•^- - " r.^^5fflV. --^ ^N MTffryZi^, -r. ^* ^^Q^ -^^d* • /% .♦^•v 'jr ^ v-;^ ^ / > .,-• A < ^ '♦•»«•* .-?J^ ^^..♦^ /^ f' •?5«Sf'A v^^ .^^'%, V"^>' ^-^'^ WITH DEWEY AT : : MANILA DEING the Plain Story of the Glorious Victory of the United States Squadron Over the Spanish Fleet Sunday Morning, May ist, 1898, as related in the Notes and Cor- respondence of an Officer on Board the Flagship Olympia Edited by THOMAS J. VIVIAN R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 9 AND II EAST i6th street : : NEW YORK CopyriRhl, 1898 R. F. FKNNO & COMPANY ^^'^ \i TWOC OEIVED- .s, and by nightfall of the 20th our six vessels were all of the same uniform dull gray. The Baltimore had not arrived then, but when she came in on the 21st she had scarcely' anchored before she too put on her Avar i)aint. Another sign of Avhat was to come was fur- nished by the Commodore some days ago. The English steamer Nanshan had just arrived with three thousand three hundred tons of Cardiff Bashee Channel Bashee;:Is. bavat©; ^ ,. /?Batan Is. BaUntang Cnannel ^Claro Baditvam BABUYAN JSLANDS DALUPtRt: Man Ldban I. ^s^,^ , /)Catanduanes I LrNACAPAN^ " j *'~X ' ■Jll JMAJ" i, April 26. "Dewey, Asiatic Squadron : Commence opera- t/ tions at once, particularly against the Spanish fleet. You must capture or destroy them. "McKlNLEY." "When the Commodore read the dispatch he closed up his lips with his characteristic snap: "Thank the Lord* " he said " at last I've got the chance and I'll wipe them off the Pacific Ocean." Everybody knew what the "them" referred to. Ever since we had heard of the blowing up of 12 With Dewey at Manila. the Maine every man in the squadron had been fighting mad, and wanted only one thing — to get at the Spaniards. I believe, too, that there was not a soul in the fleet but would have most piously and earnestly said "Amen" had he heard the Commodore's exclamation of thankfulness. I know I did. Consul AVilliams came up on the McCulloch also with dispatches. He had hurried out of Manila when things grew too hot, and on the quiet intimation from Governor-Ceneral Au- gusti that his life was in danger. He brought us much interesting information, but notliing that was not overshadowed by the president's order. The news spread like lightning throughout the fleet, and when the Commodore's signal went up calling the commanders over to the 01ymi)ia for counsel and orders, a cheer went up such as old Mirs Bay never heard before — the cheer of full- throated American tars who knew that fighting Avas at hand and that at last they wouhl have a chance to show how well they remem])ered the Maine. At exactly two o'clock in the afternoon of April 27, 1808 — it is just as well to be exact Avhen the making of history is concerned — we ran up the Commodore's sailing pennant and steamed out of Mirs Bay, Avith every shiji's nose With Dewey at Manila. 13 pointed straight across for the six hundred and twenty-eight-mile run to the Philippines. We were nine vessels in all, made up as follows: The Olympia (flagship), a second-class protected cruiser; the Baltimore, also a second-class pro- tected cruiser; the Boston, also a second-class protected cruiser; the Raleigh, of the same size and class as the Boston ; the Concord, a partially protected gunboat; the Hugh McCulloch, a steel- clad revenue cutter, turned into a gunboat; the Petrel, a small gunboat; and the two transport ships, the Zafiro and the Nansban. The proper place in which to speak of the sipiadron's arma- ment, tonnage, weight of metal and other fight- ing qualities will come later, when a comparison between the American and Spanish fleets is more immediately necessary to a descrijttion of the battle, and this condensed list is given here in order to fix the individuality of our ships in the mind of the reader. We appreciated the fact that the Spanish fleet was far more numerous than ours, and tbough we were not definitely sure as to its exact num- bers we did know that it embraced the five cruisers the Eeina Christina, the Castilla, the Velasco, the Don Juan de Austria, and the Don Antonio de Ulloa. It is true that many of the Spanish cruisers were old-fashioned, and it is also 14 With Dewey at Manila. true that the Commodore did not have a single armored vessel in his squadron, not even an armored cruiser. There is no better place, too, in which to mention another fact, this: that we were moving down on the enemy's base ; that our defeat meant being six thousand miles away from supplies or succor; while to the Spaniards defeat meant an easy falling back on a port of relief. I say this here because since the victory at Manila I have seen a number of criticisms whose tenor has been to minify the victory on the ground of the disi>arity l)etween the fighting machines. It is true again that the president's order to the Com- modore was to "capture or destroy" the Spanish fleet, but I venture to say that not even the most sanguine Jacky of ours ever anticipated a complete annihiliation of the enemy, or that we should come out of it scatheless. What I wish to make clear is that while we were going into battle with what may be called a jaunty swift- ness, it was not for one moment imagined that we would come out of it as jauntily. AVe thought we were in for a hard fight, and as the factors in the fight piled up in numbers and gravity that impression became all the stronger. As soon as we sighted the Philippine coast the Boston, Baltimore, and Concord went ahead on scout duty. First of all they looked in at With Dewey at Manila. 16 Bolinao Bay, but no trace of the Spanish fleet was to be found there. Subig Bay, some thirty miles from Manila, was next apjiroached. This was cautiously done, for the latest reports brought by Williams were that Admiral Montojo, commanding Spain's Asiatic fleet, had ])lanned to do us battle there. The only craft found at Subig Bay, however, were two small schooners, coasters, with two of the most ludicrously ignorant creAvs it lias ever been my fortune to meet. They did not know of the existence of any Spanish fleet; they did not even know where Manila was, and I believe that had the cross-questioning been i)ut further they would have declared they did not know where the Philippines were. With the Si)anish fleet at neither Bolinao nor Subig it became evident that JMontojo had changed his mind and had determined to make Manila Bay the fighting ground. When the result of the scouting was reported to the Commodore he said: "Yery well then, Manila it must be." It was six o'clock on the evening of Saturday, April 30, when we left Subig Bay— a hot, moist evening— and as we steamed slowly down the coast the sun dropped into the sea like a copper ball. But instead of the quick-coming tropical night there was a great yellow moon hung in the 16 AVith Dowey at aManila. sky. Orders were signaled along the fleet to slow down until the moon set, and when she did so all lights in the fleet were guarded, the men were called to quarters, and everything was ready for slijipiiig into IManila 'i^ay. A descri])ti()n of the fight that was ahout to come so thoroughly involves a description of the setting in which the great sea tragedy was to be acted out, that it will bo necessary here to set down as ]tlai7ily as i)Ossible just what ^Nlaiiihiliay is like, togetlier with some necessary and perti- uent facts concerning the Philippines. "With Dewey at Manila. 17 CHAPTEK n. THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY. If you were in the basket of a war balloon and were to look down on the Bay of Manila you would see that it is a land-locked or pear-shaped body of water, with the stem end pointing toward the sea. It lies about square with the compass, being thirty miles from north to south and twenty-five miles from e.ist to west. At each side of the en- trance to the bay rise steep volcanic mountains covered with dense foliage, and which constitute the two ends of the coast range of mountains. On the in-shore side, these mountains slope down to a plain which sweeps all round the upper part of the bay. On the flattest part of this plain and directly opposite the entrance to the bay, from which it is situated about twenty-six miles, lies the cit^' of Manila. Manila has been called the Venice of the East- ern Seas, its Venetian title being due to the fact that it is traversed by a number of waterways, the largest of which is the Pasig Eiver, which may be called a sort of Grand Canal. The waterways 18 With Dewey at Manila. cut lip the whole extent of the city into a number of islands, while the Pasig is the dividing line between Old and New Manila, the latter city being locally known as Binondo. When I was first there, which was soon after the great earth- quake of 1880, the old town was strewn with ruins, but these have been leisurely cleared away, and the place, except for the war preparations, has resumed its normal aspect. Old Manila is one of the most nearly perfect examples of an Hispano-Oriental walled city that I have ever seen. It is surrounded by mediaeval, moss-covered fortifications which are as jiictur- esipie as they are useless from the standpoint of modern Avarfare. On the parapets of these forti- fications still stand, I am told, the glistening array of harmless old smooth-bores that have been there for hundreds of years. In the walls are a number of gates, each with its drawbridge and porticullis; all amply able to withstand the advance of an army of bowmen, but all absolutely worthless against a single rifled cannon. The principal gate to the old fortifications is the Entrada, and before it and along the city walls stretches the Luneta, a well laid out fashionable promenade, where military bands play, or used to play, two or three times a week. Across the city stretches a broad ave- PACO JtfANILA, THE CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES, ITS STREETS AND SUBURBS With Dewey at Manila. 