Introductory material

CHAPTER I

The Origin of the War—A Glance over Three Centuries—Korea and Japan—War between China and Japan—Peace—Russian Intrigue—A Temporary Agreement—Russian “Instructors” at Seoul—Protest and Exasperating Delay in Negotiations—Korean Emperor Unexpectedly Firm—Russia Obtains the Use of Port Arthur—Her Traders in Korea—Japanese Patience Exhausted.

CHAPTER II

Japanese Study of the Russian Army—Remarkable Confidential Paper—Concise and Accurate Estimate—Incapacity of the Russian Officer—Lack of Discipline—Kuropatkin “Not to be Feared”—Necessary to Frighten the Russian Soldiers—Contempt for the Cossack.

CHAPTER III

The Japanese Soldier and Russian Opinion—His Patience, Self-restraint, Ingenuity and Courage—Russian Deductions Mainly Wrong—Theory Falsified by Fact.

CHAPTER IV

The Plan of Campaign and the Japanese Leaders—Russian Defensive Triangle—Base Formed by the Yalu—First Point of Attack—Anticipated Early Fall of Port Arthur—Tardy Development of Japanese Campaign—Yamagata—Oyama—Kodama—Tanaka—Fukushima—Kuroki—Fujii—Their Character and Personality.

CHAPTER V

The Landing in Korea—Seoul Entered—Destruction of the Varyag—Control of the Korean Gulf—Pyng-yang Occupied—Strategic Position Won—Russian Lack of Foresight—Michtchenko’s Mysterious Movements—Misled by Korean Spies—Cossacks Retire North—A Tactical Error.

CHAPTER VI

The Northern Advance—Kuroki at Pyn-gyang—Four Problems to Solve—Danger of Russian Move Southwards—A Thirty Miles Line—Terrible Roads—No Opposition—Halt for Supplies—A Choice of Roads—Both Utilised—Russian Attack on Chonju repulsed—Landing Place for Heavy Guns Secured—A Path Across Fifteen Miles of Morass.

CHAPTER VII

En route for the Front—“The Men of Great Patience”—From Chinampo to Pyng-yang—A Dismal Journey—Dignified Korean Governor—Pyng-yang, its Smells and Abominations—Demon Worship—Coin of the Realm—Miles of Transport—Head-quarters at last.

CHAPTER VIII

The Valley of the Yalu—Wiju, “the Stronghold of the West”—Japanese Concentration Complete—A Network of Rivers—Study of the Position—How the River Runs—Tiger Hill—How and Where shall we Cross—Vague Information—Kuroki’s Difficulties.

CHAPTER IX

Bridging the Yalu—A Memorable Feat—Daring Reconnaissance—Energy of the Engineers—The Island of Kontonto—Suitable for the Howitzers—Safely Landed and Screened—The Field Guns next—Russians Bombard the Bridge—Work Uninterrupted—Field Guns Over the Main Stream—Pontoons Struck—Another Bridge Facing Tiger Hill—Ploughshares as Anchors—Ten Bridges Put Together Under Cover.

CHAPTER X

Preparing for Battle—Description of the Scene—Like Painted Canvas—View of the Russian Position—Reminiscent of the Tugela—Should be Impregnable—The Russians Reconnoitre—And Retire—Japanese Preparations Completed—The Islands Cleared—A Fight for Tiger Hill—Important Flanking Movement—General Plan of Attack.

CHAPTER XI

The First Encounter—Japanese Confidence—Five Thousand Wounded Expected—The Russian Dispositions—Ignorance of the Direction of the Attack—A Front of Eighteen Miles—Primitive Trenches—Kuroki Risks a Divided Command—An Anxious Night.

CHAPTER XII

The Passage of the Yalu—The Guns Begin to Speak—Japanese Batteries Unmasked—Two Hours’ Artillery Duel—Russian Retirement—Japanese Right Advance—Crossing the River at Night—The First of May—A General Attack—No Faith in Boer Tactics—Plunging through the River—Desperate Struggle—The Position Taken—Banzai!

