The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-04-19

snip OeSurdnCd was ABOUT 10 leave
her dock at Port Tampa to lead the
fleet Of transports on their way to
Cuba, wild telegram was received
in Washington saying the report that
Cervera was bottled up in Santiago
harbor was not true: only a few old
ships had gone in there as ruse to
deceive the American fleet, while the
tour 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 feet 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 Eiscaya 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-
sraphed to Washington and then
came the order to stop the transport
heet and prepare to resist the attack
of the Spaniards.
All the army men knew this Spanish
fleet 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 ian 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
Gen. TOral receive the admiral and
drive up to the palace. Sampson.
alert and yigilant, with 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
:, lot of sheep. Gradually it dawned
on the civilian war department that
the threatening fleet was only a phan-
tom, and on June II 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
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 a move
ment." Then the great president in
Washington took hold of affairs. Re-
Inducements were hurried forward:
the thin line spreading over ii miles
lung on and Spain was beaten. 1t is
safe to say. had 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
was 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 I'D the
hill. He was in it as much as any
soldier
After Miles came and brought order
out of chaos, Cheney went with him
10 Porto Rico. and at the close of that
campaign Of flowers Col. Cheney re-.
turned to the United States. The pres
ident was appreciative of the work
this quiet man had done and offered
him an appointment as a captain and
luarter-master in the then re-organ.
:zed United States army: but Cheney
declined it and. after settling his &C.
counts with the government, babe
goodbye to red tapped oficialdom and
two days afterward he walked in his
old Office in Chicago and quietly said:
Hello, jeff" to his astonished col
ored servant
Good Gawd. kunnel, whah yo' KUN