When the Stars and Stripes were hoisted over the Philippine capital, therejoicings at home were unbounded. But when the news reached Spain, itproduced a contrary effect; the indignation of that power was profound.An uprising of the people was feared, and the governors of all provinceswere ordered to place them under martial law at the first seriousoutbreak. The cable at Manila was cut by orders of Admiral Dewey, andthus the court at Madrid was kept in uncertainty as to what was actuallytranspiring.
The victory so bravely won was but the predecessor of others which gaveevery true American a thrill of pride. Admiral Sampson, commander of theNorth Atlantic squadron, arrived at San Juan de Puerto Rico on the 12thof May, making an early call, as he commenced operations before sunrise,bombarding the fortifications. The first shot was fired from the Iowa,captained by Bob Evans ("Fighting Bob"), and it was followed by theIndiana.
From the halyards of the flagship New York the signal flashedforth--"Remember the Maine!" The big guns pealed forth seven shots, andthe works felt their force. Fort Morro was left full of gaps, where theshells had struck it, and torn away the masonry. The frightened populacefled to the interior, beyond the range of the guns. Word had been sentahead by the commander of the American squadron that the works were tobe attacked, thus giving the non-combatants a chance to seek safety.{381}
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The first blood on our side was shed at Cardenas, May 12. After a shortencounter of thirty-five minutes between the torpedo boat Winslow, thetug Hudson and the gunboat Wilmington on the American side, and thebatteries at Cardenas and four Spanish gunboats, our arms were againvictorious. Five Americans fell in this engagement. Ensign Worth Bagleyof the Winslow, a brave North Carolinian, was the first officer to yieldup {382}his life. It is stated that even after the Winslow's starboardengine and steering gear were useless, the crew kept hurling shot at theSpaniards on shore, until she was totally disabled.
On the next day, May 13, the Flying Squadron left Hampton Roads, andmade Key West on the 18th. Santiago was the intended point of attack,and on the 18th also Admiral Sampson thought it time to turn hisattention to that place. The second squadron sent out by Spain,under Cervera, lay at that time in the harbor of Santiago, in fanciedsecurity.
ROOSEVELT'S ROUGH RIDERS.
|On Friday, June 24, a desperate engagement took place between fourtroops of the First Cavalry, four of the Tenth and eight of Roosevelt's"Rough Riders," who attacked a force of 2,000 Spanish soldiers, twicetheir number, and sixteen men were killed, among whom were Captain AllynM. Capron and Hamilton Fish, Jr., belonging to the Rough Riders.
The Rough Riders followed the trail over steep hills that towered manyhundred feet high. The weather was intensely warm, and each man carried200 rounds of ammunition and his heavy camp equipment. On they toiled upthe narrow path, often so narrow that they could only go in single file,while the sharp thorns of the prickly cactus tore and scratched them asthey passed through the thick underbrush.
As the day grew hotter they threw away blankets and tent rolls, and evenemptied their canteens. Soon they heard a call like a cuckoo. Every manwas on the alert. They knew now that Spaniards were near, for that wastheir cry. A charge was ordered, and they dashed into the thicket.The rush was so sudden and bold that a panic ensued among the Spanishsoldiers, and after fighting about an hour, they fled, firing as theyran, leaving fifty dead upon the field. {383}
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The crack of the Mauser rifles was heard, and the leaves flew from thetrees and chips from the fence post were showered over the heads of theRough Riders. The fire was a heavy one. Sergeant Fish was the first manto fall on our side--shot through the {384}heart. Although the enemy wasbut 200 yards away, yet they were so securely hidden in the brush thatonly a glimpse of them now and then could be seen. Colonel Wood showedremarkable coolness, walking along the lines as he gave orders.Lieutenant Roosevelt rushed into the thicket cheering his men on, whowere as anxious as he to reach the hidden foe. Captain Capron held hisrevolver in hand, and sent several of the Spaniards to the ground.Suddenly his weapon dropped from his hands and he fell, shot through thebody. With his dying breath he cried--"Don't mind me, boys, go on andfight." After fifteen minutes more, of hot fighting Lieutenant Rooseveltordered his men back, and just missed a bullet which buried itself in atree alongside his head. The Spaniards fell back, and ran down one hilland up another to the blockhouse, it was supposed with the intention ofmaking a stand there. Instantly the Americans followed them closely, andpoured a storm of bullets into the blockhouse; the Spaniards fled inhaste, and the battle was over. This was the first battle which theRough Riders had taken part in, and they proved their valor and braveryin a brilliant manner.
