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ALTEAUS' *jOUN6 PdOPLC'S LIBRARY 
 
 Young Peoples' History 
 
 or THE 
 
 War with spain 
 
 BY 
 
 PRESCOTT HOLMES 
 
 VITH niGMTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Copyripht 1900 by Henry Altemus Company 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 nONRY ALTEA\US COA\PANY 
 
 : 
 

 
 
INTKODUCTOEY. 
 
 THE brief war between the United States and Spain 
 was the outgrowth of the humanity of the Ameri- 
 can people and their love of fair play. They did 
 not stand idly by when Spain was literally starving the 
 people of Cuba into subjection to her will, but freely and 
 generously sent food, medicine and clothing to the suf- 
 ferers. 
 
 When Spain^s cruelty to the Cubans became intoler- 
 able to the civilized world, the United States intervened 
 in the name of humanity and right, and demanded that 
 the oppression should cease. Spain resented this, and the 
 war followed. 
 
 Much has been said and written regarding our con- 
 duct of the war, and the grave scandals that arose from 
 it ; but it is not the purpose of this volume to discuss these 
 other than to say that, the work of the navy was clean 
 and beyond question, while it is clear to every one that 
 there was gross mismanagement on the part of army 
 officials. 
 
6 
 
 Introduction, 
 
 The army performed as splendid achievements as the 
 navy, but did it under much greater difficulties. Regu- 
 lars and volunteers fought side by side, and equally de- 
 serve our praise ; but they were corralled in filthy camps, 
 stowed between the dirty decks of crowded transports, 
 and despatched to Cuba in a manner of which a cattle 
 shipper would be ashamed. They were flung against the 
 ingenious defences of the Spaniards, cold, wet and hun- 
 gry, and to their indomitable spirit alone we owe the 
 victories in Cuba. 
 
 The boys and girls of America cannot fail to be deeply 
 interested in the story of the splendid deeds of our army 
 and navy in the year of our Lord 1898, and it is for them 
 that this history has been prepared. 
 
YOUNG PEOPLES' HISTORY OF THE 
 WAR WITH SPAIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CAUSE OF THE WAR. 
 
 0!N^ April 21st, 1898, a war began between the 
 United States and Spain. All the other coun- 
 tries of the world felt an interest in it, but did not 
 take any part in it. They were what we call " neutral " 
 — that is, they did not help either side. 
 
 As soon as the war was proclaimed a great wave of 
 excitement swept through the United States, from shore 
 to shore. Flags were hung out in every city and town; 
 thousands of men offered to serve in the army — -volun- 
 teers they were called; and many persons offered to help 
 in other ways. The people were not glad that war had 
 begun, but they felt that their country was doing right, 
 and that they ought to support her efforts. 
 
8 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 And what was the cause of the war? Spain, a large 
 country across the Atlantic Ocean, in the southwestern 
 part of Europe, OAvned some of the islands, called " West 
 Indies,'' near the United States. Spain had been unjust 
 and cruel to the people living in one of these islands, 
 
 for many years. Several times 
 the unhappy islanders tried to 
 drive the Spanish from the 
 island, and set up a government 
 of their own, but Spain sent so 
 many soldiers there that they 
 could not get their freedom. 
 They fought bravely, however, 
 but matters kept getting worse 
 and worse, and at last Spain sent 
 a very cruel general to take 
 charge of affairs in the island. His name was 
 "VYeyler, and he determxined to conquer the islanders. 
 After a while he found he could not do it by fight- 
 ing them, so he sent his soldiers to drive those who 
 were not fighting away from their homes and farms 
 and make them live in or near the large cities. When 
 he had done this, the people had no way to earn money 
 to buy food for themselves and their families, and soon 
 they began to get sick and to die of starvation. The 
 cruel Weyler would not give them anything to eat, and 
 so they died by thousands. 
 
 "When this dreadful state of affairs became known 
 
of the War with Spain, 9 
 
 in the United States, kind people sent several ship-loads 
 of food and medicines and clothing to the sufferers. 
 This did a great deal of good, but all the poor people 
 could not be reached and they continued to die. Finally, 
 the United States told Spain that she ought not to have 
 such a cruel man at the head of affairs, and after a while 
 Spain sent another general to take his place. This new 
 governor's name was Blanco, and he really tried to help 
 the poor people, but Spain had very little money to send 
 him to buy food for them, and so they went on dying. 
 The soldiers, too, were in a very bad condition; they 
 had not been paid for a great many months; they did 
 not have enough to eat, and so they too sickened and 
 died by thousands. You can see that unless something 
 was done to help the poor people, they would all die 
 and their beautiful island would become a wilderness. 
 
 Besides being very proud, Spain was very poor. She 
 had spent millions of dollars trying to conquer the 
 islanders, and had no money to buy food for the suffer.ers 
 that she had driven from their homes and huddled like 
 cattle in yards and gloomy inclosures. So she asked 
 the United States to help feed them, and the Red Cross 
 Society, of which I will tell you later, sent hundreds of 
 tons of food, medicines and clothing to them. These 
 supplies were distributed by competent persons, and the 
 relief was very great, but very soon some of the Span- 
 iards began to say that the United States had no busi- 
 ness to interfere in the affairs of the island, and to stir 
 
10 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 up tlie people. The feeling became so strong that our 
 representative, Consnl-General Lee, notified the author- 
 ities in the United States that, the lives and property of 
 American citizens living in the island were not safe. 
 It was for this reason that the battleship Maine was sent 
 
 to Havana, the chief 
 city of the island. I 
 v;ill tell you about this 
 ship later. 
 
 Well, in spite of all 
 that the United States 
 had done to help Spain, 
 matters grew worse, 
 and finally the United 
 States was obliged to 
 tell Spain that, unless 
 she took her soldiers 
 away from the island 
 and let the people gov- 
 ern themselves, she 
 would help them to be- 
 come a free and independent nation. When Spain re- 
 ceived this message, she regarded it as a declaration of 
 war, and both sides prepared for the conflict. 
 
 But before telling you about the war, shall I tell you 
 something about the island and the group to which it 
 belongs ? 
 
 The island is called Cuba. It belongs to a large 
 
12 Young People* s History 
 
 group of islands known as the West Indies; a changed 
 form of the old name, AVest Indias, given by Christopher 
 Columbus, who thought that by sailing westward he had 
 reached islands off the shore of India. If you look 
 on a map of the Western Hemisphere, you will find the 
 West Indies between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic 
 Ocean. 
 
 Most of these islands are high and rocky, seeming like 
 a chain of mountains in the ocean, w-ith their tops above 
 the waves. They are in the tropical regions, and the 
 climate is very hot in the lowdands and on the coasts, 
 but is delightful in the high parts all the year round. 
 There are only two seasons — wet and dry. The rainy 
 season begins in the spring or early summer, and lasts 
 about six months. 
 
 What grows in these islands? Delicious fruits: man- 
 goes, oranges, cocoanuts, limes, pineapples, and bananas; 
 many other valuable crops: coffee, tobacco, maize, rice, 
 sugar-cane, and cotton; immense forests of mahogany and 
 other valuable trees. This beautiful vegetation makes 
 these lands fair to look upon. Then, too, there are many 
 birds with gorgeous plumage. The islands have gold, 
 silver, copper, and iron mines; there are quarries of mar- 
 ble; and some kinds of precious stones are found. 
 
 But this region is not a paradise. Snakes and other 
 horrid things crawl among the beautiful trees and foliage, 
 and poisonous insects swarm in every place. Earthquake 
 shocks are often felt, and fearful hurricanes sweep over 
 the islands nearly every year, doing much damage. 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 13 
 
 A gentle race of Indians dwelt in these islands at the 
 time of their discovery, but the Spanish settlers treated 
 the natives so cruelly that after a fev^ years they had 
 ceased to exist. Many of the Indians were sent to 
 Spain and other countries and sold as slaves; the 
 rest were made to work in the mines, and as the In- 
 dians had never been 
 used to such work, 
 they died from the 
 hard labor. In later 
 times some of the 
 islands were bought 
 from Spain, others 
 were captured, others 
 were gained by treaty, 
 by the nations to whom 
 they now belong. 
 
 At the beginning of 
 the war between the 
 United States and 
 Spain, in 1898, Cuba, 
 as I have already said, 
 belonged to Spain. 
 
 Spain owned another large island, Puerto Hico, which we 
 call Porto Rico, a name meaning " rich port." But I need 
 not say anything more about Porto Rico at present. 
 
 Cuba is the largest and most valuable of the West 
 India Islands. It was discovered by Columbus about 
 
14 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 two weeks after his first landing at San Salvador. Ac- 
 cording to his custom, he gave it a Spanish name, but 
 somehow the old name clung to it, and to-day the whole 
 \^ orld knows the island bj its native Indian name, Cuba. 
 On account of its position, it is often called the "Key to 
 the Gulf of Mexico;" and Havana, the capital, has a key 
 upon its coat of arms. Cuba looks very small upon our 
 maps, yet it contains nearly as much land as the State of 
 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Perhaps I should 
 tell you just here that 
 Spain is a kingdom. 
 Its ruler. King Al- 
 fonso XIL, died in 
 1885. His widow. 
 Queen Christina, has 
 ruled since then, but 
 her son will be crowned 
 king as soon as he is 
 old enough. The 
 " little king," as he is 
 often called, was twelve 
 years old when this 
 war began. Queen 
 Christina is a good and 
 noble woman, and it is not her fault that the people in 
 distant islands have been badlv treated. 
 
of the War with Spain, 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE " MAINE." 
 
 BEFORE the United States joined in the war, 
 the Cubans had succeeded in driving the 
 Spaniards out of many places in the east- 
 ern part of the island, but could not get posses- 
 sion of the western part and the chief harbors. We 
 have seen that the war between the United States and 
 Spain began in April, 1898. But, two months before 
 that time something happened in the harbor of Havana, 
 the capital of Cuba, which caused terrible excitement in 
 our country. You must understand that many persons 
 bclono-ino; to the United States have business in Cuba, 
 own property there, and even live there. Though these 
 Americans did not take part with the Cubans against 
 Spain, yet it seemed sometimes as if they were in danger 
 on account of the disturbance in the island. So our 
 country decided to send one of our battle-ships — a man- 
 of-war — to stay awhile in the chief harbor of Cuba, so 
 that the Americans might feel safer by having such a 
 ship to help them if they should need help, as I have told 
 you. Spain made no objections to this plan, and said 
 she would send a ship in return to visit 'New York. 
 The ship chosen from our navy was the Maine, com- 
 
16 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 nianded by Captain Sigsbee. On January 25tli, early 
 m tlie morning of a bright warm day, tbe Maine, with all 
 ber colors flying, and "vvitb all ber men dressed in tbeir 
 best clotbes, drew near tbe barbor of Havana. A Span- 
 ish pilot went ont to meet ber, took her carefully through 
 the narrow entrance to the fine harbor, and anchored 
 
 1 
 
 U. S. Battlesliip "]Vlame.'» 
 her near some other ships. Though the entrance is nar- 
 row, yet the harbor itself is large enough to accommodate 
 a thousand ships. The entrance is guarded by several 
 fortresses, one of which, called ^'Morro Castle," is nearly 
 three hundred years old. It stands on a high point of 
 land, and for this reason is called "Morro,'' a name that 
 means in Spanish, headland, or promontory. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 17 
 
 Ko doubt the place seemed very attractive to the men 
 on board the Maine that bright sunny morning. The 
 new part of Havana is pretty, the old part is quaint and 
 interesting. There are a number of famous build- 
 
 Morro Castle, Havana. 
 
 ings, one of which is the Cathedral, where the remains 
 of Columbus were treasured at that time, but they have 
 since been removed to Spain. All the buildings are low, 
 for low buildings are the fashion in countries that are 
 
18 Young People^s History 
 
 subject to earthquakes; tliey are built of stone, and gen- 
 erally adorned with bright colors. There are wide ave- 
 nues, and large parks and gardens. 
 
 If you should visit Havana, you would see many cur- 
 ious sights. All the houses, hotels and stores have iron- 
 barred windows, which gives one the impression that the 
 inmates are confined there. Many houses have large 
 gates which open into beautiful gardens and court yards. 
 Some of the streets have very funny names, such as 
 " Ladies' Delight," and " Fat Stick," when the Spanish 
 names are translated into our language; and they have 
 bright-colored awnings stretched across, from side to side. 
 
 The fish market is one of the most noted buildings in 
 the city. It has one long marble table running the en- 
 tire length of the building, which has one end open to 
 the harbor. Poultry and fruits are brought to the doors 
 of the houses in baskets which are carried on donkeys 
 or the little horses of the country. Often you can see 
 what looks like a large bunch of grass, slowly moving 
 over the pavements, but as it gets nearer you will see 
 the head of a donkey sticking out of one side, while 
 his tail alone is visible on the other side. This is the 
 way that food for horses and mules is brought into the 
 city; no hay is used, only green feed. Tne milkman 
 does not call at the house, as w^ith us, but instead drives 
 his cow up to the door and supplies you dir^^ct from 
 her with as much milk as you wish to buy. Cuarcoal ia 
 almost the only fuel used in cooking, and the ranges look 
 
20 Young People^s History 
 
 like benclies placed against the walls with holes in the 
 tops of them. But we must return to the battleship 
 Maine. 
 
 There was no special work for the Maine to do; she was 
 simply to stay in the harbor till further orders. The 
 Spanish officers called on Captain Sigsbee, and he re- 
 turned their visits, according to the rules that naval offi- 
 cers of all countries are bound to observe. Yet it was 
 easy for the men of the Maine to see that they were not 
 welcome guests. The Maine had twenty-six officers, and 
 a crew of three hundred and twenty-eight men. With 
 her guns, ammunition, and other valuable stores, she was 
 worth $5,000,000. She had been three years in service, 
 having left the Brooklyn navy-yard in November, 1895. 
 
 The evening of February 15th, 1898, was dark and sul- 
 try. At eight o'clock Captain Sigsbee received the re- 
 ports from the different officers of the ship that eYerj 
 tiling was secure for the night. At ten minutes after 
 nine the bugler sounded " taps," the signal for " turning 
 in," and soon the ship was quiet. At forty minutes after 
 nine a sharp explosion was heard, then a loud, long, roar- 
 ing sound, mingled with the noise of falling timbers; 
 the electric lights went out, the ship was lifted up, and 
 then she began to sink. The Captain and some of the 
 other officers groped their way to the deck, hardly know- 
 ing what had happened. They could do nothing; the 
 ship was sinking fast, and was on fire in several places. 
 The fdrce of the explosion was so great that it threw 
 
of the T7ar with Spain. 
 
 21 
 
 Captain Sigsbee out of his cabin, where lie sat writing a 
 letter, and against William Anthony, a marine who was 
 on duty as a sentry. As coolly as though nothing had 
 happened, Anthony saluted the Captain and then said: 
 
 " Sir, I have the 
 honor to inform you 
 that the ship has been 
 blown up and is sink- 
 ing/' 
 
 Small boats came 
 out from the other 
 ships, and rescued 
 many men from the 
 Maine. The Spaniards 
 helped the sufferers in 
 every possible way, 
 taking them to the hos- 
 pitals in Havana, where 
 they received the best 
 care that the hospitab 
 could give. 
 
 In that awful destruction of the Maine, two officers 
 and two hundred and fifty-four of the crew were lost. 
 Several of those who were rescued, died afterward. 
 
 The next day divers went down into the water to see 
 what they could find in the wreck, and nineteen dead 
 bodies were brought up. The Spanish officers of Hav- 
 ana asked Captain Sigsbee to permit the city to give the 
 men a public funeral; and a plot of ground in Colon 
 
 Z — IVar with Spain 
 
22 Young People^ s History 
 
 Cemetery, outside the city, was given to the United 
 States free of expense forever. The day of the funeral 
 all the flags were put at ^' half mast/' as a sign of mourn- 
 ing, and the stores were closed. Crowds of people joined 
 the long funeral procession. 
 
 In the latter part of the year 1899, however, the Maine 
 dead were brought from Havana by the battleship Texas, 
 then commanded by Captain Sigsbee, formerly of the 
 Maine. They were laid away in Arlington Cemetery, 
 near Washington, on December 28th, with simple re- 
 ligious services and the honors of war, in the presence of 
 the President of the United States and his Cabinet, offi- 
 cers of the army and navy, and many other spectators. 
 
 Besides Captain Sigsbee and Father Chidwick, who 
 was chaplain of the Maine at the time she was blown up, 
 three others who lived through that awful night were 
 present. They were Lieutenant Commander Wain- 
 wright, who was the executive officer of the Maine and 
 who afterwards sank the Furor and Pluton at Santiago; 
 Lieutenant F. C. Bowers, formerly assistant engineer of 
 the Maine; and Jeremiah Shea, a fireman of the Maine, 
 who was blown out of the stoke-hole of the ship through 
 the wreckage. 
 
 After three volleys had been fired over the dead, and 
 the bugles had rung out the soldiers' and sailors' last 
 good night. Captain Sigsbee introduced Shea to President 
 McKinley. Being asked for an explanation of his es- 
 cape, he responded, as he had done to Father Chidwick 
 
24 Young People^s History 
 
 when lie visited him in the hospital in Havana, where he 
 lay covered with wounds and bruises, and with nearly 
 every bone in his body broken: 
 
 " I don't know how I got through. I was blown out. 
 I guess I must have been an armor-piercing projectile!" 
 
 The work of saving the guns and other valuable 
 things on the Maine was carried on for some time. 
 Among other things that the divers recovered was a 
 splendid silver service that had been presented to the 
 ship by the state of Maine. The keys to the magazines 
 w^ere found in their proper places in the captain's cabin, 
 and his money and papers were also recovered. Finally, 
 it was found that the hull of the great ship could not be 
 raised, and in April the United States flag, that had been 
 kept flying above the wreck since the night of the fatal 
 explosion, was hauled down and the ship formally de- 
 clared out of commission. 
 
 Of course, the awful disaster caused deep sorrow in 
 the United States. There was great excitement also, for 
 many persons thought that some of the Spaniards had 
 wrecked the Maine on purpose. The harbor was full of 
 " mines " or immense iron shells filled with stuff that will 
 explode. All countries at war protect their harbors in 
 this way. 
 
 President McKinley appointed men to examine the 
 wreck and find out all they could about the explosion. 
 They found that the ship was destroyed by a " mine," 
 but could not prove that the Spaniards had purposely 
 caused the " mine " to explode. 
 
26 Young People^ s History 
 
 So there will always be a mystery connected with the 
 horrible destruction of the Maine. 
 
 On April 10th, Consul-General Lee and such Amer- 
 icans as wished to do so, left Havana and returned to the 
 United States. From that time on, it seemed to the peo- 
 ple of the United States that war with Spain was inevit- 
 able, and preparations for it were carried on rapidly. 
 On April 19th — w^hich, by the way, was the anniversary 
 of the first battle of the war of the Revolution and also 
 of the Civil War — Congress declared that the United 
 States must interfere in the affairs of Cuba and help the 
 Cubans to become a free and prosperous people. This 
 declaration was signed by President McKinley on the fol- 
 lowing day, and then our minister to Spain, Mr. Wood- i 
 ford, was instructed to tell the Spanish government wliat 
 had been done, and also what would be done, if Spain did 
 not promise before the 23d to withdraw her soldiers 
 from Cuba and give up the island to the Cubans. 
 
 The message was sent by one of the submarine cables 
 which connects America with Europe, and the operator 
 who received it told the Spanish officials about it before 
 sending it to its destination. So, before Mr. Woodford 
 could deliver his message, the Spanish government sent 
 him his passports, which was a polite hint to leave the 
 country, and he did so, at once. This action on the part 
 of Spain was virtually a declaration of w^ar, and was so 
 * regarded by the President and the people of this country. 
 On the 22d, a blockade of Cuban ports was established 
 by tlie navy, and a Spanish ship was captured. 
 
of the ^Yar with Spain. 
 
 27 
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 
 THE BLOCKADE. 
 
 I HAVE already told you that the Cubans, in their re- 
 bellion, bad driven the Spaniards out of many places 
 in Cuba, but had not been able to get possession of 
 the chief harbors. So 
 now it was thought 
 best that our ships 
 should blockade the 
 large harbors of Cuba. 
 Do you know what 
 blockade means? It 
 means to surround a 
 place held by the 
 enemy, and stay there, 
 doing any damage that 
 can be done, cutting 
 the enemy off from 
 outside help, and so, 
 in time, if he is not 
 strong enough to break 
 the blockade, he must surrender, as his supply of food 
 will give out. 
 
 On the morning of April 22d, a squadron under the 
 
28 Young People^ s History 
 
 command of Acting Rear-iy^lmiral Sampson sailed from 
 Key West to establish a blockade of the most important 
 Cnban ports. The ships which were to be stationed 
 off Havana reached that port on the same day; others 
 were sent to different ports along the coast, and so the 
 blockade was begun. 
 
 All kinds of vessels were employed in this blockading 
 service. There w^ere huge battleships, splendid cruisers, 
 and gunboats that could go into shallower waters than 
 the large ships. There were also monitors — immense 
 fighting machines with decks but a little height above 
 the w^ater and big guns in circular turrets. Then there 
 were torpedo boats — very swift vessels armed with 
 deadly torpedoes, any one of which could sink the largest 
 ship afloat. 
 
 Some of our large pasisenger steamships had been 
 appropriated by the Government for war service, and 
 did good work for the blockade, as they can move very 
 fast. They flew about from place to place as " scouts " 
 or " spies " ; they carried messages ; they cut the Spanish 
 cables under w^ater, asd Avere useful in other ways. 
 
 The gunboat ]^ashville sailed from Key West with 
 the squadron, and before the sim had fairly risen she 
 saw the smoke of a steamer away off to the westward. 
 She gave chase at once, and, as the vessels drew near, 
 the stranger was flying the flag of Spain. The Nashville 
 fired a shot across her bows, and this was the first shot in 
 the war between the United States and Spain. The 
 Spaniard was not inclined to stop, and it required another 
 
of the War with Spain. 29 
 
 sliot before she would stop her engines. The ISTashville 
 sent an officer in a boat to inform the steamer that she 
 was a prize to the United States. She was found to be a 
 Spanish merchantman, the Buena Ventura, and was sent 
 in charge of a prize-crew to Key West. During the 
 next thirty days, many other Spanish ships, with cargoes 
 worth millions of dollars, were captured by different ves- 
 sels of the navy. A few were released, but the larger 
 part were condemned by a prize-court and sold. 
 
 The first action of the war was a small affair, but I 
 shall mention it, as it was much talked about at the time. 
 It took place on April 27th, a few days after our ships 
 had begun the blockade. The Spaniards were building 
 new forts at Matanzas, a port about sixty miles east of 
 Havana. With the exception of Havana, Mantanzas 
 has the finest harbor on the northern coast of Cuba. 
 The city itself lies between two sm.all rivers and contains 
 many beautiful homes. The liouscs are often decorated 
 with colored tiles, and with their luxuriant gardens make 
 a charming picture against the background of liills that 
 rise beyond the beautiful valley of the Yumurri, which 
 is one of the loveliest spots in Cuba. In t'mes of pea-e 
 the exports of sugar and molasses from Mantanzas have 
 been very large, but the Cuban army burned many of 
 the finest plantations in the district. 
 
