Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-05-13

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Richard p. Covert, enlisted man.
William O'Keefe, enlisted man.
Rosario Ricciardelli, enlisted man
Edward Snelgrove, enlisted man.
All the wounded are but slight!
injured.
THE LINE OF BATTLE.
Commodore Dewey arrived of
Manila bay last night and decided tC
enter the bay at once.
With all its lights out, the squad
ron steamed into Bocagrande channe
with crews at the guns. This was the
order of the squadron, which was
kept during the whole time of the
first battle:
The flagship Olympia.
The Baltimore.
The Raleigh.
The Petrol.
The Concord.
The Boston.
1t was just s o'clock, a bright
moonlight night, but the flagship pass
Corregidor Island without sign
being given that the Spaniards were
aware of its approach.
THE FIRST SPANISH SHOT FRED.
Not until the flagship was a mile
beyond Corregidor was gun fired.
Then one heavy shot went screaming
over the Raleigh and the olympia,
followed by a second, which fell far
astern.
Thu Raleigh, the Concord and the
Boston replied, the Concord's shell
exploding, apparently, exactly IN
side the shore battery, which fired
no more. Our squadron slowed
down to barely steerage way and
the men were allowed to sleep along
side their guns.
Commodore Dewey had timed our
arrival so that we were within five
miles of the city of Manila at day
break.
We then sighted the Spanish squad
ron, Rear Admireal Montejo, COM
handing, off Cavite pronounced
Kahveety, with accent on the wee
Here the Spaniards had well-equip-
ped navy called Cavite arsenal.
Admiral Montajo's flag was flying
on the 3,5OO-ton protected cruiser
Reina Cristina. The protected
cruiser Castillo, of 5000 tons, was
moored ahead, and astern to the port
battery and to seward were the
cruisers Don Juan de Austria, Don
Antonio de Ullon, Isla de Cuba, Isla
de Luzon, Quires, Marquis del Duero
and General Leo. These ships and
the flagship remained under way
during most of the action.
SHIPS BEGIN THE ATTACK.
With the United States flag flying
at all their mastheads, our ships
moved to the attack in line ahead,
with a speed of eight knots, first
passing in front of Manila, where the
action was begun by three batteries
mounting guns powerful enough to
send shell over us at a distance of
five miles.
The Concord's guns doomed out a
reply to these batteries with two
shots. No more were fired, because
Commodore Dewey could not engage
with these batteries without sending
death and destruction into the
crowded city.
sPANIARDs EXPLODE TWO MINES.
As we neared Cavite two very
powerful submarine mines were ex-
ploded ahead of the flagship. This
was at six minutes patti o'clock.
The Spaniards evidently had mis-
Judged our position. Immense vol
umes of water were thrown high in
the air by these destroyers, but no
harm was done to our ships.
Commodore Dewey had fought
with Farragut at New Orleans and
Mobile bay, where he had his first
experience with torpedoes. Not
knowing how many more mines there
might be ahead, he still kept on
without faltering. No other mines
exploded, however, and it is believ-
ed that the Spaniards had only these
two in place.
Only a few minutes later the shore
battery at Cavite Point sent over the
flagship shot that nearly hit the