19 nue named Legazbi, aftei' the lieutenant of the great navigator Magellan, Avho I'ouuded Manila in 1571. It is always hot in Manila. There are varying degrees of heat, it is true, but at the lowest de- gree of temperature it is hot — hot and moist. The sheet-iron roofs and the bare backs of the natives glistening in the sun make it look hotter. "When the city was built its founders bore in lov- ing minds the narrow streets of the old Iberian towns, and so Manila's streets are narrow and stuffy; and as the sidewalks are still narrower and built for one, and as it is a constant jostle to get along them, they are stuffier even than the streets. The houses are low and generally plasterless, due to the fact that the interior lining of the rooms is cloth, the rending of this by the con- stantly occurring earth. luakes being unpleasant to the ear, it is true, but not so uncomfortable or dangerous to the occupants as the falling of slabs of plaster. Most of the windows in the old town are not windows at all, but simjily holes in the walls tilled with a sliding shutter in which are set thin, translucent sea-shells, so that through them a dim and slightly opalescent light filters in. So deadly flat are the sandy isles on which Ma- 20 With Dewey at INraiiil.i. nila is built that it is scarcely more thau a foot above high water. The water in the moats is so sluggish that it is little better thau a mass of weeds, and as to drainage, there is strong evi- dence to the senses that there is none. All the houses are damp, so damp indeed that no one thinks of sleeping on the ground Hoor. Most of the living is done in the second story, while in the first or ground floor the Philippino keeps his store or his stable. Upstaiis live the house snakes which are to Manila what the dogs are to Constantino] lie, the unlicensed scavengers of the city. They are last the Boston. After the fighting fleet came 1 the supply ships, Nanshan and Zafiro, convoyed | by the McCulloch. As we rounded out beyond the last point be- fore reaching the entrance we saw the lights of the great cone of Corregidor burning bright and still, but saw^ nothing in the shape of a flash- light. Every man was called up and ordered to wash and take a cup of coffee. "While this light and early refreshment was being served all the i ( ships' lights were extinguished, except those on 32 With Dewey at Manila. the taffrail aud these were hooded. So we crept along, until we came into the channel moving in single file and without a sound on board, except a few quiet orders and the throb of the engines and kick of the screws. In that still air it seemed absolutely impossible for us to escape the atteutiou of the entrance forts, yet it is the fact that the Olympia, Balti- more, Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston passed without even the challenge of a hail. The batteries of Corregidor and Caballo. were mute, although the flagship passed wi-11 in range with the Baltimore following still closer inshore. I can scarcely believe it jiossible that the garri- sons were at their posts and awake, for again it seemed to us that surely a fleet stealing into an enemy's bay never made so much noise as we did. Again, too, the fact remains that not a Acll or shot greeted us, and we would all have been inside — scjuadron, supply ships and con- voy — without the Spanish fleet receiving the J faintest intimation of our approach if it had not been for some enthusiastic fireman on board the McCulloch. Possibly her commander had some idea that he was running behind and told the engineer to put on a little more steam. At any rate the men at the boilers got the idea that this was needed and, throwing open the furnace doors, With Dewey at Manila. 33 some fellow ladled in a few sbovelfulls of nice soft coal. Up from the smokestack of the cutter went a great shower of sparks. "Well," said a lieutenant who stood beside me, "if some one don't see that, the whole island must be asleep." Some one evidently did, but even then the an- swer did not come instantly, for some minutes elapsed before out of the west there came a bugle call, then a flash and then the rolling boom of a great gun. Between the flash and the report there should have been the drop somewhere of the shot that went with them, but nobody in the fleet, so far as I have been able to learn, ever saw or heard anything to prove that Spain's first gun in the battle of Manila Bay fired anything more than a blank cartridge. Twice more the battery spoke and somewhere astern of the McCulloch there was a great flash- ing of Avater, but whether a wave broke, a fish jumped, or a shot struck, I cannot say. Up to the third shot with its answering splash no reply had come from our fleet, but with the third shot, and sounding almost like its echo, there came a cra^kJroBithe^qncprd, and we knew that our first shot had gone out in the shape of a four- inch shell. In what particular part of the fort that shot hit I am not able to say, but that it did 34 With Dewey at Manila. liit I Lave no doubt for from the shore eame the sound of a plunk and smash, followed by n cry. Then still further back of us the Boston barked yet louder and sent in an eisht-inch shell, and still further to the rear the McCulloch, liavinjj; started the fuss, -went snapping into it with a few of her four-pounders. The batteries kept on flashing and booming a few minutes longer and then became as silent as they were before we had steamed up. Whether the gunners went back to bed or no will have to be set down as an historical doubt, but so far as being an opposing force the shore garrisons — these terrible fortresses, l)ristling with Krupps of which we had heard so much, might have been so many children's sand forts at Coney Island set up to keep out the Atlantic. There remained of course the torpedoes and mines with which the entrance was strewn, and Admiral Montojo's fleet rushing out to meet us. AVhat the sensations of the other fellows were about the mines I did not know then, but I found afterward, when making a poll of sensations, that the unanimous feeling was that if mines were there they were, and that was all there w^as about it. The dreadful and unexpected did not happen. There was no shaking up of the. foun- tains of the vasty deep, no great ship rose bodily With Dewey at Manila. 35 in the air and came down a shattered mass of timbers, steel and men. The mines proved as innocuous as the shore batteries. There remained then the 8i»anish fleet "rush- ing out to meet us." But out of the darkness came the throb of no enemy's engine, no flash- ing signal to halt, not even a scurrying scout. Very quietly, that is, as quietly as nine steamers can move, we went ahead and as soon as we had passed the batteries at the harbor mouth we slowed down until it seemed as though we Avere almost at a standstill. The Commodore was talking in an undertone to the rebel Philippino who was acting as pilot; I could see the figures of the men standing silently at their posts up and dcnvnthe ship; and looking over her sides I could distinguish no line of demarkation between the dull gray of the vessels and the dark waters of the bay through which we were so slowly slipping. We all came to the conclusion afterward that this leisurely advance through the quarter light of the dawn Avas the most trying period in the whole affair. The snapping interchange of com- pliments between the forts and the Concord, Boston and McCulloch had served as aTlittle fillip, although we on the first four ships had had no part in that, but this creeping, creeping, creeping with invisible mines below us and an 36 AVith Dewey at Manila. invisible fleet ahead was a test out of which no man came without a sigh of relief. It is a hard thing to whisper an order, I know, so perhaps it is not to be wondered at that there should have been a break, or vibration in the men's voices as they passed the necessary word from mouth to mouth. We were all keyed up, but it was not long before the fighting string in every man's heart was twanging and singing like that of a taut l)ow. As is the fashion of nature in these parts the dawn turned as suddenly into day as though a curtain had been torn down from the sunlight, and there right ahead of us lay the Spanish fleet tucked up under the forts of Cavite; the scene jumping as suddenly into vision as though it had been a quick stage-setting in a theater dune in the dark and shown in the flashing up of every light in the house. The fleets at last had met, and here it is that the fighting forces must be plainly marshaled for the reader's clear under- sta^^iliiig <^'f what is to follow. Commodore Dewe3''s fleet consisted of seven vessels exclusive of the transports. His flagship, the cruiser Olympia, was launched in San Francisco in 1892. She is a twin screw steamer of steel with two covered barbettes and two military masts. She is three hundred and With Dewey at Manila. 