HOBSON MADE FAMOUS.
|One of the most brilliant exhibitions of pure, unselfish courage everexhibited was the act of Lieutenant Richmond P. Hobson. That officer,who was assistant naval constructor, had succeeded in convincing AdmiralSampson that there was but one way to prevent Admiral Cervera's escape.His daring scheme gave the fleet of the Spanish admiral its deathblow. Under the direction of Admiral Sampson he volunteered to take thecollier Merrimac into the channel leading into the harbor, and sink it,so as to prevent his escape with his ships; In other words, he literally"bottled" the unlucky Admiral up. {385}
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He needed but six men to help him accomplish his purpose. AdmiralSampson explained to the brave sailors that it was a desperate mission,that death was almost certain, and yet when only six volunteers wereasked for, over 1,000 responded, anxious, glad {386}to be of service tothe cause. Tears filled their eyes as they begged for the honor ofgoing with the brave commander who had been chosen for the perilousundertaking, and dying, if need be. It was a gallant deed, and asthe Merrimac steamed into the channel, a furious cannonading from theSpanish forts greeted their coming, but on they went into the "very jawsof death," and amid shot and shell Lieutenant Hobson went to the pointindicated by Admiral Sampson, anchored, and swung across the channel.Then a hole was blown in the ship's bottom, and a dash was made fora boat. They were loudly cheered by the Spaniards, who were lost inadmiration of their heroism, and Cervera himself, although he took themprisoners, sent a flag of truce to Admiral Sampson, by his chief ofstaff, Captain Oviedo, in honor of their bravery, offering to exchangethem without delay for Spanish prisoners in the hands of the UnitedStates.
The names of the gallant men who offered their lives so freelywere--Daniel Montague, George Charette, J. E. Murphy, Oscar Deignan,John P. Phillips, and John Kelly.
After being kept prisoners from June 2 until July 6, Lieutenant Hobsonand the six men who were made prisoners with him, were surrendered bythe Spanish military authorities in exchange for prisoners which weheld. Captain Chadwick, of the New York, escorted them through ourlines. The soldiers were wild with joy, and paid no attention todiscipline or order, so anxious were they to see the heroes of theMerrimac, whom they wildly cheered. Lieutenant Hobson talked very littleabout his experiences, but said the Spanish authorities had treated themwell, and their health was excellent.
The bombardment of Santiago's forts was vigorously kept up. On the 22dand 23d General Shafter landed at Baiquiri, and moved toward Santiago.He attacked the Spanish outposts July 1, and a fierce fight raged allday. He demanded the surrender of the latter place. General Lawtoncarried the heights of San Juan, after a determined charge.
DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET.
|Another {387}notable victory, and one of the greatest naval battlesever recorded, was the total destruction of Cervera's proud fleet, whichwas accomplished by Commodore Schley, on the 3d of July. The Americanfleet's commander, Sampson, was absent conferring with General Shafterregarding future movements. Meantime the government at Madrid realizedthat the city must fall sooner or later, and it had ordered Cervera tomake one bold dash out of the harbor. This he attempted to do, but wasreceived so warmly by Schley that in two hours the "invincible" fleet ofthe Spanish admiral was a series of wrecks, strewn along the beach forfifty miles
, with a loss of 600 killed, and 1,100 prisoners taken by ourforces, among whom was Cervera himself. The attempted escape was madewith great courage on the part of the Spaniards, who fought to thelast, and when hope was gone, threw themselves upon the mercy of theircaptors, who accorded them protection from the Cuban insurgents who hadwatched the battle in all its terrible earnestness.
