The soldiers felt that something beyond belief had happened, something savouring of disgrace to the brave Russian Army and the Russian Empire as a whole.
“Have we got to surrender, sir?” cried my men when I inspected the companies for the last time.
“Yes, my lads,” I answered. “We have been ordered to surrender; but no blame attaches to the 5th Regiment, and you can with a clear conscience tell each and every one that the 5th Regiment has always looked death bravely in the face and has been ready to die without question for its Tsar and its Country. Every one knows this, and no one will dare to cast a word of reproach at you. As you have always been, so you remain, true heroes, known to the Japanese, to our great and dear Fatherland, and to the whole world. Your conscience is as clear as the sky above you.”
Many of them burst into tears, and I could hardly speak for the sobs that choked me.
A wrinkled old man who was standing near me, and was the sole witness of our emotion, snatched his cap off his head, and, waving it triumphantly in the air, shouted: “To the honour of the 5th Regiment, hurrah!” But there was no one to follow his lead.
Even now I feel overcome as I recall these sorrowful moments, and I can dwell no longer on a scene so heartbreaking.