Cavite in his possession, Dewey now entered upon the most difficult
part of his enterprise. Although to take possession of Manila would be
comparatively easy, to hold it with his force would be another matter.
He had to cope with Spanish deceit and Malay craft, with the
ill-concealed antagonism of the German and the unexpressed jealousy of
Japan. Not knowing when to expect another Spanish fleet, he was
obliged to force the representative of Germany to observe the decorum
and etiquette demanded by the situation. Hence the friction with Von
Diederich, when Dewey demanded to know whether his country and ours
were at war, for if so, he was ready to do his part of the fighting.
By July 31st troops in sufficient numbers, under General Merritt, had
arrived; and on August 13th the city was assaulted and surrendered.
The grade of Admiral has been revived by Congress and bestowed upon
Dewey. Never was enacted a more dramatic scene in the House of
Representatives than that when Mr. Moody of Massachusetts, fearing
that in the hurry of the latter days of the Fifty-fifth Congress the
bill passed by the Senate might be overlooked, offered it as a new
section of the Naval Appropriation Bill then under consideration. The
suggestion was received with bursts of applause and acted upon
immediately. A few days afterward the senate bill was passed by the
House.
Only twice before has the grade of Admiral been conferred on an
officer of the United States Navy. Farragut and Porter earned it by
their work in the Civil War. Numerous as are the heroes of our naval
history, none surpass Dewey, and the country is grateful to the
President and Congress that his worth has been recognized.
The fighting in the Philippines is not over, and Dewey remains to
secure the territory won by his fearless entry into Manila Bay and the
magnificent plan of battle that made him victorious on that first May
morning of 1898.
[Signature of the author.]