Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-21
ADMIRAL SCHLEY
DEFENDS HIMSELF
Resents Charges Recently
Made Against Him.
SAMPSON WAS UNGENEROUS
III All That He DID as Second In Com
Uinmd of fhc North Atlantic Sqund-
ron He Obeycd Orders From ELS
*uprriOrs-A DiSpntch From Snmp-
son Withheld From Publicity -Lo.
cntion OF Cervcrn's Fleet = Sum-
mary OF Facts.
(By Telegraph to virginia-Pilo,o

Washington, d. c., February 90
Rcar-Admiral w. S. Schley, having been
granted permission to answer the
charges made against him in the COM
munication recently sent TO the Senate
to-day handed TO the Committee on Ma
val Affairs his statement. in which he
disclams any purpose of controversy
with the Navy Department. The letter
OF the Department. he says, so far as 1t
relates to him, can be summarized un-
der the following heads:
The delay off Cienfuegos: the al
legged slow progress toward Santiago de
Cuba from Cienfucgos; the retroSrade
movements on the 26th and eth Of
May; the battle of Santiago. and the
destruction OF Cerveras fleet"
The Admiral says his orders from
Sampson on May 18th were to blockade
CienfueEos, which he proceeded to do.
On his arrival he sent Commander Nc
Gala, of the Marblehcad. ashore to es-
tablish relations with the insurgents,
the result of which was made known
to him ut 1880 on May oath. Then for
the first time he learned definitely that
the Spanish fleet was not at Cienfue-
Santiago.
ACTED UNDER ORDERS.
what possible ground OF criticism"
he says. adverse TO me there can be
in all this, do not sec. was onathe
.-epQs- as ling under. rsteEsts sya,tGb Fave
me entire discretion, and Setsciothed
me with the responsibility of going to
Santiago only after l was satisfied
that the fleet was not ut Cienfuegos."
He quoted from the dispatch of Samp-
son OF May 10th, in which the latter
says Schley should ''hold his fleet off
Cienfuegos. If the Spanish ships have
put into Santiago. they must come eth
err to Havana or Cienfucgos To deliver
the munitions OF war which they are
said to bring for use in Cuba. l am,
therefore. OF the opinion that the best
chance to car these ships Will be
to hold the tW ats. CicnfuegoS and
Havana, with al the force we van
muster. If later ii should develop that
these vessels are at Santiago, we can
then asseWble off that port, the ships
pletely blockade it. Until we. then. re-
ceive more positive information we
shall continue to hold Havana and
Cienfuegos'
WITHHELD FROM PUBLICITY.
Admiral Schlcy adds:
'"Chs lettc. Is not printed either in
the appendix or executive document G,
but ! received 1t ON the 23d, and it
shows that l was expected to hold my
squadron oil CieEfucgos."
AS to slow progress toward Santiago
on account Of the Eagle. he states that
sha was Il part Of rorcc which Adj
miral Sampson mad seen fit TO send him.
and lac had TO right to abandon her.
Speaking of 1.-The rrtrogade move
ments." which the Secretary, adapting
the language of Admiral Sampson,
charactcriZes as reprenensible con-
duct" Admiral Schlcy says that in AZ
years service "never was such Ian
guage used to characterize conduct of
mine, and see no reason for ii now"
He adds.
LOCATION OF CERVERA'S FLEET
Acting in accordance with my best
judSme mt. in view of the circumstances,
without certain knowledge of the
Whereabouts of that Spanish fleet. after
having been informed by the scouts
commanded by such officers as Sigsbce
Jewell. and Wise. that although they
had keen off Santiago for il week they
had seen nothing of it, and know moth
Ing of It's whereabouts, since it had left
Curacao, after having been assured by
Sigsbee, that he did not believe it was
In Santiago, and by the emphatic dec
laraticn of the pilot Nunez, and know
ing that as the sea and weather then
were, it would be impossible to coal my
S'tHoNlbIN VII the pbIi, L deemed IL pest
to take the action I did, the final re-
suit Of which was the location of the
enemy's feet in Santiago harbor"
AS to The battle of Santiago. Admiral
Schley says the facts of that contest
speak for themselves. He quotes from
his official report to Sampson. i'm which
he congratulated the commander of the
squadron, and said the victory seems
big enough for all OF U.S.
CONTRAST WITH SAMPSON ASKED
He asks the committee to contrast his
reports 10 those of Sampson, containing
references to himself. End continues:
AS to ali this criticism of my course
prior to the discovery by me on May
10Th of Corvera's fleet. whether from
Admiral Sampson or the Department
none Of it has ever been made by
either To me; and l never heard of a
word from any one. until after the bat
tie with that fleet. although more than
five weeks had passed since the alleged
'repraheilsible conduct had occurred"
SUMMARY OF FACTS.
Admiral Schley then submits a long
detailed statement of the facts he
summarized in the foregoing, which is
in reply to request by Chairman
Hale, of the Naval Committees:
The commanding officer of the Har-
ward reported that he did not have coal
enough to reach any home base and
could not steam beyond twenty-four or
thirty hours. which. the Admiral says.
forced him to send the Harvard to
al n