_Bergen_ off Francis Key.
_August 8._ General Shafter and the Spanish General Toral held a
consultation at the palace in Santiago, with regard to the embarkation of
the Spanish prisoners of war. As a result of the conference, one thousand
of the Spanish sick and wounded were taken on board the _Alicante_ next
morning, to be sent to Spain as soon as the vessel was properly loaded.
_August 10._ The President to-day promoted Sampson and Schley to be
rear-admirals, ranking in the order named.
A department of the army, to be known as the Department of Santiago, was
created, and Maj.-Gen. Henry W. Lawton assigned to its command.
The Norwegian steamers _Aladdin_ and _Bergen_ were released, by orders
from Washington.
_August 12._ The flag-ship _San Francisco_, the monitor _Miantonomah_, and
the auxiliary yacht _Sylvia_ were fired upon by the Havana batteries. One
10 or 12-inch shell struck the _San Francisco’s_ stern as she turned to
get out of range, and tore a hole about a foot in diameter, completely
wrecking Commodore Howell’s quarters, and smashing his book-case to
fragments. Nobody was injured, and, being under orders not to attack the
batteries, the ships retreated as fast as their engines could carry them.
_August 13._ General Shafter, at Santiago, learned that Manzanillo had
been bombarded for twenty hours.
General Shafter at once cabled to the Spanish commander at Manzanillo that
peace had been declared,(35) and requesting him to advise the American
commander of the fact under a flag of truce, which he did, and the
shelling of the town ceased.
_August 16._ The following message was the first received in this country
from the territory so lately annexed:
[Illustration: U. S. S. SAN FRANCISCO.]
“HONOLULU, August 16.
“_Day, State Department_:—Flag raised Friday, the twelfth, at noon.
Ceremonies of transfer produced excellent impression.
(Signed) “SEWALL.”
CHAPTER XV.
THE PORTO RICAN CAMPAIGN.
_July 20._ With bands playing and thirty thousand people cheering, the
first expedition to Porto Rico left Charleston, S. C., at seven o’clock in
the evening, under command of Maj.-Gen. J. H. Wilson. The Second and Third
Wisconsin and Sixteenth Pennsylvania regiments, and two companies of the
Sixth Illinois, made up the list of troops.
_July 21._ General Miles accompanied the expedition bound for Porto Rico,
which left Guantanamo Bay, made up of eight transports convoyed by the
_New Orleans_, _Annapolis_, _Cincinnati_, _Leyden_, and _Wasp_.
_July 22._ An expedition under command of Brig.-Gen. Theo. Schwan left
Tampa on five transports, bound for Porto Rico.
_July 25._ The expedition under the command of Major-General Miles landed
at Guanica de Porto Rico, the _Gloucester_, in charge of
Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright, steaming into the harbour in order to
reconnoitre the place. With the fleet waiting outside, the gallant little
fighting yacht _Gloucester_ braved the mines which were supposed to be in
this harbour, and, upon sounding, found that there were five fathoms of
water close inshore.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL MILES.]
The Spaniards were completely taken by surprise. Almost the first they
knew of the approach of the army of invasion was the firing of a gun from
the _Gloucester_, saucily demanding that the Spaniards haul down the flag
of Spain, which was floating from the flagstaff in front of a blockhouse
standing to the east of the village.
The first 3-pounders were aimed at the hills right and left of the bay and
in order to scare the enemy, the fighting yacht purposely avoiding firing
into the town.
The _Gloucester_ then hove to within about six hundred yards of the shore,
and lowered a launch, having on board a colt rapid-fire gun and thirty
men, under the command of Lieutenant Huse. She was sent ashore without
encountering any opposition.
Quartermaster Beck thereupon told Yeoman Lacey to haul down the Spanish
flag, which was done, and then they raised the first United States flag to
float over Porto Rican soil.
Suddenly about thirty Spaniards opened fire with Mauser rifles upon the
American party. Lieutenant Huse and his men responded with great
gallantry, the Colt gun doing effective work.
Norman, who received Admiral Cervera’s surrender, and Wood, a volunteer
lieutenant, shared the honours with Lieutenant Huse.
Almost immediately after the Spaniards fired on the Americans, the
_Gloucester_ opened fire on the enemy with all her 3 and 6-pounders which
could be brought to bear, shelling the town and also dropping shells into
the hills to the west of Guanica, where a number of Spanish cavalry were
to be seen hastening toward the spot where the Americans had landed.
Lieutenant Huse then threw up a little fort, which he named Fort
Wainwright, and laid barbed wire in the street in front of it in order to
repel the expected cavalry attack. The lieutenant also mounted the Colt
gun and signalled for reinforcements, which were sent from the
_Gloucester_.
Presently a few of the Spanish cavalry joined those who were fighting in
the streets of Guanica, but the Colt barked to a purpose, killing four of
them.
Soon afterward white-coated galloping cavalrymen were seen climbing the
hills to the westward, and the foot-soldiers were scurrying along the
fences from the town.
By 9.45, with the exception of a few guerrilla shots, the town was won,
and the enemy driven out of the neighbourhood.
The troops from the transports were landed before nightfall.
_July 26._ Near Yauco, while the Americans were pushing toward the
mountains, the Spaniards ambushed eight companies of the Sixth
Massachusetts and Sixth Illinois regiments, but the enemy was repulsed and
driven back a mile to a ridge, where the Spanish cavalry charged and were
routed by our infantry.
General Garretson led the fight with the men from Illinois and
Massachusetts, and the enemy retreated to Yauco, leaving three dead on the
field and thirteen wounded. None of our men were killed, and only three
were slightly wounded.
_June 27._ The port of Ponce, Porto Rico, surrendered to Commander C. H.
Davis of the auxiliary gunboat _Dixie_. There was no resistance, and the
Americans were welcomed with enthusiasm. General Miles issued the
following proclamation:
“In the prosecution of the war against the kingdom of Spain by the people
of the United States, in the cause of liberty, justice, and humanity, its
military forces have come to occupy the island of Porto Rico. They come
bearing the banners of freedom, inspired by a noble purpose, to seek the
enemies of our government and of yours, and to destroy or capture all in
armed resistance.
“They bring you the fostering arms of a free people, whose greatest power
is justice and humanity to all living within their fold. Hence they
release you from your former political relations, and it is hoped your
cheerful acceptance of the government of the United States will follow.
“The chief object of the military forces will be to overthrow the armed
authority of Spain, and give the people of your beautiful island the
largest measure of liberty consistent with this military occupation.
“They have not come to make war on the people of the country, who for
centuries have been oppressed, but, on the contrary, they bring protection
not only to yourselves, but to your property, will promote your prosperity
and bestow upon you the immunities and blessings of our enlightened and
liberal institutions and government.
“It is not their purpose to interfere with the existing laws and customs
which are wholesome and beneficial to the people, so long as they conform
to the rules of the military administration, order, and justice. This is
not a war of devastation and desolation, but one to give all within the
control of the military and naval forces the advantages and blessings of
enlightened civilisation.”
_July 28._ The expedition destined for Porto Rico, under command of
Major-General Brooke, left Newport News. Four transports and the auxiliary
cruisers _St. Louis_ and _St. Paul_ comprises the fleet.
The Navy Department made public the following telegram:
“U. S. S. MASSACHUSETTS, PONCE, PORTO
RICO, July 28.
“Commander Davis with _Dixie_, _Annapolis_, _Wasp_, and _Gloucester_ left
Guanica July 27th to blockade Ponce and capture lighters for United States
army. City of Ponce and Playa surrendered to Commander Davis upon demand
at 12.30 A. M., July 28th. American flag hoisted 6 A. M., 28th.
“Spanish garrison evacuated.
“Provisional articles of surrender until occupation by army: first,
garrison to be allowed to retire; second, civil government to remain in
force; third, police and fire brigade to be maintained without arms;
fourth, captain of port not to be made prisoner.
“Arrived at Ponce from Guanica with _Massachusetts_ and _Cincinnati_,
General Miles and General Wilson and transport, at 6.40 A. M., 28th;
commenced landing army in captured sugar lighters.
“No resistance. Troops welcomed by inhabitants; great enthusiasm.
“Captured sixty lighters, twenty sailing vessels, and 120 tons of coal.
“HIGGINSON.”
_July 29._ The advance guard of General Henry’s division, which landed at
Guanica on Tuesday, arrived at Ponce, taking en route the cities of Yauco,
Tallaboa, Sabana, Grande, and Penuelas.
Attempts by the Spaniards to blow up bridges and otherwise destroy the
railroad between Yauco and Ponce failed, only a few flat cars being
burned. At Yauco the Americans were welcomed in an address made by the
alcalde, and a public proclamation was issued, dated “Yauco, Porto Rico,
United States of America, July 27th.”
_July 31._ In General Miles’s despatches to the War Department, the
following statements are made regarding the condition of affairs on the
island:
“Volunteers are surrendering themselves with arms and ammunition.
Four-fifths of the people are overjoyed at the arrival of the army. Two
thousand from one place have volunteered to serve with it. They are
bringing in transportation, beef, and other needed supplies.
“The custom-house has already yielded fourteen thousand dollars. As soon
as all the troops are disembarked they will be in readiness to move.”
Colonel Hulings, with ten companies of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania,
occupied Juan Diaz, about eight miles northeast of Ponce, on the road to
San Juan. The American flag was raised, and greeted with great enthusiasm
by the populace.
_August 1._ The American scouts were within six miles of Coamo, and the
Spanish rear guard was retiring fast. The Spanish had fled toward
Aibonito, thirty miles from Ponce, and the place was being fortified.
There the road winds around among the mountains, and the artillery
commanding it rendered the position impregnable. Détours were to be made
by the Americans from Coamo through Arroyo and Guayamo, thus avoiding the
main road, which had been mined for three miles. Captain Confields of the
engineers went ahead to kill these mines. The Fifth Signal Corps men in
advance of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania sent word to General Stone that it
had reconnoitred the road to Adjuntas. A signal-station was established,
and the stars and stripes run up at Santa Isabel amid great enthusiasm.
Yabricoa, Patillas, Arroyo, Guayanillo, Penuelas, Adjuntas, Guayamo, and
Salinas had all surrendered.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL BROOKE.]
The Spaniards hurried from these towns towards San Juan before an attack
was made. The second fleet of transports arrived safely at Fort Ponce, the
_Roumanian_ bringing the cavalry detachment, and the _Indiana_ and
_Missouri_ the batteries. Generals Brooke, Schwan, and Haines, with their
staffs, were on board. The troops carried included the Thirteenth
Illinois, Seventh Ohio, Fourth Pennsylvania, Nineteenth Regulars, and
Troops A and C of the New York volunteer cavalry.
