having been foundered and sunk with sixteen of her crew, in a heavy
gale, a few miles south of Cape Hatteras. But the test to which the
"Monitor" had been subjected in her battle with the "Merrimac" proved
beyond doubt that iron was destined to take the place of wood in the
construction of our men-of-war thereafter, and the confidence of John
Ericsson in the ultimate success of his experiment, after many
discouragements and rebuffs on the part of the naval authorities, was
fully justified in its final results, and the honors which the nation
showered upon him in the evening of his life, and the tribute which it
paid to his genius after his death, were merited by him quite as much as
the perpetuation of his memory through this stirring canvas of the great
artist, as is also the memory, in the second painting of this series, of
that other Erickson, his ancestor, who, almost a thousand years before,
was the first white man known to have set foot on American soil.
RETURN OF THE CONQUERORS
Typifying Our Victory in the Late Spanish-American War
(_September 29, 1899_)
[Illustration: Copyright, 1898, by Edward Moran.]
XIII.
RETURN OF THE CONQUERORS. TYPIFYING OUR VICTORY IN THE LATE
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, SEPTEMBER 29, 1899.[Q]
As a fitting close to the grand pictorial illustration of our marine
history, this canvas represents one of the most magnificent pageants
ever seen on our waters, in commemoration of the victorious close of the
last great war, in which our navy added fresh leaves to its laurel
wreath of heroic achievement. It, at the same time, depicts the
culminating stage in the evolution of naval construction from the time
when the Norsemen in their drakkars, and Columbus in his caravels,
braved the perils of the ocean, until the steel-clad battleships of
Dewey and Schley and Sampson met in conflict the no less formidable
floating fortresses of Cervera and Montojo. It is a picture of to-day,
with the well-defined outlines of the Statue of Liberty in allegorical
suggestion at the mouth of the great river up which the little "Half
Moon" first sailed, also on a September day, just two hundred and ninety
years before. It suggests--in the great, grim, steel-clad leviathans of
the ocean steaming up the river, with their powerful armament and each
representing millions of dollars in its construction, along the shores
of the second largest city in the world, and with flags and banners
flying proudly from every mast and spar--not only the victory of our
arms but the growth of the nation, from the sparse settlements in the
days of the Pilgrim Fathers to a population of 80,000,000 souls, and
from the thirteen little struggling provinces, at the outbreak of the
Revolution, to the forty-five great States and four Territories of the
Union, with its possessions even beyond the confines of the
continent--imperial in its power and greatness, not dreamt of even when,
only about a century before, Paul Jones and Decatur and Captain Reid
performed the feats of daring which are immortalized in the earlier of
these paintings.
It typifies, as the artist himself points out in his title, our
conquering arms--in the very motion of the proud battleships, as in
majestic array, representing both the Pacific and North Atlantic
squadrons, they seem to sweep gradually forward and onward within full
view. If Mr. Moran had never painted anything else, this picture would
stamp him as a surpassing genius. The grouping of the great vessels and
the indication of their vast number, the brilliancy of the water and the
whole coloring are matchless. It suggests in the proud procession of the
ships-of-war, in perspective, as far back as the eye can reach, a
gathering of almost the entire navy, and is in that respect far more
than a mere photographic representation of the actual occurrence. In
this picture he represents the "Olympia" as the principal object, the
nearest in the foreground, her hull in gleaming white, with the
suggestion of the figure of Admiral Dewey standing on the bridge, with
her sister ships of like hue following in her wake; while another line,
on the left of the picture, headed by the "New York" and "Brooklyn," and
with Admirals Sampson and Schley on board, appears in more sombre hue,
only second in importance, however, to the "Olympia." Such a picture
could only be produced by an artist of the most poetic and imaginative
instincts as well as a close student of the actualities; for while it is
to a certain extent allegoric of the event which it records and the
memories connected with it, nothing could be more real or faithful than
the reproduction of our iron-clads, with all the detail of armament,
turret, tackle, anchor, port-holes and even the national coat of arms on
the prow. Even the signal of the "Olympia," "Remember the Maine," and
the answering signal of the "Brooklyn," "The Maine is avenged and Cuba
is free," can be seen flying from their yards.