37 forty feet long, has a beam of fifty-three feet and a mean draft of twenty-one feet six inches. Her tonnage is five thousand eight hundred and seventy tons, her coai-carrying capacity is one thousand three hundred tons and her speed is twenty-one and a half knots. Her armor consists of steel deck plates, steel-covered barbettes, hoods and gun shields, and two conning towers. She is also protected with a cellulose belt thirty- three inches thick and eight feet broad. Her armament includes four eight-inch breech load- ers, ten five-inch (luick-firing guns, fourteen six- pounder quick-fire guns, six one-pound quick- fire guns, four gatlings and six torpedo tubes. She carries four hundred and sixty-six men and belongs to the second class of protected cruisers. The Baltimore was launched in Philadelphia in 18HH. She also is a i)rotected cruiser of the second class, is built of steel, has twin screws and two military tops. She is three hundred and twenty-seven feet six inches long, forty-eight feet six inches in beam, has a mean draft of nine teen feet six inches, a tonnage of four thousand six hundred tons and a speed of twenty knots. Her protection consists of steel deck plates, shields for all the guns and conning tower. Her armament consists of four eight-inch breech loaders, six six-inch breech loaders, two six- 38 With Dewey at Manila. pound rapid firers, two three-pound rapid firers, two one-pound rapid firers, four one-pound re- volving cannon, two gatliny; i;uns, and five tor- pedo tubes. She carries a crew of three hundred and ninety-five men. The Boston, also a second class protected cruiser, was launched in 1884. She is a steel vessel of three thousand one hundred and eitrhty- nine tons, with a sinj^le screw. Her length is two hundred and seventy feet three inches, beam fort3'-two feet and mean draft seventeen feet. Her speed is fifteen and a half knots. Her deck is partially protected and she carries two eip;ht- inch breech loaders, six six-inch breech loaders, two six-i)ound, two three-pound, and two one- pound rapid-fire liuns, two three-pound revolving cannon and two tiatliuL's. Her crew consists of two hundred and sevent3'-two men. The Raleigh was launched at Norfolk in 1892. She is a steel cruiser of the second class with twin screws and military tops. She is three hundred feet long, forty-two feet in beam, eight- een feet draft, three thousand one hundred and eighty -three tons of tonnage and a speed of nine- teen knots. Her deck is protected with armor, she carries a cellulose belt, an armored conning tower and steel sponsons. She carries one six- inch ra])id-tire gun, on her forecastle, ten five- "OLYMPIA," U.S.N. Protected Cruiser. Twin screw. Keel laid 1891. 20 officers ; 293 men. Dimensions, 340 feet by 53 feet ; Draft, 21 feet 6 'uches. Displacement, 5870 tons. Speed 20 knots. Main Battery, four 8 inch guns and ten 5-inch rapid firing guns. Secondary Battery, fourteen 6-pounder and six i-pounder rapid fire guns, and four gatlings. With Dewey at Manila. 39 inch rapid-firinff Runs, two on the poop and four on each side of the gun-deck in sponsons ; eight six-pound and four one-pound rapid-lire guns, two gatlings and six tori)edo tubes. Her crew nurubers two hundred and ninety-five. The Concord is a third-class cruiser, really a gunboat, of one thousand seven hundred tons, with twin screws, loigth of two hundred and thirty feet, beam of thirty-six feet, draft of four- teen feet and can make seventeen knots. Her deck and conning tower are protected with light armor. She carries six six-inch guns, two six- I)Ound, two three-pound, and one one-pound rapid-fire guns, two two-pound revolving cannon, two gatlings and two torpedo tubes. She has a crew of one hundred and fifty men. The Petrel is a gunboat of eight hundred tons. She was launched in Baltimore in 1888, is one hundred and seventy-six feet long, thirty-one feet beam, eleven feet seven inches in draft and makes 13.7 knots an hour. Her deck and six- inch guns are protected Avith armor. She carries four six-inch guns, two three-pound and one one-pound rapid-fire guns, two one-pound revolv- ing cannon and two gatlings. Her crew is one hundred men. The ]McCulloch is a revenue cutter of one thou- sand five hundred tons, built of steel and armed 40 With Dewe}^ at Manila. with four four-inch guns. She has a speed of fourteen knots an hour and carries a force of one hundred and thirty men. Admiral Montojo's fleet consisted of twelve vessels. The Reina Cristina, the flajjcship, was an armored cruiser of three thousand and ninety tons; she was launched at Ferrol in 1887. She had a single screw, was two hundred and eighty feet long, forty-three feet in beam, had a mean draft of 15.5 feet and a speed of seventeen and a half knots. She carried an arma- ment of six G. 2-inch Hontorio breech loaders, two 2.7-inch Houtorios, three six-pound, two four-pound, and six three-pound rapid tire guns, two machine guns and five torpedo tubes. She had a crew of three hundred and seventy men. The Castilla was a wooden second-class cruiser, launched at Cadiz in IHHI, and was bark rigged, with a single screw. Her length was two hun- dred and forty-six feet, her beam forty-six feet, her draft twenty-one feet, her displacement three thousand three hundred and forty -two tons and her speed fourteen knots. Her armament con- sisted of four 5.9-inch Krupp guns, two 4.7-inch Krupp guns, two 3.4-inch guns, two 2.9-inch Krupp guns, eight rapid-fire guns, four one-pound revolving cannon and two torpedo tubes. She carried three hundred men. With Dewey at Manila. 41 The Don Juan De Austria was an iron cruiser of the third class. She was launched at Trieste in 1875, had a displacement of one thousand one hundred and thirty tons, a length of two hun- dred and ten feet, beam of thirty -two feet, draft of twelve feet six inches and a speed of fourteen knots. She carried an armored belt of from four to eight inches thick and nine and a half feet broad. Her armament consisted of four 4.7- inch Hontorio breech loaders, two 2.7-inch breech loaders twelve three-pound quick firers, four one-pound revolving cannon, five machine guns and four torpedo tubes. Her central batteries and bulkheads were shielded and her deck was protected. She carried a crew of one hundred and seventy-three men. The Don xVntonio de Ulloa was a third-class unprotected cruiser. She was launched at Car- raca in 1887. She was an iron single-screw ves- sel, two hundred and ten feet long, thirty-two feet beam, with a draft of twelve and a half feet, a displacement of one thousand one hundred and fift.y-two tons and a speed of fourteen knots an hour. Her armament consisted of four 4.7-inch Hontorio breech loaders, and five six-pound Krupp rapid firers. She carried a crew of one hundred and seventy-three men. The Velasco was a small cruiser of the old type, 42 AVith Dewey at ^Nfanila. huiiu'lied at Blackwall in 1881. She Avas of iron, with one screw, a length of two Luntlred and ten feet, a beam of thirty-two, a draft of thirteen feet, a tonnage of one thousand one hundred and tliirty-nine and a si)eed of fourteen knots. She carried three six-inch Armstrong breech loaders, two two-inch Hontorio guns and two machine guns. Her crew was one hundred and seventy- three men. The Isla de Cul)a and Isia de Luzon were sister shii)s. They were lK)th laid down at Elswick in 188G and launched in 1887. They were thinl- class protected cruisers with two screws and car- ried military tops. Their length was one hun- dred and eighty-live feet, their beam thirty feet, their mean draft eleven feet sis inches, their displacement one thousand and forty tons and their speed fifteen knots. They were protected hy steel deck plates and carried .steel- clad conning towers. The armament of each consisted of six 4.7-inch Hontorio guns, four six- pound rapid-tiring guns four one-inch Nordenfeldt machine guns and three torpedo tubes. They carried one hundred and sixty- four men each. The Quiros and Yillalobos were also sister ships, both huinclied at Hon?g Kong ; the former in 1895 and the latter in 1890. They were gun- boats of composite construction, single screw. " BALTIMORE," U. S. N. Protected Cruiser. Twin screw. Commissioned January 7th, 1890. 36 officers; 350 men. Dimensions, 327 feet 6 inches by 48 feet 7 '4 inches; Draft, 19 feet 6 inches. Displacement, 4413 tons. Speed, 20 knots. Main Battery, four 8 inch and six 6-inch breech loading rifles. Secondary Battery, four 6pounder, two 3- pounder, and two ipounder rapid fire guns, four 37-minimetre Hotchkiss revolving cannon and two gatlings. With Dewey at Manila. 