The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-09-30
A SPICY BOOK.
Admiral schley Writes of His Service
in the Navy.
HERO OF SANTIAGO TALKS OUT
And Establishes His Right to the
Credit of Boing in Com
mand lin That De-
cisive Battle.

Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley
is guilty OF lese najeste. President
Roosevelt, whose province is the
whole field Of knowledge, decided that
nobody was in command of the Amer.
lean fleet at the battle of Santiago
on July 3, 1898, when the entire
Spanish fleet was destroyed. And yet
here comes Admiral Schley with q
book telling the story OF his more than
Two score years Of honorable and dis
tinguished service in the navy, In
which he contradicts the all-wise
President and says that he, Schley,
was In command at that battle. What
is more he proves it.
What will happen to the Admiral
for thus daring to assert himself and
guard his hard-won fame there Is no
telling. He may be ourt-martialled
or dismissed from service by executive
order--but hardly before the Presi-
Dental election.
This book, Of which the advance
sheets have been received, will be
published on the 23inst by Appleton
Il Co. 1t is entitled "Forty-iive Years
Under the Flag" and covers the
career Of the author. Naturally inter.
est will centre upon the chapters
dealing with the Spanisl-A
war, and especially the great sea fight
for winning which credit was claime d
for Sampson, who was not among
those present.
In these chapters. says the au-
thor, the purpose has been to record
the events from the writer's own
viewpoint, TO criticSe i'll spirit OF
fairness, but without malice" He
adds and this casts an interesting
light on eX-Secretary of the Navy
Long that through the courtesy OF
Secretary Moody recourse has been
had to official papers which were not
available before his accession tC
Office"
That Admiral Schley expects things
to happen because Of his book is evil
dent from the paragraph OF his pre-.
face in which he remarks:
In times of danger and duty the
writer endeavorcd to do the work set
before him without fear OF personal
consequences. With this thought in
mind, he has felt moved, as a duty
% his wife, his children aud his
name, to leave a record of his long
professional life, which has not been
without some prestige at least for the
flag he has loved and under which he
has served"
Admiral Schley has done his task
Of truth-tellir as thoroughly as a
ture to do. He goes minutely into
all the movements of t! e squadron
under his command ana supplies T..
the historian Of the future the facts
upon which an impartial Judgment OF
his conduct can be formed.
1t is not necessary here to follow
him into the details of bis voyage
from Key West to Cenfuegos and
thence to Santiago. Nor is it need
full to go withhim into the difficulties
attending coaling at SEA, or the rea.
sons for the Brooklyn's loop at the
opening OF the action of July 3. AL
these matters were made much Hf by
Secretary Long and others of Samp.
sons partlsanS, but interest the
public comparatively little now.
Time gives perspective and places
things in their right relative proper
tion. If SChley had been a cavalry
man instead Of q sailor, and had led a
terrific, victorious charge against tile
enemy, winning the war, criticism as
to his alleged carelessness about the
oat supply for his horses, or failure
to gobble up Il straggler or two
months previous to the glorious and
decisive charge would hardly find
listeners among the largcminded. Yet
that sort of carping finds its perfect
parallel in the criticism of which
Schlcy has been made the victim-nol
by petty busybodies merely, but hy
Long, Secretary OF the Navy, and
Roose velt, President of the United
States.
On the morning of the great day,
Sampson, in obedience to orders from
Secretary Long, sailed away for Sibo-
ney to confer with General Shafter,
dying the signal, Disregard move
ments of the commander-in-c chief. !"
And while Sampson was gone the
| Spanish fleet came cut OF Santiago and
was SmaS ed
Smashed by whom2 Not by Samp.
son, certainly.
The Colon was the last OF the
Spaniards to surrender, which she
did at !. II p. M, and the New York,
With Admiral Sampson on board, did
not arrive on the scene till 2. 2} D. m.
one hour and eight minutes after
wards.
During the three hours and forty
minutes Of this immortal chase and
battle the Brooklyn, Schley's flag
ship, led the van. His vessels were
hit forty-two times by the Spanish
guns, and thirty Of these hits were
received by the Brooklyn. The only
man killed and the only man wound
ed were on board the Brooklyn.
The Admiral does not by name
mention President Roosevelt, who in
his decision deny ing the appeal OF
Schley from the majority report Of
the Board OF Inquiry asserted that
there was really no commander at
the battle that it was a captains
| fight. But the Admiral deals with
the point on page 29S, when writing
Of the departure OF the New York
and Massachusetts on the morning OF
July 3:
Where either ship had gone or
for what purpose, had not been
vochsafed to the commander Of the
Second Squadron (SchleyD whose Nag,
thus left OH the blockading lines, in
accordance with the naval regulations,
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