Four American Naval Heroes Part 21

George Spalding became a minister, and when the news of Admiral Dewey's victory at Manila reached the United States, he preached a sermon about it in his church at Syracuse, New York.

The boy who goes to the Naval School at Annapolis must be ready to work hard with both his hands and his brain. The discipline is rigid and no favors are shown or allowances made.

George Dewey was seventeen years old when he entered the Academy. He was a strong, active boy, and fond of outdoor sports. He was also a lad with whom no one could trifle.

One day one of the cadets called him insulting names. George promptly knocked him down. Soon afterward another cadet tried to test the courage of the "new boy," but received a worse thrashing than the first one had.

The cadets, however, were a manly set, and they admired George for his courage in defending his rights. Long before the four years' training had expired, George was one of the most popular members of his cla.s.s. It is greatly to his credit, that, although study was not naturally easy for him, yet he graduated as the fifth in his cla.s.s. This, at Annapolis, means good honest work.

George was graduated in 1858, and in order to finish his training, went on a two years' cruise to the Mediterranean in the _Wabash_. On his return, he visited his old home in Montpelier, and while there the war between the Union and the Southern Confederacy began. He hurried to Washington, where he received his commission as lieutenant.

IV.--FROM LIEUTENANT TO COMMODORE.

Lieutenant Dewey was ordered to the steam sloop _Mississippi_, one of the Gulf Squadron, of which Admiral Farragut was the commander. Though but twenty-three years of age, the young lieutenant won the admiration of both officers and men.

When the fleet pa.s.sed the forts below New Orleans, the _Mississippi_ was the third in the line. All through that terrible fight, Lieutenant Dewey stood on the bridge, amid the storm of shot and sh.e.l.l. Whenever the guns flashed out in the darkness, the sailors could see him holding firmly to the rail, giving orders as calmly as though a battle were an everyday affair.

When the Confederate iron-clad, _Pensacola_, tried to ram the _Mississippi_, Lieutenant Dewey never lost his presence of mind. By a quick move, the _Mississippi_ avoided the _Pensacola_, and pa.s.sing by, poured such a broadside into the ram that her crew ran her ash.o.r.e in a sinking condition. Admiral Farragut praised the young lieutenant warmly for his brave conduct in this battle.

About a year later the _Mississippi_, while trying to pa.s.s the forts at Port Hudson, ran aground. The vessel was directly in range of the enemy's batteries, and there was no hope of saving her. Shot after shot came crashing through her sides.

The officers who had the task of saving the crew did not return to the _Mississippi_ after their trip to a place of safety. The rest of the crew were saved by Lieutenant Dewey. He was obliged to make several trips to the nearest vessel before he had placed all of the crew out of danger.

When no one was left on board but Captain Smith and himself, they set fire to the _Mississippi_ in five places, so that she should not fall into the hands of the enemy.

As Dewey and the captain were about to get into their boat, Captain Smith said: "Are you sure she will burn, Dewey?"

"I will take one look more to be sure," replied the brave lieutenant; and, at the risk of his life, he made his way back and saw that the fires they had started were making good headway. He then rejoined the captain, and they pulled away from the burning ship.

After the loss of the _Mississippi_, Lieutenant Dewey was ordered to one of Admiral Farragut's dispatch boats. The admiral often came on board and was very friendly to the young lieutenant.

In 1864, Dewey was a.s.signed to the _Colorado_ as first lieutenant. This vessel was part of the fleet besieging Fort Fisher.

During the second attack on the fort, the _Colorado_ was ordered to go up close to a certain battery and silence it. Some of the officers objected, as the _Colorado_ was a wooden vessel and had already been badly damaged. Lieutenant Dewey said, "We shall be safer in there, and the battery can be taken in fifteen minutes." The attack was a success and proved that Dewey was wise as well as brave.

After the battle, Admiral Porter came to thank the commander of the _Colorado_ for the work that his vessel had done. The commodore replied, "You must thank Lieutenant Dewey. It was his move."

Three months later he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander on account of the courage and ability he had shown.

After the close of the war, Dewey's father went to see Farragut in New York. The famous admiral shook Dr. Dewey's hand warmly and said, "Sir!

Your son George is a worthy and brave officer and some day will make his mark."

In 1884 he was made captain. He did not receive the rank of commodore until 1896.