The events which are recalled by this painting are so recent that it
would seem superfluous to refer to them at all, and yet, in continuation
of the historic outline presented in these pages, it may be of interest
to record that the battle of Manila was fought on May 1, 1898; that not
a single life was lost on the American side and only a few men wounded,
without any material injury to the American ships, consisting of four
cruisers and two gunboats, while the whole Spanish fleet, under the
command of Admiral Montojo, consisting of seven cruisers and five
gunboats, was destroyed, with the exception of two, and these were
captured, and that our ships, in addition, silenced and captured the
formidable shore batteries on Cavite Point. Furthermore, that our naval
operations came to a close off Santiago Harbor on July 3, 1898, through
the destruction or capture by our fleet--under the command of Admirals
Schley and Sampson, consisting of four battleships, one armored cruiser
and two converted yachts, one of them the "Gloucester," under the
command of the intrepid Richard Wainwright--of the entire Spanish fleet,
consisting of four powerful armored cruisers of the highest class and
two torpedo boat destroyers, under the command of Admiral Cervera.
Space forbids even a passing reference to the instances of individual
heroism displayed during this war by the officers and men of our ships,
as for example that of Lieutenant Richmond P. Hobson, all of which are
conjured up by a contemplation of this painting. It is also impossible
to refer at length to the reception itself to Admiral Dewey and the
other officers and men of our fleets, of which the naval procession
constituted only one feature; but no eye-witness can ever forget the
march of the returning victors in the land parade on September 30, 1899,
as it passed under that masterpiece of American sculpture, the arch
located at Madison Square.
There were also some touching incidents connected with this celebration.
Among them, and as suggested by this picture, should be mentioned the
fact that a sailor by the name of Bartholomew Diggins presented Admiral
Dewey with the blue flag of Admiral Farragut, which had been in the
possession of Diggins, who had served with Dewey under Farragut in the
Civil War, and this flag flew from one of the mast-heads of the
"Olympia" as she steamed up the river in the van of the magnificent
array.
How doubly glorious will appear this splendid ovation to our heroes
immortalized in this picture, if the war, from which they are shown
returning as conquerors, shall result in a full realization of the noble
motive, which inspired it, of liberation and not of conquest, and we may
in patriotic pride address Columbia in the words of Timothy Dwight:
"To conquest and slaughter let Europe aspire;
Whelm nations in blood, and wrap cities in fire;
Thy heroes the rights of mankind shall defend,
And triumph pursue them, and glory attend!"
* * * * *
With this picture the artist closes the commemoration of our naval
achievements in the four great periods of our history, the War of the
Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War
of 1898, to which the last six pictures of the series are devoted, as
the preceding six illustrate the dawn of our history from the first
landing of the white man to the settlement of the Pilgrim
Fathers--preceding all of which is the mysterious and unfathomable past
symbolized by the trackless "Ocean," the first of these paintings.
From the time that Eirek the Red sailed to the bleak shores of Greenland
down to the brilliant exploit of Admiral Dewey in the Philippine
Islands, how true it is, in view of each and every one of the events
immortalized in this unequalled series of paintings, that, in the words
of Bishop Berkeley,
"Westward the course of empire takes its way!"
[Illustration]
INDEX.
Agreement of Confederation, written on board "Mayflower," 61, 62
America, Early Discoveries of, 33, 34
American Flag, First Recognition of, painting, description of, 68;
Designing and Adoption of Present Form, 81.