43 one hundred and fortj'-five feet long, and twenty- three feet beam. Their tonnage was three hun- dred and forty-seven and their speed twelve knots. They were each armed with two six-pound rapid tiring guns, and two five-barrelled Norden- feldt machine guns. Each had a crew of sixty. The gunboats El Correo and General Lezo were likewise sister ships. They wei'e twin-screw iron vessels of five hundred and twenty- -four tons displacement, with engines of six hundred horse power. They were built respectively at Carraca and Cartagena in 1885. The El Correo was armed with three 4.7-iuch Hontorio guns, two quick-fire guns, two machine guns and one tor- pedo tube. Her speed was ten knots. The Gen- eral Lezo carried one 3.5-inch gun, had one machine gun and two torpedo tubes. The com- ])lement of each gunboat was ninety- eight men. The Marques del Duero was a dispatch boat used as a gunboat. She was an iron twin-screw vessel of five hundred tons, was built at La Seyne in 1875, was one hundred and fifty-seven feet long and twenty-six feet in beam. Her si>eed was ten knots an hour. She carried one G. 2-inch muzzle loading Palliser rifle, two 4.7- inch smoothbores and a machine gun. Her comjilement was ninety-eight men. Besides these the Spaniards had two transports 44 AVith Dewey at MuMila. or troopships, the MiiidaDao aiul the Mauila, but these caiiuot be considered as active belli jiereiits. The Mindanao, however, had two torpedo boats, which were heard from durinj^ the enira.Lrenient and carried about one hundred and fifty men, although these troojis took no ]iart in the fi^ht. Takintr the three items of class, armament and complement the two fleets stood as follows: AMERICAN FLEET. Name. Class. Armament. Offlcere*^ Olynipia Protected Cruiser. .Four 8-in., ten 5-in., 24 R.F. . .4(i6 Baltimore Protect il Cruiser. .Four S-iu., si.x fi-iu., 10H.F..395 Boston Par. Pt.i. Crui.ser. ..Two 8 in, .six Gin., 10 R.F 272 Raleigh I'roteotetl Cruiser. .One 5-iu., ten ."i-in., 14 R.F 295 Concord fiunboat Sixtj-in., 9 R.F IfiO Petrel (iunboat Four (i-in., 7 R.F 100 McCulloch Revenue Cutter Four 4-iu 130 SPANISH FLEET. *Reina Cristina. Steel Cruiser Si.v 0.3-in., two 2.7., 13 R F. . .370 Castilla Wood Cruiser Four 5.9, two 4.7. two 3.4 , Don .Vntonio de [two 2.9, 12K.F. .SK) Ulloa Iron Cruiser Four 4.7, 5 R.F 173 Don Juan de Austria Iron Crui.ser .Four 4.7, two 2.7, 21 R.F 173 Islade Luzon... Steel Ptd. Cruiser... Six 4.7. H R.F 164 Isia de Cuba Steel Ptd. Cruiser.. .Six 4.7. 8 R.K 1&4 Vela-seo Iron Cruiser Three G-in., two 2.7, 2R.F 173 Marques del Du- ero Gunboat One 6.2, two 4.7, 1 R.F 98 General Lezo... Gunboat One 3.5. 1 R.F 97 El Correo Gunboat Three 4.7, 4 R.F 116 Quiros Gunboat 4 R.F (iO Villalobos (Junhoat 4 R.F 60 Two torpedo boats and two transports. In resume the matter stood therefore as fol- lows : We had four cruisers, two gunboats, one cut- * Flagship. With Dewey at Manila. 45 ter, fifty -seven classified big guns; seventy-four rapid tirers and machine guns and one thousand eight hundred and eight men. Against us were pitted seven cruisers, five gun- boats, two torpedo boats; fifty-two classified big guns; eighty-three rapid firers and machine guns, and one thousand nine hundred and forty- eight men. It cannot be denied that we had a greater number of heavy guns and that our ships were of modern construction, nor must it be overlooked that the Spanish fleet was much more numerous and that it had the immense assistance of pro- tecting ports manned with strong garrisons and mounting an unknown number of guns, of whose caliber and force we had been told most terrify- ing things. ■i^ AVith Duwev at Maiiilu. CHArTER IV. THE F I K S T 1{ U U N D . It was with barely steerage way that, with the Unitetl States llaic tlyiujJC at all our mastheads, with druius beating to quarters, and having stiiled some seventeen miles up the bay, our lleet, as soon as it had sighted the Sj.aniards, passed in a broad curve to the east side of the bay. Then, with the Olympia leading, we curved around the Manila water front; again turned and headed for a sailing line exactly parallel to the line of Mon- tojo's Heet. It might have been that Montojo for one wild moment imagined that it was the Commodore's intention to put out of the bay again, on tlie conclusion that he liad run into a stronger foe than he had auticij.ated. If so, the D(jn was soon to be most dreadfully disillusioned. The Commodore's plan — and from first to last he followed it out with a grim and steadfast pre- cision that made every man in the fleet as grim and deliberate — the Commodore's j. Ian of action was simply this: The detour to the east was in ^\hh Dewey at MRiiilu. 47 order to drop tlie supply ships at a careful dis- tance and then to sweep around Avith sufficient "way to have good sailing past the enemy. Each of the ships was to hold her lire until within cer- tain effective distance; to pour in every available shot as she passed the enemy's fleet and forts; to wheel as soon as she had passed out of effective distance; to steam past the forts and fleet on a retui'n line, but closer inshore than on the first line of attack ; to wheel again as soon as she had passed out oi effective range and to keep thus wheeling and passing and Sring until the forts were silenced and the fleet was smashed, or until a signal of recall was floated. As we passed on the eastward curve before actually beginning the engagement, our lookouts reported that Ad- miral Montojo's flag was flying on the cruiser Eeina Cristina. They reported also that the .S]>auiiirds appeared to be protected by a sort of roughly coiistructed boom of logs. I could dis- tinguish no steam up and it 0(tcurred to me that the Siianish admiral's idea was that our ships would be drawn up opposite his and that the tight would be carried on as a sort of brigade engagement, each man to stand his ground until shot down. If so, he was once more Avoefully disillusioned. The Commodore's idea was an engagement of evolution. I understand that in 48 With Dewey at ^Nranila. the official reports sent to Madrid it "svas stated, with the true Spanish process of extracting self- adulation out of a bad job, that Montojo had "forced the American fleet to nianoeuvre fre- quently." It is the one joke of the tragedy. As we steamed slowly along then, after droj)- ping the supx>ly ships tbere came a spit of flame and a boom from the bastions of Cavite, followed immediately by another flame spit and a sharper report from one of the Spanish flagship's modern guns. Both shots dropped somewhere in the bay and our only answer was in sending up a string of flags bearing the code watchword "llemember the Maine. " Not exactly our only answer either; for as the flags fluttered out the whole fleet roared, but it was not the ruar of guns, it was the concerted yelp of the sea dogs that knew their time for vengeance was at hand. On steamed the fleet, with every gun loaded and everj' man at his post; but not a lanyard was pulled. Even the Spaniards at Cavite ceased firing as we moved down toward Manila. As we rounded past the cit^-'s water-front, with about four miles of blue water between us and it, we could with our glasses make out the city walls, church towers, and other high places, crowded with sight- seers. I heard afterward that a number of these sightseers drove down to Cavite to see the Witli Dewey at Manila. 49 Yankees blown out of the water. I never heard Low they got back. The battery on the Luneta mole paid us a little more attention and sent three shells at us. Tliey must have been from large guns, for the projectiles screamed far over- head and fell miles beyond us. Here again it was the impatient Concord that replied and she sent two of her shells hurtling toward the fort. The Commodore, however, sent up a sigual to hold fire as he had no idea of battering down the city yet. . As we turned from Manila the Com- modore said something about the picturesque- ness of the city, adding that the blue hills to the back of tlie town reminded him of those of Ver- mont. It was most unaffectedly said and was no more tinged with bravado than was Captain "Wildes' use of a palm-leaf fan during the en- gagement. Captain "Wildes used the fan because he felt hot, and heaven knows it was one of the hottest Sunday mornings that I ever remember; and the Commodore spoke of the Luzon hills as he did because they impressed him as they did. From the first to the last the Commodore never for one instant changed his demeanor, which was always that of a man who had a duty to do and who Avent about it with the plain, everyday de- termination to do that duty. As we headed toward the Hiianish fleet their gunners and those 50 AVllh Dowoy at INfanila. of the forts l)p.iian a ri.irht merry fusillade. Tbere was a good deal of the Looiuiiii!; roar that showed the presence of old guus, hut there was also a good deal of the sharper declamation that told us of modern rifles and of heavy work laid out for us. So far as guns were concerned that would have been the fact had it not been that in this battle of Manila the value of the man behind the gun as a fighting factor was ]»re-emiuent. "With all this thundering and snapping of the Spaniards, how- ever, there was no answer from us ; the turrets were silent and each sponson was imsmoked. Up went the signal, "Hold your lire until close in," and on Avent the scpiadron. Suddenly some- thing hajipened. Close off the bow of the Balti- more there came a shaking of the bay and a geyser of mud and water. Then right aliead of the Raleigh came another ugly fountain of harbor soil and water. "We were among the mines at last. No notice whatever was taken of the fact. No change of course was ordered; no special word of command was given and though each man of us, I suiijiose, took a tooth grip of the lower lip and liad no idea of how many seconds lay between him and kingdom come, I can state it as a fact that the only remarks I heard made were With Dewey at Manila. Si- such natural ones as "Torpedoes at last, " or "Now we'll get it." But we did not get it, for these two upheavals marked the extent of our experience with the "terrible mines" of Manila hay. Htill the roar and snap of the Spanish ships and forts kept on as they had ever since ten minutes past five, with the short cessation while we were opiiosite Ma- nila, and