William T . Sampson William Thomas Sampson ( 9 February 1840 – 6 May 1902 ) was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish - American War . Biography . He was born in Palmyra , New York , and entered the United States Naval Academy on 24 September 1857 . After graduating first in his class four years later , he served as an instructor at the Academy , teaching physics . In 1864 , he became the executive officer of the monitor of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and engaged in sweeping torpedo es off Charleston , South Carolina . He survived the loss of that ironclad on 15 January 1865 , when she struck a torpedo , exploded , and sank with a loss of 75 lives . Following duty in the steam frigate on the European Station , another tour as instructor at the Naval Academy , and in the Bureau of Navigation of the Navy Department , he served in the screw sloop . He then commanded the , the training ship , and the while on duty at the Naval Academy . During the next years , he was Assistant to the Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory , then Officer - in - Charge of the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport , Rhode Island . On 9 September 1886 , he became Superintendent of the Naval Academy . He was promoted to Captain on 9 April 1889 , reported to the Mare Island Navy Yard to fit out the protected cruiser , and assumed command when she was commissioned on 15 November 1889 . He was detached in June 1892 to serve as Inspector of Ordnance in the Washington Navy Yard and was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance on 28 January 1893 . He assumed command of the battleship on 15 June 1897 . On 17 February 1898 , he was made President of the Board of Inquiry to investigate the destruction of the . On 26 March 1898 , he assumed command of the North Atlantic Squadron , with the temporary rank of Rear Admiral . Spanish – American War . The United States declared war against Spain on 21 April 1898 ; and , eight days later , Admiral Cervera ' s fleet sailed from the Cape Verde Islands for an uncertain destination . Rear Admiral Sampson , in flagship , put to sea from Key West . Sampson ' s early involvement in the conflict would include his supervision of the Cuban blockade , which would last for the duration of the war , as well as the bombardment of the city of San Juan on May 12 , 1898 . After initially being sent to blockade Havana itself , Sampson would be given orders to intercept Admiral Cevera ' s squadron , but with only a vague notion of Cevera ' s current location , he was unable to actively pursue . Awaiting further information on Cevera ' s whereabouts , Sampson would sail east to San Juan , and would carry out a bombardment on May 10 that would last several days , dealing minor infrastructural damage to the city . After this preliminary bombardment Sampson would help lead a land - sea attack on San Juan , along with General William Shafter , taking the city . On July 1 , following the successful invasion , Sampson would return to Cuba , reinforcing the blockades in Santiago and Cienfuegos . On May 29 , Elements of Sampson ' s command would spot Admiral Cevera ' s squadron moving into Santiago harbor , and the naval presence there would be greatly increased , to prevent Cevera ' s escape . On the morning of 3 July 1898 , Cervera ' s fleet came out of the harbor . Sampson was ashore at a conference with General Shafter , making plans for a coordinated attack on Santiago . Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley was in command of the Flying Squadron in Sampson ' s absence and met the Spanish fleet , completely destroying every Spanish vessel in a running sea battle lasting five hours . The next day , Rear Admiral Sampson sent his famous message : " The Fleet under my command offers the nation as a Fourth of July present , the whole of Cervera ' s Fleet " . Sampson ' s message omitted any mention of Schley ' s leadership in the battle , leading to a controversy as to who was responsible for the victory . While Sampson also arguably played a significant role in the victory , having laid down the strategic framework and determining the favorable positions of his own forces , it was of course Schley who had actually commanded the fleet during the battle . Schley appealed for a court of inquiry , which he got in 1901 . In the Navy , the quarrel was so divisive that the rank - and - file identified themselves as either a " Schley man " or a " Sampson man . " The court of inquiry heard testimony in support of Schley by his own men and , despite some criticism of Schley , exonerated the commander of the Flying Squadron . After the Battle of Santiago Bay , Sampson was appointed Cuban Commissioner on 20 August 1898 , but resumed command of the North Atlantic Fleet in December . He became Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard in October 1899 and transferred to the Retired List on 9 February 1902 . Sampson was a companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Military Order of Foreign Wars . He was awarded an honorary doctorate ( LL . D . ) by Yale University in October 1901 , during celebrations for the bicentenary of the university . Rear Admiral Sampson died in Washington , D . C . , a few months later and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery .