cannon to oppose them with. Skobeleff found that his cannon made little impression upon the clay walls of the fort, so he ordered his artillery to fire over the walls and into the enclosed space, in order to demoralize the people within as much as possible. In fighting against Asiatics artillery always has a prominent part. Its moral effect in frightening them is certainly ten times as great as its destructive power.
Kuropatkin had charge of the advanced work and displayed extraordinary coolness and courage. Skobeleff was everywhere among the soldiers, encouraging them by word and deed and carefully watching the progress of the sapping and mining operations. When an officer accomplished a specified portion of the tunnelling in less than the time fixed for it, he was complimented in the presence of the soldiers, kissed and caressed, and perhaps treated to a bottle of champagne, while the soldiers were praised as "molodyetz!" good fellows. If the officer failed to make the required progress within the time, he was sure to be roundly abused and threatened with disrating.
The storming columns were ordered to be ready for work on January 24th. They were as follows:
1st—Under Kuropatkin, consisting of 5 companies and 1 battalion of infantry, ½ company of sappers. 1 detachment of volunteers, 1 sotnia of foot Cossacks.
2d—Under Koselkoff, of 2 battalions of infantry, 1 platoon sappers, 1 marine volunteers, 1 artillery.
3d—Under Gaidaroff, of 1 battalion infantry, 1 platoon sappers, 1 detachment marine volunteers, 1 section of mountain artillery.
4th—In reserve, there were 21 companies, among whom were 3 companies of foot dragoons and 24 guns.
At 7 o'clock in the morning of the 24th, Gaidaroff advanced to attack the first fortification on the south front, supported by 36 guns. The wall had already been half crumbled down by an explosion of powder and completely
