The heavy fighting force of the United States consisted of four battleships of the first class, the Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Oregon; one of the second class, the Texas; and two armored cruisers, the Brooklyn and the New York. Spain had five armored cruisers of greater reputed speed than any of ours except the Brooklyn and the New York, one battleship:

of the Indiana type, and several destroyers, a type of which we had none. It was generally supposed that the Spanish navy was somewhat superior to the American.

On April 29 Admiral Cervera's division of the Spanish fleet left the Cape Verde Islands for the West Indies, but its destination was unknown, and there were many conjectures in the papers as to whether it would appear in Cuban waters or attack some unguarded point on the coast of the United States.

ADMIRAL DEWEY.

While the American people were eagerly awaiting the appearance of Cervera's squadron in American waters, they were suddenly thrilled by the news of a great Battle of naval victory in Manila Bay. When war was Manila Bay declared Commodore George Dewey was at Hong-Kong, where he had collected the half dozen not very formidable cruisers and gunboats on the Asiatic station. Acting under instructions which were cabled to him from Washington, he set sail for Manila Bay with the purpose of capturing or

destroying the Spanish fleet. During the night of April 30 he entered the south channel leading into the bay and by daybreak was off Manila, near enough to see the shipping. South of his position lying eastward from Cavité the Spanish fleet was at anchor. With his flagship, the Olympia, in the lead Dewey closed in on the enemy and for more than two hours kept up a continuous fire on the Spanish ships and shore batteries, inflicting great damage. At 7:35 A.M. the American fleet stood out into the bay and the men were ordered to go to breakfast. Shortly after eleven the squadron returned to complete its work and in less than an hour and a half most of the Spanish vessels were in flames. In this remarkable battle the American cruisers escaped all but slight injury and only seven men were slightly wounded. On receiving the news of this victory President McKinley appointed Dewey rear-admiral and recommended that he be promoted to the grade of admiral and receive the thanks of Congress.

tion at Manila

In spite of Dewey's great victory his position was critical. He could have taken the city of Manila, but he did not have the men to hold it and it was two months before Dewey's critical posi- reënforcements reached him. The most serious cause of embarrassment was the presence in Manila Bay of a German squadron of five warvessels superior in strength to Dewey's. The German commander, Admiral Diederichs, displayed open sympathy with the Spaniards, disregarded Dewey's blockade of Manila, and committed breaches of naval etiquette. Dewey finally sent his flag-lieutenant to tell him that "if he wants a fight he can have it right now." The friendly attitude of the British commander at this crisis stood Dewey in good stead, and Admiral Diederichs promptly disavowed the acts complained of. No satisfactory explanation of the German admiral's conduct has ever been given.

Dewey's victory hastened the annexation of the Hawaiian

Islands. In June, 1897, President McKinley submitted to the Senate a treaty providing for the annexation of the group, but it was found impossible to secure the consent of two thirds of the Senators. The advocates of annexation then determined to gain

their end by a joint resolution and this resolution was still under consideration when the war with Spain began. Under the pressure of Dewey's position the importance of a naval station in the midPacific won over many of the opponents of annexation, and the joint resolution passed the House June 15 and the Senate July 6.

Meanwhile important events were happening

in American waters.

WILLIAM T. SAMPSON.

Cervera's fleet was very slow in crossing the Atlantic and much uneasiness was felt in the United States

Movements

as to its destination. Sampson grew restless of the and moved eastward to Porto Rico with a partAtlantic squadron of his fleet with the intention of intercepting Cervera in case he made a dash for the coast of the United States or of blockading him in case he put in at San Juan. While Sampson was off Porto Rico Cervera appeared off Martinique, and learning the location of the American fleet turned southward to Curaçao. A week later he slipped unobserved into Santiago, Cuba.

As soon as news of the arrival of the Spanish fleet off Martinique was received at the Navy Department, Schley

was dispatched with the "flying squadron" from Hampton Roads to Key West and Sampson was hastily recalled from Porto Rico. When the latter reached Key West May 18, he ordered Schley to proceed around the west end of Cuba to Cienfuegos and in case he did not find Cervera there to go on to Santiago. Schley arrived before Santiago on the 26th, a week after the arrival of Cervera's fleet, but as the auxiliary cruisers on scouting duty before that port were ignorant of Cervera's arrival Schley began the much discussed retrograde movement to Key West. Two days later, after receiving dispatches from the Navy Department indicating that Cervera was at Santiago, he returned and established a blockade. Sampson arrived June 1 and assumed command.

During the search for Cervera's fleet much uneasiness was felt for the safety of the Oregon, which left Bremerton, Washington, before the war was declared and was making the long journey around the Horn. She had been last heard from at Bahia, Brazil, May 9 and it was feared that she might encounter the whole Spanish fleet, but she turned up safely off the Florida coast on the 24th ready for service after a memorable voyage of fourteen thousand miles.

As soon as the Spanish fleet was blockaded in Santiago the government decided to send a military expedition to

The Santiago campaign

coöperate with the navy. The two hundred thousand volunteers who had responded to the call of the president in May had been kept in camps in different parts of the country. Most of the regular infantry and cavalry, together with several volunteer regiments, had been assembled at Tampa and organized as the Fifth Army Corps. The preparations made for equipping and provisioning large bodies of men were wholly inadequate. The sanitation of the camps was bad, and dysentery, malaria, and typhoid fever soon made their appearance. The administrative inefficiency of the War Department under

Secretary Alger became painfully evident when the Fifth Army Corps was sent to Santiago.

The expedition was placed under the command of MajorGeneral William R. Shafter, who was physically unfit for military service and unable to leave his tent during the most critical period of the campaign. The force which sailed from Tampa June 14 consisted of 815 officers and 16,072 enlisted men, regulars with the exception of the Seventyfirst New York, the Second Massachusetts, and the First Volunteer Cavalry of "Rough Riders," organized by Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt. On the 22d this force effected a landing with great difficulty, owing to the failure to provide wharves and launches, at Daiquiri, a point a few miles east of the entrance to Santiago Bay. The next day General Lawton advanced and seized Siboney, and on the 24th General Wheeler with Young's brigade defeated a Spanish force at La Guasima. During the next week the troops suffered greatly from the heavy rains, poor rations, and bad camp accommodations.

On June 30 preparations were completed for an advance on San Juan Hill, a strategic point on the direct road to Santiago. Early next morning Lawton began Battle of San an attack on El Caney, a position on the right Juan Hill of the American advance, expecting to carry it without much resistance in time to coöperate with the main movement, but the Spaniards developed unexpected strength at this point and held him in check until the late afternoon. Meanwhile the main column had advanced slowly and with great difficulty through the thick brush and along the narrow trail leading to the San Juan blockhouse, the Spanish artillery killing numbers of men before they could get into position to return the fire.

By noon the advance had crossed the little San Juan River, the dismounted cavalry division under Sumner deploying to the right and Kent's division of infantry to the left di