The Saint Paul globe., 1898-05-05
DEWEY AS A FIGHTER.
The Brush With the Spanish Not
His First by Any Means.

FROM the new YORK sun.
Commodore George Dewey first
| breathed the free air Of these United
States In the green hills of Vermont
siXty-One years ago. He has seen red
hot fighting between then and now
enough to know he hits hardest who
hits straightest and oftenest and keeps
1t up indefinitely. Dewey was appoint
ed to the naval academy from Vermont
when he was seventeen years old. When
he graduated in 1858 he went with the
steam frigate Wabash on a cruise with
the Mediterranean squadron, which
lasted until 1859
Ensign Dewey was at home when
Fort Sumter was fired upon. Just one
week later, April 10, 1861, he received
his commission as a lieutenant. He
was assigned at once to the steam
sloop Mississippi, which was to take
part in the fierce fighting of the West
Gulf squadron. The Mississippi was
a side wheeler of seventeen guns, and
was commanded by Commander Me-
lancthon Smith The West Gulf squad
ron went at once to the Mississippi river
to force it's way up. 1.-THE History of
Our Navy" thus describes the sort of
things the men on the Mississippi eXpe-
rienced when they preceded Farragut up
past New Orleans:
/ 1.-The Pensacola and the Mississippi
steamed slowly, with their black hulIs
with lurid fire as they replied to the
forts. Abreast of ST. Philip, where the
Confederate fire was hottest, they drew
IN so close that the gunners afioat and
those ashore heartily cursed each other
as they worked"
The Mississippi was with the squad
ron again when 1T ran down past New
Orleans on the way back, fair targets
for nineteen big guns at close range.
The hardest fight that the Mis-
s1ssippi ever was in was the one that
ended her. The fleet was trying to run
by Port Hudson with it's powerful bat
teries. None of the squadron got by.
The Mississippi did not even get down
as close to the batteries as most of
the other ships did. She ran aground
In the fog and smoke and stuck hard
and fast. She was about opposite the
main battery when the smoke cleared
away. In thirty minutes she was
struck ESQ times. She was shot full Of
holes, like colander. Her crew climb
ed into boats on the side opposite the
forts, and, after setting her on fire,
made for the other side of the river
under a whitening fire. She grew light
er as she burned, and finally floated
off. Opposite the last battery her blaz-
ing, popping progress ended in a tre-
mendous explosion, and her men, safe
on short, knew that the Mississippi
I,
altogether, was not an impractical bit
or experience for a man destined to
lead fleet of his own into action.
In July, 1853, Dewey was on the gun
beats that engaged the rebels below
Donaldsonville. In 1864 he was attach
ed to the North Atlantic blockading
squadron, assigned to the steam gun
boat Agawam. The Agawam was one
OF the great crescent of warships, big
and little, that pumped shot into Fort
Fisher in December, 1864, and January.
1865 Dewey received his commission as
lieutenant commander on March 8.
1865, and served for two wears
on the European squadron, first on the
steamer .Kearsarge and then on the
frigate Colorado, the flagship.
In 1868 he was assigned to duty at
the naval academy. In 1870 he receiv-
ed his first command, that of the Mar
ragansett, which was employed ON spe
cial service until 1875. The last part of
the time during which he commaGae5
the Narragansett Dewey was COM
mander.
The Pacific survey Of 1S72-75 was in
trusted to him. After two years as
lighthouse inspector and five as secre-
taTy of the lighthouse board he was
put In command Of the Juniata on the
Asiatic squadron in 1882. In September.
1884, he was promoted to be a captain
and placed in command Of the Dol
phin, then brand new, and one of the
four vessels to which the name white
squadron" was first given.
From 1885 to 1883 he was the COM
mander Of the Pensacola, the flagship
OF the European squadron. In 1883 his
energy and ability to complete matters
OF detail was recognized by making
him chief Of the bureau of equipment
and recruiting, which carried with It
the rank Of commodore
In May, 1893, he took another turn on
duty as member Of the lighthouse
board. He was made an actual com
modore on Feb. 26, 1898, and was at
about that time put at the head of
tne important board Of inspection and
survey. He was transferred to the
command OF the Asiatic squadron Jan.
l, 1898.