During all these years, he worked hard and did his duty faithfully. When not on the sea, he was at work on sh.o.r.e, teaching in the Naval Academy, making marine maps, or looking after supplies for the vessels.

Admiral Dewey's sailors are very fond of him, for although he is strict he is always just. The two things which he especially dislikes are disobedience and untruth.

On one occasion, when captain of the _Dolphin_, his lieutenant reported that one of the men had refused to perform some task on the plea that it was not his work. Captain Dewey came on deck, and, looking sternly at the man, said:

"What! you refuse to do as you are told! Don't you know that this is mutiny?" Calling for the guard, he ordered them to load their guns.

"Now, my man," he said, "you have just five minutes in which to obey that order." The captain began counting the minutes, and by the time he had reached four, the order was obeyed.

At another time, while at Gibraltar, one of his sailors who had been ash.o.r.e, came aboard late at night, very drunk. Next morning, he tried to excuse himself to the captain by saying that he had only had two gla.s.ses of grog, but had afterwards been sun-struck.

"You are lying, my man," said Dewey. "You were very drunk. I expect my men to tell me the truth. Had you told me that you were drunk, I would have made the punishment as light as possible. Now you get ten days in irons for lying."

In January, 1898, Commodore Dewey was ordered to take command of the Asiatic Squadron at Hong Kong, China.

V.--THE AMERICAN NAVY IN CUBAN WATERS.

While Admiral Dewey had been winning fame at Manila, the Navy Department had organized two other fleets which were to be used nearer home.

One of these was called the Flying Squadron because it was composed of fast cruisers. It was stationed at Hampton Roads. From this point, it could move quickly either north or south to protect the cities on the Atlantic coast in case they should be attacked by a Spanish fleet.

The commander of the Flying Squadron was Commodore Winfield Scott Schley, later a rear admiral. He was an experienced officer. He had graduated from Annapolis in time to serve all through the Civil War.

In 1884, he commanded the relief expedition which rescued Lieutenant Greely and his exploring party at Cape Sabine. To do this, he had to sail through fourteen hundred miles of ice-covered ocean.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ADMIRAL SCHLEY.]

In 1891, he commanded the _Baltimore_, stationed at Valparaiso. One day, a party of his sailors who had gone on sh.o.r.e for pleasure, were attacked by a mob. Two of them were killed and the rest were made prisoners.

Captain Schley boldly went on sh.o.r.e and demanded the release of his men, and a sum of money for those who had been killed. As he intimated that a refusal would be followed by a bombardment from the guns of his vessel, the demand was granted.

Such was the man that the government had selected to command the Flying Squadron.

The other fleet was much larger, and was called the North Atlantic Squadron. It was composed of great battleships, monitors, cruisers, and torpedo-boats. This squadron was to blockade the ports of Cuba in order to prevent any foreign vessel from bringing aid to the Spanish soldiers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ADMIRAL SAMPSON.]

This fleet was under the command of Captain William T. Sampson, who was also made a rear admiral a little later in the war. The government could well trust this important duty to Admiral Sampson. Graduating from Annapolis in 1861, he had served through the Civil War, and afterward, step by step, had won promotion.

During these years he had seen service in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and had occupied many responsible positions in the Navy Department on sh.o.r.e. He had also been one of the committee that had investigated the loss of the battleship _Maine_.

All this had prepared him for the great task of commanding the North Atlantic Squadron. The prudence and judgment with which he performed this duty proved that the government had made a wise selection.

The people of America were still rejoicing over the victory at Manila, when the news came that the Spanish admiral, Cervera, with four of the finest cruisers in the world, and three of the latest kind of torpedo boat destroyers, had sailed from the Canary Islands for the United States. This caused some alarm, and wild reports were spread as to what these vessels might do. Admiral Sampson, with his fleet, was guarding the West Indian waters, and Commodore Schley, with his Flying Squadron, was waiting at Hampton Roads in case Admiral Cervera should sail north.

If the Spanish admiral could evade these fleets, he might bombard the cities on the Atlantic coast.

VI.--THE CRUISE OF THE OREGON.

In the meanwhile, the greatest anxiety was felt for the United States battleship _Oregon_. When the _Maine_ was destroyed, this vessel was at the Mare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco. Before war was declared she had been ordered to join the squadron of Admiral Sampson as soon as possible.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE OREGON.]