 The ships that engaged the new forts that the Span- 
 iards were adding to the castle of San Severino and other 
 defences of Mantanzas, were the flag-ship E'ew York, the 
 
30 Young People^s History 
 
 monitor Puritan, and the cruiser Cincinnati. The 
 Spaniards fired the first gun, and then the Xew York took 
 up a position between two batteries and delivered broad- 
 sides right and left. Then the Puritan's big guns came 
 into play, and then the Cincinnati poured a stream of 
 shells into the forts. It did not take long to knock the 
 Spanish defences into sand-heaps — only about half an 
 hour — and then the American ships stood out to sea. 
 As they were doing so, the Spaniards fired one more 
 shot. The Puritan had the range and sent a twelve- 
 inch shell in reply. It was one of the best shots of the 
 war. It struck the Spanish gun fairly, dismounted it, 
 and then burst, throwing the sand high in the air. The 
 Spanish account of the engagement stated that no dam- 
 age whatever was done, except the killing of one mule ! 
 
 Great excitement and great anxiety were caused by 
 the news that a large and powerful fleet was coming 
 from Spain. Our Government could not tell whether 
 these ships would come to a Spanish port in the West 
 Indies, or whether they would attack one of our large 
 cities on the Atlantic coast. We had not ships enough 
 to protect all our ports as well as to blockade Cuba, so 
 much care was needed to make good plans, and our naval 
 officers were kept busy. It was most important to watch 
 for the Spanish ships. 
 
 The "CapeYerde"fleet, as the Spanish shipswere called, 
 troubled the Kavy Department of the United States day 
 and night. They knew that it sailed from the Cape 
 
32 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 Yer(^e Islands in the latter part of April, but tliat was 
 about all they did know regarding it. At last it w^as 
 seen off the Island of Martinique and then it was lost 
 again. It was next heard from at Curacoa, an island in 
 the Caribbean Sea, off the north coast of Venezuela, 
 
 U. S. Battleship ''Oregon.*' 
 
 but before the American ships could reach it, the 
 Spanish admiral had coaled and provisioned his ships at 
 Willemstad, the chief city on the island, and was off 
 again to sea. 
 
 There was some reason to think that the Spanish fleet 
 might catch our great battle-ship Oregon, coming as fast 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 33 
 
 as it could to the Eastern Coast. I must take time to 
 tell you about the Oregon. Shortly before the war be- 
 gan, the Oregon was in the Pacific Ocean; but when she 
 received a message to come to an Atlantic port, to be 
 ready for war with Spain, she took coal at San Francisco 
 and started — March 19th — on her long voyage. She 
 went south through the Pacific Ocean, east through the 
 Strait of Magellan, and then turned northward into the 
 Atlantic Ocean. Then the closest watch was kept for 
 the enemy; the guns 
 were always ready, the 
 lights were covered 
 every night. Though 
 Captain Clark did not 
 know that war had 
 really begun before 
 that time, still he knew 
 that there was danger. 
 On May 24th the Ore- 
 gon arrived at a port in 
 Florida, having come 
 14,000 miles, through 
 all kinds of weather, in 
 two months' time, 
 without breaking any- 
 thing about the ship. So the Spaniards did not catch the 
 Oregon, but later in the year she helped to catch them. 
 When the Oregon arrived at Jupiter Inlet, Florida, 
 
34 Young People^ s History 
 
 she was as able to figlit or to run as on the day she was 
 pnt into commission. When she left San Francisco she 
 had nine hundred tons of coal on board. During the 
 voyage she consumed almost four thousand tons. Cal- 
 lao was the first port where the Oregon stopped. From 
 there she ran down the Pacific coast, and after passing 
 through the straits sailed up the eastern coast of South 
 America to Rio Janeiro, where she was notified by the 
 American consul that the United States and Spain were 
 really at war. There were now two other American war- 
 ships at Rio. The gunboat Marietta had joined the Ore- 
 gon near the straits, and the Buffalo, which the United 
 States had bought from Brazil, was waiting for them at 
 Rio. I will let Captain Clark tell you the story of the 
 remainder of the voyage, in his own way: 
 
 " Several long cablegrams were exchanged between the 
 Government and myself. Xothing whatever in the way 
 of instructions was issued that would hamper me or in 
 any way abridge my responsibility for bringing the Ore- 
 gon home. We sailed from Rio on May 4. I decided, 
 when we had been at sea a little while, to leave the Buf- 
 falo and the Marietta to shift for themselves. They were 
 so slow that I feared the Oregon might be late in arriving 
 where she was most needed. I left these ships off Cape 
 Frio, one hundred miles above Rio, after signaling them, 
 ^ Come to Bahia, or run ashore if attacked by overwhelm- 
 ing force.' I reached Bahia on the 8th, but we were told 
 to ^ Come on.' We sailed next morning, and this run to 
 
of the \Yar with Spain, 35 
 
 Barbadoes was the most thrilling of the entire voyage. 
 We steamed absolutely without a light. 
 
 " Indeed, the entire trip from Sandy Point to Jupiter 
 Inlet was a lightless voyage. In pitchlike darkness we 
 drove along at our highest speed — seeing lights many 
 times, but always avoiding the ships that bore them. , We 
 were out of court. We had no right of Avay without a 
 light. Even if we met a vessel on our port, we gave way. 
 
 " Night and day the men stood at the guns. Not for 
 a single moment was vigilance relaxed. The strain on 
 the men was terrible. For four days at a time hammocks 
 were never strung. Watch and watch about, the men 
 lay beside the guns, sound asleep, while the men on duty 
 stood silently above them. All the lookouts were 
 doubled and changed with unusual frequency. 
 
 " Barbadoes was reached just before daylight, May 
 18, and after rushing two hundred and fifty tons of coal 
 aboard, we sailed the same evening. Still the orders 
 read, ' Come on.' From our consul I learned that Cer- 
 vera's fleet was at Martinique, just to the north of us. 
 This fleet had been extolled for speed and fighting quali- 
 ties. I am not a rash man. I was not looking for that 
 fleet. The situation seemed critical. Sailing just before 
 dark, I headed northwest, apparently into the heart of 
 the Caribbean Sea. This information, I have no doubt, 
 was promptly communicated to Admiral Cervera. But 
 as soon as the darkness of a moonless night had thor- 
 oughly set in, I changed the course to due south, and ran 
 
36 Young People's History 
 
 below Barbadoes and thence far to the eastward before 
 I took the Oregon to the nortliward. "We thus passed far 
 to sea east of Martiniqne, and eventually turned into the 
 north Atlantic beyond St. Thomas. I carefully avoided 
 the AYindward Channel and the shallow waters of the 
 Bahamas. 
 
 " I didn't know where the Department wanted to use 
 me. I was in the dark as to the location of the two fleets. 
 I knew one had been at Hampton Eoads and another at 
 Key "West, and the charts told me that Jupiter Inlet was 
 in telegraphic reach of all points on the coast. From that 
 place I had coal enough to make the run to either of the 
 two fleets." 
 
 With scarcely a day's delay, the Oregon joined the 
 Korth Atlantic Squadron, in Cuban waters, and was one 
 of the vessels under Commodore Schley when that officer 
 trapped the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago. 
 
 When we think of the oflicers and men on the decks of 
 a warship, we must not forget the force of men below 
 the decks. The engineers, firemen and stokers do as good 
 work, and are entitled to as much praise, as the fighting 
 force above. In battle they are kept under the hatches, 
 and, as a rule, never know of the progress or the result of 
 a fight until it closes. They work in a temperature of 
 from one hundred to one hundred and fifty degrees, by 
 half-hour stretches. The roaring furnaces make the fire- 
 rooms almost beyond a man's power to endure, and we 
 should give a great deal of our praise to the brave fellows 
 w^ho make the power that moves the ship. 
 
.?-^«r ivith Spain 
 
 The Men Who Wake the 
 
 Power. 
 
 37 
 
38 Young People^ s History 
 
 You know that we saw in the first chapter, that Spain 
 owned another large isLand some miles east of Cuba — ■ 
 an island called Porto Eico. 
 
 This island was sighted by Columbus on Xovember 
 16, 1493, and, three days later, he anchored in one of 
 its bays. In 1510, and again a year later. Ponce de 
 Leon visited the island and established a settlement, to 
 wdiich he gave the name of San Juan Bautista. Spain 
 did not always hold it peaceably, however, for at differ- 
 ent times the Dutch and the English tried to take it from 
 her. The people of the island used to be terribly annoyed 
 by pirates and buccaneers, but that was a long time 
 ago. 
 
 The Spanish used to call San Juan the ^' Eich Port of 
 John the Baptist,'' and it was a great source of profit to 
 them for nearly four hundred years. Ponce is the largest 
 city in the island, but San Juan has the advantage of a 
 large, protected harbor. Like Havana and Santiago, San 
 Juan has its Morro Castle, and within its walls are the 
 buildings of a small military town, — houses for troops, 
 a chapel, bake-house, and guard-room, with dungeons 
 down by the sea, and underneath it. 
 
 The city of San Juan lies upon an island connected 
 with the mainland by a bridge and a causeway. The 
 streets are narrow, the houses are low, mostly of a single 
 story, and are built in the old-fashioned Spanish style, 
 with thick walls around the courtyard. The fronts are 
 ugly and are painted all sorts of brilliant colors — pink. 
 
Palace and Sea-wall, San Juan, Porto Rico. 
 
40 Young People^s History 
 
 blue, purple and yellow. There are heavy shutters in 
 the windows for protection, but there are no panes of 
 glass in the town. Behind the gloomy walls are splendid 
 gardens and courtyards, with splashing fountains, shaded 
 by palms. The city contains a cathedral, a theatre, a 
 city hall, the Governor-General's palace, and several fine 
 churches, and in the center is quite a large park, with 
 concrete walks and seats, as with us. There is no turf, 
 however. All around this park the market women gather 
 every morning, selling poultry, eggs, vegetables and 
 flowers, and in the evening there is music by a military 
 band. 
 
 It was thought that the Spanish fleet, which had 
 caused our Government so much anxiety, might go to 
 San Juan, the captital of the island, and so, before the 
 Oregon arrived, and before any of the Spanish ships 
 had been seen, Admiral Sampson -took some of his ves- 
 sels from Cuba to Porto Rico in hope of meeting Ad- 
 miral Cervera, the Spanish commander, and his fleet. 
 Our ships reached San Juan in the evening of May lltli, 
 but could see nothing of the Spanish ships. Xext morn- 
 ing our ships fired upon the forts guarding the harbor, 
 to try the strength of the enemy. But finding the forts 
 stronger than he thought they were. Admiral Sampson 
 drew off his fleet. He could not spare the time, or spend 
 his powder and shells, upon San Juan then. The im- 
 portant thing to do was to find the Spanish fleet. So 
 Admiral Sampson again sailed toward Havana. 
 
of the War with Spain. 41 
 
 Tlie two ports on tlie nortliern coast of Cuba that 
 seemed most likely to attract the Spanish fleet were 
 Havana and Matanzas. There was one port on the 
 southern coast that seemed to be a good one for the Span- 
 ish fleet — the port of Cienfuegos. So our ships continued 
 the blockade of Havana and Matanzas, and now Com- 
 modore Schlej was sent with several vessels to watch 
 Cienfuegos. 
 
 The citj of Cienfuegos is situated some distance back 
 from the sea, in a harbor wdiiclf winds and twists about 
 between high hills, completely obscuring it from ships a 
 little distance from the shore. The word Cienfuegos 
 means " a hundred fires." Close by the water's edge there 
 stood a cable-house, where one end of a submarine cable, 
 which reached to Santiago, some three hundred miles to 
 the eastward, was secured. On one side of the cable-house 
 was an old fort or lookout, such as the Spaniards used 
 to have all along the coast. On the other side was a 
 light-house. The Americans wished to destroy commu- 
 nication between Cienfuegos and Santiago, so they sent 
 an expedition to cut the cable and destroy anything that 
 would be of use to the Spaniards. 
 
 The ships that were sent to do this work were the 
 Marblehead, the l^ashville and the Windom. You will 
 remember that the J^ashville fired the fi^rst gun in the 
 war with Spain. She is not a pretty boat at all. She 
 is built differently from other vessels of her class, and 
 her two tall funnels, or smoke-stacks, give her an un- 
 
43 Young People^s History 
 
 gainly appearance. Her commander was a splendid 
 officer, though, and her crew were the bravest of the 
 brave. I must tell you a little of her work after she cap- 
 tured the first prize of the war. 
 
 One day, while in company with the Marblehead and 
 the Eagle, she saw a big Spanish mail steamer leave the 
 harbor of Cienfuegos and put to sea, followed by nine 
 Spanish gunboats. The Xashville started in pursuit of 
 the big steamer, leaving the other American ships to 
 attend to the gunboats. She soon overhauled the steamer, 
 which proved to be tlie Argonata, and took possssion of 
 her. Her cargo was a very rich one, and among the pas- 
 sengers were twenty-nine Spanish soldiers and officers. 
 These w^ere taken on board the Xashville. Meanwhile, 
 the Marblehead and the Eagle had disposed of the gun- 
 boats. It only took them half an hour to drive them 
 back into the harbor, with their smokestacks shot off, and 
 several of them in a sinking condition. The Xashville 
 then turned over her prize to the Marblehead and started 
 for Havana. 
 
 On her way she discovered a big gunboat, and, as the 
 two ships drew near, the Spanish officers, who had been 
 allowed on deck, saw that she was not an American ves- 
 sel, and danced for joy. An instant later they were 
 shoved down a hatchway and placed in the hold. As 
 the stranger came closer it was plainly seen that she was 
 nearly twice as large as the Nashville and more heavily 
 armed, but the commander of the American vessel did 
 
of the War with Spain, 43 
 
 not hesitate an instant. He cleared liis sliip for action 
 and trained his guns on her. Just then she hoisted Eng- 
 lish colors and dipped them in salute to the stars and 
 stripes that were floating above the Nashville. She 
 proved to be the Talbot, an English ship cruising in 
 those waters. The whole afl^air w^as a splendid display of 
 courage on the part of the Nashville in clearing ship and 
 showing fight to the big English gunboat. Every man 
 on the American ship knew that if the stranger proved to 
 be a Spanish war vessel the chances were ten to one 
 against the Nashville ; but none of them stopped to think 
 of that, but made ready to fight her. Now we will return 
 to Cienfuegos and see how our splendid seamen cut the 
 Spanish cables in the very face of death. 
 
 Volunteers from the Marblehead and the Nashville 
 manned the boats that were sent into the shallow waters 
 to grapple for the cable. Each ship furnished a cutter 
 and a launch, under the command of a lieutenant. The 
 men who were to do the work were in the cutters, and 
 each of the launches carried a small rapid-fire gun to 
 protect the workers as much as possible. The Nashville 
 shelled the shore and then the boats were ordered in. 
 They went within one hundred yards of the shore and 
 then began to grapple for the cable. As calmly as though 
 they were fishing, the men worked with their hooks. At 
 last the cable was caught, and soon it was brought to 
 view. It proved not to be the Santiago cable, but about 
 a hundred feet of its length were cut out of it, and the 
 
44: Young People^s History 
 
 brave fellows grappled for another. They found it^ 
 hauled it up, and, with what tools they had, hacked it in 
 
 two. 
 
 They were not unmolested, however, for Spaniards 
 began to show themselves on the shore, and a perfect 
 hail of bullets dimpled the water around the Americans 
 as they worked. When a man in the boats was hit, 
 another took his place. Sturdy arms at the oars held the 
 boats against the strong current, while others hacked 
 away the tough wires. 
 
 Then the guns of the ships sent an iron storm among 
 the rocks and trees and the soft sands. They drove the 
 Spaniards to shelter, and then they knocked the cable- 
 house, the fort and the light-house to bits. It was not 
 intended at first to destroy the light-house, but when it 
 was discovered that the Spaniards used it for a shelter 
 while firing upon the Americans, the gunners were or- 
 dered to cut it down, and in a short time nothing re- 
 mained of it but a heap of ruins. 
 
 The personal bravery of the men in the boats was won- 
 derful. Although untried in warfare, they conducted 
 themselves like veterans in the hour of trial. Cable cut- 
 ting is one of the new features of modern warfare, but 
 that made no difference to the brave jackies and marines 
 that volunteered for the work. One of their number was 
 killed and several were v/ounded, but officers and men 
 performed their work with the utmost coolness and 
 bravery. 
 
46 Young PeopIe^s History 
 
 Before we leave the subject of cutting an enemy's 
 cables, and thus destroying one of their best means of 
 communication, I will tell you of another exploit. The 
 St. Louis, which was one of the big ocean steamships that 
 the Government hired during the war, was the vessel 
 that performed it. A few days after the cables were cut 
 at Cienfuegos, the St. Louis was ordered to Santiago to 
 cut the cables at that point. One very dark night the 
 boats left the big ship and began to grapple for the cables. 
 About three o'clock in the morning they returned with 
 a long piece which they had cut out of one of the cables. 
 About eight o'clock the St. Louis went to work to find 
 the other cable, and after working for three hours, the 
 l)atteries on shore opened fire on her. They kept up a 
 furious fire for three-quarters of an hour, but the St. 
 Louis replied so vigorously that the batteries were si- 
 lenced and the garrisons sent running in all directions. 
 Then they found the cable, hauled it on board and cut it. 
 Afterwards the St. Louis cut another cable at San Juan, 
 the capital of Porto Rico. 
 
 Do you wonder why these three ports were thought 
 to be the best for the Spanish fleet to enter? You know 
 that Havana is the capital of Cuba; most of the citizens 
 were Spaniards; thousands of Spanish soldiers were there; 
 all the chief officers also. So it was thought that the 
 Spanish A'avy would try to unite with the Spanish 
 Army. From Matanzas and from Cienfuegos the troops 
 from the Spanish ships could go easily by railroad to 
 
of the War with Spain, 47 
 
 Havana, througli a part of the country still in the hands 
 of the Spaniards. I may have told you more than you 
 care to hear about the coming of the enemy's fleet, but 
 I want to give you an idea of the great anxiety felt by 
 our Government at this time, and to help you to under- 
 stand what follows. You must remember that we had 
 not vessels enough to blockade every port, so we block- 
 aded the ports that seemed most dangerous. 
 
 Where was the Spanish fleet all this time, while our 
 IN^avy was so troubled? If you look at a map of Cuba 
 you will find that the eastern end of the island — the east- 
 ern province — is called Santiago de Cuba. The chief city 
 of the province is on the southern coast, and bears the 
 same name. The city of Santiago is next in importance 
 to Havana, and is said to be the oldest city in the Western 
 Hemisphere. 
 
 Santiago is a picturesque city, five miles from the 
 coast. It was founded by Don Diego de Velasquez, who 
 named it for the patron saint of Spain. Santiago, San 
 Diego and St. Jago are really one name, which is trans- 
 lated St. James in our language. The city is built along 
 a sloping hillside, and its massive buildings are tinted 
 pink, blue, green and purple. There are plenty of red- 
 tiled roofs, among which rise towers, steeples and palms. 
 The houses are low and built around courtyards, where 
 flowers and palms grow in profusion. The floors are of 
 brick or marble. There is a plaza, or central square, and 
 a great cathedral. The streets are narrow and dirty, and 
 
48 Young PeopWs History 
 
 in tlie quarters where the poorer class live, babies and 
 pigs roll together in the gutters, and boys and girls with- 
 out a rag of clothing on them hold out their hands for 
 alms. 
 
 The first impression of Santiago is one of filth and pov- 
 erty, dilapidated buildings and general decay; but if you 
 climb the hills that encircle the city and look over the 
 red-topped buildings to the glistening bay, the prospect 
 is lovely. 
 
 As you approach the mouth of the harbor from the 
 coast, you can at first see nothing but a break in the hills; 
 but soon you discover, perhaps, the most picturesque 
 fort in the western hemisphere. It is the Morro Castle, 
 one hundred years older than its namesake at Havana, 
 perched on a rock at the entrance to the channel. This 
 channel is very narrow, but it winds and twists about 
 until it opens into a broad, land-locked bay — the famous 
 harbor of Santiago — with houses running down to the 
 water's edge. 
 
 Into this beautiful harbor, while our ships were watch- 
 ing other ports and looking in other directions. Admiral 
 Cervera and his fine Spanish ships quietly sailed at day- 
 break on the 19 th of May. It was a strange port for the 
 Spaniards to seek, and it was a fatal one. 
 
 "While Sampson was looking in one direction for Ad- 
 miral Ccrvera's ships, Commodore Schley, with another 
 ?quadron, was close upon their track. For awhile he 
 thought they were in Cienfuegos, but when he found 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 49 
 
 ihej were not tliere, he kept on up the coast. His flagship 
 was the splendid cruiser Brooklyn, and among his ships 
 were the Massachusetts, the Texas and the Iowa — all 
 
 Morro Castle, Santiago. 
 
 immense battleships. He also had a number of smaller 
 vessels, and the swift St. Paul, another of the famous 
 ships hired bj the Government. The St. Paul was com- 
 manded by Captain Sigsbee, who, you will remember, 
 
50 Young People's History 
 
 was in command of the Maine when she w^as blown up 
 in Havana harbor. 
 
 At last Commodore Schley became satisfied that the 
 long-looked-for fleet w^as in the harbor of Santiago. On 
 the morning of May 29, Captain Sigsbee, in the St. 
 Paul, ran close enough to the mouth of the harbor to 
 see some of the Spanish ships inside, and the long game 
 of hide-and-seek was over. Commodore Schley at once 
 established a strict blockade, and then sent word to Ad- 
 miral Sampson that the Spanish ships had been found 
 and that he had them safe. He very shrewdly said: 
 
 " We have bottled them up, and they will never get 
 home!" A few days later, the two squadrons were con- 
 solidated, with Commodore Schley the second in com- 
 mand. 
 
 I want to tell you a little about Commodore Schley — - 
 one of the finest officers of the navy. He graduated from 
 the jSTaval Academy at Annapolis, at the head of his class, 
 and from that time entered upon a career in which 
 he served his country in nearly every quarter of the 
 globe. When the Civil War broke out, he staid by the 
 old flag when many of his brother officers went with the 
 Confederacy, and during the war performed many gal- 
 lant and meritorious services. He had seen all kinds of 
 naval service, and was at home among conditions that 
 required dash and courage, zeal and persistency, before 
 he was given the command of the "Flying Squadron," 
 and sent to find the Spanish ships. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 ST 
 
 He had done sucli things as to rescue seven men who 
 were starving to death in the Arctic regions. He had 
 been sent by the Government to do this, and, realizing 
 that it must be done quicklj, he pushed on so fast that 
 he found the seven 
 men alive. H he had 
 been slower in his 
 movements they would 
 have been dead, for 
 they were in the last 
 stages of starvation 
 and exhaustion. At 
 another time, some of 
 his sailors were stoned 
 in the city of Val- 
 paraiso, and one of 
 them was killed. 
 Schley trained his guns 
 upon the city and kept 
 them there until the 
 murderers were given 
 up to justice. He was the right kind of a man to have 
 around the coasts of Cuba, wasn't he? 
 