There were also one thousand animals, thirty days’ rations for thirty
thousand men, a signal corps detachment, and an ambulance corps. The whole
force, as well as the ammunition and quartermaster’s stores, was landed,
and the men were camping on the outskirts of the town.
_August 2._ San Juan blockaded by the _New Orleans_, _Puritan_, _Prairie_,
_Dixie_, and _Gloucester_, which kept out of range of the masked batteries
ashore.
The railroad from Ponce to Yauco in possession of U. S. troops. Spanish
volunteers continued to come into the American lines and give themselves
up.
_August 4._ A portion of General Grant’s brigade, on the transport
_Hudson_, sailed from Newport News.
A correspondent for the Associated Press, with the invading army, thus
wrote under date of August 4th:
“The Americans have taken peaceful possession of the eastern portion of
the island.
“Small parties of marines have been landed, who have lighted the lamps in
the lighthouse at Cape San Juan, and in other lighthouses along the coast.
They met with no resistance.
“Indeed, at Cape San Juan, deputations of citizens came out to meet them.
“The war-ships now in this vicinity are the _Montgomery_, the _Annapolis_,
the _Puritan_, and the _Amphitrite_. The two former are looking for the
transports with troops which left the United States and have scattered all
about the island.
“The _Annapolis_ rounded up the _Whitney_, the _Florida_, and the
_Raleigh_, yesterday, and they are now at Cape San Juan. There seems to
have been a serious mistake as to the rendezvous, for no two ships go to
the same place, and it will take several days to overtake them and get
them to Ponce, where General Miles is waiting.
“Off San Juan the cruiser _New Orleans_ alone maintains the blockade. The
city is grim and silent, but back of her yellow walls there will be plenty
of determination to fight when the Americans fire.
“Captain-General Macias has issued a proclamation, in the course of which
he says:
“‘Spain has not sued for peace, and I can drive off the American boats now
as I did Sampson’s attempt before.’
“The daughter of the captain-general is helping to drill the gunners in
the fort. Altogether there are ninety-five hundred Spanish regulars in the
city. The troops of the enemy, who are retreating from Ponce and the other
towns on the south coast occupied by the Americans, have not yet arrived.”
_August 5._ General Haines, with the Fourth Ohio and the Third Illinois,
left Arroyo for the Spanish stronghold of Guayama. The Fourth Ohio was
placed in the lead, and when only three miles from Arroyo its
skirmish-lines were attacked by the Spaniards from ambush. There was a hot
running fight from this time on until the American troops reached and
captured Guayama, which is about six miles from Arroyo. The Americans lost
three wounded, and the enemy, one killed and two wounded.
_August 6._ The foreign consuls at San Juan de Porto Rico advised the
Spanish authorities to surrender the island to the American troops. The
Spaniards, however, in reply, announced that they had resolved to fight;
thereupon the consuls notified the Spanish commander, Captain-General
Macias, that they would establish a neutral zone between Bayamon and Rio
Piedrass, in which to gather the foreign residents and their portable
properties in order to ensure their safety in the event of a bombardment
of the place by the American forces. The consul sent a similar
notification to General Miles.
_August 7._ A general advance of the American forces. The custom-house in
the village of Farjardo was seized.
_August 8._ The town of Coamo was taken by the Sixteenth Pennsylvania and
the Second and Third Wisconsin. Artillery was used on an outlying
blockhouse, and under cover of this fire the advance was made.
Two hundred Spaniards were captured and twenty killed, including the
commander, Rafael Igleseas, and three other officers.
Five Americans were wounded.
_August 9._ Gen. Fred Grant, his staff, and six companies of the First
Kentucky regiment sailed for Porto Rico from Newport News on the transport
_Alamo_.
“PONCE, August 9.
“_Secretary of War, Washington_:—The following received from General
Wilson:
“‘General Ernst’s brigade captured Coamo 8.30 this morning. Sixteenth
Pennsylvania, Colonel Hulings commanding, led by Lieutenant-Colonel
Biddle, of my staff, having made a turning movement through the mountains,
striking the Aibonito road half a mile beyond town, captured the entire
garrison of Coamo, about 150 men.
“‘Spanish commander, Igleseas, and Captain Lopez killed. Our loss reported
six wounded, only one severely. Men and officers behaving excellently.’
“Colonel Hulings and Colonel Biddle are especially to be commended. This
is a very important capture, and well executed. Names of wounded as soon
as received here.
(Signed) “MILES.”
Troop C, of New York, pursued a party of fleeing Spanish engineers, after
the capture of Coamo, a distance of four miles along the road to Aibonito.
The Americans were checked at the Cuyon River, where the Spaniards had
blown up the bridge, and were shelled from a Spanish battery on the crest
of Asoniante Mountain. The dismounted cavalry returned the fire, receiving
no damage, and holding the position. A battalion of the Third Wisconsin
Volunteers went to their support.
_August 11._
“PONCE, VIA BERMUDA, August 11.
“_Secretary of War, Washington_:—The following message received from
Schwan:
“‘CAMP, NEAR HORMIGUEROS, August 10.
“‘Advance guard, including cavalry of this command, while reconnoitring
northwest of Rosario River, near Hormigueros, developed strong Spanish
force, which lay concealed in hills north of Mayaguez.
“‘In general engagement that followed, Lieutenant Byron, Eighth Cavalry,
my aid-de-camp, was wounded in foot, and Private Fermberger, Company D,
Eleventh Infantry, and one other private were killed, and fourteen
enlisted men were wounded.
“‘It is reported that the most, if not the entire Spanish garrison of
Mayaguez and surrounding country, consisting of one thousand regulars and
two hundred volunteers, took part in the engagement. We drove enemy from
his position, and it is believed inflicted heavy loss.
“‘A wounded Spanish lieutenant was found in the field and brought into our
line. Conduct of officers and men was beyond all praise. I propose to
continue my march on Mayaguez at early hour to-morrow.
“‘SCHWAN.’
(Signed) “MILES.”
_August 12._ General Wilson moved one Lancaster battery out to the front
for the purpose of shelling the Spanish position on the crest of the
mountain at the head of the pass through which the road winds.
The enemy occupied a position of great natural strength, protected by
seven lines of entrenchments, and a battery of two howitzers.
The Spaniards were eager for the fray, and early in the day had fired upon
Colonel Biddle of the engineer corps, who, with a platoon of Troop C, of
New York, was reconnoitring on their right flank.
As the American battery rounded a curve in the road, two thousand yards
away, the enemy opened an artillery and infantry fire. Four companies of
the Third Wisconsin, which were posted on the bluff to the right of the
road, were not permitted to respond.
The guns advanced at a gallop in the face of a terrific fire, were
unlimbered, and were soon hurling common shell and shrapnel at the enemy
at a lively rate, striking the emplacements, batteries, and entrenchments
with the rhythmic regularity of a triphammer.
[Illustration: GENERAL BROOKE RECEIVING THE NEWS OF THE PROTOCOL.]
The enemy soon abandoned one gun, but continued to serve the other at
intervals for over an hour. They had the range, and their shrapnel burst
repeatedly over the Americans.
In about two hours the enemy abandoned the other gun, and the men began to
flee from the entrenchments toward a banana growth near the gorge. Then
the guns shelled them as they ran. One gun was ordered to advance a
position a quarter of a mile farther on. It had just reached the new
position when Spanish infantry reinforcements filed into the trenches and
began a deadly fire upon the Americans, compelling the battery to retire
at a gallop. Then both the enemy’s howitzers reopened, the shrapnel
screamed, and Mausers sang. Another gun galloped from the rear, but the
American ammunition was exhausted.
Colonel Bliss of General Wilson’s staff went forward to the enemy’s lines
with a flag of truce, and explained that peace negotiations were almost
concluded, that their position was untenable, and demanded their
surrender. The Spanish had had no communication with the outside world,
and the commander asked until the next morning in order that he might
communicate with General Macias at San Juan.
_August 13._ Twelve hours later the Spanish commander gave the following
command to one of his staff:
“Tell the American general, if he desires to avoid further shedding of
blood, to remain where he is.”
General Miles telegraphed the War Department that he was in receipt of
Secretary Alger’s order to suspend hostilities in Porto Rico. The soldiers
of the American army generally received the news of peace with delight,
although some were disappointed that there was to be no further fighting,
and many officers expressed regrets at the suspension of hostilities in
the midst of the campaign.
_August 14._ General Schwan’s column was attacked between Mayaguez and
Lares. As the Eleventh Infantry under Colonel Burke was descending the
valley of the Rio Grande they were fired upon from a hillside by a force
of fifteen hundred Spaniards, who were retreating toward the north. The
fire was returned, and the Spaniards were repulsed with, it was believed,
considerable loss.
Colonel Soto, the commander of the Mayaguez district, was wounded and
afterward captured in a wayside cottage. He was attended by two sergeants,
who surrendered. The Americans suffered no loss. The artillery and cavalry
were not engaged.
General Schwan had not received news of the signing of the protocol when
the action occurred, but obtained it later in the day.
[Illustration: GENERAL RUSSELL A. ALGER, SECRETARY OF WAR.]
CHAPTER XVI.
THE FALL OF MANILA.
With the opening of the month of July, affairs at Manila, so far as
concerned the American forces, were at a standstill.
_June 30._ Admiral Dewey awaited the coming of the army, the first
transports of the fleet having arrived at Cavite, June 30th, before
beginning offensive operations.
The situation on and around the island of Luzon was much the same as it
had been nearly all the month of June, except that the gunboat _Leite_,
which ran up a river on May 1st, the day of the battle, came out and
surrendered, having on board fifty-two army and navy officers and
ninety-four men. The _Leite_ has a battery of one 3 1-2-inch hontoria
guns, and several 2.7-inch rapid-fire guns.
_July 1._ Aguinaldo proclaimed himself President of the Revolutionary
Republic on the first of July. The progress of the insurgents can be
readily understood by the following extract from a letter written by Mr.
E. W. Harden:
“There are persistent rumours that it is the desire of Governor-General
Augusti to surrender Manila to the Americans, but the command of the
Spanish troops is practically held by the senior colonel of artillery, who
opposes surrender.
“The rebels have captured the water-works beyond Santa Mesa, which
supplied Manila, and the Spanish fear that their water will be cut off.
