The times., 1901-06-26
Circulation Statement.
The sampson Medal.

Tho claim that the medal bearing tlle
SAMPSON profile is not intended to COM
memorate any one battle. but geherailS
the operations of the West Indian heeI
does not in the slightest relieve the
Navv Department of the odium WhlcH
tho adoption of the design entails,
Rather il makes the position OF Secfe-'
ta,v Long more despicable, for the
scheme OF changing the name OF tee
medal is a cowardly evasion and pal
pable fraud.
ConfessedIy this medal is intended TO
he the companion OF the enc struck IN
honor of Dewey's victory at Manila
But instead of having il represent the
grand historic struggle Of Santiago,
which in its glory closely approXlmates
Dewev's own immortal triumph, the
medal is made TO cover the whole West
Indian naval campaign for the express
purpose of getting in the picture OF the
man who. through sheer faYorltisIh'
was the ranking officer of the West IN
dian fieet. 1t is not intended that a
separate medal shall be struck To COM
memorate Santiago. and the result Will
be that this battle $50 far as meGals are
concerned) will simply be thrown into
hotch-potch with the other engage
ments" fought by the feet under Samp-
sons command
As is well known. outside Of enc or
two acts of individual heroism there
was literally nothing but the battle II
Santiago in the whole Of the West In
dian campaign that is worthy OF men
ten or that Will receive anything more
than passing notice in the annals OF
American naval warfare. The engage
ments in which Sampson personally
took part were mere travesties upon
war. Think Of Matanzas. with its un-
fortunate and unoffending mule as the
sole victim. Think Of the lombard
ment'' of san Juan de Porto Rico, her
aided forth as a great victory. when in
fact the antiquated old forufications
might have been damaged as much
with bricllbats, or even with snowballs,
as they were by the guns Of SIMPSONS
feet, Think Of the number Of times
the works defending Santiago were
destroyed" by the guns Of the feet
under SIMPSONS command
Everybody ought TO know that not a
single movement in which Sampson
took the initiative and gave the orders
made the slightest impression upon the
power of Spain. His operations at sea
did that country no more harm than
did his milk-and-w water report on the
destruction of the Maine-a report
which, according to Secretary Long, as
he was quoted at the time. left us with
no casus belli against Spain on account
of the destruction Of the battleship in
Havana Bay.
SIMPSONS sole claim to distinction on
account of the battle Of Santiago is that
he posted the vessels in their respective
stations, and issued a general order to
the feet captains to close in" on the
enemy if he attempted to escape. If
there is an ensign in the navy who
could not have done that and done 1t
just as well he certainly has mistaken
his calling. Sampson did not even To-
cate the ships Of CeTvera in Santiago
Harbor. That was done by Schley, with
his separate squadron. before his
ranking officer arrived to take the
command. Schley bottled up the Span
ish feet in Simpsons absence. and
finally destroyed il while that officer in
his stately flagship, was making a visit
10 General Shafter at Guantanamo.
But Sampson gets the medal, and
SchIey is fortunate in escaping a repri-
nand for making detour with his ship
for the purpose Of heading OF the
Cristobal Colon, which he succeeded IN
doing.
Well. after all. medals neither make
heroes nor great commanders" 40
amount Of departmental favoritism
can obscure the fact that in the West
Indian naval campaign Admiral Samp-
son did just nothing at all.