 Now I am going to tell you the names of the Spanish 
 vessels, and give you an idea of the blockade. 
 
 Within the harbor were four large Spanish ships and 
 two new, fast torpedo-boat destroyers, all commanded by 
 Admiral Cervera. The ships were the Infanta Maria 
 
52 Young People^ s History 
 
 Teresa, named for a Spanish princess; the Yizcaja, 
 named for a province in Spain; the Cristobol Colon, 
 which is the Spanish name for Christopher Columbus; 
 and the Almirante Oquendo. Many years ago Spain had 
 a famous admiral whose name was Oquendo, and in rec- 
 oirnition of his services the Spanish Government made 
 a law that there should always be" a ship in their navy 
 bearing his name. That is how they had the Almirante 
 Oquendo, which means Admiral Oquendo. The names 
 of the torpedo-boat destroyers were the Furor and the 
 Pluton. All these warships were splendid vessels, and 
 were commanded by brave men. We shall hear about 
 them later. 
 
 Our ships were outside the harbor — a few miles from 
 its mouth, in a line like a half-circle. Our big ships 
 were the New York, the Brooklyn, the Texas, the Iowa, 
 the Oregon, the Indiana, and the Massachusetts. There 
 were a number of smaller vessels, and one of them, the 
 Gloucester, afterwards gained great fame. Our ships 
 could not anchor, as the water was too deep, so they were 
 always moving back and forth. 
 
 As I have told you, between the sea and the harbor, or 
 bay, is a long, narrow channel with high cliffs on each 
 side, and on these cliffs are forts, which guard the en- 
 trance to the harbor. 
 
 Our men could not see the Spanish ships in the har- 
 bor, but could see only the narrow channel and the hills 
 and forts above it. Our men watched carefully, to see 
 
of the War with 8 pain, 53* 
 
 tliat no Spanish ship came out. For the first few nights 
 of the blockade a bright moon lighted up the channel, 
 but after the moon failed, the place was wonderfully 
 lighted by the great " search-lights " of our ships. Four 
 battle-ships took turns of two hours each in standing at 
 the entrance of the channel and moving the " search- 
 lights." The ships were always headed toward the shore, 
 and steam was kept up. 
 
 And so our great gray vessels, grim monsters of the 
 sea, waited and watched near the harbor of Santiago de 
 Cuba. 
 
 Blockading work is very hard upon officers and men. 
 It requires ceaseless vigilance at all hours of the day and 
 night. Besides preventing an enemy's ships from com- 
 ing out of a blockaded port, it is very important to prevent 
 vessels with supplies from running in. During the Cu- 
 ban blockade our vessels captured at least one large ship 
 loaded with coal that was intended for Admiral Cervera's 
 fleet. When nations are at war, they do not allow other 
 nations to supply their enemies with anything that will 
 help them. There are international laws about this, and 
 if a warship belonging to a nation which is at war with 
 another, puts into a neutral port for coal or provisions, it 
 is only allowed to buy enough to last it to its nearest 
 home port. It is not allowed to remain in a neutral port 
 more than twenty-four hours, either. 
 
 The purpose of a blockade is to cut off supplies and 
 stop all communication with the enemy by sea. When 
 this is done, merchant vessels of all nations are therefore 
 
 4 — War with Spain 
 
54 Young People^s History 
 
 forbidden to pass or even to approacli the line, and the 
 penalty for disobedience is the confiscation of both ship 
 and cargo, whether the latter is contraband or not. If a 
 ship does not stop when hailed, she may be fired upon, 
 and if she is sunk while endeavoring to escape, it is her 
 own fault. Blockade running is perilous business, and is 
 usually attempted under cover of night, or in stormy 
 weather, and it is as full of excitement and adventure as 
 war itself. The motive is usually either to take advan- 
 tage of famine prices, or to aid the enemy by bringing 
 supplies or carrying despatches. Neutral ships are enti- 
 tled to some sort of warning that a blockade exists, and 
 in the case of Cuba, the United States notified neutral 
 Governments, announcing the fact, and stating exactly 
 the extent of coast covered. 
 
 Before we were at war with Spain, the Government 
 restrained and punished those who organized expeditions 
 to help the Cubans. We were obliged to do this because 
 we were a neutral nation. But after our w^ar with Spain 
 began, we sent all kinds of war material to the Cubans, 
 so as to help them to fight Spain. I will tell you about 
 one of these expeditions. 
 
 About the middle of May, the steamer Florida sailed 
 from a port in the State for which she was named, with 
 supplies for the Cuban army. In addition to a great 
 quantity of provisions, clothing, shoes and medicines, she 
 carried several thousand rifles and an immense amount 
 of ammunition. Down in the hold were a hundred horses 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 55 
 
 and mules, and among the passengers were several hun- 
 dred recruits for the Cuban army. 
 
 The Florida reached the Cuban coast in safety, and 
 was met at the appointed place by more than a thousand 
 Cubans. It required three days and one night to unload 
 
 Searching for Contraband. 
 
 the cargo. Small boats conveyed the stores to the eager 
 hands that hurried them inland. The mules and horses 
 swam ashore. Women and children flocked to the scene, 
 bringing fruit and vegetables to exchange for coffee and 
 meat — the first they had tasted for a long time. 
 
56 Young People's History 
 
 Wlien the cargo was all ashore, the Florida prepared to 
 return to the United States. Then the Cuban soldiers 
 ranged themselves along the shore; women and children 
 grouped behind the ranks, and a Cuban marching song 
 burst from happy hearts as the Florida steamed away. 
 
 A great deal of blockading duty was done-by the small 
 vessels of the fleets, the torpedo-boats and the armed tug- 
 boats. Many strange encounters took place during those 
 nights when these little craft rolled about in the Carib- 
 bean swells, or moved along in hostile waters w^ithout a 
 light visible on board. 
 
 The tug-boat Leyden had one of these. With her two 
 or three small guns she held up a big ship one night, 
 firing across her bow, and demanding, " What ship is 
 that?" It was the same vessel that had the encounter 
 with the Kashville, the story of which I have told you; 
 and so the answer came back: 
 
 " This is Her Majesty's ship, Talbot." 
 
 The idea of a tug-boat like the Leyden halting a war- 
 ship in this fashion was not particularly pleasing to the 
 British Captain. ISTeither was he better pleased when 
 some one on the tug-boat called out, " Good night, Tal- 
 bot!" But he took it as a new experience, and solemnly 
 replied: 
 
 *^ You may go, Leyden." 
 
 The spirit that animated the officers of our navy in 
 these trying times was well expressed by Lieutenant 
 Fremont, who commanded the torpedo-boat Porter. 
 Fremont was the son of John C. Fremont, whom you 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 67 
 
 may possibly remember as a noted explorer and pioneer 
 in the western part of the United States, and a general 
 during the Civil War; and be possessed the bravery and 
 daring of bis father. Some one said to him : 
 
 " Those Spanish destroyers have heavier batteries than 
 yours. What would 
 you do if you ran 
 across one of them out 
 here?" 
 
 "Well/' replied 
 Fremont, " it's my 
 business to keep them 
 from getting in among 
 the fleet. I'd try to do 
 it. I'd engage a de- 
 stroyer, and if I found 
 his battery was too 
 heavy for me I'd close 
 in. If a chance of- 
 fered, I'd torpedo him. 
 If not — well, this boat 
 
 Lieutenant John C. Fremont. 
 
 has made twenty-six knots. I'd go at him full speed. I 
 think the Porter would go half way through him before 
 we stopped." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 " And then, I think, there would be a swimming 
 match. It saves time to have your mind made up in 
 advance in such matters." 
 
58 Young People^ s History 
 
 CHAPTEK lY. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. 
 
 THE greatest event of the war between the United 
 States and Spain took place in a strange part of the 
 world, far from both of those countries. If you 
 look on a map of Asia, you will find a large group of 
 islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of the China Sea. They 
 are called the Philippine Islands. The largest-of them is 
 called Luzon, and its chief city is Manila, on a large bay 
 of the same name. 
 
 These islands were discovered nearly four hundred 
 years ago, by Magellan, as we call him in English, a 
 famous sailor and explorer. He was the first to sail 
 through the strait that is south of South America; and 
 so that strait is still called by his name. After passing 
 through that strait he led his fleet on, farther west, north- 
 west, over the Pacific Ocean, till he came to the islands 
 east of the China Sea. Magellan took possession of them 
 in the name of the King of Spain; for, though not a 
 Spaniard, he was working in the interests of Spain. He 
 gave the islands a name, but the name did not cling to 
 them; and some time after, they were named Islas Eil- 
 ipinas — or, as we say in English, Philippine Islands — 
 
of the War with Spain, 59 
 
 in honor of King Philip II., of Spain. But the savage 
 tribes dwelling in the islands did not submit tamely to 
 Magellan's conquest, and in a fight with them he was 
 killed. Still, the Spaniards held the islands, and estab- 
 lished towns there, some of which have become very im- 
 portant. It is said that there are people from all parts 
 of the world living in Manila. 
 
 Have you ever heard any one speak of the Filipinos? 
 They are natives of the islands, descendants of the Span- 
 ish settlers; besides these there are the native savage 
 tribes, still living in many places. The Filipinos had 
 often tried to gain their independence, but had not been 
 successful. "When they heard of the rebellion in Cuba, 
 they thought they would make another attempt against 
 Spain, and so began a new rebellion. And this is just 
 how matters stood when the war began between the 
 United States and Spain. 
 
 The United States, having some ships in one of the 
 ports of China, sent word to their commander. Commo- 
 dore Dewey, to turn his attention to the Philippine 
 Islands. So Commodore Dewey prepared his fleet in the 
 best way possible and started for Manila. The ships 
 sailed Wednesday afternoon, April 27th. 
 
 You must not think that Commodore Dewey had big 
 battle-ships in his fleet. He had only what we call 
 " cruisers,'' not big battleships. The ship on which 
 the commander of a whole fleet sails is always 
 the " flagship." Then, of course, each ship has its own 
 
60 Young People's History 
 
 captain and other officers. Would you like to know the 
 names of the ships that won such fame in Manila Bay? 
 The "flagship" was the Olympia; then there were five 
 other cruisers: the Baltimore, the Boston, the Raleigh, 
 the Concord, the Petrel; and a small vessel called the 
 Hugh McCulloch. There were also two steamers carry- 
 ing coal and provisions. All the fleet had been newly 
 paint/ed gray, to match our other vessels in this war. 
 
 During the voyage, the men were very busy getting 
 ready for a battle, for they knew that the Spaniards had 
 ships in Manila Bay, and that they would fire upon the 
 new comers. Everything made of w^ood that might be 
 shot and splintered, was thrown overboard; for flying 
 splinters are very dangerous on shipboard. Tables, 
 benches, chests, and rails were thrown into the sea. The 
 men were told what to do in time of battle, and how to 
 help the wounded, and the doctors arranged the rooms 
 to be used as hospitals, so that every thing would be 
 handy. 
 
 AYe have seen that the fleet sailed Wednesdav after- 
 noon, and the next Saturday morning land was sighted — 
 the island of Luzon. On, on, the ships sped, and that 
 evening they reached the entrance to Manila Bay. Then 
 they stole along in the darkness, with their lights covered, 
 so that the Spaniards might not see them. Our men were 
 doing a daring deed. They were entering a strange bay, 
 by night, where not one of them had ever been before; 
 they did not know the soundings, they had no harbor 
 pilot. The entrance to the bay was guarded by fortresses 
 

 
 s 
 
 <1 
 
 
62 Young People's History 
 
 containing big Ivrupp guns, and there was good reason 
 to think that there were "mines" in the water, which 
 might blow the ships to pieces. Still, every man was 
 ready to do his duty. 
 
 Some of the forts did discover our ships, and fired a 
 few shots; but no harm was done, and our ships steamed 
 on. At daybreak they drew near the city of Manila. 
 The Spaniards were expecting them, having had notice 
 of their approach. The Spanish ships, under Admiral 
 Montojo, were waiting at a place called Cavite, seven 
 miles from Manila. They were protected by batteries 
 on the shore. Having steady guns on the shore should 
 have been a great help to the Spaniards, as it is easier to 
 fire a steady gun than to fire a gun on a ship that is riding 
 up and down on the waves. 
 
 The battle began a little after five o'clock, Sunday 
 morning, ]\ray 1st, 1898. The Spaniards fired the first 
 shot. All the vessels of our fleet were out in the bay, 
 but, as' soon as the Spaniards began to fire, our fighting 
 ships started forward. They did not answer the Spanish 
 fire at first, but steamed up the bay, in a wide circle, 
 toward the city of Manila, then turned and came back 
 toward Cavite. The Olympia led the way. After her 
 came the Baltimore, Raleigh, Concord, Petrel, and Bos- 
 ton. All had their battle-flacfs flving. 
 
 Uninjured by the enemy's shots, the Olympia and her 
 Train drew near the Spanish forts and ships. At a dis- 
 tance of a little more than four thousand yards, the 
 
64 
 
 Young People^ s History 
 
 Oljmpia fired, and the roar of her first gun was the sig- 
 nal to her companions to open fire- Then the firing from 
 both sides became fast and furious. Our ships moved rap- 
 idly about, up and down, past Cavite five times. Admiral 
 Montojo came out in his flagship, the Eeina Christina, 
 to attack the Olympia. The Olympia poured such a 
 
 storm of shot at her 
 that she was compelled 
 to turn back toward the 
 harbor. But the Reina 
 Christina had met her 
 doom. As she turned, 
 a huge shell from the 
 Olympia struck her, 
 set her on fire, and 
 killed her captain and 
 many of her men. 
 Admiral Montojo 
 changed his flag to 
 another ship and came 
 forward again, but soon 
 had to turn back. But 
 a moment of great 
 peril came to the Olympia. Two fierce little torpedo- 
 boats came toward her, ready to hurl her to destruction. 
 The gunners of the Olympia instantly opened such a 
 shower of shells from the smaller guns that the surface 
 of the water was covered with foam. The little boats, 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 65 
 
 witlioiit having had time to send forth a torpedo, were 
 overcome. One of them "blew up, then sank, with her 
 crew, beneath the waves. The other, pierced with shots, 
 turned toward the shore and ran upon the beach, a wreck. 
 After more than two hours of fierce fighting. Commo- 
 dore Dewey led his ships out into the center of the bay, 
 and the battle ceased 
 for a time. The true 
 reason for this move- 
 ment was known 
 only to some of the 
 officers. The men 
 were told that they 
 were to haul off to 
 get a little rest and 
 some breakfast. The 
 men believed that 
 they had done great 
 damage to the Span- 
 iards, and were eager 
 to finish the battle at 
 once. In fact, no 
 one really knew then how much damage had been done to 
 the Spanish fleet. The results were not known till after- 
 ward. Though the men were hopeful and in good spirits, 
 Commodore Dewey and his staff thought the situation 
 serious. Three of the Spanish ships were on fire, and the 
 Boston had also broken out in flames, The Olympia had 
 
 The "Olympia" Leading the Way. 
 
66 Young People's History 
 
 not enough ammunition to continue the fight two hours 
 longer. Our ships were far from home, and could not 
 get a supply of ammunition in less than a month's time. 
 There was good reason to think that the Spanish forts 
 were well supplied. 
 
 The Spaniards thought, when our ships drew away 
 from the shore, that the Americans had been overcome 
 and were leaving in order to bury their dead. They 
 found themselves sadly mistaken. 
 
 Our men, strengthened by the rest and a breakfast of 
 tread and cold meat, started again to battle a little before 
 eleven o'clock. Soon several of the Spanish ships were 
 on fire, and some of them sank. After the Spanish fleet 
 had been destroyed, some of our ships attacked the forts 
 on the shore and made them surrender. At five minutes 
 after one o'clock the Spaniards hauled down their flag. 
 
 The Spaniards did many brave things that day, and 
 fought desperately, but they were not good marksmen. 
 They did not aim their guns well. They lost eleven 
 ships, and had many men killed and w^ounded. Our 
 ships were not much injured, only seven of our men were 
 Vv^ounded, and none were killed. 
 
 AVhen our ships drew together after the battle, and our 
 men found that they had suffered so little, and that no 
 one had been killed, they knew not how to control their 
 feelings. Some of them cried like little children. But 
 such tears are not childish. It is said that when the 
 Spanish forts gave the signal of surrender, Commodore 
 
68 Young People's History 
 
 Dewey turned to his officers near him, and said: "I've 
 the prettiest lot of men that ever stepped on shipboard, 
 and their hearts are as stout as the ships." 
 
 You must notice that the city of Manila had not been 
 taken in this battle. We shall see later about its surren- 
 der. But the battle of Manila Bav was one of the most 
 remarkable naval battles ever fought. 
 
 When Commodore Dewey received his orders to "cap- 
 ture or destroy" the Spanish fleet, that was known to be 
 somewhere about the Philippine Islands, the Asiatic 
 squadron, as his ships were called, was lying in the har- 
 bor of Hong Kong, which is an English port. After 
 the blowing up of the Maine, which occurred in Feb- 
 ruary, you will remember, he began to put his ships in 
 the very best possible condition for a war with Spain, 
 which he and his officers now thought inevitable. 
 Every emergency was provided for; all the vessels were 
 in complete fighting trim. 
 
 Because of the neutrality laws, of which I have told 
 you, after war was declared Dewey's ships could not 
 stay at Hong Kong more than twenty-four hours, so he 
 moved them to Mirs Bay, a Chinese port, and from there 
 set out to find the Spanish fieet. 
 
 A naval officer, now retired from the service, told me 
 not long ago, the words " capture or destroy " have been 
 used in instructions to naval officers for three hundred 
 years. He also spoke of his acquaintance with Dewey 
 during the Civil AVar, and upon long cruises when they 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 69 
 
 were shipmates; and particularly dwelt upon the ability 
 and good judgment that characterized him as a naval 
 officer. 
 
 When Dewey received his orders to " capture or de- 
 stroy " the Spanish fleet, he is said to have remarked: 
 "Thank the Lord! at 
 last I've got the 
 chance, and I'll wipe 
 them off the Pacific 
 Ocean." He did not 
 know what he was to 
 meet in the way of re- 
 sistance, but there was 
 not a man in the fleet 
 that doubted the out- 
 come of the encounter. 
 He found the Spanish 
 fleet, fought it imtil 
 not a ship was left to 
 fly the flag of Spain, 
 and then sent word to 
 the Spanish Governor- 
 general that if another shot was fired at his ships he would 
 lay the city of Manila in ashes. 
 
 The Island of Corregidor guards the entrance to Ma- 
 nila Bay, but it seemed to be asleep as Dewey's gray ships 
 stole silently by. Once a shell screamed over the Ra- 
 leigh, followed by another; but the Raleigh, the 
 
 5 — IVar with Spain 
 
70 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 Concord and the Boston answered the challenge and 
 soon all was silent. At daybreak the fleet was 
 about ^YQ miles from Manila, the American flag flying 
 from each ship. 
 
 Day breaks quickly in the tropics, and as the sun 
 
 Church of the Friars, Manila. 
 
 flashed his beams above the horizon, a beautiful picture 
 revealed itself to the men of Dewey's fleet. Before 
 them lay the metropolis of the Philippines, walled in 
 part like a mediseval town; the jangle of church belk 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 n 
 
 came from lofty towers. To the right, and below the 
 city, lay the Spanish fleet for which they had been 
 searching. 
 
 
 Dewey on the Bridge. 
 
 The Spaniards fired the first gun from a powerful 
 battery in front of the city, and the Concord sent two 
 shells in reply, as the American fleet swept grandly 
 past. Before them wpp the Spanish ships-otwar and 
 
T2 Young Peoph^s History 
 
 the fortifications a/- Cavite; between, were shallow watcra 
 where they dared no^ go. Still thej swept on, preserving 
 their distances as though performing evolutions in time 
 of peace, the Olvmpia in the van, drawing nearer and 
 nearer to the ships that fltw the red and yellow flag of 
 Spain. The shore batteries i^gain roared defiance to the 
 invaders, but Dewey stood quietly on the bridge of the 
 OhTupia, surrounded by the mcn:bers of his staff. He 
 wore the usual white uniform of the service, and a gray 
 cap such as travelers and bicyclers wear. A huge jet of 
 water now sprang from the peaceful se&; showing that 
 the Spaniards had fired a submarine mine, but no hara? 
 •was done. Then Dewey gave the quiet order tc Cap^ 
 tain Gridley, who was in the conning tower: 
 
 ^^ Gridley, you may fire when you are ready." 
 
 Then the guns of the Olympia spoke, and those of the 
 other ships followed her example. During the ^ve timei 
 they passed and repassed the Spanish ships and forts, 
 their courses resembled a gigantic figure 8. 
 
 Between the entrance to the bay and the city of Ma- 
 nila is an arm of land or promontory, pointing upwards 
 and towards the city. It is on the rig^t hand side of 
 the bay and is called Cavite. The word means a fish- 
 hook, and the promontory looks something like one. Be- 
 hind Cavite and in the bay of the same name, the Spanish 
 ships were stationed, and at the little town of Cavite 
 was an arsenal and quite a respectable navy-yard, 
 
 "When Dewey withdrew his ships to ascertain what 
 
Landing the ;Marines at Cavite. 
 
 73 
 
74 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 damage the Spaniards had inflicted upon them, the Span- 
 iards thought they had driven them off, and so they sent 
 a Sispatch from Manila to Spain saying that they had 
 won a great victory over the Americans; but when 
 Dewey made the second attack, after breakfast, there was 
 
 not much more for him to do, 
 for the Spaniards were well 
 whipped. Dewey had met a 
 foreign foe in its own waters, 
 and added another victory to 
 the glorious record of the navy 
 of the United States. 
 
 After the battle, one of the 
 signal boys on the flagship 
 wrote a very interesting lettei 
 to his friends at home: 
 
 " . . . . We are all nearly 
 wild with the effects of victory. 
 The pride of Spain is here un- 
 der our feet. No doubt before 
 this letter reaches you, you will 
 read full accounts of the battle 
 — a battle that was hard fought 
 and bloodless for the victorious. Not a man in our fleet 
 was killed. Six men were slightly wounded on the Balti- 
 more. 
 
 " Say, it was grand ! AYe left Mirs Bay, in China, at 
 two a.m., "Wednesday, April 27th. Saturday afternoon 
 
of the War with Spain, T5 
 
 w© sighted Subig Bay. The Boston and the Concord 
 were sent ahead of the fleet as scouts. We expected 
 to find the Spanish fleet and have our first engagement. 
 We could not find them there, so the Commodore and 
 Captains held a council of war and decided to run past 
 the forts at night. 
 
