Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1898-05-11
A Marvellous Battle.

In two important particulars the
battle Of Manila has no counterpart
in history. The story of it was first
told to the world by the loser. On
one side the destruction was COM
plcte. while the other side escaped
virtually unharmcd. The victor is
the one that first announces to his
own nation and the rest of man
kind the results of the great bat
ties. Previous to the light ut Ma
Mia there has been no exception 10
this rule in the modern age in the
case Of an cpochmaking conflict.
Oddly enough, the story OF the Ma
Mia battle as told by the loser a
week ago was substantially correct.
True, the first reports from Madrid
on Sunday nj ght last were mislead-
ing, but those which were sent
out Il few hours later made toIer-
ably close approach to absolute
correctness. The calamity for
Spain was so vast that the Span
iards dared not attempt to conceal
it. Their overthrow was 50 sudden
SO unexpected and SO crushing that
they We're dazed into telling the
truth, as far as the truth could be
learned at that hour.
But the other particular con-
nected with the battIe-thc fact
that the destruction was all or one
sldc-ls the more marvellous.
Spains entire fleet. eleven vessels,
was destroyed, while not an Amer
lean ship was damaged; Among the
Spainards. 100 were killed and 700
wounded. These are the figure,
sent by Dewey. and they will
probably, SO far as regards the
killed, be found to be under the
mark, for the number of Spanish
vessels which were blown to pieces
or sunk would Indicate Il heavier
loss Of life than this. Not an
American was killed or badly in
jured, and only six were slightly
hurt. To employ the phrase used
by Plutarch for the fight between
the Spartans on one side and the
Arcadians and Argines on the
other, in 367 b. c.. this was a
''tcarless battle" for the Americans
as it was for the LacedacnonianS
then. The old warrior who said
that nothing is SO sad as = great
defeat except Il great victory"
did not fol csec last Sundays battle.
There was nothing sad for the
Americans in the fight at Manila.
In still another aspect the battle
was memorable. The American
slips in the darkness sailed into Il
harbor defended by powerful
fleet, by many forts supplied by
modern guns. adequately manned,
and by mines and torpedoes which
had been carefully laid to guard
against such invasion and to de-
stroy the invaders. In boldness OF
conception and audacity Of execu-
ton Dewcy's exploit will rank be-
sides brakes attack on the Spanish
feet in the harbor of Cadiz in
1887, in which he burned. sunk OF
captured Il large number of vessels
"a feat which he styled ''singcine
the King of Spain's beard and
with Nelson's destruction CT the
Danish war-ships in the harbor OF
Copenhagen in 1901. But TIC
German and French papers which
arc expressing surprise at Dewey
vigor and daring merely show an
ignol ancc of the long list of brilli-
ant achievements which cast theil
splcndor across century of United
States naval history. Dewey be-
longs to the same race rs Pau
Jones, Barry. Perry, McDonough,
Decatur, Bainbridgc, Farragut,
and other accomplished and intre
pid sea warriors whose deeds have
shed an undying glory on the
American name.-Giobe Demo
crat.