still, with the excei)tion of the Con- cord's evidence of impatience, we had not begun to fight. The Commodore, his chief of staff Commander Lamberton, the executive officer Lieutenant lleese and the navigator, were on the forward bridge. Captain Gridley was in the conning tower. AVith a glance at the shore the Commodore turned to the officer next to him and said "About five thousand yards I should say, eh, Reese?" "Between that and six thousand, I should think, sir," Eeese answered. The Commodore then leaned over the railing and called out : "Wh(!n you are ready you may fire, Gridley." Captain Gridley evidently was ready, for it was at eighteen minutes and thirty-five seconds of six o'clock Avhen the Commodore gave the order to fire, and it was at eighteen minutes and thirty-four seconds of six o'clock when the fioor 52 With Dewey at ]\raiiila. of the l)ii(]i:;e s]ivanL!; u]i l)cue;itli our feet as the port eight-iiu'h gun of our forward turret gave its introductory roar. Our tirst aiin Avas at tlie center of the Spuuish Hect, tlie ()l\iiiiiia's shot being iiarticuhuly directed, as a sort of inter- national mark of courtesy, to the Reina Cristina. Ahout coincidental with the C'diiiniodore's l)olite intimation to Cajitain (iridley, he ordered the signal run up for the shijis astern, "Fire as convenient. " As our turret gun rang out, the T5altiniore and Boston took up the chorus, their forward guns pitching in two-hundreil-and-tifty-iioimd shells. The reply of the Spaniards was simply terrific. Their ship and shore guns seemed to unite in on(! unending snap and roar, wliile the scream of their shot, the hursting of shells, made uji a din that was as savage as it was unceasing. It was, however, but as the scra]»ing of fiddle strings to the blare and crash of a full orchestra when com- l»ared with that which was to follow. One wailing, shrieking shell was making straight for the Olympia's forward bridge when it ex]iloded about a hundred feet in front of us, one fragment sawing the rigging just over our Leads. Another fragment chiselled a long siilin- ter from the deck just under where the Commo- dore stood, a third smashed the bridge gratings, With Dewey at Manila. 53 and all around and about and above us there was the sputter and shriek and roar of projectiles. But the miracle was that none of us was hit. Through this hail of miraculously impotent steel we steered until within a distance of four thou- sand yards of the Spanish column. "Open with all the guns," said the Commo- dore, and they were opened. That is, all on the port broadside. The eight-inchers roared and the five-inch rapid firers spluttered and cracked, and soon the Baltimore was booming awav, then the Ealeigh, then the Boston and Concord and finally the Petrel, as busy and earnest in the management of her long popguns as though the very issue of the fight depended on her. By the time the Petrel had j.assed the Span- iards, the Olymi.ia had swung around on her return line of attack and once more we were steaming past Montojo witli our starboard guns riaming, roaring, spitting and smoking as"" we went. As we passed, the batteries on shore and the Spanish batteries afioat banged away at us, fighting gallantly and furiously. One shot went clean through the Baltimore, but hit no one. Another struck just outside the wardroom but did not even dent the ship's side. Another cut the signal halyards from Lieutenant Brumbuy's hands on the after bridge; Ensign Dodridge's b4: With Dewey at Manila. stateroom on board tlie Boston Mas wrecked l)y a shell which entered the fore quarter and started a lire, while another lire was started by a shell which burst in the port hammock netting. Another shell passed through the 13oston's fore- mast not far from where Captain "Wildes was on the bridge. On the third turn the Raleigh was caught in a strong insetting current and was carried plump into the bows of two Spanish cruisers. Instead of s(>nding her to tlui bottom, the enemy's ships seemed to be positively useless, so taking advan- tage of her nearness, the Raleigh sent in a couple of raking fires before she steamed back into ]ilace. Captain Coghlan and Lieutenant Singer spoke of it afterward as the picnic of the engagement. It was on the third turn, too, that the great naval duel between the two llagships took jilace. "When we sighted the Spanish fleet, I remarked, it will be remembered, that the enemy seemed to have no steam up and that the fleet seemed to lie behind a breakwater. As we came closer to them, however, we saw more clearly the scheme of their order. Put out your right hand with the thumb extended ; call the thumb the Cavite spit and the space between the thumb and the forefinger Cavite Bay. Manila lies about where the nail of the forefinger is. The town of With Dewey at Manila. 55 Cavite lies in the pocket of the thumb and fore- finger, and the thumb's nail stands for the main Cavite batteries, four in number. Put a pencil halfway across from the thumb's nail to the root joint of the forefinger and it will stand for the Cavite arsenal with its boom extension. Behind this boom lay the gunboats of the Spanish fleet, while in front of it, facing Manila Bay, were the Spanish cruisers. They lay anchored while we made our first and second parallels of attack, but by the time we were sweeping up on the third course their stokers had made such hurry work that the smoke poured out of the Reina Cristina's smokestacks; there was a fleece of white gathered about tlie steam pipe, and the flagship moved out to the attack. She gallantly stood for the Olympia and it looked as though it was her intention to ram us. The Commodore passed the word to con- centrate all possible fire on the Reina Christina, and she actually shivered under the battering of our storm of shot and shell. Rents appeared near her waterline where the eight-inch shells had torn their way. One shot struck the port bridge on which Admiral Montojo stood, upon which, like the brave man he was, the admiral coolly stepped to the other end. But no bravery could stand the driving, crush- 56 With Dewey at Manila. ing, rendincc of the tons of stool which v,e ])oiired into tbe Cristina, and tliore was quite a little cbeer from our forward men as tbe Sjianish iiaj^- ship slowly turned and made for the nbore. But appreciation of conratre on tlio part of the enemy did not prevent our iiunnfrs frojii also appreciat- ing the excellent opportunity which tlie retreat- iiijL? fla.irship sirave us for a rakiiiiX shot. As she got into her swini:: with the stoni dead toward us, one of Captain (iridh-y's trims tliundorod, and an eight-inch shell struck the ononiy as s to complete the destruction in as merci- fully brief a time as possible. The three cruisers poured a continuous stream of deadly steel into the Spaniard, which rocked umhr the smashing. The Spaniard replied as best she might, but in the midst of it all there came a roar that drowned all previous noises. A shell from the Kaleigh had struck the Spaniard's magazine and exploded it. Up shot the Austria's decks in the llaming volcano, andsoterriric was the ex])losion that tlie flying fragments of the cruiser actually tore away all the upper works of the gunboat El Correo which lay beside her. The Austria was a sinking wreck and El Correo was so nearly one that as a conp de grace the Petrel steamed up close to the Spanish gunboat and put her out of misery and existence. A gunboat, which we learned afterward was the General Lezo, had been quite active during With Dewey at Manila. 75 the cannonade on the Don Juan de Austria, and Commander Walker of the Concord, seeing this, turned his attention to the small Spaniard, and with a few well-directed shells soon silenced her. She made for the shore, but before she had reached }^ was ablaze, her crew taking to the water. The cruisers Velasco and Castilla were the nest of the enemy's ships to be wiped out. The Boston gave the Velasco special attention. Cap- tain Wildes, still fanning himself vigorously, swinging his ship around until he could give the Spaniard a broadside. When he had tired the Velasco listed heavily to port, showing the jagged rents in her starboard side as she did so. then careened to the starboard and went down smoking, with barely time enough for her crew to throw over their boats and make for the shore. The Castilla had been set on tire in the first onslaught, and when the Concord and Balti- more poured their tremendous weight of shells into her, she was scuttled in order to prevent the magazine from exploding. Every ship in the Spanish fleet, with one ex- ception fought most valiantly, but to the Don Antonio de Ulloa and her commander Robion should be given the palm for that sort of desper- ate courage and spirit which leads a man to die Y6 With Dewey at Manila. fighting. The flagship and Boston were the exe- cutioners. Under their shells the Ulloa was soon burning in half a dozen places; but her fighting crew gave no signs of surrender. Shot after shot struck the Sjianiard's hull, until it was riddled like a sieve. Shell after shell swejit her upper decks, until under the aAvful fire all of her ujiper guns were useless; but there was no sign of surrender. The main deck crew escaped, but the captain and his officers clung to their wreck. On the lower deck her gun crews stuck to their jtosts like the heroes they were. As shot after shot struck the shivering hulk, and still her lower guns answered back as best they might, it seemed as though it was imjtossible to kill her. At last we noticed her in the throes, that sicken- ing unmistakable lurch of a sinking ship. Her commander noticed it, too ; still there was no surrender. Instead, he nailed the Si)anish ensign to what was left of the mast and the Don Antonio de Ulloa went down, not only with her colors flying, but also with her lower guns still roaring defiance. It was a brave death and I am sure ever man in the squadron would have liked to have shaken Commander Kobion by the hand, Don though he be of the same nation that bred Weyler. Just as the j)icture of the Ulloa's end is luridly With Bewe}'^ at Manila. 