 " It was nine-thirty that night when we sighted the 
 entrance. We went quietly to quarters, loaded our guns, 
 shook hands with each other and trusted to luck. I was 
 on signal watch on the aft bridge and could see every- 
 thing. Not a sound was heard. At twelve o'clock we 
 were under the guns of the first fort. It was an island 
 called Corregidor. I tell you I felt uneasy. The moon 
 was well up, but not a light could be seen. 
 
 " There were two signal officers and three other boys 
 with me. We were laughing and joking with one 
 another to steady our nerves. When we were well under 
 the guns a rocket was fired, and every man braced himself. 
 Then you could hear the breech blocks closing and the 
 officers telling the men to aim steady and to kill. 
 
 ^' Well, all the ships passed that fort, but there were 
 twenty-six miles to go yet, and God and the Spaniards 
 alone knew how many batteries, mines and torpedoes 
 w^ere ready to send us all to eternity. 
 
 " The Olympia passed two more forts The Balti- 
 more was next to us. She passed all right, bat when the 
 Raleigh came under the guns of the second fort, there 
 was a flash and I heard the shriek of the first shell. 
 
76 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 Then almost before the shell struck, there was a spont 
 of flame from the Raleigh, and her shell killed forty 
 men, as we learned yesterday. Two more shells were 
 fired at ns, but we were well past them. Then the men 
 were told to lie down. 
 
 Eapid-fire Gun. 
 
 " ^Kow, commenced the signal corps work. Soon our 
 signal lights were flashing the order to close up. At 
 four o'clock I was told by the signal officer to lie down 
 and catch a nap. 
 
 " At four, coffee was given to all the men and at fif- 
 teen minutes to five, the shore batteries had shells drop- 
 ping all around, but we did not fire until sixteen min- 
 
of the TFar with Spain, 
 
 77 
 
 utes past ^ve. The Spanish fleet was in sight off the 
 navy yard. Then the fight started in earnest. For a 
 while I thought my time had come. After we made 
 the signal 'commence firing/ we had nothing to do but 
 watch the fight. The shells flew over our heads so quick 
 I paid no attention to them. 
 
 The Olympia's Military ^Mast. 
 
 " After an hour and fifteen minutes, the Spanish ad- 
 miral had two ships sunk under him. We withdrew for 
 a short time, not knowing w^e had them whipped. As 
 we were leaving, three ships were burning. At nine- 
 twenty-five, we started again. In a short time the ar- 
 
78 Young People's Ilisiory 
 
 senal went up and tlie Government buildings were in 
 flames. 
 
 " The battle lasted altogether three hours and some 
 minutes. At eleven-fifteen the white flag was shown, 
 and you might hear ns cheer. The ship was hit about 
 six times. The Spaniards lost terribly. The rebels at- 
 tacked the enemy. It is something wonderful when you 
 consider the advantage they had over us. They had 
 eleven ships to our six. Their ships could run behind 
 a neck of land near the navy yard. The shore bat- 
 teries were firing on us from three points. But our 
 marksmanship was too much for them; our fire was so 
 rapid they could not stand it. They lost about two 
 thousand men, so the rumor says. We sank four ships 
 and burned seven. It was a grand, beautiful sight to 
 see those ships burn. 
 
 " I was ashore yesterday, and we destroyed all the 
 guns. I managed to get a few souvenirs. Two tor- 
 pedo boats attempted to blow us up, but one was sunk and 
 one was beached. I saw her. She was full of holes and 
 blood was all over her bow 
 
 " I hope the ships at home have as good luck as us. I 
 wrote this on captured paper with a Spanish officer's 
 pen." 
 
 Like many other vessels in the navy, the Olympia has 
 a complete printing outfit on board, and issues, at inter- 
 vals, a very creditable sheet called the " Bounding Bil- 
 low." This is its account of a Spanish shot; 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 79 
 
 " One shot struck the Balt*imore 
 in the starboard waist, just abaft 
 one of the six-incli guns. It 
 passed through the hammock net- 
 tings, exploded a couple of three- 
 pounder shells, wounding six men, 
 then across the deck, striking the 
 cylinder of a gun, making it tem- 
 porarily useless, then running 
 around the shield it spent itself be- 
 tween two ventilators, just forward 
 of the engine-room hatch. The 
 shell is in possession of the cap- 
 tain.'' 
 
 "When the news of the glorious 
 victory in Manila Bay reached the 
 United States, the people went 
 wild with joy. Commodore 
 
 Dewey was thanked by Congress, 
 and afterwards was made a rear- 
 admiral. In December, Congress 
 revived the grade and rank of ad- 
 miral and conferred it upon Hear- 
 Admiral Dewey, and he and all of 
 his men were presented with 
 medals of honor made expressly 
 for the purpose. The raising of 
 Admiral Dewey's new flag on the 
 
80 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 01}Tnpia was an interesting ceremony. As the blue 
 bunting with its four white stars fluttered to the peak 
 of the flagship, the crews of all the vessels in the fleet 
 were at quarters; the officers in full dress for the occasion. 
 The marines paraded ; the drums gave four " ruffles " 
 as the Admiral stepped upon the deck; the Olympia's 
 band struck up " Hail to the Chief," and an admiral's 
 salute of seventeen guns echoed across Manila Bay from 
 every American ship; followed by salutes of the same 
 number of guns from each foreign war vessel in the 
 harbor. 
 
 The Bewey ^ledal of Honor. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 81 
 
 CIIAPTEE y. 
 
 THE MERRIMAC. 
 
 WHILE Admiral Sampson liad been fixing tlie 
 blockade he had also been forming plans to 
 close the channel, and so keep any large 
 ship from stealing out 
 of the bay. For, al- 
 though our men 
 "watched closely, there 
 was always a chance 
 that in a fog or storm 
 the Spanish shipsmight 
 slip out without being 
 seen. Admiral Samp- 
 son knew that the 
 Spaniards could l-emo ve 
 anything that might be 
 sunk to close the chan- 
 nel, but the work 
 would take time, and 
 meanv/hile our Army 
 might arrive on the land back of Santiago, and then our 
 Army and ISTavy could help each other. Time was what 
 
82 Young People^s History 
 
 was needed in order to have all things ready for forcing 
 the Spaniards out of Santiago and taking possession of 
 the city. 
 
 So, plans were made for sinking a coal steamer across 
 the narrowest part of the channel, and thus blocking the 
 way. Now you shall hear of one of the bravest deeds 
 ever done in war. 
 
 The work of closing the channel was put into the hands 
 of Lieutenant Hobson. The collier Merrimac was chosen 
 as the vessel to be sunk. You have no idea how 
 much had to be done before the Merrimac was ready. 
 There were hours and hours of work. The crew had to 
 take off all the things that were not to be sunk, the 
 machinery had to be fixed in certain ways, the heavy 
 anchors had to be placed in the right parts, and the tor- 
 pedoes, which Lieutenant Hobson made for blowing 
 holes in the vessel at the right moment, had to be fitted 
 into their places. More than two thousand tons of coal 
 had to be shoveled away from certain places in the hold 
 to make room for the torpedoes and to leave spaces for 
 the water to rush in and sink the vessel. So, much hard 
 work was done before the good collier was ready to be 
 forced under the waves. 
 
 There was only a small chance that the men who took 
 the Merrimac into the channel would ever see their 
 friends again. Death in the waves, or death in the hands 
 of the Spaniards, was the prospect. Lieutenant Hobson 
 said that he would ^ot take one man more than w^as 
 
of the War with Spain. 83 
 
 needed. A signal was put up on all the ships, to find 
 out the men who were willing to go in the Merrimac. 
 Hundreds of brave fellows sent in their names, begged 
 to go, gave good reasons why they thought they ought 
 to go, and were grieved to be refused. Lieutenant Hob- 
 son chose only six, but at the last minute a seventh man 
 got his chance; so, counting Lieutenant Hobson, there 
 were eight men going to almost certain death. 
 
 After the passing away of the old wooden ships of the 
 navy, and before our war with Spain, it was often said 
 that opportunities for individual bravery and daring had 
 departed from the navy; but this was disproved in the 
 case of Lieutenant Hobson and his men, and in many 
 other instances. Every man in the fleet was ready to go 
 on the Merrimac and do what he was told to do; and so 
 long as such men man our ships our navy can never be 
 conquered. They will fight to the uttermost and go 
 down with their colors rather than strike them. 
 
 Thursday evening, the second of June, arrives, and 
 the Merrimac is all ready for her last voyage. The men 
 are on board, waiting for the time to start. Quietly and 
 fearlessly they pass the night, but they do not sleep, 
 they cannot sleep. Behind the Merrimac, farther out 
 at sea, stand the faithful vessels of our fleet, huge, pale 
 shadows in the night. The full moon lights up the chan- 
 nel that the Merrimac will enter after awhile when the 
 moon is low. On both sides of the channel rise the high 
 cliffs with their forts. Morro Castle frowns upon the 
 scene. Beyond — far beyond, are the mountain tops. 
 
84 • Young People's History 
 
 A basket of food and a kettle of coffee had been sent 
 on board by the flagship, and after midnight the men 
 sit down on deck to eat their last meal on board the 
 Merrimac. 
 
 A little before two o'clock, Friday morning, June 
 3d, the Merrimac starts for the channel. Each man is 
 at his post; each knows his duty and intends to do it. 
 The men are not wearing their naval uniforms, but are 
 clad only in woolen underclothes, woolen stockings, 
 with no shoes. Each man wears a life-preserver, and a 
 belt with a revolver fastened to it. 
 
 On, on goes the vessel, swiftly, sirrely, heading for the 
 channel. Suddenly shots begin to pour upon the Merri- 
 mac; the Spaniards in the forts have seen her approach. 
 Still she plunges on, not heeding the fire from the forts. 
 Lieutenant Hobson gives the signal to stop the engine, 
 to turn the vessel in the right way across the channel, 
 to fire the torpedoes, to drop the anchors. Shells from 
 the forts are exploding all around, and the noise is ter- 
 rible. But hard luck meets the Merrimac. A shot has 
 broken her rudder, so she cannot be steered; a shot has 
 broken the chain of one of her anchors, so the anchor is 
 gone; some of the torpedoes will not go off, so not enough 
 holes can be made to sink the Merrimac quickly; the tide 
 is sweeping her into the channel farther than she ought 
 to go. 
 
 The men, having done their work, lie flat on deck to 
 avoid the shots, and wait anxiously for the moment 
 
H 
 
 6 — y/dr with Spain 
 
86 Young People^ s History 
 
 when the vessel shall go down. In a few minutes the 
 Merrimac tosses low to one side, then to the other, then 
 plunges, bow foremost, into the waves. Now the men 
 are thrown into the whirling water. But see! they man- 
 age to swim to the life-raft, which had been fastened by 
 a long rope to the Merrimac and is now floating on the 
 waves. They cling to the raft, only heads and hands 
 above water. They keep quiet, for the Spaniards are out 
 in small boats now, looking to see what damage has been 
 done. The Spaniards do not see our men clinging to 
 the flat raft. So Lieutenant Hobson and his crew stay 
 in the water, which is very chilly in the early morning; 
 their teeth chatter, their limbs ache. Meanwhile day 
 dawns beautifully over the hills of Santiago. 
 
 An hour passes in this way. 'Now a steam-launch is 
 seen coming toward the raft. Lieutenant Hobson hails 
 the launch, asks for the officer in charge, and surrenders 
 himself and his men. They are helped into the launch, 
 prisoners in the hands of the Spaniards. The officer is 
 Admiral Cervera. 
 
 Naval Cadet Powell, of the New York, performed a 
 feat in many respects as heroic as that of Hobson and his 
 men. He volunteered to take the launch of the flagship 
 and a small crew, patrol the mouth of the harbor and at- 
 tempt to rescue Hobson and his plucky crew should any 
 of them survive after the Merrimac had been blown up. 
 This is his story: 
 
 " Lieutenant Hobson took a short sleep for a few hours, 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 8f 
 
 whicli was often interrupted. A quarter to two o'clock 
 he came on deck and made a final inspection, giving his 
 last instructions. Then we had a little lunch. 
 
 " Hobson was just as cool as a cucumber. About two- 
 twenty I took the men who were not going on the trip 
 into the launch and 
 started for the Texas, 
 which was the nearest 
 ship, but had to go back 
 for one of the assistant 
 engineers, whom Hob- 
 son finally compelled 
 to leave. I shook 
 hands with Hobson the 
 last of all. He said: 
 * Powell, watch the 
 boat's crew when we 
 pull out of the harbor. 
 We will be cracks, 
 rowing thirty strokes 
 to the minute.' 
 
 "After leaving the Texas, I saw the Merrimac steam- 
 ing slowly in. It was only fairly dark then, and the 
 shore was quite visible. We followed about three-quar- 
 ters of a mile astern. The Merrimac stood about a 
 mile to the westward of the harbor, and seemed a bit 
 mixed, turning completely around; finally, heading to 
 the east, she ran down, then turned in. We were then 
 
88 Young People's History 
 
 chasing him, because I thought Hobson had lost his 
 bearings. When Hobson ^vas about two hundred yards 
 from the harbor the first gun was fired from the eastern 
 bluffs. 
 
 " AVe were then half a mile off shore, close under the 
 batteries. The faring increased rapidly. We steamed in 
 slowly and lost sight of the Merrimac in the smoke, which 
 the wind carried off shore. It hung heavily. Before 
 Hobson could have blown up the Merrimac the western 
 battery picked up and commenced firing. They shot 
 wild, and we only heard the shots. We ran in still closer 
 to the shore, and the gunners lost sight of us. Then we 
 heard the explosion of the torpedoes on the Merrimac. 
 Until daylight w^e w^aited just outside the breakers, half 
 a mile to the w^estward of Morro, keeping a bright look- 
 out for the boat or for swimmers, but saw nothing. Hob- 
 son had arranged to meet us at that point, but, thinking 
 that some one might have drifted out, we crossed in front 
 of Morro and the mouth of the harbor to the eastward. 
 About five o'clock we crossed the harbor again, within a 
 quarter of a mile, and stood to the westward. 
 
 " In passing we saw one spar of the Merrimac sticking 
 out of the water. We hugged the shore just outside of 
 the breakers for a mile, and then turned towards the 
 Texas, when the batteries saw us and opened fire. It 
 was then broad daylight. The first shot fired dropped 
 thirty yards astern, but the other shots went wild. I 
 drove the launch for all she was worth, finally making 
 the Xew^ York. The men behaved splendidly,'' 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 89 
 
 How did our brave men fare as prisoners? They were 
 taken to one of the Spanish warships, were fed and 
 clothed, and treated as friends. Ad- 
 miral Cervera sent a message to Ad- 
 miral Sampson, saying that all the 
 men were safe and would be well 
 treated. But they were not allowed 
 to stay long on the ship. After a 
 few hours they were 
 
 taken to Morro Castle, 
 which they did not 
 find a pleasant prison, 
 though they were not 
 badly treated. Lieu- 
 tenant Hobson, by 
 
 climbinfi^ up to the 
 
 ^,.,,^ ' 1 • 1 • n Hobson's Cell. 
 
 little Window m his cell, 
 
 could see our ships far out at sea. In a few days the 
 prisoners were taken from Morro Castle to another prison 
 in the city of Santiago. You shall hear of them again. 
 
90 Young People's History 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 MORE WORK DONE BY THE NAVY. 
 
 I HAVE not told you all the brave deeds done by oul 
 Navy soon after our ships had reached Cuba, but I 
 Avill go back, for a few minutes, to the 11th of May. 
 A very sad affair took place at Cardenas, a port about 
 twenty miles east of Matanzas, the place where the first 
 shots were fired. Some of our smaller vessels blockading 
 Cardenas were bold enough to go into the harbor to fight 
 some Spanish gimboats. Though our men gained a vic- 
 tory, it was dearly bought, for our torpedo-boat Winslow 
 was nearly destroyed, and five of her men were killed. 
 That same day, across the island, at Cienfuegos, on the 
 south shore of Cuba, our men succeeded in cutting the 
 cables under the water, the story of which I have told 
 you. 
 
 Before the Cubans began to fight the Spaniards, in 
 1895, Cardenas was a very pleasant city in which to live. 
 So many Americans who had business interests in Cuba 
 lived there, that it was frequently spoken of as the 
 American city. Like Matanzas, it was the shipping point 
 for a great sugar-growing district, and one of the finest 
 sugar plantations in Cuba was in the vicinity of the city. 
 
of the War with Spain, 91 
 
 The bay used to be a famous resort for pirates, but they 
 were exterminated a great many years ago by war vessels 
 of the United States. Now I will tell you the story of 
 the Winslow. 
 
 The blockading vessels off Cardenas w^ere the Machias, 
 the Wilmington and the Hudson. It was determined to 
 enter the inner harbor and attack three small gunboats 
 which were known to be there. While preparations for 
 the attack were being made, the Winslow came in from 
 off Mantanzas, for coal, and was given a place in the at- 
 tacking force. The Winslow, Wilmington and Hudson 
 entered the inner harbor through a small channel to the 
 eastward, near Blanco Cay. The Winslow went in closer 
 than the others, and almost before her plucky com- 
 mander* knew it, the fire of the Spanish gunboats and of 
 some shore batteries was concentrated on this frail craft. 
 
 The Winslow was a torpedo-boat, and this class of ves- 
 sels do not have very thick sides or carry heavy guns. 
 They are very fast and the powerful torpedoes they carry 
 can destroy the largest and heaviest ship afloat. 
 
 The Winslow returned the Spanish fire splendidly, but 
 at last a shot crashed into her bow and disabled her boiler. 
 Another tore away her steering gear; and then she rolled 
 helplessly while the Spaniards made her a target for 
 every gun they could bring to bear. Seeing her helpless 
 condition, the Hudson came to her assistance and tried 
 to get a line on board. After awhile she succeeded, but 
 when she attempted to tow her away the line parted. 
 
92 
 
 Young People^ s History 
 
 She made a second attempt, but just at the instant the 
 little group on the Winslow caught the line, a shell burst 
 in their very faces. Several of the crew, including the 
 commander of the Winslow, were wounded, and Ensign 
 Bagley and four seamen were instantly killed. There 
 was scarcely a man left on the torpedo-boat to make the 
 line fast, but it was done at last, and the Hudson towed 
 
 the shattered Winslow 
 out of danger. It was 
 a very brave thing that 
 the officers and men of 
 the Hudson did, and 
 later they were 
 thanked by Congress, 
 and a medal of honor 
 was presented to each 
 of them. 
 
 I think you will be 
 pleased to learn that 
 the next day the Wil- 
 mington went into the 
 harbor again, and with 
 her big guns tore the 
 forts and batteries to atoms, sank two gunboats and two 
 other vessels, and burned a block-house. 
 
 Ensign Bagley, the first and the only line ofilcer in 
 the navy to fall in the war with Spain, was one o^ the 
 most popular of young naval officers. While flt the 
 
of the War with Spain, 93 
 
 Academy at Annapolis lie became known as an all-round 
 athlete, but bis greatest triumphs were on the foot-ball 
 field. His record throughout his naval career was stain- 
 less, and the news of his death was received with sorrow 
 by the people of the United States. 
 
 Now I will tell you the story of how the United States 
 flag was raised for the first time on the island of Cuba 
 during the war; and I will tell it in the words of Ensign 
 Willard, of the Machias, the officer who performed the 
 deed. It was done while tbe fight was going on in Car- 
 denas harbor. 
 
 " The Machias drew too mucli water for the channel to 
 the eastward, and moved up the main channel to within 
 one mile of its narrowest part abreast of Diana Cay. 
 This channel was supposed to be mined and the mines 
 operated from the block-house and signal station on 
 Diana Cay. This place was shelled, and, under cover of 
 this fire, a boat's crew of nineteen sailors and marines, 
 under my command, made a landing on the opposite side 
 of the Cay. 
 
 " The Spanish hastily left the place, disappearing com- 
 pletely. A Spanish flag, signal flags, etc., and a quantity 
 of ammunition, were captured, and the United States flag 
 raised. Thfen search was made for mines and the channel 
 dragged for two hours. Before leaving, everything at 
 the station was burned or destroyed, including nine large 
 row-boats. For the raising of this flag I was later 
 awarded, through the ITew York ' Herald,' a prize of one 
 
94 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 hundred dollars, which was divided pro rata by me among 
 the men who accompanied me on the expedition." 
 
 Early in June, brave work was done by our sailors at 
 Guantanamo, a short distance east of Santiago. They 
 took the harbor and destroyed the forts there, in order 
 that our ships might have a place where they could get 
 
 coal w^ithout going far 
 from Santiago. The 
 coal steamers could not 
 supply the whole fleet, 
 so our vessels had been 
 going for coal all the 
 way back to Key West, 
 south of Florida. It 
 was a great help to 
 have a coaling place at 
 Guantanamo, but our 
 sailors had much hard 
 work to take the place. 
 Is^ow I will tell you 
 about some of this hard 
 work, and something about two men who made it possi- 
 ble to land the marines and establish a coaling station 
 in Guantanamo Bay. The men were Commander Mc- 
 Calla, of the Marblehead, and Captain Brownson, of the 
 Yankee. 
 
 Long before the Spanish fleet put into the harbor of 
 Santiago, the Marblehead was along the southern coast 
 
of the War with Spain, 95 
 
 of Cuba, poking ber nose into every inlet, cutting 
 cables, and communicating with the Cubans. McCalla 
 bad ber stripped of everything but her guns and 
 her steering gear, and everywhere she went she became 
 a terror to the Spaniards. She dared to go anywhere and 
 do anything. Every man on the ship was devoted to 
 McCalla, and every gunner on board was a crack shot, 
 because they were kept shooting at something all the 
 time. If they couldn't find a Spanish gunboat to shoot 
 at, they fired at floating targets. 
 
 When it was decided to clear everything Spanish out 
 of the bay, so our ships could use it, McCalla and Brown- 
 son were sent down there to do the work; but first I will 
 tell you a story about Brownson, so you can see that he 
 was just the right kind of a man to go along with Mc- 
 Calla. 
 
 In the early part of 1894 there was a civil war in 
 Brazil. The entire Brazilian navy had taken sides with 
 the insurgents and completely blockaded the harbor of 
 Rio de Janeiro. Ships of all nations were there, waiting 
 to enter the harbor, but the insurgents would not let 
 them. Admiral Benham was sent there to look after 
 American interests, with his flagship, the San Francisco; 
 and Captain, then Commander, Brownson, was there 
 with his ship, the Detroit. The blockade had to be 
 broken, and Brownson was selected as the man to do it. 
 
 One morning there was a stir on board the Detroit. 
 The awnings came down, her flag was sent aloft and her 
 
96 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 guns were shotted. Brownson ordered the anchor 
 hoisted, and, with the men at the guns, the cruiser headed 
 towards the city. The flags of the English, German and 
 Italian ships were dipped in salute as she moved ahead. 
 Two American ships, the Amy and the Good News, wero 
 anchored under the guns of two of the insurgent fleet. 
 
 As the I>etroit passed 
 
 close by the Trajano, 
 a marine on that ship 
 raised a musket and 
 ilred a bullet over the 
 heads of the sailors on 
 the Amy, which was 
 following close behind 
 the Detroit. 
 