CHAPTER XIII

The Pursuit and the Lessons—Supports and Reserves in Play—A Detached Russian Force—Fierce Rearguard Fight—Priest as Leader—Capture of Guns—Russian Casualties—The Enemy’s Misplaced Confidence—Effect of Japanese Fire—Common Shell and Shrapnel—Not a Frontal Attack—Why no Counter Attack?

CHAPTER XIV

After the Battle—A Moving Picture—Kuroki at Ease—Wounded and Dying—“Unser Vater”—The Realism of War—An Appreciation of the Japanese Task—Saving of the Living—Return to Camp—Close Shave—Nearly Shot for a Cossack.

CHAPTER XV

“The Peace of the East”—Antung City—The Godmothers of Japan, Korea and China—Manchurians as Men—Japanese March through Antung—A Dutch Kitchen—Native Houses—The Privilege of Conquerors—My Quarters in a Temple—A Feast Day.

CHAPTER XVI

The March into Manchuria—Feng-Hoang-Cheng—“The Merciful Man has no Enemies”—The Governors of the Province—The Manchu as Soldier—A Beautiful Country—March to Kao-li-men—Russians Fall Back upon Liao-Yang—The Intendent of the Eastern Marshes—Informing Interview—“Twenty years since I spoke with an Englishman”—Nearly like a Cardinal.

CHAPTER XVII

The Soldier and his War Songs—Temple Bell and Rifle Shot—The War Song of Nippon—Political rather than Martial—Sir Ian Hamilton’s Translation.

CHAPTER XVIII

In Memory of the Dead—A Shinto Service—Memories of Omdurman, Khartoum and Ladysmith—The Lost Origin of a Ritual—A Genuine Product of Japanese Soil—A Religion only in Name—The Essence of the Creed—The High Priest’s Allocution—General Nishi’s Eulogy—Tribute to the Fallen.

CHAPTER XIX

A Buddhist Ceremony—Japan’s Foreign Civilization but Indigenous Religion—“The sins of Russia have offended Buddha”—A Sermon instinct with Patriotism—The Offering of Incense.

CHAPTER XX Why the Japanese lingered at Feng-hoang-cheng—Many Reasons for Hesitation—Kuroki’s Caution—A New Factor—What the Russians ought to have done—An Interval of Forty-five Days but no Waste of Time—Our Right Flank Cleared.

CHAPTER XXI

Advance toward Liao-yang—Enemy Abandon Mou-tien-ling Pass—Evidences of Confused Retreat—Heaven-reaching Pass—Rain for Three Nights and Days—Splendid Defences Deserted—Effect of a Flanking Movement—The Northern Road Open—A Surprise—Russian Assault on our Outposts—A Hand-to-hand Encounter—An Attack Badly Planned and Badly Executed.

CHAPTER XXII

Attack on Mou-tien-ling—The Japanese “Mother” us—“You must wait”—To-wan—Engagements at Dawn—The Guns Speak—Reinforcements Hurried Up—Inexplicable Retirement of the Enemy—Vigorous Pursuit—A Deadlock—The Need for Horse Artillery—Sharp Fighting on our Right—Why these repeated efforts to capture positions already abandoned?

CHAPTER XXIII

Assault on Chaotoa—Important Strategic Position—Its Strength and Entrenchments—A Day of Desultory Fighting—Under Cover of Darkness—Attack at Dawn—Weak Point in the Russian Position—The Signal—A Timely Arrival—Rush into the River—Brilliant Capture of Chaotoa.

CHAPTER XXIV

The Advance on Liao-yang—A General Action—We Leave Mou-tien-lien—Axioms of War put to the Test—Kuroki and Kuropatkin Face to Face—The Ramparts of Manchuria—We Hold the Enemy’s Front—A Race for a Pass—Check on our Left Flank—Prolonged Artillery Duel—A Torrid Afternoon—Drinking amid a Hail of Bullets—Shrapnel fails again—The Centre Relieves the Left—All the Objectives in our Hands—Kuropatkin’s Failure to Deliver Counter Attack.

