Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-04-13

On June b, 1898, the American army
received orders to sail On the morn
ing of the seventh, just as the flag
ship Seguranca was about to leave
her dock at Port Tampa to lead the
fleet of transports on their way to
Cuba a wild telegram was received
in Washington saying the report that
Ceryera was bottled up in Santiago
harbor was not true; only few old
ships had gone in there as a ruse to
deceive the American fleet, while the
four first-class Spanish cruisers were
hidden in some bay (of which there
are any number on the coast of Cuba)
and was now en- route westward to in
tercept the transport fleet and blow it
| out of the water. The heaviest ships
of SIMPSONS fleet were in front of
Santiago and only few of the lighter
vessels were doing blockade duty off
Havana The naval convoy to the
army transport fleet was small, pitt
fully so, and when the reported move
ment of the Spanish fleet reached
Washington, the civilian branch of the
war and navy departments were in
a great state Of turmoil and tribula-
ton. The report specifically stated
two large Spanish cruisers (presum-
ably the Viscaya and Almirante
Oquendo) were seen the night before
running without lights westward
through the Nicholas channel. The
United States cruiser Eagle, believe
it was, came into Key West post haste
with this news; it was quickly tele-
graphed to Washington and then
came the order to stop the transport
fleet and prepare to resist the attack
of the Spaniards.
All the army men knew this Spanish
feet was a myth and probably the re-
suit Of an imaginative brain of some
oVerworked blue jacket. Col. Cheney
had received Information on the morn
ing of June from one OF his men
who was operating in the eastern end
of Cuba that Cervera was in Santi-
ago harbor. This man Can army Off
cer) had gone into Santiago in dis
guise, had counted the four big cruis-
ers at anchor, had sailed around them,
read. their names-Viscaya Oquendo,
Colon, and Maria Teresa; he had
seen Admiral CerVera land, had seen
Cen. Toral receive the admiral and
drive up to the palace. Sampson,
alert and vigilant, with a fleet of
mighty ships was outside the narrow
harbor mouth, and Cervera never
could have run that blockade without
a disastrous fight Before Sampson
assumed active command at Santiago
Cervera could have escaped any night
he chose; but the fact remains he
did not he was there when Sampson
came and from that minute his doom
was sealed.
These facts were fully reported to
Washington, but civilian Washington
looked with supreme contempt on
military and naval Tampa, and the
army fleet came back and for eight
days more they backed and filled like
a lot of sheep. Gradually it dawned
or the civilian war department that
the threatening fleet was only phan-
tom, and on June IA they gave the
word and the army sailed away.
1t is not the purpose or intention of
this article to deal with the operations
around Santiago, although volumes
could be written telling of the great
courage and daring of the American
regular line officer and soldier, of the
hopeless inefficiency of army head
quarters at Santiago until The arrival
of Gen Miles. 1t might be noted that
the physically weak commander of the
Santiago army contemplated retreat
ing from San Juan Hill on July 4,
and being physically incapacitated
from further active command sent for
the next ranking general and outlined
the proposed retreat, telling the gener-
al to assume command. That gener-
al quietly but forcibly informed the
commander that IAN American army
under his command would never re-
treat on the Fourth of July That was
the wrong day to begin such move
ment." Then the great president in
Washington took hold of affairs. Re-
Inducements were hurried forward:
the thin line spreading over IA miles
hung on and Spain was beaten. 1t is
safe to say, had a retreat been or
dered the army would have disregard
ed the order. American men and
blood were spent in taking that HILL
American men and blood would hold
it. Without an order from anyone
the army stormed San Juan Hill and,
as one civil war veteran remarked,
They'd hold it until hell freezes" And
they would.
Col. Cheney's part in this campaign
s.conspicuous. He was under no
ones command but was after informa-
ton of all kinds Over at Caney he
saw Chaffee and Lawton lock horns
with Vara del Rey, and right there
was the hardest fighting of the cam
paign. In the afternoon he was back
at San Juan and saw the rush up the
hill. He was in it as much as any
soldier.
After Miles came and brought order
out of chaos, Cheney went with him
to Porto Rico, and at the close of that
nsr,paiUn Of flowers COT Cheney 70