“The rebels have also captured the strongly fortified positions of San
Juan and Delmonte, where the Spaniards were to make their last stand if
Manila capitulated. The city is still surrounded by insurgents.
_July 2._ “There was fierce fighting Saturday before Malate. The Spaniards
had modern guns to command the rebel trenches, and maintained a steady
fire throughout the afternoon, but found it impossible to drive the
natives out. Forty rebels were killed. The Spaniards finally were driven
back.”
_July 4._ Brigadier-General Green, in command of the second army
detachment, on the way from San Francisco to Manila, rediscovered and took
formal possession of the long lost Wake Island, in north latitude 19° 15’
and east longitude 166° 33’.
_July 5._ To the Spanish consul at Singapore, Captain-General Augusti
telegraphed:
“The situation is unchanged. My family has succeeded in miraculously
escaping from Macabora in a boat, and, having passed through the American
vessels, all arrived safely at Manila. General Monet’s column is besieged
and attacked at Macabora.”
_July 15._ The steamers _City of Puebla_ and _Peru_ sailed from San
Francisco with the fourth Manila expedition, under command of
Major-General Otis.
_July 16._ The steamer _China_, of the second Manila expedition, arrived
at Cavite, and was followed on the next day by the steamers _Zealandia_,
_Colon_, and _Senator_.
_July 19._ The work of surrounding Manila by American forces was begun by
advancing the First California regiment to Jaubo, only two miles from the
Spanish lines. The Colorado and Utah batteries were landed at Paranaque,
directly from the transports. Over fifteen hundred men encamped between
Manila and Cavite. The Tenth Pennsylvania, with the rest of the artillery,
landed at Malabon, north of the besieged city.
_July 23._ The transport steamer _Rio Janeiro_, bearing two battalions of
South Dakota volunteers, recruits for the Utah Light Artillery, and a
detachment of the signal corps, sailed from San Francisco for Manila.
_July 25._ Major-General Merritt arrived at Cavite. Secretary Long
forwarded to Admiral Dewey the joint resolution of Congress, extending the
thanks of Congress for the victory achieved at Cavite. The resolution was
beautifully engrossed, and prefaced by a formal attestation of its
authenticity by Secretary of State Day, the whole being enclosed in richly
ornamented Russia covers.
Secretary Long, in his letter of transmittal, makes reference to a letter
from the Secretary of State complimenting Admiral Dewey upon his direction
of affairs since the great naval victory, a formal evidence that the State
Department is thoroughly well satisfied with the diplomatic qualities the
admiral has exhibited. The letter of Secretary Long is as follows:
“NAVY DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, July 25, 1898.
“_Sir_:—The Department has received from the Secretary of State an
engrossed and certified copy of a joint resolution of Congress, tendering
the thanks of Congress to you, and the officers and men of the squadron
under your command, for transmission to you, and herewith encloses the
same.
“Accompanying the copy of the joint resolutions, the Department received a
letter from the Secretary of State requesting that there be conveyed to
you his high appreciation of your character as a naval officer, and of the
good judgment and prudence you have shown in directing affairs since the
date of your great achievement in destroying the Spanish fleet.
“This I take great pleasure in doing, and join most heartily on behalf of
the Navy Department, as well as personally, in the commendation of the
Secretary of State. Very respectfully,
“JOHN D. LONG, _Secretary_.
“_Rear-Admiral George Dewey, U. S. N., Commander-in-Chief U. S. Naval
Force, Asiatic Station._”
_July 29._ The transport steamer _St. Paul_, bearing the first battalion
of North Dakota volunteers, the Minnesota and Colorado recruits, sailed
from San Francisco for Manila.
_July 31._ The transports _Indiana_, _Ohio_, _Valencia_, _Para_, and
_Morgan City_ arrived at Cavite with American troops.
At 11.30, on the last night of July, the Spanish forces in Manila attacked
the American lines. A typhoon had set in, rain was falling in torrents,
and the blackness of the night was almost palpable. Three thousand
Spaniards made a descent upon an entrenched line of not more than nine
hundred Americans.
The Tenth Pennsylvania bore the brunt of the attack, and checked the
Spanish advance until the Utah battery, the First California Volunteers,
and two companies of the Third Artillery, fighting as infantry, could get
up to strengthen the right of the line.
The Spaniards had, by a rush, gone 150 yards through and beyond the
American right flank, when the regulars of the Third Artillery, armed as
infantrymen, pushed them back in confusion, the Pennsylvanians and Utah
battery aiding gallantly in the work.
_August 1._ After the attack on the right wing had been repulsed, the
second Spanish attack at two in the morning was directed against the
American left wing.
After thirty minutes of fighting the enemy was again beaten off, and the
rain seemed to be so heavy as to make further attack impossible.
But at 3.50 A. M. the battle was resumed at longer range, Spanish
sharpshooters firing from the trees, and the batteries working constantly,
using brass-coated bullets. The Americans, smoked and powder-stained,
stuck to their guns for fourteen hours without relief, and shortly after
sunrise the Spanish retreated. The American loss was eight killed, ten
seriously and thirty-eight slightly wounded.
_August 4._ The monitor _Monterey_ and the convoyed collier _Brutus_
arrived at Cavite.
_August 7._ Admiral Dewey demanded the surrender of Manila within
forty-eight hours. The Spanish commander replied that, the insurgents
being outside the walls, he had no safe place for the women and children
who were in the city, and asked for twenty-four hours additional delay.
This Admiral Dewey granted.
At the expiration of the specified time Admiral Dewey and General Merritt
consulted and decided to postpone the attack.
_August 13._ The American commanders decided to begin hostilities on the
thirteenth of August, and the navy began the action at 9.30 A. M., the
_Olympia_ opening fire, followed by the _Raleigh_, _Petrel_, and _Callao_.
The latter showed great daring, approaching within eight hundred yards of
the Malate forts and trenches, doing grand work and driving back the
Spanish forces.
The firing from the fleet continued for one hour, the Spanish then
retreating from Malate, where the fire was centred, and the American land
forces stormed the trenches, sweeping all before them. The First Colorado
Volunteers drove the Spaniards into the second line of defence. Then the
troops swept on, driving all the Spaniards into the inner fortification.
The fighting in the trenches was most fierce. Fifteen minutes after the
Spaniards were driven to the second line of defences, they were forced to
retreat to the walled city, where, seeing the uselessness of resistance,
they surrendered, and soon afterward a white flag was hoisted over Manila.
The total number of killed on the American side was forty-five, and
wounded about one hundred. The Spanish losses were two hundred killed and
four hundred wounded.
Captain-General Augusti took refuge on board the German ship _Kaiserin
Augusta_, and was conveyed to Hongkong.
The following official reports were made by cable:
“MANILA, August 13, 1898.
“_Secretary of Navy, Washington_:—Manila surrendered to-day to the
American land and naval forces, after a combined attack.
“A division of the squadron shelled the forts and entrenchments at Malate,
on the south side of the city, driving back the enemy, our army advancing
from that side at the same time.
“The city surrendered about five o’clock, the American flag being hoisted
by Lieutenant Brumby.
“About seven thousand prisoners were taken.
“The squadron had no casualties, and none of the vessels were injured.
“August 7th, General Merritt and I formally demanded the surrender of the
city, which the Spanish governor-general refused.
(Signed) “DEWEY.”
“HONGKONG, August 20th.
“_Adjutant-General, Washington_:—The following are the terms of the
capitulation:
“The undersigned, having been appointed a commission to determine the
details of the capitulation of the city and defences of Manila and its
suburbs and the Spanish forces stationed therein, in accordance with
agreement entered into the previous day by Maj.-Gen. Wesley Merritt,
U. S. A., American commander-in-chief in the Philippines, and His
Excellency Don Fermin Jaudenes, acting general-in-chief of the Spanish
army in the Philippines, have agreed upon the following:
“The Spanish troops, European and native, capitulate with the city and
defences, with all honours of war, depositing their arms in the places
designated by the authorities of the United States, remaining in the
quarters designated and under the orders of their officers and subject to
control of the aforesaid United States authorities, until the conclusion
of a treaty of peace between the two belligerent nations. All persons
included in the capitulation remain at liberty; the officers remaining in
their respective homes, which shall be respected as long as they observe
the regulations prescribed for their government and the laws enforced.
“2. Officers shall retain their side-arms, horses, and private property.
All public horses and public property of all kinds shall be turned over to
staff officers designated by the United States.
“3. Complete returns in duplicate of men by organisation, and full lists
of public property and stores shall be rendered to the United States
within ten days from this date.
“4. All questions relating to the repatriation of the officers and men of
the Spanish forces and of their families, and of the expense which said
repatriation may occasion, shall be referred to the government of the
United States at Washington. Spanish families may leave Manila at any time
convenient to them. The return of the arms surrendered by the Spanish
forces shall take place when they evacuate the city, or when the Americans
evacuate.
“5. Officers and men included in the capitulation shall be supplied by the
United States according to rank, with rations and necessary aid, as though
they were prisoners of war, until the conclusion of a treaty of peace
between the United States and Spain. All the funds in the Spanish treasury
and all other public funds shall be turned over to the authorities of the
United States.
“6. This city, its inhabitants, its churches and religious worship, its
educational establishments, and its private property of all description,
are placed under the special safeguard of the faith and honour of the
American army.
“F. V. GREENE,
“_Brigadier-General of Volunteers, U. S. A._
“B. P. LAMBERTON,
“_Captain U. S. Navy_.
“CHARLES A. WHITTIER,
“_Lieutenant-Colonel and Inspector-General_.
“E. H. CROWDER,
“_Lieutenant-Colonel and Judge-Advocate_.
“NICHOLAS DE LA PENA,
“_Auditor-General’s excts._
“CARLOS REYEO,
“_Colonel de Ingenieros_.
“JOSE MARIA OLQUEN,
“_Felia de Estado Majors_.
(Signed) “MERRITT.”
“HONGKONG, August 20th.
“_Adjutant-General, Washington_:—Cablegram of the twelfth directing
operations to be suspended received afternoon of sixteenth. Spanish
commander notified. Acknowledged receipt of cablegram same date,
containing proclamation of President.
“MERRITT.”
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL WESLEY MERRITT.]
CHAPTER XVII.
PEACE.
On the twenty-sixth day of July, shortly after three o’clock in the
afternoon, the French ambassador, M. Cambon, accompanied by his first
secretary, called at the White House, the interview having been previously
arranged and an intimation of its purpose having been given. With the
President at the time was Secretary of State Day.