Armaments:
"Armstrong," 79;
Modern Battleships, 68;
"Ranger," 68
"Armstrong," Brig, Engaging the British Fleet, painting, description of,
82, 83
Bainbridge, Captain, 73
"Baltimore," Cruiser, 95
Braine, Admiral, 96
Brig "Armstrong" Engaging the British Fleet, painting, description of,
82, 83
"Brooklyn," Cruiser, 106, 107
Buchanan, Commodore, 88, 89
Burning of Frigate "Philadelphia," painting, description of, 75, 76
Byron, Lord, quotation from, 29
Caravels, 40, 105
Castelar, Emilio, quotation from, 41, 42
Cervera, Admiral, 105, 107
Chicago, Columbian Exposition, 40, 80
Columbus, Christopher, 39 to 43;
Death, 42;
Transfer of Remains, 43
Columbus, Debarkation of, painting, description of, 41, 42;
"Santa Maria," "Nina" and "Pinta," painting, description of, 41, 42
Compact of Pilgrim Fathers, 61, 62
"Congress," Frigate, 88, 89, 90
Constitution of United States, Preamble, 62
Cowper, quotation from, 69
"Cumberland," The, 87 to 92, 95, 97;
Sinking of, by the "Merrimac," painting, description of, 90, 91
Debarkation of Columbus, painting, description of, 41, 42
Decatur, Stephen, 10, 74, 106;
Birth, Death, 75;
Sword, 74;
Toast to our Country, 74
De Soto, Ferdinand, 47 to 49;
Birth, Death, 47;
Expedition of, 47 to 49;
Midnight Mass over the Body of, painting, description of, 48, 49
Dewey, George, Admiral, 10, 105, 106, 107, 109
Drake, quotation from, 67
Drakkars, 35, 105
Eirek the Red, 33, 34, 109
Embarkation of Pilgrims, painting, description of, 60
Ericsson, John, Birth, Death, 95;
"Monitor," 92, 97 to 101;
White Squadron's Farewell Salute to body of, painting, description
of, 95, 96
Erickson, Lief, Landing in New World, 33, 34;
painting, description of, 35, 36, 101
Esquimos, 34
Everett, Edward, quotation from oration on the Pilgrims, 60, 61
Exhibition of Paintings of Edward Moran, 9, 18, 19
Farewell Salute to John Ericsson, painting, description of, 95, 96
Farragut, Admiral, 108
Fayal, 79, 81, 83
First Recognition of American Flag, painting, description of, 68, 69
Fiske, John, 40
Flag, United States, 67, 68;
First Recognition of, painting, description of, 68, 69;
Captain Reid, 81;
Resolutions of Congress authorizing, 67, 81
Florida, 47, 48
Greenland, Settlement of, 33, 34
"Half-Moon," ship of Hudson, 53, 105
Hamilton, James, 16
Hemans, Felicia, quotation from, 62, 63
_Herald_, New York, quotation from, 9
Hobson, Richmond Pearson, 10, 73, 92
Holland, 53, 54, 59
Hopkins, Admiral, 27
Hudson, Henry, 53 to 55;
Entering New York Bay, painting, description of, 55
Hudson River, Discovery of, 54
Iceland, 33, 34, 36
Iron _versus_ Wood, Sinking of "Cumberland" by "Merrimac," painting,
description of, 90, 91
Jackson, Andrew, Defence of New Orleans, 82;
Special Message to Congress about burning of frigate "Philadelphia,"
75
Jefferson, Thomas, Special Message to Congress about Lieutenant Decatur,
74
Jones, John Paul, 10, 68, 106;
Birth and Death, 69;
Letter to Naval Committee, 68
La Motte Piquet, Admiral, 68
Landing of Lief Erickson in the New World, painting, description of, 35,
36, 101
Lincoln, Abraham, Special Message to Congress about Lieutenant George U.
Morris, 92;
about Lieutenant John Worden, 100;
Commendation of Lieutenant John L. Worden, 99, 100
Litigation about thirteen paintings, 8
Lloyd, Commodore, 79, 82
Louisiana Purchase, 10, 49, 82; Exposition, 50
Manila Bay, Battle of, 107
"Mayflower," 59, 60, 61
"Merrimac," The, Confederate Ram, 87 to 92, 95, 97 to 101;
of Spanish-American War, 92
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 9
Midnight Mass over the Body of Ferdinand De Soto, painting, description
of, 48, 49
Mississippi River, Discovery of, 48, 49
"Monitor," The, 92, 95, 97 to 101
Montojo, Admiral, 105, 107
Moran, Annette, 8, 20;
Death, 21;
Paintings, 20
Moran, Edward, 15 to 21;
Academies, Clubs, Societies, 16, 17;
Birth, Death, 15;
Marriage, 8, 20;
Paintings of, 17, 18
Moran, Thomas, etching by, 96
Morris, George U., 10, 88, 89, 92
Nantucket, 34
Napoleon, Louis, Arbitration about Brig "Armstrong," 81
Navy, Ships of, 68, 73, 74, 79, 82, 88, 90, 97;
Improvement, 87, 97, 105
New Orleans, 82
New York, City of, 54
"New York," Cruiser, 106
Norse Costumes, 35
Norsemen, 33, 34, 40, 105
Norse ships, 35
Norway, 33