 When the shot was 
 fired Brownson turned 
 to a gunner and or- 
 dered him to shoot into 
 the Trajano at the 
 water line and about 
 six feet from the stern. The order was misunderstood 
 and was sent across the Trajano's bow instead. 
 
 ''Trajano, ahoy!" hailed Brownson. "If you fire 
 again I will sink you." Xot a shot was fired. 
 
 " You go ahead," shouted Brownson to the Amy, " and 
 I'll protect you " ; and although there were insurgent 
 ships all about, the Amy passed into the harbor unmo- 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 97 
 
 lested, with the ships of other nations closely following 
 her. Then the Detroit returned to her anchorage. 
 Brownson had raised the blockade. 
 
 Guantanamo Bay is one of the most famous harbors 
 on the southern coast of Cuba. 
 It is deep, wide and smooth 
 as a mill pond. At the en- 
 trance the harbor is broad and 
 open, but afterwards it is nar- 
 rower, and in this place the 
 Spaniards had placed a lot of 
 mines and two little gunboats. 
 
 When the Marblehead and 
 the Yankee steamed into the 
 bay they began to make trou- 
 ble for the Spaniards at once. 
 There was a block-house on a 
 hill, but they quickly knocked 
 that to pieces. Then they si- 
 lenced the fire of the fort and 
 chased the gunboats as far as 
 they could go. Next they 
 shelled the woods, and, having 
 made a general cleaning out, they sent word to the fleet 
 that they could land the marines at any time. 
 
 On June 10, a detachment of marines from the Ore- 
 gon landed, and soon afterwards six hundred more were 
 landed from the troop-ship Panther. They found plenty 
 
98 Young Peojyle^s History 
 
 of evidence that the Marblehead's shells had induced the 
 Spaniards to depart in a hurry. Watches, hammocks, 
 two field gunsy and a lot of ammunition, were lying 
 around. There were a few buildings left, but the marines j 
 soon set fire to them. They then drove off a few Span- 
 iards who were about, and then pitched their tents. 
 Pretty soon they were attacked by a large body of Span- 1 
 iards, but they drove them off after having several men ; 
 killed and quite a number wounded. The place of en- ; 
 campment was named Camp McCalla, in honor of the 
 gallant commander of the Marblehead. 
 
 Before the marines were reinforced they were fighting 
 nearly all the time. It was the first time that most of 
 them had been in battle, but they fought like veterans. 
 The Spaniards were very cunning and constantly planned 
 surprises for them, but the marines finally drove them 
 away and held their position until reinforcements came. 
 One of the marines, in writing home, said: 
 
 " They fight Indian fashion, and the guerillas strip off 
 all their clothing and dress themselves with leaves and 
 crawl along the ground like snakes, and at night it is very 
 hard to see or hear them. Then, again, they dig holes 
 in the ground and cover them over with brush and con- 
 ceal themselves there until their prey comes along. Their 
 signals are very hard to understand, and they sound like 
 birds and are very deceiving. 
 
 " We have to carry our rifles and ammunition with us 
 wherever we go. Yesterday morning, while we were eat- 
 
A Spanish Guerilla. 
 
100 Young People^ s History 
 
 ing our breakfast, tliey fired upon us, and we immediately 
 pursued tliem. We had quite a battle and came out vic- 
 torious by a big score. We killed sixty and left about 
 fifteen or tAventy badly wounded. AVe had a lucky es- 
 cape, only two men being wounded. We stayed out all 
 night, and were relieved by another company this morn- 
 ing, and we had nothing to eat for forty-eight hours; but 
 this is not the first time that we have missed our meals — 
 it is an every-day occurrence. We had four hardtacks, 
 a little piece of butter and a cup of coffee. 
 
 " We were reinforced by sixty Cuban insurgents last 
 night. Thqy were fitted out with uniforms and rifles by 
 the Marblehead, and they all carry that deadly-looking 
 weapon, the machete." 
 
 The machete is the national weapon of Cuba. It looks 
 somewhat like a sword, but instead of being pointed like 
 that weapon, it is broader at the part farthest from the 
 hilt. A strong man can strike a terrible blow with it. 
 It is used all over the island as an agricultural tool as well, 
 for it serves the purpose of a scythe or an axe. 
 
 A brave deed was done by a young officer of the Navy 
 all by himself — a deed as brave as that done by Lieuten- 
 ant Hobson. It was not really known how many Span- 
 ish ships were in the harbor of Santiago. I have told 
 you that they could not be seen by our ships on account 
 of the narrow entrance and high cliffs. It was very im- 
 portant to know how many Spanish ships there were. 
 So Lieutenant Blue went ashore at some safe point, a^d 
 
•j—'lVar with Spain 
 
102 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 climbed round the hilltops of Santiago at night, looked 
 at the harbor, and counted the ships twice, in order to 
 make no mistake. It was a long journey and full of 
 danger. Lieutenant Blue might have been taken as 
 
 a spy, but he reached 
 our ships again, and 
 made his report to Ad- 
 miral Sampson'. 
 
 Early in June our 
 blockading ships made 
 efforts to destroy the 
 forts at the harbor of 
 Santiago, but did not 
 succeed, though the 
 shells from our ships 
 did a good deal of 
 harm. It was on ac- 
 count of these attacks 
 that Lieutenant Hob- 
 son and his crew were 
 removed from their 
 cells in Morro Castle and taken to another prison, as I 
 have told you. The English Consul at Santiago, a wise 
 and good man, told the Spanish general that Lieutenant 
 Hobson and his men could not, in honor, be kept where 
 they might be killed by shells from their own ships. So 
 the prisoners were removed. 
 
 The forts at Santiago received a terrible punishment, 
 
of the War with Spain, 103 
 
 if tliey were not destroyed, and one of Admiral Cervera's 
 ships, the Maria Teresa, was considerably damaged by 
 shells that went over the forts into the harbor. There 
 were several other warships in the harbor besides those 
 that came with Admiral Cervera. The Reina Mercedes 
 was nearly destroyed by the shells from onr ships. Our 
 old friend, the Oregon, sent a big shell over the hills that 
 swept nearly everything off her decks. Other shots rid- 
 dled her hull and sank her. 
 
 The Santiaoo fortifications were bombarded a number 
 of times and some splendid shots were made. There was 
 a battery to the west of the harbor that fired more accu- 
 rately than the others, and so the Texas got the range 
 and dropped a shell into the powder magazine one day. 
 Everything about that battery seemed to be in the air 
 at once when that shell exploded. Nothing was left of it 
 but a pile of ruins and a big hole in the ground. 
 
 There is a ship in the United States navy that is unlike 
 any other in the world. She has three long guns which 
 are built into the ship and do not turn to one side or the 
 other. The whole ship has to be pointed at the object 
 which the gunners wish to hit. She does not fire shells 
 loaded with powder, as other warships do, but uses a 
 long shell filled with gun-cotton, or dynamite, both of 
 which are deadly explosives. When one of these shells 
 strikes anything the effect is terrible. The Vesuvius, for 
 that is the name of this ship, fired several of these shells 
 over the fortifications at Santiago, in the direction where 
 
104 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 tlie Spanish fleet was lying. She did not hit any of 
 them, but she tore great holes in the sand and rocks near 
 by. It is said that the Spaniards called the Vesuvius 
 " The Hurler of Earthquakes," because of the damage 
 
 Forward Deck and Guns of the Vesuvius. 
 
 her shells did. The guns of the Vesuvius are really fir- 
 ing tubes. ISTo powder is used in them, compressed air 
 being the power that expels the shells. Very little noise 
 is made, and there is no smoke. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 105 
 
 If one small shell should strike the Yesuvius it would 
 send men and boat to the bottom at once, because she 
 has so much deadly gun-cotton on board. Her crew is 
 almost afraid to move. 
 
 " Why, I'm afraid to even snore in my sleep," said 
 one of them, " for fear I'll discharge the gun-cotton; and 
 as for kicking in my sleep — why, 
 I'm as quiet as a drugged snake." 
 
 " We slide along," said an- 
 other; "we're afraid to walk at 
 first. I went on tiptoe for the 
 first three days." 
 
 " Well, I went on my hands 
 and knees the day it was so 
 rough," said a third. " A fellow 
 has to learn to walk on any part 
 of his anatomy in this ship when 
 the sea is rough." 
 
 The Vesuvius has been de- 
 scribed as a ship which fights and 
 then runs away. That is, she 
 fires three shells and then takes 
 herself out of the range of an 
 enemy's fire. 
 
 I think this is a good place to 
 tell you about a few more of the odd ships that belong to 
 Uncle Sam's navy, for no nation beside ours has anything 
 like them. 
 
106 Young PeopWs History 
 
 The Katalidin is an armored ram which relies upon her 
 sharp prow to disable an adversary. Her armament is 
 only four six-pounder rapid-fire guns. 
 
 Then there is a fieet of vessels wdiose duty it is to re- 
 pair the damages that ships receive in battle, supply fuel 
 and water to fighting ships, and to care for the wounded. 
 All of these are novel additions to the navy, but are 
 practical auxiliaries in modern naval operations. 
 
 The Yulcan is one of the repair ships. It is, in fact, 
 a navigable machine shop, fitted with steam tools for 
 executing any work in metal. It carries duplicates of 
 nearly every article belonging to a modern warship; and 
 when you understand that some of these contain nearly 
 seventy sets of engines, you can easily see the advantage 
 of having a repair ship attached to a fleet. 
 
 Then there are the refrigerating ships, or " pantries,'^ 
 as the sailors call them. Their mission is to assist in 
 feeding the navy. They are most valuable additions to 
 a fleet, for they supply fresh meat and vegetables to im- 
 prove " Jack's " diet of " salt horse.'' 
 
 'Next come the ships that supply fresh water to the 
 crews of our warships. These are fitted up with distilling 
 apparatus, which converts salt water into fresh. The 
 Iris, as one of these is named, belongs to the " sweet water 
 squadron." The water consumption of a vessel is enor- 
 mous. A battle-ship will use seven thousand gallons 
 every day, which gives you an idea of the work such 
 vessels as the Iris have to perform. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 lor 
 
 I^ow we come to siicli ships as the Solace and the Re- 
 lief. These are hospital ships, and are provided with 
 every appliance and convenience to be found in a mod- 
 ern ho&pital, including X-ray outfits to aid in locating 
 bullets, a microscopic department, and a carbonator for 
 supplying mineral waters. The hull of the Solace is 
 painted white, with a wide stripe of green along the 
 sides, and, as befits her mission, carries no guns or weap- 
 ons of any kind. Hospital ships fly the " Red Cross '' 
 flag from their mastheads. 
 
 Our ships could guard Santiago and fire at the forts, 
 but our naval oflicers had good reasons for thinking that 
 they could not take the city unless our soldiers were on 
 shore to help in different ways. Our ships could not go 
 safely into the harbor till the " mines " under the water 
 had been removed; the "mines" could not be removed 
 till the forts on the cliffs had been taken. So now the 
 time had come for our soldiers to go to Cuba. 
 
108 Young People's History 
 
 CHAPTEK YIL 
 
 OUE AEMY GOES TO CUBA. 
 
 OUR soldiers — thousands of " Regulars " and thou- 
 sands and thousands of " Volunteers " — were 
 waiting in camps in the eastern and southern parts 
 of the United States, in order to be ready to start for 
 Cuba at short notice. Thousands of them were never 
 ordered to go, but stayed in camp during all the war. 
 Still, they were ready to go if needed. 
 
 About the middle of June more than 16,000 soldiers, 
 under General Shafter, sailed from Tampa, on the west 
 coast of Florida, for the southeastern shore of Cuba. 
 It was hard work to ship so many men, and 2,000 horses 
 and mules, and food, and all the things needed for w^ar. 
 It took one week to load the ships. How many ships 
 were needed for this big " excursion party " ? Thirty- 
 four. Do you think our soldiers had a pleasant voyage? 
 They had not. They were crowded together, the weather 
 w^as very hot, some of the vessels were old and slow, and 
 it was six days before our Army drew near our ISTavy 
 at Santiago, and waited till plans were made for further 
 movements. 
 
 Perhaps you are wondering where the Cubans were 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 109 
 
 all tills time, and what they were doing. As our country 
 was trying to help them, did not the Cubans now come 
 forward to join our forces? Yes. Several times brave 
 Americans had made their way in secret to distant parts 
 of Cuba, had met the Cuban 
 generals, had talked with 
 them, and brought back mes- 
 sages. And now Admiral 
 Sampson came out in a small 
 boat to meet our soldiers, and 
 he took General Shafter on 
 shore, a few miles west of San- 
 tiago, to hold an important 
 council with a number of Cu- 
 ban generals. The Cuban 
 generals, chief of whom were 
 General Garcia and General 
 jRabi, told our officers a good 
 deal about the country, the 
 roads, etc., and planned to 
 unite the Cuban troops with 
 ours. 
 
 When General Shafter re- 
 turned, he ordered the sol- 
 diers to sail on fifteen miles beyond Santiago, to a point 
 called Daiquiri. This was their landing-place. It was 
 harder to land in Cuba than it had been to leave Florida. 
 Admiral Sampson sent some of his ships to fire upon the 
 
110 , Young People^ s History 
 
 gliore and drive awaj tlie Spaniards, and lie also sent 
 small boats to take our soldiers from the ships to the 
 land. There were not boats enough, so the landing was 
 slow work. There was great trouble in getting the horses 
 and mules to swim ashore. But it takes less time to un- 
 pack than to pack, and after four dajs our Army was on 
 shore. 
 
 Our men were in a rough part of the country. Steep 
 hills were everywhere, the valleys were narrow, the 
 roads were more like ditches. Thick underbrush, prickly 
 bushes and tall gTasses grew in many places. A num<J5er 
 of men were set to work making roads, so that the | 
 wagons with the army supplies could push on. It was 
 the wet season, and rain fell every day. Sometimes the 
 streams would rise quickly and flood the new roads. 
 When the rain was not falling the air was hot, and a 1 
 steam seemed to rise from the ground. It seemed as if 
 our men had no chance at all. 
 
 Spanish soldiers had been sent out from Santiago, and 
 were now busy building log forts on hills a few miles 
 from our camps, and piling up stones and branches of 
 trees to make mounds, and putting up fences of barbed 
 wire. In such places of shelter the Spaniards waited for 
 our troops to march forward. 
 
 You must understand that the city that our troops 
 wanted to reach was Santiago, but between them and it 
 lay this rough country, where marching would be so hard, 
 and where the Spaniards had forts on some of the hill- 
 tops. 
 
Landing Troops at Daiquiri. 
 
 Ill 
 
 ^ 
 
112 Young People's History 
 
 CHAPTEK YIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF LAS GUASIMAS. 
 
 A NUMBER of our officers thought it would be 
 best not to go forward till some roads had 
 been made, so that the army wagons could 
 be sent on; but General Shafter thought it would' 
 be best to march on at once. He feared that after 
 a week or ten days in that climate many of our 
 men might have fever and be unfit for service. So, 
 even before all the men had landed, General Shafter 
 ordered the first ones to go forward and drive the Span- 
 iards from a place near Siboney. Thus, some of our 
 troops began their march just after landing from the 
 boats. About two hundred Cuban soldiers went with 
 them, to lead the way and watch for the hiding-places 
 of the Spaniards. 
 
 The troops reached the place in the evening, but found 
 that the Spaniards had left it and gone about three miles 
 further westward to a stronger fort. Our men rested all 
 night, and before daylight the next morning — Friday, 
 June 24th — they marched on to hunt the enemy. 
 
 IN'ow I must tell vou somethins^ about these soldiers 
 who were going to fight their first battle in Cuba. There 
 
of the War with Spain, 113 
 
 were nearly a thousand men; some were " Regulars," 
 others were " Volunteers." They belonged to the Cav- 
 alry division of the Army — the soldiers who go on 
 horses. But for this first work in Cuba they had to go 
 on foot, without their horses. 
 
 The " Volunteers " numbered about five hundred. 
 They belonged to a regiment called the " Rough Riders," 
 and a strange regiment it was. Most of these men were 
 from the prairies and cattle-ranches in the West; some 
 were " cowboys," some were Indians. The others in the 
 regiment were young men from the East — business 
 men, college men, sons of rich men; all were brave, 
 hardy fellows, fond of out-door life, fond of excitement, 
 not afraid of work. These young men had been trained 
 for the war by a man who was now one of their officers, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt. He had given up a high 
 position in order to serve his country in this way. Peo- 
 ple in the United States laughed when this company of 
 " Rough Riders " was formed, and said that the " cow- 
 boys " and Indians would not obey orders, and that the 
 others would not stand the hardships of war. But the 
 people in the United States did not laugh after the battle 
 of Las Guasimas. 
 
 That June morning it was thought best to separate 
 and march by two roads, meeting near the Spanish fort. 
 The way of the " Rough Riders " led them up steep hills. 
 Thick bushes grew all around, so that the men could 
 hardly see how to go; the sun rose, and the heat was so 
 
114 Young People^s History 
 
 awful that some of the men dropped down, faint and 
 sick. Suddenly, from among the trees and bushes came 
 bullets, and the men began to fall, wounded and dead. 
 The Spaniards could not be seen at all, and they Avere 
 using smokeless powder that left no trace in the air. 
 But our men heard the whizz of the bullets, and felt 
 their sting. The " Rough Riders," as they pressed on 
 quickly toward the fort, fired again and again into the 
 bushes. At last they met their comrades, w^ho had come 
 by the other road and who had also had a hard fight, 
 and all now toiled up the hill, firing as they went. The 
 Spaniards had to retreat, and could now be seen by our 
 men. The top of the hill was reached at last, the fort 
 was taken, and the Spaniards fled toward Santiago. 
 
 This hard fight, which lasted less than two hours, is 
 called the Battle of Las Guasimas, from the name of the 
 poisonous kind of trees in the thicket where the " Rough 
 Riders " were shot down. 
 
 It would require volumes to tell the bravery and hero- 
 ism of the men who fought the Spaniards at Las Guasi- 
 mas. Every one entered into it with enthusiasm. All 
 stood their ground while the Spanish bullets were sing- 
 ing around them, and then, when they were allowed to 
 do so, poured volley after volley into the brush in the 
 direction from which the shots came. Colonel Wood 
 walked along his lines as coolly as though on parade. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt led his men through the 
 brush when the air seemed full of bullets. Captain 
 
—^ 
 
 Last Stand of the Spaniards at Las Guasimas. 
 
 r 
 115 
 
116 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 Capron, the fifth from father to son in the United States 
 army, fell early in the fight, but before he was hit by a 
 Spanish bullet he used his revolver whenever he saw a 
 ^Spanish head. 
 
 Everybody had confidence in their officers aiid in them- 
 selves. If they were hit they fought on if the hurt was 
 not mortal. If they could not stand, they propped them- 
 selves against trees, and kept on firing as the line went 
 
 forward, 
 with their 
 
 slings 
 
 Men fought 
 arms in 
 and with band- 
 aged heads. 
 
 Lieutenant Thomas, 
 of Captain Capron's 
 troop, and who was 
 wounded himself dur- 
 that sweltering 
 tells some 
 stories of 
 He comes 
 
 mg 
 
 June day, 
 interesting 
 the .battle. 
 
 of a fighting family. 
 His father fought in 
 the Civil War, his 
 grandfather was killed 
 
 in the Mexican War, and three ancestors fell in the war 
 
 of the Revolution. 
 
 ^' I am sorry that I did not have a chance to see more 
 
 of the fighting, but what I saw was of the warmest kind. 
 
of the War with Spain, 117 
 
 On the 24tli of June I was with Troop L, under Captain 
 Capron. AYe formed the advance guard, and went out 
 on a narrow trail toward Siboney. On the way we met 
 some of the men of the Twenty-second Infantry, who told 
 us we were close to the enemy, as they had heard them 
 at work during the night. Captain Capron, with six 
 men, had gone on ahead of us and had come across the 
 body of a dead Cuban. Ten or fifteen minutes later 
 Private Isbell saw a Spaniard in the brush ahead of him 
 and fired. This was the first shot from our troop, and the 
 Spaniard fell dead. Isbell himself was shot seven times 
 that day, but managed to walk back to our field hospital, 
 which was fully four miles in the rear. 
 
 " It has been said that we were ambushed, but this is 
 not so. Poor Captain Capron received his death wound 
 early in the fight, and while he was Ij'ing on the ground 
 dying, he said: ^ Let me see it out; I want to see it all.' 
 He lived an hour and fifteen minutes after the bullet 
 struck him, and up to the moment he fell had acted fear- 
 lessly, and had exposed himself all the time to the 
 enemy's fire. 
 
 '' I was then next in command of the troop, and I no- 
 ticed that some of our men lay too closely together as 
 they were deploying. T went down the line ordering 
 them to their proper distances, and as I passed along, 
 poor Hamilton Fish was lying, mortally wounded, a few 
 feet from me. AVhen he heard my voice. Fish raised 
 himself on his elbow and said: ^I am wounded; I am 
 
 8 — TVdr with Spain 
 
118 Young People^ s History 
 
 wounded/ That was the last I saw of him in life. He 
 was very brave and was very popular among the men of 
 the troops. 
 
 " Sergeant Joe Kline, of Troop L, was wounded early 
 that day, and was ordered to the rear with several other 
 wounded men. On his way to the rear, Kline discov- 
 ered a Spanish sharpshooter in a tree and shot at him. 
 The Spaniard fell dead, and Kline picked up a silver- 
 mounted revolver, which fell from the man's clothes, as 
 a souvenir, which he highly prizes. Several of the Span- 
 ish sharpshooters had picked up cast-off clothing of the 
 American soldiers, and wore them while they were at 
 their deadly work. 
 
 " Sergeant Bell, of our troop, was badly injured from 
 an exploding shell while on the firing line. He was or- 
 dered to the rear, but quickly came back again. He was 
 ordered away a second time, but a few minutes later he 
 was at the front again, firing away. For a third time he 
 was sent back, and once more he insisted on going to the 
 front, and when the other men saw him they greeted 
 him with rousing cheers, and he fought till the end of 
 the day, although painfully wounded in the back. 
 
 '^ While lying in the hospital, I heard a young man 
 named Hall, who belonged to the Twenty-second Infan- 
 try, tell a story which will illustrate better than anything 
 else the accuracy of the American shooters. He and five 
 other men had crossed a bend in a road to get some water 
 in their canteens. As they got into the open they were 
 
Theodore Roosevelt. 
 
120 Young People^s History 
 
 attacked by tliirty-two Spanish cavalrymen, who cut 
 them up badly with their sabres. Hall was the only one 
 who was not killed. He was badly trampled by the 
 horses, and had some sabre wounds on his body. Later 
 on. Hall was picked up by some comrades to whom he 
 told his story. These men located the Spaniards who had 
 done the work and opened fire on them. When they 
 had ceased firing there were thirty live horses, two dead 
 ones, and thirty-two dead Spaniards. This was pretty 
 good shooting, wasn't it?" 
 