CHAPTER XXV

Attack on Yu-shu-ling—A Dramatic Encounter—An Isolated Engagement essential to the General Movement—Four o’Clock in the Morning—“The Enemy is upon us”—Russian Headlong Flight—Makura-yama—Diversion on the Enemy’s Right—A Gauntlet of Fire—Russian Retreat on Am-ping.

CHAPTER XXVI

The Battle of Liao-yang—Preparing the Way—Increased Russian Activity—How Kuroki Drove Kuropatkin to his Last Defences about Liao-yang—Two Hundred Thousand Men and Three Defensive Lines—Detailed Action and Skilled Co-operation—A Wedge of Steel in the Heart of the Enemy.

CHAPTER XXVII

The Russian Army Retires on Liao-yang—“To-day the Russians are very Obstinate”—A Dense Fog—Russians Retire on their Second Line—Five Months in the Mountains—The Freedom of the Plains—Leisurely Russian Retirement—The Moral of Long Range Artillery—Startling Flight on the Last Defences—Within Fifteen Hundred Yards of the Enemy’s Trenches—Deficiency of Japanese Field Signalling—In Prosperous Am-ping.

CHAPTER XXVIII

The Assault on Liao-yang—The Sedan of Manchuria?—First Evidence of Permanent Russian Occupation—Kuroki’s Reasons for Retirement—Shou-shan—Hundreds of Guns Engaged—Our Infantry unable to Advance—Nozu Checked—Stale-mate at Nightfall—Battle begins again at Dawn—Weary, Inconclusive Day.

CHAPTER XXIX

Capture of Liao-yang—The Supreme Moment at Hand—Truce of the Night—An Apparently Impregnable Position—Reckless Courage of the Japanese—Three Attacks and Three Repulses—An Irresistible Onrush—Liao-yang Won—Unflinching Rearguard at the Railway Station—Kuropatkin’s Main Army on its way to Mukden—Orderly Retirement—No Sedan after all.

CHAPTER XXX

Kuroki Crosses the Tai-tsu—A Great Achievement—Kuropatkin’s Strategy Frustrated—Kuroki’s New Task—Absence of Favourable Conditions—River Crossed without Opposition—Manjuyama—Kuropatkin’s Eye—Fierce Artillery Struggle—Passing through an Inferno—Fighting all Night—Capture of Manjuyama—Terrible Sacrifice—Unavailing Move against Ponchiho—“Bitter in the mouth.”

CHAPTER XXXI

Retreat of the Russians—We are too Exhausted to Pursue—Failure of the Field Wire—A Triple Line of Dead—Horrors of a Soldier’s Grave—Fog again—Twelve Days’ Casualties—Why Kuropatkin Escaped.

CHAPTER XXXII

Battle of Sha-ho—Kuropatkin’s Address to his Army—Reason of the Retreat—Now strong enough to abandon the Defensive and ensure Victory—Stringent Orders from St. Petersburgh—The Move South Begins—Our Right Wing Falls Back—A Gigantic Struggle—Half-a-Million Men Engaged—Russian Plan of Attack—Critical Situation on our Right—Spectacular Cossacks.

CHAPTER XXXIII

A Gallant Fight—The Weakness of Ponchiho—Umizawa Forced Back—Both Sides Reinforced—Desperate Measures Required—Oyama Orders a General Attack—Inferiority of Japanese Artillery—A Terrible Day of Battle—“Order, Counter-order, Disorder”—Russian Failure all along the Line.

CHAPTER XXXIV

A Hard-won Victory—The Moment to Strike—An Inspiring Spectacle—How the Japanese Advanced—Assault on Temple Hill—Its Capture—Russians Prepare to Retreat—Ponchiho Surrounded—Prince Kun-in to the Rescue—First Instance of Cavalry Usefulness—We Manage to Hold On.