Ocean, The, painting, description of, 10, 27, 28, 109
"Olympia," The, 106, 107, 108
Paintings of Edward Moran, partial list of, 17, 18
Parmentier, Antoine Augustin, 20
"Philadelphia," Frigate, Burning of, painting, description of, 75, 76
Pilgrims, 59 to 63, 109;
Compact in "Mayflower," 61;
Embarkation of, painting, description of, 60
Plymouth Rock, 59
Portuguese Government, 79, 80
Quiberon, 10, 68
"Ranger," 68
Reid, Capt. Samuel Chester, 10, 79, 106;
Birth, Death, 82;
Long Tom, 79, 80, 81;
Sword, 81;
United States Flag, 81
Return of the Conquerors, painting, description of, 105, 106, 107
Sampson, William T., 10, 105, 106
"Santa Maria," "Nina" and "Pinta," painting, description of, 41, 42
Santiago Harbor, Battle of, 107
Schiller, Friedrich, quotation from, 43
Schley, Winfield Scott, 10, 96, 105, 106
Ships of Captain Bainbridge, 73;
Columbus, 39, 40;
Commodore Decatur, 74;
De Soto, 47;
Dewey, 106, 107;
Henry Hudson, 53;
Paul Jones, 68;
Commodore Lloyd, 79;
Commander George U. Morris, 88;
Norsemen, 35;
Pilgrim Fathers, 59;
Captain Samuel C. Reid, 79;
Sampson, Schley, 106, 107;
Lieutenant Worden, 98
Sinking of the "Cumberland" by the "Merrimac," painting, description of,
90, 91
Southampton, 60
Spanish-American War, 105 to 109;
Return of Conquerors, painting, description of, 105, 106, 107
Statue of Liberty, 18, 96, 105
Taylor, Bayard, quotation from, 36
Thirteen, number connected with events in history of the United States,
9, 10, 67
Thirteen Paintings, Exhibition of, 9, 27;
General Description, 7 to 11, 68;
Litigation about, 8;
Sizes of, 27, 33, 39, 47, 53, 59, 67, 73, 79, 87, 95, 105
Tripoli, 73, 74
United States, Constitution of, 62; Number of States, 9, 67, 81, 106;
Population, 106
Vinland, 34, 36
Virginia, Colony of, 59
Wainwright, Richard, 10, 107
Wars:
Civil, 82, 87, 108;
1812, 82, 108;
Revolution, 67, 108;
Spanish-American, 43, 108
Webber, Paul, 16
Welles, Gideon, Alarm about "Merrimac," 91;
Letter to Lieutenant John L. Worden, 99, 100
West Indies, origin of name, 43
White Squadron's Farewell Salute to the Body of Capt. John Ericsson,
painting, description of, 95, 96
Worden, John L., 10, 98, 99
World's Fair, Chicago, 40, 80
FOOTNOTES:
[A] Moran _v._ Morrill, 78 Appellate Division Reports, 440.
[B] Moran _v._ Morrill, 177 New York Reports, 563.
[C] Size of canvas: nine and one-half feet in length by six and
one-quarter feet in height.
[D] About six feet long by about three and one-half feet high.
[E] Eight feet long by four and one-half feet high.
[F] Four and one-half feet long by three feet high.
[G] It is difficult to preserve the full beauty of the original of these
concise verses in a translation; but in attempting this I have found it
quite as easy to rhyme them as to reproduce them simply in the blank
verse of the original, in which rhymes occur in only two lines.
[H] About four feet long by two and one-half feet high.
[I] About eight feet long by four and one-half feet high.
[J] About four feet long by about two and one-half feet high.
[K] About six feet long by about three and one-third feet high.
[L] This is the only upright canvas of the series, being about five feet
in height by about three and one-half feet in width.
[M] About five and one-half feet long by about three feet high.
[N] About four and one-quarter feet long by about three feet high.
[O] About four and one-half feet long by about three feet high.
[P] This, it would seem, ought to be March 9th.
[Q] Four and one-half feet long by about three feet high.
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| Transcriber's Note: Italics are rendered as _underscores_, and |
| accents and ligatures have been removed from the following words: |
| manoeuvring (oe lig.), Phoenicians (oe lig.), Nina (n tilde), |
| Longpre (e acute), nee (1st e acute). In the original book, |
| omitted text within quotations was indicated with a series of |
| asterisks rather than ellipses. These have been retained as |
| printed. Hyphenation has been regularized in the words gunboat(s) |
| and northwestern. One spelling error was corrected: Acording to |
| According (p. 33, "According to these, Eirek the Red...") |
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