Young Peoples' History of the War with Spain Part 11

[Ill.u.s.tration: Aguinaldo.]

In another chapter I told you of the rebellion of the Filipinos against Spain. One of the leaders in the rebellion was a young man named Aguinaldo. The name means a "Christmas box." Aguinaldo has been a good box for some people, a troublesome box for others. Well, to quiet that rebellion, Spain made many promises, and Aguinaldo and other leaders went to stay in China. Spain did not keep her promises, and the rebels took up arms again. Before Spain could quiet this trouble, Commodore Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, and the Spanish soldiers fled to the city of Manila. Commodore Dewey had not forces enough to attack the city then, so he waited for more troops. But while he waited he blockaded the harbor. In June, General Merritt sailed from the United States with troops for Manila, and others were sent afterward.

On the way across the Pacific Ocean, at Guam, one of the Ladrone Islands, a ludicrous incident occurred. The Charleston steamed into the harbor, firing a few shots at the fort at its entrance. Several Spanish officers came out to the warship in a boat to apologize for not returning the salute, saying they had no powder. What was their astonishment upon being told they were prisoners, not even having heard that war had been declared.

The United States flag was raised over the island, and it is now held as a place to store large quant.i.ties of coal for the use of our war vessels.

Meanwhile, the Filipinos, and some of the savage tribes, had risen in great numbers against the Spaniards, and Aguinaldo returned and took command of his troops once more. Commodore Dewey, or Admiral Dewey, as he must now be called, having been promoted after his victory, tried to keep the natives in check; he did not think it right to let lawless people take the city of Manila.

The Spaniards made efforts to drive the Americans away from Manila, as well as to control the rebels, and sometimes matters seemed very serious for our men. On the 7th of August Admiral Dewey and General Merritt sent a notice to the Spanish General that, if he did not surrender by a certain day, they would attack Manila. They thought they could easily come to terms with the Filipinos, after settling the Spaniards.

On August 13th our ships in the harbor and our troops on the sh.o.r.e began the attack upon Manila. About noon the Spaniards had to surrender. Later in the day a cable message was received from the United States, saying that the war with Spain was ended.

Afterward, when the full Treaty of Peace was signed, the United States agreed to give Spain twenty million dollars for the Philippine Islands.

Manila had been captured once before from the Spanish. In what is known in this country as the "French and Indian War," Spain took sides with France, and England sent an expedition against Manila in 1762.

After a siege of about two weeks' duration, the city was carried by storm and given over to pillage. Afterwards, terms of capitulation were agreed upon, and the English withdrew.

In the summer of 1899, Admiral Dewey sailed from Manila in his flagship, the Olympia. He made a leisurely voyage through the Suez Ca.n.a.l, stopped at various Mediterranean ports, and finally reached New York on September 26th. Preparations on a gigantic scale had been made to welcome him, and distinguished men and deputations from every state in the Union were on hand to greet him. Splendid receptions and parades followed; costly presents were showered upon him. The culmination of this spontaneous greeting of the American people was reached when, in the city of Washington, President McKinley presented him with a magnificent sword--the one that had been voted to him by Congress for his splendid services at Manila.

Through it all Admiral Dewey was as modest as a man could be; he said that the captains of his ships and the crews of their vessels were the men that won "all these indescribable honors" for him.

After the surrender of Manila to General Merritt and Admiral Dewey, Aguinaldo, the leader of the Filipinos, began to make trouble for the Americans. He proclaimed a new form of government for the islands, with himself as dictator. He entirely ignored the efforts of the United States to give his people a good government, and because they did not agree to his schemes, he began to fight our soldiers. He succeeded in raising a formidable insurrection, and we had to send more soldiers to the islands. General Otis was sent there with reinforcements, and later, a number of the generals who had fought at Santiago were sent to help him put down the rebellion against the authority of the United States, who owned the islands by right of conquest and purchase.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Admiral Dewey Receiving the Sword of Honor Voted by Congress.]

Many men were killed on both sides, and among them were Major John A.

Logan, Jr., and Major-General Henry W. Lawton.

Major Logan was the son of Hon. John A. Logan, formerly a Senator and at one time Vice-President of the United States.

[Ill.u.s.tration: General E.S. Otis.]

General Lawton, you will remember, was the famous officer who fought so gallantly in Cuba, particularly at the battle of El Caney, and was after wards sent to the Philippines. Upon his arrival in the islands he was at once given a command, and began to hunt down, the Filipinos.

He fought as bravely and gallantly in the Philippines as he did in Cuba, capturing many rebel strongholds and considerable quant.i.ties of arms and ammunitions. He took a large number of prisoners and kept up such a tireless pursuit of the insurgents that they fled before him in terror. In fighting the Filipinos he used the same tactics that he had employed against the Indians in this country. He allowed his troops to fight in Indian fashion, each man for himself, when occasion required; and he had the love and respect of every man in his command.

General Lawton was specially thanked by President McKinley after his capture of San Isidro, where he led his men in person, as he almost invariably did. He was one of the bravest of men, and met a soldier's death in a skirmish at San Mateo, on December 18th, 1809.

When the news of General Lawton's death reached this country, the people quickly raised a fund, amounting to about one hundred thousand dollars, for his wife and children, as a token of their appreciation of his distinguished services. His remains were brought to the United States on a Government transport, and after lying in state at Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana, were laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery, near the city of Washington, D.C.

You will remember that our war with Spain began on April 21st, 1808, and that it ended with the signing of the peace protocol, on August 12th of the same year; but I hardly think you know what these one hundred and fourteen days cost this country.

The cost in men was two thousand, nine hundred and ten, and of these one hundred and seven were officers. The total force engaged was two hundred and seventy-four thousand, seven hundred and seventeen officers and men.

The cost in money was about $1,250,000 for each day of the war, and if you reckon that up you will find that it amounts to an enormous sum of money.

The only American vessel that was lost was the collier Merrimac, which was sunk in Santiago harbor by our own navy.

Spain's losses will probably never be given out, for national pride will not permit her to publish the figures. We know, however, that she lost twelve cruisers, two torpedo-boat destroyers and twenty-one gunboats from her list of fighting ships. The value of Admiral Cervera's squadron, which was destroyed at Santiago, alone was $20,000,000. Besides capturing or destroying these war vessels, we took from Spain, during the war, twenty-four steam vessels, sixty-one sailing vessels and sixty-one lighters.

It is impossible to give Spain's losses in men, killed and wounded, but she surrendered to us in Cuba and the Philippines something more than thirty-nine thousand men. According to the terms of the capitulation at Santiago, this country sent nearly twenty-three thousand prisoners home to Spain.