 Many heroic deeds were done in the Battle of Las 
 Guasimas, by the " Eegulars " as well as by the " Rough 
 Eiders." Suftering was bravely borne. Sixteen of our 
 men were killed, and more than fifty wounded. Yet all 
 our troops took heart from the victory of that day, and 
 began to think it would be easy to go on driving the 
 Spaniards back to Santiago, and then to take that city. 
 But it did not prove to be easy. 
 
 There is a little railroad which runs from some mines 
 near Santiago to the pier at Daiquiri. Before the land- 
 ing was made, the Spaniards were driven from the coast 
 by the shells of the iVmerican fleet. Before they hurried 
 away they attempted to disable a locomotive which had 
 steam up. They took off the connecting rods, throttle 
 gear and other important parts of the machinery and hid 
 them behind fences and other places where they thought 
 they would not be found. Then they blocked the piston 
 guides and ran off. But there were plenty of engineers 
 
of the ^Yar with Spain, 
 
 121 
 
 and mechanics among the American soldiers, and when 
 they saw the condition the locomotive was in they started 
 to search for the missing parts. Most of these were 
 foimd and the machinery was cleverly patched np. Then 
 they knocked the blocks of wood out of the slides and 
 threw fresh coal into the firebox, and in a very short time 
 the locomotive was pulling a train of ore cars loaded with 
 soldiers. 
 
122 Young PeopWs History 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 EL CANEY AND SAN JUAN. 
 
 FOE a few days after tlie battle of Las Guasimas no 
 great event took place. There was no fighting. 
 The other troops were making their way np from 
 the coast, but the roads were so narrow and so bad that 
 progress was slow. The army wagons had great trouble 
 to get on, and many supplies were left at the coast or on 
 the boats, because there was no proper way of taking them 
 forward. The heavy cannon were hauled a few miles 
 from the coast and then most of them were left, though 
 they w^ould have been a great help to our Army, and 
 should have been taken to the front. It was soon found 
 that many of the doctors' supplies — the things needed 
 in taking care of the sick and wounded — had not been 
 taken off the ships that brought the men from Florida. 
 It was thought by some of our men that now more effort 
 should be made to clear roads through the woods and 
 thick bushes, but not much was done. A great deal of 
 fault has been found with the way things were managed 
 at this time. It seems as if some of the officers were very 
 much to blame. There need not have been so many 
 men killed in the battles that followed, or so much suf- 
 fering and sickness in our Army, if all our officers had 
 
of the ^Yar iviiJi Spain. 
 
 123 
 
 done tlieir duty. Meanwliile,tlie Spaniards went on im- 
 proving their forts on the hills a few miles away. 
 
 N^earlj two thousand more of our soldiers landed in 
 Cuba about this time, and more were expected soon. 
 
 But I must tell you about another Army that arrived 
 in this part of Cuba during these days — a very small one 
 beside General Shaf- 
 ter's Army, but one 
 that did mighty work. 
 Have you ever heard 
 of the Red Cross So- 
 ciety? This is a so- 
 ciety that nurses the 
 sick and wounded. It 
 has members in all 
 parts of the world. Its 
 chief officer is Miss 
 Clara Barton, whose 
 work has been so great 
 and noble that it has 
 made the whole world 
 better. The badge, or 
 flag of the Red Cross Army is a red cross on a white 
 ground. 
 
 The Red Cross Army takes no part in war except 
 to help those who need help. It does not know the dif- 
 ference between friend and foe. Its work is a work of 
 love and mercy. Iso soldiers with any honor would ever 
 
124: Young People^s History 
 
 ifire upon a tent that Las the Eed Cross flag floating over 
 it, or harm any person wearing the Ked Cross badge. 
 Yet, to the awfnl disgrace of the Spaniards, it is known 
 that some of them, hidden in trees and bushes, fired 
 upon doctors and nurses who were taking care of the 
 wounded on the battlefields near Santiago. 
 
 This was the new Army, whose soldiers wear the sign 
 of the Eed Cross, that reached this part of Cuba now, 
 and put up a large tent. In this tent all help that could 
 be given was given, to Spaniards, Cubans and Ameri- 
 cans. There were also " floating hospitals " — ships fitted 
 up as hospitals. They proved to be great blessings to 
 our Army and ISTavy. 
 
 You will remember that the Eed Cross Society took 
 great quantities of supplies to the suffering Cubans in 
 the early part of 1898. Its work in Cuba was just well- 
 established when hostilities broke out between the United 
 States and Spain, and while the members who were on 
 the ground wanted to stay and carry on the work of re- 
 lief, General Blanco told them it was best for them to 
 leave the island. They did so reluctantly, after doing all 
 they could to insure the proper distribution of the sup- 
 plies they left behind them. The result was that the 
 food and medicines intended for the Cubans were used 
 to sustain the Spanish army. 
 
 When the blockade of Cuban ports was instituted, 
 the Eed Cross Society was asked by the Government 
 to take charge of the steamship State of Texas which 
 
of the War with Spain. 125 
 
 had been loaded \vitli provisions, clothing, medical and 
 hospital supplies by the generous people of the United 
 States. Miss Clara Barton instantly responded, but the 
 ship was not allowed to go to Cuba under a flag of tnice, 
 because Acting Rear-Admiral Sampson would not allow 
 it. He said he was afraid the supplies would fall into 
 the hands of the Spanish army. But the Red Cross 
 Society would not give up its errand of mercy, and when 
 the United States army invaded Cuba, the State of Texas 
 followed the transports and so got to Cuba after all, and 
 anchored at a little place called Siboney, where the nurses 
 immediately began to care for the wounded on the hos- 
 pital ship Solace. 
 
 There had been so much mismanagement about the 
 landing of the troops and the supplies, that General 
 Shafter's army was without medicines or shelter for his 
 wounded men. When he learned that the Red Cross 
 ship had arrived, he sent word to Miss Barton to seize any 
 empty army wagons and send him a load of hospital sup- 
 plies and medical stores. She did this, although there 
 were no boats obtainable to convey the supplies to the 
 shore. There were only two old scows which had been 
 thrown away as useless, but the Red Cross men patched 
 them up as best they could, and then loaded them with 
 the material asked for. They worked all night, and 
 just as the sun rose in the morning, they managed to 
 get them to the shore. It was the hardest kind of work 
 unloading the scows in the surf, but they did it, and 
 
126 Young People^ s History 
 
 loaded some wagons with tlie precious supplies. Then tlie 
 women nurses, who had been drenched to the shin in 
 the surf, mounted on top of the load and started on a 
 terrible ride over a roadless country. They reached 
 the army, and the whole world knows the splendid work 
 they did there. It was no fault of the surgeon-general 
 cf the United States that they were able to accomplish 
 it, though, for he was opposed to female nurses and his 
 action sadly hampered the work. 
 
 But now I must tell you about the next hard work that 
 our soldiers had to do. On the last day of June, G-eneral 
 Shafter gave orders that the whole Army was to move on 
 toward Santiago the next day. General Shafter was sick, 
 and stayed at headquarters in his tent, two miles away. 
 Before Santiago could be reached, El Caney and San 
 Juan had to be taken. So, on the first of July, early in 
 the morning, six thousand of our troops, under brave 
 officers, marched to attack El Caney. General Shafter 
 thought this place could be taken in about an hour. 
 
 The town of El Caney, four miles northeast of San- 
 tiago, lies in a broad valley. Beyond it, on the Santiago 
 side, is a high, level piece of country. The houses in the 
 town are built of stone, and have thick walls. The town 
 was protected by a stone fort on a hill, and also by log 
 forts, trenches, and covered places, where the Spaniards 
 could stay under shelter while they fired. The stone fort 
 on the hill was first attacked by our men, and if they 
 had had more heavy cannon the work might have been 
 
128 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 easy. As it was, more than half the day passed, and, in 
 spite of the hard work of our men, the fort still stood. 
 Our men had no smokeless powder, and their firing made 
 a big black cloud around them all the time, so that they 
 could not see clearly. At last the stone walls of the 
 
 fort began to weaken, 
 and then our men were 
 ordered to " storm.'' 
 They ran along the 
 valley, broke through 
 fences of barbed wire, 
 and went up the hill 
 with such a rush that 
 the Spaniards could 
 not meet them, but fled 
 down into the town. 
 The other forts kept 
 up firing for a while, 
 but our men, now hav- 
 ing the fort on the hill, 
 forced the Spaniards 
 farther and farther, and, by four o'clock, our men 
 held the town. The whole place was strewn with dead 
 Spaniards, and our ow^n loss was heavy. Both sides had 
 fought bravely, and the struggle had lasted nearly nine 
 hours. 
 
 At El Caney the Spaniards made the strongest resist- 
 ance that the American armv met in Cuba. One of the 
 
130 Young People's History 
 
 foremost figures in tliis battle was Brigadier-General 
 Henry Yf. Lawton. I must tell you something about 
 liim. Lawton was but seventeen years old when the 
 Civil AVar in this country broke out. He enlisted at once 
 and was made a sergeant in an Indiana regiment. When 
 his term of service expired he re-enlisted and fought gal- 
 lantly throughout the remainder of the war. After the 
 war was over Lawton enlisted in the regular army and 
 was sent to the frontier, where he developed into one of 
 the best Indian fighters in the army. AVhen our coun- 
 try went to war Avith Spain, Lawton was holding an im- 
 portant position in the War Department at Washington. 
 His splendid services were remembered and he was pro- 
 moted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers and sent to 
 Cuba. After the war with Spain was over, Lawton was 
 again promoted, and in 1899 was sent to the Philippines 
 to assist in putting down the Liliplno insurrection. 
 
 Meanwhile, our other regiments had been ordered to 
 attack San Juan, a village on steep heights, less than a 
 mile east of Santiago. Our men went to the place by 
 tw^o different roads, and had to go through woods, wade 
 through streams, and wind along narrow paths. A num- 
 ber of men from each regiment went before, with tools, 
 and cut the fences of barbed wire. Lences of barbed 
 wire had been put, like a network, all around Santiago, 
 to keep our men away. 
 
 San Juan was protected by trenches and forts, and 
 from these places Spanish bullets rained down upon our 
 
132 Young People^ s History 
 
 men. During the early hours of the morning there was 
 much confusion among our troops. They were looking 
 for further orders from headquarters, but none came. 
 So, at last, the captains and colonels took things into 
 their owm hands and did what seemed best. Again there 
 was need of more heavy cannon, and again our men were 
 troubled by having powder that made a thick black 
 smoke. Just as it was at El Caney, so it was at San 
 Juan; not having cannon enough to destroy the forts, 
 our men had to take the place by storm. Colonel Koose- 
 velt led his " Rough Eiders " in one of the finest charges 
 ever made. The other troops, nearly all " Regulars," 
 did noble w^ork. "With bullets pouring down upon them, 
 our men made a wild rush up the heights, and the Span- 
 iards fled. The struggle to take San Juan had lasted 
 more than five hours, and cost many lives. 
 
 Though our men were worn and weary, they took no 
 rest that night. They buried the dead, they repaired 
 the forts and trenches. Our men knew that the Span- 
 iards would try to win back the heights of San Juan, the 
 last stronghold on the outskirts of Santiago. 
 
 At daybreak the next morning the Spaniards attacked 
 our troops, and the fighting went on all day. A sharp 
 attack was made in the evening, but our men still held 
 the place. Yet they did not feel secure. The Spanish 
 Army in Santiago was a large one, and might force our 
 men back. Our men, though weary from marching and 
 fighting and digging, hungry, for food was scarce, 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 133 
 
 wanted to hold the heights that had been so dearly won. 
 
 The attack upon the Spanish defenses of Santiago be- 
 gan early in the morning of July 1st, as I have told you, 
 and I wish I could tell you the one hundredth part of the 
 brave and gallant deeds that were done by our brave 
 soldiers on that and the next day. 
 
 Battery A, of the Second United States Artillery, 
 fired the first shot of the engagement known as the battle 
 of El Caney. The Spaniards replied, after it had sent 
 five shells among them. 
 The Spanish forces 
 w^ere much stronger 
 than our men thought 
 they were, and it took 
 General Lawton nearly 
 all day to gain posses- 
 sion of El Caney. 
 Early in the day, Lieu- 
 tenant Parker's battery 
 of four Gatling guns 
 began to hurl bullets 
 into the Spanish 
 trenches, and so well 
 did it keep up the work 
 that it played a very 
 important part in the battle and a great deal of the credit 
 of the victory is due to Lieutenant Parker. Afterwards, 
 Lieutenant Parker, in speaking of these wonderful ma.- 
 chine guns, said : 
 
 g l^'ar iviih Sj>ain 
 
134 Young People^s History 
 
 " We trained tlie guns on the top of the hill. They 
 ■were fired above the heads of the slowly advancing line 
 of blue which had started up the slope. I ordered the 
 men to work the Gatlings as fast as they could. The 
 result was astounding. With each of the four guns fir- 
 ing at the rate of eight hundred shots a minute, the bul- 
 lets formed a canopy over the heads of the men at the 
 foot of the hill. A Gatling gun in action is a sight to 
 remember; so thick and fast do the bullets fly that one 
 can actually sec the stream of lead leaving the gun and, 
 as if handling a hose, train it on any desired point. 
 
 " I remember one incident of the first day which 
 showed how deadly was the fire of these machine guns. 
 Away off, across the valley, we saw a clump of Spanish 
 cavalrymen. I ordered the guns turned on them. They 
 were so far away Ave had to jse glasses to find them ac- 
 curately, but when the little wheels began to turn, those 
 who stood in the front line of the clump fell as gras3 
 falls before a mower, and it didn't take the rest of those 
 Spaniards long to get behind something. 
 
 "As the day wore on, and the troops kept climbing 
 up the hill. Colonel Roosevelt, who had been watching 
 the work of the Gatlings, came along and placed his 
 light battery of two Colt machine guns and one dynamite 
 gTin in my command.'' 
 
 You can get an idea of the deadly work of the Gat- 
 lings. when I tell you that the fire of one of these guns 
 is equal to that of one hundred and eighty riflemen, 
 each discharging thirteen shots per minu<-e. 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 135 
 
 The dynamite gun is the latest development in light 
 artillery. One of them had been supplied to Eooge- 
 velt's Rough Eiders, or ^^ Teddy's Terrors/' as they 
 were often called, but none of them wanted to handle it. 
 
 Sergeant Bor?o'«e Working the Dynamite Gun. 
 
 They were willing to face Spanish bullets, but they 
 were afraid of the dynamite gun. They thought it was 
 just as dangerous «t one end as at the other. It is an 
 odd looking pierce of artillery, having two tubes, or bar- 
 rels, one abovp. the other. It throws a long cartridge or 
 
136 Young People^s History 
 
 shell, similar in shape, but not so large as those used on 
 the Vesuvius, about which I have told you. One day 
 Sergeant Borrowe volunteered to manage the gun that 
 the rest of the men were afraid of. They let him have 
 it, and he did splendid work with it. 
 
 Another famous gun in the fighting before Santiago 
 was gun Xo. 2, of Captain Capron's battery. Captaiv 
 Capron was the father of the young man who was killed 
 in the battle of Las Guasimas. No guns did more effec- 
 tive work than his, unless it was Parker's Gatlings, and 
 one shot from this Xo. 2 is said to have killed sixteen 
 Spaniards at one time. After the battery returned to 
 the United States, Lieutenant Henly, after saying that 
 the battery was in every battle on Cuban soil except that 
 at Las Guasimas, continued: 
 
 " We were peculiarly fortunate in escaping the bullets. 
 The only man killed in our battery was a horse — I sup- 
 pose we can count him as a man. At El Caney, we Avere 
 directed to support the infantry in an attack on several 
 blockhouses and a stone fort. We were twenty-four 
 hundred yards away and soon got the range. The first 
 shot was fired by Corporal Williams. Corporal Xefi" 
 fired the shot that brought down the Spanish flag. We 
 pounded a hole in the fort and the infantry went 
 through it." 
 
 A young soldier who was wounded at San Juan told 
 this story: 
 
 " My company got mixed up in the charge, and 1 
 
of the War with Spain. 
 
 137 
 
 pushed on with the Thirteenth Kegulars. When we 
 reached the top of the hill, some of us took shelter in 
 a blockhouse and began firing from there at the oppo- 
 
 The Famous No. 2 Gun. 
 
 site hills. There wasn't one of the enemy in sight unless 
 you count dead ones, so we blazed away at nothing at 
 all, for awhile. But they had us dead in range, and it 
 was no dream the way their bullets played around us. 
 
138 Young People's History 
 
 " One of the bravest things I saw in the war happened 
 right here. An officer came up — he was a major of 
 regulars — I don't know his regiment — and he saw that 
 we didn't know what to aim at, and were getting a little 
 rattled. So what did he do but quickly walk out in front 
 of the blockhouse where the bullets were coming thick- 
 est, and proceed to study the hills with his field-glass, 
 just as unconcerned as you please. And every now and 
 then he would call to us who were inside, ' Men, sight at 
 eight hundred yards and sweep the grass on the ridge of 
 the hill '; or, again: ' Men, I can see the Spaniards over 
 there; try a thousand-yard range and see if you can't 
 get some of them. Fire low!' I never saw such nerve 
 as that officer had; he'd have stirred courage in every- 
 body." 
 
 " Didn't he get hit?" he was asked. 
 
 "I'll tell you about that in a minute; but while he 
 was out there shaking hands with death, you might say, 
 I was witness to a little incident in the blockhouse that 
 is worth telling about: A lot of us were in there from 
 different regiments — some from the Thirteenth, some 
 from the Sixteenth, and some colored boys from the 
 Twenty-fourth. AVe were all blazing away through 
 the firing-openings in the walls. 
 
 " Just beside me was a big negro, who didn't seem 
 more than half interested in what he was doins:. I saw 
 him pull a dead Spaniard out of the door with a listless 
 movement, and then pick up his rifle as if he thought 
 

 .^f-t^S •' 
 
 
 Bringing Up Captain Capron's Battery. 
 
 139 
 
140 Young People's History 
 
 the whole thing a bore. Suddenly, a bullet came in with 
 a zip along the underside of his gun barrel, glanced 
 against the strap, and took the skin off the negro's 
 knuckles as if they'd been scraped with a knife. And 
 then you should see the change ! He wasn't scared — not 
 a bit ; but he was mad enough to have charged the whole 
 Spanish army alone. How he did talk — not loud, just 
 quietly to himself — and how he did grab iiis cartridges 
 and begin to shoot. 
 
 " Speaking of cartridges, some of the boys ran short 
 because they had thrown away a lot in their haversacks; 
 but I had put two beltfuls in a pair of socks and pinned 
 them inside my shirt with safety pins, so I had plenty, 
 and I Avas peppering away from behind a brick chimney, 
 when one of the Thirteenth lads called out to me: 
 ^ Come over here. Seventy-one; I've got a fine shot for 
 you.' 
 
 " I looked around and saw him standing by a window 
 that was barred with iron, but had no sash to it. He was 
 kneeling on the floor, just showing his head over the sill, 
 and looking at the Spanish line. He was a nice looking 
 lad, not a day over twenty-one, and his face was as 
 smooth as a girl's. ' All right/ said I, going over to him, 
 * Where's your shot V 
 
 "'There,' said he, pointing to one of the hills: 'no- 
 body's fired at that one yet, but I'm sure the dagos are 
 there. Set your sights at six himdred yards and we'll 
 try it together!' 
 
of the \Yar with Spain. 1^1 
 
 " So I fixed my sights, and we both fired out of the 
 window with our rifies resting on the ledge. As I drew 
 back I saw there was something queer with the boy, and 
 noticed a splash of red on the lobe of his ear, just like 
 a coral bead. 
 
 " ' Did they wing you V I asked. And even as I spoke, 
 he staggered against the wall and turned round so that 
 I saw him full in the face. There was a hole in the 
 other side, just at the cheek bone, that I could have put 
 my finger in. He had been shot clear through the head. 
 
 " ' Poor chap,' I said, and lifted him over behind the 
 chimney, where I had been. He didn't speak. I left 
 him there and went to the door, thinking that I might 
 see a Red Cross nurse somewhere about, and sure 
 enough, there was one bending over a man stretched on 
 the ground. It was the major who had been giving us 
 the ranges. 
 
 " ' Is he hurt bad V I asked. 
 
 " The Red Cross man had the major's shirt open, look- 
 ing at his wound. ^ He's shot through the heart,' he said. 
 
 " ^ Can you come in here a minute, when you get 
 through with him? There's a Thirteenth boy just been 
 hit.' 
 
 "'Hit where?' 
 
 " ' In the head.' 
 
 " ' Hold him by the jowls,' he said, ' until I come.' 
 So I held him by the jowls, and then he spoke for the 
 first time, and what he said was this : ' Say, Seventy-one, 
 I done my duty, didn't I?' 
 
142 Young PeopIe^s History 
 
 " I told him that he did. 
 
 " ^ I had my face toward 'em when thej got me, didn't 
 
 ir 
 
 " ' Sure, you did.' 
 
 " ^ Well,' he went on, quite cheerful like, ' I may get 
 tlirough this, and if I do, I'll have another crack at 'em. 
 But if I don't, why I aint got no kick comin', for there'll 
 be others to stay here with me.' 
 
 " That was the last I saw of him, for the Red Cross 
 man came in then, and I w^ent back to the firing. He 
 was a game boy, though, wasn't he?" 
 
 What would have become of the w^ounded if the Eed 
 Cross nurses had not been on the field to help them, no- 
 body knows, except that thousands of " mothers' boys " 
 were saved, wdio in a few hours more w^ould have been 
 beyond mortal aid. l^o wonder bearded men wept like 
 babies and blessed the angels of mercy as they passed. 
 The boys went into the fight hungry, lay for two days in 
 trenches, almost wdthout food; and when they were 
 wounded, were ordered to make their w^ay to the rear 
 as best they could. Men with desperate w^ounds had to 
 W'alk or crawd perhaps a mile; perhaps five or six miles, 
 over the wild, rough country, those who were least in- 
 jured, assisting their comrades, and hundreds dying by 
 the wayside. Had the Red Cross been allowed its way 
 in the beginning, many of these horrors w^ould have been 
 avoided. The few army surgeons did all in their power, 
 but nearly everything they needed to allay suffering was 
 
The "Eed Cross" in the Field. 
 
 143 
 
144 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 lacking, and so insufficient was tlie force tliat many of 
 the wounded lay for days before their turn came. Men 
 taken from the operating table, perhaps having just had 
 a leg or arm cut off, or with bodies torn by bullets, were 
 laid naked on the rain-soaked ground, without shelter, 
 and in the majority of cases without even blankets. And 
 there they lay through two long days and nights. All 
 honor to the Eed Cross Society which finally forced its 
 way to the spot and knew exactly what to do. 
 
