Chapter IX

BRIDGING THE YALU.

It is always an interesting and instructive spectacle to behold the inventive genius of man engaged in a struggle with mighty forces, and to observe courage, skill and endurance overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable. The situation in which the Japanese found themselves on the banks of the Yalu called for the exercise of all these qualities in a supreme degree. How they made a passage over this net work of rivers in face of an enemy entrenched in the heights and within range of artillery will be memorable in the history of war.

The work of reconnaissance was undertaken by officers and men, some of whom swam the rivers and brought back reports as to the places suitable for bridging, the exact locality of fords and their depth, the positions available for artillery, and the nature and strength of the forces on the islands and in the hills to the north of Tiger Hill. Many of these brave men lost their lives, but they did not die in vain. The engineers, who had worked without rest for thirty-eight days, and had worn their spades and axes down in the wood, displayed daring and energy that seemed to be inexhaustible. The sappers of the Second Division, who, since their landing in Korea, had constructed one hundred and fifty miles of road, discovered two or three old canoes which the Russians had broken up and left as useless. These they repaired, and with them navigated the river at night in search of places that might be bridged for heavy guns and field guns.

The howitzers, whose presence was unknown to the Russians, were to be taken across the branch stream to the island of Kontonto. A suitable place was found about two thousand mètres West of Wiju, where the stream was only seven mètres wide, and the bank on each side was high enough to screen the pioneers. In this work none of the regular bridging material of the army was to be used, and pontoons had to be made from material collected five miles away. Six boats and several rafts were built, and were supplemented by a few old boats that were water-logged in the river. On the night of April 27th the bridging of the stream was begun, and at five o’clock next morning it was completed. Next day while some repairs were in progress the Russians opened fire on the pontoons, but did no damage, and on the night of the 29th the heavy artillery passed safely over to Kontonto island, where they were cleverly concealed in empalments screened with trees and brushwood.

For the field guns a second bridge was built at a point two hundred and eighty mètres West of Wiju, also from material gathered in the neighbourhood. Here, in some parts, the stream was two mètres deep and icy cold. The work was begun on the night of April 25th, and at four o’clock next morning seven men were so benumbed that they had to be rescued from drowning. In three hours they recovered and resumed their labours. On the morning of the 26th the Russians discovered the bridge, and bombarded it for three hours from Tiger Hill. No harm was done until nine o’clock, when the batteries on Conical Hill opened fire, and one shell struck the bridge, wounding an engineer. Despite the cannonade the work went on without interruption until an order came from head-quarters to stop during the day time. Anxious that the enemy should not think that his men feared shell fire, the officer in command told the sappers to withdraw slowly one by one. After this the material was prepared during the day behind the hills, and the work of construction was resumed under cover of darkness. The bridge was finished by the morning of the 27th, and on the night of the 29th the field guns were transferred to Kontonto island.

Next morning it was decided that these guns must be carried over the main stream of the Yalu. Bridging was impossible, for the river was four hundred and fifty mètres wide, and within three thousand mètres of the Russian position. The order was given at nine o’clock, and eight hours afterward twenty-one pontoons were collected on the river North of Wiju where they could not be seen by the enemy. As soon as it was dark this fleet of pontoons dropped silently down the stream, keeping intervals of fifty mètres in case the Russians opened fire. At seven o’clock they were in front of the island Chonchagtai, and one officer and one private landed in order to find a suitable place for disembarking the guns. Three stages were erected on each side of the river, and at half-past nine o’clock the infantry guard of the guns began to cross the broad and swift stream. Each pontoon carried thirty-two men, and the boats took from fifteen to seventeen minutes in making the journey. A hasty reconnaissance showed that the island of Chonchagtai had been abandoned by the enemy, and the guns were ferried over in the pontoons. At three o’clock the work was completed without accident, and before dawn pontoons, tools, and material had vanished. Seven hours later some pontoons again crossed the river with ammunition for the guns and were fired upon. Two pontoons were struck by fragments of the same shell, and appeared to be sinking under a cloud of smoke, out of which rang triumphant shouts of “Banzai!” Help was sent instantly, and the boats were brought safely to shore. One of the pontoons had nine holes in it, and one of the planks was smashed to pieces; the other had seven holes--all, fortunately, above the water line. Two of the rowers were wounded, one severely and the other slightly. Neither left the oars for a second, though both fainted as soon as they were carried ashore.

Another bridge was ordered to be thrown across the main stream in front of Tiger Hill, where the water was very deep, the river bed too hard for piles and the current so swift that two or three anchors were required for each boat. Neither nails nor anchors were in store and the pontoons had to be made from material collected about two thousand mètres further up stream. An ingenious officer ordered his men to search the Korean houses for ploughshares, horse-shoes, sickles, hatchets, and any metal tools. The ploughshares were turned into anchors and the rest into nails. The work began on the night of April 28th, and by noon on the 30th seventy-five pontoons were ready to span the river, which at that point was three hundred and thirty mètres wide. West of Tiger Hill the branch of the Ai-ho is very deep, and here another bridge was made, two companies of infantry having been sent to drive the enemy from Tiger Hill and to select positions for a battery of field guns.

It was of vital importance that the enemy should not discover the point at which the Twelfth Division, which was to make the flanking movement, would cross the Yalu. Suikochin, to the North-east of Wiju, was the place selected, and was bridged with the greatest secrecy and in the shortest possible time. Material was collected higher up the river and floated down stream in the darkness. As the road from Wiju to Suikochin was visible to the enemy the utmost care and vigilance had to be exercised, and the bridges had to be put together under cover of the hills.

Before the battle began ten bridges were constructed. Their united length was 2,126 mètres; half of them were made from material found in the neighbourhood; the other half were the regular pontoons of the army.

The positions of the bridges are shown on the accompanying map.

These elaborate preparations were made with remarkable speed and secrecy. The terrain was on the whole favourable. The low hills about Wiju concealed the movement of troops and the work of engineers. Every part of the road under the enemy’s observation was screened by artificial avenues of firs and arches of maize straw which, from a distance, looked like natural growth, so that neither battalions nor batteries could be seen and counted as they descended the higher ground towards Wiju.

It must not be imagined, however, that these plans altogether escaped the vigilance of the Russians or were effected without opposition.