SURRENDER OF SANTIAGO.
|Santiago had not yet yielded, however, and on the 10th of Julybombardment of that town was resumed.
The 14th of July saw the long-expected surrender of Santiago to GeneralShafter, and at 12 o'clock noon, the glorious Stars and Stripes werehoisted over the Governor's palace, and we held the situation. TheAmerican general rode into the city escorted by the Second Cavalry. Thepeople were very quiet, many of them even showing satisfaction atthe event. Courtesies were exchanged between the Spanish and Americanofficers, and General Shafter returned to General Toral his sword.The Spanish flag was displaced by the American--the eternal symbol ofliberty.
On the 26th of July the Spanish government made overtures for peace,through the French ambassador, M. Cambon, who called on our Presidentand by proper authority stated that Spain {388}was willing to treat withthe United States, and would like to consider terms. After discussingthe proposal with the Cabinet, President McKinley notified the Frenchambassador of his ultimatum. The terms of the protocol were these:
"1. That Spain will relinquish all claims of sovereignty over or titleto Cuba.
"2. That Puerto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies, andan island in the Ladrones, to be selected by the United States, shall beceded to the latter.
"3. That the United States will occupy and hold the city, bay, andharbor of Manila pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace which shalldetermine the control, disposition and government of the Philippines.
"4. That Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Spanish islands in the West Indiesshall be immediately evacuated, and that commissioners to be appointedwithin ten days shall, within thirty days from the signing of theprotocol, meet at Havana and San Juan, respectively, to arrange andexecute the details of the evacuation.
"5. That the United States and Spain will each appoint not more thanfive commissioners to negotiate and conclude a treaty of peace. Thecommissioners are to meet at Paris not later than the 1st of October.
"6. On the signing of the protocol hostilities will be suspended,and notice to that effect will be given as soon as possible by eachgovernment to the commanders of its military and naval forces."
The government of Spain sought to evade the payment of the Cuban debt,but President McKinley was firm, and declined to discuss the matteruntil Spain had accepted his ultimatum. Days passed before ourgovernment received notification through M. Cambon that the Spanishministry had approved of his management of the negotiations, and hehad been authorized to sign the protocol. At 4:33 of the same day theagreement was signed by Secretary of State Day on behalf of the UnitedStates, and M. Cambon, of France, on behalf of Spain. {389}
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Our {390}President at once issued a proclamation stating that the UnitedStates and Spain had formally agreed upon terms for negotiationsthrough which peace between the two countries should be established, andofficial orders were sent to the various commanders of the forces of theUnited States, that all military operations be suspended.
SURRENDER OF MANILA.
|But the latter order did not reach Admiral Dewey in time to prevent hisadding more luster to his name by uniting his naval forces with the landforces of General Merritt.
July 31 a battle was waged at Malate, a small town half way betweenCavite and Manila. Here General Greene was posted with 4,000 men. Ourtroops were strengthening their position, when the Spaniards attemptedto give the Americans a surprise. The rain was pouring down in sheets,the typhoon was raging furiously, and it seemed a most auspicious timefor the attack. Three thousand Spaniards were massed in the vicinity.They forced the American pickets in, and assaulted the soldiers inthe trenches. But they did not know the men they attacked. The TenthPennsylvania stood their ground, and were reinforced by the FirstCalifornia and two companies of the Third Artillery. The mud was up tothe axles, the rain and wind raged wildly, and the enemy was on top ofthe trenches, while they sent a withering fire into the ranks of theAmericans, who never wavered, but returned it with earnestness.
The Spaniards retreated in confusion, but were not pursued, as ourinfantry had exhausted its ammunition. The scene was a thrilling one.Darkness covered the earth, save when a flash of lightning lit up thefaces of the dead and wounded, who lay side by side, in the trencheshalf filled with water which was red with their blood. Not a cry washeard from the lips of the wounded, but they spoke words of cheer tothose who were still able to fight.