 Some time after the 
 return of the "Rough 
 Riders " to the United 
 States, Colonel Roose- 
 velt told some interest- 
 ing experiences: 
 
 " I recollect, as I 
 was sitting, I gave a 
 command to one of my 
 orderlies, and he rose 
 up and saluted and fell 
 ri2,ht forward across 
 my knees dead. The 
 man upon whom I had 
 most to rely — I relied 
 upon all of those gal- 
 lant men, but the man upon whom I most relied, Buckey 
 O'Xeill — was standing up, walking up and down in front 
 of his men, wanting to show them by his example that 
 they must not get nervous, and to reassure them. 
 
of the War with Spain, 145 
 
 "Somebody said, ^Captain — Captain O'^N'eill! You 
 will be struck by a bullet as sure as fate; lie down! lie 
 down!' and lie laughed, and said, ' AVhy, the Spanish bul- 
 let is not made that will kill me!' And the next minute 
 a bullet struck him in the mouth and came out the back 
 of his head and he was killed right there. 
 
 " Captain Jenkins crept up beside one of his sharp- 
 shooters and said to him, ' I see a Spaniard over in that 
 tree, give me your rifle for a moment.' He fired two or 
 three shots and then turned around and handed the rifle 
 back to the man, and the man was dead — had been killed 
 without making a sign or sound as he stood beside him. 
 
 " I was talking to a gallant young officer, asking 
 him questions, and he was answering. I turned around 
 and he had been shot through the stomach." 
 
 But General Shafter, still at headquarters some miles 
 away, did not know how the men felt, and thought they 
 ought to retreat to some safer point, and wait for more 
 troops from the United States. Early the next morning 
 — Sunday, July 3d — General Shafter sent a telegram 
 to the War Office at Washington, saying that he thought 
 of withdrawing his forces from the neighborhood of San- 
 tiago. An answer was sent to him, asking him to try to 
 hold his present place, and more troops started for Cuba. 
 
 Fortunately, there were brave commanders in the 
 American army who did not think as General Shafter 
 did. They had been doing the fighting, while he hadn't, 
 and they had no idea of giving up an inch of the ground 
 
146 
 
 Young People's History 
 
 tliey had gained. One of the most prominent of them 
 was General Joseph Wheeler. He had a splendid record 
 in the Civil War, fighting on the side of the Confeder- 
 acy. He was a bold and tireless fighter, and before he 
 was thirty years old he was the commander of all the 
 Confederate cavalry. His sabre had flashed in the thick- 
 est of many fights and he had led his splendid horsemen 
 in many a furious charge. 
 
 When the war with Spain broke out, General Wheel- 
 er offered his services 
 to the Government and 
 was sent to Cuba, and 
 when there began to 
 be talk of retread: after 
 those terrible days of 
 fighting before San- 
 tiago, the splendid old 
 Confederate counselled 
 holding the army 
 Avhere it was, and 
 fighting the Spaniards 
 again, if necessary. 
 He said, " American 
 prestige would suffer 
 irretrievably if we gave 
 up an inch; we must stand firm!" 
 
 The message from General Shafter flew through the 
 United States, and caused great anxiety. It was sad to 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 think that our troops had drawn near the place they 
 had been striving to reach, had had great labor, had 
 borne much suffering, and that now, after all, they might 
 have to retreat because there were not enough of them to 
 finish the w^ork — not enough to take Santiago. 
 
 But that very Sunday something took place that 
 changed the wdiole color of the scene. 
 
148 Young People^ s History 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SPANISH FLEET LEAVES THE HARBOR. 
 
 WHILE our Army had been toiling along narrow 
 roads and through dense forests, wading the 
 streams and storming the forts, on the way to 
 Santiago, our Navy had been keeping up its blockade of 
 the harbor. Perhaps I should explain to you that the 
 Merrimac, sunk by Lieutenant Hobson, did not really 
 close the channel, because the Merrimac had not gone 
 down in the right spot on account of the breaking of the 
 rudder. So our vessels still kept a close blockade. 
 
 The Spaniards now felt worried. Our Navy was at 
 one side of Santiago, and our Army at the other. The 
 Spaniards in the city thought our Army w-as larger than 
 it was, and the word passed round that fifty thousand 
 American soldiers were on the hills. Food was scarce in 
 Santiago; there would soon be danger of starvation. In 
 this state of affairs. Admiral Cervera, taking a wild 
 chance for life and liberty, with the hope of being able 
 afterward to help his countrymen, led his fleet out of 
 the harbor. 
 
 Sunday morning, July 3d, was clear and beautiful. 
 The cliffs of the harbor, and the old forts, made a fine 
 show under the blue sky. The red and yellow flag of 
 
of the War with Spain, 149 
 
 Spain floatedj as usual, on top of Morro Castle. Far in 
 the distance the mountain tops showed plainly — a dark 
 line against the sky. The sea was smooth. 
 
 Our vessels were in place near the mouth of the har- 
 bor, though a few were missing. The Massachusetts 
 and some smaller vessels had gone to Guantanamo for 
 coal ; the flagship New York had gone eastward to a place 
 where Admiral Sampson could go ashore, for he wished 
 to arrange plans with General Shafter. Commodore 
 Schley had been left in charge of the fleet, and his flag- 
 ship was the Brooklyn. It was at the western end of 
 our half-circle of ships. 
 
 On Saturday evening, the night before, some of the 
 men on board the Iowa saw a good deal of smoke rising 
 within the harbor, and thought the Spanish ships might 
 be getting ready to rush out. These men spoke to their 
 captain about the smoke, but the captain thought that 
 the Spaniards were only fixing their fires. The smoke 
 seemed to him no thicker than it had often been before. 
 The men on the deck could not help thinking about the 
 smoke, and tried to ease their minds by making ready 
 the signal, so that it could be run up instantly if the 
 Spanish ships started out. But the night passed away, 
 the signal was not needed, and the men concluded that 
 the smoke really had meant nothing. They never 
 dreamed that the Spaniards would come out in daytime. 
 So it seemed likely that the day would pass quietly. 
 
 As it was Sunday, not much work was going on. By 
 
 lO—ll^a.*- with Spain 
 
150 Young People's History 
 
 nine o'clock all the men were dressed in tlieir white 
 clothes, ready for the Sunday morning "inspection/' 
 Some of the officers were gloomy, for they had had news 
 about the terrible losses in the Army during the last two 
 days. 
 
 Suddenly, about half past nine, shouts are heard on 
 some of the ships, and the signal flies up on the Iowa: 
 " Enemy's ships are coming out," and a gun is fired from 
 the Iowa, to attract the notice of all the fleet. Our 
 ships, so still a moment before, are now full of life. 
 Every man shouts to his neighbor, " They're coming 
 out! they're coming out!" Men run in all directions to 
 get to their posts; officers buckle on their swords; orders 
 are quickly given. " Sound the general alarm!" " Clear 
 ship for action!" "Bugles call to general quarters!" 
 " Steam and pressure on the turrets!" " Hoist the battle- 
 flags!" "Close the hatches!" " Eull steam ahead!" 
 "Turn on the current of the electric hoists!" "Get to 
 your guns, lads!" 
 
 Our men are hurrahing and yelling witb glad excite- 
 ment. They throw off their white clothes, and tumble 
 down the ladders, and throw themselves througli the 
 hatchways in their haste to obey orders. In less than 
 three minutes every vessel is speeding along, and has 
 obeyed the signal: " Open fire!" 
 
 There are the beautiful Spanish ships running at full 
 speed, in a line, one behind the other, all their flags fly- 
 ing as if on a holiday parade. They are coming out of 
 
of the War with Spain. 151 
 
 the channel and turning westward, firing fiercely on the 
 Brooklyn, the nearest of our ships, while the forts on 
 the cliffs fire on the rest of our fleet. Eirst of the Span- 
 ish ships comes the Maria Teresa, carrying the flag of 
 Admiral Cervera. The last two in the line are the tor- 
 pedo-boat destroyers. 
 
 Our ships send forth a storm of fire; every instant the 
 roar of our guns is heard, and the air is so filled with 
 smoke that our men can hardly see their enemy. 
 
 Indeed, it is a wonder that our ships, all rushing 
 toward the Spanish ships, do not crash into one another. 
 And how can they help injuring one another with their 
 guns? Ah, there is good management! Not one of the 
 captains loses his wits — not one of the gunners mistakes 
 a friend for a foe. 
 
 Now the Maria Teresa is on fire in different places, 
 and turns in toward the shore. Great columns of flame 
 shoot up as the big ship runs upon the beach and hauls 
 down her flag as a sign of surrender. Now another 
 Spanish ship is on fire from our guns, and runs ashore, 
 hauling down her flag. She is as helpless as the Teresa. 
 Not half an hour has passed since those two ships came 
 out of the harbor, yet now, after running six or seven 
 miles, they are ashore and in flames; most of cheir men 
 are killed or wounded, the others are clinging to parts of 
 the ships or jumping into the sea, though sharks are 
 plainly seen in the water. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Gloucester, one of our smallest vessels, 
 
152 Young People's History 
 
 is attacking the two torpedo-boat destroyers, and, with a 
 little help from some of our battleships, soon puts an end 
 to the two little Spanish boats. One of them sinks, the 
 other is compelled to run ashore; both ruined in less than 
 eiaht minutes after the Gloucester fired the first shot 
 at them. 
 
 The chase goes on, the guns keep up their deadly fire. 
 Xow another Spanish ship, the Yizcaya, turns to the 
 shore, flames shooting from her decks. As she touches 
 the beach, two loud explosions shake her from end to 
 end. She has held her course for an hour and twenty 
 minutes, but now she is burning on the shore. 
 
 Only one Spanish ship is left, the Cristobol Colon, 
 flying at full speed, six miles ahead of our first ship, the 
 Brooklyn. The Oregon and the Texas follow the Brook- 
 lyn, and the Kew York is only a short distance be- 
 hind. For, of course, the Xew York, though several 
 miles away when the race began, heard the signal gun, 
 and turned, and flew baek to Santiago on the wings of 
 the wind. Faster and faster flies the !N^ew York, gaining 
 rapidly in the race. 
 
 Surely, it is an exciting race, for the Colon is flying 
 for life. Commodore Schley takes the Brooklyn farther 
 out to sea, to head off the Colon, when she turns her 
 course; but our other ships follow the Spaniard. There 
 is little firing now from either side — the ships are racing. 
 
 Two hours pass in this way, and now the Brooklyn 
 and the Oregon fire heavily at the Cristobal Colon, 
 
I 
 
154 Young People^ s History 
 
 again and again. The helpless Colon hauls down her 
 flag, and turns toward the shore. The last Spanish ship 
 gives up the struggle at fifteen minutes after one o'clock, 
 fifty miles west of Santiago. 
 
 While Commodore Schley is sending Captain Cook 
 in a small boat to receive the surrender of the Colon, 
 the crews of the Brooklyn and Oregon crowd upon the 
 decks and turrets to cheer each other and shout for joy. 
 Some of the men of the Oregon rush at once for their 
 drums and bugles, and the notes of ^' The Star Spangled 
 Banner " rise in place of the roar of the guns. The 
 Xew York and the Texas arrive, and the four ships rest 
 in triimiph. 
 
 While waiting and resting, a scene took place on the 
 Texas that will long be remembered. The captain sud- 
 denlv ordered, " All hands aft!" The crew of five hun- 
 dred men went to the deck to hear their captain's message* 
 The captain, in a few simple words, spoke to the men of 
 his faith in the Father Almighty, and then said: "I 
 want all of you, officers and crew, to lift your hats, and in 
 your hearts to offer silent thanks to God." The men 
 were silent a few minutes, and then left the deck, giv- 
 ing, as they went, " Three cheers for our captain." 
 
 "While the Brooklyn, Oregon, Texas, and Xew York 
 were following the Cristobal Colon, our other vessels 
 were busy saving the lives of Spaniards on board the 
 pinking and burning ships. One small boat after another 
 was lowered from our vessels, and the crews went to th i 
 
e 
 
 O 
 O 
 
 PQ 
 
 o 
 
 w 
 
 a 
 
 ■♦-» 
 
156 
 
 Young People^s History 
 
 burning vessels, wliere stores of powder Tvere exploding 
 every moment, took off tlie wounded Spaniards, and 
 saved the men who had jumped into the sea and were 
 trying to swim ashore. The w^ork of rescue lasted till 
 
 eight o'clock that 
 night. A thousand 
 Spaniards, among them 
 Admiral Cervera and 
 his son, were brought 
 to our ships, and were 
 well tended. Most of 
 the Spaniards needed 
 clothes, having thrown 
 aside their garments 
 when jumping into the 
 sea; all needed food; a 
 large number, being 
 wounded, needed the 
 care of our doctors. 
 What the captain of 
 the low'a said of his men may be said of the crew^s 
 of all our other vessels : " I cannot express my 
 admiration for my magnificent crew. So long as the 
 enemy show^ed his flag, they fought like American sea- 
 men ; but wdien the flag came down, they were as gentle 
 and tender as American women." 
 
 Admiral Cervera was picked up by the Gloucester, but 
 aftcnvards was taken to the low^a, where he was received 
 
of the War with Spain. 157 
 
 with due honors. The bugles were sounded as he came 
 over the side of the ship, the officers saluted him as Ad- 
 miral, the crew cheered him to show their admiration 
 for his courage. The Admiral's kindness to Lieu- 
 tenant Hobson was remembered by our men, and 
 they showed that they were grateful. Afterward, the 
 Admiral w^as asked why the Spanish ships had not left 
 the harbor during the hours of night, and he answered: 
 " The searchlights of your ships ^vere too blinding." 
 
 What a change had taken place in less than four 
 hours on that Sunday! The Spanish fleet had been de- 
 stroyed, six hundred Spaniards had lost their lives, many 
 were wounded, a thousand were in the hands of the 
 Americans. Our men had won a great victory, had not 
 lost a ship, and had only one man killed and one 
 wounded. 
 
 The story of the Gloucester's fight with the '' destroy- 
 ers " has been graphically told by one who was on board 
 her during that exciting time. 
 
 " The Spaniards were beginning to get the range with 
 their deadly automatic one-pounders. One shot in the 
 right place would sink us. There was a line of splashes 
 in the water, like that made by jumping fish, tracing 
 accurately the length of our vessel, and gradually coming 
 nearer and nearer. 
 
 " Crash ! crash ! went our guns, and suddenly, when 
 within ten yards of the ship, the splashes ceased. The 
 man at the gun had been killed, ^o v/ere 3a^ed tern- 
 
158 Young People^ s History 
 
 porarily, but still the enemy was fighting for dear life. 
 Both destroyers were trying their best to sink ns; we 
 refused to go down. Suddenly the pin of number four 
 gun dropped out and it was necessary to remove the 
 breach block and find the pin. It was all done quietly, 
 quickly, but the nervous strain was awful. We were 
 now within five hundred yards of the Furor, firing some- 
 times at her and sometimes at the Pluton. At this 
 point the New York went speeding by and cheered us 
 as she passed. Gradually the Pluton's guns became 
 silent, and it was evident that she was in distress. She 
 was making for the shore. 
 
 " Suddenly there was a great flash aboard her, a mass 
 of steam rose into the air, and she had exploded, proba- 
 bly in the engine room. Later we learned that a shot 
 had passed clear through her boilers. A great cheer 
 went up from the Gloucester's crew. But what was the 
 Furor doing? Coming toward us? It was the last act 
 of desperation. Again the starboard battery had come 
 into use. There was no time to be lost; either we must 
 sink the Furor or she would sink us. 
 
 "Our fire was redoubled. It was too fierce; no ves- 
 sel could stand it. Still continuing on the circle, with 
 a starboard helm, the Furor turned away from us toward 
 Morro. But w^e kept up our heart-breaking fire. Like 
 a stag, the boat turned again and made for her compan- 
 ion, which was now lying on her side amid the breakers, 
 endeavoring to escape us, but in vain; and, still 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 159 
 
 turning, she made weakly toward ns again. Then the 
 truth dawned upon us; she was unmanageable, and was 
 simply moving in a circle, with a jammed helm. The 
 battle was at an end. 
 
 " But our work was by no means over. We had spent 
 two hours in slaughtering our friends who had crossed 
 the sea to meet us, and 
 we now spent twelve 
 
 hours in rescuing the 
 survivors." 
 
 The Gloucestel' was 
 commanded by Lieu- 
 tenant- Commander 
 Wainwright, a most 
 gallant and plucky offi- 
 cer. He was the ex- 
 ecutive officer of the 
 battleship Maine when 
 she was blown up in 
 Havana harbor shortly 
 before the war began. 
 His fight with the " de- 
 stroyers " was one of the bravest deeds ever recorded in 
 naval history. After rescuing Admiral Cervera from the 
 water, he placed his cabin at his disposal, did everything 
 to make him comfortable, and treated him with the 
 deference due his rank. 
 
 A midshipman on the Almirante Oquendo, who man- 
 
160 Young People^ s History 
 
 aged to get ashore after his ship was beached, told this 
 
 story: 
 
 "The flagship opened fire while we, being the last, 
 were still some way from the harbor mouth, yet before 
 we cleared the entrance we got struck by a few shells. 
 I was in the forward central torpedo room, and as, ac- 
 cording to orders, the port holes were shut, I could see 
 but little of what was taking place outside. We did not 
 at once use our torpedoes, for shortly after the action be- 
 gan, a heavy projectile crashed through the upper deck 
 and destroyed the shield near which I was standing. I 
 was knocked down by the force of the explosion, receiv- 
 ing a slight leg wound from a fragment of the shell, 
 while a splinter of the starboard gangway was driven into 
 my chest near the heart. On recovering my feet, I 
 found that the starboard torpedo tube was smashed and 
 that the deck was strewn with dead and wounded, 3 
 few of whom were seeking to go up the gangway, whict 
 was also destroyed. Yery shortly we all had to clear 
 out of the room, as it became impossible to breathe 
 there, owing to a lot of material taking fire. T sank, halt 
 choked, on the upper deck, but was ie-/ired by somcon'i 
 turning a hose on my head. 
 
 " On rising again, I found myself close to the second 
 commander, Don Victor Sola, who was encouraging the 
 crew, and Senor Nunoz, who pat his arm around me, ex- 
 claiming, ' They are making a man of you to-day.' At 
 that moment a hea // shell burst behind me, small par- 
 
of the War with Spain. 161 
 
 tides lodging in mj neck. This shell killed Don Victor 
 Sola, whom I saw fall on his face without uttering a 
 word. Eight across his body fell that of the first gun- 
 ner. When Captain Lazaga heard that the forward 
 magazines were ablaze he followed the lead of the Te- 
 resa, heading for land and running the vessel ashore. I 
 went back to the torpedo room and stripped. When I 
 got back on deck, mj companions were gone, so I got 
 through the port cannon embrasure and slipped down a 
 chain into the water.'' 
 
 The destruction of the Spanish fleet at Santiago was 
 as complete as the destruction of the Spanish fleet at 
 Manila. Commodore Schley was the senior officer in 
 command, and it was fitting that the man who "bottled- 
 up " Cervera's fleet should be the one to destroy it. Af- 
 ter peace was declared, he was promoted to be a rear-ad- 
 miral, and the people of the United States presented 
 him with the costliest sword ever given a military or 
 naval officer. It was a direct gift from the people to the 
 man, and showed the estimation in which they held him. 
 
 In the running fight at Santiago, as at the battle of 
 Manila, every officer and man did his duty. The Span- 
 ish vessels were out-sailed and out-fought. The Ameri- 
 can vessels were not injured and the Spanish were 
 crushed. The American gunnery was effective at close 
 range and long; the Spanish gunnery was not good at 
 any range. The American shells told wherever they 
 struck and the American vessels were maneuvered with 
 
162 Young People's History 
 
 the greater skill. Under tlie stress of the greatest ex- 
 citement, the Americans showed the effect of their splen- 
 did drill and discipline. 
 
 Admiral Cervera and the principal Spanish officers 
 were taken to Annapolis and installed in comfortable 
 quarters. One of them said : " You ought to be proud of 
 your country, because you have such good people." 
 Another remarked, " I do not know that I am a prisoner 
 except that I cannot go home." Eventually they were 
 all sent back to Spain. 
 
 It has been truly said that laughter and tears lie very 
 close together. It is equally true that in the midst of 
 solemn and terrible events some amusing things happen, 
 even though thev mav not seem funnv at the time. And 
 so, in connection with the exciting events of July 3d, 
 1898, some laughable stories are told. 
 
 When the Spanish fleet came out of the harbor vxith 
 all their colors flying, a lieutenant on the Texas looked 
 up and saw that his ship was displaying nothing but the 
 Stars and Stripes. " Where are our battle-flags?" said he. 
 Just then the Texas sent a shell against the Maria Ter- 
 esa. " I guess they won't have any doubt about our 
 being in battle," said Captain Philip. But the lieutenant 
 thought that a battle was nothing without battle-flags, 
 and sent a messenger after them. But the flags were 
 locked up, and the man who had the key was busy in 
 another part of the ship. " Then smash the locker," said 
 the lieutenant, when informed of this fact. The locker 
 
of the War with Spain. 163 
 
 Y/as smashed, and soon tlie Texas was fighting under her 
 battle-flags. 
 
 ^ In the thickest of the fight a young lad on the Texas 
 was heard to say : " Fourth of July celebration, eh ? A 
 little early, but a good one!'' 
 
 During the chase after the Colon, the men of the Ore- 
 gon went in turn to dinner, Captain Clark having called 
 to them : " 'Now, children, go and get something to eat, 
 if it is only a little bread and butter.'' The men satisfied 
 themselves with a few bites, and then hurried back to 
 the deck to watch the exciting race. The Oregon and the 
 Brooklyn were gaining steadily on the Colon. Suddenly 
 the Brooklyn s^'^^^aled to the Oregon: " She seems built 
 in Itaty." And the Oregon signaled back: " She may 
 have been built in Italy, but she will end on the coast of 
 Cuba." 
 
 While some of the ships were chasing the Colon, and 
 others were rescuing the wounded and drowning Span- 
 iards, the Indiana, according to orders, returned to watch 
 the harbor entrance. Suddenly an excitement was caused 
 on the Indiana by news that a large Spanish battleship 
 was coming from the eastward. Captain Taylor at once 
 made ready for another fight, and sent his men to their 
 guns. The officers on the bridge looked through their 
 field-glasses at the strange ship, three miles away. " Yes, 
 it is a Spanish ship." " Yes, she has Spanish colors." 
 The stranger drew near, the guns of the Indiana were 
 just about to open fire, but the foreign ship signaled her 
 
164 Young People^ s History 
 
 name and country — " Kaiserin Maria Theresa, Austria " 
 — intime to save both parties from further trouble. 
 
 That Sunday morning the chaplain of the New York 
 was preparing to hold service w^hen the sound of a gun 
 caused the ship to turn in her course and speed back to 
 Santiago. The ship was cleared for action, and the pul- 
 pit was hastily thrown aside. As the ship sped along, 
 some of her men saw a Spanish sailor struggling in the 
 water. One of the men quickly picked up the pulpit — ■ 
 a clumsy, awkward affair, with a gilt cross on the side of 
 it — and heaved it overboard, at the same time yelling 
 to the poor Spaniard : ^' Cling to the cross, my lad, cling 
 to the cross and you'll be saved." Th. -struggling sailor 
 clung to the cross and was afterward picked up by one of 
 the small boats. 
 
