Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/252

 DKWEV

DE\VE\

DEWEY, George, naval officer, \vas Ihh-ii in Moutiwlier, Vt., Dec. 2(5, 18^7; son of Dr. Julius Yemaus and Mary (Perriii), grandson of Capt. Simeon and Prudence (Yenians), great-grandscm of William and Reltecca (Carrier), great ^ grand- sou of Simeon and Anna (Phelps), great^ grand- sou of William and Mercy (Bailey), great^ grand.son of Josiah and Meliitable (Miller), great* grandson of Sergt. Josiah and llepzibah (Lyman), and great* grandson of Thomas Dewey who emigrated from Sandwich, Kent, England, alxjut 1C30. Dr. Julius Y. Dewey (M.D., Uni- versity of Vermont, 1S24), organized the Na- tional life insurance company, and was its president, ISol-TT. George was educated in the puhlic scliool and academy and in Norwich uni- versity, and was apjwinted to the naval acad- emy at Anuajxjlis, entering Sept. 23, 1854. He was graduated in 1858 tiftli in the class, and was assigned to the U.S. steam frigate ]\'abash at- tached to the Mediterranean squadron. On his return home in 1859 he had attained the rank of ensign and was on leave of ab.sence in 1861 when the news of the fall of Sumter reached Montpelier and he at once reix)rted to Washington for duty. He w;is promoted pa.ssed midshipman, Jan. 19, 1861; master, Feb. 23, 1861, and lieutenant, April 19, 1861. He was assigned to the Mississippi and was second officer on that vessel in the West Gulf squadron ordered to capture New Orleans and he took part in the operations of Farragut and Por- ter that resulted in the reduction of Forts Jackson and St. Philip and the capture of the city, April 29. 1862. Wlien the fleet undertook to run the batteries of Port Hudson the Mississippi, retarded by the disabling of the Richmond, was swept on the fiats 100 yards from the battery and speedily set on fire. After Dewey had spiked the guns he left the ship with Captain Smith in a small boat, the .sailors having made their escape by swim- ming to the opposite shore. In July, 1863, Lieu- tenant Dewey was with the gunboat flotilla that engaged the Confederate batteries below Donald- sonville and in 1864 he was attached to the x\ga- xcam of the North Atlantic squadron. He was sub- sequently transferred to the Colorado, and with that ve.s.sel engaged in both attacks on Fort Fisher, N.C., December, 1864, and January, 1865. He was commissioned lieutenant-commander, March 3, lHf;5; was executive officer on the Kearsarge, 1865-G7; and secon<l officer on board the Colorado of the European squadron, 186T-68. He was as- signed to duty at the naval academy in 1868 and in 1870 received his first command, that of the Knrrrtri.insett. He was on special service, 1870-72, receiving while on that service his commi.s.sion as comman.ler, April 13, 1872. He liad charge of the Pacific survey, 1872-75; was lighthouse in- spector, 1876-77; secretary of the Ughthouse

board, 1877-82; anil was in command of the Juniata of the Asiatic squadron, 1882-84. He was made captain, Sept. 27, 1884; commanded the Dolphin of the white squadron, 1884-85; the Pen - sacola, flagship of the Euroi>ean squadron, 1885-88 ; was chief of the bureau of equi{Miient and re- cruiting, 1888-93; was on the lighthouse board, 1893-95; was commissioned commodore, Feb 28, 1896, and served as president of the board of in- spection and survey at Washington, D.C., 1896- 97. He was assigned to the command of the Asiatic squadron Nov. 30, 1897. He took com-

mand Jan. 1, 1898, and when war with Spain was declared in April, 1898, the British procla- mation of neutrality that followed obliged Com- modore Dewey to leave Hong Kong, April 28, 1898, with liis fleet, which consisted of the Ohjm- pia, flagship, the Baltimore, Boston, Italeir/h, Con- cord, Petrel, McCulloch, revenue cutter, Xanshan, collier, and Zafiro, supply ship; nine vessels manned by 1694 officers and men. His orders from W^ashington were to capture or destroy the Spanish Pacific squadron, then in harbor in Manila Bay. He reached the south channel leading into the bay, April 30, 1898, at 11.30 P.M., and disregarding the torpedoes with which the place was reported to be guarded, he made his way silently up the channel. When the greater part of his fleet had passed witliin the protection of the bay the Spanish forts first opened fire from a shore battery, their shot go- ing far wide of the mark and doing no damage to the invading fleet. W^hen daylight broke on May 1, 1898, the United States squadron was off the city of Manila, and at 5.15 a.m., five bat- teries defending the city — three of which were located at Manila and two near Cavitc, — and the Spanisli fleet, comprising the Boina Cristina, Castilla, Bon Antonio de UUoa, Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Cuba, Isia de Luzon, General Lezo, Mar- ques del Duero, El Correo, Velasco, Isla de Mindanao. Bapido and Hercules, opened fire. The United States fleet returned the fire at 5.41 a.m., main taining a line parallel to that of the anchored