M. Cambon stated to the President that, representing the diplomatic
interests of the kingdom of Spain, “with whom at the present time the
United States is unhappily engaged in hostilities,” he had been directed
by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs to ask on what terms the
United States would agree to a suspension of hostilities.
The French ambassador, continuing, said that Spain, realising the
hopelessness of a conflict, knowing that she was unable to cope with the
great power of her adversary, and appreciating fully that a prolongation
of the struggle would only entail a further sacrifice of life and result
in great misery to her people, on the ground of humanity appealed to the
President to consider a proposition for peace.
Spain, said the ambassador, had been compelled to fight to vindicate her
honour, and having vindicated it, having fought bravely and been conquered
by a more powerful nation, trusted to the magnanimity of the victor to
bring the war to an end.
The President’s reply showed that he was responsive to the appeal. He was
evidently moved by the almost pathetic position which the once proud
nation of Spain had been forced to take, but he had his feelings well
under control and behaved with great dignity.
The President frankly admitted that he was desirous of peace, that he
would welcome a cessation of hostilities, but he delicately intimated that
if Spain were really desirous of peace she must be prepared to offer such
terms as could be accepted by the United States. The President asked the
French ambassador if he had been instructed to formally propose terms, or
make any offer.
M. Cambon replied that he had not been so instructed, that his
instructions were to ask on what terms it would be possible to make peace.
Mr. McKinley said the matter would be considered by the Cabinet, and a
formal answer returned at the earliest possible moment. The French
ambassador thanked the President for his courtesy, and, with expressions
of good-will on both sides, the historical interview was brought to a
close.
On the thirtieth day of July the ultimatum of the United States was
delivered to the ambassador of France, and, in plain words, it was
substantially as follows:
The President does not now put forward any claim for pecuniary indemnity,
but requires the relinquishment of all claim of sovereignty over or title
to the island of Cuba, as well as the immediate evacuation by Spain of the
island, the cession to the United States and immediate evacuation of Porto
Rico and other islands under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and
the like cession of an island in the Ladrones.
The United States will occupy and hold the city, bay, and harbour of
Manila, pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace, which shall determine
the control, disposition, and government of the Philippines.
If these terms are accepted by Spain in their entirety, it is stated that
the commissioners will be named by the United States to meet commissioners
on the part of Spain for the purpose of concluding a treaty of peace on
the basis above indicated.
August 12, 1898, peace negotiations were formally begun between the United
States and Spain.
A few minutes before four o’clock, in the midst of a drenching rain, M.
Cambon, the French ambassador, attended by his secretary, entered the
White House. They were immediately ushered to the library, where the
President, Secretary of State Day, and Assistant Secretaries of State
Moore, Adee, and Cridler were awaiting them.
The President cordially greeted the ambassador, who returned the
salutation with equal warmth, and then shook hands with Secretary Day and
the Assistant Secretaries. While the President, Judge Day, and the French
ambassador were discussing the weather,—and Washington has seldom known
such a rain-storm as that which engulfed the city while peace was being
signed,—M. Thiebaut and Assistant Secretary Moore were comparing the two
copies of the protocol to see that they corresponded, and were identical
in form.
The protocol is on parchment, in parallel columns in French and English.
In the copy retained by the American government the English text is in the
first column; in the other copy, which was transmitted to Madrid, the
French text leads the paper.
The two Secretaries having pronounced the protocol correct, Judge Day and
the French ambassador moved over to the table to affix their signatures.
Mr. Cridler lit a candle to melt the sealing wax to make the impression on
the protocols.
The striking of the match caused the French ambassador to stop, feel in
his pocket, and then remember that he had come away from his embassy
without his seal. Here was a contretemps. It would never do to seal such
an important document with anything else but the ambassador’s personal
seal.
A note was hastily written, and one of the White House messengers dashed
out into the rain, and went to the French embassy. Until his return the
distinguished party in the White House library continued to discuss the
weather, and wonder when the typical Cuban rain would cease falling. In a
few minutes the messenger returned. The ambassador drew from a small box
his seal, and the two plenipotentiaries turned to the table. The American
copy of the protocol was placed before Judge Day, who signed it, and then
handed the pen to the ambassador, who quickly affixed his signature and
seal.
[Illustration: DON CARLOS.]
The second copy was then laid before the ambassador, who signed, and in
turn handed back the pen to Judge Day.
Thus Judge Day signed the two documents, first and last, and with the last
stroke of his pen hostilities ceased.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
_A PROCLAMATION._
_Whereas_, by a protocol concluded and signed August 12, 1898, by Wm. R.
Day, Secretary of State of the United States, and His Excellency Jules
Cambon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
France, at Washington, respectively representing for this purpose the
government of the United States and the government of Spain, the
governments of the United States and Spain have formally agreed upon the
terms on which negotiations for the establishment of peace between the two
countries shall be undertaken; and,
_Whereas_, it is in said protocol agreed that upon its conclusion and
signature hostilities between the two countries shall be suspended, and
that notice to that effect shall be given as soon as possible by each
government to the commanders of its military and naval forces;
Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States, do,
in accordance with the stipulations of the protocol, declare and proclaim
on the part of the United States a suspension of hostilities, and do
hereby command that orders be immediately given through the proper
channels to the commanders of the military and naval forces of the United
States to abstain from all acts inconsistent with this proclamation.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the
United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this twelfth day of August, in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM MCKINLEY.
By the President,
WILLIAM R. DAY,
SECRETARY OF STATE.
THE END.
APPENDICES
APPENDICES.
APPENDIX A.
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
The number of islands in the Philippine group are believed to be upwards
of fourteen hundred, with an aggregate land area (estimated on Domann’s
map) of not less than 114,356 miles, situate in the southeast of Asia,
extending from 40° 40’ to 20° north latitude, and from 116° 40’ to 126°
30’ east longitude.
The archipelago was discovered by Magellan on March 12, 1521, and named by
him the St. Lazarus Islands. The discoverer was a Portuguese, who had
sought service under Charles V. of Spain because he was ignored by the
court of his own country.
By the bull of Pope Alexander VI., of May 4, 1493, which was then
universally recognised as law, the earth was divided into two hemispheres.
All lands thereafter discovered in the Eastern Hemisphere were decreed to
belong to Portugal; all the Western to Spain.
The St. Lazarus Islands were well within Portugal’s rights, but as the use
of the log and the variation of the compass were unknown, an error of
fifty-two degrees in longitude was made, and to Spain the islands were
given on the basis of that error.
By whom the name of Philippines was given to the archipelago it is
impossible to say. In 1567 it appears to have been used for the first
time.
The manufactures of the islands consist of silk, cotton, and piña fibres
cloth, hats, mats, baskets, ropes, coarse pottery, and musical
instruments.
The northern islands of the archipelago lie in the region of the typhoon,
and have three seasons,—the cold, the hot, and the wet. The first extends
from November to February or March, when the atmosphere is bracing rather
than cold. The hot season lasts from March to June, and the heat becomes
very oppressive before the beginning of the southerly monsoon.
Thunder-storms of terrific violence occur during May and June. The wet
season begins with heavy rains, known by the natives as “collas,” and
until the end of October the downpour is excessive.
“Earthquakes are sufficiently frequent and violent in the Philippines to
affect the style adopted in the erection of buildings; in 1874, for
instance, they were very numerous throughout the archipelago, and in
Manila and the adjacent provinces shocks were felt daily for several
weeks. The most violent earthquakes on record in the Philippines occurred
in July, 1880, when the destruction of property was immense, both in the
capital and in other important towns of central Luzon.”
Though situated in the equatorial region, the elevations of the mountains
give a range of climate that allows the production of a great variety of
valuable crops. Tobacco, sugar, hemp, and rice are the chief staples
produced. The swamps and rivers are infested with crocodiles, and the
dense woods with monkeys and serpents of many species. Rich deposits of
gold are known to exist, but have been little developed.
To quote from the _Revue des Deux Mondes_ of Paris:
In the same district are found Indians, Negritos, Manthras, Malays,
Bicols, half-breed Indians and Spaniards, Tagalas, Visayas, Sulus, and
other tribes. The Negritos (little negroes) are real negroes, blacker than
a great many of their African conquerors, with woolly hair growing in
isolated tufts. They are very diminutive, rarely attaining four feet nine
inches in height, and with small, retreating skulls. This race forms a
branch equal in importance to the Papuan. It is believed to be the first
race inhabiting the Philippines, but, as well as everywhere else, except
in the Andaman Islands, it has been more or less absorbed by the stronger
races, and the result in the archipelago has been the formation of several
tribes of half-breeds numbering considerably more than half a million.
Side by side with them, and equally poor and wretched, are the Manthras, a
cross between the Negritos and Malays and the degenerate descendants of
the Saletes, a warlike tribe conquered by the Malayan Rajah Permicuri in
1411. Then come the Malay Sulus, all Mohammedans and still governed by
their Sultan and their _datos_, feudal lords who, under the suzerainty of
the Spaniards, have possessed considerable power.
The soil is fully sufficient—indeed, more than sufficient—to support this
population, whose wants are of the most limited character. The land is
exceedingly fertile and bears in abundance all tropical products,
particularly rice, sugar, and the abaca, a variety of the banana-tree. The
fibres of the abaca are employed in making the finest and most delicate
fabrics, of which from three to four million dollars’ worth are exported
annually. The exports of sugar amount to about four millions and a half,
of gold to two millions and a half, and of coffee and tobacco close on to
a million and a quarter each. The rice is consumed at home. It forms the
staple food of the people, and nearly three million dollars’ worth is
imported yearly. The husbandman cannot complain that his toil is
inadequately rewarded. A rice plantation will yield a return of at least
fifteen per cent.; if he plant his farm with sugar-cane he will realise
thirty per cent., if not more. On the other hand, the price of labour is
very low. An adult who gains a _real fuerte_ (about thirteen cents) a day,
thinks he is doing well.
In this archipelago of the Philippines, where races, manners, and
traditions are so often in collision, the religious fanaticism of the
Spaniards has, more than once, come into conflict with a fanaticism fully
as fierce as that of the Mussulman. At a distance of six thousand leagues
from Toledo and Granada, the same ancient hatreds have brought European
Spaniards and Asiatic Saracens into the same relentless antagonism that
swayed them in the days of the Cid and Ferdinand the Catholic. The island
of Sulu, on account of its position between Mindanao and Borneo, was the
commercial, political, and religious centre of the followers of the
Prophet, the Mecca of the extreme Orient. From this centre they spread
over the neighbouring archipelago. Dreaded as merciless pirates and
unflinching fanatics, they scattered everywhere terror, ruin, and death,
sailing in their light proas up the narrow channels and animated with
implacable hatred for those conquering invaders, to whom they never gave
quarter and from whom they never expected it; constantly beaten in pitched
battle, they as constantly took again to the sea, eluding pursuit of the
heavy Spanish vessels, taking refuge in bays and creeks where no one could
follow them, pillaging isolated ships, surprising the villages, massacring
the old men, leading away the women and the adults into slavery, pushing
the audacious prows of their skiffs even up to within three hundred miles
of Manila, and seizing every year nearly four thousand captives.
