Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-11-17

the battle Of July 8, as trained OBJ
server, without fear of the charge Of
egotism, assert that the Secretary Of
the Navy shows at the least lament
able ignorance in his statement OF at
fairs. He asserts that Admiral Schley
should have found out much sooner
than he did that the Spanish feet was
not at Cienfuegos. and says that he
made no attempt to do so until Com
mander McCalla met Schley en- route
to Cienfuegos, he forgot to notify him
of signals which the insurgents had for
desiring communication, and it was not
until two days later when he returned
that we discovered that attempts were
being made to signal us, and then
Schley sent McCalla to get information,
at the same time sending the insur-
gents ammunition. Schley arrived at
Cienfuegos on May %, and on May "a
two days later-found definitely that
the Spanish fleet was not at Cienfuegos.
Per contra. Sampson arrived at San
tiago on June 1, but it was not until
June Ii that Lieutenant Blue, at the
urgent request of the department, OBJ
tanned definite information that Ger
vera's fleet was in the harbor.
The coaling expedition is referred to-.
Schley had with his feet the broken
down and disgraceful purchase, the col
lier Merrimac Schley notified the de-
partment that unless the weather
abated he could not coal at sea and
would have to return to Key West, a
squadron without coal being of little
value in a fight with fast vessels. The
weather abated and he coaled at sea,
an example not followed by Sampson,
who at critical times sent his ships
forty miles away to coal. On page
Ala of the navy report, Captain Sigs-
bee, of the st. Paul, relating to diff
Guilty of ccaling at sea, says: "Just be-
fore leaving MAY 81 / told Commo-
d'ore Schley that the weather then pre-
vailing was far more favorable than
any I had observed in eight days
cruise off that coast Coal
ing at sea off Santiago will be very
difficult most of the time"
One month later, on June rs Up. 500,
naval reports, Admiral Sampson
cabled the department: TN smooth
water; ships can coal off Santiago
with some difficulty Was Sampson 5
difficulty any greater than Schley's?
A POLITICAL MOVEMENT.
OF the battle of July 8 it is hardly
necessary to speak, the American pub
lie having fully placed the honor
where it belongs. Suffice to say that
the foolish argument that the battle
was fought under Simpsons plan is
not teLable. If it is, then Admiral
Dewey had nothing whatever to do with
the fight of Manila Bay. The order to
Dewey was: you will find the Span
ish feet and destroy it." The order Of
Sampson to his squadron was: you
will close in on the entrance and sink
them" Both orders were carried out,
one by Dewey and the other by Schley,
but if those giving the directions are
responsible for the victory, then
Crowninshield, Mahan and company
must take the credit from Dewey and
Sampson that from Schley.
The criticism of personal judgment of
commanders, during battle, particularly
Schley, is SO palpably for political pur-
poses as to be unworthy of answer The
battle was won, as SIMPSONS own board
shows, in a great measure by the work of
Schley's fagships five and eight-inch
shells than by those of any other. On that
ship were the only dead and wounded,
and that ship was hit ten times as often
as all the other ships combined 1t was
the Brooklyn and the Oregon that caught
the Colon and made the days victory COM
plete, and it was of the Brooklyn that Adj
miral Cervera and Captain Eulate said to
me, ''She spoiled our plans by her splendid
maneuvers"
OF Schleys' personal bravery and cool
ness am an eyewitness, standing by his
side during the five hours of fighting that
memorable day. 1 heard him give his or
ders, discuss movements with officers,
compliment men for their work, order Ell
lis body preserved for burial as he wiped
the mans blood from his own face, tell
Captain Cook to keep the men below
decks informed of advantages, call to the
engine and boiler room heroes his encour-
agement, and when the battle was over
and prisoners were expected on board ask
the men not to cheer in exultation
And finally, with every man who loves
generosity and manliness and common de-
cency, l remember that he said of the
fight: Every man in it did his full share
and there is glory enough for us ALL
GEORGE e. GRAHAM
0MEM0E HkID TDHnr