack at Yentai was soon relaxed, however, and Gen- 
eral Mistchenko and his command was withdrawn from the Rus- 



BATTLE OP LIAOYANG 401 

sian defenders of Yentai and sent over to the west side of the rail- 
road to make a demonstration and to aid in covering the retreat 
of the main army. 

At 5 o^clock in the afternoon of September 2 two Eussian 
regiments, which had been beaten to the east of Yentai retreated 
toward Yentai. They were ordered back to the fighting hne while 
still under a sharp Japanese rifle fire. They met a large number 
of Eussian troops who had been driven back from around Yentai. 
A train passed bearing 300 Russian wounded to the north. The 
road was filled with Chinese refugees from the coal mines as well 
as wounded men, all hurrying to the rear. 

Night Ends Cannonading. 

The cannonading came to an end when the sun went down. 
Throughout the night of September 2 it broke out again fitfully, 
but the periods were of short duration. The morning of Septem- 
ber 3 showed that General Kuroki had not attained his object, 
but the victory of the Japanese over the Russians appeared to 
be complete. Russian troops and refugees from Liaoyang in 
rickshaws were pouring north along the railroad and along the 
main highway on their way to Mukden. 

The Russian press censors, who were stationed at Liaoyang, 
Yentai and Mukden, fled to Harbin. Newspaper eoiTespondents 
were instructed to send their telegrams to Harbin, which is about 
340 miles up the railroad from Liaoyang. 

The night of September 2 was marked throughout by furious 
rifle-firing outside of Liaoyang. The Russian troops were in a 
highly nervous and excited state. They were convinced that the 
Japanese were creeping forward irresistibly all the time. 

Flames Visible for Miles. 

September 3 saw the resumption of the cannonading at dawn, 
and the vast clouds of smoke which arose slowly from the burning 
warehouses m the foreign settlement at Liaoyang could be seen 



402 BATTLE OP LIAOYANU 

for a distance of ten miles. General Mistchenko, however, had 
been successful in clearing the enemy away from the Kussian right 
Hank. 

General Zassalitch, of Yalu fame, with 1,000 men, on 
September 3 was smoothing the road north of Liaoyang for the 
retreat of the Russian artillery and troops. He was also trying 
to put into effect various devices calculated to delay the advance 
of the Japanese. 

As a correspondent passed the fire-swept bed of the Taitse 
river on his way into Liaoyang at noon of September 3 the Rus- 
sian infantry had retired from the immediate front to shelter be- 
hind the south wall of the city Upon getting into Liaoyang it 
was seen that the Japanese rifle bullets were falling around the 
railroad station and that all the stored lumber and wooden build- 
ings in that vicinity were in flames. 

Japanese Enter Liaoyang. 

Two hundred and twenty Chinese who had been wounded by 
the shells falling inside the city had been brought together at the 
Chinese Red Cross station and were being cared for. It was ap- 
parent that the Russians were using the walls of the city for pro- 
tection. This the Japanese discovered, and consequently they 
continued to throw shells into Liaoyang. The number of Chinese 
wounded increased. 

During the night of September 3 all the Russian sentries were 
withdrawn from Liaoyang. The pontoon bridges across the Taitse 
river were hurriedly removed and the Japanese entered and took 
possession of the city 

^'Liaoyang at sunrise on September 4 presented a dismal spec- 
tacle. The Russian settlement was bunimg and overhung with a 
pall of smoke. The scared Chinese were in hiding and the worn-out 
Japanese were bivouacking in the suburbs. Not a shot was fired 
inside the barricade that day and not a Russian left except a few 
deserters disguised as Chinese. 



BATTLE OF LlAoVAXC 4<):; 

''The town was not giv;}t]\ damaged b\ the slieiJ fire, but all 
{\w P^uropean shops and the wealthy Chinese residences had been 
sacked by the Tenth Siberian nfles. 

When (leneral Knropatkm withdrew his forces north of the 
'Taitso river in his retreat northward, General Stakelberg, with 
J5,()00 men, remained on the sonth bank in disobedience of orders. 
For tl]o time being he was completely cut off, but succeeded by 
desperate charges m regaming the main army. 

Losses on Both Sides. 

While the battle of Liaoyang proper lasted six days, the out- 
] jost engagements, leading up to the main event, covered a period 
of five days. In the eleven days of fighting the Russian losses 
were 40,000 men, while the Japanese lost in killed, wounded and 
missing, about 25,000. 

Foreigners who observed the Eussian troops at Liaoyang be- 
fore the battle are of the opinion that the Russian reverse was 
the result of the previous four months of failure in the field; of 
Avhat they tenned the ^'demoralization," which began at the bat- 
lie of the Yalu. 

The task of General Kuropatkin seemed to be hopeless. The 
railroad during the month of July scarcely sufficed to bring int(^ 
Liaoyang enough Russian troops to replace those who were lost 
bv death, sickness or wounds during the month, and it was esti- 
mated that the Russians would have to outnumber the Japanese 
two to one in order to be successful against them. 

Scenes witnessed in Liaoyang before the big battle gave evi- 
dence of a certain degree of demoralization on the part of the 
Russian forces. 

Russians Forget Hardships. 

After the Japanese had won their first successes at Anshan- 
shan and Kaofengshi and were advancing rapidly on the second 
line of Russian defenses, some of the Russian officers who had 
been on the fighting line flung their responsibilities aside imme- 



404 BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 

diately after they reached Liaoyang and sought forgetfulness of 
the hardships of their past work and the dangers of the future. 

The Pagoda garden was gay with merry-makers; there was 
much drinking and sounds of music and the singing of ^^chant- 
anf songs in women's voices was heard from the officers' quar- 
ters in the foreign settlement. 

At the beginning of the five days' fighting the hotels and pub- 
lic resorts of Liaoyang were deserted, soldiers and officers having 
been ordered to the fighting line. But as the men came back 
into the city from the front many of those who could indulged 
themselves in such pleasures as the city afforded. 

Underestimated the Japs. 

The Russian soldiers persistently underestimated the strength 
of the Japanese, and in Liaoyang the statements were often heard, 
even after the fighting at Haicheng and Anshanshan, that the war 
had not begun yet and the Japanese were playing a very danger- 
ous game. 

It was generally believed among the Russian troops that the 
Japanese were enlisting boys and old men in their ranks, for oth- 
erwise they could not account for the large numbers of soldiers 
opposed to them in the field. The attitude of many of the Rus- 
sian troops in regard to the fighting ability and strength of the 
Japanese is changing, however, and the more intelligent are be- 
ginning to give the enemy full credit for his sagacity and worth. 

Chinese Greet Japanese. 

The action of the Chinese of Liaoyang, when the change in 
masters of the city occurred, was astonishing. They had fattened 
long on the Russian occupation, but as soon as the Japanese were 
Known to be coming in tliey made ready with their newly manu- 
factured Japanese flags to greet tlie conquerors. 

Chinese shopkeepers at once hid all llie stores m their pos- 
session which bore Russian colors. This was a wise precaution, 
as the Japanese soldiers later looted all such property. 



BATTLE OF LIAO^AN^J 405 

Just before the Japanese entered the city many Chinese re- 
sorted to the fumes of opium, and as the Japanese soldiers marched 
through the streets of Liaoyang they splashed the mud and filtli 
of the roadways upon Chinamen lymg drugged and senseless in 
the low opium joints fronting on the narrow alleys and passages. 

The Country Around Liaoyang. 

To understand the conditions under which the battle of Liao- 
yang was fought, a knowledge of the topography of the country 
is desirable. 

The general situation is determmed by the Kingan ridge, 
which forms the backbone of Manchuria. This ridge runs from 
the south of Port Arthur right up to the great bend of the Amoor 
river, at Khabarovsk, and is, in fact, the oaiise vx tha' bend, the 
Amoor flowing round it to the norf];. On the east of tLi> back- 
bone ridge lies the valley of the Yalu. On t! e vest of ine same 
ridge lies the valley of the Liao river. 

From this main backbone ribs of low hills go westward into 
the Liao river plain. The railroad from Port Arthur crosses 
several of these ribs, and m parts it resembles a switchback rail- 
way. Between each pair of ribs a stream flows down into the 
plain, going generally due west and joining the Liao river in the 
valley. Thi3 valley is of immense fertility and is covered with 
magnificent fields, v\ith numerous villages and farms and num- 
berless tombs, each marked with a tuft of trees, generally elms, 
willows or firs and pines. It is recorded that the elms near Liao- 
yang are heavily decked with mistletoe. 

The streams between the ribs are mountain torrents, liable to 
sudden floods from cloudbursts, and the bridges, some of M. de 
Witte's masterpieces, allow for these floods by the great height 
of their arches. Westward of the railroad, toward the Great 
Wall, are magnificently irrigated and cultivated plains, produc- 
ing tobacco, cotton, millet, hemp and such fniits as pears, graces, 
peaches and cherries. 



406 liATTIVE oF IJAoYAXC 

The last rib of hiJls from the main backljone is som(3 four or 
five miles south of Liaoyang, the backbone bemg in siglit to the 
east of the town. The mountain stream eorrespondmg to this rib 
is the Taitse river, which flows just north of the town in a wide, 
sandy bed, with numerous sand banks, one of which divides its 
stream into two main branches. The Eussian position before 
their retreat began was a half circle, the southern front being on 
the rib of hills four or five miles south of the cit\, wliile the riglil 
:ind left wings touched the Taitse river, thus practically encirclin,:^," 
ihe town of Liaoyang. 

The Japanese position was south of the rib of hills an<l 
stretched in a larger semicircle outside the senucirele of the Rus- 
sian troops. 

The land between the southern rib of hills and the eit\ is fiat 
and nclily cultivated. It is dotted with suburban villages, and 
is largely covered with market gardens and fruit orchards. To 
the east of the town the ground gradually rises till it passes 
through the foothills into the backbone ridge. Northward of tli<* 
city comes, first, the wide sandy bed of the Taitse vYV(n\ and then 
the flat, richly cultivated plain, twenty-five miles m extent, which 
divides the Liaoyang from Mukden. Westward of Liaoyang the 
country is generally flat, and extends in an open plain toward the 
main valley of the Liao river, into which the Taitse flows. 

City of Liaoyang. 

The cit> IS built four square. It is surrounded by walls of 
stone, topi^ed by brick and crenelated for archery or gun fire 
The walls run north and south and east and west. There is a 
main gate m the center of each wall— thus, there is a north gate, 
a south gate, an east gate and a west gate. The north gate opens 
out on the Taitse river. The west gate opens on the railroad sta- 
tion and the Russian cavalry barracks, close to the station. From 
the south gate the old miperial road goes southward to New- 
chwang. From the east gate another imperial road goes eastward 
to Anping and thence to the Yalu and Korea. 



BATTLE OF LIAOYANG 407 

The city measures two and a half miles north and south, by 
two miles east and west, or rather this is the extent inclosed by 
the walls. But the walled space, five square miles in area, is far 
loo large for the hundred thousand Chinese and Manchu inhabi- 
tants, and much of it is laid out in market gardens. 

The city itself resembles all Chinese walled cities, except that 
its streets have, for the last five or six years, been kept somewhat 
cleaner and lighted at night, by order of the Russians. There is 
only one slight elevation within the walls, on which stands the 
Imperial Treasury. The Buddhist temple to Kwanyin, the God- 
dess of Mercy, is the finest object architecturally, while the mis- 
sion stations are the most interesting to westerners. These had 
bome twelve hundred converts five years ago, buty as Liaoyang 
was the center of the Boxer movement in Manchuria, many were 
terrorized into relmquishing their new faith. The missionaries 
relate with pride how one of their number. Dr. Westwater, pre- 
vented the Russians from storming the city when they were put- 
ting down the Boxer uprising by armed force. Liaoyang used to 
be the capital of Southern Manchuria, and is still important, its 
chief industry being the distilling of a native liquor from the 
hemp and millet of the surrounding fields. 

South of the rib of hills already described, and which bears 
the name of Shoushan, is another small plain, which in its turn 
is bounded on the south by another rib, of which Anshan, the 
''Saddle Hill," is the chief peak. Anshanshan, or ''Saddle Hill 
Village," is noteworthy as being the most northerly point reached 
by" the Japanese armies in the Chino- Japanese war of 1894- '95. 
At Anshan they made a feint at Liaoyang, which was one of the 
strongest centers of Chinese troops, and then turned southward 
to Newchwang. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 
THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SHA RIVER 

Ten Days of Continuous Fighting with the Russians for the Pirst Time on the Ag- 
gressive — Battle Line is Forty Miles Long — Kuropatkin Checks the Japanese 
Army after the Hardest Fought Battle of the War— Richard H. Little's Mag- 
nificent Description of the Spectacular Engagements — Both Armies Oo into 
Winter Quarters, but Keep up Brisk Skirmishes. 

GENERAL KUROPATKIN 'S retreat from Liaoyang ended 
at the Sha river, near Mukden. The Russian commander 
intrenched himself there, and in a bloody ten days^ battle suc- 
ceeded in checking the Japanese advance. The battle began on 
October 6 and lasted until the evening of the 16th. It may prop- 
erly be called a drawn battle, although the Russians had won a 
decided advantage by holding the Japanese in check. 

Sha river was the last battle of the 1904 campaign, as both 
armies went into winter quarters there and kept up a skirmish 
campaign throughout the winter. 

The most brilliant and detailed account of this great battle 
was written by Mr. Richard H. Little, the war correspondent of 
the Chicago News, with General Kuroki's first army. As it con- 
tains the best detailed description obtainable, I reproduce it 
herewith in full. 

The remainder of this chapter is Mr. Little's eye-witness ac- 
count of the battle of Sha river: 

The ten days' battle along the Sha river was the hardest-fought 
battle of the Russo-Japanese war, before the winter closed in on 
the combatants. In every battle fought before this the Russians 
had determined beforehand to retreat or at least say they did; but 
in tne ten days' battle the Russians were attacking and doing their 
utmost to go foi'ward, while the Japanese seemed to think the at- 

40S 



THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SUA RIVER. 409 

tack of the Russians an opportunity to push on and capture Muk- 
den. 

Neither side was victorious. The armies simply clinched and 
liung on until exhausted. When they fell apart it was found that 
each side was ahout where it started, except for the terrible 
slaughter. I do not know the Japanese losses, but I know that the 
Russians lost enough men to take the heart clear out of any army 
but the Russian. The censor at Mukden permitted me to cabl<> 
that the Russians had lost about 40,000 men, .32,000 missing aud 
wounded and 8,000 dead. Since then I have been told by a Russian 
medical oflficer in a position to know that 35,000 wounded passod 
through Mukden, to say nothing of those not yet brought in, and 
it may be that 50,000 is nearer the correct number of the Russian 
casualties than 40,000. 

The Japanese are not as frank about their losses as the Rus- 
sians. Since the battle was so nearly a tie and since the Japanese 
attacked almost as much as the Russians did, it seems to me that 
the Japanese must have lost not far from as many mjen as the 
Russians. As for the loss of guns, about which there is so much 
contention, I believe from as thorough an investigation as I have 
been able to make that the Russians lost more than thirty guns and 
the Japanese sixteen. The end of the battle left the belligerents 
still defiantly facing each other along the Sha river and from any of 
a dozen hills the unique sight is presented of both armies in plain 
view, no longer fighting but digging intrenchments for dear life. 

Both Claim a Victory. 

The ten days' battle settled the question of the winter cam- 
paign. The Russians will settle down in Mukden for the winter 
while the Japanese go into winter quarters at Liaoyang. Both 
armies are now out in the open, where it will be impossible to re- 
main through the bitter cold of a Manchurian winter, and it will 
take another battle to decide where winter quarters are to be taken 
up. The Japanese claim the ten days' battle as a victoiy, becaupo 



410 THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SHA RIVER. 

the Kussian advance was checked; but the Russians in tura 
c'hecked the Japanese ad vane *e, and besides the Russians point out 
that their advance was only checked— they wer(^ not defeated or 
turned back— and that they secured positions that will be of 
the greatest value when the advance is renewed. 

So the Russians will, m all probability, again move forward, or 
if they do not then tlu^ burden of attack will be thrown on the 
Japanese, so that it will take anothei- temble battle to decide who 
had the advantage in the ten days' affair. 

Saw Battle from Mukden. 

Tf a modem battle is hard to see the battle of the Sha nver was 
hardest of all. Here was a line of battle more than forty miles 
long'. One end of it was out on flat plains along the railroad, the 
center w as m the hills, while the left wing fought furiously against 
nature as well as the Japanese m the mountains. The battle rai;od 
every inch of the way from ten miles west of the railroad to 
Pensiho, some thirty miles west of Yentai, and well up m th<^ 
mountains The part of the battlefield in the plains was onlv 
twelve miles south of JMukden, and every day of the fighting the 
great walls of ]\Iukden were crowded with a curiously mixed as- 
sortment of Russian officers and soldiers and C'hinese mandarins 
and people of all classes, who watched with mingled feelings the 
bursting of the Japanese shells and listened to the reverberations 
of the artillerv, so heavv that the window glasses m Mukden 
rattled as if shaken hy an earthquake. 

The weather during the first few days of the fighting was the 
same kind of glorious fall weather that a kindly providence some- 
times vouchsafes to us in America, but up in the mountains the 
nights were very cold and I remember when we started with Ren- 
nenkampff for Pensiho our horses' feet broke the thin ice coating 
of the little creeks. The terrible bombardment of the first few 
days brought the rain down in torrents. During the remainder of 
the battle a cold, merciless rain that turned the roads into bottom- 



THE DRAWiN BATTLE OF SHA lUVER. 411 

less (|uagiiiiros increased tenfold the miseries of the soldiers, 
weakened by the long days, of ceaseless fighting and the wearv 
vigils of the longer nights. 

Battle Not Spectacular. 

It was not a spectacular battle, any more than a bulldog fight 
IS spectaeular. The armies simply locked and held on; yet np in 
the hills and mountains one could get vantage ground and see 
Sights that were worth a lifetime. Down on the plains the shells 
were here, there and eveiywhere, before us, behind, this side, that 
snle. Finally, m disgust, after having been shelled out of three 
])laces seleeted with great care and discretion, our small partv 
turned its back on the plains and retired to the friendly hills in 
the east. 

1 was in at the beginning of this great struggle and for five 
days watched Rennenkampff straining every nerve to turn the 
Japanese right flank and capture Pensiho. All of which is a story 
all by itself. I was in at the death, too, and saw the 10th cor]is 
hold fast m a hell of shrapnel and shimose, hold fast and then 
afterward in the night and the cold and the pounng rain crowd 
foi-ward and push the Japanese back. This is likewise a separate 
tale and as such will be duly set in its own place. 

Kuropatkin Nerves Soldiers. 

