SCHLEY, WINFIELD SCOTT American naval officer, was born at Richfields, near Frederick, Md., on Oct. 9, 1839. He graduated at the United States naval academy in 186o, and during the Civil War was in active service as a lieuten ant until July 1863. In 1872-75 he was head of the department of modern languages in the U.S. naval academy. He was promoted commander in 1874; in 1876-79 commanded the "Essex," most of the time in the South Atlantic, and then until Oct. 1883 was inspector of the second lighthouse district. In Feb. 1884, Schley was appointed to command the third Greely relief expedition; and near Cape Sabine on June 2 2 rescued Greely and six com panions. He commanded the "Baltimore" in Rear Admiral George Brown's squadron off the coast of Chile in 1891. He was commis sioned commodore on Feb. 6, 1898, and was put in command of the "flying squadron," with the "Brooklyn" as his flagship, for service in the war with Spain. The command of the fleet off San tiago de Cuba was taken from Schley by Acting Rear Admiral W. T. Sampson. In the battle of Santiago on July 3, Schley, in Sampson's absence, was the senior officer. On Aug. I°, Schley was advanced six numbers and was made rear admiral for "emi nent and conspicuous conduct in battle." When the Navy depart
ment recommended that Sampson be promoted eight numbers and over the head of Schley, who had ranked him for 42 years, there was a bitter controversy, and the Senate did not confirm the pro motion. On April 14, 1899, Schley was commissioned rear admiral. In 1901 he retired from active service. At his request, because of the charges made against him in E. S. Maclay's History of the Navy, a court of inquiry investigated Schley's conduct before and during the battle of Santiago; in 190i the court pronounced Schley guilty of delay in locating Cervera's squadron, of careless ness in endangering the "Texas" by a peculiar "loop" movement or turn of the "Brooklyn" which blanketed the fire of other Amer- 1 ican vessels, and of disobedience to a departmental order of May 25, but it recommended that no action be taken. He died in New York city, on Oct. 2, 1911.
Schley wrote, with James Russell Soley, The Rescue of Greely (1885). See Schley's Forty-five Years under the Flag (5904)) "Admiral Schley's Own Story," Cosmopolitan Magazine, vol. lii. (1912) ; and James Parker, Rear Admiral Schley, Sampson and Cervera (Iwo).