77 bright, so that of another ship is gloomily- dark. For the sake of her gallant mates, this ship shall be nameless. She had hauled down her colors about the same time that the Ulloa had refused to do so and had gone down with them all a-llutter. A boat's crew from the McCulloch was signaled to go and take possession of this name- less ship, when to our amazement she opened tire on the approaching gig. The ensign stood up iu the stern in open-mouthed wonder at such a piece of treachery, but kei)t his boat along her course. The incident had not passed unob- served by the squadron, however, and the Span- iard's fate was a swift one. There was no need for the Commodore to fly a signal, for it was as with a common impulse that every one of our vessels stopped firing at the enemy in general and directed every available shot at that Si)aniard in i)artic\ilar. The bay leaped up and foamed around the traitorous vessel as though it had been struck by the whip end of a Texas tornado, and when the waters were at rest again the Span- iard had vanished as completely as though that tornado had carried her bodily into a neighbor- ing State. Of course there were other incidents in this resumption of the fight, which I have referred to as the second round, but as the firing grew faster 78 With Dewey at Manila. and more furious aiul as the smoke settled down again it was again almost impossible to distinguish exact and particuhir acts. Shij) after ship was sunk or burned, until poor okl Don Patricio Montojoy Parason, looking around liiiu and see- ing but the shattered and bhickcncd remnants of his Meet, while on the Ishi de Cuba the guns stood useless and the decks deserted, hauled down his colors and, together with the surviving Span- iards, hastily escajied from the sinking and burn- ing hulk, admiral and otficers alike leaving behind them all their personal proi)erty and val- luibles. Once on shore Montojo, with his staff, made the best of his way to Manila; in the com- pany, I presume, of those who had driven out to see the sudden end of the Yankee. The fleet having been disposed of, our vessels next turned their attention to the batteries, which still kept liring, notwithstanding Monto- jo's surrender. The most pertinacious of the forts was one low down on Sangley Point, which lies about opposite to the Cavite spit, and which was armed with two Hontorio guns, which I imagine must have been taken from the fleet. There were some pretty good gunners behind the Hontorios, one of the shells striking the Boston and another smashing the whaleboat of the Raleigh. We managed to cripple one of " RALEIGH," U. S. N. Protected Cruiser. Twin screw. Keel laid 1SS9. 20 officers; 293 men. Dimensions, 300 feet by 42 feet; Draft, 18 feet. Displacement, 3213 tons. Speed, 19 knots. Main Battery, one 6-inch gun and ten 5-iuch rapid fire guns. Secondary Battery, eight 6-pounder and four i-pounder rapid fire guns, ind eleven gathngs. with Bewey at Manila. T'J these guns, but it was not until the Raleigh had sailed in to about one thousand yards and had killed six of the gunners that the second was silenced. One after the other of the remaining shore batteries was settled, and then at 12:45 came what may be called the knockout blow. The bastions of the Cavite forts had been crumbling under the shells of the Boston, Baltimore, and Concord, while the Raleigh, Olympia, and Petrel had been devoting themselves to the reduction of the arsenal. After half an hour's fight of this sort the Cavite gunners evidently became de- moralized and began to fire wildly. Those guns left in position continued firing, however, until at their back there was a thunderous mar followed by a heart-shaking concussion. A shell from either the Olympia or the Petrel, and the honor is still a matter of dispute between Gunner Corcoran of the flagship and Gunner Yining of the gunboat, had landed in the arsenal magazine. With the upward rush of flames, fragments and dead, the heart of the Spaniard went out of him, a white flag was run up at the Cavite citadel and the battle of Manila was over. "Up went the Commodore's signals to "Cease firing," but before they could be read the Petrel had sent in what was the last shot of the battle. 80 ^Yith Dewey at .^^anila. Again the signal to sail hack to the rendezvous was flown, but this time as we passed Manila the great Krupp guns at the Lnneta fort were silent. Even those gunners had learned their lesson. ^Yhen we reached the Xanshan and Zafiro, the Olympia halted and all the ships steaujed slowly past her, with the men at quarters cheering and saluting. Then each ship fell in line and was saluted and cheered by the others and took its turn in cheering l)ack, but when all were in line except the Petrel, and that perky little craft steamed hy, the rest of the s<|uadrt)n so roared and yelled at her that Captain Wood l)lushcd a fine purple under his tan, and all the Jackies of the gunboat strutted and bowed back like so many ctUKiuering heroes. They deserved it all, for from first to last the little Petrel had been a David in the tight. The Commodore had noticed that three smaller ves- sels of the enemy were making up to the head of Cavite Bay and had sigjialed her with the Boston and Concord to go after them. The two cruisers had, however, found the waters of the inner harbor too shallow for them and had returned, but the Petrel with her light draft had been enabled to follow iiuite closely into shore. One of the small ships in there was the gunboat Mar- ques del Duero, and getting the one-thousand- With Dewey at Manila. 81 yard range the Petrel fireil at her with the swift- ness and accuracy of a first-chxss target drill. The Duero having been disposed of, the little Petrel then took up the fate of the two gunboats, the Quiros and Yilhilobos. The Spaniards could not understand how one little gunboat could make things so desperately hot for them, and in order to solve the problem they scuttled and set fire to their boats and then went ashore to think it over. It was the Petrel, too, that on returning from this little adventure ran across the store-ship Manila hiding behind a convenient wharf and captured her, the prize being valued at half a million dollars, including six hundred tons of coal. Again the commanders Avere called over to the flagship and again stock was taken. Again came the reports: not a gun overthrown, not a vessel disabled, not a man killed. There was not so much of the ecstatic on the receipt of this second series of reports as there had been on the receipt of the first. We were getting used to it — get- ting accustomed to this laying out of the other party without receiving a scratch. Scarcely that, however, for the two shots that had struck the Baltimore had wounded two officers and six men. Lieutenant F. W. Kellogg, Ensign U. E. 82 With Dewey at Manila. Erwin, and the enlisted men Barlow, Budinger, Covert, O'Keefe, Eeeeiardilli and Snelgrove con- stituted our list of wounded, but their injuries were so slight that not one of theui would stay in the sick-bay. As it was, six out of these eight were literally wounded by our own annnunition, for the first Spanish shell that struck the Balti- more exploded a box of three-pound ammunition, and it was the flight of these that knocked our men down. And on the Spanish side it had been a defeat that was as crushing and fatal as our victory had been decisive and easy. The flrst round bad meant confusion and dismay to the Spaniards; the second round had brought them extinction, annihilation. The Spanish fleet had indeed been destroyed. The fate of the Spanish fleet, to- gether with their commanders, in list form, is as follows : CRUISERS. Reina Cristina, Captain Cadarso, sunk. Castilla, Captain Martin de Olivia, sunk and burned. Don Antonio de Ulloa, Commander Robion, sunk and burned. Don Juan de Austria, Commander Concha, burned. Isla de Luzon, Commander Barreto, burned. With Dewey at Manila. 83 Isla de Cuba, Commander Kigalado, burned. Velasco, Captain Reboul, burned and sunk. GUNBOATS. Marques del Duero, Captain Morens, burned. General Lezo, Captain Beneveste, burned. El Correo, Captain Eccudero, burned. Quiros and Villalobos, scuttled and set on fire by the Spaniards. TRANSPORTS. Mindanao, run ashore to save from sinking — burned. Manila, captured. The two gunboats which were destroyed be- longed to the transport Mindanao. And in addi- tion to this list there were some small steamers which were scuttled by the Spaniards and whose names are yet unknown. The loss of life on the Spanish side will also remain unknown for some time at least, I imagine. At first we heard that one hundred and thirty were killed and ninety wounded on board the flagship, chiefly in her duel with the Olympia; that when the Cavite arsenal exploded it killed forty, and that alto- gether there were about one thousand killed and wounded. Montojo's estimate as reported to Governor-General Augusti was : 8i With Dewey at Manila. On the ships. In the forts. Killed, 400 24 Wounded, 60 150 4G0 174 The monetary loss to Simin must have been many millions, — I hear it placed at from $(5,000,- 000 to $10,000,000— but more than all was the fact that in losin^r this battle she lost the control of the Philippines and her position as the mistress of an Asiatic colony. With Dewev at Manila. 