Between the Malay creese and the Castilian carronade the struggle was
unequal, but it did not last the less long on that account, nor, obscure
though it was, was it the less bloody. On both sides there was the same
bravery, the same cruelty. It required all the tenacity of Spain to purge
these seas of the pirates who infested them, and it was not until after a
conflict of several years, in 1876, that the Spanish squadron was able to
bring its broadside to bear on Tianggi, that nest of the Suluan pirates,
land a division of troops, invest all the outlets, and burn up the town
and its inhabitants as well as its harbour and all the craft within it.
The soldiers planted their flag and the engineers built a new city on the
smoking ruins. This city is protected by a strong garrison. For a time, at
least, it was all over with piracy, but not with Moslem fanaticism, which
was exasperated rather than crushed by its defeat. To the rovers of the
seas succeeded the organisation known as _juramentados_.
One of the characteristic qualities of the Malays is their contempt of
death. They have transmitted it with their blood to the Polynesians, who
see in it only one of the multiple phenomena and not the supreme act of
existence, and witness it or submit to it with profound indifference.
Travellers have often seen a Canaque stretch his body on a mat, while in
perfect health, and without any symptom of disease whatever, and there
wait patiently for the end, convinced that it is near, and refuse all
nourishment and die without any apparent suffering. His relatives say of
him, “He feels he is going to die,” and the imaginary patient dies, his
mind possessed by some illusion, some superstitious idea, some invisible
wound through which life escapes. When to this absolute indifference to
death is united Mussulman fanaticism, which gives to the believer a
glimpse of the gates of a paradise where the abnormally excited senses
revel in endless and numberless enjoyments, a longing for extinction takes
hold of him and throws him like a wild beast on his enemies; he stabs them
and gladly invites their daggers in return. The _juramentado_ kills for
the sake of killing, and being killed, and so winning, in exchange for a
life of privation and suffering, the voluptuous existence promised by
Mahomet to his followers.
The laws of Sulu make the bankrupt debtor the slave of his creditor, and
not only the man himself, but his family also are enslaved. To free them
there is only one means left to the husband, the sacrifice of his life.
Reduced to this extremity he does not hesitate, he takes the formidable
oath. From that time forward he is enrolled in the ranks of the
_juramentados_, and has nothing to do but await the hour when the will of
his superior shall let him loose upon the Christians. Meanwhile the
_panditas_, or priests, subject him to a system of enthusiastic excitement
that will turn him into a wild beast of the most formidable kind. They
madden his already disordered brain, they make still more supple his oily
limbs, until they have the strength of steel and the nervous force of the
tiger or panther. They sing to him their rhythmic impassioned chants,
which show to his entranced vision the radiant smiles of intoxicating
houris. In the shadow of the lofty forests, broken by the gleam of the
moonlight, they evoke the burning and sensual energies of the eternally
young and beautiful companions who are calling him, opening their arms to
receive him. Thus prepared, the _juramentado_ is ready for everything.
Nothing can stop him, nothing can make him recoil. He will accomplish
prodigies of valour. Though stricken ten times he will remain on his feet,
will strike back, borne along by a buoyancy that is irresistible, until
the moment when death seizes him. He will creep with his companions into
the city that has been assigned to him; he knows that he will never leave
it, but he knows also that he will not die alone, and he has but one
aim,—to butcher as many Christians as he can.
An eminent scientist, Doctor Montano, sent on a mission to the Philippines
by the French government, describes the entry of eleven _juramentados_
into Tianggi. Divided into three or four bands, they managed to get
through the gates of the town bending under loads of fodder for cattle
which they pretended to have for sale, and in which they had hidden their
creeses. Quick as lightning they stabbed the guards, then, in their
frenzied course, they struck all whom they met.
Hearing the cry of “_Los juramentados!_” the soldiers seized their arms.
The _juramentados_ rushed on them fearlessly, their creeses clutched in
their hands. The bullets fell like hail among them. They bent, crept,
glided, and struck. One of them, whose breast was pierced through and
through by a bullet, rose and flung himself on the troops. He was again
transfixed by a bayonet; he remained erect, vainly trying to reach his
enemy, who held him impaled on the weapon. Another soldier had to run up
and blow the man’s brains out before he let go his prey. When the last of
the _juramentados_ had fallen, and the corpses were picked up from the
street which consternation had rendered empty, it was found that these
eleven men had, with their creeses, hacked fifteen soldiers to pieces, not
to reckon the wounded.
“And what wounds!” exclaims Doctor Montano; “the head of one corpse is cut
off as clean as if it had been done with the sharpest razor; another
soldier is almost cut in two! The first of the wounded to come under my
hands was a soldier of the Third Regiment, who was mounting guard at the
gate through which some of the assassins entered. His left arm was
fractured in three places; his shoulder and breast were literally cut up
like mince-meat; amputation appeared to be the only chance for him; but in
that lacerated flesh there was no longer a spot from which could be cut a
shred.”
It is easily seen how precarious and nominal has been Spanish rule on most
of the islands of this vast archipelago. In the interior of the great
island of Mindanao there is no system of control, no pretence even of
maintaining order. It is a land of terror, the realm of anarchy and
cruelty. There murder is a regular institution. A _bagani_, or man of
might, is a gallant warrior who has cut off sixty heads. The number is
carefully verified by the tribal authorities, and the _bagani_ alone
possesses the right to wear a scarlet turban. All the batos, or chiefs,
are _baganis_. It is carnage organised, honoured, and consecrated; and so
the depopulation is frightful, the wretchedness unspeakable.
The Mandayas are forced to seek a refuge from would-be _baganis_ by
perching on the tops of trees like birds, but their aerial abodes do not
always shelter them from their enemies. They build a hut on a trunk from
forty to fifty feet in height, and huddle together in it to pass the
night, and to be in sufficient numbers to repulse their assailants. The
_baganis_ generally try to take their victims by surprise, and begin their
attack with burning arrows, with which they endeavour to set on fire the
bamboo roof. Sometimes the besiegers form a _testudo_, like the ancient
Romans, with their locked shields, and advance under cover up to the
posts, which they attack with their axes, while the besieged hurl down
showers of stones upon their heads. But, once their ammunition is
exhausted, the hapless Mandayas have nothing to do but witness, as
impotent spectators, the work of destruction, until the moment comes when
their habitation topples over and falls. Then the captives are divided
among the assailants. The heads of the old men and of the wounded are cut
off, and the women and children are led away as slaves.
The genius of destructiveness seems incarnate in this Malay race. The
missionaries alone venture to travel among these ferocious tribes. They,
too, have made the sacrifice of their lives, and, holding life worth
nothing, they have succeeded in winning the respect of these savages in
evangelising and converting them. They work for God and for their country,
and the poorest and most wretched among the natives are not unwilling to
accept the faith and to submit to Spain; but the missionaries insist on
their leaving their homes and going to another district, to which, for
many reasons, the neophytes gladly consent. After several days’ journey a
pueblo is founded. These villages have multiplied for many years past,
forming oases of comparative peace and civilisation amid the barbarism by
which they are surrounded, and are open to all who choose to seek a
shelter in them. The more neophytes the pueblo holds, the less exposed it
is to hostile incursions. Doctor Montano gives a very striking account of
one of these daring missionaries, Father Saturnino Urios, of the Society
of Jesus, who, in a single year, converted and baptised fifty-two hundred
people.
There are thirty-one islands of considerable size in the Philippine group.
Their area exceeds that of Great Britain. Pine and fir-trees are abundant.
Large areas are suitable for wheat. There are eight ports open to
commerce. The principal exports are hemp, sugar, rice, tobacco, cigars,
coffee, and cocoa. Previous to the rebellion the annual value of the sugar
output was $30,000,000. Now it is almost nothing.
The population of the islands is about eight million, of which more than
three million are in Luzon, the insurgent stronghold.
“Under the administration of Spain the Philippines were subject to a
governor-general with supreme powers, assisted by a ‘junta of authorities’
instituted in 1850, and consisting of the archbishop, the commander of the
forces, the admiral, the president of the supreme court, etc.; a central
junta of agriculture, industry, and commerce (dating from 1866), and a
council of administration. In the provinces and districts the chief power
is in the hands of alcades mayores and civico-military governors. The
chief magistrate of a commune is known as the gobernadorcillo, or captain;
the native who is responsible for the collection of the tribute of a
certain group of families is the cabeca de barangay. Every Indian between
the ages of sixteen and sixty, subject to Spain, was forced to pay tribute
to the amount of $1.17, descendants of the first Christians of Cebu, new
converts, gobernadorcillos, etc., being exempted. Chinese were subject to
special taxes, and by a law of 1883 Europeans and Spanish half-castes were
required to pay a poll-tax of $2.50.”
The largest island in the archipelago is Luzon, with an area of 40,885
square miles, and on which is situated the city of Manila.
The population of Manila, as given in the consular reports for 1880, is in
the walled town 12,000, and in the suburbs from 250,000 to 300,000.
The city was founded in 1571, and is situated on the eastern shore of a
circular bay 120 nautical miles in circumference. It looks like a fragment
of Spain transplanted to the archipelago of Asia. On its churches and
convents, even on its ruined walls, overturned in the earthquake of 1863,
time has laid the brown, sombre, dull gold colouring of the mother
country. The ancient city, silent and melancholy, stretches interminably
along its gloomy streets, bordered with convents whose flat façades are
only broken here and there by a few narrow windows. But there is also a
new city within the ramparts of Manila; it is sometimes called the
Escolta, from the name of its central quarter, and this city is alive with
its dashing teams, its noisy crowd of Tagala women, shod in high-heeled
shoes, and every nerve in their bodies quivering with excitement. They are
almost all employed in the innumerable cigar factories whose output
inundates all Asia.
