- 2022). Williams – Ford, Military History Series, Texas A & M University Press, College Station:2023, 344 pages, 6 ½” x 9 ½”, hardcover; $80. Visit, wwwtamupress.com.Admit it, litterateur, neither do you have the foggiest notion who Rear Admiral WinfieldScott Schley was, nor, even if I gently, quietly summarized the Navy officer’s career, would yougive a pickle for any further information. But the irony is, intellectual, you should. What a manand warrior of perhaps the least appreciated yet most intriguing generation in American
history. This reviewer had never heard his name before! Even after perusing Schley biography
when it arrived as a review copy, I was bored. Then, anxious of getting the task completed, Ibegan reading it. Now it’s on the top shelf of my “To Be Reread Every Six Months” bookcase.Author Robert A. Jones is best to answer, “Why should anyone read it? Certainly, yes, toFDR’s biography, and that of cousin Churchill’s. Schley? An old American Victorian Navy man ofthe WHAT wars?” The retired lead software engineer from the US Naval Sea SystemsCommand, and highly regarded author of acclaimed “Confederate Corsair, The Life of Lt.Charles W. Savez”, “Schley’s life and Naval accomplishments matter. In his lifetime, Americamoved onto the world stage. The Navy went from the age of fighting-sail to the age of thebattleship-steel. Moreover, Winfield helped the transition. His efforts to improve the quality ofthe sailor’s life aboard ship were significantly ahead of his time. His predictions aboutbattleships came true. The World War II battleships were almost twice as long as thebattleships of Schley’s day. His efforts to get wood off navy ships because it could burn in battleprefigured the navy’s efforts in the 1980s. The US Navy, working with industry, developed asynthetic substitute for wooden decking and bulkhead-mounted batter boards in well-deckamphibious ships. Schley’s problems with coaling his ships led to the development of oil-powered ships. Today oilers can replenish oil while both the receiving ship and the oiler areunderway.”As Robert Jones so aptly points out, Schley’s story is unlike Caesar’s ground message toRome from France, “I came”, “I saw”, “I conquered”. What follows is a sea story of a manwhose personality and decisiveness brought about both a significant naval victory and thenation’s devotion to the Navy in the teeth of opposition. He retired on October 9, 1901, hisrecord showing he had spent 18 years, two months, and twenty days at sea while serving formore than 45 years, from before the Civil War until after the Spanish-American War. Hepersonified the nautical expression “Old Salt”. Winfield will be remembered chiefly for his rolein the Spanish-American War. He led the US Navy to victory at the Battle of Santiago, waspromoted to rear admiral, then found himself accused of timidity and cowardliness in thebattle, subject to a controversial Court of Inquiry. The dispute and its resolution, known as theSampson-Schley Controversy still impacts the navy today.Schley, after this brilliant biography, WILL no longer be shoved aside, ignored, or ridiculed.Author Robert Jones has brought the Rear Admiral back to life with stirring tales of thecommander whose cool-headed courage under fire and in hand-to-hand combat made him ahighly respected legend among his men who followed willingly. This classic had been long
overdue.