85 CHAPTER VII. THE BEGINNING OF THE END. Though the fight was won much remained to be done, and theOommodore set about doing that in the same (luiet, matter of-fact way that had characterized his conduct of the victory. We knew that the people at Washington would be anxious to know the result of the expedition and that there was a cable landing at Manila over which, we felt confident, August! was crowding messages to Madrid giving his version of the afiEair. After the second rest, therefore, the Com- modore sent word to the governor-general by the British consul who had come to visit us, that Manila was in a state of blockade; that he, the Commodore, proposed to occupy Cavite; that if a single shot w^ere fired against his ships lie would destroy every battery around the bay; and that unless he were allowed to use the cable he would cut it. The cable people were willing to transmit our messages, but the governor- general ordered the officials neither to receive nor transmit anything from us. Accordingly 86 With Dewey at Manila. the Commodore cut the cable on Monday after- noon, and cut it, too, just as a message was being sent by Augusti that the Spanish fleet had been "disabled," and that "the Americans had with- drawn to bury their dead." AVe took a rest on Sunday evening, but Monday was a busy day for us. Early in the morning a tug came steaming up the bay, bear- ing a flag of truce from the commandant of Cor- regidor. Accompanying the flag of truce was an offer from the commandant to surrender. The tug was sent over to the Baltimore with instruc- tions to steam ahead and the cruiser was dispatched to take possession of the entrance forts or to blow them into the air at the least sign of treachery or resistance. There was no necessity for this i)recaution, for when Corregi- dor was reached the commandant was found alone, his men having deserted and the guns having been overthrown. About the same time Commander Lamberton was ordered to go and take possession of Cavite arsenal. It was decided to use the Petrel for this work, and the gunboat ran in to about five hundred yards and then halted in amaze. The Avhite flag had been hoisted on Sunday after- noon following the explosion of the magazine, it will be remembered, and Lamberton naturally AVith Dewey at Manila. 87 imagined that this had indicated an uncondi- tional surrender. Instead of a deserted place, howevei-, he saw that the landing was crowded with armed sailors. In view of this new situa- tion the Petrel's guns were trained on the arsenal, and Lamberton, together M'ith \Yood of the Petrel, took a launch for the landing place and left instructions that unless they returned in an hour the gunboat was to open on the arsenal. AYhen Lamberton and AYood landed they were met by Captain Sostoa of the Spanish navj-, who informed Lamberton that in the absence of the admiral, who had retired to Manila, he was in command. The armed Si)anish sailors closed around the party and our men and Sostoa marched to the arsenal headquarters. "May I ask, captain," said Lamberton, "why your men are under arms after yesterday's sur- render?" "There was no surrender," replied Sostoa. This answer made Lamberton think pretty quickly and he began to see that there were more ramifications to the Spanish character than he had dreamed of. "But," said he, "the white flag was hoisted." "Yes, " replied Sostoa, "but not as a surren- der, only as a token of truce during which we (/ 88 With Dewe}^ at Manila. luigbt remove our "n'omen aiul children to a place of safety. ' ' "But, captain," said Laniberton, as evenly as he could, "an arsenal is not exactly the place for women and children in times of Avar. They should have been removed before the bombard- ment began." "Ah, well, you see," said Captain Sostoa, with a shrug of deprecation, "you Americans came in to visit us at such an extremely early hour that we had no time to remove our women and children. If j-ou had begun the fight at a less unreasonable hour " "Excuse me, captain," said Lamberton, Avho was beginning to feel the heat of the morning, "you tired the tirst shot. But there is no use talking of past events, nor is it my place to do so. I am sent here as the re]iresentative of Com- modore Dewey of the United States Asiatic Scjuad- ron to take possession of this arsenal, and my further instructions are that all Spaniards, whom I tind here, must surrender their arms and jier- sons as prisoners of war. If this is not done, and done quickly, the engagement will be renewed. " To this direct message Sostoa evasively replied that he could do nothing without consulting his superior, and upon Lamberton 's telling him that With Dewey at Manila. 89 he, Sostoa, would be regarded as sufficiently representative, the elusive captain requested that the terms of surrender might be put down in writing. Lamberton glanced at his watch. Forty of the sixty minutes had elapsed and in twenty more the Petrel's guns would be bang- ing away, and while Lamberton and Wood knew very well what the issue of the new fight would be, so far as the fleet and arsenal were con- cerned, they had an uneasy misgiving that their share in it would be a decidedly unknown quan- tit3'. It was with no unnecessary search for phrases, therefore, that Lamberton wrote down these terms : "Without further delay all Spanish officers and men must be withdrawn, and no buildings or stoi-es must be injured. As Commodore Dewey does not Avish further hostility with the Spanish naval forces, the Spanish officers will be paroled and the forces at the arsenal will deliver all their small arms." The conversation had been in Spanish but the conditions were written in English, and Sostoa wanted them translated and clearly explained. Again Lamberton looked at his watch. Five minutes of the hour only remained. Things were getting critical. Sostoa was pleading for more time when Lamberton broke in on him. 90 With Dewey at Manila. "Excuse me, captain," he said, "but there is an absolute reason why I should return at once to tbe vessel. I will give you until noon and if on that hour the white liag is not attain hoisted over this arsenal we shall again open tire. Good- morning. " It was not far to the landing, but both Lam- berton and AVood agreed that the effort they made to repress all outward evidence of haste, coupled with their knowledge that if they did not get on board the launch and steam away during the next minute or two they would not get there at all, made up a situation of what the dramatist calls "suppressed emotion," which was very exciting as long as it lasted. Thej' reached the landing aiul the launch just in time; for as they put oft" from the steps they could see the men moving into position around the Petrel's guns in a way that meant mischief. The situation had its comedy ending. Cap- tain Sostoa did not wait for noon, but hoisted the white flag at a quarter to eleven ; and when Lamberton returned to take possession he found that that punctilious Don had marched off to Manila with every man, and that every man had taken his rifle. No sooner had the Spaniards evacuated Cavite than the natives, who must have been lurking in "CONCORD," U.S.N. Gunboat. Twin screw. Commissioned February 14th, 1891. 13 officers; 180 men. Dimensions, 230 feet by 36 feet; Draft, 14 feet. Displacement, 1710 tons. Speed, 16'/^ knots. Main Battery, six 6inch breech-loading rifles. Secondary Battery, two 6-pounder and two 3-pounder rapid fire guns, two 37-millimetre otchkiss revolving cannon and two gatlings. With Dewey at Manila. 91 crowds among the bushes aud in the back streets, swarmed into the place, bent on thieving. Our marines were instantly ordered on shore for guard and police duty, but before they were lauded the nimble-fingered Philippino had done a fair day 's work in the ransacking line. Even the arsenal and hospitals were threatened, and those in charge of the latter must indeed have thought they had lit on hard times when the American marines landed. The Philippino they understood, but the American they seemed to regard as a monster of unknown possibilities. As our men landed they were met by a long pro- cession of priests and nuns wlio begged them not to massacre the wounded in the hospitals. The petition was incomprehensible until we got a copy of the governor-general's proclama- tion which he had issued before the fight. In this extraordinary document he had told the jteople that we who were coming were the ex- cresences of the world, that our favorite occupa- tion was the pillaging of clnirches and the sack of nunneries, that our favorite amusement was that of torturing our prisoners, aud that Avhen this failed us we turned our attention, as a sort of side entertainment, to the desecration of graveyards. In a word that we were a mixture of Frankenstein aud Moloch, compared to Avhich 92 ^Vith Dowey at Manila. the King of Benin of the City of Blood was a daisy-cropping lamb. When Ave saw the rows of wounded Spaniards laid out in the hospital and crowding the cathedral, we came to the conclusion that for gunners who had never been in action our men had done wonders. "We gathered an estimate, too, of the number of wounded which not even the Spanish official I'eports convinced us were excessive. The wounded were taken to Manila under the Red Cross, and since then we have been busy rendering Cavite habitable and clean. We have been busy, too, raising what guns we could, cleaning up the harbor and making things gen- erally ship-shape. We know, of course, that there is much yet to do. Spain's power in the Philippines has been crushed, but it has not been extinguished. The subjugation of Manila and the occupation of these islands, the deportation of the Spanish troo])s from the different posts at Boilo and Guam and the establishment of a new form of govern- ment, have all to be accomplished. There is much indeed to do and much help from the strong hands at home is needed to do it. And so it is that while we do not sit idly by, but find plenty of needed hard work in this hot and steamy bay, we keep our lights burning at night and our With Dewey at Manila. 