The times., 1898-07-27

known to the statutes. created ultra
wires. and given to bureaucratic de-
partment pets, TO the detrment and de-
moIalzation Of the service The rear
admiraP' inaccuracy would b. little
worthy of notice if it did not form a
fitting climax to preceding mass OF
language equally intended to conceal
fact and magnify Sampson.
From first TO last the report is, on
the face Of it, a specious attempt to
show that while everybody knows the
'commander-in-chi to have been
very far away from the battle. he
was in fact within signaling distance
and took an active part in it. The
whole paper is carefully constructed 10
give the impression that the writer was
an witness. while nothing could be
more notorious than that all Sampson
knows about the matter he knows only
by hearsay or from the reports of the
commanding officers engaged.
The real facts of the victory may be
stated in very few words. Sampson
being absent on visit TO Gen. Shafter,
and twelve miles east Of Santiago Har-
Dor. on the third Cf July Admiral Ger
vera made a dash for liberty The first
division Of the fleet under the immedi-
ate command of Sampson was scattered
eastward some of its ships coal.ng,
and others at sea-at any rate none of
them in the vicinity OF the trouble The
second division. under command of
Commodore Schley, was on watch, and
comprised all of the vessels taking
part in the engagement Let il be en-
phasized that not a craft outside of the
personal command of Commodore
Schley had the slightest military con-
necuOn with the days work Samp-
sons flagship did not appear until the
battle was over, and then only rema ned
long enough to signal few meddle-
some orders. when it hastily steamed
away for the cable station. that Samp-
son might get there first and put in his
claim To the victory. On the discovery
Of the sortie, it was Commodore Schley
who gave the orders and conducted, as
he led, the great fight. No one would
suppose so to read Simpsons report
Not word of personal praise. not
sentence recognizing the official fact Of
Schley's actual command. is to BE- found
in it, The victor is Jumped with his
captains in a perfunctory omnibus ex-
precision which reads: Each individual
bore wei his part the commodore
in command on the second division, the
captains Of ships. their officers. and
men"
Throughout. the attempt is conspicu-
Gus to make two things appear F Frst,
that Sampson was in charge Of the pro-
ceedings all the time. Second, that,
supposing he was not. it was nothing
but a captains fight. in which each ship
Of necessity acted Independently and
without regard to orders from the flag
ship present. In paragraph S. he
writes: The method of escape attempt
ed by the Span.ards-alI steering in the
same direction. and in formation. re-
moved all tactical doubts or difficulties,
and made plain the duty OF every
United States vessel to close in, imma-
diately engage and pursue" Hence.
from the Sampsonian standpoint, the
usefulness Of a flag officer to command
the maneuvers Of the squadron was
nil. Nobody required 'gnals from su-
perior authority. and therefore the or
ders issued by Commodore Schley wera
quite superhuous. We are obliged to
note that, with his usual feminine in
consistency. Commodore Sampson tries
to make a strong point of his assertion
that, while he was steaming toward the
scene Of hosiiiities, he was flying battle
signals. the utility Of which might be
questioned. even if signals Of any. sort
were admitted to be in order, because
his flagship was too far away for them
TO be seen.
Even persons who have looked upon
Sampson with extreme disfavor can
not avoid surprise that he should so
plainly ignore certain things connected
with the splendid success won by his
colleague In speaking of the single
death in the affair. that of Yeoman
Ellis. on board Commodore Schey's
flagship, the Brooklyn, he does not
mention fact in the connection that
has deeply impressed the country. al
though it does not seem to have oc-
CURED TO Sampson as a matter worth
his attention. The young hero who had
his head taken off by a Spanish shell
was standing by the side Of his commo-
dore when death reached him In the
report we do not find a word in praise
Of the cool courage, not to speak Of the
generalship, displayed by Schley
throughout the combat: In this as well
as in all other instances where a nat
ural word of credit might display
Schley in a positively favorable light,
Sampson retires behind the shield of
his non-presence and consequent ignor-
ance. while he is energetically alive to
every point which by any chance could