In this battle, Yaichiro NAGAYAMA, a brave general of the Satsuma army, encouraged his warriors through the following appeal but could not change the battle situation to their advantage: 'Why are you so cowardly?; If we allowed the enemy to seize this place, how the soldiers stationed outside Kumamoto Castle would become?; Only what is important is to defend this place to the last; It is for that achievement that you are to be praised as a good warrior, if alive, or a loyal retainer, if dead; Fight desperately until all of our weapons are used up' (according to "Satsunan Ketsurui-shi" (the history of Satsunan full of blood and tears)).
この時、薩軍の猛将永山弥一郎は「諸君何ぞ斯（かく）の如く怯なる、若し敵をして此地を奪はしめんか、熊本城外の我守兵を如何にせん、大事之に因て去らんのみ、生きて善士と称し、死して忠臣と称せらるゝは唯此時にあり、各死力を尽し刀折れ矢竭（つ）き而して後已（やまん）」（『薩南血涙史』）と激励したが、戦況を逆転することはできなかった。