The Topeka state journal., 1898-09-21
PAGET'S CONCLUSIONS
Drawn From Observations of the San
tiago Campaign.

i
| tiago Campaign.
| Washington, Sept. 21.-Captain Alfred
Paget. British naval attache assigned
/ to observe operations during thearecent
campaign in the West Indies. is en-
! gagged here in assem- milling the large
mass Of material gathered in Cuba and
in supplementing this with the official
data now being supplied by the navy
department. He1will spend most of the
fall in getting together the material for
his report to the British admiralty
which will be an exhaustive treatment
of the naval branch of the campaign
with considerable attention to the mill
tary branch, owing to the joint opera
tions of the two branches during sew
eral stages. of the war, and particularly
in the siege of Santiago.
Speaking informally today of some of
his observations, Captain Paget said
it had been shown quite clearly that the
naval branch of the service should have
complete control of all army trans
pOrtation by sea. He points ont that
this is the nrsctice fha vJorI9 90. r.
the British service all transports are
under the control of the admiralty
When troops are to be shipped the war
officials make known to the admiralty
the number of the men in the expedi-
ton, the divisions into infantry, cav
airy and artillery and the various re-
Qufrements of the several divisions. 1t
then becomes the duty of the naval
branch to provide the transports car
rying the troops, keeping the several
divisions distinct and with their proper
equipment, and provide all supplies re-
quired for the trip. A naval officer,
usually a lieutenant commander on the
retired list, is placed in command of
each transport, it being impossible to
secure proper service from merchant
captains. The naval branch also con-
ducts all loading and unloading of the
troops and supplies, this being a branch
in which naval officers are well Versed.
is not until the tr0OnS land
that the army authorities assume direc-
ton of affairs. This practice is in gem
eral operation with all the large coun-
tries, particularly those having colonial
possessions and could be adopted with
advantage by this country, in Captain
PagetS opinion, as much of the con-
fusion in the transportation and land
ing of the army supplies was due to the
inexperience of merchant captains of
transports, and to the direction of all
sea transportation by the army rather
than by the navy
Captain Paget's report will devote |
much attention to the destruction of |
Admiral Cervera's fleet, as this was the /
main naval incident of the war. He is
securing from the navy department |
complete reports of the gunnery of the |
American ships, with a view of show |
ing the Importance Of the man behind |
the gun" Captain Paget'S personal |
view is that Admiral Cervera's sortie |
was a most foOlhardy venture, which /
can not be justified by naval standards, |
even though ordered by the admiraPs
SuperiOrS. According to Captain PagetS |
view the most effective use Admiral |
Cervera. could have made of his squad |
ron was to have dismantled them of all |
the lighter guns, particularly the quick |
fires, and turned over guns and men |
to General Toral for use in defending |
the city. These quick fire guns, some |
hundred or more, distributed along the |
entertainments, and handled by the !
trained men of the squadron, would |
have been able to sustain a deadly fire |
on the American advance. Captain
Paget expresses the belief that such |
move would have made Santiago prac-
tically impregnable. He has doubt |
starvation and disease would have
broken down the Spanish defense in
time, but Cervera's guns could have |
held the town from a defeat by assault.
In case of a sortie from the harbor,
Captain Paget shares the view ofAmer-
lean naval officers that the sortie should
have been made at night. If attempted
in day light the Spanish ships should
have directed their attention to the
American transports, as they furnished
a vulnerable point where great havoc
could have been wrought. In any event,
whether transports or our WarShips
were attacked, Captain Paget maintains
that the Spanish policy should nave
been to rush to our ships, taking them
unaware before steam could be got up,
and taking the risk of loss so long as
some damage was inflicted. Had TINS
plan been adopted, he thinks it might
have resulted in the ramming and sink
ing of one or more of our ships.
Captain Paget speaks highly of our
new battleships and cruisers, partic-
ularly those now on the stocks, which
he has examined critically through the
plans and specifications. He says for
eign naval experts have long recog-
nized that first class warships could be
built in the United States, although he
does not admit that our ships yet excel,
or even equal those of British build.
In this connection q, prominent Ameri-
can naval officer recently told Captain
Paget that the new cruiser New Or
leans. bought in England during the
early stages of the war, was a revela-
ton to the authorities here in so far
as her guns and armament are con-
cerned.