We knew in Mukden that the Russians were to advance, al- 
though the secret was most jealously guarded. A general told me 
that Gen. Kuropatkin would much rather have had the Japanese 
advance so that the Russians could have fallen back to Tie pass in 
accordance with the general's plan and then made the start for- 
ward from that point; but inasmuch as the Japanese had stopped 
short at Yentai and gave signs of going into winter quarters at 
Liaoyang the Russians were forced to attack at once. General 
Kuropatkin 's proclamation was read in all the various corps and 
detachments of the army, October 5. It briefly reviewed the cam- 



412 THK J)KA\\x\ BATTLE OF SUA RIVER. 

l)aigTi, spoke of the treachery of the Japanese in attacking Port 
Arthur before the declaration of war, declared that the so-called 
Ja])aneso victories were gained only because the Russians had 
beforehand decided to retire at each point after checking the ene- 
my's advance, and then called on the soldiers to march bravely 
forward to the relief of their heroic brothers struggling in Port 
Arthur. 

Ever\ where solemn mass was said by the priests in the pres- 
ence of the troops paraded in hollow squares and after the com- 
manding officers had addressed the troops and read the proclama- 
tion the men threw their hats in the air and cheered, the bands 
played the national anthem and there the greatest enthusiasm 
prevailed. 

It was a cool October day. In the fields the kiaoling (millet) 
was stacked just as com is stacked in the United States, and look- 
ing just the same. The gray mist hung over the mountains, which 
crowded in close on us all around, and the sun, which had been 
under the clouds all day, burst forth just as the priests began the 
ser^^ice and shone down brightly. The priests and a choir of sol- 
diers chanted the ser\"ice. 

Troops March Cheerfully. 

General Eennenkampff, muffled in his big woolly ^'bourke,'^ the 
black cape that covers its wearers from the shoulders to the 
ground, stood on a little eminence, and as the troops filed past 
inquired in the fashion of the Russian army, ^^How are you, my 
children?'^ 

The men shouted back, ^'Very well, your excellency, thank 
you," with a vim that made it sound like a college yelk It was 
cold, but everybody was happy. We were going to Port Arthur. 

All that forenoon we marched steadily. The sun came up and 
the mist disappeared and finally we grew warm again. We 
marched in a southwest direction down the valley for several 
miles, and ihr^^ ^"^^^^ climbing over the mountains. The roads 



THE DKAWiN BATTLE OF SUA KIVEii. 413 

were iiardly more than trails and sometimes very steep and rocky, 
but the troops were fresh and besides it's a long way to Port Ar- 
i hur and we had to hurry. At noon we halted at a Chmese town 
;ind remained there until the next moraing, when we pushed on to 
^>antranitze, a little town only a few miles from Pensiho. 

Here ^VQ had to wait until we heard from the 3d corps on our 
right. The 1st, 2d and 3d corps were moving down from their 
former positions on the high road running straight oast from 
Mukden to Feushan. All the various corps and divisions of Ivuro- 
patkin's army were to mo\e southward in concert, but Rennen- 
kampff's cavalry had moved a little faster than was planned or 
else the other coips were slower than it was thought they would 
be. At any rate we had to wait at Santrantze while Japane:>e 
scouts peeked at us from the tops of the mountains and smiling 
Chinese wandered out to mfomi the enemy how strong our force 
was and of our sinister designs in regard to Pensiho. 

Troops Under Fire. 

The skirmishers of the main column across the river had now 
engaged the enemy and taken all the attention of the Japanese and 
we recrossed the Taitse in peace and immediately afterward put 
the horses to a gallop and rode under fire to the protecting walls 
of a Buddhist temple which stood a short distance outside the 
town. The men dismounted, every third man remaining behind 
to hold horses, and the men went immediately into action. 

The advance was made by rushes until we reaehed the town. 
The Japanese seemed to be across a small nver at the foot of the 
mountains at the other end of the village. Tlie Cossacks took 
shelter wherever they could find it and opened a hot fire. The 
Japanese began volley firing and seemed inclined to stick to their 
position. A big Cossack bounded to his feet with the blood gush- 
ing from his breast. He made the sign of the cross on his forehead 
and fell dead. Another Cossack dropped his gun and grabbed his 
wrist, where a round red hole suddenly appeared. A man suddenly 



414 THE DRAWN BATTJ.E OF SUA RIVER. 

sat up m a dazed way and commenced feeling cautiously about Ins 
liead as though m doubt as to whether tliat deep red furrow over 
his ear was really a wound or whether he was waking from a bad 
dream. 

Frightful Losses Around Pensiho, 

On October 8, at daylight, Gen. Kennenkampff advanced on 
Pensiho and at noon he reached the little town of Ounion, at the 
base of a number of parallel high mountain ridges that separated 
it from Pensiho. In two hours he had driven the Japanese skir- 
mishers from the woods beyond the village and up the mountain 
and occupied the first range of hills. For five days the fight raged 
around Pensiho. Rennenkampff's men did all that men could do. 
The Russian losses in the rugged cliffs around Pensiho were 
frightful. The regiments were fairly hurled against the Japanese 
and only the battered remnants came back. The little streams that 
came tumbling down the mountain ran red with blood. But it was 
m vam. 

On the night of October ll^, while the Japanese shells were fall- 
ing freely among the transports and the marching columns Ren- 
nenkampff turned his back on Pensiho and marched northward. 

Both Attack by Night. 

The Japanese seemed to have arrived at this conclusion some 
time ago, for their infantry attacked repeatedly- at night at Liao- 
yang. The Russians have discovered the truth of this assertion 
also, for during the last days of the Sha nver battle they hung 
tight to their positions in daytime and at night hurled their in- 
fantry at the Japanese. It was a night attack that gave the Rus- 
sians tho sixteen guns they captured. Two or three miles east of 
the railroad is a conical-shaped hill, with gentlv sloping sides. At 
the top of the hill m the exact center is a little tree. On this hill 
the Japanese artillery was planted. It did deadly work and 
silenced and drove back all the Russian guns in range. 



THE DRAWN BATTLE OP" SUA RIVER. 415 

Several attempts were made to take it in (laytime, but the only 
result was frightful loss in the hues that vainl> tiied to weather 
the awful stomi of slirapneL Finally, after dark on Sunday night, 
the 9th and 20th European regiments, with a mixed brigade from 
the 3d and -itli corps supporting them, advanced against the bat- 
teries on the hill. The guns worked witli lightninglike rapidity, 
but in the darkness the Japanese gunners lost the deadly a(*euracy 
of their aim. 

Storming of Lone Tree Hill. 

The two regiments pressed on, although they were losing heav- 
ily The Japanese gunners stuck to their guns even when the Rus- 
sians came over the mtrenchments. The infantry support came to 
the rescue and a hand-to-hand fight ensued. There was no more 
firing. The much- vaunted guns and the repeating rifles and all the 
triumphs of modern inventive genius were silent. It was the time 
for the cold steel, for the archaic sword and lance and bayonet. It 
was stab and hack and parry and thrust. In the darkness friends 
and foes were mixed in one yelling frenzied mob. The Japanese 
wore white bandages on their arms to distinguish each other from 
the enemy, but it also told the Russians where to strike. Each 
Russian struck and fought at every white bandage he could see. 
A Russian sergeant stabbed m the ann and falling beneath the 
guns bound a handkerchief about his wound and plunged into the 
fight again and his own captain cut him down and would have run 
him through but he cried out m time and tore off the handkerchief 
that had marked him as a Japanese. The fury of the Russian at- 
tack was too much for the Japanese. They fought like brave men, 
but they were fighting men just as brave and much stronger. Those 
who could crawled out of the melee and fled down the hill. 

The Russian guns, which had followed fast on the heels of the 
infantry, took position and the hill was won; but the cost— aye, 
the cost. It was a big price, but the Japanese paid heavily, too. 
At daylight the sum could be added up. There they lay in the 



416 THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SUA RIVER. 

trenches and scattered all about the hill— Russians and Japanese, 
some of them still in a death grip. A Cossack had both hands 
clinched in the coat of a Japanese, whom he had been trying to 
drag down. The Cossack ^s head and body were covered with the 
deep gashes the Japanese had given him with a sword, but the man 
had held fast until a comrade had run his bayonet through the 
Japanese. Nor even then had he relaxed his hold, nor would he 
in death, and he was buried with the coat of the dead Japanese 
in his hands, for the burial party could not piy loose his gnp. 
Three all but headless bodies lay near the guns, which were 
daubed and splattered with blood. Nine hundred and sixty-two 
Japanese and more than 500 Russians were buried on the hill 
where the guns were captured. 

Regiments Stood Finn. 

The weakest place in the Russian line was left of the center 
where the 4tli corps had been spread ^out with too wide a front. 
The Japanese found the weak spot speedily and pushed hard 
against it. At the same time the Japanese pressed a vigorous 
attack against the 10th corps along the railroad. A part of the 
17th was detached to help Stakelberg and portions of corps were 
thrown in to re-enforce the 4th, which, although pushed back some 
distance, succeeded in holding its place and preventing the Japan- 
ese from breaking through. The 10th and 17th on the right were 
being terribly pounded. 

Again and agam they sent to Kuropatkin for help, but he had 
no troops to give them. He only sent back word ^^You must hold 
your positions at all hazards.'' They held. The 17th was terribly 
punished, whole regiments were cut down until they were hardly 
decent-sized batteries and the corps lost twenty guns. On Monday 
all along the line, but especially upon these two corps, the Japan- 
ese made a tremendous artillery assault and followed it up in the 
evening with an infantrj^ advance that was turned back. 

That night in the sticky mud, with the rain beating in their 



THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SUA RIVER. 417 

fa(^es, faiut froin hunger and exhaustion, the lOth eurps niovoO 
.steadily forward. The Japanese were ready and poured in a very 
hot lire. The 10th stumbled and staggei-ed through the mud; it 
moved very slowly, but the flashes of the rifles showed that it did 
move. And always foi^ard. Not far, to be sure, but ahead of its 
old position. It gained ground. It stopped there and held the 
place until the end. There's good stuff in that 10th coq^s. 

Japanese Fire Accurate. 

The terrible loss on the Knssian side was due not only to the 
fact that during most of the battle they were the attacking party 
and suffered enormous losses as they came out into the open from 
the Japanese infantry and artillery, well placed in positions al- 
most or entirely hidden, but most of all to the teiTible fire of 
shrapnel and shimose shells that the Japs poured on all parts of 
the Russian line day and night. The Japanese did not merely con- 
tent themselves with shelling the Russian firing line, the infantry 
and the mountain and magazine guns looked to that while the 
shrapnel roamed all over the field, now hammering down on the 
troops marching forward to re-enforce the fighting line, now 
pouncing down on men huddled behind a stone wall in resen^e, 
now bursting exactly m the middle of the troops lying in support. 
The rear of the Russian army lost almost as iiiuch as the front. 
The great shimose shells seemed to concern themselves particu- 
larly with the rear. 

When we were standing in the compound of the Chinese house, 
where the headquarters of the lOtli corps had been established and 
which was supposed to be in the rear, shrapnel continually 
dropped in the road not fifty yards away. We would have gone 
back, but shimose shells were falling across our way of retreat, 
some close at hand and others so far back as half or three-quar- 
ters of a mile. 

Three different times that day, in company with a Spanish and 
a German military attache, did wo take up what we considered 



418 THi: DilAWN BATTLE OF SUA RIVER. 

safe positions from wliicli to see the battle, only to find that 
shimose shells w ere passing over our heads and that we were far 
inside the danger zone. In despair we retired m good order to a 
village a mile away from the headquarters of the 10th corps that 
we might have tiffin in peace. We had not finished boiling water 
for the tea before a shell fell across the road and burst in a group 
of cavalry that had supposed it was as safe as though it had been 
back m Mukden. There was a dull boom back of our house and 
looking we saw the pillar of mud and rocks and smoke that a 
shimose shell hurls into the air 

Japanese Broaden '^Danger Zone.*' 

Coming back that morning from the headquarters of the 10th 
corps I was trying to get a picture of a Japanese prisoner when 
shimose shells began to hurl up mud geysers all around. A shell 
struck fair m the center of a transport train and horses, mules and 
men seemed to go into the air. Four soldiers who, perhaps, were 
congratulating themselves on getting out of the fight and were 
boiling tea over in a kiaoliang (millet) field were instantly killed 
by a shell that seemed to fall directly in the center of their camp. 
Shells were falling behind all the walls and buildings in the town 
behind us. Through a glass one could see the soldiers of the re- 
serves and supports, obliged to stay where they had been stationed, 
turning confusedly this way and that, lying down, standing up, 
then running a few steps forward and back again and acting like 
wild animals surrounded by a prairie fire, blinded, dazed, not 
knowing which way to turn and waiting helplessly for death. 

Military experts speak of the ^^ danger zone'' of a battlefield. 
The Japanese have broader ideas of the danger zone. They have 
extended it to include every acre of ground occupied by their 
enemy, firing-line supports, reserves, extreme front, middle dis- 
tance, extreme rear. Watching their shells, it was easy to see that 
the Japanese had surveyed all the country in front of them and 
had the range of all buildings, roads and ravines where troopi 
not in the firing line would find shelter. 



THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SUA KIVEL' 419 

They liad apparently made calculations that in one building 
headquarters would be established, that a long stone wall with a 
ravine behind it would be where resorves or supports would find 
shelter, that on this hill near a little clump of trees batteries would 
without doubt go into action. They had the exact lo(\ation and 
range of every place. We had abandoned the road entirely. For 
a mile, although the road was not a straiglit one and took several 
bends and curves, it was dotted with exploding shinioso shells. 

Japanese Plans Come Out Right. 

The artillery wagons and the carts takin.i;' supphes of ammuni- 
tion and food to the front inquired where tlie road was only that 
they might carefully avoid it and go forward instead by bumpin.i,^ 
straight across the fields. It was usually unnecessary to ask about 
the road. Fountains of mud marked it much plainer than sii^?i 
boards would have done. By noon new roads had been worn off 
to right and left of the main road, but by 2 o'clock, thanks proli- 
ably to Chinese spies, the Japanese artillery had found these, too. 
It was a teiTible pounding that the Russians had to take. The 
Japanese seemed to have anticipated the Russian advance and 
they prepared for it by figuring out what positions the Russians 
would take and putting batteries in place to shell each spot. The 
Russians sent back shrapnel for shrapnel, but thev had nothing 
to offset the deadly shimose fire. 

Russians Shell Own Battery. 

Such a sweeping general vain of Japanese shells, besides killing 
and maiming such an immense number of men, also caused con- 
siderable confusion m the Russian lines. One Russian battery by 
mistake began shelling another batteiy. The second battery 
should have known that Japanese shells could not have come to 
them from such a direction, but the mere fact that shells seemed 
to fall anywhere from anywhere had prepared the Russians to be 
surprised at nothing, so the second battery immediately took up 



420 THE DRAWN BATTLE OF SHA RIVER. 

the challenge of the first battery and the two engaged in a deadly 
duel that only ended with the destruction of the second battery. 

It seems impossible that any army could suffer the loss the 
Russian army did along the Sha river and still hold its position, 
keep up the desperate fight as long as the other side did and at the 
last actually move forward in places and occupy advanced terri- 
tory. I watched the terrific shelling of the 10th corps on Monday 
and could not understand why the troops did not suddenly break 
into headlong retreat or at least retire. Such a red field of 
slaughter has seldom been seen on any battlefield. 

The Russians took their punishment without the slightest sign 
of giving way. The shells pounded, pounded, pounded, left, right, 
center, now a whole line of shimose fountains straight across the 
fields, now a dozen puffs of white smoke, as the shrapnel leaped 
down on this place; then swung back and staggered the column, 
marching over in a field; then leaped over, as if to devour a wagon 
train trying to slip along unobserved in the underbrush along the 
creek. The German military attache bit his lip and kept opening 
and shutting his field glass and murmuring in German. The Span- 
ish attache was continually clapping his hands and crying, "Bravo, 
bravo," as though he were watching a play. I shouted, ''Hold 
them, 10th!" It was like a football game, where our team is on 
its two-yard line, with the score tied and three minutes left to 
play. 

The lOtli held. It lost men by the hundred. Corpses and 
bleeding men and men rolling on the ground shrieking their death 
agony were everywhere, but the 10th held. We sat grim and tight 
in all that hell and when the Japanese tried to follow up shrapnel 
and shimose with the bayonet drove them back. Then in the 
blackness of the night, in a cold rain, that fell in torrents and in 
the face of a pitiless rifle fire, the old 10th, or rather what was 
left of it, rose up and went forward to a position a full half mile 
or more in advance. They held there, too. It is a great thing in 
an army that it never knows when it's beaten. 



CHAPTE,R XXXIV 
THE. SIEGE, OF PORT ARTHUR 

(Contimied from Page 318.) 

General Nogi's Land Forces Continue the Attack from the Rear and Take Fort after 
Fort, "but with Heavy Loss — Dynamite Bombs and Bayonets Used -in Fierce 
Hand-to-Hand Conflicts— Two Months of Fighting for 203-Meter Kill, the Key 
to the Russian Situation — Stoessel's Defense of the ** Russian Gibraltar'' the 
Most Gallant in War History. 

DURING the evening of August 20 the Japanese loft flank cut 
the entanglements on the slope east of Keekwan Fort hill, 
and before dawn, x\ugust 21, a center division of the Japanese 
gained the foot of East Panlung fort, called by the Japanese East 
Banjusan fort, and tried to cut the entanglements, but the troops 
were repulsed. At daylight all the Jap-anese batteries of the cen- 
ter division concentrated their fire on the Baiijusan and Keekwan 
forts, but despite the artillery support the Japanese were driven 
out of the East Keekwan fort by an attack of a massed body of 
Russians from the Chinese wall. 

The assault threatened to result in an utter failure to secure 
i\ faothold on the fortified ridge, and General Xogi summoned 
the generals of the left and center divisions to consult with him 
concerning the operations. 

During his absence at 11 in the morning, without special or- 
ders, several companies of a regiment of the center division 
emerged from their trenches at the foot of the East Banjusaii 
fort, and in tens and twenties charged up the slope to the broken 
wall of the trench around the crest of the fortified hill, under 
cover of a splendid shrapnel practice fro^ ^-h^^v j^eld batteries 
in the valley. 

421 



422 THE S1E(;E OF PORT ARTHUR 

The Kiissians behind the wall and in the fort poured out a hail 
of rifle bullets and the machine and (luiek-firing guns belched 
forth on the intrepid Japanese. Twice the latter were forced 
back till the slope was covered with dead bodies, but a third at- 
tempt was made and a score of Japanese reached the broken 
wall. The teiTi))le live of tlie Russians, however, started their 
retirement. 

Heroic Sacrifice Brings Capture. 

Suddenly a Japanese officer, regardless of danger, stood up, 
called out an order, planted his regimental flag on the wall and 
was immediately riddled with Russian bullets. The effect on the 
Japanese of this sacrifice was instantaneous. The retreating in- 
fantrymen stopped, hesitated and then charged back, fought like 
demons, jumped over the wall, charged the Russians with bayo- 
nets and forced many of them up the glacis, over the ramparts 
;i]id into the fort. 

