The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-20
A CAPTAINS FIGHT
PRESIDENTS DECISION ON ADsu-
RAJ sCHlEY's APPEAL.
COMMANDERS DID NOT COUNT.
SAMPSON WAS ONLY TECHNICALLY
IN THE FIGHT.


fenses by Net Calling schIey TO
Account-Prnlses SchIey's Conduct
i'm tho Battle, but Says He, and the
Captains Also, Only Fought Their
own Ships-BrooISlyn's Loop Mar
red Her Otherwise Fine Work.
Washington, Feb. 19.--The President
to- day gave out his decision on Ad-
miral Schley's appeal to him for the
action of the Secretary of the Navy
approving the finding of the court of
inquiry The Presidents decision con-
tains about 5000 words The following
are the main points of it. After some
Introductory remarks. the President
says:
1T appears that the court OF inquiry
was unanimous in its findings of fact
and unanimous in its expressions of
opinion on most of its findings of fact.
| No appeal is made to me from the ver-
dict of the court on these points where
| it was unanimous. | have, however
gone carefully over the evidence ON
| these points also. / ain satisfied that
en- the whole the court did substantial
| justice. 1t should have specifically con-
demned the failure to enforce an ef-
| ficient night blockade at Santiago
while Admiral Schley was in command
| On the other hand, / feel that there
Is a reasonable doubt whether he did
not move his squadron with sufficient
expedition from port to port. The court
a in
| Schley's action on the point where 1t
seems to me he most gravely erred:
| his 'retrograde movement when he
abandoned the blockade, and his dis
obedience of orders and misstatement
Of facts in relation thereto. 1t should
be remembered, however, that the ma
| jority of these actions which the court
censures occurred five weeks or more
| before the fight itself; and 1t certainly
| seems that II Admiral Schleys actions
! were censurable he should not have
| been left as second in command under
| Admiral Sampson. His offeuses were
| IN effect condoned when he was not
| called to account for them. Admiral
! Sampson, after the fight in an official
letter to the department alluded for the
first time to Admiral Schleys rep
| rehensible conduct" six weeks pre-
viously. II Admiral Schley was guilty
| OF reDrehensible conduct Of a kind
which called for such notice from Ad-
miral Sampson, then Admiral Samp-
son ought not to have left him
| as senior officer of the bloclxadine
squadron on the Sd OF July, when he
| (Sampson) steamed away on his prop
er errand of communication with Gen.
Shafter.
"We can therefore for our present
purposes dismiss consideration of SO
much Of the appeal as relates TO any
| thing except the battle. AS regards
| this, the point raised in the appeal is
between Admiral Sampson and Ad-
miral Schley, as to which was In COM
II mand, and as 10 which was entitled TO
the credit, If either OF them was really
entitled to any unusual and pre-emi-
nent credit by any special exhibition.
of genius, skill, and courage.
An Appeal From MckinIey.
1.-THE appeal of Admiral SchIey to me
Is not, as to this, the chief point he
raisesCreally an appeal from the decis-
ion of the Court of Inquiry. Five
| sixths of the appeal is devoted to this
question of command and credit that
is, to matters which the Court of In
| quiry did not consider. It is in effect
an appeal from the action of President
| Mckinley three years ago when he sent
| in the recommendation for promotion
| for the various officers connected with
| the Santiago squadron, basing these
| recommendations upon his estimate of
the credit to which the officers were re-
| spectively entitled. What / have to de-
eide, therefore, is whether or not Presi-
dent Mckinley did injustice In the mat
ter. This necessarily involves a COM
parison of the actions of the different
commanders engaged"
The President quotes at considerable
length from statements made by the
commanders of the ships which COM
posed the Santiago fleet, with the ex-
ception of the commanders OF the New
York and Brooklyn. Admiral Philip
being dead an extract from his maga-
zine article on the fight Is quoted.
The President then says:
Prom the statements of the cap
tains, from the official reports, and
from the Testimony before the court OF
inquiry. the fight can be plotted with
absolute certainty in Its important out
lines, though there is conflict as to mir
nor points. When the four Spanish
cruisers came out of the harbor the
New York had left her position In the
blockading line forty or forty-five min
utes before. She had hoisted the
signal Disregard the movement OF
the Commander-in-Chief, but had not
hoisted the signal to the second in
command to take charge, which, as
appears by the signal book, was some-
times but not always used when the
command was transferred. AS soon as
the engagement began the New York
turned and Steamed back, hOisting
signal to close in. which. however. nona
Of the squadron saw. She was in plain
sight. and not very much farther from
the easternmost blockading ships than
the latter were from the Brooklyn
which was the westernmost of the line
AS soon as the Spanish ships appeared
the FIVE big American blockaders
started toward them I'm accordance
with the standing orders OF Admiral
Sampson. After this first move each
acted purely on his own initiative.
The Command MereI, Nominal.
"'The question OF command Is in this
ease nominal and technical Admiral
SIMPSONS ship. the New York. was
seen at the outset OF the fight from All
the other ships except the brooklyn
Four " these i've ship captains have
testified that they regarded him as
present aud Ia command. he siRnnied
Close in' 10 the neet as soon as the
nrat spanish ship appeared. bur bis sig
nal was not seen BY any American
vessel Hr WAS actually under nfe
from the forts. and himself fired a CO.'S
pie ~ Shots af the close M ihf affi0n
with the torpedo bnhfF, in addition ~
signaling iho indlana iuat af ire eiose
conii0ne1 nn Seventh Page