Expenditures of the Russo-Japanese war / by Gotaro Ogawa.

INTRODUCTION

25

to defend their position, succeeding at last in consolidating
their possession of the hill on December 2. With the 203 -Metre Hill in our possession, the Japanese artillery, with the
cooperation of the navy, cannonaded from that commanding
height the remaining Russian ships in the harbor. This continued from the 3d to the 9th of December. The effective
shots numbered as many as 248, which annihilated the enemy
ships. After this, our investing army took the rest of the forts
one by one, but the fate of Port Arthur had already been sealed
with the fall of the 203-Metre Hill. Finally the enemy lost
the power of resistance and surrendered to the Japanese Army
on January I, I905. The siege of Port Arthur, which involved
the most terrible fighting ever witnessed for half a year, thus
came to an end. The number of Russians surrendered was
over 32,000 prisoners and I6,000 wounded. The Japanese
Army made formal entry into the town on January 13.
In the field campaign against Mukden our three army corps
had spent 120 days in winter quarters on the Shaho. During
this time preparations for the fight were completed. The
Third Army that had arrived from Port Arthur reinforced
the extreme left, while the Yalu River Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Kawamura, was added to the
extreme right. The Japanese forces were commanded by
General Oyama. The enemy had put up defenses on a vast
stretch of ground on the left bank of the Hun-ho, which runs
south of Mukden. General Kropatkin was in chief command.
The Japanese armies were set in motion during the last ten
days of February, and there resulted the great conflict known
as the battle of Mukden. Previously to this the enemy had
come pressing upon our extreme left in large force. The
Japanese engaged these Russians on January 25. After continual fighting they took Heikautai on January 29, and
pursuing the enemy drove him to the right bank of the
Hun-ho.
Meanwhile, the battle of Mukden was developing. On
March I, the Japanese armies started extensive operations
on a 125-mile front. Our extreme right advanced toward