The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-21
SCHLEY REPLIES TO CRITICS.
SHOWS HE CARRIED OUT HIS Or
DEas AT SANTIAGO.

strOyed Them-Obeyed All orders
Given by sampsOn-Iuch Was Left
10 His DiscretiOn-Term "Repre-
hensibIe Conduct UnjustIy APP
,Iied to Him-SampsOn's Conflict
ing Statements.
Washington, Feb. 20.-Rear Admiral w
6 schley having been granted permission
10 answer the charges made against him
IN The communication recently sent to the
Senate. to-day handed 10 the committee on
naval affairs his statement. in which he
dlsc!aims any purpose of controversy with
the navy department..
The letter of the department. he says, so
far as it relates TO him, can be summarized
under the following heads:
The delay of Cienfuegos; the alleged
slow progress toward Santiago de Cuba
from Cienfuegos; the retrogade move
ments on May 26 and q; the battle of San
t.ago, and the destruction of Cervera's
feet"
The admiral says his orders from Samp-
son on May 10 were to blockade Cienfue-
eos which he proceeded to do. On his
arrival he sent Commander McCalla of
the Marbehead ASHORE to establish rela-
tons with the insurgents, the result of
which was made known to him at $40
o'clock on May "a. Then for the first time
he learned definitely that the Spanish fleet
was not at Cienfuegos. Within two hours
he started for Santiago.
Had Entire Discretion.
what possible ground of criticism" he
says. adverse to me, there can be in all
this l do not see l was on the spot act
ing under orders which gave me entire
discretion, and yet clothed me with the
responsibility of going to Santiago, only
after I was satisfied that the fleet was not
at Cienfuegos."
He quotes from the dispatch of Samp-
son of May 20, in which the latter says
Schey should hold his fleet off Cienfue-
gos If, the Spanish ships have put into
Santiago, they must come either to Hava-
ma or Cienfucgos to deliver the munitions
Of war which they are said to bring for
use in Cuba. l am therefore, of the opin-
ion that the best chance to capture these
ships will be to hold the two points, Glen
fuegos and Havana, with all the force we
can muster. If later it should develop
that these vessels are at Santiago, we can
then assemble off that port the ships
best suited for the purpose and complete
ly blockade 1t. Until we, then, receive
more positive information, we shall con-
tirue to hold Havana and Cienfuegos"
Admiral Schley adds: This letter is not
printed either in the appendix or execu-
tive document G, but received il on the
I'D and it shows that / was expected TO
hold my squadron off Cleufuegos"
As to the slow progress toward Santiago
on account of the Eagle, he states that she
was part of the force which Admiral
Sampson had seen fit to send with him
and he had no right to abandon her
No Reason for Such Criticism.
Speaking of the retrogade movements"
which the secretary, adopting the Ian
guage of Admiral Sampson, characterizes
as 'reprehensible conduct" Admidal
schley says that in forty-two years service
never was such language used to char
bcterAze conduct of mine, and see no rea-
son for it now.'
He adds; Acting in accordance with
my best Judgment, in view of the circum-
stances, without certain knowledge of the
whereabouts of that Spanish fleet; after
having been Informed by the scouts COM
uahded by such officers as Sigsbee, Jewell
ana wise, that although they had been
OH santiago for a week, they had seen
hothing of il, and knew nothing of it's
whereabouts, since it had left Curocoa;
tIter having been assured by Stgshee that
ne old not believe it was in Santiago.
ana by the emphatic declaration of the
pHot Nunez, and knowing that as the sea
ana weather then were it would be inn
Possloie to coal my squadron off the port.
uSein9d 1t best to take the action I
ulo, the final result of which was the To-
ggauoh OF the enemy's fleet in Santiago
harbor"
santiago Speaks for Itself.
AS to the battle of Santiago Admiral
SVH'eF SAYS the facts of that contest speak
iol themselves. He quotes from his off,
oial report to Sampson, in which he con-
s'a'ulated the commander of the SQUAD
' lon' ana said the Victory seems big
trough for all of u.s."
ne ne asks the committee to contrast his
rceoreS 'ls TO those of Sampson containing
'1,Vrehces to himself. and continues:
As to all this criticism of my course
Prior to the discovery bv me on Nav 20
- rivera fleet, whether from Admiral
t'alHpson or the department.. none of it
% 5 ever been made by either TO me;
e'i' never heard a word Of il from any
% oJ' until after the battle with that fleet.
sa"ough more than five weeks had passed
he the alleged 'reprehensible conduct
Pad occurred
Admiral schley then submits a Tong de-
80 - statement of the fact which he sum
Taa,l' r, l@eu IN the foregoing. and which is in
tbp'y 70 a request by Chairman Hale of
"r naval committee
IN, ne commanding officer of the Harvard
- Porled that he did not have coal enough
s V reach any home base and could not
g9n ,,.s, beyond twenty-four or thirty hours
seS nGh, the admiral says, forced him to
srs "o me Harvard to- Kingston; the Yale
an anI minneapolis could reach Kew West.
oc u lhe st. Paul could remain. at most.
', I. 'ne port for but Two days. The Brook
,. iowa and Massachusetts we're fairly
L. i on with coal. but the Texas. Marble
,rr[ad M and Vixen were considerably reduced.
ue protection sponsor Of The Texas and
t5a.,, l'. olshead made 1t dangerous to coat
or IN III Alongside the collier with any swell
VII me open sea.
GOOD REASON for His Belief.
II 4, was this situation" saws the state
~ coupled with the conclusion that
e5 spanish squadron might have touch-
Ciorsu ana then moved west as, reported at
uegoS, and reinforced hv Tho fact