The Japanese were reinforced from time to time by rushes 
]iiade by their comrades up the death way from the trenches, and 
they stubbornly held the corner wall and a small section of the 
Russian trenches till 5 o'clock, when two companies of another 
regiment worked through the trenches and attacked the West 
Banjusan fort, the magazine of which had been blown up by a 
shell. 

Capture West Banjusan Fort. 

Taking advantage of r diversion of the Russian fire, the Jap- 
anese attacking the first fort forced the Russians back, captured 
the fort at the point of the bayonet and pursued them along the 
connecting trenches to the Chinese wall. The West Banjusan fort 
was captured at 7 o'clock after a slight resistance, the Japanese 
being unable to occupy it, as the magazine was blown up, but they 
held the trench line around the crest. 

In the afternoon three battalions of Japanese reserves were 
added to the center division and during the niglit a regiment 



THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 4i>:; 

left the division and assaulted and captured part of the south 
Keekwan fort. 

At daylight August 23 the Russians concentrated shn^piKl 
fire on the captured forts and the Japanese soutli of Koekwnfi 
were ejected from their positions. The Banjusan forts were suh- 
jected to an awful fire, l)ut the Japanese in possession of Iheni 
continued making bomb-proof trenches on the hills. 

Slaughter Japs by Searchlight. 

Later the Russians, anticipating an assault, made a stron.i? 
counter attack at night. The Japanese advance lines wore driven 
from the forts and were furiously attacked b> large bodies of Rus- 
sians, who also worked down on either side of the captured Ban- 
jusan forts to the valley, in an attempt to cut off the retreat of 
the Japanese from two forts. The Russian move was clever] v 
planned and their artiller>^ commanders were well informed, for 
they opened fire with shrapnel on the advance of the Japanese 
supports across the valley, using starlights and searchlights with 
good effect. The general assault then began and for twenty min- 
utes the whole Japanese line was engaged. 

The left division from the trenches in front of the Keekwan 
forts charged the fortified hills. Part of the advance had gained 
the crests and shouted '^Banzai" when their triumph was cut 
short. Suddenly the two powerful searchlights of the east forts 
lighted up the Japanese lines and Russian rifles and machine 
guns poured a deadly hail into the ranks of the attacking troops. 

Destroy Lights and Silence Guns. 

Despite the awful process of annihilation the Japanese stub- 
bornly held the positions gained and their machine guns quicklv 
located and quieted the Russian quickfirers. Finallv the Jaiv 
anese were slowly forced down the slopes to the trenches. On 
the west flank the searchlights of Etse and Tainvangkow forts 
played along the Japanese trenches, preventing the movement oi 



424 THE SIEGE OF POET ARTHUR 

troops. The Japanese artillerymen concentrated their fire on the 
searchlights. Suddenly the light of Etse fort disappeared and 
the light of Tainyangkow fort followed. 

The Japanese infantry on the right flank advanced on the 
trenches close to the Eussian lines when the Etse light was flashed 
out in the faces of the advancing troops and Eussian machine 
guns swept their fire along the lines, while rifles blazed with con- 
tinual rattle. As the Japanese machine guns came into action 
they were located by the Eussian starlights and made more dis- 
tinctly visible by the searchlights, but they silenced the Eussian 
quickfirers. 

Meantime the fight was fiercest in the center of the Shuishi 
valley. The Japanese captured the Banjusan forts, outflanking 
the Eussian forces and slowly forcing their lines back to the foot 
of the fortified hills. The Japanese were well supported, rushed 
forward furiously and engaged the Eussians who had gained the 
valley in an attempt to outflank the forts. Though the Japanese 
plan of attack was destroyed by the Eussian counter attack the 
Japanese fought with splendid determination. Slowly the Eus- 
sians were driven back up the slopes, fighting desperately with 
rifles. 

The Japanese artillery was unable to fire at this point as the 
Japanese forces were mixed. 

Russians in Dark, Japs in Glare. 

The skillful working of the Eussian starlights and searchlights 
were utterly unexpected and bewildering. They never failed to 
locate the Japanese lines, which offered splendid marljs for the 
Eussian rifles and machine guns and rendered the Japanese ma- 
chine guns of little use, as they were located and silenced by 
quickfirers before they could do any execution. 

The Eussians along the whole line fought in the blackest dark- 
ness and the Japanese with the most dazzling light in fheir faces. 
The rattle of musketry, the thundering of the Eussian guns, the 



THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHIJI: 425 

purring of the machine guns, the bursting of starlights and the 
flashing of searchlights along the whole line were wonderfully 
impressive. 

The fight lasted continuously for six hours, till dawn, when 
the outflankers were forced back over the captured fortified hills 
followed by the Japanese, who captured the forts and joined their 
forces from the valley. 

Capture New Banjusan Forts. 

Before day August 22 the center division made a third attempt 
to capture the higher fortified ridge of Ash hill, the new Banjusan 
forts on the higher ridge, and the rear forts. The Banjusan forts 
were stormed and captured* the Japanese pursuing the Russians. 
Two hundred Japanese officers and men were killed. All belonged 
to a regiment of the center division which reached a neck between 
the double peaks of Wantai. 

The Japanese captured a fort where they intrenched them- 
selves and remained under an awful concentration of shrapnel 
fire. With daylight the Japanese artillery started a terrific bom- 
]iardment. An avalanche of shells swept down on the eastern forti- 
fied ridges, quieting the Eussian guns. The stonn of bursting 
shells lasted half an hour. Over 400 guns roared in rapid succes- 
sion until the entire ridge was enveloped in smoke. 

General Assault Proves Failure. 

For a time every Russian fort was silenced. When the smoke 
cleared away it was seen that the left division had advanced 
through the captured forts. One regiment attacked the east Keek- 
wan fort, but was repulsed. Another regiment advanced up the 
northeast slopes of Wantai hill m an effort to effect a junction 
with the regiment which held the neck between the two hills. 

The capture of Wantai hill meant the dividing of the eastern 
fortified ridge. A center supporting regiment was unable to scale 
the heiglits and was forced to intrench at the foot. During tho 



4JG ^rilE SIECE OF PORT ARTHUR 

night of August 24 the ranks of the Japanese were so decimated 
by the furious shrapnel fire of the Russians that they were forced 
to retire to the valley below the captured forts and what might 
have been a successful general assault, with the capture of the 
fortified ridge east of Port Arthur, was converted by the Russian 
tactics into a repulse, redeemed in part by the wonderful fighting 
qualities of the Japanese infantry. 

Japs Lose 14,000 Men. 

The Japanese casualties from August 19 to August 24 wei^^ 
14,000. The center division alone lost 6,000 and a single regiment 
lost 2,500. Only six officers and 200 men of this regiment were 
left after the fight. 

The retention of the Banjusan forts gave the Japanese a foot- 
hold on the fortified ridge as a result of six days of general as- 
sault. Heavy casualties marked this hazardous attempt to take a 
strong modem fortress by assault after a few days^ investment. 
The abihty of General Stoessel and the determined spirit of the 
Russians had been underestimated and the experiment, though 
successful, was never repeated. The Japanese army settled down 
to sapping and making parallels. 

Russians Finally Give Up Forts. 

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. Though the Japanese resorted 
to decoy trenches and bombproofs the daily loss was 100 in each 
fort until September 8, when the Eussians ceased their continuous 
effort to recapture the forts. 

The captured Banjusan forts enabled the Japanese to mass a 
force under cover on the fortified ridge, and so using the Urli 
forts as a pivot, swing the line, capture the fortified ridge and en- 
\ (Aop Port Arthur from the east. The capture of Shuishi was 



THE SIEGE OF PUKT AKTIJUR 427 

ceoessary to enable the construction of parallels to the Urli forts. 
The strength of the western fortified ridge was due to the fact that 
the Sungchow, Taiyangkow and Chair hill foil groups, with the 
advance fort on 203 ]\Ieter hill, formed the right angle of a tri- 
angle, the base line being from Etse to 203 ]\Ieter hill. 

Refuse Quarter in Sorties. 

During the operations from August 25 to September 18 the 
Russians made sorties and attacked working parties almost every 
night, while guns bombarded by day. As the Japanese tren(4i line 
neared the entanglements on the fort hills the sorties became more 
frequent and determined. (^)uarter was neither asked nor given, 
the fiercest antagonism was displayed, and even streteher-l)earers 
were killed. The cause of this was that the Russians alleged that 
their forts were bombarded while a messenger under a white flag 
v>^as delivering the emperor's message August 16. The feeling 
was augmented and later all flags were unrecognized. 

The pioneers suffered heavy casualties m cutting entangle- 
ments. After the failure of the regulation devices for removing 
wires the pioneers were sent to attach ropes to posts to which en- 
tanglements were attached and troops m the trenches dragged 
posts and wires away. This worked satisfactorily until the Rus- 
sians began the use of bracing wires. Then pioneers advanced and 
fell as though killed close to the entanglements and remained mo- 
tionless until, unobserved, they could work along on their backs 
under the wires, which they cut with long shears. As a result of 
this expedient the Russians made certain that all were dead who 
fell near the entanglements. 

Dynamite bombs were used by the Russians against the Jap- 
anese trenches and advance works. For assaulting forts, where it 
was impossible to throw bombs, wooden mortars were made, bound 
with bamboo. These were carried by the soldiers and with them 
bombs were thrown fifty to one hundred yards. These were the 
most effective of the many devices tried by the Japanese. 



42'^ THE S1E(JE OF PORT ARTPIUi^ 

In order to recover the wounded when possible volunteers 
crawled from the trenches at night and worked along on their 
stomachs, pulling the wounded slowly to cover by the heels. Many 
of the wounded were not recovered. 

Make Second General Assault. 

While the siege operations following were in progress re- 
enforcements were added to the existing units and it was an- 
nounced from headquarters that the siege operations would be 
fmished with a general assault September 1!) on the Namaokayama 
lidge, the 203 Meter hill, the half moon forts of the Shuishi val- 
ley, and the redoubt at the foot of Rihlung mountain. The bom- 
bardment was started at dawn. The Eussians failed to reply till 
the afteraoon, which delayed the attacks until 5 in the evening. 
Three battalions of the center division advanced from the paral- 
lels and attacked a redoubt at the foot of Rihlung mountain, which 
the Japanese twice before had tried to capture. 

The Japanese were met by a tremendous fusillade from rifles 
and machine guns and were forced to retire to their trenches, but 
at 4 in the moramg the main attack was made and the Japanese 
eaptured the redoubt, entering it through a breach made by the 
artilleiy. A fierce hand to hand encounter inside the redoubt fol- 
lowed, during which dynamite and hand grenades were used to 
destroy the blockhouses, whose brave defenders stood their ground 
until the last man was bayoneted. The Russian trenches were 
eaptured and occupied by the eJapanese, but the redoubt was de- 
stroyed with explosives. The defending force consisted of four 
companies. The Japanese casualties were over 1,000. The Rus- 
sians left only a few dead. 

Capture Half Moon Forts. 

The evening of September 19 a regiment division attacked the 
Half Kcon forts in the Shuishi valley from parallels fifty yards 
distant. ^^<^ ftr.st assault was made before dark. A battalion 



THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR 429 

and a half advanced against the strongest west Half Moon fort 
and two companies moved against the east fort. Both attacks 
were repulsed. Twice again during the night the Japanese made 
unsuccessful assaults on these forts. 

Early the morning of Septemher 20 the whole force was concen- 
trated in a furious assault on the west Half Moon fort. The moat 
was crossed with scaling ladders, and dynamite and hand grenades 
were used to destroy the Russian trenches and hombproofs. The 
lighting, which lasted twenty minutes, was carried on at the point 
of the bayonet. Finally the Russians were driven through the 
connecting trenches and the other Half Moon forts were all cap- 
tured after slight resistance. 

The Japanese casualties were 400. The Russians left but few 
dead. All the Russians' guns were captured, but they had been 
destroyed. 

Slaughter Japs on Meter Hill. 

The attack on 203 Meter hill and the ridge immediately north 
of it, called Nahaokayama, was started at 5 o'clock the evening 
of September 19 by two regiments. The first regiment advanced 
against Nahaokayama from trenches close to the Russian lines. 
In spite of the furious bombardment with which the Japanese 
tsupported the assault the Japanese infantry could not advance 
. beyond the *'dead ground" and were compelled to spend the night 
on it, close to the first Russian trench line. Meantime a second 
Japanese regiment advanced against the west slopes of 203 Meter 
hill and a third regiment moved against the southwest slopes. 
The second regiment was unable to make much progress, but the 
third regiment reached the foot of the slopes. During the night 
a party of sappers cleared away the Russian wire entanglements. 

At 11 o'clock September 20 a small party of the second regi- 
ment charged forward to gain the foot of the west slopes. The 
Russian batteries were evidently waiting for the Japanese, as a 
most wonderful shrapnel fire was opened on them. Every man 



130 THE STEGE of PORT ARTHUR 

seemed to fall. Within ten minutes all the Japanese were down., 
either wounded or killed. 

Seize Ridge by a Rush. 

The artillery duel continued until 5:30 in the evening, when the 
first Japanese regiment, carrying its flags, advanced up the slopes 
of Nahaokayama to the dead ground, which the single company 
had gained the night previous. The Russians had retired to their 
first line of trenches and several companies of Japanese were ex- 
tended along the slopes under cover of the brow of the ridge. 
AVith a rush they carried the trench line on the crest of the hill. 
The last rush of the Japanese was a splendid spectacle, ending 
with a bayonet encounter with the Russians on the full sky line. 
Stones, bayonets, swords and hand grenades were used by both 
sides. The utmost ferocity was displayed. When the Japanese 
had carried the east half of the ridge the Russians retired to the 
west half. Before darkness the Japanese were in possession of 
the whole ridge, which they retained despite an awful shrapnel 
fire from the Chair hill, Taiyangkow, Tiger's Tail and Liaotie 
forts. 

Fail to Take Nahaokayama Hill. 

At 10 in the evening the third regiment advanced on the south- 
west slopes of the advance fort on Nahaokayama hill. A small 
party gained the fort on the crest, but was driven out the next 
day. Four assaults were made by the Japanese during the next 
two days, but all were repulsed. The third regiment was finally 
compelled to retire from the trenches at the foot of the hill by a 
concentrated shrapnel fire from the valley below. 

The unsuccessful attempt to capture the advance fort resulted 
in 2,000 Japanese casualties. A hundred and eighty Russian dead 
were found at Nahaokayama, which was covered by a network of 
trenches and bombproofs. 



THE SIE^IE OF PORT ARTHUR 4n 

Japs Forced to New Tactics. 

The capture of the redoubt enabled the Japanese to work paral- 
lels eastward, and possession of the Shuishi lunettes enabled tliein 
to work westward. With two forts on the west side (*ai)ture(l and 
the two Banjusan and the three Keekwan forts on the east si(l(% 
the attackers possessed a foothold on the front extendm^u' over 
more than half the eastern side of the fortified ridges. Nahao- 
kayama ridge was a splendid basis for work by the parallelers on 
the 203 Meter hill and Chair hill group of forts, on the west forti- 
fied ridge. Every inch the Japanese now gained was by laborious 
sapping against the determined opposition of the Russians, who 
fought with tremendous earnestness, making' sorties e^ ery night 
against the sappers. 

The morning of October 10 there was a heavy bombardment 
of the east Urli fort, under cover of winch infantiy ad\^anced and 
captured the trenches at the foot of the slope. 

The night of October 11 three companies of the right division 
captured a smaller railway bridge on the northwest slope of the 
west Urh fort and also tried to capture a larger bridge at the foot 
of the west slopes, but they were repulsed. The night of October 
12 a company of the center division made a surprise attack on the 
same bridge. The Russians retired in confusion, leaving their 
kits and overcoats. Later the Russians made a sortie and tried 
to recapture the bridge, but were unsuccessful. Simultaneous] v 
there was a sortie on the east Keekwan trenches, but the Russians 
retired after an hour's fighting. 

Charge and Take Trenches. 

The fire of the eleven-inch howitzers was so eifective against 
the war vessels that the Russians resorted to placing a hospital- 
ship in the direct line of fire. The West Urh fort was damaged 
October 13. The battleship Peresviet was struck by several shells 
from the howitzers and caught fire. Golden hill fort was greatly 
damaged. 



4,V2 TIIK SIE(}E OF 1M)RT \RTHTTR 

October 16 the Japanese attaiked an intrenclied hill called Ha- 
chimake Yama, bet^Yeen the cast Urli and west Banjusan forts. 
Under cover of a tremendous bomLardnient tlie companies of the 
center division emerged from parallels at the foot of the hill and 
charged the glacis with bayonets and ca])tured the trenches at tlie 
crest which the Enssians evacuated. 

It was announced Octoler 1^5 tliat the following day there 
would be a bombardment of the east fortified ridge, from the West 
Urh fort to the South Keekwan fort, and also the (Jhair hill forts, 
to be followed by infantrj^ attacks for the capture of the trench 
lines and glacis of the East and West Urh forts, the East and 
Southeast Keekwan forts, with demonstrations on either flank. 

The bombardment commenced early m tlie morning, increasing 
in volume until 5 in the evening, when two regiments charged. 
When the first regmient gained the trenches at the crest of the 
glacis of East Urh fort the Russians exploded a mine. Pieces of 
timber, earth, stones and some Japanese were hurled hundreds of 
feet. The trench hues on both hills were captured by 6 o'clock m 
the evening with 250 casualties. 

The rapidity with which the Japanese excavated trenches and 
made connections with parallels under fire was marv^elous. Thev 
seemed fairly to sink underground. 

Between 3 and 5 oV^lock the monimg of October 27 the Rus- 
sians made determined sorties on the Japanese trenches near the 
West Urh forts and Hachihake Yama. The Japanese casualties 
were 300. Six officers were killed and eight wounded. The Rus- 
sians left sixty dead. 

The same night between 9 and 2 oVlock the Russians made 
four sorties against the captured trenches near the West I^rh fort, 
under cover of a fierce shrapnel fire from Chair hill, across the 
apex of the Shuishi valley. The Japanese casualties were 120. 
Four officers were killed and eight wounded. The Russians left 
twenty dead. 



CHAPTER XXXV 
THE. FALL OF PORT ARTHUR 

General Stoessel Surrenders tlie Great Fortress to the Victorious Japanese on New 
Year's Day, 1905, after Five Days of Bloody Hand-to-Hand Fighting — Japan- 
ese Take 25,000 Prisoners, of Whom 16,000 Were in the Hospitals — Dramatic 
Meeting between Stoessel and Nogi — Siege Cost Nearly 80,000 Live&~Tha 
Dawn of Peace. 

AT 9 O'CLOCK, January 1, 1905, Port Arthur fell; and the 
long siege, which cost nearly 80,000 lives and has no par- 
allel in history outside of the siege of Troy, came to an end. 

At the hour and date named above General Nogi, commander 
of the Japanese besieging army, received the following message 
from the gallant Russian defender of the Czar^s ''Gibraltar of 
the East'^- 

''Judging by the general condition of the whole line of hostile 
positions held by you I find further resistance at Port Arthur 
useless, and for the pui730se of preventing needless sacrifice of 
lives I propose to hold negotiations with reference to capitula- 
tion. 