Here all sorts of nationalities elbow one another,—Europeans, Chinese,
Malays, Tagalas, Negritos, in all some 260,000 people of every known race
and of every known colour. In the afternoon, in the plain of Lunetto,
carriages and equipages of every kind drive past, and pedestrians swarm in
crowds around the military band stand in the marvellously picturesque
square, lit up by the slanting rays of the setting sun, which purples the
lofty peaks of the Sierra de Marivels in the distance, unfolds its long,
luminous train on the ocean, and tinges with a dark reddish shade the
sombre verdure of the city’s sloping banks. This is the hour when all the
inhabitants hold high festival, able at length to breathe freely after the
heat of the noontide.
The primary cause of the Philippine rebellion was excessive taxation by
Spain to raise money to carry on the war in Cuba. The islands were already
overburdened with assessments to enrich Spanish coffers and to support the
native poor. The additional money required for Cuba was the last straw.
Extreme cruelties began when General Aguirre arrived from Spain with
reinforcements. He did not undertake to penetrate the mountains, but
massacred the native population in the towns. When he took Santa Clara del
Laguna he spared neither man, woman, nor child. The people in the
mountains heard of this. They were almost wild with fury, but they were
helpless.
It is stated, on what seems to be good authority, that ten thousand dead
prisoners had been taken from prison in a year.
Three years ago it cost the government a little more than half a cent to
collect every dollar of taxation. In Luzon, it now costs ninety-five
cents. The only taxes that can be profitably collected are those in
Manila. The rich islands of Leyte and Mindanao contribute practically
nothing.
The first islands to revolt were Luzon, Mindanao, and Leyte. About one
year and a half ago, agents of the insurrectionists appealed to the
government at Washington to interfere in their behalf. The petition was
received and filed.
In the hot season, during the greater part of the day, the heat is so
intense that Europeans frequently fall with heat apoplexy. Even the
Spaniards do their business in the early hours, whiling away the heat of
the day in sleep. Late in the afternoon Manila begins to awaken.
The Escolta, or principal street, is crowded with loungers of all ranks
and colours, each with a segarito stuck pen-like behind his ear.
Caromattas, a species of two-wheeled hooded cabriolets peculiar to the
natives, crowd the roadway, together with the buggies and open carriages
of the foreign element.
At sunset the various tobacco stores close, and their thousand of
employees turn out into the streets. They form a motley yet effective
feature among the wayfarers. The Malay girls are usually very pretty, with
languishing eyes, shaded by long lashes, and supple figures, whose
graceful lines are revealed by their thin clothing. In fine weather their
bare feet are thrust into light, gold-embroidered slippers. In wet weather
they raise themselves on high clogs, which necessitates a very becoming
swinging of the hips.
There is not a bonnet to be seen. Women of the better classes affect lace
and flowers, those of the lower wear their own hair flowing down their
backs, in a long, blue-black wave. Jewelry is profusely worn. Every woman
sparkles with bracelets, earrings, and chains. Many of the males are
similarly attired. Everybody smokes. Cigarettes at fifteen for a cent are
in chief favour with the natives. Cigars at $1.50 a hundred are in favour
with the foreigners. The handful of Englishmen resident in Manila are
mostly bachelors, eager to make their pile and return to pleasanter
surroundings. These take up their quarters in a large house at Sampalog,
which is club and boarding-house combined, or in “chummeries,” established
in adjacent buildings.
The Spaniards classify all the Philippine islanders under three religious
groups,—the infidels, who have held to their ancient heathen rights, the
Moors, who retain the Mahometan religion of their first conquerors, and
the infinitely larger class of Catholics.
An important, though numerically small, element in the population of the
larger cities are the mestizos, or half-breeds, the result of admixture
either between the Chinese or the Spanish and the natives. These mestizos
occupy about the same social position as the mulattos of the United
States. But they are the richest and most enterprising among the native
population.
The most important personage is the cura, or parish priest. He is in most
instances a Spaniard by birth, and enrolled in one or other of the three
great religious orders, Augustinian, Franciscan, or Dominican, established
by the conquerors. At heart, however, he is usually as much, if not more,
of a native than the natives themselves. He is bound for life to the land
of his adoption. He has no social or domestic tie, no anticipated home
return, to bind him to any other place.
Next to the church, the greatest Sunday and holiday resort in a Philippine
village is the cock-pit, usually a large building wattled like a coarse
basket and surrounded by a high paling of the same description, which
forms a sort of courtyard, where cocks are kept waiting their turn to come
upon the stage, when their owners have succeeded in arranging a
satisfactory match. It is claimed that many a respectable Malay father has
been seen escaping from amid the ruins of his burning home bearing away in
his arms his favourite bird, while wife and children were left to shift
for themselves.
The diet of the Philippines has something to do, undoubtedly, with their
gentle and non-aggressive qualities. They eschew opium and spirituous
liquors. Their chief sustenance, morning, noon, and eve, is rice. The rice
crop seldom fails, not merely to support the population, but to leave a
large margin for export. Famine, that hideous shadow which broods over so
many a rice-subsisting population, is unknown here. Even scarcity is of
rare occurrence. In the worst of years hardly a sack of grain has to be
imported. It is this very abundance which stands in the way of what the
world calls progress. The Malay, like other children of the tropics,
limits his labour by the measure of his requirements, and that measure is
narrow indeed. Hence it is often difficult to obtain his services in the
development of the tobacco, coffee, hemp, and sugar industries, which
might make the archipelago one of the wealthiest and most prosperous
portions of the earth’s face.
Manila has been once before captured from Spain. The English were its
captors, although they held it only a few months. It was in 1762, a few
weeks after the English capture of Havana. Spain had been rash enough to
side with France in the war usually known in this country as the French
and Indian war. She was speedily punished for it.
The expedition against Manila was the plan of Colonel William Draper; he
was made a brigadier-general for the expedition and put in command, with
Admiral Cornish as his naval ally. There were nine ships of the line and
frigates, several troop-ships, and a land force of twenty-three hundred
including one English regiment, with Sepoys and marines.
On September 24, 1762, these forces were disembarked just south of Manila.
The Archbishop of Manila, who was also governor-general of the island,
collected and armed some ten thousand natives, as a reinforcement to the
Spanish garrison of eight hundred. During the progress of the siege some
daring attempts were made by the British to prevent the further
construction of defences, but the assailants were repulsed with great
slaughter.
A desperate sally was made by a strong body of natives, who “ran furiously
on the ranks of the besiegers and fought with almost incredible ferocity,
and many of them died, like wild beasts, gnawing with their teeth the
bayonets by which they were transfixed.”
On October 6th a breach was effected in the Spanish works, the English
carried the city by storm, and gave it up for several hours to the ravages
of a merciless soldiery. The Archbishop and his officers had retired to
the citadel, but this could not be defended, and a capitulation was agreed
upon, by which the city and port of Manila, with several ships and the
military stores, were surrendered, while for their private property the
Spanish agreed to pay as a ransom $2,000,000 in coin, and the same in
bills on the treasury at Madrid. This last obligation was never paid.
APPENDIX B.
WAR-SHIPS AND SIGNALS.
There are ten principal classes of vessels in the United States navy,
distinguished one from another by the differences in their uses and by
their strength and speed. The general principle underlying their
construction is that a vessel which is not strong enough to fight one of
her own size must be fast enough to run away. Any vessel which is inferior
in armament, and has no compensating superiority in speed, is outclassed.
The same is true of any vessel which is equal in armament, but inferior in
speed to an adversary.
The size of a vessel is measured by its displacement. This displacement is
the number of tons of water she will push aside to make room for herself.
A vessel of ten thousand tons will take engines of a certain weight and
power to drive her at a given speed, and the larger the engine the larger
the boilers and the greater the supply of coal required. Now, if it is
necessary to give this vessel heavy protective armour and big guns, the
additional weight of this equipment must be saved somewhere else, and
usually in the engine-room, reducing the speed of the vessel. Following
out this principle, it will be found that the fastest ships carry the
lightest armament, and that those which carry the biggest guns in their
batteries and the thickest armour on their sides are comparatively slow,
the extreme variation among vessels of the same displacement being about
eight or nine miles an hour.
In the matter of attack and defence, vessels are distinguished by the
number and weight of the guns they carry, and by the distribution and
thickness of their armour. Protective armour is of two kinds, that which
surrounds the guns, so as to protect them from the enemy’s fire, and that
which protects the motive-power of the ship, so as to prevent the engines
from being rendered useless.
The maximum of guns and armour and the minimum of speed are to be found in
the first-class battle-ship, which is simply a floating fortress, so
constructed that she need never run away, but can stand up and fight as
long as her gun turrets revolve. The general plan of construction in a
battle-ship is to surround the engines, boilers, and magazines with a wall
of Harveyized steel armour eighteen inches or so thick, and seven or eight
feet high, which extends about four feet below the water-line and three
feet above it. This armour belt is not only on the sides of the ship, but
is carried across it fore and aft, immediately in front of and behind the
space occupied by the engines and magazines, and the whole affair is
covered with a solid steel roof three or four inches thick. Outside this
central fortress, and extending from it clear to the bow and stern at each
end, is a protective deck of steel, three inches thick, which is placed
several feet below the water-line. Everything above this deck and outside
this fortress might be shot away, and the vessel would still float and
fight.
On the roof of the fortress are placed the turrets containing the big
guns. The largest of these guns, 13-inch calibre, weigh about sixty tons
each, and will carry a shell weighing eleven hundred pounds about twelve
miles. The turrets are circular, as a rule, large enough to hold two guns,
and are made of face-hardened steel from fifteen to eighteen inches thick.
They revolve within a barbette or ring of steel eighteen inches thick,
which protects the machinery by which the guns are trained. Farther back
on the roof of the fortress are other and lighter turrets made of 8-inch
steel and carrying 8-inch guns, and at other places are stationed
rapid-fire guns of lighter calibre, protected by thinner armour than that
of the main belt.
If all this secondary battery is stripped off, leaving nothing but the
turrets with the big guns, and these are brought down close to the water,
and the armour belt is reduced to seven or eight inches in thickness, the
type of vessel known as the monitor is reached. It is simply a battle-ship
on a reduced scale. Such vessels are very slow and cannot stand rough
weather, on account of their low freeboard. The speed of the monitors is
seldom more than twelve or fourteen miles an hour, and they are intended
to act in coast defence, usually in connection with shore-batteries. The
best types in the navy are the _Terror_ and the _Puritan_.
The speed of a battle-ship is about eighteen miles an hour. The best
specimen in the navy is the _Indiana_, declared by its admirers to be the
most powerful battle-ship afloat. Second-class battle-ships, like the
_Texas_, are smaller vessels, usually about seven thousand tons, and they
have a much lighter armour belt, about twelve inches, and do not carry so
heavy an armament as ships of the first class. The _Maine_ was a
second-class battle-ship. Her largest guns were of 10-inch calibre; her
armour was twelve inches thick, and her turrets were eight inches thick
only.
