Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1902-02-21

l ever. been raised by the president OF
the court. Moreover. II is the point
upon which Admiral Schley m his ap.
| peal lays most stress and which he
I especially asks me 10 consider. I
have. therefore. carefully investigated
| this matter also and have Informed
myself upon II from the best sources
Of Information az my command.
"The appeal OF Admiral Schley 20
me 10 not as 10 this. The chief point
he raises is really an appeal from the
decision OF the court OF Inquiry. Five.
sixths Of the appeal is devoted 10
this question OF command and credit;
that Is. 20 matter which the court OF
inquiry did not consider. II Is In ef
feet an appeal from the action Of Pres.
ident Mckinley three years ago when
b. sent In the recommendation for
promotion for the various officers con.
nected with the Santiago squadron.
hlsing these recommendations upon
his estimate of the credit 90 which
the officers vc.e respectively entitled.
What ! have 10 decide. therefore. is
whether or not President Mckinley
dli injustice I'm the matter This nee
esslrily Involves a comparison OF the
actions OF the dlGcrent commanders
engaged. The exhaustive Official re.
ports ~ tfe action leave little % be-
brought ont anew; bot the question OF
Admiral SamTsous right 20 be con.
sidered Zoo chief command. which was
determined in bis favor by President
Mckinley and later by this court OF
claims. has never hitherto been on.
cially raised. ! deemed best 10 secure
statements o. the commanders OF the
fiye ships lother than the Brooklyn
and New York. the hagships q the
two admiralsl which were actively
engaged In the fight"
The decision here follows with
statements Of the Captain Philips
written by him before his DEATH q
the Texas. Captain Clark OF the Ore
gon. Admiral Evans OF the Iowa. Al.
miral Taylor OF the Indiana and Cap
tain Wainwright OF the Glouchestcr.
Then the president makes a review
OF the commanders OF the various and
decision continues:
In short. the question as 20 which
OF the two men. Admiral Sampson or
Admiral Schley. was al the time in
command Is merely nominal character
Technically Sampson commanded the
feet and Schley. as usual. the wes-
tern division The actual fact. the
important fact Is that after the bat.
tie was Joined not a helm was shifted.
not gun was fired, not a pound OF
steam was put on IN the engine room
aboard any ships actively engaged In
obedience 90 the order OF either Samp-
son or Schley. save on Jneir own two
vessels II was a captains fght
Therefore. the credit 20 which one
OF the two is entitled rests on mat.
ters apart from the claim OF nominal
command over the squadron: for so
fas a. the actual fight was concerned I
neither one nor the other IN fact ex.
ercised any command. Sampson was
hardly more than technically in the
fight His real claim for credit rests
upon his work as commander-in-chiof. +.
upon the excellence Of the blockade. .
upon the preparedness OF the squad. .
ron; upon the arrangement of the .
ships head on. in a semi-circle around .
the harbor. and the standing orders
In accordance with which they Instant.
.y moved 90 the attack OF the Span
ards when the latter appeared. For
all these things the credit Is his
Admiral Schl0y b riEhtfully en-.
.itled-as is Captain Cookie the
'redit OF what the Brooklyn did In
he fight on the whole she did we'll: /.
but agree with the unanimous find l
me- b. q. 4
losed the court of inquiry as 10 loop
L seriously marred the Brooklyn's
otherwise excellent record. being 10
act the one grave mistake made by
my American ship that day. Had the
Brooklyn turned % the westward that
8. In the same direction that the
spanish ships were going. instead OF
n the contrary direction she would
have been in a more
dangerous proximity 10 them. But
would have been more dangerous
or them as well as for her.
This kind Of danger must not be
10 nicely weighed by those whose
rade Il Is 10 dare greatly for the honor
4 the dag. Moreover. the danger was
not as great as that in which
he same moment menaced Vain
rights fragile craft as be drove for.
Yard against the Zoe. II was not, in
ny Judgment. as great as the danger
b which the Texas was exposed by the
urn as actually made. II certainly
aused both the Brooklyn and Texas
Materially 20 lose position compared !
D the fleeing Spanish vessels But aft :
r the loop had been taken. Admiral
chley handled the Brooklyn manfully
nd well. She and the Oregon were
lenceforth the headmost OF the Amer
an vessels though the Iowa certain. 1
?. and seemingly the Texas also. did
+ much In hammering 10 a siandstill
be Viscaya. OQuendo and Teresa:
lille the Indiana did all her eastward
osition and crippled machinery per
lifted. In the chase OF the Colon th1 4
rooklyn and Oregon share the credit
atween them.
Under such circumstances. it seems '
, me that the recommendations OF
resident Mckinley were cminently 4
roper. aud that SO FAR as Admirals \
lmpson and Schley were concerned Il
ould have ben unjust for him 20 have
adc other recommendations. Per- '
Iually. I feel that. IN view OF Captain