Ian Hamilton

A British Attache in the Russo-Japanese War Ian Hamilton

An Eye-Witness' Scrap-Book of the First Modern Trench War

In 1904 war erupted between Russia and Japan, fought with trenches, machine guns, barbed wire, and artillery. Military attachés from around the world flocked to the battlefield to observe and record what they saw. Leading the British military mission to the Japanese Army was Sir Ian Hamilton, whose diary provides an intimate portrait at the world of the military attaché and the world's first look at the horrors of modern warfare.

In this first volume, Hamilton describes his arrival in Manchuria, his experiences with the Japanese First Army, and the battles of the Yalu, the Motien Pass, Yoshirei, and the retreat from Penlin.




Sir Ian Hamilton (1853-1947) was a British staff officer, writer, and diarist.