The times., 1898-07-06
schIey's victory.


can newspaper The Times yesterday
morning fell into the error, unavoida-
BILE under the circumstances, of attrib-
uting to Admiral Sampson victory
which now is known to have been wln
by his line superior. but present sub
ordinate and second in command,
Commodore Winfield Scott Schley.
Our excuse for this mistake was an
official report made to the Navy De-
partment by Admiral Sampson himself:
of Santiago. July 3. 9:I5 p. m.-The feet
under my command offers the nation Fourth
of July present the destruction Of the entire
Spanish fleet. 1t attempted 10 escape at $3.50
this morning
This dispatch was intended to de-
ceive, but now that il has been dis
proved, it is useful and necessary to
inquire into the history of the engage
ment AT $50 on Sunday morning.
while Sampson was cruising eastward
in his flagship. on his way to conference
with Generals Shafter and Garcia, Ger
vera's ships appeared at the entrance Of
the harbor, heading for the sea and
fight. Although some such movement
had been reported as in preparation, it
is plain that its actual initiation was
surprise Otherwise, it is not possible
to conceive that the commander-in-
chief Of the fleet would have been alb
sent al the time.
Commodore Schley, however, was
equal to the occasion. He grasped the
situation at a glance, signaled his or
ders, directed the movements of battle
ships, cruisers, and auxiliaries from his
flagship. the Brooklyn, and, not to go
into the details of the battle, already
familiar to our readers employed all
the tactics and accomplished everything
else necessary to the destruction of the
Spaniards, and had them whipped,
burning. exploding. and surrendering
by the time Admiral Sampson ap-
peared upon the scene TO take a tardy
and inconsequential part in the stern
chase of the Cristobal Colon, which
struck its flag to Commodore Schley,
and to absorb the credit of the whole
victory.
Now these facts are clear and indis-
putable. We are cheerfully willing to
concede that if Sampson had been in
the vicinity Of the battle when ii be
gan. the triumph might and no doubt
would have been his. But he was not
there until his presence was no longer
matter of consequence in the result. He
appears to have been active in placing
himself ex post facto in charge Of the
operations. because, when passing San
tiago harbor, he signaled Commodore
Watson to take command at that point.
We may sympathize with Sampson
and his friends. the naval syndicate in
the Department whose prime favorite
he is. and has been 10 such an extent
as TO secure him command over s
superior officers. They are entitled to
coincidence for his absence from the
fleet when Schley annihilated the Span
ish squadron. But the same kind and
| degree OF sympathy is due him and
| them because he was not at Cavite. and
| did not sink Montojo's ships, instead of
Dewey II comes to the same thing.
Much as he and they may regret it, the
| truth is that he was not on the spot,
and that the fleet under his command.
when il offered the nation 1as Fourth
of July present the destruction of the
entire Spanish feet" was able to do so
alone on the strength of a sweeping
success gloriously won by Commodore
Schley.
We trust that President Mckinley
viii not allow personal predisposition,
or bureaucratic favoritism, to distort
his view Of the matter. Whatever Of
honor or reward may be due in chief
to the principal actor in the grand ma
tional drama under consideration IS
due to the actual victor, Commodore
Schley.
And Congress and the American peo-
pie viii have it so.