Lot 215

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

Spanish-American War


Admiral W.S. Schley 7 Letter Archive, Controversial Hero of Spanish-American War

 

WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY, Autograph Letters Signed, Small Archive of 7 letters, 1875-1910. 11 pp., 4.875" x 6.25" to 5" x 8".  Expected folds; very good.

 

“I had hoped that I might retire without another war, but it seems not to be the case.”

 

This small archive of letters by Rear Admiral W. S. Schley reflects his personality and his role in the brief Spanish-American War.

 

Highlights and Excerpts


W. Scott Schley to “Cousin Mary,” May 2, 1875, Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
“Unless some unforeseen circumstance should prevent, I propose to spend some portion of the coming summer in Frederick with my family, and I write to ask you of a Mrs. Doll or Dahl’s boarding house. What manner of person she may be and to learn something of her charges by the month.”
“It has been a matter of deep regret to me that circumstances heretofore have always obliged me to forego the pleasure of this long intended visit to my old home and my old friends. The visit has only been thwarted, but my hope to accomplish it has never been extinguished....”

 

W. S. Schley to Reuben B. Heacock, March 29, 1898, Flagship Brooklyn, Newport News, Virginia.
“Thank you much for your nice letter and for the complimentary terms in which you convey your congratulations on my appointment to this command, which is to be large I think. It has been gratifying to hear such approval of my assignment and I hope to merit all that is said. I had hoped that I might retire without another war, but it seems not to be the case.”

 


Reuben B. Heacock (1849-1925) was an insurance broker in New York City in 1900.

 

W. S. Schley to John Cullen Bryant, August 17, 1899, Saugatuck, Connecticut.
“I thank you very much for your kind letter enclosing two photos of myself and asking which is held to be best. I would state that neither of the two is regarded good by my friends, but a much better one has been taken by Pach Bros. Broadway, New York. I am sorry that I have none of those at Command or I should be glad to forward you one. I am satisfied that you would rather produce the latest photograph in the War History you are now publishing hence my reference to Pach Bros. Broadway, New York.”

 


John Cullen Bryant (1844-1925) was a bookseller and publisher in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

 

W. S. Schley to John Cullen Bryant, January 11, 1905, Washington, D.C.
“By today’s mail I transmit a photograph as requested and promised some months since. I wish you would say to the members of the Men’s club how much pleasure it gives me to do so and how much I appreciate the honor done in their request for it.”

 

W. S. Schley to Perriton Maxwell, January 27, 1910, Washington, D.C.
“I hope you will find that subsequent chapters may hold interest as well as that already sent. I find some trouble in using the personal pronoun after a lifetime use of other less conspicuous pronouns in describing, or reporting events in which others with me contributed so much to our success.”
“Before closing this short note I would say that I have gathered material for about four chapters which I hope will be in shape before I go South in Feb. coming, and I think you will like it.”

 


Perriton Maxwell (1868-1947) was an editor for Cosmopolitan magazine. Schley published his autobiography, Forty-five Years under the Flag, in 1904. This letter likely relates to “Admiral Schley’s Own Story,” published serially in Cosmopolitan in six parts from December 1911 to May 1912.

 


Winfield Scott Schley (1839-1911) was born in Maryland and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1860. After traveling to China and Japan as a midshipman, he served in the Western Gulf Squadron in 1861 and 1862. In 1864, he was transferred to the Pacific Squadron, where he served as an executive officer until 1866, when he became an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy until 1869. After more service in the Pacific, he returned to the Academy as head of the department of modern languages from 1872 to 1875. He commanded the USS Essex from 1876 to 1879, mostly in the South Atlantic. For the next two decades, he alternated between duty in lighthouse districts and command at sea, most notably in rescuing Arctic explorer Adolphus Greely and his remaining crew after passing through 1,400 miles of ice. In February 1898, Schley received a commission as a commodore, commanding the “Flying Squadron” from his flagship USS Brooklyn during the Spanish-American War. At the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898, Schley’s squadron destroyed the Spanish squadron as it tried to escape from the port. In April 1899, Schley was promoted to rear admiral and in November placed in command of the South Atlantic Squadron. He retired in October 1901, upon reaching the age limit. In 1901, Schley requested a court of inquiry when a history book criticized his performance during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. The majority of the Board of Inquiry found numerous failures on Schley’s part, but Admiral George Dewey in a minority report praised Schley. Although the Secretary of the Navy and President Theodore Roosevelt approved the Board of Inquiry’s findings, the publicity made Schley even more of a war hero to the public.

 


This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000