93 eyes turned each moruing up to the Boca Grande, through which we know the big ships and the fighting men will come that shall enable us to finish well that great work which Dewey has so nobly begun. ADDENDUAV With Dewey at Manila. 97 KEAR-ADMIRAL DEWEY'S EECORD. Rear-Admiral George Dewey, like many an- other high officer in the United States Navy, was born and bred in the country, and knew little of the sea until after his appointment to a naval cadetship in 1854. He is a Vermonter by birth, and is accredited to that State in the records of the Naval Academy, at Annapolis. He was grad- uated in 1858 in a class which included a great number of young men who have since distin- guished themselves in the naval service. He first saw service aboard the old steam frigate Wabash, then attached to the Mediterranean squadron. A cruise of about one year in her well fitted him for the stirring work which time and events cutout for him at a little later period. He received his commission as lieutenant April 19, 18G1, and was immediately assigned to the steamship Mississippi, which had been attached to the West Gulf squadron. On that craft he got his first baptism of fire. The Mississippi was ^ a part of Farragut's fleet which forced an en- trance to the Mississippi Eiver, and afterward 98 With Dewey at Manila. ran between torrents of shot and shell just prior to the surrender of New Orleans. Nothing more daring was done on the water during the civil war than Admiral Tarragut's attempt to run past the formidable batteries at Tort Hudson. In the narrowest part of the channel heavy guns were mounted on both sides of the stream, and several of the invading ships in trying to force a passage almost scraped the muzzles of the guns. The Mississippi in the thick fog and smoke ran aground lower down. One of the enemy's batteries was close by, and from it within less than thirty minutes no less than two hundred and fifty solid shots were hurled at the helpless little sloop. tSeeing that there was no hope for them on board and that the Mississippi Avas being riddled from stem to stern, all hands took to the small boats, and most of them escaped to the shore opposite the bat- tery. Lieutenant Dewey was one of those who got awaj^ in safety. His next assignment was to the steam gun- boat Agawan, of the North Atlantic blockading squadron. He participated in several engage- ments below Donaldsouville, La., in July, 1S63, and in two of the memorable attacks on Fort Fisher, in December of the following year. He was commissioned lieutenant-commander With Dewe\' at :Manila. 90 March 3, I860, and attached to the European squadron, first serving on the Kearsarge and then on the flagship Colorado. Returning to tlie home station in 1868 he was ordered to report for duty at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He remained there one year and was then given command of the Narragansett, detailed for special service. April 13, 1872, he was commis- sioned as commander, and for three years was engaged in surveying in the Pacific. In 1876 he was appointed lighthouse inspector, and later became secretary of the Lighthouse Board. He commanded the Juniata on the Asiatic station in 1882, and in 1884 was promoted to be captain and phiced in charge of the Dolphin, one of the four ships Avhich formed the original "White Squadron." A year later he was in command of the Pensacola, of the European s(iuadrou, and continued at that post until 1888, when he be- came chief of the Bureau of Equipment and Recruiting. Feburary 28, 1896, he was commis- sioned as commodore, and at about the same time was made i)resideut of the Board of Inspec- tion and Survey. This place he held until he was given command of the Asiatic station. Altogether, Commodore Dewey has seen almost sixteen years of service at sea, while he has done duty on shore twenty-three and a half years. He 100 With Dewey at Manila. is one of tlie strictest disciplinarians in the navy, and for that reason is not overpopular with under officers and crew. Men who have served with him do not hesitate to say that he is a born strategist and fighter, a clear-headed and skillful commanding officer. He is a firm believer in the truth of the old maxim "Nothing venture, nothing have," and has always been ranked among the most daring of American naval officers. But with his readiness to take chances there has always been exhibited the saving quali- ties of good judgment and horse sense. No better man could have been found to undertake the task of annihilating the Spanish Asiatic squadron in its stronghold. Socially Commodore Dewey is much liked. He is one of the fines't-looking men in the navy, which is saying a great deal, and has sometimes been known as "Gentleman George." He is a great clubman and a huntsman of no mean repute. In riding to the hounds he has often distinguished himself, while as a daring horseman he probal)ly has no superior in this country. He is also an all-round athlete. He is a widower. He received the public thanks of the Congress of the United States May 10, and was promoted by the President to the rank of rear-admiral May 13. Acting Rear Admiral GEORGE DeweV Commander-in-Chief Commander B. P. Lamberter, Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant L. M. Brumby, Flag Lieutenant Ensign H. H. CAtDWEtL, Secretary OLYMPIA {Flagship) Captain, Charles V. Gridley Lieut. -Commander, S. C. Paine. Lieutenants : C. G. Calkins, V. S. Nelson, G. S. Morgan. S. M. Strite Ensigns: M. M. Taylor, F. B. Upham, W. P. Scott, A. G. Kavanagh, H. V. Butler. Med. Inspector, A. F. Price ; Passed Ass't Sur- geon, J. E. Page; Ass't Surgeon, C H. KindlE- BERGER ; Pay Inspector, D. A. Smith ; Chief En- gineer, J. EntwistlE; Ass't Engineer, E. H. DeLany ; Ass't Engineer, J. F. Marshall, Jr ; Chaplain. J. B. Frazier ; Captain of Marines, W. P. Biddle; Gunner, L. J. G. Kuhlwein; Carpen- ter, W. Macdonald; Acting Boatswain, E. J. NORCOTT TIIl'l r.OSTON Captain, F. \Vii,dhs Lieut. -Coinniaiuler, J. A. Norris Lieutenants: J. Gibson W. L. Howard Ensigns: S. S. Robinson L. H. EVERHART J. S. Doddridge Surgeon, M. H. Crawford; Ass't Surgeon, R. S. Balkeman; Paymaster, J. R. Martin; Chief Engineer, G. B. Ransom; Ass't Engineer, I,. J. James; First Lieut. of-Ma'^ines, R McM. DrTToN; Gunner, J. C Evans; Carpenter, I. H. IIlI.TON. U. S. STEAMSHIP RALEIGH Captain, J. B. Coghlan Lieut. -Commander, F. Singer Lieutenants: W. Winder B. Tappan H. Rodman C. B. Morgan Ensigns: F. L. Chidwick P. Babin Surgeon, E. H. Marstei.i.Er; Ass't Surgeon, D. N. Carpenter; Passed Ass't Paymaster, S. R. Heap; Chief Engineer, F. H. Bailey; Passed Ass't Engineer, A. S. Halstead ; Ass't Engineer, J. R. Brady; First Lieut, of Marines, T. C. Treadwell; Acting Gunner, G. D. John- stone ; Acting Carpenter, T. E. K11.EV. U. S. STEAMSHIP BAL TIMORE Captain, N. M. Dyer Lieut. -Commander, G. Blocklinger Lieutenants: W. Braunersreuther F. W. Kellogg J. M. Ellicott C. S. Stan WORTH Ensigns G. H. Havward M. J. McCORMACK U. E. Irwin Naval Cadets, D. W. WURTSBAUGH, I. Z. Wettensoll, cm. Tozer, T. a. Karney; Passed Ass't Surgeon, F. A. Heiseler ; Ass't Surgeon, R. K. Smith ; Pay Inspector, E. Bellows; Chief Engineer, A. C. Engard; Ass't Engineers, H. B. Price, H. I. CONE ; Naval Cadet (engineer), C. P. BuRT; Chaplain, T. S. K. Freeman ; First Lieut, of Marines, D. Williams; Acting Boatswain, H. R. Brayton; Gunner, L. J. Connelly; Acting Gunner, L. J. Waller; Carpenter, O. B.\Th. THE CONCORD V Commander, A. S. Wai,keR Lieut-Commander, G. P. CoLVOCORESES Lieutenants: T. B. Howard P. W. HOURIGAN Ensigns: L. A, KiSER W. C. Davidson O. S. Knepper Passed Ass't Surgeon, R. G. Broderick ; Passed Ass't Paymaster, E. D. Ryan; Chief Engineer, Richard Inch ; Passed Ass't En- gineer, H. W. Jones; Assisiant Engineer, Ei H. Dunn. THE PETREL Commander, E. P. Wood Lieutenants: E. M. Hughes B. A. FiSKE A. N. Wood C. P. Plunkett Ensigns: G. L. Fermier W. S. Montgomery Passed Ass't Surgeon, C. D. Brownell ; Assistant Paymaster, G. G. Siebei,LS ; Passed Assistant Engineer, R. T. Hai,!,. ^ ^ "^f. ^ * fSH2^ • "^ ^ *-i^ ^°-^*. ^^' ♦ *«. •• <■ 'K .'^•y v^^*/ V'^v ""^-^-^'Z V '^. .v^.!k-i%V y.^iS;:.'^* .^\.;i-i:.X >'.:iS»;:..^ \/ 'bV" iP-^K • ^v \>.*= ^*'\ .0^ ^ 3^ o«"** •*•-.