I knew that Second-Lieutenant Ivanov would not ask for reinforcements without good reason. I reported this to General Kondratenko (we had one company left in the reserve), and it was decided to send the required reinforcements. But General Fock heard the order given, and fired up at our “inexperience.”
“What does this mean?” said he. “You want to hold on until nightfall, and yet you send up your last reserve?”
“It is absolutely necessary,” I answered.
“It is not at all necessary,” declared General Fock.
“All right, Nicholai Alexandrovitch,” said General Kondratenko, turning to me; “we will wait a little longer.”
I saw that General Fock’s assurance had overruled General Kondratenko’s judgment, and I had not the moral courage myself to contradict him and insist on the despatch of the last company, the more so, as Colonel Irman, my immediate superior, did not give me any support.
About half an hour passed since the reinforcements had been asked for. Balashov and M. Tordan departed saying that they had had quite enough of it, and General Fock also rode off. Meanwhile the struggle grew fiercer and fiercer, and now the first signs of wavering became evident.
I noticed three riflemen running away from the hill, and three men without rifles behind them. I drew General Kondratenko’s attention to them, and he evidently realized his mistake, for he said to me: “Ah! now it is too late!” Then behind the second group of three men there quickly followed about twenty others, and soon an entire company poured down the hill after them.
On the hill itself men were running in all directions, like ants whose hill has been disturbed, but a group of about fifty men rushed into the upper battery, stood upon the breastwork, and fired straight down on the enemy below. In front of this group, holding his naked sword in his hand, I saw our Acting Ensign Shchenakin, and my heart swelled with pride for the 5th Regiment. All these men belonged to the 5th Regiment, and they had not lost hope of holding the hill, although every one else had fled.
At this moment the enemy opened a hellish fire on this group of heroes, wreathing the hill in clouds of smoke; the Japanese, by the way, never thought twice about firing over the heads of their own men. I did not see what was the end, for we all—General Kondratenko, Colonel Irman, and myself—galloped off to stop the retreat, and, though the task was not an easy one, we nevertheless succeeded. I placed the reserve near our central hill, and the troops who had retreated occupied a position in touch with this reserve, from Namako Yama to Connecting Ridge. A telephone message was sent off at once, ordering the artillery to direct as many guns as possible on 174 Metre Hill.