The fighting began again August 1, but the enemy kept at long range. Thenext night they made another attack, but were repulsed, {391}with severeloss, 350 killed, 900 wounded, while we lost fourteen, and forty-fourwounded.
August 8, Admiral Dewey and General Merritt notified the authoritiesin Manila that unless they surrendered the city to them in forty-eighthours a combined attack by the land and naval forces might be expected.When that time had expired the Spanish officials asked one day moreso that they might remove the women and children, which request wasgranted.
When the foreign warships were appraised of the intended attack, theyprudently got out of range. The English and Japanese warships joined ourfleet at Cavite, while the French and German ships went to the north ofthe city, where they were safe. At 9:35 on Saturday, the 13th, a shellwas fired from the Olympia and hissed dangerously near the fort atMalate. The other boats began a rapid fire upon the intrenchments. A fewfeeble replies came from the Spaniards.
The battle was short. In half an hour General Greene ordered an advance,and six companies of a colored regiment sprang over the breastworksand sought the shelter of some hedges about 300 yards from the Spanishlines. Then the remaining six companies moved along the shore, partlyhid by a ridge of sand and at 11 o'clock were in the stronghold.
At this critical moment 2,000 Spanish soldiers came on the scene, butthey did not engage the Americans. As soon as the white flag was seen,General Merritt, who had made the steamer Zafiro his headquarters,sent General Whittier, with flag lieutenant Brumby to meet the captaingeneral and discuss a plan of capitulation. The terms were agreed to byJaudenes, and were as follows:
"An agreement for the capitulation of the Philippines:
"A provision for disarming the men who remain organized under thecommand of their officers, no parole being exacted.
"Necessary supplies to be furnished from the captured treasury funds,any possible deficiency being made good by the Americans.
"The {392}safety of life and property of the Spanish soldiers andcitizens to be guaranteed as far as possible.
"The question of transporting the troops to Spain to be referred todecision of the Washington government, and that of returning their armsto the soldiers to be left to the discretion of General Merritt.
"Banks and similar institutions to continue operations under existingregulations, unless these are changed by the United States authorities."
At once Lieutenant Brumby hastened away to take down the Spanish flag.Two signal men accompanied him. At Fort Santiago, in the north part ofthe city, they, were vigorously hissed when the flag of Spain was hauleddown, and the flag of the free rose grandly in its place.
This day's battle resulted in a loss on the American side of eightkilled and thirty-four wounded, while the Spanish had 150 killed and 300wounded.
The Americans captured 11,000 prisoners, 7,000 of them being regulars;20,000 Mauser rifles, 3,000 Remingtons, eighteen modern cannon, and manyof the old pattern.
Thus ended a war which has covered us with glory--a war we did notinvite, but which was forced upon us in the interests of humanity; a warwhich has taught European nations to respect us as a great power. May itbe the last which our nation is drawn into. May th
e dawn of peace heraldthe day when wars shall be no more; when wise counsels and generousarbitration shall decide questions of moment between nations.
War has a terrible meaning; it means desolated homes, and bittertears shed for those who come not; it means angry passions and cruelexpressions of them; it means want and suffering and the humiliation ofdefeat for one side or the other. May the days of rancor end forever!{393}
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ANNEXATION OF HAWAII.
|In connection with the war so recently concluded, we should mentionthe annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, a measure which {394}has beenagitated for many years, and the conflict only increased the sentimentin favor of making them part and parcel of our Republic.
The islands comprise a group of eight, and were discovered by CaptainCook in 1788. They are important to us from their commercial value, andalso from their strategic uses, and the necessity for a closer relationhas been recognized by nearly every President and Secretary of Statethrough all the successive administrations.
After many long and arduous debates, the vote for and against annexationwas taken by Congress, and an overwhelming majority declared in favorof annexation, and Hayti with her vast commerce, her rich agriculturalproductions became a member of our great body politic, and on Friday,August 12, the American flag waved over Honolulu, the capital of the new"Territory of Hawaii."