Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/255

 DEWEY

DEWEY

Spanisli fleet, and then counter-steaming, again passed the line of Spanish warships and contin- ued to give and receive steady fire as the suc- cessive sliips passed an antagonist. Admiral Montojo commanding the Spanish fleet, made a desperate effort to steam the Eeina Christina, his flagsliip, out of the line so as to engage more effectively the passing antagonists. Tlie Olympia met the attempt with the full weight of her bat- tery that nearly disabled the Spanish battle-ship, set it on fire, and forced the Spanish admiral be- hind the shelter of Cavite- Point, where the vessel continued to burn and finally sank, her crew escaping to the shore. A threat from Commodore Dewey to the governor-general of Manila to shell the city unless the land batteries ceased firing, silenced the forts, and at 7.35 a.m., the United States fleet withdrew out of range of the guns of the enemy's fleet and the crews were ordered to breakfast. When the attack was re- newed at 11. IG A.M., the commodore found the Spanish ships on flre and rapidly being put out of fighting condition by the flames. By 12.30 P.M., the Spanish batteries were silenced and all their ships either sunk or deserted and burning. The Petrel completed the work of destruction by firing the smaller gunboats that had sought refuge behind Cavite Point, and the eight war- ships with seven men slightly wounded and with no serious damage to any of the vessels, anchored off Manila and held the city at their mercy. On the arrival of General Merritt with sufficient troops to hold the city, the fleet combined with the land forces in a simultaneous attack on the city, on Aug. 13, 1898, aikl after ^six hours' engagement Flag-Lieutenant Thomas M. Brumby of the Olympia, raised the Stars and Stripes over the captured city. After the battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898, Commodore Dewey was raised to the rank of acting rear-admiral by President McKinley and received from the joint houses of congress a vote of thanks for his signal victory over the Spanish fleet without the lo.ss of a single American life. Congress also presented to him an elegant sword, and caused a medal to be cast to be inesf nte'l to the commodore and to each

officer and man in his fleet. In 1899 congress by special act ci'eated the rank of admiral and the President named him for the office and rank.

which bad been held only by Farragut and Por- ter. He left Manila with the Olympia in April, 1899, making the voyage home by way of India, Red Sea, Suez canal, and the Mediterranean, reaching New York the last of September. He was given a notable series of public ovations at New York city, Washington, D.C., Montpelier, Vt., and Boston, Mass. He then returned to Washington, where he acted with the Philippine commission of w^iich he was a member. He was married, Oct. 24, 1867, to Susie, daughter of Gov, Ichabod Goodwin of New Hampshire. She died, Dec. 28, 1872, leaving one son, George Goodwin, born, Dec. 23, 1872. On Nov. 9. 1899, he was married to Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen, widow of Gen. W. B. Hazen, U.S.A., and daughter of Washington McLean of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ad- miral Dewey received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and from Princeton university in 1898, and the degree of Master of military science from Norwich uni- versity the same year. Several biographies of Admiral Dewey were published in 1899 and a carefully compiled genealogical record of the Dewey family in America.

DEWEY, Henry Sweetser, lawyer, was born in Hanover, N.H., Nov. 9, 1856; son of Maj. Israel Otis and Susan Augusta (Sweetser) Dewey; and grandson of Israel and Nancy (Hovey) Dew^ey and of Gen. Henry and Susan (West) Sweetser of Concord, N.H. His father was a merchant in early life and afterward a paymaster in the U.S. army. His first American ancestor, Thomas Dewey (1600-48), emigrated from Sandwich, Kent, England, became a freeman of Dorchester, Mass. , in 1634 ; removed to Windsor, Conn., about 1638, and married wadow Frances Clark, March 22, 1639. Henry Sweetser spent the years of his boyhood in the south and w^est where his father was stationed as paymaster. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1878 and afterward served as paymaster's clerk in the U.S. army, being sta- tioned at Boston, 1878-80. He resigned in 1880, studied law with the Hon. Ambrose A. Ranney, was graduated from the Boston university law- school in 1882, and was admitted to the Suffolk bar in June, 1882, taking up practice in Boston. He served as a member of the 1st corps of cadets, M.V.M., 1880-89, was appointed judge-advocate on the staff of the 1st brigade, with rank of cap- tain, 1889 ; was a member of the city council in 1885, 1886 and 1887, and of the state house of representatives, 1889, 1890 and 1891; was ap- pointed a bar examiner for Suffolk county in 1891 and a master in chancery in 1893 ; w-as appointed a special justice of the municipal court of the city of Boston in April, 1896, and in 1897 he was made chairman of the first state board of bar ex- aminers.