The herald., 1898-12-01

CdInpsOu tClis
of the demonstration made against Aqua
dores by the Michigan troops under Duffield,
the point of which was that as soon as the
ship took part in the firing the Spaniards
disappeared. He says that the lombard
ment of Santiago on the 2nd of July served
no particular end, because Skaters attack
had been postponed. He quotes dispatches
from himself to Shafter stating that it was
impossible to force an entrance to the harbor
until the mines had been removed, and that
the work could be accomplished only after
the troops had taken the forts. Shafter re-
piled that he could not tell when he could
take the batteries. If they were as difficult
as those against which he was pitted, it
would take some time and great loss OF life.
Says he: 81 am at loss to see why the navy
cannot work under destructive fire as well
as the army. My loss yesterday was over
500 men. By all means, keep up fire on
heights until demolished. expect, how
ever, with time and sufficient men, to cap
ture the forts along the bay"
! A SECOND APPEAL
| An hour later on the same day, July 2,
Shafter again appealed to Sampson to i'm
mediately force the harbor entrance, SO as
to avoid further loss among his men, already
very heavy. He says:
"You can operate with less loss than !
can."
In reply, on the same day, Admiral Samp-
son pointed out that the channel OF the har-
Dor was well strewn with mines, which would
certainly result in the sinking of one or more
of his ships if he attempted: to enter the har-
Dor; that by sinking the ship the harbor
would be blockaded against the entrance OF
the others. He had hoped that Shafter
would take the batteries from the rear sc
that he might drag for the torpedoes but il
was Skaters earnest desire that he should
force the entrance. He would prepare to
undertake it, thinking, however, that the
position of both army and navy would be
made more difficult if they failed in the at
tempt. He promised to use the mines at
Guantanamo to countermne those at San
tiago, which would consume considerable
time. Said Sampson:
1T is not so much the loss of men as the
loss of ships which has until now deferred me
from making a direct attack upon the ship.
within the port"
| Admiral Sampson says that after the de
struction of Admiral Cervera S fleet Shaftel
renewed the request that he should force
the entrance to the harbor, and it was ar
ranged between them that the outside fort
should be taken by marines and Cubans after
the fleet had shelled them. Then the har
Dor was to be forced by the fleet Admira
Sampson says he does not know why this
plan was abandoned, and still believes time
and many lives might have been saved had it
| been carried out.
SAMPSON SURPRISED
''Thus," says Sampson, 81 have been sur
rrised to see published in the papers any
statement of refusal on my part to endeavol
to force my way into the harbor, and cannot
understand case the newspaper report be
a truthful statement OF what was sent by
him-Gen. Skaters sending any report OF
the kind.
Il here, moreover, would animadvert upon
the apparently extraordinary openness with
which every detail of hope, effort or sugges.
tion on the part of the army has been pub
lished. The unwisdom of such procedure is
too manifest for discussion"
Continuing, Admiral Sampson says:
"The navy has been placed in such an in
vidious and false position before the country
through the very unwise publication of Gen
Skaters telegram that think this matter
should in some way be made clear to the
public"
A MESSAGE TO LONG
On July l4th Admiral Sampson sent the
following to Secretary Long:
July IA, lS9S.--Published kilograms o
Gen. Shafter, Herald of July 9th, reflect on
the navy. l wish the department and the
president to understand that the first re
quisite to opening harbor of Santiago dc
Cuba is the occupation OF forts and en-
trenchments at its entrance, guarding mine
fields, and that the general has never made
move to do this, although before his army
landed he stated that such was the primary
object OF his operations. If the genera
chooses to ignore the sea approaches and to
attack Santiago to the east and north, thai
is his affair, but it should be clearly under
stood that this attack does not influence
the situation at the harbor entrance, from
which his left flank is distant not less than
four miles. l have been ready at any time
during the last three weeks to silence works,
to clear entrance of mines, and to enter har.
Dor whenever the army will do the part
which the proper conduct Of war assigns to
it. To throw my ships to certain destruction