On the morning of May 1, 1898, in the harbor of Manila, one of the most
remarkable naval victories in the history of the world was won by the
United States. The Spanish fleet, though superior in both men and guns,
was entirely destroyed, and hundreds of officers and men were made
prisoners. All this was accomplished by an American squadron under
Commodore George Dewey, without the loss of a ship or a man. The way in
which it all came about was as follows:
When war was declared between the United States and Spain, Commodore
George Dewey was at Hong Kong, China, with that part of our navy which
was known as the Asiatic squadron. He was at once ordered to sail to the
Philippines, and capture or destroy the Spanish fleet there. These
Philippine Islands are about six hundred miles southeast of Hong Kong.
Their capital and largest city is Manila, on the island of Luzon.
As Commodore Dewey sailed out of the bay at Hong Kong, he signaled to
his fleet: "Keep cool and obey orders."
[Illustration: MAP OF MANILA BAY.]
At a little before midnight, on the 30th of April, the American vessels
in single file, led by the flagship _Olympia_, steamed between the forts
which guarded the entrance to the bay of Manila.
In order not to be seen from these forts, all the lights on the vessels
were hidden. Silently and steadily the vessels moved on, unseen by the
Spaniards.
All of the fleet except the _Boston_ and _McCulloch_ had passed in
safety, when the soot in the smokestack of the _McCulloch_ caught fire.
Instantly the guns of one of the Spanish batteries were turned upon the
fleet. The _Boston_ and _McCulloch_ returned the fire, but kept on their
way and were soon out of range, having received no injury.
[Illustration: ADMIRAL MONTOJO.]
When day broke, Commodore Dewey found the entire Spanish fleet drawn up
under the protection of the batteries of the Cavite naval station about
nine miles from the city of Manila. It was commanded by Admiral Patricio
Montojo, one of the ablest officers in the Spanish service.
At about five o'clock, with the flagship leading, the Americans bore
down upon the Spanish. Suddenly there was a muffled roar, and a
submarine mine exploded. But, in the excitement, the Spaniards had
fired it too soon, and no damage was done.
This was soon followed by the explosion of another mine, but again the
Spaniards had been in too great haste, and the _Olympia_ escaped
uninjured.
Although Commodore Dewey did not know but that many other torpedoes
might be in his path, he never hesitated. He had been in the battle of
Mobile Bay with Farragut, when that brave commander had sailed boldly
over a line of torpedoes.
Soon the guns of the batteries and Spanish fleet began to pour a storm
of shot and shell at the American squadron. But, as yet, Commodore Dewey
had not fired a gun.
The American sailors were wild with excitement. They had been by the
guns all night, and were eager to begin the fray. Finally Commodore
Dewey said quietly to the captain of the _Olympia_: "You may fire when
ready, Gridley."
The flagship was now within range, and suddenly one of the great guns
sent an answering shot. As its echoes went rolling across the waters,
every man in the American fleet joined in the shout, "Remember the
_Maine_!" These words were the battle cry at Manila Bay.
Slowly the American vessels steamed by the Spanish squadron in single
file, pouring in deadly broadsides as they passed. Then turning, they
retraced their course, drawing a little nearer to the shore. This
maneuver was repeated five times. The marksmanship of the Americans was
wonderful, and at the end of two hours nearly every ship in the Spanish
fleet had either been sunk or was on fire.
At seven o'clock Commodore Dewey decided to withdraw out of range of the
batteries, to give his men a rest and breakfast, and find what damage
had been done to his own fleet. Imagine his surprise and joy at finding
that not a single man had been killed, and that his vessels were
scarcely injured.
At eleven o'clock the Americans returned to the attack, soon silenced
the forts, and burned or captured all that remained of the Spanish
fleet.
As soon as the battle was over, Commodore Dewey and his men set to work
to care for the wounded Spanish sailors. They treated them like
brothers, doing everything possible for their comfort.
After taking possession of the arsenal at Cavite, Commodore Dewey
blockaded the port of Manila, and awaited further orders from the
department of war. He knew that if the city of Manila could be captured,
it would result in the loss, by the Spaniards, of the entire Philippine
group.
These islands form one of the largest groups in the world, and are so
rich and beautiful that they are called the "Pearls of the Ocean." They
were the most important of the colonial possessions of Spain.
When the news of the victory reached the United States, there was great
rejoicing all over the land, and Commodore Dewey was the hero of the
hour. Congress at once gave him a vote of thanks, and promoted him to
the rank of rear admiral. It also presented him with a beautiful sword,
and gave a medal to each one of his men.