Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-12-08
SAMPSON TALKS.
Comments on Some Incidents of
the Santiago Campaign.
He Claims that Gen. Shafter Expected
Too Much Of the BlOckading Fleet
and Did Not Properly Recog-
nfze the Navy I'm the Hour
of Final Triumph.

partment yesterday made public re-
port from Admiral Sampson covering
the operations of the blockading fleet
off Santiago after the destruction OF
Cervera's squadron. The report be-
gins with a dispatch dated July 10,
and winds up with one dated Guam
tanamo, August 4. In the first report
Sampson tells of the demonstration
made against Aguadores by the Mich
igan troops under Dufiield, the point
of which was that as soon as the
ships took part in the firing the Span
iards disappeared. He says the bonn
bardment of Santiago on July serv-
ed no particular end because Shafter's
attack had been postponed. He quotes
dispatches from himself TO Shatter
stating that it is impossible to force
an entrance to the harbor until the
mines had been removed and that
work could be accomplished only
after the troops had taken the forts.
Shafter replied 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: II am at a loss to see
why the navy cannot work under
destructive fire as well as the army.
MY loss yesterday was over 800 men,
An hour later on the same day.
July >, Shafter again appealed to
Sampson to Immediately force the
harbor entrance, so as to avoid future
loss among his men, already very
heavy. SAYS he: you can operate
with less loss of life than ! can In
reply Sampson pointed out that the
channel of the harbor was strewn
with mines, which would certainly re-
suit in the sinking of one or more Of
his ships if he attempted to enter
the harbor and that by sinking one
the harhor would be blocked against
the entrance of the others. He had
hopcd that Shafter would take the
batteries from the rear so he might
drag for the torpedOes, but if it was
Shafters 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 attempt.
He promised to use mines at
Guantanamo to cOuntermine those
at Santiago, which would consume
considerable time. Says Sampson:
1T is not so much the loss of men
as it is the loss of ships which has
until now deferred me from making
direct attack upon the ships within
the port" After the battle with Ger
vera's fleet Shafter renewed his re-
quest that Sampson force an en-
T.; ,,nci+tn,,
has cost him a thousand men and he
did not wish to lose any more. Samp-
son in comment says this shows
complete misapprehension of the cir
cumstances. He alleges that the sink
ing of the Mercedes would obstruct
the entrance of the larger American
ships and that extensive shore bat
teries were known to exist. His chief
of staff had Indicated to Shafter the
points that should be carried before
anv attention was paid to the city and
the taking of these points would have
insured the destruction of the mines
and the entrance of the American
fleet Shafter had consented to this
and Sampson did not know why the
plan was changed unless the troops
had been advanced too far to divert.
He expresses the belief that an ad-
herence to the original plan would
have resulted in the much quicker
surrender of the Spanish troops and
less loss of life except the navy, which
would have borne the brunt of at
tack.
Sampson says: 81 have been sur
prsed to see published in the papers
any statement of refusal on my part
to endeavor to force my way into the
harbor and cannot understand in case
the newspaper reports be truthful
statements of what was sent by him,
Gen. Skaters sending any reports
of this kind. | here, moreover, would
animadvert upon the apparently ex-
traordinary openness with which
every detail of hope, effort or sugges-
ton on the part of the army has been
published. The unwisdom of such
procedure is too manifest for discus
sion"
Admiral Sampson gives a number
of dispatches showing that he was
asked to participate in the terms of
surrender and tried to find out when
he should send a representative, but
owing to one or two delays no time
was fixed. SIMPSONS comments fol-
low: The foregoing certainly shows
clearly the most absolute Joint action,
and I took for granted that we should
be joint signatories of any capitula-
tions, as is customary in all services
in such circumstances. Capt. Chad
wick arrived at the front at the earl
lest hour it was possible for him to do
so. and informed Gen. Shafter of my
expectancy in the matter, but Shafter
peremptorily refused. The convention
mad already been signed, and he states
as one reason that nothing had been
said of the army in my report of the
| fleet action of July 3. There would
have been as much reason for men
| tioning the navy in the report of the
land action of July l. when assault was
| made by our army on the Spanish lines.
BIanco Leaves Cuba for Spain.
Havana. Dec. 1.-The Spanish mail
steamer NiIlaverde, with Marshal