Port Arthur Surrenders: Japan Beats a European Power for the First Time
Port Arthur held out for 154 days. When the Russian garrison finally surrendered on January 2, 1905, roughly 15,000 soldiers were left standing from an original force of over 40,000. The Japanese had thrown 130,000 troops at the fortress, losing more than 57,000 in the process. Bodies piled up on the slopes of 203 Meter Hill so thick that soldiers used them as cover. General Anatoly Stoessel surrendered against the wishes of his own war council. Some of his officers thought they could hold out longer. He disagreed. The fall of Port Arthur sent shockwaves through every European capital. An Asian nation had beaten a European empire in a modern siege — the first time that had happened. Russia's Baltic Fleet, already sailing halfway around the world to relieve Port Arthur, arrived months later to be destroyed at Tsushima. The loss helped trigger the 1905 Russian Revolution.
January 2, 1905
121 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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