"Should you consent to the same, you will please appoint com- 
missioners for discussing the order and conditions regarding 
capitulation and also appoint a place for such commissioners to 
meet the same appointed by me. 

^'I take this opportunity to convey to your excellency assur- 
ances of my respect. Stoessel. ' ' 

Reply Made to Stoessel 

To the letter Gen. Nogi made the following reply: 

''I have the honor to reply to your proposal to hold negotia- 
tions regarding the conditions and order of capitulation. For this 

433 



4;{4: THE FALL OF l^OIIT AliTHUR. 

l)iiri)ose I have appointed as conimissionei' Maj (}eii. Ljiclii, chief 
of staff of our army. He will ])e accompanied by some staff officers 
and civil officials. They will meet yonr commissioners January 2, 
noon, at Shuishiymg. 

''The commissioners of both parties will be empowered to sign 
a convention for the capitulation without waitm.i; for ratification, 
and cause the same to take immediate effect Authorization for 
such plenary powers shall be signed by the highest officer of both 
the negotiating parties, and the same shall be exchanged to the 
respective commissioners. 

''I avail myself of this opportunity to convey to your excel- 
lency assurance of my respect. Nogi.^' 

Mikado's Tribute to Stoessel. 

Copies of these dispatches were bumedly laid before the 
emperor^ who seized the (juick opportunity to pay a tribute to the 
courage of General Stoessel. His majesty directed Field ^Marshal 
Yamagata, chief of the general staff, to foi^ward the following 
dispatch to General Nogi: 

'^When I respectfully infonned his majesty of General Stoes- 
seVs proposal for capitulation, his majesty was pleased to state 
that General Stoessel has rendered commendable service to his 
country in the midst of difficulties, an<l it is his majesty's wish 
that military honors be sliown him/' 

For days and weeks before this exchange of dispatches work- 
ing the surrender of the great fortress. Port Arthur had been a 
veritable ^'living hell,'' and hand-to-hand fighting with dynamite 
bombs and bayonets had been a l)loody daily feature of the siege. 

Destruction of the Russian Fleet. 

Stoessel 's last hope of assistance from the Port Arthur Russian 
fleet vanished on August 10, when Admiral Witthoft made a sortie 
against Admiral Togo's fleet and lost his life and several of his 
most formidable ships. The Czarewitch, Admiral AVitthoft's flag- 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 4:35 

ship, was literally shot to pieces and ready to smk when it reached 
the harbor of Kinchou, the Gennan concession. The cruiser 
Askold, badly damaged, took refuge at Woo-Sung. Both of llies(j 
vessels, together with the toipedo boats accompanying them, were 
compelled to dismantle and were thus put out of s(4vice. The 
cruiser Novik, which escaped from the battle of August 10, was 
overtaken by two Japanese cruisers at Saghahen island, northeast 
of Vladivostok, and was sunk. An excitmg nu^ident of this sie.i;v 
was the capture of the Eussian torpedo boat destroyer Kishitehii 
in the harbor of Chefoo by Japanese toipedo boats. The incident 
raised a controversy among the powers over the riglit of tli(^ 
Japanese to enter a neutral harbor and seize a ship, but it was 
only a tempest in a teapot and soon blew over 

Kamimura's Victory. 

On top of this disaster followed the practical destruction of 
the Russian Vladivostok squadron by a Japanese sijuadron under 
Admiral Kainimura. The Vladivostok squadron attempted tn 
come to the rescue of the Port Arthur S(iuadron, but was inter- 
cepted by Kamimura m the straits of Korea on Augusa 14. A 
long range fight followed, m which the Russian cruiser Rurik 
was sunk, and the Gromoboi and Bogat>'r badly damaged. Th(^ 
damaged cruisers, howe^ (»r, succeeded m reaching Vladivostok, 
but were useless tor fighting purposes. 

The Baltic Fleet Disaster. 

The combined victories of Togo and Kamimura ended the last 
hope of Stoessel for relief from the two Russian squadrons in 
far eastern waters, but a new hope was raised in his breast by the 
announcement that the Czar would send him a powerful fleet from 
tlie Baltic sea. The fleet, comprising some of the most powerful 
battleships and cruisers m the Russian navy, under command of 
Admiral Rojestvensky, sailed early in October. While passing 
through the North sea on Octol^er 21 tlie fleet o]iened fire on a 



436 THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 

fleet of British fishing vessels, killing the captain of one of the 
trawlers and sinking his trawl. By this incident the Baltic fleet 
was detained several days at Vigo, Spain, but was allowed to 
proceed after an international court of inquiry had been arranged 
for. 

Before the Baltic fleet had proceeded far on its way, however, 
the situation at Port Arthur had become too desperate for Gen- 
eral Stoessel to longer hold out. . 

The closing days of October brought notable successes to the 
besiegers, but they also met with serious reverses. On October 
28 they gained the counterscarps of Eihlung and Sungshu forts 
and captured **P" fort between East Keekwan and Panlung moun- 
tains. They lost 2,000 men in this operation, and were forced to 
abandon the positions taken at so dear a cost. 

Then came November with its furious battles, the Japanese 
gaining ground almost inch by inch. On November 5 and 6 the 
Japanese were repulsed in an attempt to carry Etse fort by storm. 
On the 13tli the Russians in turn were repulsed in a sortie. On 
November 26 the Japanese began a general assault on Rihlung, 
Sungshu, and Keekwan forts, but although they reached the in- 
side they were driven out with fearful loss. 

Fleet Sunk at Anchor. 

Then on December 6 came the capture of 203 Meter hill. From 
this point of vantage the Japanese bombarded the remaining Rus- 
sian warships in the harbor with wonderful effect. The hill over- 
looked everj^ foot of Port Arthur and the harbor. From its crest 
Japanese officers were enabled to direct the fire of the heavy guns 
beyond with such unerring aim that the Russian ships at anchor in 
the harbor were destroyed or sunk, one by one. 

By the middle of December but one battleship, the Sevastopol, 
and four or five torpedo boats formed the floating remnants of 
Russia's once powerful fleet. The Sevastopol, driven from the 
harbor, took up its position in the roadstead outside the harbor, 



'.?i'^> 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 437- 

only to be destroyed by the successive attacks of Admiral Togo's 
torpedo flotillas. 

The End at Last. 

The destruction of the fleet was followed by the loss of the 
great forts north of the city, one by one. First Keekwan fort was 
captured. Then Rihlung fell on December 28. On Saturday, De- 
cember 31, the Japanese captured the formidable stronghold on 
Sungshu mountain, and yesterday (Sunday) the forts on Panlung 
and Wantai mountains were captured. 

That was the end. Even while Tokio was cheering the news of 
the capture of the forts came the news that Stoessel, after holding 
out six months, after losing more than half his men, after losing 
all of his ships, at last at bay, unable to continue the unequal 
struggle, had yielded at last, and the Gzar's Gibraltar of the far 
east passed into the hands of his enemies. 

The end of the siege came with dramatic suddenness. Even 
the Japanese, who knew that the fortress was doomed to fall with- 
in a short time, were surprised. They expected a last general 
assault, in which they would fight their way through gorges and 
over trenches and mines into the old and new towns and possibly 
up to the foot of Golden hill and Electnc cliff. 

Saturday, December 31, and Sunday, January 1, were days of 
furious battle. Sunday night the Japanese troops rested in their 
trenches for the last grand assault to ])e delivered in the morning. 

Stoessel's Last Council of War. 

That fateful Sunday afternoon General Stoessel realized that 
his ammunition was practically exhausted and that unless he 
surrendered his men would be shot down without being" able to 
make resistance. Shortly after noon he summoned a council of 
his superior officers, at which Admiral Wirens represented the 
navy. The council met in a dugout, and shells shrieked over it 



438 THH FALL OF PORT ARTHUJ^. 

incessantly as the wornout officers discussed the hopeless situation. 
]\Iore than one voice was choked with sobs as it gave assent to the 
inevitable. The agreement reached was to demand ^' terms of 
honor' ^ or 'Ho die fighting.'' The remnants of tlie gamson were 
ordered to concentrate where all of the stores had been collected, 
prepared to fight to the last if General Nogi proved ungenerous. 

The final act in the spectacular drama really began Wednesday, 
Decenxber 28, when the Japanese divisions were hurled at the 
northern forts guarding Port Arthur in what was planned as the 
last general assault. 

For five days without ceasing the assault was maintained. Day 
and night the Japanese artilleiy continued the fire, and assault 
followed assault in unending succession. 

At 6 o'clock in the evening of December 31 the assault on the 
whole eastern side was renewed with amazing vehemence. A mine 
made an opening inside ^'H" fort, and the Japanese infantiw, 
breaking from co^^er, iTished m. 

The fighting lasted all night, the Japanese pushing against the 
whole ridge simultaneously. The Russians resisted at every point, 
but were slowly driven back, step by step. 

New Year's day broke with the antagonists still locked in 
conflict, and dawn came before resistance ceased. By then the 
Japanese had finnly secured the Russian guns and positions on 
Panlung mountain, and the citv was now open to them at this 
point, for the remaining defenses between the city and the Japan- 
ese advance post were slight and temporary. 

Resistance Dies at Wantai. 

At 9 o'clock Monday morning the first, center, and left column 
attacked the forts on Wantai mountain. The Japanese artillery 
was cleverly used to screen the infantiy advance and by using its 
protection the besiegers reached the fort. But so stubborn was the 
resistance that not until 3:35 o'clock in the afternoon did thev 
fully oocupv the position on Wantai mountain, fighting of the 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTIIUK. 439 

fiercest character having been maintained for over six hours with- 
out ceasing. 

Attacks on forts to the southeast were earned on siiuultaneous- 
ly. Soon after midda} on January 1 there was an explosion on 
South Keekwanshan. The Eussiaiis there innnediately opened a 
heavy rifle fire, which soon ceased. Tlie Japanese scouts advanced 
and found that the enemy was evacuatmg the position after blow- 
ing up the fort with its own magazine. 

Russians Blow Up Forts. 

The destmction of this fort on South Keekwanshan was the 
signal of the doom of Port Arthur. The slackening fire from all 
of the northern and eastern forts seemed to show that the Russian 
ammunition was failing. 

Then all at once the Japanese realized that the beginning of 
the end was at hand. 

Explosion after explosion came from the forts on the surround- 
ing hills, as the Russians blew up their remaining forts. 

Then the Russians began their work of destruction in the city 
and in the harbor Explosion after explosion revealed the destruc- 
tion of the Russian ships. They were destroyed rather than that 
they should fall into the hands of the victors. 

The half sunken ships Retvizan, Poltava, and Pallada caught' 
fire as the other ships were blown up inside of and near the 
entrance to the harbor. 

At half an hour after midnight, Januaiy L\ the Russians evacu- 
ated the East Keekwanshan forts and the Japanese occupied ^^N^' 
and ^^M^' heights to the south of the fort, and at half past 1- 
o'clock on ]\Ionday the remaining forts were blown up by the Rus- 
sians. All fighting ceased after 9 o'clock Sunday night. The 
siege was over. 

The first definite information of the Russian intimation to sur- 
render came at 4 o'clock in the afternoon of Januaiy 1, when th(^ 
]^ussian envoys approached the Japanese lines south of the village 



440 THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 

of Shuishiying. They were met by a Japanese staff ofl&cer, to 
whom they delivered the letter of General Stoessel to General Nogi, 
asking to have a time for parley arranged. 

Conunissioners Are Named. 

General Nogi replied to General Stoessel 's note at once and 
suggested that the commissioners representing the two armies 
meet at the village of Shuishiying at 1 o'clock p. m. on January 2. 

To this General Stoessel agreed and named as his representa- 
tives his chief of staff, Major General Eeiss, Surgeon General Bal- 
lacchoff, Colonel Vostock, and two other staff officers, with two 
interpreters. 

The Japanese commissioners were Major General Ijiohi, chief 
of staff; ]\Iajor Yamaoka, Dr. Ariga, and two other staff officers, 
with two interpreters. 

Major General Ijichi, with a large escort, left the Japanese 
headquarters at 11 o'clock Monday morning, ,and rode to the ap- 
pointed place. Shortly before 1 o'clock the Russian commissioners 
arrived, accompanied by a cavalry escort. 

The conference took place with few preliminaries and lasted 
until 9:35 o'clock at night, when the terms of capitulation were 
signed, as follows* 

Text of the Convention Croveming Port Arthur's Surrender. 

Soldiers and Government Officials Prisoners.— Article I. All 
Russian soldiers, marines, volunteers, also government officials at 
the garrison and harbor of Port Arthur are taken prisoners. 

Japanese to Take All Russian War Equipment.— Article 2. All 
forts, batteries, warships, other ships and boats, arms, ammuni- 
tion, horses, all materials for hostile use, government buildings, 
and all objects belonging to the Russian government shall be trans- 
ferred to the Japanese army in their existing condition. 

Men Garrisoning Leading Forts to Give Up First.— Article 3. 
» ^n the preceding- two conditions being assented to, as a guarantee 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 441 

for the fulfillment thereof, the men garrisoning the forts and the 
batteries on Etse mountain, Sunshu mountain, Antse mountain, 
and the line of eminences southeast therefrom shall be removed by 
noon of January 3, and the same shall be transferred to the Japan- 
ese anny. 

Providmg Against Destruction of Spoils of War.— Article 4 
Should Russian military or naval men be deemed to have de- 
stroyed objects named in article 2, or to have caused alteration in 
any vray in their condition at the existing time, the signing of 
this compact and the negotiations shall be annulled, and the Japan- 
ese aim}' "will take free action. 

Transfer of Lists of Forts, Mines, and Men.— Article 5. The 
Russian military and naval authorities shall prepare and transfer 
to the Japanese army a table showing the fortifications of Port 
Arthur and their respective positions, and maps showing the loca- 
tion of mines, underground and submarine, and all other dan- 
gerous objects; also a table showing the composition and system 
of the army and naval sei-vices at Port Arthur; a list of amiy and 
navy officers, with names, rank, and duties of said officers; a list 
of anny steamers, warships, and other ships, with the numbers of 
their respective crews; a list of civilians, showing the number of 
men and women, their race and occupations. 

Property to Be Disposed of by a Commission.— Article 6. Arms, 
including those carried on person; aimnunition, war materials, 
government buildings, objects owned by the government, horses, 
warships and other ships, including their contents, excepting pri- 
vate property, shall be left in their present positions, and the com- 
missioners of the Russian and Japanese annies shall decide upon 
the method of their transference. 

Officers May Return to Russia on Parole.— Article 7. The 
Japanese army, considering the gallant resistance offered by the 
Russian anny as being honorable, will ]jemiit tlie officers of th»' 
Russian army and navy, as well as officials belonging thereto, to 
carry swords and to take with them private property directh- 
necessary for the maintenance of life. The previously mentioned 



442 THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 

orficersj officials, and volunteers who will sign a written parole 
pledging that they will not take up anns and in no wise take 
action contrary to the interests of the Japanese anny until thc^ 
close of the war will receive the consent of the Japanese army to 
return to their countiy. Each army and navy officer will be al- 
lowed one sen^ant, and such serx^ant will be specially released on 
signing the parole. 

Preparing for Assembling of Conquered Anny.— Article 8. 
Non-commissioned officers and privates of both anny and navy 
and volunteers shall wear their uniforms and, taking portable 
tenfs and necessaiy private property and commanded by their 
respective officers, shall assemble at such places as may be indi- 
cated by the Japanese anny. The Japanese commissioners will 
indicate the necessary details therefor. 

Sanitary Corps and Accountants to Be Retained.— Article 9. 
The sanitaiy coi^ds and the accountants belonging to the Russian 
army and navy shall be retained by the Japanese while their ser- 
vices are deemed necessary for the caring for sick and wounded 
prisoners. During such time such corps shall be required to ren- 
der service under the direction of the sanitary corps and account- 
ants of the Japanese anny. 

Treatment of Residents to Be Determined Later —Article 10. 
The treatment to be accorded to the residents, the transfer of books 
and documents relating to municipal administration and finance, 
and also detailed files necessary for the enforcement of this com- 
pact shall be embodied in a supplementaiy compact. The supple- 
mentary compact shall have the same force as this compact 

Compact Goes into Innnediate Effect.— Article 11. One copy 
each of this compact shall be prepared for the Japanese and Rus- 
sian armies, and it shall have immediate effect upon signature 
thereof. 

Nearly Twenty-five Thousand Prisoners. 

Pursuant to the terms of capitulation the Russian troops 
inarched out of Port Arthur at noon on Januarv 5, stacked their 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 44:j 

arms and became prisoners of war. The Japanese troops marched 
into tlie cit}, but Avithont making any display to hnmiliate their 
captured foes. 

The transfer of prisoners at Port Arthur was completed at 4:30 
p. m. Saturday. Tlie total number of officers transferred was 878, 
men 23,491. 

General Nogi's report shows the transfers were as follows. 

Officers. Men. 

General StoessePs Kwantum;- command. . . ^) 39 

(Jeneral Stoi^ssi^Ps headiaiarters . fi IS 

I'hiiiiueers' ('om])aiiv . 11 26^) 

Teleii,rapli coqis . . . 4 61 

Lailroad detachment . . 1 55 

( Vivalry .... ... 4 177 

Officers and crews of warshii)S 

lietvizan . . . . . 22 . . . 

Pobieda ... ... 22 . 

Pallada 11 

Peres viet .... . . 15 

Poltava ... 1() 311 

Sevastopol . . . . P>1 507 

Bayan .. .. . 15 259 

Bobr . 12 99 

Storozhovoi . . 4 52 

Otvashni . . .6 124 

Gilyak . . 5 72 

Amur . 7 173 

Naval defense headquarteis 3 320 

Harbor office . . ... 60 925 

Naval brigade . ... 59 31 

Torpedo brigade . 10 142 

Field posts and telegraphs 33 23 

Totals 366 3,654 



444 THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 

Tlireo judges and three clerks of courts were also transferred. 

Of tlie 24,369 officers and men captured about 16,000 were sick 
and wounded. The Russian and Japanese medical staffs worked 
together in the hospitals caring for the invalided soldiers and 
sailors, 

Stoessel and Nogi Meet. 

The meeting of General Nogi and General Stoessel was as dra- 
matic as the conclusion of the siege. It had previously been ar- 
ranged to take place at noon in the single undamaged house of the 
villagfo of Shnishi. This house was a miserable hovel called plum 
tree cottage. 

Tlirough a misunderstanding General Stoessel rode out to Port 
.\rthur at 10 o'clock, accompanied by Colonel Reiss and two staff 
officers, to the Japanese lines, but missed the Japanese officer dele- 
gated to escort him to the meeting place. The general rode there 
without an escort and was received by a junior officer who hap- 
pened to be on the spot. The latter telephoned to Nogi, who hur- 
ried his departure from headquarters and arrived at 11 o'clock, 
accompanied by Major General Ijichi, his chief of staff, and Colo- 
nels Yasuhara, Matsudaira and Watanabe, staff officers, and M. 
Kawskarin, secretary of the foreign office at Tokio. 

