ing the coast,
keeping up the blockade, and finding Cervera's fleet before it reached a
harbor in American waters. San Juan, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, and
Havana were the only probable destinations. Sampson watched the north
side of Cuba and Porto Rico, while Schley and the flying squadron moved
to Key West, and on May 19 started around the west end of Cuba to patrol
the southern shore. On that same day, entirely unobserved, Cervera
slipped into the port of Santiago, at the eastern extremity of Cuba.
When the rumor of his arrival reached Sampson at Key West, Schley was
already well on his way and firm in his belief that Cervera was heading
for Cienfuegos.

The flying squadron, impeded by its colliers and its tenders, moved
deliberately around Cuba to Cienfuegos, outside of whose harbor it
remained for two days. Here Sampson's orders to proceed immediately to
Santiago reached it. On May 26 the fleet was off the entrance to
Santiago Harbor, and in this vicinity it stayed for two more days.
Schley could get no news that Cervera was here; he feared that his coal
would give out and that heavy seas would prevent his getting what coal
he had out of his colliers. He decided, in spite of orders, to go back
to Key West; he started a retrograde movement, reconsidered it, and was
again on blockade when, early on Sunday morning, May 29, he discovered
the Spanish fleet at anchor in the channel, where it had been for the
last nine days.

The blockade of Santiago was strengthened on June 1 by the arrival of
Sampson, who had rushed thither on hearing that Schley had decided to
leave the post. The two fleets were merged, and Schley, outranked by
Sampson, became a passenger on his flagship Brooklyn. By day, the
warships, ranged in a great half-circle, watched the narrow outlet of
the harbor. By night they took turns standing close in, with
searchlights playing on the entrance. For five weeks they kept this up,
not entering the harbor because of their positive orders not to risk the
loss of any fighting units, and waited for the arrival of an army to
cooperate with them against the land defenses of Santiago.

Sampson asked for military aid early in June, and on June 7 the War
Department ordered the army that had been mobilized at Tampa to go to
his assistance. General Nelson A. Miles, in command of the army, was not
allowed to head the expedition, but was kept at home while General
William R. Shafter directed the field work. At Tamp