Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-09-20
Gays History OF the Navy" are as


Gays History OF the Navy" are as
follows:
schley. Nay 2s. lsos, sullied this brightest
OF American notices by pcnning, ''Nuch 10 be re-
GREETED cannot obey orders and turned in caitiG
Hight from the danger spot toward which duty
honor and the whole American people were most
earnestly urging him.
Viewed In whatever light It may be. the fore
going Dispatch cannot be chara cried Otherwise
than as being. without exception, The most hu.
initiating. cowardly and iaRisntable report ever
penned by an American naval officer
Ard further:
In his report about the coal supply Of the yes-
sells under his nj Schlcy exhibited timidi-
~ either amounting 10 absolute cowardice or
prevaricatlon OF facts that intrnsically false
hoods
The coal supply OF his squadron. so Ter from be-
ing meager. as schley reported. is shown by the
respective logs OF those ships, as indicated at
noon May q. to have been most satisfactory.
Here, then, we have the humiliating spectacle
OF an American naval officer OF high rank, hav-
ting each and every OF his fighting ships with
more than three days coal supply aboard. with
collier laden with 1000 tons OF COAL reporting at
a moment when the greatest crisis Of the war was
at hand. that 'as the prospect did not seem IA
yorabe for replenishing the meager coal supply OF
the larger vessels, the squadron stood the west
ward" OF away from the point the whole United
States was most feryent,y praying and urging him
TO reach.
Soon after the nasco with the Eagle schley
found another pretext for delay in the collier
Merrimac. which embarrassed the movements OF
the squadron by breaking her intermediate pres
sure valve stem and cracking her stuifng box.
This" reported the commodore, twas a source
OF considerable anxiety as, with the weather con-
ditons that prevailed since leaving Cieniuegos. IL
appeared absolutely necessary to abandon the po-
sition of Santiago and seek & place where the
vessels could be coaled and the GOLFERS machinery
repaired
This excuse. like the surf OF Ciensuegos. which
Schley deemed too strong for American naval
valor to surmount, and the '.rain and rough
weather" which delayed the run to Santiago, was
soon shown to be groundless for the energetic en-
gineers OF the Merrimac soon repaired the dam
age.
Again the author says:
The one great lesson that Nelson gave In naval
strategy was that q captain Is never out Of posi-
ton when alongside enemy. Fsragut's great
axiom, 90 years later. that "the nearer you
get TO your enemy the harder you can strike"
Schley's contribution to naval strategy, az too
plainly shown by his conduct throughout this
campaign. was. ''Avoid your enemy a. long as
possible. and II he makes for you, run"
The reader has doubtless ALREADY
formed his own opinion regarding Rear
Admiral Schley's conduct In the war
| anu, Nudl 10 AuA0C tAc VI Oy
Schley's critics, the famous '1oop" of
the Brooklyn in entering the race
against the Spanish warships-whichi is
explained by his friends as technical
maneuver warranted by the exigencies
Of the moment The whole matter for
examination Is summed up In secre-
tary Longs ''precept' issued to the
court Of inquiry, which contains ten
counts that will clearly explain the
case in controversy, particularly IL read
In connection with the resume OF
operations leading up to and before
Santiago given in the opening portion
of this article.
These are the lines Of Investigation
which Secretary Long has designated
for the official inquiry to follow:
1. His conduct in connection with the
events of the Santiago campaign.
2. The circumstances attending, the
reasons controlling and the propriety
of the movements OF the flying squad
ron off Cienfuegos in May. 1893.
3. The circumstances attending, the
reasons controlling and the propriety
of the movements OF the said squadron
in proceeding from Cienfuegos to San
tiago~