Nogi Offers Mikado's MessSige. 

When Nogi, looking careworn, entered the compound of the cot- 
tage, the two generals cordially shook hands and Nogi through an 
interpreter expressed his pleasure at meeting a general who had 
fought so bravely and gallantly for his emperor and country. 

General Stoessel thanked Gener^^l Nogi for the pleasure of 
meeting the hero of the victorious army. 

General Nogi explained that he had received a message from 
his emperor asking that the greatest consideration be shown to 
General Stoessel and his officers in appreciation of their splendid 
loyalty to their emperor and country. Because of that wish, he 
added, the Russian officers would be allowed to wear their swords. 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 4ir, 

Stoessel Expresses His Gratitude. 

General Stoessel expressed his gratitude to the Japanese eni- 
])eror for thus saving tlie lionor of Stoossol\s family and said his 
descendants would appie(*iate the thou.i»litful kindness of tlu^ 
emperor of Ja])an. The general also expressed the .i^ratitude of his 
officers and thanked Nogi for sending tlie message from StoosseJ 
to Emperor Nicholas and transmitting his majesty's replv, whidi 
reads as follows: 

''I allow each officer to profit l)y the resented privilege to re- 
turn to liussia under the ohligation not to take further part in the 
present war or to share the destinies of their men/^ 

Praises the Japanese Gunners. 

Both generals then mutuallv praised each other and their 
officers for their bravery. The conveisation afterward turned on 
the explosion of the mine at Sungslm mountain fort. General 
tStoessel said the entire gaiTison of the fort was killed or made 
prisoners. 

The Russian commander great! v praised the Japanese artillery 
shooting, especially the concentrated fire instantaneously with the 
explosion of Sungshu mine The gallant deeds of the Japanese 
infantry, General Stoessel added, spoke for themselves. It was 
impossible to exaggerate their good (lualities. The skillful work 
of the engineers had also won his admiration. 

Regrets Death of Nogi's Sons. 

Continuing, General Stoessel said he had heard that General 
Nogi had lost both his sons and praised his loyalty in this sacrific- 
ing his sons, who had died fighting for their emperor and country. 

General Nogi smilingly replied- ^^One of my sons gave his life 
at Nanshan and the other at 20.^^ Meter hill. Both of these posi- 



446 THE FALL OF POUT ARTHUR. 

tious were of the greatest importance to the Japanese army. I am 
iclad that the sacrifice of my sons' lives was in tlie cai)ture of such 
important positions, as I feel the sacrifices were not made in vain. 
Their lives were nothing compared to the objects sought.'' 

The Japanese commander requested General Stoessel to (*on- 
liiiue to occupy his residence at Port Arthur until arrangements 
were completed for the return of himself and family to Russia. 

Referring to the burial of the dead, General Nogi said the 
Japanese, since the Ijegmning of the mihtary oi)erations, had al- 
ways buried the Russian dead. Those found later would be 
interred at a special spot and a suitable memorial would be erected 
as a tribute to the bravery of Japan's former foes. 

Both are Photographed Together. 

After luncheon at which both generals sat together a group 
photograph was taken at the cottage and General Stoessel re- 
mounted his charger to show the horse's good points, said good-bN' 
to General Nogi and rode back to Port Arthur. The quiet and 
even solemn meeting of the generals endied at about 1 o'clock. 

The regular Russian soldiers in Port Arthur marched out Jan. 
5. The only troops left in the city were the volunteers. 

Two fires were started in Port Arthur during the dav for whicli 
General Stoessel apologized. He said the volimteers were unable 
to control the populace and he desired that the Japanese enter 
Port Arthur immediately to keep order. 

The formal entry of the Japanese army into Port Arthur took 
place on Sunday, Jan. 8. 

Praise Gallant Defense. 

The gallant defense of Stoessel and his men has nowhere been 
given a finer appreciation than in the land of his foes, and Japan 
gladly embraced the opportunity to show her magnanimity and 
admiration of tlie gallantry of Port Arthur's defenders by allow- 



THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 447 

iug them all the liouors which war peiToits a victorious army to 
bestow upon the vanquished. 

The siege and defense of Russia's stronghold in the far east 
were marked by bravery, gallantry and des^Deration unequaled in 
modern warfare and hardly excelled in military history. The 
story of the operations around Port Arthur is one of repeated 
fighting, both by land and sea, of the most desperate and thrilling 
character. Isolated instances of heroism that would have set the 
world rmgmg under less overwhelming circumstances have been 
dwarfed by tlie generally magnificent conduct of both forces. 

Daring by Land and Sea. 

By sea there were toipedo-boat dashes of superb recklessness 
and big ships have ploughed through mine fields with heroic dis- 
regard to give battle or in wild efforts to escape. By land the 
Japanese hurled themselves against positions declared to be im- 
pregnable. They faced and scaled rocky heights crowned with 
batteries and crowded with defenders, suffering losses that mili- 
tary experts say would have appalled any European army. 

In the doomed fortress its people lived under a devastating 
rain of shell and shrapnel. On scanty rations, besieged on every 
side, knowing that hope of succor or escape was vain, the garrison 
fought with a stubbornness that evoked the admiration of the 
world. They met the untiring assaults of the Japanese with a 
grim valor that won even the praise of their foe, and the fighting 
has been waged with a relentlessness than often refused truces to 
bury the dead and collect the wounded. 

The Dawn of Peace. 

The capture of Port Arthur marks the final chapter in the his- 
tory of the war. The Russian land forces were left cooped up in 
Mukden and held in check by a powei^Ful army under Field Mar- 



448 THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR. 

shal Oyaina. By the fall of Port Arthur Japan was enabled to 
eoucentrate her entire military force against General Kuropatkin, 
and thus render futile Russia's efforts to continue the war with 
any hope of success. 

The fall of Port Ailhur was tlie decisive event of the year's 
struggle, and as the flag of the Rising Sun was raised over its 
shell-torn ramparts the nations of the world recognized it as an 
emblem that heralded the dawn of peace. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION 

Internal Troubles Long Fomenting Come to a Crisis — Thousands of Men, Women 
and Children Ruthlessly Slain by Cossacks — Zemstvoists Meet at St. Petersburg 
and Formulate Petition for New Constitution — The Peasantry for the First Time 
Join the Workmen in a Revolution which Quickly Spreads throughout the Rus- 
sian Empire, Detracting Attention from the Manchurlan Campaign — Terrorist 
Tactics Adopted by the Revolutionaries, and Grand Duke Sergius, Uncle of the 
Czar, Slain by a Bomb. 

/^F IMPORTANT bearing upon the destinies of Russia was 
^^ the internal dissension that arose early in the year 1905, 
For months there had been an exceedingly rapid growth of sen- 
timent adverse to the attitude of the czar, his advisors and dom- 
inators. Unlike previous revolutionary outbreaks the one that 
for the time drew attention from the struggle in the far east 
was participated m by many classes. Previously the workmen 
and the students had foimed the body of the revolutionaries. 
The workmen, stirred bv many injustices, were aided and 
abetted by the students who, through research into the history 
of government and an advanced education were enabled to con- 
clude that the government of their nation was far behind the 
progress of the world, had been the chief supporters of the 
aroused workmen. 

The revival of organized terrorism, after an interval of four- 
teen years, dates from the spring of 1901 and grew out of the 
drastic measures which the government used in dealing with 
college demonstrations. The last attempt at bloodshed by mem- 
bers of the celebrated Narodaya Volia (Will of the People) took 
place m 1887, on the anniversary of the death of Alexander II., 
when several nihilists, with bombs under their coats, were ar- 

449 



150 THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. 

rested on the steps of a cathedral which the reigning czar, Alex- 
ander III., was about k) enter. When the would-be regicides 
were l)rou<^ht to tho nearest police station one of them threw a 
bomb on the fiuor apparentl}^ expecting to blow up the building, 
but the missile did not go off. But a new form of agitation made 
rapid headway among tlie workmg classes, as well as among the 
educated part of tho population. It was a Russian version of the 
social-democratic parties of western Europe, the factory prole- 
tariat being the embodiment of all its hopes and aspirations just 
as the peasantry had been the personification of the ideals and 
dreams of the peaceful propagandists of the 70s. 

The government adhered to its old policy of repression. 
Peaceful missionaries and organizers of secret trade unions were 
treated with medieval brutality. But the social-democrats went 
on with their work of education and organization, and their party 
throve. Their teachings gained a foothold in many a factory 
town, while the universities were as full of this form of nihilism— 
a term, by the way, which in Kussia has long been out of use— 
as they had been once full of that spirit which pinned its faitli 
to the village commune as an instrument to work out the coun- 
try's political and economic salvation. The peaceful, unresisting 
'^peasantists'^ had been gradually converted by the senseless 
cruelties of the government into assassins, and now its blind 
policy of oppression and persecution in its campaign against the 
peaceful social-democrats was bound to lead to similar results. 

Opposition to War Foments Revolution. 

Opposition to the war with Japan had been intense, and iLo 
repeated disasters to the Eussians in the field had created dis- 
satisfaction which made the situation more intense. The anti- 
war faction, among which was the large body of peasants, at last 
aroused and for the first time united with the workmen and stu- 
dents in a common interest, was a potent factor in agitating the 
unrest which prevailed as a result of unsatisfactory economic con- 



THK RUSSIAN KEVOLUTlOX 451 

ditions. When the workmen inaugurated demonstrations in many 
of the principal cities of Russia they were joined in their de- 
mands upon the czar for a changed foim of government in which 
the masses should have representation by the great body of the 
peasantry. 

With the nation m such a mood the occurrences of ''Red Sun- 
day/' January 22, 1905, when several thousand men, women and 
children were ruthlessly and wantonly slain by soldiers of the 
czar, could not have come at a more inopportune time. 

Identified with the movement for better conditions were many 
13riests, among them Father Gapon. His zeal and the respect 
which he commanded among the people made this priest a leader 
among the classes of men whom he sought to aid. Believing that 
the czar would be influenced favorably if the cordon of grand 
dukes and nobles who surrounded him and kept from him knowl- 
edge of the actual condition of his people, and who were held 
responsible for his delay in granting promised reforms, was 
broken through, on January 21 Father Gapon addressed a letter 
to Minister of the Interior Prince Sviatopoik-JMirsky, begging that 
Emperor Nicholas appear at the winter palace on the following 
day 

In this letter Father Gapon stated that workmen of all classes 
desired to see the emperor at 2 o'clock p. m. January 22 in the 
square at the winter palace in order to personally express to him 
the needs of all the Russian people. The letter contained an as- 
surance on the part of all workmen and cilleged revolutionaries 
as well that the czar had nothing to fear. His personal safety 
was assured by the priest. 

Ask Czar to Meet Workmen. 

Nicholas was urged to come as the true emperor of the people 
to receive the petition from their own hands that was demanded 
by a regard for his welfare as well as that of the people of St. 
Petersburg and of Russia. The document was couched in terms 



4o3 THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. 

of the utmost respect. It closed witli the declaration that by 
reason of their faith in their emperor thousands of workmen 
would proceed to the winter palace at the time designated in the 
document in order that Emperor Nicholas might show his faith 
by deeds and not by manifestos. The document was signed by 
Father Gapon and eleven representatives of sections of the work- 
men's union. 

Previous to this attempt to obtain a conference with Emperor 
Nicholas, and leading up it, there bad been much rioting and 
bloodshed in different parts of the country. "Workmen in nearly 
all the cities were aroused by strikes. Mobs had gathered, and 
troops had been sent to quell the disturbances resulting and dis- 
perse gatherings. The day before "Eed Sunday" had been one 
of extreme violence, fury and bloodshed. Many people had been 
shot down with ruthless hand by companies of cossacks. A situ- 
ation bordering on civil war existed in the terror-stricken Eus- 
sian capital. The city was placed under martial law, with Prince 
Vasilchikoff as commander of over 50,000 of the emperor's trained 
guards. Troops were bivouacked in the streets and along the 
main thoroughfares of the city. 

The workmen, too, had been busy. On the island of Vassili 
Ostroff and in the industrial sections infuriated men had thrown 
up barricades, which they were holding. They had few firearms, 
for these were seized by the government troops. But they im- 
provised trade implements into weapons and ammunitioned their 
imi^rovised fortifications with dynamite and other deadly ex- 
plosives. 

]\Iinister of the Interior Sviatopoik-Mirsky presented to the 
emperor the invitation of the workmen to appear at the winter 
palace and receive their petition. The emperor's advisors had 
already decided to show a firm and resolute front, and the answer 
to 100,000 workmen trying to make their way to the palace 
square at the time set was a solid array of troops, who met them 
with rifle, bayonet and sabre. 



THP. l;rsSI\V T?EVOLTTT()N. 453 

The Terrible Massacres of ''Red Sunday/' 

Every bridge crossing the Neva to Vassili ( )stroff was strongly 
held, while from the inside of the great courtyards of the winter 
palace a mass of troops came out into the palace square. It was 
plain that there would be no demonstration in front of the palace. 
It only remained to see with how much consideration any attempt 
to hold one would be represented- There was not a long wait, for 
all uncertamty was removed. 

From many different directions people set out upon their 
projected pilgrimage only to be shot down in masses by their 
uniformed brothers, almost before their procession had started 
from the suburbs. 

The strikers left their barrack homes according to their pro- 
gramme, bringing with them their wives and children, even their 
babies, as had been arranged. 

Father (lapon marched at their head, bearing his crucifix aloft 
above a great roll containing the precious petition. They marched 
down Peterhoff chaussee, to where at the Xeva gate the tri- 
umphal arch erected after the Turkish war stands at the junction 
with the mam Baltic thoroughfare. There the Ismailovsky guards 
were drawn up waiting. 

As the head of the procession appeared the acting colonel 
called upon them to stop. Father Gapon, still holding his cruc- 
ifix, advanced and demanded that the colonel should receive and 
forward their petition. 

This request was declined. Then, after a minute's hesitation 
and discussion, the procession continued to advance. 

A sharp order was given, the soldiers raised their rifles and a 
volley rang out, but they only used blank cartridges. Another 
order— this time ''ball cartridges''— and men, women and chil- 
dren fell in heaps. Father Gapon, still clutching the crucifix, 
stood among the dead and dying with the petition. 

Still another volley and then the crowd, no longer a proces- 
sion, turned and fled— all but 300 Iving dead and 500 writhing 



KVi ^IHK RUSSIAN I{EA^()L(^T1()N 

and T\oimded. Some, who had revolvers, fired as they fled. 
Others carried ice picks. Some had stones. But practically they 
wore unarmed. 

It was all over with the strike procession and at 11:41 the 
strikers were still m sight of their barricades. As they retreated 
the soldiers followed, and before a quarter of an hour had passed 
most of them had fled to their homes, and there only remained 
the dead and wounded. 

Thousands Ruthlessly Slain. 

What happened to this contingent happened in other places. 
Twenty thousand people started from Kolpino, a manufacturing 
town twenty-five miles from St. Petersburg. At the Moscow 
arch, on the confines of the town, they met with six volleys and 
a thousand fell dead and 1,500 were wounded. From up the river 
a great crowd marched to the Nevsky gate, where 500 fell dead 
and 700 were wounded. The Vassili Ostroff workers lost only 
200 killed and 700 wounded. 

The revolution, demonstration, strike or petition pilgrimage, 
whatever was or was intended to be, was all over by 12 o'clock 
and nothing was left but 2,000 odd corpses of citizens and six 
or seven soldiers. Of what followed through the afternoon it is 
unnecessary to speak of in detail. 

The people were shot, sabered or ridden down by Cossacks, 
but this was merely incidental to clearing away the casual sight- 
seers who were abroad in the central streets. 

There were carried off in droves to hospitals men, women and 
children with heads and shoulders laid open by great gashes. 
The Cossacks did their work well. 

Such are the grewsome details of ^^Eed Sunday. '' The suc- 
ceeding days were tumultuous, and many workmen and others 
were shot down at various points. Processions that started to 
march to St. Petersburg in the expectation that a general revo- 
lution had started were met on the way and by armed bands 
turned back or shot down in their tracks. 



THE KUSSIAX REVOLUTION 456 

The result of the indiscriminate massacre of thousands of Rus- 
sian subjects was to arouse the dissatisfied. Students deserted 
their universities, which were forced to close their doors; farmers 
left their fields and everywhere the murmur of discontent swelled 
into a roar of anger,— anger that was impotent, but which for a 
time threatened the absolute overthrow of the government, and 
which left the most intense hatred for the Czar. 

The revolutionary spirit quickly spread from 8t. Petersburg 
to Moscow, Kovno, Vilna, Radom and Kharkov and many inter- 
mediate places, where scenes of the greatest violence occurred. 
The Finlanders and Poles took advantage of the occasion to 
revolt, and for many weeks the war in Manchuria was forgotten 
and the resources of the emperor were devoted to the suppression 
of the internal troubles. Under the mailed hand of Trepoff the 
revolt grew until the revolutionaries were either killed or de- 
terred from further attempts by the knowledge that they were 
unprepared for the sanguinary struggle that had been started by 
the shooting down of the St. Petersburg workmen on ^^Red 
Sunday. ' ' 

Zemstvoists Draft New Constitution. 

Incident to and coincident with the uprising of the workmen, 
the students and the peasantry was the meeting of representa- 
tives from the ditierent zemstvos of the country. The zemstvos 
are a relic of the communal fonn of Russian government. They 
are, in reality, a provincial council composed of representative 
men of the different provinces who enact laws for local govern- 
ment. Their powers are much restricted under the autocratic 
fonn of government in Russia. They have no arbitrary control, 
but are bodies which discuss and suggest laws which to them, 
as representatives of their several classes, seem best fitted for the 
government of those classes. 

Representatives selected by the several zemstvos of the nation 
met in St. Petersburg at the climax of the revolution and 
adopted resolutions and a draft of a constitution demanded for 



456 THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. 

the people, and which embodied many of the reforms demanded 
by the social democrats and other revolutionaries. This draft 
of constitution, and the resolutions urging their granting, were 
forwarded by the zemstvoists to the emperor and recommended 
to his consideration. The zemstvoists strongly and respectfully 
petitioned the emperor to grant the people a new constitution 
along the lines they had suggested in the One they had drafted, 
which would have given the masses of Russia at least a small 
voice in the making of the laws under which they were gov- 
erned. Emperor Nicholas considered the petition and submitted 
the constitution to his ministers. For a time it was hoped that 
the czar would exercise his prerogatives unhampered by the 
baneful influence of the nobles. Had he done so the revolutionary 
spirit would have received at least a temporary check. But after 
brief consideration, and half promises to grant the new consti- 
tution, the emperor permitted another opportunity to unite his 
agitated country to pass through his fingers under the represen- 
tation of the bureaucracy that the granting of the constitution 
would embolden the revolutionaries to further demands, and 
inspire them to further acts of terror. 

