The Imperial troops were armed with what were in those days. modern Occidental weapons, while the clansmen, mostly the "feudal samurai (professional warriors) scored fighting in any other manner than with sword and spear and further treated sith contempt the [Imperial troops because they were not of the samurai class and because they were using the weapons of the barbarian foreigner. Although they performed deeds of heroic valour, the better weapons decided the day and the same were mot able to withstand the steady hail of lead the Imperial troops poured on them. They were badly defeated, driven back and /hotly pursued.
'A corps of 338 men, a large proportion consisting of youths, resist-Jed bitterly and slowly retreated in the direction of Wakamatsu castle, Hwhich was the headquarters of the Aizu feudal lord. However, their' retreat was cut off by the Imperial troops, and they were not able to got further than Timori Hill, on the outskirts of the city of Wakamatsu, By this time their losses were so severe that they numbered only 19. Climbing to the top of the hill, to their horror they saw that Waka materi city had been set on fire and, believing that Wakamatsu nestle also had beer desitoyed and th: head of their clan dead, they agreed to follow in death the master they had served in life. Pacing the burning city, they bowed three times. towards it and then committed hharakiri (death by disembowelling),
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.