The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-08

miral Sampson and Commodore Schl&y
! at Key West. pointing out that SchIey
ish fleet left Curacao. notaitl5<
standing Sampson had been In posses-
sion OF this Information for three Or
four days.
Speaking OF the cruise to Cieuf,eRuo
Captain Parker said 1t was inconsIstenes
to criticise Admiral Schley for stopping
TO take Captain Chester on beard while
at the same time criticising him tor
not calling Captain McCalia aboard
We can't" he said. blow ho. and cold
| in the same breath. The truth Is there
| was no real delay in the voyage
As for the Cienfuegos blockade. he
held that il was sufficient that no yes
sci had gone in or come out without
permission. Moreover, the admiral had
| taken all the steps possible TO take to-
ascertain whether the enemy was there.
ITO send ashore in an enemy's coun-
| try to find out whether the enemy was
| there would" he said, have peen fool
hardy. and IL the commodore had sent
a boat ashore and lost IT he would have
| been Justly censured for so doing.
ct contend that UP 10 this time 50 far
as the blockade is concerned. so faf
as his conduct there is concerned. there
is absolutely nothing shown by the tes-
timony in this case from which the
| slightest suspicion OF fault can be
| placed upon Commodore Sch,ey."
Replying TO the clam that Commo-
| dore Schley did not obey orders in fall
| ing to prevent work upon new forfin-
| cations. at Cienfuegos. Captain Parker
said that not q particle of evidence had
been introduced to show that any work
| was being done or the Qualifications.
The court will agree with me, !
| think, in my statement. said the CAP
| tain. that n commander-in-chief Il
gifted with some discretions: that he
| is entitled to exercise IL and IL is his
| duty exercise it."
Cav ain Parker contended that both
| the Dear Schley'' letter and No. had
bee. sent at a later date than had been
| suggested by the naval officials. SaTnp-
| son had, he said, instructed Schley to
| remain at Cienfuegos, Notwithstanding
| the departments advice to proceed TO
/ Santiago and in No. discretion had
| plainly been given to Schley.
| Suppose" he said, ''he had gone or
| and 1t had been found that the Span
| iards were there, he would have been
| condemned and Justly SO and in case OF
| a court martial learned friends here
| would have thundered against him.
| say that no criticism is deserved for the
| commodore's conduct at Cienfuegos.
| This closed the discussion OF the Cien-
| fuegos blockade and Captain Parker
| contended that he had then acted WISE
| ly-showing that the discretion allowed
| him was well placed. AS for himself.
|
| war6rooms or the talk OF the young Of
ficers Their talk pales into insignifi-
cance." he said, beside the achieve
ments OF Admiral Schley whose name
will continue to shine brighter and
brighter every day.
| Captain Parker commended Comno-
dore Schley's conduct of the cruise to
Santiago. He had, said the speaker,
acted according to the dictates OF his
judgements judgement which the
captain said was better than that OF
| less experienced officers. an experience
| which had been gained IN command
| under circumstances of every nature,
in the Arctic around both capes on
every sun He was" Captain Park
er continued, lat least as likely To be
as correct as those young officers who
for the first time in their lives were
given command Of 81 small boat.
III the absence of information the
| plains of the Yale and the Min seap-
oils, Captain Parker held that Ao o.sfrai
Schley had right to suppose that Cap
. tain Sigsbee had given all the informa-
ton to be had from the scouts. He
said, that with the information given
Admiral Schley had acted wisely In
! turning back to Key West. Whether
. he acted wisely and his judgment was
sound is for you gentlemen OF the court
to say-not with the information that
has come since but with the light that
the commodore had at the time
| Captain Parker regarded the dispatch
of May 26th from the navy department.
as uncertain. Quoting from the dis.
patch Captain Parker read: THE de-
partment looks to you to ascertain
| facts
Didn't the commodore ascertain
facts he asked. And that the enemy
therein does not leave without decisive
, action he continued reading. We'll
was there not decisive action?" he ask
, | ed. THE poor old Spanish admiral
came with his flags flying gaiiy at his
, mastheads on that Sunday morning
/. and before / O'Clock of that day he saw
|, , his ships on the beach. burning, blow
/. | ing up and all destroyed. he came on
board the American ship withou; shoes
for his feet or hat for his head, in a
: pair OF drawers and an underskirt. De-
= cisive action? Was there anything that
was more decisive than that?'
: Then he took up Commodore Schley's
| dispatch forwarded by the Harvard and
= defended the position taken by the
: commodore in that message. He then
= | referred to the genteuce - Vh.ch the
: commodore informed the department
!, that he had been unable TO obey or
ders, earnestly as all have st.fyen-"
IF a subordinate informs US that he Is
~ | unable 10 obey orders We do not charge
: him with disobedience. We may CEN
: sure him for bad judgment" he con-
= | tiEued, but for nothing more serious.
>, Failure under such circumstances Is not
= always disobedience. We can all look
= back and see how we could have done
differently. Now. / say that Conmo-
=. dore Schley never had any orders II
- was merely 4 suggestion as 10 what he
should do. He was 10 find out IL that
squadron vas there and 70 see that II
did not leave without decisive action,
II Even IL true that the commodore COM
y mitted gross errors OF judgement, whfch
II I do not admit. but IL true. he had No
r motive but to do his whole duty as from
n the beginning he had always done it,
e no more no less"
4 Concluding his remarks for the day
= Captain Parker said he did not think
g the Colon could have been sunk in the
n i-arbo-.
e There is one little incident about the
e matter. We are permitted to 60 up to