As one result of the revolutionary spirit came the assassina- 
tions of Soisalon Soininen, procurator general of Finland, and 
the Grand Duke Sergius, imcle of the emperor. A few months 
previously had occurred the murder of Minister of the Interior 
Von Plehve by the assassin Sassonef. Sassonef was a member 
of the fighting organization of the social-democrats. He was a 
man of considerable culture, a student of a Moscow university 
who had, because of his socialistic leanings, suffered great perse- 
cution at the hands of the officials. 

Terrorist Tactics Adopted. 

Von Plehve was assassinated by the throwmg of a bomb. His 
body was torn to atoms by the explosion, his carriage in which 
he was riding was splintered to kindlings and his coachman and 
horse killed. Sassonef declared that he nor the social revolu- 



TIJE RUSSIAN HE VOLUTION. 157 

tionists had any poTsonal feeling against Von Plehve. Tliey 
aimed, he said, at tlie destruction of an obnoxious system, and 
the minister of the interior was a representative of that system 
whose end was necessary. 

After the developments of ''lied Sunday'' the social-demo- 
crats and other organizati<ms predicted an era of assassination. 
It began on February 7 with the killing of Soinmen. 

Soimnen was shot and instantly killed by a young man named 
Karl Lenard Hohenthal, at one time a student at the Imperial 
Alexander university. The murderer ai)peared at the procur- 
ator's house in the forenoon and sent up the card of a man in 
the Russian service On his entrance he fired four shots with a 
revolver, one of whieh accomplished its mission. Sominen had 
been a prominent and active member of the i^ovcrnment party 

Assassination of Grand Duke Sergius, 

Of startling import v> as the assassination of (Irand Duke 8er- 
gius, which occurred on Feljruary 17. Sergius was considered 
the most terri])le of all the reactionaries of Russia. In con- 
formity with the sentence of death imposed upon him December 
12, 1904, by the organization ^'Du Combat," the executive com- 
mittee of the revolutionary party, he was killed by a bomb 
thrown beneath his carriage within the fortress-like walls of the 
Kremlin at Moscow, and almost underneath the historic tower 
from which ''Ivan the Terrible" watched the heads of his ene- 
mies fall beneath the ax on the famous Red square. His head 
was blown off and his body literally torn to pieces. So success- 
fully was the work of the assassin aeeomplished that Sergius' 
face could not be found when an attempt was made to piece the 
body together previous to his burial. The murderer was a young 
]nan well dressed, and of refined appearance, aliout thirty years 
of age, who was supposed to have been a student at one of the 
universities. So secretly did the Terrorists perfect their plans 
and carry them out, that the identity of the assassin was not 
discovered, although he was arrested immediatelv after the 



458 THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. 

throwing of the bomb. He made no attempt to escape, but sur- 
rendered himself to the authorities, saying, *^I do not care! I 
have accomplished my task!'' All the way to the ijolice station 
he shouted loudly, ''Freedom! Freedom!" He was injured 
slightly by the flymg splinters from the carriage of Grand Duke 
Sergius, and was drenched with the blood of his victim. 

Like practically all of the grand dukes and nobles of Russia, 
Sergius had long expected to meet death at the hands of an 
assassin. 

The assassination was undoubtedly the work of the Fighting 
Organization of the socialistic revolutionary party, vrhicli con- 
demned and executed Count Bobrikoff, Governor Geiieral oi Fin- 
land, and MM. Sipianguine and Von Plehve, Ministers of the In- 
terior. It was regarded as a direct challenge from the Terrorists 
to the Autocracy and a revival of the famous duel between the 
Nihilists and the Government twenty-five years previous. 

Grand Duke Sergius was the head and front of the war party 
He was the most hated man in Eussia and he knew it. He 
despised the common people and was the most potent influence 
in the vicinity of the Czar in favor of main' .ning the tradi- 
tionary rights of the autocracy. 

It was Sergius who baited the Jews and hated the peasants. 
He persecuted the students and threw stumbling-blocks in the 
way of education because, strong man that he was, he knew the 
ignorant peasant was easily handled, but the educated peasant 
—like the workmen who, through the spread of the propaganda 
of socialism, had acquired the elements of an education— was a 
threat to revolution. 

The Record of a Tyrant. 

It was in the nature of Grand Duke Sergius to be overbear- 
ing, tjrrannical, and wholly indifferent to public opinion and 
other instincts. He was the principal sponsor for Viceroy 
Alexieff, who generally was supposed to have been largely re- 
sponsible for the actunl outbreak of hostilities between the Rus- 



TIJE imsSIAX IIEVOLIJTION. 459 

sians aud JajDanese. Sergius was often called the ^^Ivan the 
ToTTil)lc'^ of modem Russia. He had been known in every 
(*apital of Europe as vicious, cruel and unprincipled. He was 
the bitterest enemy to the aspirations of the Russian people for 
a more enlightened form of government. From his marriage to 
Princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Dainnstadt, a sister of the Czarina, 
and a daughter of Princess Alice, sister of King Edward of Eng- 
land, Sergius was both uncle and brother-in-law to the czar. 
No other one person in the Russian empire exerted so much 
influence over the weak emperor. Every suggestion advanced by 
Emperor Nicholas in the interests of the common people was 
frowned upon by Sergius, whose strength of will and influence 
over the czar unquestionably blocked reform concessions which 
would have resulted in the evasion of all of the internal difficul- 
ties that beset the Russian government. 

The life of Sergius was a long succession of tragedies, the 
one in which his life was ended being an appropriate completion 
of a public career distinguished by violence and bloodshed. 

He was first brought into prominence at the coronation of 
Emperor Nicholas ' at Moscow in 1S95. lie had charge of the 
arrangements for the distribution of the emperor's gifts to the 
poor. A panic attended the affair and several thousand persons 
—most of them wei^e peasants— were crushed to death. The re- 
sponsibility for the tragedy was placed upon the shouldej-s of 
Grand Duke Sergius, but it was not until he had been appointed 
Governor General of Moscow that his real character stood re- 
vealed to the world. 

The chief aid to Sergius, during the most of his despotic 
career, was General Trepoff, whose incredible violence and cruelty 
succeeded in crushing temporarily the incipient revolution. 

Although, in a measure, the desperate and heartless tactics 

adopted against the workmen and peasants were successful in 

, ending the acts of open defiance against the government, the 

revolutionary spirit had by no means died out. The only result 

was the increased secrecy on the part of the revolutionaries, and 



}f;() ^rilK la SS1A.\ KRVOLIJTIOA 

the j)erfectiDg of deeper and more terrible plans to bring about 
their ends. No member of the Russian nobility, from the czar 
down, felt safe. All realized that at any moment they, like Ser- 
i;ius. Von Plelive and others, might be called upon suddenly to 
l)ay the penalty of standing in the way of the reforms demanded 
])y the aroused public for the reformation of Russia. 

Bureaucrats in Fear of Bombs. 

It became noised about that the removal of others of high 
authority among the reactionaries had been decided upon by 
the Fighting Organization of the social-democracy. Sassonef, 
the assassin of Von Plehve, in his statement, declared that the 
socialists stood for peace and not for war. He asserted positively 
tliat the propaganda of socialism contained no thought of vio- 
lenee. According to him it was understood by all members of 
the organization to which he belonged that socialism could not 
triumph in Russia, probably for centuries to come. Their activity 
was simi^ly directed in educating the people to a plane wliereon 
it would be possible for them to govern themselves. That con- 
dition would not prevail for very many years to come, he said, 
and until the people were educated a socialistic form of gov- 
ernment for Russia was an impossibility 

Terrorist tactics, he declared, had not been adopted generally 
by the social-democracy. That had been undertaken by he 
Fighting Organization only because the members of that band 
had been driven to Terrorist acts in retaliation for the violence 
and outrage heaped upon them by the reactionaries, and as the 
only means within the grasp of the revolutionaries to success- 
fully combat the vicious persecution of the bureaucracv. 

The teachings of the revolutionary partv were so thorough 
and convincing, and the belief of its members m the principles 
which they espoused so absolute, that a membership m the Fight- 
ing Organization was considered one of the highest honors that 
could come to a man. To be selected by this organization to 
carry out a sentence of death was the highest achievement which 



THJ: ia.SSIAX IfEVOLUTJOX 4(il 

a revolutionary could attain. The slogan of the revolutionaries 
became, ' ' Violence for violenoo ! " '' Butcher v for Initcliery ! ^ ' 
^^Bomb for saber!'' 

In admitting that he had murdered \^on Plehve, Sassonef 
expressed the revolutioiiarv position l)y saymg that he did not 
hate Von Plehve; that there was no [)ersonal malice against tln^ 
man. '^Von Plehve/' he declared, ''is simply the head of one 
of the departments of a system that is vicious and wrong. Be- 
cause of his position, and not because of any personal acts of his 
own, his removal is considered a necessity " By many ad- 
vanced thinkers of Russia— notably Count Leo Tolstoi— the Ter- 
rorists' acts, such as the assassination of Sergius, Von Plehve 
and others, were declared to be injurious to the advance of 
socialism. They deplored the use of murder, even though the 
perpetrators of the crime had been goaded to acts of violence by 
wrongs which it was hard to bear. This man declared that one 
such act would retard the realization of the ideal conditions 
which were sought for Russia to a far greater extent than would 
the removal of one particularly obnoxious enemy to the cause 
of socialism. 

The outspoken opposition of Tolstoi and others was potent 
In off-setting the advice of agitators of the Gorky and Gapon 
stripe. Possibly more than the fear of death at the hands of 
the Cossacks, which ever confronted the workmen and their 
adherents m their rebellious actions, was this advice from a 
man who had so long espoused the cause of the poor, and who 
himself had suffered in silence indignities such as had been 
heaped upon few of his brethren. Thus it was that the imme- 
diate danger of a widespread revolution was removed. Emperor 
Nicholas issued another series of manifestos in which he again 
reiterated his promises to grant reforms, and it became possible 
for the government once more to turn its energies from the sup- 
pression of violence at home to the prosecution of the war in 
Manchuria. 



CHAPTER XXXVII 

MUKDEN^ THE GREATEST BATTLE IN 

HISTORY 

For Fifteen Days the Russian and Japanese Forces Struggle in Continuous Battle 
around Mukden — The Contest Becomes a Test of Endurance in wliich the Supe- 
rior Force of the Japanese Conctuers, Driving the Russians Backward in a Perfect 
Rout— The Greatest Battle in the History of Wars Results in a Loss of Two 
Hundred Thousand Men, the Evacuation of Mukden by the Russians, and Their 
Disorderly Retreat Northward. 

FOLLOWING the battle of the Sha river the next general 
engagement of importance was the battle of Mukden. This 
was the hardest contested encounter of the entire war and the 
greatest battle in history The fighting was continuous, day 
after day, from February 24 to March 12. The struggle for the 
possession of Mukden cost both sides close upon 200,000 men. 
The Russian loss of officers included a large proportion of the 
regimental commanders and field officers. 

The rapid and furious fighting around Mukden, which re- 
sulted m the Japanese, under Field ]\iarshai Oyama, driving the 
Russian army from its strongly intrenched winter quarters, was 
one most spectacular. The vast number of men which the 
Japanese commander thrust into action was a surprise, not alone 
to the Russians, but to all who had been following the course of 
the war. It is estimated that the Japanese forces engaged in the 
operations numbered not less than 600,000 men. 

Oyama, with consummate strategy, threw out strong wings, 
on either side of the massed Russian forces. By feinting in sev- 
eral directions and causing the Russians to witlidra^v their forces 
from a number of points to strengthen others the Japanese com- 
mander, hurling his unexpected strength at tlie weak centers, 

462 



MUKDEN, THE GKEATEST BATTLE IN HISTOilY. 463 

broke line after Ime and drove his enemy out of position after 
position. The Russians made stubborn resistance, but they were 
outnumbered and outfought. The endurance of the Japanese 
soldiery at this battle was remarkable. In order to make pos- 
sible the extensive flanking movements undertaken by Oyama, 
forced marches of almost incredible length were necessary. With 
picked troops, many of them hardened veterans of the Port Ar- 
thur campaign, the feat was accomplished. To make it possible 
it was necessary for these soldiers to subsist on th<^^ most meager 
rations, for it was impossible to move with the requisite rapidity, 
hampered in any manner with provisions. Several detachments 
actually went without food for forty-eight hours at a time as 
they fought and marched their way to positions far beyond the 
lines of Kuropatkin on either side of his immense army. 

In the flanking operations of the Japanese the advantage was 
with them by reason of their having several bases of supplies, 
while the Russian army was necessarily dependent upon one base 
and one line of communication, and therefore could be the more 
easily outflanked. 

Russian Battle Line Bent Double. 

During the various engagements of the series the battle line 
was bent back and forth many times. Although the Russian 
troops were largely composed of practically undisciplined men 
they several times more than held their own against the seasoned 
troops of Japan. Wlien at last the right flank was irretrievably 
turned and the retreat to Tie Pass had been ordered the Rus- 
sians became panic-stricken and the retreat became a rout. The 
undisciplined troops and thousands of wagon drivers and other 
attaches of the camp were mingled with the soldiers who had 
been under fire for fifteen days, crowded together in a mass and 
figliting in narrow positions whence egress was impossible. 

It is one of the odd facts of warfare that, following the panic 
of the retreat, the morale of the beaten Russian army was 
(quickly restored, while the Japanese, though the victors, appar- 



404 MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTORY. 

ently were so broken and had incurred such heavy losses, that 
they were unable to at once press their advantage. 

The details of the fighting around Mukden show that the 
battle, or series of battles, was one of the most remarkable in 
the history of wars. Originally, the Russian line of battle ex- 
tended for 100 miles, and was practically opposed its entire 
length by a superior number of Japanese. As the operations 
conducted by Field Marshal Oyama succeeded this line was grad- 
ually reduced to less than thirty miles m length, and the two 
wmgs of the Russian army were bent back until the lines were 
nearly paralleled. On several occasions, by severe fighting, the 
Russians were enabled to reoccupy lost positions, and the Imes 
zigzagged and wavered, positions were gained and lost with such 
rapidity that it proved a difficult task to keep the scope of 
operations m mmd. 

General Kuropatkm greatly underestimated the strength of 
the opposing army. It was his belief that the number of men 
under his command was almost as large as those under Oyama. 
Acting upon this supposition, and not realizing that the Japanese 
northern army had been reinforced by practically the whole of 
the seasoned veterans from Port Arthur, the Russian commander 
decided to give battle to the Japanese without retreating. Events 
proved that his course was a ruinous one to pursue. With the 
concentration their superior numbers enabled them to effect the 
Japanese were enabled to extend their lines with comparative 
ease and to effect against the northern and northwestern fronts 
a contraction of the Russian lines which practically forced the 
evacuation of all advanced positions. 

Preliminary Skirmishes Favored Russians. 

In the preliminary skirmishes leading up to the great battle 
the Russians appeared to have the best of the situation. General 
Rennenkampff^s and other divisions made several daring recon- 
noissances, which generally resulted favorably to the Russians. 
No fixed engagements were fought, the Russians confining their 



MUK1)E.\, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTORY. 465 

operations to unexpected dashes into the lines and around the 
wings of the Japanese. Few men were lost on either side during 
these encounters, but the actions of the Russians appeared to 
create considerable consternation along the Japanese lines of 
communication, which were frequently threatened. 

Eussian videttes were frequently m touch, during the days 
immediately preceding the Mukden battle, with the Japanese. 
They brought in information of a number of proposed Japanese 
attacks, and also gleaned information which led the commander- 
in-chief to believe that his strength was nearly equal to that of the 
enemy. 

The decision of General Kuropatkin to ojffer battle was influ- 
enced partly by these reports, but was taken against his own 
best judgment. He had been constantly blamed, both in army 
circles and at home, for operating without decision, and the de- 
mand that he take the initiative and abandon the policy of 
retirement, was voiced on all sides. 

General Kuropatkin finally yielded to this opinion, which 
was that of nmny of his principal generals, and decided to give 
battle, thereby losing the opportunity for a more successful re- 
treat before the Japanese forces, which it was ultimately shown 
largely outnumbered the Russian army. 

Once having engaged in battle a retreat was more difficult 
of accomplishment than would have been the case at the outset. 
The Russians were misled and outmaneuvered at every point. 
General Kuropatkin seems at one time to have realized the crit- 
ical nature of his situation, for on March 8 he began the gradual 
removal of his impedimenta. Had he then ordered a general 
retreat, as he intimated he would in a telegram to the czar, the 
disaster of Mukden might have been averted. 

Kuropatkin's Crowning Blunder. 

Kuropatkin ^s crowning blunder was his weakening of his line 
from Fushun to Mukden. Apparently he forgot that the Jap- 
anese were able to cross the Hun river on the ice. He realized 



466 MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTOK V 

liis mistake when he heard of the capture of Kinsan on March 
10. Then he immediately ordered his armies to retire, hut the 
Japanese swarmed from east and west and placed th^ir batteries 
to ( command the Ime of retreat. 

One desperate chance remamed. It was to sacrifice his artil-^ 
]vVY by massing his batteries so as to paralyze the enemy ^s fire. 
The Russian gunners did their duty and saved what was left 
of Kuropatkin's armies. 

The general view of the great battle, followed in chronolog- 
ical order from the first engagement on February 24 to the ulti- 
mate retreat and utter rout of the Russian for(^es, shows that 
iioneral Kuropatkin, having been led into a disastrous engage- 
ment, made the utmost of his facilities. Practically every incli 
of territory gained by the Japanese during the days before the 
iinal rout was contested doggedly by the inferiorly disciplined 
ti-oops of the czar. 

On February 24 all was ready for an attack on the westward. 
\ arioiis portions of the army had been disposed for an advance 
of the right flank. Suddenly in the evening of that day the order 
to advance was canceled and a second order was given for the 
transfer of General Rennenkampff's First Siberian corps and 
. (^veral other organizations to the left flank, which was being 
piessed heavily by a large force of Japanese. 

From that time forward the Japanese who were well informed 
as to all the Russian movements, began heavy attacks along the 
whole front. The Russians generally held their ground, doing 
Avell until Feb. 28, when an unexpected attack developed in the 
southwest, before which the Russian right weakened by the with- 
drawal of almost two corps yielded. 

Japanese Encircle Russian Right. 

By March 1 it became evident that the Japanese were moving 
around the Russian right in five heavy columns and it became 
imperative to withdraw the thin line from the southwest and 
form a new line from the bridge across the Shakhe river par- 



MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTORY. 4C7 

allel with the railway. The change of front was accomplished 
with remarkable celerity, but the various organizations became 
badly mixed. 