 This story is told of two gunners on the Oregon. One 
 was an old fellow whose name has been on the navy list 
 for thirty years, the other was a young seaman gunner'. 
 
 When Admiral Cervera led his ships out of the har- 
 bor of Santiago, in that brave dash for the freedom of 
 the open sea, the veteran was engaged in his usual oc- 
 cupation of polishing the sleek coat of one of the big 
 thirteen-inch guns. When the cry went up that the 
 eiiemy was escaping, he gave a finishing touch to 
 the muzzle and quickly took his station in the turret. 
 Presently he turned to a young gunner near him and 
 said: " Charley, I bet you a month's pay that I make a 
 better shot at the dago beggars than you. What 
 d'you sayf^ 
 
of the War with Spain. 165 
 
 " T)one/ was the prompt reply. 
 
 " Ten minutes later, the old gunner squinted his eye 
 along the sight, signalled the man at the training lever 
 to ease off a little, took the range from the officer in 
 charge of the division, then gave the firing lanyard a 
 quick jerk. When the smoke lifted, the eager watchers 
 saw a great yawning hole in the port bow of the Al- 
 mirante Oquendo. A cheer came from the men in the 
 turret, and the veteran glanced triumphantly toward the 
 younger gunner. 
 
 " The latter's turn soon came. The Oquendo, bat- 
 tered and helpless, drifted ashore in flames. The Ore- 
 gon accompanied by the Brooklyn, sped on after the 
 fleet-footed Colon. The rapid-fire batteries of both 
 American ships rattled and shrieked after the fugitive. 
 The eight-inch guns of the Brooklyn rumbled an unceas- 
 ing chorus as they belched forth their shells, and oc- 
 casionally a deeper roar from the thirteen-inch mon- 
 sters of the Oregon would give a mightier volume to 
 the din. 
 
 " It was after one of the latter shots that the forward 
 turret of the Oregon echoed with a rousing cheer. 
 Charley, the young gunner, had just dropped the firing 
 lanyard from his hand and it was seen the Colon's con- 
 ning tower was hit. ^ He told me before he pulled the 
 lanyard that he would fetch it,' exclaimed one of the 
 gun's crew, admiringly, ^ and he did.' 
 
 A proud father, whose son was on one of the battle- 
 ships during the destruction of Cervera's ships, said: 
 
 I J — IVar iL'ith Spain 
 
166 Young People's History 
 
 " Among the four letters I have received from my son 
 is one which contains an amusing story of one of the offi- 
 cers of the Indiana. The officer in question is well 
 knowm throughout the navy for his fastidiousness re- 
 garding apparel, and even on board his ship, is always 
 the best-dressed man. He considers it his imperative 
 duty to appear ^ just so/ on every occasion. 
 
 " My son writes that Avhen the fight began, everybody 
 had on most of his clothes, the officers generally being 
 in proper uniform. My boy started in with a full accom- 
 paniment of cap, shirt, coat, pants and shoes, but says that 
 before the hour and a half w^as over he had shed every- 
 thing except his trousers. The heat was, of course, in- 
 tense and the main cause of the boy's throwing off all 
 unnecessary garments. It has been his duty to carry 
 messages several times from the commanding officer on 
 the bridge to the rear of the vessel, where our dandy 
 officer was stationed, and wdien the fight began he was 
 fully uniformed. On the second trip back the officer 
 was seen to be the only person in sight with a coat on 
 his back, but the perspiration was rolling down his 
 cheeks and dropping off in black beads and his face was 
 besmeared and almost unrecognizable. 
 
 ''Just before the last shot was fired, my son was sent 
 to find the executive officer to deliver him a message 
 from the bridge. He hurried to the deck, and, in clouds 
 of black smoke endeavored to locate the lieutenant. He 
 looked in vain, however, and finally stepped up to a man 
 
of the ^Yar iviili Spain. 
 
 167 
 
 who at first appeared to be clothed in pajamas, and my 
 son was just going to inquire for the first ofiicer, when 
 the smoke cleared away a little revealing our fastidious 
 but brave officer dressed in his nightgown, with his sword 
 strapped around his waist, and a pistol stuck in his belt." 
 Doubtless many more anecdotes could be told in con- 
 nection with that day's history. 
 
168 Young People^ s History 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 CLOSING EVENTS. 
 
 THAT Sunday morning, after General Shafter re- 
 ceived the telegram from the War Office, he took a 
 step which in the end proved very successful. 
 He sent men to Santiago bearing a flag of truce and a 
 message to the Spanish general. When a flag of truce 
 is sent to an enemy all fighting stops for a number of 
 days or hours, according to the time fixed for the truce, 
 or quiet, and plans are then made. This message told 
 the Spanish general that if he did not surrender within 
 a certain time the American Army would attack the 
 city. The Spanish general sent word back that he would 
 not surrender, but that he would give notice to the people 
 in Santiago that they might leave the city before the 
 attack. Of course, before that day was over, our Army 
 heard of the great victory of our ^avy, and felt more 
 hopeful. ' 
 
 During the week that followed that important Sunday, 
 crowds of women, children, and old men; Spaniards, 
 Cubans, and people of other nations, went out of San- 
 tiago. They hardly knew where to go. Men who 
 saw that sight said it was pitiful. All the roads 
 leading from Santiago were filled with people and wag- 
 
of the War vnth Spain. 169 
 
 ons, toiling on to some place of safety. Most of these 
 people had very little food, except the fruit then ripe on 
 the mango-trees, and so had to be fed by onr Army and 
 by the Red Cross Society. Ever since General Shafter's 
 army bad landed, it had been feeding the hungry Cu- 
 bans in the country around Santiago — people who were 
 nearly starved on account of their long war with Spain. 
 Food was scarce in our Army, because there was trouble 
 in landing the supplies sent by the United States, and 
 more trouble in sending the supplies forward to the sol- 
 diers. Still, the hungry people from Santiago could not 
 be neglected, and they were given a share of food daily. 
 
 And with all those crowds upon the narrow roads from 
 Santiago were many of our wounded soldiers, trying to 
 make their way back to the Red Cross tent at Siboney. 
 There were not enough army wagons to take the 
 wounded from Las Guasimas, El Caney, and San Juan, 
 and they could not all be treated in the field tents. So 
 the men limped and hobbled along as best they could — 
 wounded, sick, feverish — to Siboney, *eight miles away. 
 To add to the suffering, this was the wet season in Cuba, 
 and rain fell for hours every day. 
 
 During that week of truce. General Shafter arranged 
 with the Spanish general in Santiago for the exchange 
 of Lieutenant Hobson and his crew. Half way between 
 the American camp and the city there was a beautiful 
 ceiba-tree, or silk-cotton tree, so called from the large 
 seed-pods, full of soft, cotton-like stuff. Under this tall. 
 
170 
 
 Young People^ s History 
 
 shady tree many important councils were held between 
 the Spanish and American officers. And under this tree, 
 one morning, our officers gave up eight Spanish prison- 
 ers in return for Lieutenant Hobson and his men. Our 
 soldiers welcomed these brave fellows with shouts of 
 praise and joy. 
 
 On July 10th, the truce being ended, our Army and 
 our ^avy fired upon Santiago, and kept up the fire on 
 the morning of the next day. Then a new truce was 
 
 made, for the Span- 
 iards wanted time to 
 consult their Gov- 
 ernment. General 
 Miles, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of 
 the whole United 
 States Army, arrived 
 and held councils with 
 the Spanish officers. 
 At last the Spaniards 
 agreed to surrender 
 the eastern part of 
 Cuba, and at noon, 
 on July 17th, our 
 flag was hoisted on the governor's palace in Santiago. 
 Our soldiers took possession of the city, and the citizens, 
 who had gone away in such sorrow, now returned in joy 
 because the United States had taken charge. 
 
 The Treaty Tree. 
 
of ilie War lui'ui Spain. 
 
 171 
 
 When General Miles arrived in Cnba with reinforce- 
 ments, he at once took charge of the negotiations be- 
 tween General Shafter and the Spanish General Toral. 
 General Shafter had made such a mess of the whole cam- 
 paign that he was inclined to make trouble, thinking he 
 was to be superseded; 
 but General Miles told 
 him that he had in- 
 structions to settle all 
 matters according to 
 his own discretion. 
 After he had com- 
 pleted the negotiations 
 with General Toral, 
 General Miles gener- 
 ously left the honor of 
 receiving the surrender 
 of the Spanish forces 
 to General Shafter. 
 From the moment of 
 his arrival on the isl- 
 and. General Miles had control of all military affairs. 
 'No greater discretion was ever given to an officer, but he 
 used it wisely, and then allowed the honors to pass to 
 another. 
 
 Some of our naval officers went into the harbor and 
 exploded all the " mines,'' and the harbor was once more 
 safe and open to all vessels. The war was not really at 
 
172 
 
 Young PeoMs History 
 
 an end, but it was known that Spain could not liold out 
 much longer. 
 
 One of the devoted Red Cross workers tells this story: 
 " One of the most dramatic incidents of the war was 
 the entrance of the Red Cross into Santiago, a few days 
 later. Recognizing the great services rendered, the 
 army officers experienced almost a change of heart, and 
 the relief ship State of Texas was put ahead of anything, 
 
 even Shafter, Samp- 
 son and Schley follow- 
 ing respectfully in the 
 rear. There were the 
 two armies, the con- 
 querors and the con- 
 quered, the wrecked 
 ships of Spain, the 
 starving Cubans, the 
 silence of the grave 
 hung over all; the 
 memory of horrors 
 gone before — of battle, 
 murder and tragedy ; 
 and now was coming 
 the first gleaming hope 
 to a perishing people. Said ]\Iiss Barton: 
 " ^ Can somebody sing the Doxology?' 
 " ^ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ' rang 
 out in quavering chorus from the dozen men and women 
 
of the TFar with Spain. 173 
 
 on the deck of the State of Texas, taken up and re- 
 peated here and there on battleships and shore, till the 
 green hills that mirror Santiago re-echoed the song of 
 thanksgiving, while gallant soldiers were not ashamed 
 of tears, and the dying waved their feeble hands." 
 
 One of the problems of the war was how to dispose of 
 the Spanish prisoners. It would cost a big sum to feed 
 them and to guard them, and so it was decided to send 
 them back to Spain. Ships were provided and this was 
 done. The Spaniards who were sick and wounded re- 
 ceived the same care and consideration that was given 
 to the Americans who were in the same conditions. The 
 humorous side of the affair was that, the contract to con- 
 vey the troops to Spain w^as given to a Spanish Steam- 
 ship Company. 
 
 I have spoken before of the other large island belong- 
 ing to Spain — the island of Porto Rico. Late in July 
 General Miles took a large body of troops there to take 
 possession. These troops had much better supplies than 
 the troops in Cuba, and they had not such hard work. 
 The people in Porto Eico w^elcomed our soldiers. The 
 Spanish soldiers made a few efforts to fight, but one 
 place after another was taken by our troops, without any 
 great trouble. 
 
 Ponce, near the southern coast of Porto Eico, is a city 
 of importance, as I have told you. It was named for 
 Ponce de Leon, the famous voyager of the sixteenth 
 century, who wandered around in search of a fountain of 
 
174 Young People^ s History 
 
 youth. "When our troops approached Ponce, the city 
 and the port were given np to them gladly, as the Span- 
 ish soldiers had gone away. 
 
 Our troops now began moving on by different roads 
 to San Juan, on the northern coast, the capital and chief 
 city. It was known that the Spaniards were making 
 great preparations to defend this city. As our Army 
 pushed on, from day to day, there were some skirmishes 
 with the enemy. On August 12th there seemed likely 
 to be very serious fighting at different places near San 
 Juan, but messengers arrived suddenly, saying: "The 
 "War is ended; Spain and the United States are arrang- 
 ing terms of Peace.'' Spain had lost Cuba and Porto 
 !Rico forever. 
 
 That afternoon, at four o'clock, the first paper of the 
 Peace w^as signed at the White House, in Washington, 
 though the full Treaty was not made until four months 
 later. Spain agreed to give Porto Pico to the United 
 States, Cuba to be independent, but our country to gov- 
 ern the island until the Cubans were able to manas^e 
 their own affairs. The officers and soldiers chosen by the 
 United States to stay in Cuba and Porto Pico to restore 
 order and help the islands to recover from the effects of 
 war, soon made many improvements. 
 
 As the navy began the war with Spain, it was proper 
 that the navy should finish it. The greater events at 
 Santiago obscured the last naval battle of the war, but 
 it was a grand triumph for the navy. You will remem- 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 175 
 
 ber that the Wilmington was in the fight at Cardenas 
 where brave Ensign Bagley was killed. After the de- 
 struction of Admiral Cervera's fleet, Commander Todd, 
 of the Wilmington, was in command of a little fleet and 
 at Manzanillo, off to the westward of Santiago, he de- 
 stroyed nine Spanish vessels. This engagement gave 
 him the title of " the Dewey of Manzanillo," and his re- 
 port of that spirited affair was as modest as that of his 
 namesake. 
 
 As our troops came 
 back to the United 
 States, from time to 
 time, they were re- 
 ceived with great joy. 
 But many of our men 
 were very ill after the 
 war, and had to stay a 
 long time in a sick- 
 camp on Long Island. 
 
 On the twentieth 
 of August there was a 
 great naval parade in 
 the harbor of New 
 York, and the leading 
 vessels from the war made a fine display. 
 
 Later, there were Peace Jubilees held in a number of 
 cities of the United States. The one in Philadelphia 
 was a splendid affair. There were receptions and illu- 
 
 Commander Chapman Todd. 
 
176 
 
 Young People^ s History 
 
 minations, but what pleased the spectators most was the 
 great parade. A great many of the military and naval 
 commanders of the men who won the splendid victories 
 over the Spanish were present, and thousands of the men 
 themselves marched past the miles of spectators who 
 lined the sidewalks, as they passed along the streets. 
 
 It was an inspiring spectacle. General Miles, the 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United States, 
 rode at the head of the monster procession. Cheer 
 after cheer arose from the enthusiastic crowds as the men 
 who fought with Dewey swung past with rifles at " right 
 shoulder." They shouted themselves hoarse when a 
 squad of " Rough Eiders " trotted by ; Hobson and his 
 men received an ovation; Colonel Huntington marched 
 at the head of the brave marines who made the bold 
 stand at Guantanamo. It was a day of heroes, and all 
 were welcomed and cheered royally. 
 
of the War with Spain, 
 
 177 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 
 
 BUT in spite of Peace Jubilees and fine parades of re- 
 turning troops, our country was still at war. But 
 this war was with the natives of the Philippine 
 Islands. To explain this trouble, I must go back in my 
 story. 
 
 In another chapter 
 I told you of the re- 
 bellion of the Filipinos 
 against Spain. One of 
 the leaders in the re- 
 bellion was a young 
 man named Aguinal- 
 do. The name means 
 a " Christmas box." 
 
 Ag*uinaldo has been a 
 good box for some 
 people, a troublesome 
 box for others. Well, 
 to quiet that rebellion, 
 Spain made many 
 promises, and Aguinal- 
 do and other leaders went to stay in China. Spain did 
 
178 Young Peopled History 
 
 not keep her promises, and the rebels took ivp arms 
 again. Before Spain could qniet this trouble, Com- 
 modore Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila 
 Bay, and the Spanish soldiers fled to the city of Manila. 
 Commodore Dewey had not forces enough to attack the 
 city then, so he waited for more troops. But while he 
 waited he blockaded the harbor. In June, General 
 Merritt sailed from the United States with troops for 
 Manila, and others were sent afterward. 
 
 On the way across the Pacific Ocean, at Guam, one of 
 the Ladrone Islands, a ludicrous incident occurred. The 
 Charleston steamed into the harbor, firing a few shots at 
 the fort at its entrance. Several Spanish officers came 
 out to the warship in a boat to apologize for not return- 
 ing the salute, saying they had no powder. What was 
 their astonishment upon being told they were prisoners, 
 not even having heard that war had been declared. 
 
 The United States flag was raised over the island, and 
 it is now held as a place to store large quantities of coal 
 for the use of our war vessels. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Filipinos, and some of the savage 
 tribes, had risen in great numbers against the Spaniards, 
 and Aguinaldo returned and took command of his troops 
 once more. Commodore Dewey, or Admiral Dewey, as 
 he must now be called, having been promoted after his 
 victory, tried to keep the natives in check; he did not 
 think it right to let lawless people take the city of 
 Manila. 
 
of the War with Spain. 179 
 
 The Spaniards made efforts to drive the Arnericans 
 away from Manila, as well as to control the rebels, and 
 sometimes matters seemed very serious for our men. On 
 the 7th of August Admiral Dewey and General Merritt 
 sent a notice to the Spanish General that, if he did not 
 surrender by a certain day, they would attack Manila. 
 They thought they could easily come to terms with the 
 Filipinos, after settling the Spaniards. 
 
 On August 13th our ships in the harbor and our troops 
 on the shore began the attack upon Manila. About noon 
 the Spaniards had to surrender. Later in the day a cable 
 message was received from the United States, saying that 
 the war wdtli Spain w^as ended. 
 
 Afterward, when the full Treaty of Peace was signed, 
 the United States agreed to give Spain twenty million 
 dollars for the Philippine Islands. 
 
 Manila had been captured once before from the Span- 
 ish. In what is known in this country as the " French 
 and Indian War," Spain took sides with France, and 
 England sent an expedition against Manila in 1762. 
 After a siege of about two weeks' duration, the city was 
 carried by storm and given over to pillage. Afterwards, 
 terms of capitulation were agreed upon, and the English 
 withdrew. 
 
 In the summer of 1899, Admiral Dewey sailed from 
 Manila in his flagship, the Olympia. He made a leis- 
 urely voyage through the Suez Canal, stopped at vari- 
 ous Mediterranean ports, and finally reached 'New York 
 
180 Young People^s History 
 
 on September 26th. Preparations on a gigantic scale 
 had been made to welcome him, and distinguished men 
 and deputations from every state in the Union were on 
 hand to greet him. Splendid receptions and parades fol- 
 lowed; costly presents were showered upon him. The 
 culmination of this spontaneous greeting of the Amer- 
 ican people was reached when, in the city of Washington, 
 President McKinley presented him with a magnificent 
 sword — the one that had been voted to him by Congress 
 for his splendid services at Manila. 
 
 Through it all Admiral Dewey was as modest as a man 
 could be; he said that the captains of his ships and the 
 crews of their vessels were the men that won " all these 
 indescribable honors " for him. 
 
 After the surrender of Manila to General Merritt 
 and Admiral Dewey, Aguinaldo, the leader of the 
 Filipinos, began to make trouble for the Americans. 
 He proclaimed a new form of government for the islands, 
 with himself as dictator. He entirely ignored the efforts 
 of the United States to give his people a good govern- 
 ment, and because they did not agree to his schemes, he 
 began to fight our soldiers. He succeeded in raising a 
 formidable insurrection, and w^e had to send more sol- 
 diers to the islands. General Otis was sent there with 
 reinforcements, and later, a number of the generals who 
 had fought at Santiago were sent to help him put down 
 the rebellion against the authority of the United States, 
 who owned the islands by right of conquest and purchase. 
 
Admiral Dewey Receiving the Sword of Honor Voted by Congress. 
 
 I g — ll'hr zvith Sfain 
 
182 
 
 Young People^s Hisiory 
 
 Many men were killed on both sides, and among tlicm 
 were Major Jolm A. Logan, Jr., and Major-GeneraJ 
 Henry W. Lawton. 
 
 Major Logan was the son of Hon. John A. Logan, for- 
 merly a Senator and at one time Vice-President of the 
 
 United States. 
 
 General Lawton, you 
 will remember, was the 
 famous officer who 
 fought so gallantly in 
 Cuba, particularly at 
 the battle of El Caney, 
 and w^as afterwards sent 
 to the Philippines. 
 Upon his arrival in the 
 islands he was at once 
 given a command, and 
 began to hunt down 
 the Filipinos. He 
 fought as bravely and 
 gallantly in the Phil- 
 ippines as he did in 
 Cuba, capturing many rebel strongholds and considerable 
 quantities of arms and ammunitions. He took a large 
 number of prisoners and kept up such a tireless pursuit 
 of the insurgents that they fled before him in terror. 
 In fighting the Filipinos he used the same tactics that he 
 had employed against the Indians in this country. He 
 
 \<-:'-&^£^. 
 
 General E. S. Otis. 
 
of the War with Spain. 183 
 
 allowed his troops to fight in Indian fashion, each man 
 for himself, when occasion required; and he had the love 
 and respect of every man in his command 
 
 General Lawton was specially thanked by President 
 McKinley after his capture of San Isidro, where he led 
 his men in person, as he almost invariably did. He was 
 one of the bravest of men, and met a soldier's death in a 
 skirmish at San Mateo, on December 18th, 1899. 
 
 When the news of General Lawton's death reached 
 this country, the people quickly raised a fund, amounting 
 to about one hundred thousand dollars, for his wife and 
 children, as a token of their appreciation of his distin- 
 guished services. His remains were brought to the 
 United States on a Government transport, and after lying 
 in state at Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana, Avere 
 laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery, near the city of 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 You will remember that our war with Spain began on 
 April 21st, 1898, and that it ended with the signing of 
 the peace protocol, on August 12th of the same year; 
 but I hardly think you know what these one hundred and 
 fourteen days cost this country. 
 
 The cost in men was two thousand, nine hundred and 
 ten, and of these one hundred and seven were officers. 
 The total force engaged was two hundred and seventy- 
 four thousand, seven hundred and seventeen officers and 
 men. 
 
 The cost in money was about $1,250,000 for each day 
 
184 ■ Young People^ s History 
 
 of tlie war, and if you reckon tliat np yon will find that 
 it amounts to an enormous sum of money. 
 
 The only American vessel that was lost was the collier 
 MerrimaCj which was sunk in Santiago harbor by our 
 own navy. 
 
 Spain's losses will probably never be given out, for 
 national pride will not permit her to publish the figures. 
 We know, however, that she lost twelve cruisers, two 
 torpedo-boat destroyers and twenty-one gunboats from 
 her list of fighting ships. The value of Admiral Cer- 
 vera's squadron, which was destroyed at Santiago, alone 
 w^as $20,000,000. Besides capturing or destroying these 
 war vessels, we took from Spain, during the war, twenty- 
 four steam vessels, sixty-one sailing vessels and sixty-one 
 lighters. 
 
 It is impossible to give Spain's losses in men, killed and 
 wounded, but she surrendered to us in Cuba and the 
 Philippines something more than thirty-nine thousand 
 men. According to the terms of the capitulation at San- 
 tiago, this country sent nearly twenty-three thousand 
 prisoners home to Spain. 
 
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 Cloth, 60 cents. 
 
 BUIMPER AND BABY^ JOHN. By Anna Chapin Ray. 
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 trated. Cloth, 50 cents. 
 
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