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

Credit of Being In Com
mand lin That De-
oisive 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 rt-martialled
or dismissed from service by executive
order-but hardly before the Presi-
dential 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 Spanish American
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 criticSc in 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 TO
onice"
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 endeavored to do the work set
before him without fear OF personal
conso quences. With this thought in
mind, he has felt moved, as duty
% his wife, his children and 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 lie
has served"
Admiral Schley has done his task
Of Uruth-tellirg as thoroughly as a
man in his position could well ven
ture to do. lie goes minutely into
all the movements Of IL c squadron
under his command, and supplies t.
the historian OF the future the facts
upon which an impartial Judgment OF
his conduct can be termed.
1t is not necessary here to follow
him into the details Of his voyage
from Key West to Cienfuegos and
thence to Santiago. Nor is 1t need.
full to 80 withhm 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 Of by
Secretary Long ard others Of Samp.
sons partlsans, but interest the
public comparatively little now.
Time gives perspective and places
things in their right relative proper.
ton. If Schley had been a cavalry.
man instead Of sailor, and had led d
terrific, victorious charge against the
enemy, winning the war, criticism as
to his alleged careleSSnesS about the
l,., -1,, f,Nr l,i Ia fan,
to gobble up a straggler or two
months previous to the glorious and
decisive charge would hardly fine
listeners among the largcminded. Yet
that sort Of carping finds its perfect
parallel in the criticism Of which
Schlcy has been made the victlm-nol
by petty busy ybodieS merely, but by
Long, Secretary OF the Navy, anC
Roost 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.
mcnts OF the COMMUNICATIVE chief. .
And while Sampson was gone the
Spanish fleet came cut OF Santiago and
was Smasi ed.
Smashed by whom? Not by Samp-
son, certainly.
The Colon was the last of the
Spaniards to surrender, which she
did ut .l5 p. m, and the New York,
with Admiral Sampson on board, did
not arrive on the scene till 2.23 p. IN.
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
cd 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 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 DurpOSc had NOT hnop