The Russians on March 4 occupied their former positions on 
the Shakhe river as far as the bridge, thence to Madyapu, on the 
Hun river, and thence parallel with the railway six miles distant, 
the right resting on the Sinmintin road. The Japanese on March 
5 beginning to turn even this position with a view to cutting off 
the retreat, the Russian right was extended eastward from the 
Sinmintin road to the railway. ' 

On March 7 both sides began most vigorous offensive opera- 
tions, the Japanese attacking with especial energy the forces of 
Gen. Tserpitsky, which were holding the position from Madyapu 
as far as the heights east of Mukden station, while the Russians, 
ttnder Gen. Gemgross, assumed an attack in the direction of 
Tatchekiao, and on the northern front Gen. Launitz' command 
beat back all attacks. On the whole the outcome of the fighting 
on March 7 was favorable to the Russians, who repulsed several 
attacks on their southern front and assumed the offensive on 
the left, where Gen. Linevitch's army, occupying eastern hill 
positions, repulsed numerous attacks and took several hundred 
prisoners and several machine guns. 

The continued extension, however, of the Japanese lines 
northward and the concentration which their superiority in num- 
bers enabled them to effect against the northern and northwestern 
fronts rendered advisable a contraction of the Russian lines and 
withdrawal from the Sha river to positions on the Hun river 
was determined upon. This was in no sense the beginning of the 
general retreat and Kuropatkin and the generals commanding 
the armies were far from regarding the battle as lost. 

Third Army First to Retire. 

The first army to retire from the fortified positions east and 
southeast of Mukden was the third army, which fell back to 
positions similarly fortified in advance on the north bank of the 



108 MUKDE.N, THE (.IKKATEST BATTLE l.\ HISTORY, 

Plun river. The burning of abandoned stores, provisions and 
forage disclosed the Russian retirement and the Japanese fol- 
lowed closely. 

A confusion in orders and retirement in impenetrable dark- 
ness across the country were responsible for the failure of some 
organizations to occupy the positions to which they had been 
assigned, and a remarkable duststorm the following day made it 
impossible to verify the alignment and fill the breaches, which 
the Japanese, however, were lucky enough to find and skillful 
enough to turn to their advantage. 

The Russian positions now formed a boot, the toe at Madyapu 
and the heel on the Hun river at Fushun, about five miles wide, 
and to meet the apparent danger that the Japanese might plug 
the top of the boot Kuropatkm sent thither forty battalions from 
the command of Gen. Miloff, which was rendered available by 
the shortening of the line. 

The Russians began to slowly force the Japanese back at this 
critical point, but the Japanese m turn were re-enforced on their 
extreme right, and Gen. Kuropatkin, seeing all apparently going 
well at the other positions and determining to stake all on a 
decisive blow, collected the remainder of the strategic reserves, 
strengthened by several other units, and led them personally on 
March 9 to the north front and threw them on the flank of the 
Japanese, who were attacking Santaitse and endeavoring to cut 
the railway. 

The scale of weight was all on the Russian side. The Japan- 
ese then retired, abandoning a battery of eight guns, success 
apparently crowning the Russian arms. 

With the entire Russian strategic reserves already engaged 
it became impossible to meet the danger m those two sources 
which was imminent and critical, and at 8 o'clock in the evening 
the order to retire to Tie pass was given. Through the narrow 
bootleg passage, scarcely five miles wide, a densely packed mass 
of transports pressed northward, coming under the fire of a 
small squadron of Japanese cavalry and four mountain guns, 



MUKDEN. THE (UiEATEST BxVTTLE IX HISTOUV 461^ 

which earher m the battle had managed to dart acros.s the 
Russian line of communication and conceal themselves in the 
mountains to the eastward. The forces of Gen. Tserpitzky began 
an orderly retirement from the boot toe, and durmg March 10 
Kuropatkin successfully held at bay the Japanese, who were try- 
ing to reach the railroad. 

Evacuation of Mukden Ordered. 

The night of March 9, Mukden station presented a remarkable 
scene. Shortly after 9 o'clock came the order to complete the 
evacuation of the station and city, with directions that move- 
ments of trains northward must be completed by 5 o'clock in the 
morning. The enormous task was completed in nine hours, 
including the hasty embarkation of the wounded, who crowded 
the station platform and occupied the hospitals. Many had 
already left in the morning when the private trains of Kuro- 
patkin, Kaulbars, Sakharoff, Bilderling, and Zabelin departed, 
but thousands remained. 

At 9:40 p. m. the first string of eight trains was dispatched 
and a call was sent to Tie pass for thirteen locomotives. The 
forwarding of these locomotives without interruptmg the north- 
ward movement of trains was a delicate piece of train dispatch- 
ing, but the overworked railroad staff accomplished it success- 
fully. At 3 a. m. the second string was started northward and at 
9:45 a. m. the last tram of the third string of sixteen departed. 
All the trains had fifty-two to fifty-five cars. 

Three trains contained the ammunition of the park of artil- 
lery which had been dispatched the evening before in 540 cars, 
another train carried warm clothing, one was coal laden and one 
was loaded with Eed Cross supplies, one with engineers' depot 
supplies, three with commissariat freights and the remainder 
with wounded. The last train out was the service train with a]] 
the employes of the railway, property and station papers. 

The skill, exertions and devotion of this little band of civil- 
ians rendered service, the importance of which cannot be over- 



470 MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTORY. 

estimated for the future of the Eussian army. It saved thou- 
sands of wounded soldiers, an immense amount of ammunition 
and millions of dollars' worth of property and cash. 

It must be remembered that five miles north of Mukden an 
unceasing fight was in progress. Trains earlier had been bom- 
barded with Shimose shells and the railroad was twice damaged. 
The trains traveled unlighted and without whistling under eight- 
minute headway. 

Russian Stores Burned. 

All about fires blazed in a gigantic ring, burning straw, coal, 
wood, corn and biscuit. Occasionally boxes of cartridges exploded 
with a disagreeable, dry rattle, or rockets rose and burst in 
clusters of stars. The flames had plenty of material, as there 
were over 3,600 carloads of corn and biscuit and over 323,000 
cubic feet of coal, straw and millet. It was only the reserve com- 
missariat and other stores that were destroyed. 

The wounded crowded the station, filled every vacant place in 
the cars and the brake beams, buffers and roofs were occupied, 
while others were hanging to the step. 

The last train pulled out as Gen. Tserpitzky's troops began 
to pass the station, shortly before the explosion which wrecked 
the Hun river bridge. 

On the platform remained eight telegraphers who had volun- 
teered to stay at their keys until the arrival of the Japanese. 
In the hospitals of the Livonian division of the Eed Cross and 
medical staff were 1,050 severely wounded, including 364 Japan- 
ese, the Chinese governor of Mukden giving his word to defend 
them until Mukden was occupied by the Japanese. How many 
wounded reached the station after its evacuation is not known. 

Of the military railroad all but 125 miles was abandoned and 
the wagonettes destroyed. Tens of thousands of boxes of ammu- 
nition were abandoned, but most important of all from a material 
point of view is the loss of the Fushun coal mines, which sup- 
plied the road with coal. 



MUKDEN, THL GREAT J:ST BATTLE IX HISTORY. lU 

The trains were heavily bombarded, but came through 
safely. 

The retirement of the wagon transport was twice imperiled by 
panic the morning of March 10. A ^^panese squadron and guns 
concealed in the mountains opened fire and the drivers, who 
were undisciplined peasants, unaccustomed to the sound of Chi- 
nese shells, began to desert their carts and wagons, cutting loose 
the horses or throwing the stores from the wagons. Confusion 
became rampant and spread to terror-stricken civilians, and even 
gunners, and was communicated to some infantry troops. The 
gray-clad crowd, without information, hidden by dust, surged 
on. The Jaj^anese, however, soon ceased firing and order was 
restored. Troops following the wagons (^arried off a few cannon, 
but were unable to gather the abandoned property. Soldiers 
broke open officers' boxes and portmanteaus, and ransacked them 
for valuables. 

Panic Seizes Russians. 

Just before dusk another f)anie occurred at the station of 
Santaitse, where an enormous collection of carts had halted for 
the night. A column of Russians advancing was taken for Jap- 
anese, and the cry of ''Japanese cavalry '' was raised. The 
unarmed drivers commenced to flee, while those with rifles fired 
in every direction. The cooler heads calmed the panic-stricken 
mass, but a number of lives were lost and additional property 
was sacrificed. 

The retirement of the central and western armies was effected 
by four roads and over fields between. The army of Gen. Line- 
vitch followed the eastern roads from Fushun, Impan, and Fu 
pass. The third army retired in echelon, leaving a strong rear 
guard. 

The Japanese, who at nightfall occupied half of the village of 
Santaitse, burst at daybreak into the park of the imperial tombs 
and opened a heavy rifle fire. The Russians, however, refrained 
from opening fire in the holy places of the Chinese. The Jap- 



4T2 MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IN HISTORY. 

anese did not press severely from the rear, bending their efforts 
to thrust in from the flanks and cut off portions of the army. 
Several divisions, acting as the rear guard under Gen. Laounin, 
were almost surrounded, but broke through under a heavy fire on 
both flanks. 

Linevitch Succeeds Kuropatkin. 

General Kuropatkin had expected to make a stand at Tie 
Pass. On March 11 and 12 the main army slowly fell back upon 
that position, but instead of making a stand there the Russians 
were forced steadily backward until they reached a Ime between 
Changchun and Kirm, where they halted and where they 
remained for a considerable time. 

In the retreat to Tie Pass the Japanese pursued with irre- 
sistible energy. The inability of General Kuropatkin to make a 
stand there as he intended was due in large part to a remarkable 
feat of the Japanese left wing under General Kawamura, which 
made a wide detour and by forced marches and incredible endur- 
ance attempted and well-mgh succeeded in enveloping the entire 
Russian army and cutting off the retreat. Had Kuropatkin 
paused for a moment at Tie Pass the enveloping movement would 
doubtless have been successful, and m the demoralized condition 
of the Russians might have resulted in the wiping out of the 
entire army. 

The Japanese detachment which undertook to cut off the main 
army of the Russians went without rations and with little water; 
without rest or sleep, for a period of forty-eight hours and cov- 
ered a distance almost mcredible. 

By forced marches and through delays occasioned to the Jap- 
anese by the destruction of bridges and roads the Russians finally 
found it possible to make a stand at Changchun, the only avail- 
able point short of Harbin, the junction of the Port Arthur 
railroad with the main line of the Trans-Siberian railway, and 
the only point in Manchuria remaining in the hands of the 
Russians. 



MUKDEN, THE GREATEST BATTLE IX IlISTOKY 



ir> 



FollowiDg the i\Iukden disaster General Kuropatkiu was 
removed from supreme command of the Russian army and Gen- 
eral Nicolai Linevitch placed in his stead. General Llnevitch 
had been m command at the outbreak of the war, but through 
favoritism at court he had been supplanted by General Kuro- 
patkin. In relinquishing his conmiand General Linevitch had 
said. ^^Time will tell who will make the better commander. '^ 
Time did tell, and with the disaster of Mukden culminating a 
long series of poor generalship Linevitch was restored to the 
chief command and Kuropatkin was reduced to the command 
of a division. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

GREATEST NAVAL BATTLE OF THE 

W^ORLD 

Admiral Togo of the Japanese Navy Completely Annihilates the Russian Baltic 
Fleet in the Straits of Korea and Officially Names Engagement "The Battle 
of the Sea of Japan" — ^Admiral Bojestvensky Taken Frisoner after his Fight- 
ing Ships, had been Sunk or Captured— Togo's Victory Equals Nelson's at 
Trafalgar and Dewey's at Manila— Russia's Sea Power Completel> Destroyed 
Without Loss to Japanese. 

^^Tp HE Russian fleet is wiped off the sea!" Such was the mes- 

■■• sage received in European capitals and in America 
announcing the result of the world's greatest battle between mod- 
ern warships. 

Like the announcement of Admiral Dewey's famous victory 
in Manila Bay the first information was followed by the further 
fact that the victor had practically sustained no loss of men or 
damage to his ships. 

The powerful Baltic Squadron under Admiral Bojestvensky 
upon which hung all the hopes and the last chance of Rus§ia to 
turn the tide of war in favor of the Czar, met the Japanese fleet 
in the Straits of Korea on Saturday, May 27, and was practical 1\' 
annihilated. Twenty-two Russian vessels, including powerful 
battleships and swift cruisers, were sunk, five were captured, 
and but four escaped. The latter were so badly damaged that 
they were practically unable to make further defense. 

By this one engagement, officially named the Battle of the 
Jap^n Sea, Admiral Togo wiped out the last vestige of Russia's 
power upon the sea and wrote his own name on the list of the 
great admirals of the world— Nelson, Dewey, Sir Francis Drake 
and John of Austria. 

The Russian Baltic Squadron under Admiral Rojestvensky 
which had sailed from Cronstadt in the Autumn reached the 

'47B 



\]G GHKATKST NWAL li/VITLK OF THE WORLD 

scene of the great naval engagement wliicli sealed its doom on 
x\fay 27, enronte to Vladivostok. The direct way lay through 
the Straits of Korea, near the center of which are the Tsushima 
Islands. There is a channel on either side of the islands and 
Admiral Rojestvensky chose the East Channel, nearest the Japan- 
ese coast. Admiral Togo, it seems, had been guarding every 
passage that led to the Russian destination, while his mam 
squadron of warships lay in shelter of the Tsushima Islands, 
and practically concealed from the approaching Russians. 

Rojestvensky 's squadron was first sighted by Togo's scout 
ships at 5:30 Saturday moiTiing when a wireless inessa.i;'c w;is 
sent to the Japanese commander, ''the enemy's squadron is in 
sight/' At once, the i\Iikasa, Admiral Togo's flagship, sig- 
naled the other Japanese ships to prepare for action and the 
squadron steamed out from its rendezvous and headed for the 
Eastern Channel known as Tsushima Strait. The sea was rough 
and several times the Japanese torpedo boats were forced to 
run for the shelter of the islands. 

Admiral Kamimura was sent south with a li^iit squadron to 
intercept the Russians. He exchanged fire with the vanguard 
but permitted the Russians to pass and then signaled Togo 
that they were passing into the last channel. This was 11:30 
o 'clock. 

Togo's main squadron, changing its course somewhat to the 
southward, came in sight of Okinshima at 1 o'clock in the after- 
noon. The third division arrived later and joined the mam 
squadron. The first and second divisions, accompanied by the 
destroyer flotilla, changed to a westerly course, while the third 
division and the fourth desti^oyer flotilla headed slightly eastward. 

During the maneuver the Russian flagship appeared to the 
southward at 1:4:5 o'clock. The Russians steamed up in double 
column. The fleet was numerous, but no living being was visible. 
The Russian ships seemed to be in good order. The Japanese 
ships hoisted the flag of action, the Mikasa signaling, ''The des- 
tiny of our empire depends on this action. You are all exjDected 
to do your utmost.'' 



GREATEST NAVAL BATTLE OF THE WORLD. ITV 

The first and second divisions turned to the Eussians' star- 
board, while the third division kept in close touch with the 
preceding two divisions. With the Japanese ships proceeding in 
this order, it was 2:13 o'clock when the Russians opened fire. 
The first two shots fell short and it was some minutes later before 
the Japanese commenced firing. Then the battle was on, with 
firing from both sides. 

* The Japanese destroyers kept on the port side of the main 
squadron, and in this formation they pressed the Russians against 
the coast of Kiushiu. The Mikasa, which had been leading, 
changed to the rear of the line, while the Kasuga headed the 
line. The engagement then became very fierce. The Borodino 
was seen to be on fire. A little later the Russians headed west. 

Five ships concentrated their fire on the Borodino. The first 
Japanese division began firing vigorously, proceeding parallel 
with the Russian line, and, as the Japanese began to press 
against the head of the Russian line, their third division veered 
to the Russian rear, thus enveloping their ships. 

The engagement proceeded hotly. The Japanese second divi- 
sion followed a course parallel with the northern side of the 
Russians, and this movement completed the envelopment. The 
Russian ships were seen trying to break through, but the destroy- 
er flotilla intercepted their new course. 

This state of envelopment continued until the following day, 
with the ships at varying distances. Thus inclosed on all sides, 
the Russians were helpless and powerless to escape the circle. 

Previous instructions had been given the destroyers and 
torpedo-boats to attack the Eassiai^ ships. Following instruc- 
tions a destroyer flotilla advanced against a Russian ship on 
which the second division had been concentrating its fire, signal- 
ing: ^^We are going to give the last thrust at them.'' 

The Russian ship continued to fight, and, seeing the approach- 
ing torpedo-boats, directed its fire on them. Undaunted, the 
destroyers pressed forward, the Chitose, meantime, continuing 
its fire. The torpedo fiotiHa arnvrv] witliin 200 meters of the 
Russian ship and tlie Slnvaiuis fired the first shot. The other 



47:^ rj;EATEST SAYAh BATTLE OF THE WOKLD. 

tori)eilo-l)oats fired one each The Sliiranus received hvo shells, 
])iit the other boats were not damaged The Russian ship was 
completely sunk. 

Early in the battle Admiral Rojestvensky left the battleship 
Knmz Souvoroff, his flagship and went aboard the Borodino, 
dn-cctmg the fighting from the flying bridge. 

A flotilla of torpedo destroyers continued to harass the Rus- 
sians all night and effected considerable damage. All night the 
Russians continued to move and tlie Japanese continued their 
enveloping movement 

In the davs' fighting Admiral Rojestvensky transfen-ed his 
flag three times. The last time he was severely wounded and 
transferred to a toi'pedo-boat destroyer. The command then 
(hn^olved upon Admiral Nebogatoff. 

Sunday morning opened misty^ but the weather soon cleared, 
and the search for the remnants of the Russian fleet was begun. 
Five Russian sliips were discovered in the vicmitv of Liancourt 
island, and thev wei-e imniediateh^ surrounded. One, supposed 
to be tlie Izumrud, escaped at full speed. 

Surrender of Nebogatoff. 

The remaining four offered no resistance and hoisted the 
Japanese flag over the Russian colors, apjoarently offering to 
surrender. Capt. Yashiro, commanding the Asama, started in a 
small boat to ascertain the real intentions of the Russians, when 
Admiral Nebogatoff lowered a boat and came on board the 
Asama, where he formally surrendei'ed. The prisoners, number- 
ing upwards of 2,000, were distributed among the Japanese ships 
and prize crews were selected to take possession of the captured 
vessels. 

Of the total fighting ships in the Russian Baltic squadron only 
four escaped. One of these was the swift cruiser Almaz which 
made its v>^ay to Vladivostok The other three were the cruisers 
Aurora, Oleg and Jemtchug m personal command of Admiral 
Fn^uist which limped into ^Manila on June 3, in a badly damaged 
condition with many wounded al)oard. These ships were interned 



GKKATEST XAVAL BATTJvK OF TlIK WOJMJX IVJ 

at ManiJa m charge of Kcar Admiral Train, U. S. Nav>, com- 
manding the Asiatic Statjon. 

Results of the Battle. 

The fate of tlie prmcipal ships of Rojestvensky 's squadron was 
as follows. 

SUNK. 

Battleships: Kniaz Souvarolf (flagship), Alexander IIL Boro- 
dino, Osl labia, Sisso-Veliky, Navorm. 

C'riiiseis Admiral Nakhemoff, Dmitri, Donskoi, Vladimir, 
]\Ionamach, Svietlana, Izumrud (blown up by her commander). 

