Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-09
CERVERA'S OWN STORY
Apology of the Gallant Sailor Written in
Proud Humility.
Hitherto Unpublished Correspondence
Between the Admiral and the
Minister of Marine.
From the New York Evening Post.

Admiral Ceryera obtained from the queen
regent. late in August. permission to pub
lish the official correspondence relating to
the operations of the Spanish squadron I'M
der his command. The result is volume
of more than 300 pages, copy of which
has just reached us. 1t contains many dis
patches which have been published before,
but some which are entirely new, and in
particular several letters which passed be-
tween Admiral Cervera and the minister
OF marine before the war broke out, which
are not only new. but of the deepest inter-
est. The whole is now offered as the
apologia of the gallant old sailor. With a
proud humility, at once dignified and pa
thetic, whoever blundered, whoever was
the victim of wild illusions. he was not:
but that throughout his head was as clear,
his foresight as keen, as his heart was
stout.
From the very beginning-going back as
far as the .etters of 1S96-97-Cervera's
constant warning to the minister of ma
rine was, 'Do every thing in reason or
honor to satisfy the United States. for. If
war breaks out, We shall be overwhelmed
Minister Bermejo was incredulous. A good
part of the American navy was in the Pa
citic. Yes, replied clear-sighted Cervera, on
March {. 1898, but what does that mean ex-
cept the immediate crushing of our feeble
naval forces in the Phllippines2 All. re-
Joined the minister. but you do not take
homogeneous. educated. disciplined crews
in combat with the mercenary levies Of the
United States" As to that. answered Ger
vera, sadly, You have only to remember
what happened to our ancestors at Ira
faisar. But. surely. urged Bermejo, with
your swift ships you can ravage the At
lantic coast. and speedily bring the enemy
to terms. Are you crazy? was Cervera' s
despartng comment.
SO the correspondence went on through
all those weary weeks Of waiting for the
war. The men in charge of the f1eet-Cer-
vera and all his CaptainS-Solemnly warned
the government that their campaign must
be defensive. or 1t would necessarily be dis
astrous. But at the same time Blanco was
urgently telegraphing from Cuba, and Ma
cias from Porto Rico, that the squadron
must be sent, or all would be lost. Thus
pulled about. the government was at its
wits end, and finally called the famous
council of war of the eighteen or twenty
admirals and captains in Madrid, which
decided that Cervera must sail from Cape
Verde and fling himself on the foe. That
was about what his orders amounted TO,
tor he was utterly unable then or later to
get Ineligible instructions from the minis
ter of marine. His orders were simply to
sail for the Antilles, calling at some neu-
trail port for information, and then going
to Porto Rico or Cuba, he might think
best, and doing there whatever his Skill
discretion and courage might suggest
Was ever hapless officer sent more bum
g!ingly to the fate which he knew to be as
sail with his ships bravely and cheer
fully as If going to assured victory. He
said that if the admirals overruled him
one OF them really ought to relieve him,
out he was not the man to shrink from
duty, and with proud moriturus salute
to the Spanish government and people he
put to sea.
Cervera fully intended to go to Porto
Rico after calling at Fort de France. His
statement to that effect is a tribute to the
shreWdness of our own naval strategfsts.
who sent Sampson to that island to meet
him. But at Martinique Cervera heard
that Sampson was awaiting him: he him.
self had to go to Curacao for coal: and
then, by good deal of luck (algo casuaD
as he himself confesses. got into Santiago
unobserved. To Cervera a Martinique the
following extraordinary telegram was sent
by the minister of marine:
MADRID, May -, 1898
Since your sailing the situation has
changed. Your instructions are amplifed
so that I; you judge that the squadron can
not operate to advantage where you are
You may return to Spain. choosing your
own route and port Of call, though this
would preferably be Cadiz Acknowledges
receipt and advice of your decision"
Cervera did not acknowledge receipt. be-
cause ne never saw the dispatch until he
got back to Spain. He sailed before 1t was
delivered. But as Indication of the state
Of mind of the Spanish government, and Of
its fitness to carry on war, 1t needs no
comment. In this respect however it was
III I'tfoStu IL Sucl Il CnlnB We're possible by
the suggestion made by the minister of war
on June 3. that Cervera should run the
blockade at Santiago, and go to Manila to
smash Dewey. afterward returning to finish
off Sampson,
The later official correspondence has
nearly all seen the light before Ceryera
was never deceived about the ruin of his
snlps II ne tried to take them out. He
WIS, M,she "a 10 blow them up in the harbor and
land his men to assist in the defense of the
place. But he was under BIanco's orders
and that officer insisted az we know upon
the admiraIs going out to have 600 of his
S IIten hlieu IN spirit of sheer vanity" as
CerVera called IT, One Incidental point is
cleared up in these dispatches. Admiral
sampson has said that he never knew, VIII
ms snlps were not fred on at night when
standing in close to the harbor's mouth
with their searchlights. The reason ia that
the Spanish had not the guns or ammunt
ton to do 1t. Cervera asked Gen Iinares
10 open on the American ships at night
bas .iat oiiicer had TO inform him that he
nad no artillery mounted that could do it.
And the ammunition on shore was as derec
tive as it was on shipbOard
w mere Is Boosting? This is the question
we well may ask after this full REVELATION
of the weakness of the foe we conouereJ
at Santiago. The only boast the Suaniar ds
have made IA that they showed the word
they knew " to die. Never did men 90
more clear-eyed to death for their countrv
than Cervera and his comrades What he
mas now published Is in defense of his IN
teihgence He wanted his friends and his
country to know that he at least had been
dwelling in no fools paradise. This squad
ron Is already destroyed" he wrote on sail
ing from Cape Verde. But no defense was
needed of Admiral Pascual Cervera's ma
triotlsm or gallantry. Those are written
ifnperisnably in the faithful story of what
ne did and dared, with serene. courage in
the face of fated disaster. 80
German Officer of the Beers,
From the London Sketch
Col. SchieTs mama Is nrohahl,r r,o.a e.