The first step in reducing the armament from that of the battle-ship
proper, at the same time increasing the speed, produces the armoured
cruiser. This type of vessel may carry no guns of more than 8-inch
calibre, and the armour belt is reduced to three or four inches in
thickness. Instead of the roof over the armour belt, the protective deck
is carried all over the ship, but it is not flat, nor is it of equal
thickness, as in a battle-ship. On the top and in the middle it is three
inches thick, but the sides are six inches and they slope abruptly to
below the water-line. Between these sloping sides and the thin armour belt
coal is stored, so that a shell would have to penetrate the outer belt,
six or eight feet of coal, and a sloping belt of steel six inches thick,
the total resistance of which is calculated to be equal to a solid
horizontal armour plate fifteen inches thick.
A cruiser is not supposed to fight with a battle-ship, because it could
not accomplish anything with its 8-inch guns against the 18-inch armour of
its heavier rival, while one well-directed shot from the 12-inch guns of a
battle-ship or monitor would probably sink any armoured cruiser afloat.
For this reason the cruiser must be faster than the battle-ship, so that
she can run away, and the weight that is saved in the armour belt and big
guns is therefore put into the engine-room. The average speed of an
armoured cruiser is about twenty-four miles an hour, and the best types of
this class in the navy are probably the _Brooklyn_ and _New York_.
Some vessels, like the Spaniard _Vizcaya_, are about half way between a
battle-ship and a cruiser, having the heavy guns of the former and the
speed of the latter. The _Vizcaya_, although a cruiser, carried 11-inch
guns with a 12-inch armour belt, and had a speed of twenty-three miles an
hour.
The next step in reducing armament and increasing speed, produced the
protected cruiser, which carries no armour belt, but retains the
protective deck, upon the sloping sides of which is stored the coal. The
turrets disappear altogether, and there is usually only one 8-inch gun,
the battery being principally made up of 4-inch rapid-fire guns and 6, 4,
and 1-pounders. As this class of vessel is not able to cope with the
armoured cruiser, it must be faster, for the general principle holds good
that the weaker the vessel becomes in point of offensive weapons or
defensive armour, the greater the necessity that she should be able to run
away. The best types of the protected cruiser in the navy may be found in
the _Columbia_ and _Minneapolis_, which have a speed of about twenty-seven
miles an hour.
The weakest class of all is composed of the unprotected cruisers, which
have neither armour-belt nor protective deck, and carry only light
batteries of rapid-fire guns. When these vessels are slow, like the
_Detroit_, they are intended for long voyages and for duty in foreign
countries, and are of little use in a sea fight. The very fast unprotected
cruiser, like the American line steamers, _St. Paul_ and _St. Louis_,
attach little importance to their armament, and rely for protection upon
stowing the coal behind the place occupied by the armour belt in other
vessels. All the beautiful wood-work, which was so much admired in these
vessels, was ripped out to make room for these coal-bunkers, which are
sufficient to protect them from anything but the heaviest guns. On account
of their extreme weakness as fighters, these cruisers are necessarily the
fastest of all the large vessels, and can run away from anything. For this
reason no concern was felt for the _Paris_ by those who knew the
principles which govern the safety of modern vessels.
The various types of cruisers are not expected to fight with any but
vessels of their own class, which they may encounter in the discharge of
similar duties, such as scouring the seas as the advance guard of the
slower line of battle-ships, preying upon or escorting merchant vessels,
blockading ports, and acting as convoys for troop-ships. Gunboats are
simply light-draught cruisers, and are intended for use in shallow waters
and rivers.
Torpedo-boats, as their name implies, depend entirely upon the torpedo as
the weapon of attack, and they carry no guns except a very few
light-calibre rapid-fires to keep off small boats. Their success depends
on their ability to approach a vessel very rapidly, launch their torpedo,
and retreat before they are detected and sunk. Speed is their great
requisite, and a torpedo-boat like the _Porter_ can speed thirty-two miles
an hour. Naval experts consider their bark worse than their bite, because,
with the modern system of lookouts and search-lights, and the accuracy and
rapidity of the secondary batteries, it is impossible for a torpedo-boat
to get within range without exposing itself to instant destruction, and
after a torpedo-fleet has once met with a serious repulse, it is believed
that it would be almost impossible to get the crews to go into action
again.
The torpedo-boat destroyer, contrary to general belief, does not carry any
heavy guns, but depends on its great speed and its ability to cripple a
torpedo-boat with its 6-pounders while keeping out of range of the enemy’s
tubes. All torpedo-boat destroyers carry torpedo tubes themselves, so that
they can be used against the enemy’s battle-ships or cruisers if the
occasion offers. The fastest boat in the United States navy is the
destroyer _Bailey_, which can steam thirty-four miles an hour.
In a naval battle the success or failure of a fleet may depend on keeping
open communication between the different vessels of the squadron engaged.
Owing to the fact that the surface of the sea would often be obscured by
the smoke of battle, the difficulty of this is apparent, and naval experts
have been kept busy devising some method by which the flag-ship can
communicate with the other vessels of the squadron at all times and under
all conditions. So far nothing has been put in general service which meets
this demand, but lately there have been experiments with the telephone,
which, it is said, can be used without wires, by which signals can be
projected by a vibrator on one vessel against a receiver on another. The
Navy Department is keeping the details of this new system carefully to
itself, as it desires to have the invention for the exclusive use of our
own ships of battle.
The present method of communication is by the use of flags representing
numerals which are displayed in the rigging; by the use of the Ardois
system of lights for night work; by the Myer code of wigwag signals, and
by the use of the heliograph. As it is of the utmost importance that the
enemy should not read the message, the signal books on board a vessel are
protected with the greatest care, and are destroyed along with the cipher
code whenever it is seen that capture is inevitable. The semaphore system
in use in the British navy was tried for a time aboard some of our
vessels, but it never became popular, and has been abandoned.
In signalling by the navy code, the sentence to be sent is looked up in
the code-book and its corresponding number is obtained. This number is
never more than four figures, on account of the necessity of setting the
signal with the least delay. The number having been obtained, the
quartermaster in charge of the signal-chest proceeds to bend the flags
representing the numerals to the signal halliards, so as to read from the
top down. These flags represent the numerals from one to nine and cipher,
and there is a triangular pennant termed a repeater, which is used in a
combination where one or more numerals recur. The numbers refer to those
found in the general signal-book, in which are printed all the words,
phrases, and sentences necessary to frame an order, make an inquiry,
indicate a geographical position, or signal a compass course. Answering,
interrogatory, preparatory, and geographical pennants form part of this
code; also telegraph, danger, despatch, and quarantine flags.
The signal, having been prepared, is hoisted and left flying until the
vessel to which the message has been sent signifies that it is understood
by hoisting what is called the answering pennant. If the number hoisted by
the flag-ship is a preparatory order for a fleet movement, it is left
flying until all the vessels of the fleet have answered, and then is
pulled down, the act of pulling the signal down being understood as the
command for the execution of the movement just communicated.
It is often necessary for a man-of-war to communicate with a merchant
vessel, or with some other war-ship belonging to a foreign country. For
this purpose the international code is also carried in the signal-chest.
These signals are those in general use by all the merchant navies of the
world for communication by day at sea. There are eighteen flags and a code
pennant, corresponding to the consonants of the alphabet, omitting x and
z. The code pennant is also used with these signals.
If a message is to be sent at night, the Ardois system of night signals,
with which all our vessels carrying an electric plant are fitted, is
employed. These signals consist essentially of five groups of double
lamps, the two lamps in each group containing incandescent electric lamps,
and showing white and red respectively. By the combination of these lights
letters can be formed, and so, letter by letter, a word, and hence an
order, can be spelled out for the guidance of the ships of the squadron.
These lamps are suspended on a stay in the rigging, and are worked by a
keyboard from the upper bridge.
On the smaller ships of the service, those which are not fitted with
electric lighting, Very’s night signals are used. This set includes the
implements for firing and recharging the signals.
The latter show green and red stars on being projected from pistols made
for them. The combination in various ways is used to express the numbers
from one to nine and cipher, so that the numbers, to four digits,
contained in the signal-book, may be displayed. The Myer wigwag system is
employed either by day or by night. Flags and torches are employed. The
official flag is a red field with a small white square in the centre; the
unofficial flag is the same with the colours reversed. The operator,
having attracted the attention of the ship which is to be signalled by
waving the flag or torch from right to left, transmits his message by
motions right, left, and front, each motion the element of a letter of the
alphabet, the letter being made up of from one to four motions.
When circumstances permit, the heliograph is sometimes used. The rays of
the sun are thrown by a system of mirrors to the point with which it is
desired to communicate, and then interrupted by means of a shutter, making
dots and dashes as used in the Morse telegraph code. This system is used
only when operations ashore are going on, as the rolling of the ship would
prevent the concentration of the sun’s rays.
The present systems of flag signalling are products of experience in the
past, and are the natural growth of the cruder flag system in use during
the War of 1812, and in the Civil War. There have been some changes in the
construction of flags, and the scope of communication has been enlarged,
but otherwise our forefathers talked at sea in much the same way as we do
now. Of course the Ardois light signal is something very modern. In old
times they communicated at night either with coloured lights or by
torches, and, as there was no alphabetical code in those days, the process
was by means of flashes (representing numbers in the signal book), and it
was long and tedious.
APPENDIX C.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
Santiago is the most easterly city on the southern coast of Cuba, second
only to Havana in its strategic and political importance, and is the
capital of the eastern department, as well as its most flourishing
seaport.
The harbour, now become famous as a theatre of action where American
heroism was displayed, is thus described by Mr. Samuel Hazard, in his
entertaining work on Cuba:
“Some one now remarks that we are near to Cuba; but, looking landward,
nothing is seen but the same continuous mountains which we have had for
the last twelve hours, except where, low down on the shore, there seems to
be a slight opening in the rocky coast, above which stands, apparently,
some dwelling-house. However, time tells, and in a half hour more we
discover the small opening to be the entrance to a valley, and the
dwelling-house to be the fort of the Cabanas. Still, no town and no
harbour; and yet ahead we see, high upon a rocky cliff, a queer-looking
old castle, with guns frowning from its embrasures, and its variegated
walls looking as if they were ready to fall into the waves dashing at
their base. That is the Morro Castle, which, with the battery of
Aguadores, the battery of the Estrella, and the above named Cabanas,
commands the approaches to the harbour and town of Cuba.
