It is less than fifty years since Sebastopol fell, and not forty since Lee abandoned the trenches at Petersburg. Yet the weapons used at these memorable sieges are now as obsolete as the catapult and the crossbow. And yet Port Arthur was won as were Tyre, and Carthage, and Constantinople. Men will charge on machine guns as readily as on crossbows. Apparently no defensive works or engines can stop first-class soldiers. Nothing so well describes the last few days of the great siege as this letter which came to me in New York a month after Stoessel started on his way to St. Petersburg. It was written by a man whose whole knowledge of English came from his own countrymen. His position is that of Adjutant of the Ninth Division of the Third Imperial Japanese Army; his service that of private secretary to Lieutenant-General Oshima, who commands the division.
The letter is transcribed, spelling and all, as it was written:
“At last Port Arthur strongly defended and well known in the world came to the end quite late yesterday. Let me tell you a little about it. After you left here we took front part of Niryuzan as far as to the ditch which was 14 meters wide and deep. We made two roads into the ditch destroying two caponires and reaching the other side of the ditch, we dug four holes under the Russian bom-proof--the holes were about 14 meters deep. Then we filled them up with gun cotton to blow it up. On the 28th of last month we blew that up using 2.700 kirogram of gun cotton, at the same time our soldiers made an asolt, and took hold of it. By that explosion many Russians, large stones, and sand went up high into air. It was just like a volcano. The Russians increased and threw out many hand granates and very hard fighting went on. But about 5:30 of that evening the whole fort was occupied by our men, after six hours of continual fighting. After that we opened the road to push out beyond Niryuzan. On the 31st the first division captured Shojuzan greatly helped by our men in Niryuzan. Before the dawn of the 1st of this month this division took hold of all Russian line from H. peak to Banryuzan new fort, except Bodai. By a severe attack of the 35th regiment at 4:20 of that afternoon, Bodai was taken by us. Though we had a good battle on the happy new years day, yet the rest of the army did not have any. Early next morning General Stoessel sent in an officer and had the letter of surrend sent to General Nogi. On the 2nd negociation took place and the battlefield began to be entirely calm, by and by no sound of a rifle. I felt something.