The National tribune., 1898-09-01

''There are many things to be said about
the battle at Santiago, but the most strik-
ing thing about it was the wonderful
gunnery displayed by the crews of the
American ships. The work they did on
this occasion is no doubt the most mar
vel llous thing in history in this particular.
Still, | am a firm believer in Providence,
and while our boys did such splendid
work, if you could have seen the shells
bursting all around us and no one hurt,
you would have said that God was in the
battle,
Were you so compl eteIy surprised that
Sunday morning as has been reported2'
NO; there has been a misrepresentation
on this point, judging from what | see in
the newspapers. Every man on the
bl0ckading squadron had feeling that
the crisis was at hand, and that some
thing was about to happen. Even the
coal beavers knew that something was
up and kept looking over the hill. Early
in the mofhing we had seen black smoke
rising in columns and moving about in
the bay, so we knew Cervera was firing
up and preparing to do something with
his feet.
"The next thing we saw was those four
magnificent ships buleing out under ful
| headway, firing as they came As they
plowed along with great columns of smoke
trailing behind them they reminded me OF
bulls rushing into the ring at a Spanish
bull-fight. / do not believe that there was
any difference in the time at which they
were seen by the officers and men in the
fleet; all were watching and all saw them
at once. AS they came out they fired at
us, and q moment later we opened on
them. Our firing began before the nose of
the first ship was out of the entrance to
the harbor.
Then began the race and the heaviest
cannonading | ever heard in my life. /
stood upon the bridge and in a moment
my deck was so covered with the smoke
OF my own guns that | could not see it.
When you think that the guns of the
Brooklyn alone were fired over 200 times,
you may imagine what roar the battle
made. OF course, | had cotton in my
ears, as did the men, but | did not get
the ring OF the explosions out of my head
for weeks. Some of the men wanted me
to come down, as were being hit right
and left, and shell were bursting all over
u.s. but | stood up on the place where the
reflector for the search-light had been,
because | thought the lightning would not
strike twice in the same place, and it had
been shot away early in the fight.
Although, while the battle was going
on and we were under the tremendous fire
which was largely concentrated upon us
on account of our superior speed, the
men were laughing and talking. and as
cool and collected as though they were at
target practice. When | think of the
wonderful discipline which has brought
this about | am ready to affirm that to
command such men is one of the very
greatest honors that could be conferred
upon an officer. You will remember that
there was only one person killed, our
Yeoman. He had Just turned to leave
me to execute an order when Il she'll
took his head clean from his shoulders
A piece of the skull struck me behind one
ear, Spattering my neck with blood, and
| did not know at first whether | had
been hit or not. A couple of the men ran
up and asked me if | was hurt and when
/ put my hand up to my neck and saw
there was nothing the matter with me-
told them that was all right In the
meantime shells burst all about u.s."
rs there anything Ain the story that
Cervera surrendered to the CubanS?"
Il do not know anything about it per-
Sonally, am sure, and never heard any
thing about it until Iscame home and saw
the statements in the papers. l was
right abreast of the Vizcaya when she
gave up and went ashore, but saw several
of our other ships coming along, and
knew they would take care of her. AS the
Colon was still making off followed as
hard as could after the leader did not
think it was necessary to stop and pay
any attention to those that were out of the
fight"
"lf you had been in Admiral Cervera.s S
place would you have managed the bat
tie as he did?"
"No, / would not. If had been in his
place / would not have come out in for
nation. but would have scattered the