It was a hopeless enterprise, pitifully futile.  It is true that the Austrian armies sent to relieve the city were only a few days’ march distant, but even if the 20,000 had cut a way through the investing force they would have found another Russian army between them and their fellow-countrymen.  General Kousmanek, before they started, addressed them.  In a rousing speech he said: 

Soldiers, for nearly half a year, in spite of cold and hunger, you have defended the fortress intrusted to you.  The eyes of the world are fixed on you.  Millions at home are waiting with painful eagerness to hear the news of your success.  The honor of the army and our fatherland requires us to make a superhuman effort.  Around us lies the iron ring of the enemy.  Burst a way through it and join your comrades who have been fighting so bravely for you and are now so near.

I have given you the last of our supplies of food.  I charge you to go forward and sweep the foe aside.  After our many gallant and glorious fights we must not fall into the hands of the Russians like sheep; we must and will break through.

In case this appeal to the men’s fighting spirit were ineffective threats were also used to the troops, who were warned by their officers that any who returned to the fortress would be treated as cowards and traitors.  After the General’s speech the men were told to rest for a few hours.  At 4 in the morning they paraded and at 5 the battle began.  For nine hours the Austrians hurled themselves against the iron ring, until early in the afternoon, when, broken and battered, the remains of the twenty thousand began to straggle back to the town.  Exhausted and disheartened, the garrison was incapable of further effort.

In order to prevent useless slaughter General Kousmanek sent officers with a flag of truce to inquire about the terms of surrender.  These were arranged very quickly.

In spite of the local value of the victory, and the vastness of the captures of material as well as of men, it must not be thought, as many are inclined to think here, that the Novoe Vremya exaggerates dangerously when it compares the effect likely to be produced with that of the fall of Metz and Port Arthur.

It certainly brings the end of the Austrians’ participation in the war more clearly in sight.  But the Austrians will fight for some time yet.  What it actually does is to free a large Russian force for the operations against Cracow or to assist in the invasion of Hungary.

What is the strength of this force it would be imprudent to divulge, but I can say that it certainly amounts to not less than an “army,” (anything from 80,000 to 200,000 men.) Those who are anxious to arrive at a closer figure can calculate by the fact that the Russians had a forty-mile front around Przemysl which was strong enough to repulse attacks at all points.  Another very useful consequence is that all the Galician railway system is now in Russian hands.  It makes the transport of troops much easier.