MAY

BATTLE OF MANILA BAY

May 1, 1898

War against Spain had been declared on April 18, 1898. The Asiatic fleet of the U. S. Navy, under command of Commodore George Dewey, had been lying at Hong Kong in China, quietly preparing for war. Dewey sailed with his fleet and crossed the China Sea 600 miles to the mouth of Manila Bay in the Philippines. The Asiatic Spanish fleet was at anchor in the Bay. The Spanish government for years had been fortifying the shores of the Boca Grande-the strait connecting Manila Bay with the ocean, and the Spanish officials had claimed that sure destruction awaited any ship which attempted to pass without their permission.

In the late afternoon of April 30, the U. S. fleet arrived off the Boca Grande. Dewey called a council of his captains. He said to them-"I do not believe they expect us to-night, therefore we will go in.”

After sundown the fleet was headed for the channel. The names of the fighting ships and commanders were: Olympia (flagship), Capt. Charles V. Gridley; Baltimore, Capt. Nehemiah M. Dyer; Raleigh, Capt. Joseph B. Coghlan; Boston, Capt. Frank Wildes; Concord, Commander Asa Walker; Petrel, Commander P. Wood. The Olympia was the largest; she was an armored cruiser, 340 ft. long, and of nearly 6,000 tons displacement; she was about seven times as big as the smallest fighting ship, the Petrel. There were also the Nanshan and Zafiro, transports carrying coal, and the little revenue cutter Hugh McCulloch, a dispatch boat.

The moon was high and shone clear. There were fortified islands in the passage. To run by the Spanish guns and over the mines was a desperate thing to do on such a night. Yet it seemed that the bright moonlight had thrown the Spanish officers off their guard.

The American fleet steamed silently through the passage, a distance of about 25 miles. Almost at the end, when nearly out of range, the Spanish discovered them and fired several shots which went wide. At midnight the fleet was safe in the Bay, 17 miles from Manila. Dewey slowly steamed on, planning to reach the city at sunrise.

At daylight the Spanish fleet was discovered at Cavite, eight miles from Manila, under the guns of land batteries. Immediately Dewey steamed to attack. At 5:51 a. m. on Sunday, May 1, Dewey quietly gave his order to the Captain of the Olympia "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley!" Then began the battle.

The Spanish commander was Admiral Montojo. He had eight fighting ships. They were not as powerful as the six American ships, but they were supported by powerful batteries on shore which nearly equalized the forces. The total tonnage of the Spanish ships was 13,351 against 19,098 for the American ships. The total number of guns in the Spanish fleet was 110, against Dewey's 137 guns. The crews of all the Spanish vessels numbered 1,780, against 1,681 in Dewey's fleet.

Dewey's plan of battle kept his column in constant motion, sweeping by the Spanish line and pouring in his fire until out of range, then turning back to steam in the opposite direction, using the other broadsides, each time his line turned going a little closer to the enemy. Back and forth they steamed for two hours, when it was seen that three of the Spanish ships were on fire. Then, at 7:35 a. m. Dewey ordered, "Cease firing" and made the signal to withdraw for breakfast, so the ships steamed out into Manila Bay and the Americans rested and drank their coffee. Thus far, the Americans had lost but six men, all wounded. The Spanish Governor General hereupon made a queer mistake. He thought Dewey's breakfast movement was a retreat, for whoever heard of a victorious fleet stopping in the midst of a battle, after fighting only two hours, to eat breakfast? So he sent at once a cable message to Madrid saying "Our fleet

engaged the enemy in brilliant combat, protected by the Cavite and Manila forts. They obliged the enemy, with heavy loss, to manœuvre repeatedly." A little later, when Dewey "manœuvred" again a less optimistic message was sent to Madrid.

At 11:16 a. m. Dewey ordered the attack renewed. In this second battle, the Baltimore led the way. It was now the plan to go right in, get near the Spanish ships and complete the destruction in a short time. The Spanish offered a brave resistance. They continued the battle for an hour and a half though dead and dying lay thick upon their decks. One by one they sank or ran ashore. At 12:30 p. m. the Spanish flag was hauled down from the flagstaff on land and a white flag was run up. The Spanish fleet was utterly destroyed and the land batteries captured. So ended the amazing battle of Manila Bay.

The American loss was six men, all wounded. The Spanish loss was 618 killed and wounded. Captain Gridley had been ill, yet in his weakened condition he remained in the conning tower of the Olympia throughout the battle. The strain brought a

relapse. Five weeks later he died at Kobe, in Japan.

May 1, 2, 3 (1863)—Battle of Chancellorsville, Va., year 1863. Gen. Joseph Hooker (Union, 120,000 men) vs. Gen. R. E. Lee (Confederate, 62,000 men). Confederate victory. Union loss, 12,197 killed and wounded and 5,000 missing-total 17,197; Confederate loss, 10,266 killed and wounded and 2,753 missing-total 13,019. The battle lasted three days. While the Confederates were victorious, their cause suffered a great blow by the death of Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson who was accidentally shot by his own men on the night of May 2. It was largely through Jackson's genius for strategy that the Confederates won, and this battle is of first rank among military students throughout the world because of the splendid leadership of the great Confederate who died a week after the battle.

May 1 (1873)-One cent postal cards first issued by the United States Government, year 1873.

May 1 (1878)-First elevated railroad train in the development of municipal rapid transit in America, year 1878. It ran from Trinity Church, New York, to 59th Street, over the newly built Sixth Avenue line, a distance of four and three-quarter miles, in sixteen minutes. The elevated railroad system was invented by Dr. Rufus Gilbert, of New York.

May 1 (1893)-Columbian Exposition at Chicago, opened, year 1893. Closed, Oct. 30, 1893. Attendance, 21,477,218.

May 1 (1897)-Tennessee Centennial and National Exposition at Nashville, opened, year 1897. Closed Oct. 1 of the same year. The total attendance was

about 2,000,000.

May 1 (1901)-Pan-American Exposition opened at Buffalo, year 1901. Closed, Nov. 1, 1901. Attendance, 8,120,848.

May 1 (1904)-Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis opened, 1904. Closed, Nov. 30, 1904. Paid attendance, 12,804,616.

Second Saturday in May-American Indian Day, established by the Society of American Indians, year 1915.

Second Sunday in May-Mother's Day. On May 9, 1914, following the adoption of a resolution by Congress, President Wilson issued a proclamation, saying in part: "Whereas, in this the said joint resolution it is made the duty of the President to request the observance of the second Sunday in May as provided for in the said joint resolution: Now, therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the said joint resolution, do hereby direct the Government officials to display the United States flag on all Government buildings, and do invite the people of the United States to display the flag