THE BATTLE CONTINUES
Serene and calm dawned May 26, but by five o'clock we were aroused
by the relentless sputter of machine-guns and the sound of bursting
shrapnel--our réveillé--and all peace was gone. During the night the
enemy had deployed their batteries along the heights between Kinchou
Bay and Khinoeze Bay,[13] and were now concentrating their fire on
us, taking our works in front and flank, while from Kinchou Bay some
of their gunboats were pounding our left with 10-inch guns. This
bombardment, now commenced, did not cease the whole day. The panorama
from Lime Battery before the sun was well up was remarkable. In the
dim light the flashes of the enemy's artillery showed up against the
dark mass of gigantic Mount Samson like long threads of fire, like
golden chains swaying up and down, rocking to and fro. As the sun crept
higher the gold gradually faded into silvery white, and the chains
seemed to turn into little bunches of fleecy clouds. Higher and higher
rose the sun; not a single cloud flecked the delicate turquoise of
the heavens. From the ground rose clouds of dirty grey smoke, each
followed by a dull roar: the enemy were firing _rafales_, half of the
guns being loaded with shrapnel, fuzed to burst in the air, and half
with common shell with percussion fuzes, which, bursting on impact,
raised a pillar of dust and suffocating smoke. At present the fighting
was limited to an artillery duel, but our position presented an awful
sight, for now, under the concentrated fire of more than 150 guns, it
was smoking like a crater. Every minute the intensity of this fire
increased, the guns being systematically directed on to each of our
batteries in turn; it was hellish. Lieutenant Solomonoff, who was
coolly directing the fire of his battery, came up to me, and glancing
towards our centre batteries, remarked:
'I expected all sorts of things, but nothing quite like this. It is
almost incredible. I doubt if any of them will get out alive. They are
still shooting hard, but their fire is all over the place, for they can
no more see the enemy's batteries than I can; we are firing into the
valleys more or less by guess-work. By Jove! how well the enemy mask
their guns! And we----'
At that moment a shell burst by a gun on the right. 'Take the wounded
to the rear. Steady there, steady! This is nothing.'
'They are ranging on us, sir, and will open on us in a moment,' said
the sergeant-major.
'Keep cool. They haven't touched us so far.'
'There's another.'
It was now after nine, and the attack gradually developed. The enemy
had indeed got the range to a nicety, and soon began to plaster us--a
repetition of what had happened to the centre batteries. A field
battery came into action on our right, but being instantly smothered
by a murderous fire, the detachments were compelled to move down in
rear of the hill under cover. Lieutenant-Colonel Laperoff, commanding
the 2nd Battery of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade, took
his unit over to the left flank to a well-concealed bit of ground on
the Tafashin Heights, whence he was able to open a useful fire on the
gunboats. At this moment the gunboat _Bobr_ appeared in Khinoeze
Bay, and crumpled up the enemy's left flank with enfilade fire. Its
arrival and its comparatively successful fire had a wonderful effect
just then upon us, for it awakened a feeble hope of a successful issue
to the battle. We were at the centre of a circle, of which the enemy's
guns composed the arc. While they were able, from their distributed
position, to concentrate on to us, as a focus, we had to distribute
our fire over a great distance in directions diverging like the sticks
of a fan. The air-lines of the telephones were destroyed early in the
battle, and all fire control or direction was impossible: each battery,
under a storm of projectiles, replied spasmodically as it could. They
fired because they felt obliged to, but the result was never visible,
and so aim could not be corrected. Colonel Tretiakoff, who remained
in No. 13 Battery, was helpless: he could not telephone, and most of
the orderlies sent off by him never reached their destination: this
battery was subjected to such an intense fire that it was impossible to
work the guns until the _Bobr_ diverted the attention of the opposing
artillery about 10 a.m., by which time all our batteries had suffered
sorely.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL TRETIAKOFF.]
The infantry attack was now launched, and in spite of our steady rifle
and machine-gun fire, the attacking columns fearlessly came on. At
times they could be seen to halt and lie down, only, however, to rise
again and creep to closer range. Meanwhile, another column was seen
to be advancing through the shallow water in Kinchou Bay, in order to
turn our left flank; but Lieutenant-Colonel Laperoff was able from the
Tafashin Hill to get their range and to hurl them back.
When the attack was at its height, when our batteries were being
gradually silenced, when hundreds of men had laid down their lives,
and others were in their death-agony, Major-General Nadein, commanding
the troops, received from somewhere a report to the effect that the
Japanese had been repulsed and were on the run! The news of a victory
was instantly telegraphed to General Stössel in Port Arthur, and was at
once circulated all over the town. In Stössel's quarters a convivial
company gathered to drink champagne.
It is curious to picture the Officer Commanding the District sitting
in Arthur, sixty-seven miles off, drinking champagne and babbling of
victory, while the first decisive battle of the war was being waged--a
battle upon the issue of which depended the future course of events,
not least among them the fate of Port Arthur.
The enemy's artillery fire supporting their attacking columns now
became unendurable, and the whole of our position was enveloped in
black-brown smoke. From Lime Hill I sadly watched our batteries being
silenced in rotation. By 10.30 all the ammunition of those of our guns
which still possessed gunners was expended, and by midday our artillery
position was silent. The whole strength of the enemy's fire was then
directed on the infantry trenches held by the 5th Regiment, who were
pouring a rifle and machine-gun fire on the attacking columns. The
mangled remnants of our artillery began to move off behind the Tafashin
Hills, from which fire was opened at times by the field batteries. The
Japanese were most skilfully directing their gun-fire and the movements
of the attacking columns from Hill 75 and Mount Samson. It was now
evident that our position, having lost its guns, could be held no
longer unless the 5th Regiment received strong reinforcements.