“The rocky shore above and below the castle has scattered along it the
remains of several vessels, whose captains, in trying to escape from the
dangers of the storm, have vainly sought to enter the difficult harbour,
and the bleaching timbers are sad warnings to the mariner not to enter
there except in the proper kind of weather. And now we are up to the
castle, and a sharp turn to the left takes us into a narrow channel and
past the Morro and the battery adjoining, whose sentry, with a trumpet as
big as himself, hails our vessel as she goes by; and soon we find
ourselves in a gradually enlarging bay, around which the mountains are
seen in every direction. As yet we have seen no town, and no place where
there will likely be one; but now a turn to the right, and there, rising
from the water’s side almost to the top of the mountains, is seen Santiago
de Cuba, with its red roofs, tall cathedral towers, and the green trees of
its pretty Paseo, lighted up by the evening sun, forming a brilliant
foreground to the hazy blue mountains that lie behind the city....
“Rising gradually from the bay, upon the mountainside, to the high plain
called the Campo del Marte, the city of Santiago reaches in its highest
point 160 feet above the level of the sea, and commands from almost any
portion superb views of the bay at its feet and of the majestic ranges of
mountains that surround it. With a population of about fifty thousand
inhabitants, it has regularly laid out streets and well-built houses of
stone in most portions of the city; though being built as it is on the
side of a hill, many of the streets are very steep in their ascent, and
from the constant washing of the rains, and the absence of side-walks, are
anything but an agreeable promenade.
“The town was founded in 1515, by Diego Velasquez, considered the
conqueror of the island, who landed here in that year on his first voyage;
and it was from here that Juan de Grijalva, in 1518, started on his
expedition for the conquest of Yucatan, being followed by Hernando Cortes,
who, however, was compelled to stop at Havana (as it was called then), now
Batabano. In 1522 the distinctions of ‘City’ and ‘Bishopric’ were bestowed
upon the town, having been taken from the older town of Baracoa, where
they had been bestowed in honour of that place being the first European
settlement; and in 1527 Fr. Miguel Ramirez de Salamanca, first bishop of
the island, arrived and established here his headquarters.
“In 1528 Panfilo de Narvaez set sail from here on his expedition for the
conquest of Florida, where he met his fate and found a tomb.
“In 1528 Hernando de Soto arrived here with nearly one thousand men,
having been authorised, in addition to the command of his Florida
expedition, to assume that of the whole island of Cuba.
“In 1553 the city was captured by four hundred French arquebusiers, who
took possession of it until a ransom of $80,000 was paid, the invaders
remaining nearly a month in the city, and as late as 1592, so frequent
were the attacks of pirates on this town, that it is related the place was
almost depopulated by the inhabitants taking refuge at Bayamo, some
distance in the interior.
“In 1608, the cathedral having been ruined by an earthquake, the Bishop
Lalcedo removed his residence to Havana, and almost all the diocesans, as
well as the ecclesiastical chapter, did the same, which action created
great excitement, the superior governor and chief of the island opposing
it.
“The Parroquial Church of Havana was about to be made into a cathedral,
through the efforts of the prelate, Armen Dariz, but these were opposed by
the captain-general, Pereda. The bishop then excommunicated said chief and
all in his vicinity, all the clergy even going in procession to curse and
stone his house.
“In 1662 there was a serious attack made upon the place by a squadron of
fifteen vessels under Lord Winsor, whose people landed at the place now
known as the ‘Aguadores,’ and to the number of eight hundred men marched
without opposition on the city, of which they took possession, after
repulsing a small force sent out to meet them. The invaders, it appears,
partook freely of the church-bells, carried off the guns from the forts,
took charge of the slaves, and not finding the valuables they anticipated,
which had been carried off by the retreating inhabitants, they, in their
disappointment, blew up the Morro Castle, and destroyed the cathedral,
remaining nearly a month in possession of the city.
“It was not until 1663, therefore, that the castle now known as the Morro
was rebuilt, by order of Philip I., and at the same time the fortresses of
Santa Catalina, La Punta, and La Estrella.
“In July and August, 1766, a large portion of the city was ruined by
earthquakes, more than one hundred persons being killed.
“The town has the honour of having for its first mayor, or ‘alcalde,’
Hernando Cortes; and it is said that the remains of Diego Velasquez, the
first explorer and conqueror, were buried there in the old cathedral. It
is related in corroboration of this fact, that on the 26th of November,
1810, on digging in the cemetery of the new cathedral, the broken slab of
his tomb was found, seven and a half feet under ground, the inscription
upon which is illegible, with the exception of a few Latin words giving
name and date.”
APPENDIX D.
PORTO RICO.
Porto Rico was discovered by Columbus in November, 1493. In 1510 Ponce de
Leon founded the town of Caparra, soon after abandoned, and now known as
Pureto Viejo, and in 1511, with more success, the city of San Juan
Bautista, or better known simply as San Juan. The native inhabitants were
soon subdued and swept away. In 1595 the capital was sacked by Drake, and
in 1598 by the Earl of Cumberland. In 1615 Baldwin Heinrich, a Dutchman,
lost his life in an attack on the Castello del Morro. The attempt of the
English, in 1678, was equally unsuccessful, and Abercrombie, in 1797, had
to retire after a three days’ strife. In 1820 a movement was made toward
the declaration of independence on the part of the Porto Ricans, but
Spanish supremacy was completely reëstablished by 1823. The last traces of
slavery were abolished in 1873.
San Juan is the ideal city and spot of the whole island, saving that it is
well fortified, for it is the coolest, the healthiest port, with
thirty-eight feet of water in the harbour, and twenty-eight feet of water
alongside the coal wharves. It is the only port on the island with
fortifications. There are barracks in a few of the larger towns, but
outside of the eight thousand or ten thousand troops there are very few
fighting men on the island.
The volunteers are not looked upon as a great factor in fighting by those
who know them, and are almost all Spaniards. The Guardia Civil is made up
of the best of the Spanish army, and commands great respect. The Porto
Rican civilians do not have to enter the army service unless they please,
and very few of them please.
The defences of San Juan are good. San Felippe del Morro fortress is at
the entrance of the harbour. It is the principal defence from the sea, and
has three rows of batteries. It is separated by a strong wall from the
city, which lies at the back of it, but communication between the city and
fort is had by a tunnel.
The roads of Porto Rico are, for the most part, bad. There are some
notable exceptions. There is a splendid road built by the Spanish
government from Ponce to San Juan. It is about eighty-five miles long, and
a young Porto Rican told the writer that he frequently went over it on his
bicycle, and it was splendid all the way. Another road from Guayama,
meeting the Ponce road at Cayey, has been recently finished. The scenery
is the most beautiful in the West Indies, for tropical wild flowers are
all over the island, and large tree ferns and magnificent plants
everywhere abound. There are no venomous snakes nor wild animals of any
kind in Porto Rico. Oranges and other tropical fruits thrive in Porto
Rico, but they are not specially cultivated.
Some years ago a railway around the island was projected, but only three
sections have been built. There is one to the north from San Juan to
Camuy, one on the west from Aguadilla to Mayaguez, and one on the south
from Yauco to Ponce. Any one wishing to travel around the coast from San
Juan to Ponce would be obliged to continue their journey by stage-coaches,
one from Camuy to Aguadilla, and one from Mayaguez to Yauco.
San Juan has about forty thousand inhabitants, and Ponce has almost thirty
thousand. There are many towns of between twelve thousand and thirty
thousand people. The buildings are low and are of wood. There are a few
three-story buildings in Ponce, and these are the latest examples of
modern construction.
APPENDIX E.
THE BAY OF GUANTANAMO.
On the extreme southeastern coast of Cuba, some distance east of Santiago,
is Guantanamo, or Cumberland Bay. It is an exceedingly beautiful sheet of
water, with a narrow entrance, guarded by high hills. It extends twelve
miles inland, with a level coast-line to the westward, and high hills on
the north and east.
Five miles from the entrance is the little town of Caimanera, from which
runs a railroad to the town of Guantanamo, twelve miles distant, with its
terminus at the town of Jamaica. There are two and one-half square miles
of anchorage, with a depth of forty feet, so far inside as to be fully
protected from the wind. For vessels drawing twenty-four feet or less
there are about two more square miles of harbourage.
FOOTNOTES
1 See Appendix, Part A, for general description of the Philippine
Islands and their inhabitants.
2 See Appendix B for types of war-ships and methods of signalling
while in action.
3 See Chapter X.
4 See Chapter X.
5 See Chapter X.
6 See Chapter X.
7 See Chapter X.
8 See Chapter X.
9 See Chapter X.
10 See Chapter X.
11 See Chapter X.
12 See Chapter X.
13 See Chapter X.
14 See Chapter X.
15 See Chapter X.
16 See Chapter X.
17 See Chapter X.
18 See Chapter X.
19 See Chapter X.
20 See Chapter X.
21 See Appendix A for description of Manila.
22 See Chapter X.
23 See Chapter X.
24 See Chapter X.
25 See Chapter X.
26 See Chapter X.
27 See Chapter X.
28 See Chapter X.
29 See Chapter X.
30 See Chapter X.
31 See Chapter X.
32 See Chapter X.
33 For types of war-ships see Appendix B.
34 See Appendix C for description of Santiago Harbour.
35 See Chapter XVII.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The illustrations, which were printed on separate pages in the original
edition, have been placed between paragraphs near the original positions,
which can be seen in the list of illustrations.
The following changes have been made to the text:
page 19, “last of March” changed to “last days of January”
page 22, “Viscaya” changed to “Vizcaya”
page 51, “procotol” changed to “protocol”
page 80, italics added to “Baltimore’s”
page 80, “San Juan de Austria” changed to “Don Juan de Austria”
page 81, “Valasco” changed to “Velasco”
page 85, quote added before “Capt. Frank Wildes”
page 89, “flagship” changed to “flag-ship”
page 133, double “the” removed before “gunboat”
page 158, “first class” changed to “first-class”
page 166, “Albermarle” changed to “Albemarle”
page 194, “armored” changed to “armoured”
page 264, double quote removed after “dying.’”
page 270, “of” changed to “off”
page 309, “organized” changed to “organised”
page 321, “flag-staff” changed to “flagstaff”
page 370, “WARSHIPS” changed to “WAR-SHIPS”
page 383, “Mono” changed to “Morro”
Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling of names in citations has not been
changed.