The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-16


8. m.a4 ot "a recent report from Admiral
L-z upon Samoan affairs ds touches
.-. s....ur Of a number OF American sail
,-. 10. Malaafa GdheTents near ADia on
.r- --. at April 20 mention = mace al
e-r point 81 The reported PARTICIPATION ~
on. ARRAY Of the German. Hufnagel. the
-.rag-r ~ the plantation where the
.rat occurred. 10 l. shown that the fail
,.r. 8f Doe Colt gun TO work properly was
r "A large measure the cause o. the
American and British defeat.
Admiral kauJz says the expedition was
r-1.se.sa by Capt. Sturdee. of the Por-
mise For several nights preceding, the
,.r.r.-s had been fired upon b. the ma
,.res aud % became necessary to drive
,.r agErrssors away. Admiral heuJz
saws ,aat % was The opinion o. all the
sF.frs who had the matter in cn1rge
that The force was ample 10 do the work
vHEalt risk. especially as IL was 10 move
OIL along the beach and return the same
way. under the protection of the guns OF
t.r malestys ship Royalist. IL AZ safe 10
.,r saws the Admiral, that after LieEts.
Freeman and Lansdale had conferred To-
ga.rer. they did what they deemed best
under the circumstances, and The disaster
that followed could not be fOreseen.
A. Told by tile survivors.
Admiral KautZ appends the reports OF
Che surviving officers Of the expedition.
which were transmitted by Capt. White.
af the Philadelphia. In his letter OF
,aasmUJal the Captain commends In the
strongest terms the work of Passed AS
,.-faut Surgeon g. A. Lung. lie says:
al times when the IRE from the con-
ca4Iei natives was thickest, and IL all
times. by his example, ne encouraged ,he
1Uunr and inexperienced men 10 he
gr.per performance Of duty. On the
completion OF the work Of his profession,
hr assumed command Of our Dluejackets
and marched them TO the United States
Consulate
capt White describes at some length
The happenings Of April l, as gathered
from close examination OF the petty
officers and men engaged in the fight. He
saws that several excursions had been
made into the beach back OF Apia during
the last ten DAYS Of March. Very few
natives had been observed. and when seen
tLey always fed when fired upon by The
Colt automatic gun. Lieut.. Lansdale set
great store by the gun. and frequently
operated it himself. Says Capt. White:
Trouble with the Colt Gun.
"He appears 10 have depended greatly
upon the gun when the party was am
tushed on April I. Twice it did not fnnc-
lion and time was lost i'm overhauling it,
and great delay was consumed in trying
10 gej IL through the wire fence Lieut.
Lsnsdale was loath TO abandon IL, out the
fire was so CALLING that before he was
wounded he was compelled 20 scatter the
important parts and leave ii behind.
Prudence led him to deploy his men in
oIel order The thieket was so dense
that after the order for retreat was sound
cd it was not possible for the groups 10
render each other mutual support
Lieut. Lansdale was wounded below the
kuef soon after the Colt was abandoned,
aud rendered incapable of marching. He
was assisted by his men, one OF them,
y +. Edsall Ordinary seaman, was NOR
tally wounded while doing so. II is not
clear when Lieut. Lansdale received the
wound ih his chest. IL Is in evidence most
clear that when Ensign Monaghan DIS
covered that Lieut.. Lansdale was wounded
he used his best endeaVors to convey him
10 The rear and, Seizing a rife from a
disabled man, made a brave defense but
undoubtedly he fell very shortly after
ginlAg Lansdale. and the hostiles, flushed
WIN success, bore down on our men in
this vicinity
IA. o..