One hour later General Fock at last arrived on the field of battle by
special train. At 1.30 the fire intensified, and the attack was renewed
with greater fury. Colonel Tretiakoff sent message after message,
begging for two battalions from the reserves; but Fock refused.
While at Kinchou the 5th Regiment literally melted away, defending the
ground entrusted to it, the four regiments of the 4th Division--16,000
bayonets--were kept behind the Tafashin Heights, doing nothing, passive
spectators of the formal slaughter of their comrades!
Fock arrived on the ground when the fight was practically over, and
meeting gunners retiring along the roads to the rear, worn out with ten
hours' fighting, said to them, 'Get back to the trenches, cowards! Take
rifles and shoot!' The men crawled back utterly exhausted both morally
and physically, and, rifle in hand, returned to die under the hail of
shells in the trenches. These poor worn-out fellows, quite unfit for
any work, were sent back, while 16,000 fresh men were, so to speak,
round the corner doing nothing; for the General would not risk his
division: it was wanted to defend the district and the Fortress!
At four o'clock there was a lull. The Japanese were evidently preparing
for a fresh attack. Every gun on the position was silenced, while the
fire of those on the Tafashin Heights was ineffective. The position
was still held only by the 5th Regiment, and two companies of the 13th
Regiment which had arrived during the night. About twenty companies of
the enemy with guns could be seen between Mount Samson and Hill 75,
quietly and slowly extending against our right flank. Their advance
was quite uninterrupted: they were beyond the range of our infantry,
and our guns were silent. After an hour their guns again started to
shoot and the attack was renewed. It was plain that the object was
to capture the centre from the left, and therefore all the weight of
metal was directed against that flank. Tretiakoff saw it was useless to
reinforce the left, and he wanted to keep his reserve, although small,
in hand. He continued to ask Fock for fresh troops, but in vain. Line
after line of the enemy now advanced against the trenches on the left
flank. Heavy musketry fire began; rifles got hot; the trenches were
full of killed and wounded, whom it was impossible to carry away, for
of seventy-two stretcher-bearers only twenty-eight remained. All along
the line of trenches the parapets were battered into a shapeless mass,
heaped up with dead. It was six o'clock, and it was impossible to hold
longer on to the left flank without reinforcements. The companies,
reduced in strength, began to withdraw, to hold the second line of
trenches. The gun-fire slackened and the fury of the infantry assault
increased. Tretiakoff continued to ask for reinforcements. None were
sent him.
The Japanese made a desperate advance along the whole line, and the
enfeebled regiment was unable to hold them back. Ammunition ran
short: it was impossible to replenish the supply. The companies in
the centre of the position were in danger of being cut off from
the left flank, which was giving way before the enemy's determined
advance. Communication between several of the redoubts and lunettes
was interrupted, and Tretiakoff felt the position to be desperate. But
while daylight lasted a general retirement was impossible, and orders
were given to hold on at all costs. Seeing that some of the companies
were falling back, he despatched his last orderlies to the rear to
explain that a general retirement was out of the question till dusk,
and to implore that even one battalion might be sent to enable him to
hold the position till nightfall, and so prevent the utter annihilation
of his regiment; but he was not reinforced by even a section.
[Illustration: COLONEL LAPEROFF.]
While light remained the Japanese refrained from actually charging to
close quarters, and contented themselves with pouring a heavy rifle
and a gradually slackening artillery fire on the position. The sun
was almost setting. At about seven o'clock the 5th and 7th Companies
slowly gave way, and no sooner had Stempnevsty's company abandoned its
position on the extreme left than it was occupied by the enemy. From
that moment the position of the company entrenched in the centre was
very critical, as it was taken in a cross fire. The 2nd Infantry scout
detachment was surrounded; both its officers were instantly killed,
and of 115 rank and file, but eighteen escaped. Having occupied the
central batteries, the Japanese opened a steady reverse fire upon our
trenches. But the sun was now sinking behind Mount Samson, and under
cover of the rapidly increasing darkness, the retirement was carried
out. The companies which had held the left flank retreated along the
road leading to the Tafashin Heights, and thus covered the retirement
of the centre and right. But though the Japanese were now in possession
of our batteries, and though their artillery had advanced to a position
between Nos. 2 and 3, for some reason or other, they did not press the
pursuit, and contented themselves with shooting into our retreating
columns.
Lieutenant-Colonel Laperoff, who had all along kept up a fire from
his battery on Tafashin, noticed as darkness came on that the Kinchou
position was crowded with troops. His guns were excellently placed, and
he could have poured a crushing point-blank fire into these masses in
the open. But he had no orders, no information as to what was taking
place, and though he and his officers strained their eyes endeavouring
to make out who these crowds might be, it was impossible to ascertain
whether they were friend or foe. That a general retirement had taken
place, and that the Japanese had occupied our main position, none of
the staff had considered it necessary to inform him. He finally found
Fock at the railway-station, and was peremptorily ordered to withdraw
his guns.
Darkness came. The day had passed, and with it hundreds of lives--the
usual price of every military triumph, on this occasion the price paid
for the glory and honour of the 5th East Siberian Rifle Regiment.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 13: Hand Bay.--E.D.S.]