Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/114

88 Capt. Melancton Smith, of the &ldquo;Mississippi,&rdquo; ordered Dewey to con the ship; and from the conning bridge Dewey directed the vessel up the unknown, devious, shifting channel, through the rain of shot and shell from the forts, past the Confederate rams, into safe water above the forts, where the fleet held New Orleans at its mercy. When Farragut pushed on in March, 1863, to attack Port Hudson, the &ldquo;Mississippi&rdquo; grounded under the bluffs, and offered such a target for the Confederate batteries that she was abandoned and burned. The part Lieut. Dewey took in the blowing up of the &ldquo;Mississippi&rdquo; was described at the time by the correspondent of the New York &ldquo;Herald&rdquo; as follows: &ldquo;Capt. Smith and Lieut. Dewey were the last to leave the ship. She had been fired both forward and aft, and Lieut. Dewey was in the boat at the port gangway waiting for the captain, when the latter expressed the wish that the ward-room should be examined once more, to see if the fire kindled there was burning properly. At this instant a heavy shot, striking the starboard side of the ship, passed entirely through her, coming within a foot of the stern of the boat in which Lieut. Dewey was sitting. It was only necessary for him to look through the hole that the shot had made to ascertain that the ward-room was in a blaze, and on reporting such to be the case Capt. Smith was satisfied, and left the good old ship to her fate.&rdquo; Capt. Smith and Lieut. Dewey passed on to the &ldquo;Richmond.&rdquo; Some of the men had landed on the west bank of the river, from which they were rescued by Commander Caldwell, of the &ldquo;Essex.&rdquo; Capt. Smith reported in March, 1863, that 233 were saved, and 64 killed and missing. It was rumored at the time that a few of the crew had been captured, but the statement made in the present year (1899), that Dewey was taken prisoner on that occasion, is not true. Dewey was then assigned to one of the smaller gunboats of the fleet; he took part in the engagements with the Confederates below Donaldsonville, La., in July, 1863, and saw other service on the river until the stream was completely opened for the Union forces. In 1864-'5 he served on the gunboat &ldquo;Agawam&rdquo; on the North Atlantic blockading squadron. He took part in the severe engagements before Fort Fisher in December, 1864, and January, 1865; and in March, 1865, received his commission of lieutenant-commander. The war was now over, and Dewey was transferred to the &ldquo;Kearsarge,&rdquo; on the European squadron, as executive officer. For a time he was stationed at the Kittery navy-yard, just across the river from Portsmouth, N. H.; here he met Susan P. Goodwin, daughter of Ichabod Goodwin, war governor of New Hampshire. They were married in October, 1867, and had one child, George Goodwin Dewey, born 23 Dec, 1872; five days after the birth of the son the mother died. This son was among the first to greet the great admiral on his return from Manila, 26 Sept., 1899.

During 1867 Dewey served on the &ldquo;Colorado,&rdquo; flag-ship of the European squadron; in 1868-'9 he was assigned to duty at the naval academy. He was in command of the &ldquo;Narragansett&rdquo; on special service in 1870-'1. A year later he received his commission as commander, in April, 1872. For three years, 1872-'5, he was in command of the &ldquo;Narragansett&rdquo; on the Pacific survey. It was during this period that the &ldquo;Virginius&rdquo; trouble occurred and war with Spain seemed imminent. Commander Dewey wrote to the navy department requesting that, in case war should break out, he might be assigned the duty of capturing Manila. The controversy with Spain was settled by diplomacy, however, and there was no need of armed force; but it is an interesting historical fact that over a quarter of a century before the opportunity occurred the admiral had his eye on Manila. On his return from duty on the Pacific he served as lighthouse inspector in 1876-'7, and as secretary of the lighthouse board from 1877 to 1882. He was then assigned to the command of the &ldquo;Juniata&rdquo; on the Asiatic squadron; his experiences on that station in 1882-'3 stood him in good stead when he was again in command on that station, some sixteen years later. In September, 1884, he was appointed captain. He commanded the &ldquo;Dolphin&rdquo; in 1884 and the &ldquo;Pensacola,&rdquo; flag-ship of the European station, in 1885-'8. He was then detailed chief of the bureau of equipment and recruiting, with the rank of commodore; this position he held from August, 1889, until May, 1893, when he became a member of the lighthouse board. In 1895 he was transferred to the board of inspection and survey, serving as president during 1896 and 1897. He had held the rank of commodore from the time of his service as chief of the bureau of equipment, but his commission as such was not issued until 20 Feb., 1896. His health had been failing him while on shore duty, and he applied for an assignment for sea-service. It is probable, too, that Secretary Long and Assistant-Secretary Roosevelt foresaw the outbreak of hostilities with Spain, recognized the importance, in that event, of success by the Asiatic squadron, and resolved to put in command an officer tried by varied experience on sea and shore. On 30 Nov., 1897, Dewey was assigned to sea-service, and was detailed to the Asiatic squadron, of which he assumed command 3 Jan., 1898.

This was the critical period in the relations between Spain and the United States. Sagasta had recalled Weyler from Cuba, and had sent Blanco to introduce a system of autonomy, the failure of which soon became evident. The United States began concentrating war-vessels near Key West and collecting naval supplies; the tone of the press became more serious, demanding more earnestly the end of Spanish rule in Cuba. The de Lôme letter early in February, and the destruction of the United States war-vessel &ldquo;Maine&rdquo; in the harbor of Havana, made it evident that war was imminent. The navy department at Washington made every effort to give the Asiatic squadron all the munitions of war necessary. The coal supply was of course the crucial question; Dewey purchased two ships, one laden with three thousand tons of the best Welsh coal, the other carrying six months' supplies of stores and provisions. With careful foresight he made his preparations, and then waited. When war should break out there would be no port where he might refit or repair a ship nearer than San Francisco, 7,000 miles away. He must either take a port for a base or else sail home.