CHAPTER XXXV

The Last Struggle—The General Advance—Very Slow Progress—The Famous Okasaki Brigade—Its Exploits—An Assault that Failed—Enemy Withdraw in the Night—We Follow Them Up—Pursuit and Slaughter—Fifty Guns Captured—Ten Thousand Dead Russians.

CHAPTER XXXVI

A Forlorn Hope—Stirring Episode of the Battle—A Night Attack—Difficult Operation—Elaborate Preparations—A Horror of Great Darkness—Slowly Pressing Onward—Zone of Death—The Russian Imperial Regiment—Fearless and Resolute Men—Stronghold Swept by Fire and Bayonet—Step by Step—Not Died in Vain.

CHAPTER XXXVII

Valley of the Shadow—Dead and Dying—Plucked from the Grave—A Shattered Victim—Strangely Pathetic Group—A Soldier on his Knees—“Kick him up”—A Slain Drummer.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Mukden in Sight—Storming a Hill—Four Roads Open to the Retreat—Our Failure to Envelop the Enemy—Its Reason—Caution Justified—A Feature of the War—Breakdown of the Russian Intelligence Branch—Bombardment of a Mountain—At Close Quarters Again—Courageous and Audacious Defence—Flight.

CHAPTER XXXIX

The Story of a Famous Brigade—General Okasaki’s 4,000 Fighting Men—Their 3,889 Casualties—Unshaken Morale of the Brigade—Okasaki’s Career—What the Brigade Did—A Crowded and Stirring Chronicle—Typical of the Japanese Infantry.

CHAPTER XL

To Port Arthur—A Change of Scene—Miscalculations as to Port Arthur—Permission to Join Nogi—Appreciation of Privilege—Hurrying South.

CHAPTER XLI

The Surrender—New Year’s Day—Flag of Truce—A Land of Silence—Incredible News—“Port Arthur has Fallen”—Stoessel’s Message—Fateful Council of War—Orders to Destroy the Ships—Nogi Agrees to Negotiate—His Delegates—“The Road to Peace”—Plum Tree Cottage—Terms of Capitulation—Russian Requests—The Answer—Fire in Port Arthur—Stoessel’s Enquiries after Kuropatkin and the Baltic Fleet—Kondrachenko, the Heart and Soul of the Defence—Stoessel’s View of the Cause of the War—His Wish to Retire.

CHAPTER XLII

The Two Leaders—Sketch of Nogi—The Meeting—Stoessel’s Honour Preserved—Nogi’s Bereavement—A Courteous Gift—Stoessel on his Way to Dalny—Inside the War-scarred City—The Broken Battleships—Nogi’s Triumphant Entry—The Japanese Good Soldiers but Bad on Parade—Russian Officers on the Defence—Technical Criticisms.

CHAPTER XLIII

Why did General Stoessel Surrender?—Port Arthur Capable of Further Resistance—Four Justifications for Capitulation Examined—Facts and Figures—The Last Days Less Glorious than the First—The General, and not the Garrison, Surrendered.

CHAPTER XLIV

Japanese Guns and Horses—The One Advantage of their Guns—Their Predilection for Common Shell—Good Results—Tactical Deficiencies—The Cavalry—Difficulty of Forming Correct Judgment—The Conservative Cavalry Officer—Spirited Defence of his Branch—The Korean Stock to Blame—Lack of Opportunity to Test Capacity—The Lance must be Relegated to Museums.

CHAPTER XLV

Children and the War—True Hero Worshippers—A Missive to Lord Roberts—Kuroki’s Letter Bag—Blood-curdling Sentiments—His Punctiliousness in Replying—Girls Better Letter Writers than Boys—Some Juvenile Examples.

CHAPTER XLVI

Comrades at Last—An Incident of Battle—Told by an Officer of Kuroki’s Staff—Wounded Japanese and Russian Fraternise—A Story of Devotion.