The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-02-27
SAMPSON WAS THf COMMANDER
ALTHOUGH THE BATTLE WAS
FOUGHT WITHOUT ORDERS
FROM EITHER.
LOOP WAS A GRAVE MISTAKE
NO EXCUSE FOR ANY FURTHER
AGITATION OF THIS con-
TROVERsS.

Washington, tEb. ia - RresluehI
Roosevelt yesterday made public his
decision in the appeal of Rear Admiral
Schley. He says:
1T appears that the court of inquiry
was unanimous in it's findings of fact
and unanimous in its expressions of
opinion on most of it's findings of fact.
No appeal is made TO me from the YER
dict OF the court on these points where
II was unanimous. / have, however,
gone carefully over the evidence on
these points also. | am satisfied that
on the whole the court did substantial
Justice II should have specifically
condemned the failure to enforce an
efficient 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 eX-
petition from port to FORT to port The
court is a unit in condemning Admiral
Schley's action on the point where IL
seems TO me he most gravely erred:
his IRE trograde movement" when he
abandoned the blockade and his dis
obedience Of orders and misstatement
of facts i'm relation. thereto. 1t should
Majority of These Actions
which the court censures occurred five
weeks or more before the fight itself
and 1t certainly seems that if Admiral
Schley's actions were censurable he
should not have been left as second in
command under Admiral Sampson.
His offenses We're in effect condoned
when ne was not called 10 account for
them. Admiral Sampson. after the
fight in an official letter to the depart
ment alluded for the first time to Ad
miral Schley's 'reprehensible conduct
six weeks previously. II Admiral
Schley was guilty OF reprehensible con-
duct of a kind which called for such
notice from Admiral Sampson, then
Admiral Sampson ought not to have
left him as senior officer of the block
aiding squadron on the Sd OF July when
he (SompsonI steamed away on his
proper errand of communication with
Gen. Shafter
I've 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 Admiral Schley, as to which was
IN command. and to which was entitled
the credit, is either of them was really
entitled 10 any unusual and pre-emi-
nent credit by any special exhibition
of genius. skill and courage. The ques-
ton of command is in this case nom
iual and technical. Admiral SIMPSONS
ch he hn
outset of the fight from all the ships
except the Brooklyn. Four of these
five ship captains have testified that
they regarded him as present and in
command. He signalled close in to
ship appeared. but his signal was not
seen by any American vessel. He was
actually under fire from the forts and
himself dred couple OF shots at the
close of the action with the torpedo
beats in addition to signalling the In
diana just at the close Of the action.
But during the action
Not "A single order
from him was received by any of the
ships that We're actively engaged Adj
miral Schley at the outset of the action
hoisted the two signals clear up and
close in, which was simply carrying
out the standing orders of Admiral
Sampson as to what should be done
u the enemy's ships attempted to break
out of the harbor Until after the close
OF the first portion of the fight at the
mouth Of the harbor and until after he
had made his loop and the Spanish
ships were fleeing TO the westward. not
another American ship noticed a signal
from him. Wheh the western pursuit
began the Oregon. and the oregon only.
noticed and repeated one OF his signals
of command, but did not In any shape
or way execute any n ovement or any
action of any kind whatsoever In ac-
cordance with any order from him. in
short. the question as to which of the
two men, Admiral Sampson or Admiral
Schley was at the time In command, is
OF merely nominal character. Tech
lically
sampson Commanded
the fleet and Schley, as usual, the
western division. The actual fact. the
important fact, is that after the battle
was started not a helm was shifted.
not a gun was fired, not a pound of
steam was put on in the engine room
aboard any ship actively engaged in
obedience to the order of either SamP-
son or Schley. save on their own two
vessels. It was captains fight.
Therefore, the credit to which each
Of the two is entitled rests on matters
ppart from the claim of nominal COM
mand over the squadron; for so far as
he actual fight was concerned neither
one nor the other in fact exercised any
cen mand. Sampson was hardly more