C'oast delense ship- Admiral Onshakoff. 

Repair ship : Kamchatka, two special servicer sliips. 

CAPTURED. 

Battleships: Orel, Emperor Nicholas I. 

Coast Defense Ships: General Admiral Apraxme and Admiral 
Seniavin. 

Practically all of the Russian torpedo-boats and destroyers 
were either sunk or captured. 

ESCAPED 

Cruiser Almaz to Vladivostok. Cruisers, Aurora, Jemtchug 
and Ole^ to Manila. 

CASUALTIES. 

Russians killed and wounded . ... ..8,247 

Japanese killed and wounded . . ... . . 4( )( ) 

Russian prisoners taken. . . . . . 3,200 

Admiral Rojestvensky (commanding) was captured. Admiral 
.Nebogatoft' surrendered. Rear Admiral Voelkersam, who was 
commander of the battle-ship squadron of the Russian fleet, was 
killed the first day of the battle, May 27, in the conning tower of 
his flagship, the battleship Osliabia, one of the vessels sunk by 
the Japanese. 

Stories of the Men Who Fought. 

The most graphic and thrilling details of the world's greatest 
naval battles are found in the stories of the participants. No 
one individual jCOuld_witness^the_ entire engagement as in the 



480 (.UEATEST .\AVxiL liATTLE Oi' TllK VVOltLl). 

case of the battle of Manila where the fighting zone was confined 
to a space small enough to include every important detail in one 
panoramic view. The battle of the Sea of Japan covered a wide 
area and therefore the most thrilling incidents of the engagement 
are best told in the individual stories of the men who took part 
in it. 

A Japanese Trap. 

Captain Eojinoff, commander of the Eussian cruiser Admiral 
Nakhimoff, said. ''We chose the shortest route to Vladivostok, 
passing a certain strait. We were unhappily enticed by the 
Japanese fleet and were completely surrounded. Our position 
was hopeless from the beginning of the battle. We had indeed 
fallen into a bitter trap." 

Blows Up His Ship. 

Baron Ferzen, who commanded the cruiser Izumrud, thus 
tells of his part m the battle: 

"I was cut off from the squadron and finding it impossible 
to rejoin it resolved to make for Vladivostok. I put on full 
speed and the enemy's cruisers came on in pursuit. Owing to 
the insufficiency of my coal supply and the certainty of meeting 
the enemy's cruisers I subsequently altered my course for Vladi- 
mir bay, where I arrived the night of May 29. At 1:30 o'clock 
the next morning in pitch darkness the Izumrud ran full on a 
reef at the entrance to the bay. Having only ten tons of coal 
and seeing that it would be impossible to float my vessel I ordered 
the crew ashore and blew up the Izumrud to prevent her from 
falling into the hands of the enemy. Ten of my sailoi's were 
wounded in the battle, but the officers and the rest of the crew 
are all safe." 

An officer of the Japanese battleship Asahi which sank the 
Borodino narrates this incident of the encounter: 

''The Japanese battleship Asahi was largely engaged with the 
Russian battle-ship Borodino. After the Borodino took fire and 
was sinking the Asahi suspended firing, but the Borodino contin- 



GREATEST NAVAL BATTLE OF THE WOT?LD 481 

ued to fire. Practically her last shot struck the Asahi astern on 
the starboard side, killing Lieutenant ]\Ionshita and seven other 
men. Morishita's leg ^Yas shot off, hut using his sword as a crutch 
he managed to reach the deck, where he died. A dying sailor 
asked for paper on which to wi'ite a farewell message to the 
Japanese navy. He wrote- ^Banzai! I die a glorious death.' '^ 

An officer of Rojestvensky's staff who was asked why the 
Russian ships attempted to force the Straits of Tsushima replied: 
'^We were confident of victory Reaching Vladivostok was not 
the only object of our fleet. The emperor commanded us on 
leaving the Baltic to fight and defeat our enemy and we were 
anxious to obey his order AVe were confident and ready to fight 
from the start. Our mission is ended." 

The crew of the cruiser L^ral declared that three successive 
twelve-inch shells completelv disabled the vessel and sent her to 
the bottom inside of forty minutes. 

The saddest note for St. Petersburg was struck by the destruc- 
tion of the battle-ship Alexander III, which was manned by 
sailors of the guard and officered exclusively by men prominent 
m society and at court. Her crew served during the winter as 
a regiment of the guard, of which the dowager empress was 
honorary commander. 

How Rojestvensky was Captured. 

The commanders of the torpedo-boat destroyers which cap- 
tured the Russian destroyer Bedovi with Admiral Rojestvensky 
aboard gave the following details of the capture. 

'^An armed guard was sent on board the Bedovi to receive her 
surrender. The Russians requested the Japanese not to remove 
Admiral Rojestvensky and the other officers on account of their 
wounds and the Japanese complied, with the undprstanding that 
the guard would execute Rojestvensky in the event of the delay 
leading to a meeting with Russian ships, thus running the danger 
of his recapture. 

A correspondent who investigated the surrender at Liancourt 
Rocks declared that Admiral Nobogatoff's conduct was disgrace- 



482 GREATEST NAVAL BATTLE OF THE WORLD. 

ful and unaccountable. An examination of his ships showed that 
though the guns were rusty and the bottoms of the vessel covered 
with seaweed, there was no lack of fighting resources. There 
were heaps of ammunition and no trace of damage by the Japan- 
ese shells." 

When Rear Admiral Nebogatoff surrendered the Russians 
hoisted red flags on their topmasts, with Russian flags below them. 
The crews were drawn up in parade order on the decks, and 
some of the sailors were waving white flags. 

All the Russian survivors confess that the Japanese formation 
was never broken and that their shooting was magnificent. Ex- 
pert Japanese opinion holds that, had the Baltic fleet made a 
determined attempt to force its way north, at least half of it 
would have escaped. But instead of going north, Rojestvensky 
turned east. This was a critical moment in the battle, and when 
the Japanese saw the Russians turning east they broke into cheers. 
The skill displayed by the Japanese was superhuman. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS 'WAR 

American Executive's Mediation Between Russia and Japan Results in a Peace 
Conference and the Treaty of Portsmouth— Island of Sakhalin Seized by the 
Japanese Just Prior to Negotiatiop.s is Divided Between Warring Nations — 
Russians Escape Payment of a Money Indemnity, but Yield to Japan Upon 
All Other Points — Summary of the Treaty Which Makes Japan Chief Power 
of the East. 

nTHKOUGH llie mediation of Theodore Roosevelt, president of 
* the United States the war between Russia and Japan was 
practically brought to an end on Sei)tember 5, 1905, by the treaty 
of Portsmouth. 

OlRcially the war did not end on that date because th.c Jaj)- 
anese plenipotentiaries refused to agree to an armislic(.' until tlu^ 
treaty should be ratified by the Czar of Russia and the Mikado 
of Japan. 

The incidents leading up to the peace negotiations were sub- 
stantially as follows: Following the battle of Mukden, vAncli was 
the last great land battle of the war, three considerable skirmishes 
were fought in Manchuria, all resulting in victories for the Jap- 
anese. Field Marshal Oyama then inaugurated a campaign for 
the investment and capture of Vladivostock, Russia's onJy out- 
let to the Eastern seas. Meanwhile a small Japanese army under 
convoy of the navy invaded tlie island of Sakhalin off tlie east 
coast of Siberia, and after a brief skirmish succeeded in defeating 
the principal Russian garrison. This island once belonged to 
Japan but had been ceded to Rnss^ia in the days of Japan's ^veak- 
ness as a nation. 

Up to this time both nations had been heavy borrovvers and it 
was apparent that neither could long continue the war without 
becoming further involved in debt to an extent which threatened 
their <^redit and the security already glveru It ^vas ap^^areut, 

m 



184 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 

also, that a continuation of the conflict meant, a long drawn out 
war in which Japan could gain little additional advantage and 
Kussia could suffer but little additional loss. In other words the 
object for which Japan made war had already been gained and 
Russia had lost about all she had to lose in the far East. To 
continue the war under such conditions meant a useless and wan- 
ton sacrifice of human life. 

As the United States was the only nation that could offer 
mediation without being suspected of ulterior motives, President 
Roosevelt, through Count Cassini, the former Russian Ambassa- 
dor at Washington, and Mr. Takahira, the Japanese Minister to 
the United States, made friendly overtures to the governments at 
St. Petersburg and Tokio in June, 1905. Favorable responses 
were received and the following month peace plenipotentiaries 
were appointed by both governments to meet in Washington. 

The Russian plenipotentiaries were M. Sergius Witte and 
Baron von Rosen. The Jaj^anese plenipotentianes were Baron 
Komura and Mr. Takahira. As the conference was to be held in 
midsummer it was suggested and agreed to that the actual meet- 
ing ijlace of the plenipotentiaries should be at Portsmouth, New 
Hampshire. Accordingly President Roosevelt place(J the govern- 
ment navy yard and buildings at Portsmouth at the disposal of 
the i^eace envoys and had them conveyed thither from Washington 
ujDon government vessels. 

The first session of the conference was held on August 9. 
From that date until the 29th instant when a verbal understanding 
was reached, the proposals of the envoys were so radically at 
variance that it did not seem possible that an agreement would 
be arrived at. The principal points in dispute were the matter 
of indemnity and the cession of territoiy. The Japanese envoys 
demanded a heavy money indemnity, popularly supposed to have 
been $600,000,001^ although the exact amount was not made pub- 
lic. They also demanded that Russia should cede Sakhalin island 
to Japan to perfect the title to what the Japanese army had al- 
ready seized. 

The Russian plenipotentiaries yielded on all the minor de- 



PRESIDENT KOOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 485 

niands made by Baron Koniura, but upon these two points they 
took a firm stand in the negative. They dechired day after day 
that they would not pay one cent of indemnity nor cede a foot of 
territoiy. 

In the meantime representations were being made to the gov- 
ernments of Tokio and St. Petersburg with a view of obtaining 
mutual concessions which should end the apparent deadlock. One 
diplomat conspicuous in these overtures was George Von L. Meyer, 
United States Ambassador to Russia. Just what influences were 
In'ouglit to bear upon the Mikado will probably never be definitely 
known, but the popular opinion was that President Roosevelt 
represented to the Japanese Emperor that Japan would forfeit 
the friendship and admiration of the Amencan people if that 
nation insisted upon a money indemnity. Be that as it would, the 
conference was brought to a sudden and happy termination on 
August 29 when Baron Komura, the senior plenipotentiary of 
Japan announced to his confreres that Japan would waive a money 
indemnity and agree to divide Sakhalin island at the 50tli parallel 
of latitude — Japan to retain the southern part of the island and 
Russia the northern end. 

This was more magnanimous than even the Russian plenipoten- 
tiaries had hoped for. They had no idea that Japan would cede any 
portion of Sahkalm island except upon the payment of a large sum 
of money^ and there was reason to believe aftei-ward that Russia 
would have yielded finally and have agreed to pay a reasonable 
sum as a general indemnity. 

As a result of Japan ^s final decision the result of the Ports- 
mouth conference was regarded as a swee^ung diplomatic victory 
for Russia, and no one held this view more firmly than the Rus- 
sians themselves. 

M. Witte could not conceal his joy at the termination of affairs 
and congratulations w^ere showered upon him from all parts of 
the world over his magnificent victory. 

As a matter of fact, the moral victoiy of Portsmouth was with 
Japan, for by waiving her claim for indemnity and agreeing to 
divide Sakhalin island she proved to the world the sincerity of her 



186 PRESIDENT KOOSEVELT ENDS WMl 

de^sire Tor peace, and what was of equal mipoii:auce she proved 
her original contention that she had waged the war for her self- 
preser\ ation— the protection of the Japanese empire— and not for 
conquest of territory or for blood money 

The strength of the Russian position in the Portsmouth con- 
ference lay m the fact that the actual territory of Russia had not 
even been invaded. All of the fighting had taken place on Chinese 
territoi} and the remote island of Sakhalin. It was clear that 
Russia could continue the conflict for years to come. She had a 
large war revenue which had not yet been drawn upon; she had 
a population capable of supplying soldiers for an indefinite period. 
So vast are her possessions that a largei* per cent of her popula- 
tion did not know that the empire was at war. 

Japan, on the other hand, with a limited area and population 
could not hope to carry the conflict mto European Russia. While 
Japanese credit was good and the bond issues of the government 
were over-subscribed many times in Great Britain and America, 
shei could not expect with her limited resources to maintam that 
credit in the face of the possibility of a long drawn-out conflict. 
That her final decision was as wise as it was magnanimous, we 
believe will be the verdict of time. The moral prestige she gained 
by waiving a money indemnity was alone worth many times any 
sum Russia might have paid. 

In accordance with the verbal understanding of August 29 tlie 
legal advisers of the peace plenipotentiaries, Prof. H. De Maartens 
for Russia, and Henry W. Denison for Japan, drafted a treaty, of 
which the following is an official, succinct summary: 

Draft of Peace Treaty. 

The peace treat}^ opens with a preamble reciting that his 
majesty the emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, and his 
majesty the emperor of Japan, desiring to close tlii:* war now 
subsisting between them and having appointed thoir respective 
plenipotentiaries and furnished them with full powers, which were 
found to be in form, have come to an. agreement on a treaty of 
peace and arranged as follows; 



PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 487 

Article 1. Stipulates for the reestablishment of peace and 
friendship between the sovereigns of the two empires and between 
lh(^ subjects of Russia and Japan, respectively. 

Article 2. His majesty the emperor of Russia recognizes tho 
jireponderant interest from political, military and or*onomical 
})Oints of view of Japan in the oni]jire of Corea and stipulates that 
Russia will not oppose any measures for its goveniment, pTote< - 
tion or control that Japan will deem necessary to take in Corea 
in conjunction with the Corean government, but Russian subjects 
and Russian enterprises are to enjoy the same status as the sub- 
jects and enterprises of other countries. 

Article 3. It is mutually agreed that the territory of Man- 
churia be simultaneously evacuated by both Russian and Japanese 
troops. Both countries being concerned in this evacuation their 
situation being absolutely identical. All rights acquired by pri- 
vate persons and companies shall remain intact. 

Article 4, The rights possessed by Russia in conformity with 
the lease by Russia of Port Arthur and Dalny, together with 
the lands and waters adjacent, shall pass over in their entirety to 
Japan, but the properties and rights of Russian subjects are to be 
safeguarded and respected. 

Article 5. The governments of Russia and Japan engaged 
themselves reciprocally not to put any obstacles to the general 
measures (which shall be alike for all nations) that China may 
take for the development of the commerce and industry of Man- 
churia* 

Article 6. The Manchuriau railway shall be operated jointly 
between Russia and Japan at Kouang-Tieheng-Tse. The two 
branch lines shall be employed only for commercial and industrial 
])nrposes. In view of Russia keeping her branch line, with all 
rights acquired by her convention with China for the construction 
of that railway, Japan acquires the mines in connection with such 
branch line which falls to her. However, the rights of private 
parties or private enterprises are to be respected. Both parties 
to this treaty remain absolutely free to undertake what they deem 
fit on expropriated ground. 



488 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 

Arti(*lo 7. Kiissia and Japan engage themselves to make a 
conjunction of the two branch lines which they own at Kouang- 
Tcheng-Tse. 

Article S. It is agreed that the branch lines of the Man- 
cluirian railway shall be worked with a view to assure conimercial 
traffic between them without obstruction. 

Article 9. Russia cedes to Japan the southera part of 8ak- 
lialin island as far north as the fiftieth degree of nortli latitude, 
together wnth the islands depending thereon. The right of free 
navigation is assured m the bays of La Perouse and Tartare. 

Article 10. This article recites the situation of Russian sub- 
jects on the southern part of Sakhalin island and stipulates that 
Russian! colonists there shall be free and shall have the right to 
remain without changing their nationality. Per contra the Japa- 
nese goveniment shall have the right to force Russian convicts 
to leave the territory which is ceded tol her. 

Article 11. Russia engages herself to make an agreement with 
Japan, giving to Japanese subjects the right to fish m Russian 
territorial waters of the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and 
Behrmg Sea. 

Article 12. The two high contracting parties engage them- 
selves to renew the commercial treaty existing between the two 
goveraments prior to the war in all its vigor, with slight modifica- 
tions in details and with a most favored nation clause. 

Article 13. Russia and Japan reciprocally engage to restitute 
their prisoners of war on paying the real cost of keeping the 
same, such claim for cost to be supported by documents. 

Article 14. This peace treaty shall be drawn up in two 
languages, French and English, the French text being evidence for 
the Russians and the English text for the Japanese. In case of 
difficulty of mteri^retation the French document to be final evi- 
dence. 

Article 15. The ratification of this treaty shall be counter- 
signed by the sovereigns of the two states within fifty days after 
its signature. Tlie French and American embassies shall be inter- 
mediaries between ihe Japanese and Russian governments to 



TRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 489 

announce by telegraph the ratification of the treaty. Two addi- 
tional ai-ticles are agreed to as follows: 

Article 1. The evacuation of Manchuria by both armies shall 
be complete withm eighteen months from the signing of the treaty, 
beginning with the retirement of troops of the first line. At the 
expiration of the eighteen months the two parties will only be 
able to leave as guards for the railway fifteen soldiers per kilo- 
meter. 

Article 2. The boundary .which limits the parts owned respect- 
ively by Russia and Japan m the Sakhalin island shall be definitely 
marked off on the spot by a special limitographic commission. 

News of Peace Joyfully Received, 

The foregoing terms of the treaty were made public at the time 
the treaty was signed and the news was joyfully received eveiy- 
where except in Russia and Japan. The Russian nobility were 
dissatisfied with the treaty because their personal interests lay in 
prolonging the war. The Russian peasants knew nothing of the 
treaty and had no way of publicly expressing themselves if they 
had known. The Russian press, however, contained a general note 
of dissatisfaction and was not inclined to share the opinion of Mr. 
Witte that he had won a great diplomatic triumph. 

Public Displeasure in Japan. 

When the termsi of tlie treaty were made known in Japan the 
populace manifested its displeasure by displaying tokens and signs 
of mourning. Flags were half-masted in many localities and the 
general sentiment was that Baron Komura had given away the 
fruits of Japanese victories on land and sea. The more radical 
elements made known their displeasure by violent outbreaks and 
riots. Public meetings were called to protest against the ratifi- 
cation of the treaty^ but the rioters were dispersed by the police. 

Public indignation and wrath went so far as to vent themselves 
upon the venerable Marquis Ito, the premier elder statesman of 



400 PRESIDExXT ROOSEVELT ENDS WAR. 

Japan, who was supposed to have advised the Mikado to yield on 
the questions of indemnity and the retrocession of half of Sahkalin 
island. 

The attitude of the government, however, was one of finnness 
and self satisfaction 

In fact the far-seeing statesmen of both countries were finn in 
the belief that the best tonus had been made by both sides and that 
one of the most unique wars m the histor>^ of the world— one that 
has no parallel among warring nations— had been brought to a 
happy tennination upon a just basis which would result in perma- 
nent peace for the Far East.