As Soon As We Were Gathered Together The Colonel Rose And Gave Us A Final Word Of Exhortation, Saying: "This Battle Is Our Great Chance Of Serving Our Country. Tonight We Must Strike At The Vitals Of Port Arthur. Our Brave Assaulting Column Must Be Not Simply A Forlorn-Hope, But A "Sure-Death" Detachment. I As Your Father Am More Grateful Than I Can Express For Your Gallant Fighting. Do Your Best, All Of You."
Yes, we were all ready for death when leaving Japan. Men going to battle of course cannot expect to come back alive. But in this particular battle to be ready for death was not enough; what was required of us was a determination not to fail to die. Indeed, we were "sure-death" men, and this new appellation gave us a great stimulus. Also a telegram that had come from the Minister of War in Tokyo, was read by the aide-de-camp, which said, "I pray for your success." This increased the exaltation of our spirits.
Let me now recount the sublimity and horror of this general assault. I was a mere lieutenant and everything passed through my mind as in a dream, so my story must be something like picking out things from the dark. I can't give you any systematic account, but must limit myself to fragmentary recollections. If this story sounds like a vainglorious account of my own achievements, it is not because I am conscious of my merit when I have so little to boast of, but because the things concerning me and near me are what I can tell you with authority. If this partial account prove a clue from which the whole story of this terrible assault may be inferred, my work will not have been in vain.
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